A Look Back on NHL All Star Weekend

Hurricanes Eric Staal and Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom were excellent choices to be the team captains at this weekend's NHL All Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina

           

Heading into this weekend’s NHL All Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina, there were mixed reviews regarding the new fantasy draft formatting. It was believed that the players wouldn’t be open to the draft, but I think it was just the opposite.

            To begin, Eric Staal and Nicklas Lidstrom were excellent choices to be the team captains.  At 40 years old, Lidstrom was the oldest and most experienced all star and it will be one of his final seasons in the league (unless he tries to follow Chris Chelios’ footsteps). Staal was the hometown hero, so as long as he took care of his ‘boys’, he’d be in the fans good books.

            I found the draft very entertaining to watch, even though I didn’t agree with some of the selections. A few come to mind. For example, Cam Ward going first overall was a little puzzling. Yes, Ward was Staal’s ‘boy’ and had to be his goalie, but I don’t think Lidstrom would have picked a goalie with his first pick anyway

            I was also surprised that Phil Kessel was chosen last. Yes, many thought that he was the worst player of the 36 all stars, but in my opinion he would be the perfect player for this kind of game. The Maple Leafs forward has a killer wrist shot, but his backchecking isn’t anything to write home about. That is exactly the kind of player who excels in an all star format. He would be able to dipsy-doodle around the offensive zone and meander aimlessly back towards his defensive zone at his own pace. Instead, I really thought that St. Louis Blues forward David Backes should have been the last player selected. He’s more of a power forward and one who plays a ‘grinding’ dump and chase style of game. Since there’s no hitting during the all star game, he would almost be useless on the ice.

            Saturday night’s skills competition was also entertaining to watch. Having 16 top rookies was a great way for the league to promote some of their young talent and future all stars. The best moment of the event had to be the goalie version of the fastest skating contest. Tim Thomas looked to have the early edge over Cam Ward before completely blowing a tire turning around the net. Ward went on to win the race. The NHL did a great job with some of the new events, although the relay competition that involved several different skills took far too long to complete.

            As for the game itself, it was a typical all star fiasco for most of the first two periods.  It was evident that the players started to kick it up a notch with Team Lidstrom up 7-6 late in the second frame. The game was entertaining in the third, as the players started to compete harder. We saw the first ever all star game penalty shot in that final period, when Alex Ovechkin threw his stick at Matt Duchene (Duchene was then stopped by Henrik Lundqvist). In the end, Team Lidstrom was victorious 11-10 over Team Staal. Patrick Sharp won the game MVP with a goal and two assists. He’ll definitely be driving fellow Thunder Bay natives Eric, Jordan and Marc Staal around during the off season.

            Looking back on the weekend, I thought it was a success. The draft was great to see and created some intriguing storylines for the rest of the weekend. The moment that caused the world to giggle was when Phil Kessel was about to be selected last. When he was sitting all alone, Alex Ovechkin pulled out his Blackberry and snapped a picture of him with his incredibly great (cough) smile beaming. For those who didn’t see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scg8Vzu7PK4 (go to the 30 second mark).

            Seeing Jeff Skinner excel throughout the weekend was also cool. I’m proud to say that he sniped a few past me during my ‘hay day’. Lastly, Daniel and Henrik Sedin were on different teams for the first time EVER, so that was definitely cool.

            I think the NHL should use the same format again at next year’s all star game in Ottawa. Besides, 1.5 million people viewed the draft Friday night on TSN. It appeared that the players were open to all of the changes and all in all, the entire weekend was a success.

Toronto's Three Headed Goalie Monster

Rookie James Reimer has been the most consistent goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.

        The Toronto Maple Leafs have had several issues this season. A number of players have performed inconsistently, their powerplay has struggled and the goaltending has been poor for the most part. With rookie James Reimer playing quite well as of late, this has left coach Ron Wilson in a dilemma. I think the Leafs have to continue to roll with the 'hot hand', which in this case is James Reimer.

        A team carrying three goaltenders always creates an awkward situation. The most evident situation came a few years ago when Curtis Joseph, Dominik Hasek and Manny Legace were the goalies for the Detroit Red Wings. Joseph and Hasek were two obvious superstars and wouldn't even speak to each other. As a result, they both started to struggle mightily which caused the Wings to have a poor season. As a former goaltender, having three netminders practicing at the same time is very difficult. There are only two nets on the ice, so one goalie is always going to be sitting out at some point. This of course also leads to the fact that one goalie has to sit out and be a healthy scratch for games, which is always a bad situation to be in.

        It appears that Ron Wilson has neglected to play Reimer as often because both Jonas Gustavsson and J.S Giguere are older and more experienced. If both of them were performing well, this would make sense. Since the duo hasn't played to their expectations so far, it doesn't make sense to play either of them. The stats don't lie. Giguere sports a 9-9-3 record with a 2.82 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. Gustavsson has a 6-13-2 record with a 3.29 goals against average and a 890 save percentage. On the other hand, Reimer has a 4-3-0 record with a 2.24 goals against average and a .933 save percentage.

        The move that makes the most sense would be to try to trade Giguere. He may be 35 years old and on the back nine of his career, but he does have both a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup championship on his resume. Some team that needs a goalie may want to take a chance on him. Besides, Toronto may be able to acquire a much needed draft pick or prospect in return for Giguere. If this occurred, Reimer would have ample opportunity to prove to the squad that he is a legitamate NHL goaltender. If he plays well, great. If he doesn't, this will allow Brian Burke to pursue a top-end free agent goaltender during the off season. Some examples include Ilya Bryzgalov, Jimmy Howard and Tomas Vokun.

        Since the Maple Leafs don't have a first round draft pick, they might as well continue rolling with the players that are playing the best. In between the pipes, that player is James Reimer.

The Patriots Fall From Glory

Top Canadian Moments of 2010

 Jon Montgomery

Jon Montgomery chugs a beer after winning the gold medal in the men's skeleton event at the Olympic Games.

          When one thinks back to the Vancouver Olympics, there are several moments that were memorable. When Jon Montgomery won the men’s skeleton event and proceeded to ‘slam back’ a pitcher of beer on a Vancouver main street, that instantly made him a Canadian folk hero.

Joey Votto

Canadian Joey Votto became the third player to win the MVP award in Major League Baseball.

          It isn’t too often that a baseball player makes a ‘Top Canadian Moments of the Year’ list. Joey Votto’s play this season made it impossible to ignore his name. The Etobicoke native hit 37 home runs and batted home 113 runs to win the National League MVP award. The Cincinnati Reds first baseman finished with 443 voting points from the Baseball Writers’s Association. Three time MVP Albert Pujols finished second with 279 voting points. Votto became just the third Canadian to win the MVP award (Larry Walker in 1999 and Justin Morneau in 2006). The 27 year old’s dream year was capped off by also winning the Lou Marsh Award for the best Canadian athlete of 2010.

 

Jonathan Toews

22 year old Jonathan Toews became the youngest member of the triple gold club (Olympic gold, Stanley Cup, World Championship.

         Jonathan Toews was arguably Canada’s top hockey player in 2010. He started off the year by scoring eight points and being named the top forward of the Vancouver Olympics. His fine play was just getting started. Toews led the Chicago Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup since 1961. He had 29 points during the playoffs and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP.

 

Joannie Rochette 

Joannie Rochette won the bronze medal in the women's free skate event with a lot on her mind.

        Competing in the Olympics is already a nerve-wracking, pressure-filled situation. Heading into Vancouver, Joannie Rochette was confident in her ability. Two days before her event was set to start, her mother Therese died of a sudden heart attack. Rochette had to battle through a whole different kind of pain. She persevered and ended up winning the bronze medal, fighting through tears during her final performance. Looking back, that moment is definitely one that gives me goosebumps 11 months later.

 

Alexandre Bilodeau

Alexandre Bilodeau hugging brother Frederic after becoming the first Canadian to win gold on Canadian soil.

         This was one of many inspirational stories at the Olympics. Alexandre Bilodeau was the first Canadian ever to win a gold medal on home soil. The 22 year old narrowly edged Austrailian (and Canadian born) Dale Begg-Smith to take the podium in the moguls event. What made this story memorable to Canadians was the connection between Alexandre and his older brother Frederic. When Fredric was young, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and was told he wouldn’t be able to walk past the age of 10. At 28 years old, Fredric was one of the loudest supporters of his brother when he took home the gold. Alexandre calls him his biggest inspiration and best friend.

Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lead Canada over the USA 3-2 to win Canada's final gold medal.

The Golden Goal

        When one thinks of the Vancouver Olympics, Sidney Crosby’s ‘golden goal’ defines the event. Crosby has been the face of Canadian hockey ever since he stepped onto the national stage and no one better could have scored this historic goal. The gold in men’s hockey was also extra special because it was Canada’s 14^th medal, which is the highest medal count achieved by any country at a Winter Olympics.

 

Honorable Mention 

Ruth Scully finally joined the 'Scully Hole-in-One Club' on December 29.

         My mom has been playing golf for years. In fact, she still uses a putter that she was awarded over 30 years ago (contrary to the common Scully strategy of trying as many different putters as possible). After I got a hole-in-one in 2005, my mom was the only family member not to get one. That all changed on ‘Family Olympics Day’ in Florida on December 29.  Mom used a 6 iron from 130 yards on the fourth hole of the ‘Osprey’ course. What made this occasion so special for me was that I saw the ball go in before she did. The par 3 is known as ‘deception’, so from the tee it is impossible to see the bottom of the cup. I was on the next tee with my uncles Tim and Greg and a family friend. While waiting on the next tee, we decided to look back to see how the ladies were doing. Precisely at the moment we looked back, we saw a ball land on the green, bounce twice and directly into the cup. Mayhem ensued. My mom (now known as Ace) saw us jumping up and down and realized that she had in fact sunk her shot. For her to get the ace on that day with many of our family and close friends with her was simply remarkable. In fact, James Cameron, who is the director of the Titanic and Avatar, has just contacted me and wants to create a movie about it.

Time For Brodeur to Say Goodbye

Martin Brodeur is having his worst statistical campaign this season for the New Jersey Devils.

           There have been a number of surprises so far in this year’s NHL season. Examples include the rising play of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Atlanta Thrashers, the disappointments in Calgary and the vastly improved Philadelphia Flyers goaltending. However, the biggest surprise in the NHL this season has been the play of not only the New Jersey Devils, but in particular, their goaltender Martin Brodeur.

            Heading into the 2010-2011 season, the New Jersey Devils were predicted to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. They had made several acquisitions during the off-season, including acquiring defencemen Henrik Tallinder, Anton Volchenkov and resigning Russian sniper Ilya Kovalchuk to a 15 year deal. With superstar netminder Martin Brodeur in net, the Devils were an automatic top four seed in the eastern conference, right?

            Approximately halfway through the season, Brodeur is having an absolutely preposterous year. In fact, this has been his worst statistical campaign in his storied 17 year NHL career. Some have argued that Brodeur has always been an average goaltender playing behind an excellent defence. Sure, he has played behind the likes of Scott Stevens, Brian Rafalski, Ken Daneyko and Scott Niedermayer, but there’s a reason Brodeur has the most career victories and shutouts in the history of the league.

            This year has been completely different for the New Jersey Devils. Brodeur has always been on a winning team throughout his career, but this year he has faltered significantly. He has a record of 6-18-1 with a 3.05 goals against average and a .890 save percentage. These statistics are extremely unheard of for Brodeur, who has never had a goals against average over 3 and a save percentage under .900 at any point during his career.

            Brodeur missed about two weeks earlier in the year with an elbow injury. He also missed half of the 2008-2009 season with that same elbow injury. Seeing him struggle with injuries at this point in his career after being healthy for his first 15 years is troubling to hear. Recently, he was also relegated to the backup role in favour of journeyman Johan Hedberg. It was the first time Brodeur acted as a backup goalie for three consecutive games. It is clear Brodeur’s career is on a significant downfall.

            Throughout his career, the 38 year old Montreal native has always played a unique style. Some call it a ‘hybrid’ style between the now ancient stand up and the modern butterfly techniques. However, Brodeur has played more like a butterfly goaltender all season. He has relied on his butterfly far too much and that doesn’t suit Broduer’s game. He was always known for reading the play extremely well and appeared to make any save look easy. This season, he has been very wonky, dropping to his knees much faster than ever before and that has hurt his overall performance on the ice.

            His poor play didn’t just start this season. Canadians remember last year at the Olympics, when Brodeur was yanked in favour of butterfly specialist Roberto Luongo. His lackluster play continued straight into the playoffs, where the seventh seed Philadelphia Flyers ousted the Devils in five games.

            It doesn’t make sense for Brodeur to completely change his style as a 38 year old veteran. Martin Brodeur and butterfly don’t mesh well in the same sentence. We have seen other athletes stretch their careers for far too many years. Brett Favre is a prime example. He has retired and ‘un-retired’ about four times and he definitely played one too many years. In fact, his body was literally falling apart during this past season. He claims to be ‘definitely finished’, but it’s Brett Favre, so who really knows?

            Martin Brodeur is not only on the ‘back nine’ of his career; he is on the 18^th green. He has faced injuries for the first time after being healthy for the majority of his career, which is definitely not a good sign. Brodeur has had a fantastic career as a New Jersey Devil and is definitely a sure-fire Hall of Famer, but Marty, don’t follow Brett Favre’s footsteps and play more when both your game and body aren’t in top form.

A Collapse of Epic Proportions

A heartbroken Team Canada squad looking in disbelief as they blew a 3-0 third period lead to lose 5-3 to Team Russia in the gold medal game at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo, Ontario.

           Team Russia scored five unanswered third period goals to beat Team Canada 5-3 to win the gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championships. This game was much different than any World Junior game that I’ve watched, as I was actually attending the game in Buffalo with my sister Sarah.

            Ryan Ellis opened up the scoring in front of the 18,000 plus fans dressed in red and white in HSBC’s Buffalo, Ontario location. All in all, Canada dominated that first period, taking a 2-0 lead into the intermission. The first 20 minutes were extremely loud and an unbelievable hockey environment to be apart of.

            The play was more even in the second period, but I made the mistake of making a mid-period bathroom stop. As soon as I walked into the washroom, all I heard was the goal horn. Brayden Schenn had sniped another goal, which was his 18^th point of the tournament. As a result, the Russians pulled goaltender Dmitri Shikin in favour of Igor Bobkov. The Canadians tested Bobkov on several occasions, but he shut the door. Canada held a 3-0 lead heading into the third frame and the entire crowd (including myself) thought it was over.

            In my opinion, the turning point of the game happened as the Canadians skated onto the ice before the start of the final period. As goaltender Mark Visentin was sprinting towards his net, he completely wiped out. This was a bad omen that basically summarized the play of the Canadians during the period. Russia seemed like a new team, scoring five goals to turn the crowd into a quiet one, with the exception of the 10 Russian fans going nuts. I’m guessing they secretly flew Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin into Buffalo and told them to shave and disguise as some of Russia’s players.

            Russia simply outworked Canada in the third period. They seemed hungrier to win the game, fighting off Canadians in the corners and they won every battle that occurred throughout the final 20 minutes. Canada’s youth and inexperience really was evident in that final stanza, as they just couldn’t keep their emotions in check. Pierre McGuire called it “the worst collapse he’s ever seen,” and it was definitely surreal to watch. It was the worst collapse since the Metrodome went down under. All joking aside, the epic collapse belongs in the same category as the Miracle on Manchester. This was when the Edmonton Oilers blew a 5-0 third period lead to lose 6-5 in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings.

            Even though Canada came out on the losing end, the experience was truly unbelievable. Sarah and I actually got a pair of really nice seats for the bronze medal game between Sweden and the USA, which turned out to be a great game for $60 combined. The sea of red in the stands for Canada’s game was indescribable and when they scored it was deafening. In fact, my ears are still ringing as I write this. It would have obviously been unbelievable if they had won the gold, but attending ‘medal day’ at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships was a remarkable experience and a once in a lifetime opportunity.