March 15, 2010
Minnesota and Columbus: A Decade in Review
At the end of this year's campaign, the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets will have completed ten seasons in the NHL. While Columbus is almost certainly out of the playoff chase, Minnesota still has an outsider's chance.
In my eyes, they have been rivals ever since their inceptions, mainly because they've been the last two teams added to the current 30-team league. Since it's almost been a decade, these franchises deserve a side-by-side review. So here we go...
Both squads played their first franchise game in October of 2000. The Minnesota Wild's first outing ended in a 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. The lone player who scored a goal for the squad was their 3rd overall pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft - Slovak winger Marian Gaborik. For the Blue Jackets, it was a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Some guy named Bruce Gardiner got their first tally.
Interestingly, both of these opening games were indicative of the general trend that followed each franchise - Minnesota had just one exceptionally-talented scorer surrounded by Jacques Lemairesque "role players", while Columbus had a bunch of cast-offs and nobodies (along with Rick Nash, but we will get to that)...
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FWR Power Rankings
You can check out my rankings, news and NHL analysis at Hockey Plumber.
Some acquisitions are really paying dividends, some Olympic participants look drained since the break... San Jose reclaims the top spot. Buffalo, Calgary and Montreal move up. Dallas, Anaheim and Atlanta falter and fall.
1. (3) San Jose Sharks
The Shark have won three straight. Nabokov still doesn't look all the way back after his unceremonious exit from the Olympics, but San Jose has the firepower to overwhelm almost anybody.
2. (1) Washington Capitals
The Caps are still winning but seem to struggle more lately than what would be expected. Eric Belanger and Scott Walker have been sparkling additions.
3. (2) Chicago Blackhawks
Give up less than five goals the and Hawks win. Will goaltending be their downfall in the post season? If Andrew Ladd keeps scoring hat tricks, Chicago has nothing to worry about.
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March 13, 2010
Barry Melrose and His Mullet Can Suck It: A Retrospective
After playing 67 games of the regular season, 20-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos has 42 goals (3rd in the NHL), 18 power-play goals (1st), and 80 points (5th). His tandem play with an equally-impressive Martin St. Louis has been one of the few bright spots in the Lightning's 2009-2010 season. The sophomore forward finished with 23 goals and 46 assists in his rookie campaign, which is actually pretty decent if you ignore even a good chunk of the hype surrounding him and the ridiculous expectations generated by the ailing franchise.
This year, Stamkos has simply been on fire. He is a monster for his size in front of the net...
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March 8, 2010
Sidney Crosby is Dull, or, Why the NHL Competes with Golf and NASCAR
Currently there is no greater player rivalry in the NHL than the one between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. This is undeniable. The league has been very proud of both of its young superstars and has promoted the two of them to its fullest ability. With scores of regular season match-ups, several international competitions and a full playoff round of NHL hockey we have all watched the rivalry flourish.
And we have all been keeping track of this ongoing battle. Everyone with a) a decent knowledge of hockey and b) an interest in competition, has moved their allegiance to either Team Crosby or Team Ovechkin. Some are casual supporters of one or the other NHL forward, while many others have entrenched themselves into their respective camps.
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March 3, 2010
Canada Should be Ashamed of Pulling Brodeur
I am not a Martin Brodeur fan. I believe that Brodeur, Scott Stevens, and the rest of those cursed New Jersey Devils nearly ruined the NHL with the astounding dullness of their neutral-zone trap. I confess that I have rooted against the Devils in every single playoff series they ever played in. Brodeur was simply dull to me. My feelings are so strong, I can't really bring myself to like him even though I have personally met him, which I can't say about any other player, let alone one of the greatest of all time.
And let's face it, the man is no Dominik Hasek...
But having said all that, the man is the best, the absolute best, the most consistent, dependable, professional, guy you could have in net.
And the way that Canada panicked and pulled him after the U.S. loss was disgraceful, and they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
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February 28, 2010
Canada Wins Men's Olympic Hockey Gold with OT Goal by Crosby
Sidney Crosby scored the overtime goal past goaltender Ryan Miller to give Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States in the Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game in Vancouver.
In yesterday's Bronze Medal game, Finland defeated Slovakia 5-3.
FWR's Olympic MVP: Ryan Miller, USA
FWR's Top Forward of the Tournament: Jonathan Toews, Canada
FWR's Top Defenseman of the Tournament: Brian Rafalski, USA
FWR's Top Goaltender of the Tournament: Ryan Miller, USA
Hockey Media's Olympic All-Star Team: G Ryan Miller (USA), D Brian Rafalski (USA), D Shea Weber (Canada), F Pavol Demitra (Slovakia), F Jonathan Toews (Canada), F Zach Parise (USA); Tournament MVP: G Ryan Miller (USA)
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Canada vs. USA Olympic Streaming Links
Frozen War Room will be providing you with several live streaming links to sites where users can watch the 2010 Olympics' Gold Medal Final between Team Canada and Team USA. The game begins at 3:15 pm, though we should have at least one link up by 3:00 pm.
Click Here to go to our 'Canada vs. USA Olympic Streaming Links' section.
Visit our 'Twitter' Section to check for live updates throughout the game.
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February 25, 2010
Olympic Hockey: Canada 7 - 3 Russia
Yesterday, Team Canada defeated Team Russia 7-3 in the Men's Olympic Hockey Tournament's quarterfinal round.
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February 24, 2010
Revisiting FWR's 2009-2010 Western Conference Precitions (Part 2)
Here is Part 2 of our Western Conference Prediction Revisits.
Click Here for Part 1
Click Here for the Original Predictions
- 9. Edmonton Oilers
Currently Dead-monton last in the Northwest Division, Western Conference, and league.
Abysmal.
What we said: "...even if he [Khabibulin] shines as he did in his final season with the Blackhawks, Edmonton probably still won't have enough depth or star-power to make it to the postseason. We're placing them ninth, since a fuel-throttled last-minute playoff push will land them barely out of contention."
Nothing is working in Edmonton. Nikolai Khabibulin is not in a contract year, so surprise, he's sucking it up. Sheldon Souray, one bright spot in the season as possible deadline trade bait, is out for the season.
Our Preseason Prediction: High by 9.
Our Current Prediction: 13th in the West
We'll give the Oilers a late-season surge, since they really do it every year, but this only gets them to 13th in our standings.
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February 23, 2010
Revisiting FWR's 2009-2010 Western Conference Precitions (Part 1)
All NHL squads have played 60-63 games at the Olympic break, and though we actually meant to do this at the halfway mark of the season, life got in the way. We'll follow up with the Eastern Conference revisits shortly.
- 1. San Jose Sharks
Currently 1st in the Western Conference with 89 points after 62 games played.
What we said: "We won't start beating a dead horse about San Jose's playoff chances this season, but there's no major reason to think the Sharks won't win the Pacific Division and even repeat as the West's #1 team...Whether or not newcomer Dany Heatley will significantly contribute to the squad, the Sharks are still deep and talented in all areas."
Well, Dany Heatley has definitely contributed in a season where he really had to be an exceptional player to put his summer's fiasco behind him. He's played all 62 games for the Sharks, potting 32 goals (14 on the PP) to go with his 34 assists and +16 rating. Patrick Marleau has been great since losing the captaincy to Rob Blake, and Evgeny Nabokov has been rock-solid. Let's see if they get anyone by the trade deadline.
Our Preseason Prediction: Dead On.
Our Current Prediction: 2nd in the Western Conference.
As always, the Sharks go full-sail through the regular season. Everyone clicks and everything works. We're putting them 2nd after Chicago just because at this point, the Pacific has Phoenix and Los Angeles deep in the playoff chase, with Dallas standing out of the top-eight by just a point. Chicago has a 16-point lead over Nashville, while the rest of the Central Division is out of the cool-kids club.
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