Goal of the Day - Stephane Matteau - 1994 OT vs the Devils

Seeing as how my assumptions have been horribly off I'm going to use a bit of reverse psychology here. Rangers have a good chance to surprise the Pens again tonight, this time at the Igloo in Pittsburgh. Hehe.

Stephane Matteau's OT goal in Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals sent the Rangers on their way to their first Stanley Cup in FIFTY-FOUR YEARS!!

By the way, it went of Slava Fetisov's stick, but I guess Howie Rose thought "MATTEAU MATTEAU!! STEPHANE MATTEAU!" sounded a whole lot better than "FETISOV! FETISOV!! VYACHESLAV FETISOV'S STICK!!"

It's 13 years later....I'm not bitter.

IIHF World Championships Began in Halifax and Quebec City.

Canada 5
Slovenia 1
Ottawa's Dany Heately's two goals put him past Marcel Dionne for the leading Canadian goal-scorer in international competition. Slovenia's goal came off the stick of LA King's star Anze Kopitar. Surprise.

USA 4
Latvia 0
Chicago's Calder finalist wunderkind Pat Kane had a goal and two assists as the US blanked Latvia. The Stars and Stripes also got goals from youngsters Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils and the Kings' Dustin Brown and Patrick O'Sullivan.

Other results: Russia crushed Italy 5-1, the Czech Repulblic downed Denmark 5-2.
Games today: Sweden vs. Belarus, Finland vs. Germany, Switzerland vs. France, and Slovakia vs. Norway.

Face-off: Why did I not point out that the Devils were on the brink of elimination?

OpenHockeyDB: The Rangers will most likely be eliminated
That night - Rangers 3 - Penguins 0

OpenHockeyDB: Stars will eliminate the Sharks tonight
Last night: Sharks 3 - Stars 2 OT

I apologize to Marty, Zach, Lou, the entire NJ Devils organization and their fans for my shortsightedness. I'm a real jack-ass.

DAILY ROUND-UP

SJ beats Dallas: Win second straight facing elimination, series at 3-2
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=236622&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_nhl

Carey Price back in net for the Habs tonight in Game 5
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=362368&page=NewsPage&service=page
DB Note: Carey Price will be great. Maybe not tonight, but someday in the NHL this kid will be astounding. He's played with marked inconsistency so far, but rookie mistakes can be catastrophic when they are committed by the man in net.

Even so, the Habs failure in this series so far cannot be blamed on their netminders, but on skaters and the fact that their NHL regular season best power-play has gone into hiding. If the Canadiens can get their man-advantage going again this series will look completely different.

Goal of the Day - Bret Hull, 1999 Stanley Cup winner

I find this goal fitting for today as the Stars have another chance to eliminate the Sharks tonight.

Also, it's a reminder that horrible officiating is nothing new to the NHL Play-Offs.

Face-off: News and notes for May 2nd

Franzen's Hat-trick leads Wings over Avalanche, Avs buried in 4 game sweep.
Jagr, Lundqvist dominate in 3-0 win over Pens. Stave off elimination.
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=362298&page=NewsPage&service=page

Avery still in ICU, may leave today
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/2008/05/01/2008-05-01_sean_avery_may_leave_icu_friday-2.html

Adams Award (Best Coach): Boudreau, Carbonneau, and Babcock finalists
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=362163&page=NewsPage&service=page

Pearson Award (MVP as Voted by the players): Malkin, Iginla and Ovechkin finalists.
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=362248&page=NewsPage&service=page

I'm on a tiny vacation in North Carolina so will not be updating as much intil I get back to NYC on Monday. Enjoy the weekend y'all.

Goal of the Day - Jaromir Jagr, '92 Cup Finals: Is #68 playing in his last NHL game tonight?

In Game 3 of the Rangers/Penguins series Jaromir Jagr showed glimpses of the unequivocal talent that brought him to prominence. While it is no secret that Jagr has lost a step, he is still capable of being the best player on the ice even when in the company of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.

This goal scored against the Chicago Blackhawks (sorry Mike) in the 1992 Stanley Cup finals wasn't just another pretty goal by the then-20 year old Czech. It was a sign of a star bursting through the hockey universe. With superstar Mario Lemieux side-lined, Jagr dismantled the Hawks and silenced Chi-town helping the Pens capture their second straight Stanley Cup.

If Jagr's former team sweeps the Rangers tonight it may very well be the last time Jaromir Jagr skates as a member of an NHL team. Jagr's contract stipulated an extension would be put in place if he amassed 84 points in the regular season or won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Jagr has failed to meet the first requirement and the possibility of him meeting the second is linked with the Rangers' post-season lifeline. In all likelyhood, Jagr's expires at around 10 pm tonight after which the only certainty is uncertainty.

It is widely publicized that Jagr wishes to finish his career in Europe. First in Russia where he was reborn playing for Avangard Omsk and then possibly for his hometown Kladno in the Czech Republic.

Recently there was rumblings that Dynamo Moscow offered Jagr $12 million US to play in Russia next season. While I doubt that Jagr will play for a Russian squad other than Omsk, I have no doubt that he will be able to garner a paycheck of such proportions. And with the maximum Russian income tax being half of what is mandated in the US, that salary looks even better. It is also a salary the New York Rangers cannot match due to the NHL's stringent salary cap structure.

Only time will tell whether Jagr opens next season in Prague as a member of the Rangers, in North America once again vying for the Stanley Cup, or in Russia helping to build the new Continental League. Either way, Jagr has put on displays of tremendous amounts skill and power that are rarely seen in a game that is not lacking in either category.
Those that have seen him play can say they have seen one of the greatest in history.

Karl Alzner named Best D-man, MVP of WHL

There's bit of news to soothe the broken hearts of Capitals' fans. Karl Alzner, their first pick in last year's draft (fifth overall) was named the winner of the WHL's Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (MVP) and the Bill Hunter Trophy (top defenseman). The 6'2" 200 lb Alzner put up seven goals and 29 assists for 36 points playing for the Calgary Hitmen.


Alzner will join a Caps defensive stable that also boasts breakout offensive defenseman Mike Green, and former first rounders Jeff Schultz and Shaone Morrisonn as well as Milan Jurcina and Sami Lepisto.

The Capitals blue-line future looks promising, which makes their potent offense, led by soon-to-be Hart Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin, wonder-rookie Nicklas Backstrom, and slippery Russian Alex Semin (the Other Alex) even more dangerous.

Add in Christobal Huet and one has to believe that Washington should go much further than the first round next year.

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Brayden Schenn of the Brandon Wheat Kings took home the Jim Piggott Trophy as the WHL's rookie of the year. Schenn, who is projected to go very high in the 2009 NHL Draft notched 71 points in 66 games, and was an impressive +22. Schenn's brother Luke, a defenseman for the Kelowna Rockets should be selected early in this June's draft.

Goal of the Day - Pavel Datsyuk Shootout vs. Nashville

The man is bow-legged and pigeon-toed. Stand up and put your legs into this position.

That's how he can pull this move off and we can't.

Datsyuk is one of the games most dangerous offensive weapons. He's also one of the most stingy defensive forwards. And he never takes penalties. And in 1998 there were 170 players taken before him.

Damn you Ken Holland!

New Age for the NHL

In Tip Off: How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever, NY Daily News columnist Filip Bondy shows how a league that couldn't pay a network to broadcast their games went on to be biggest draw around. The 1984 NBA draft gave the league future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. Oh, and some guy named Jordan too. This infusion of young talent shaped the game for years to come. Bondy explores how they impacted basketball and also how it could have been much different had the Portland Trail Blazers selected Jordan instead of Sam Bowie.

A league having problems drawing network ratings with a new crop of insanely talented youngsters....Sounds vaguely familial to my modern ears.

The NHL right now is filled to the brim with fetal star-power. The past two years have cemented the hype that preceded Ovechkin (22) and Crosby (20). Together these two make up a marketing juggernaut. Crosby is reserved and soft-spoken. Ovechkin, impulsive and outgoing. Their play on the ice displays raw talent, creativity, passion, and athletic prowess that attracts fans who might not know a puck from a paper clip, but they are certain they just saw something remarkable.

The 2008 NHL awards show is sand-blasted with young names: Evgeni Malkin (21) is a finalist for the Hart Trophy, Dion Phaneuf (23) a finalist for the Norris Trophy, Henrik Lundqvist (26) for the Vezina, and this year's Calder Trophy is one of the most contested in years as a half-dozen rookies were all worthy of the prize.

2007-2008 was a break out year from Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown of the LA Kings, Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche, Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks and Mike Richards of Flyers. Add in kids like Rick Nash, Zach Parise, Milan Michalek, and many more and it's easy to forget that Eric Staal almost has 300 NHL points and he's not even 24.

The NHL right now is a loaded gun. They just need marketers who can hit a moving target from 1,000 yards.

Sean Avery rushed to hospital

Rangers forward Sean Avery was rushed to the hospital early Wednesday and a CT scan revealed a lacerated spleen.

One early reportz stated that, "unconscious and not breathing, [Avery] was rushed to a Manhattan hospital Wednesday morning in cardiac arrest". This account turned out to be erroneous and there is little information about Avery's condition prior to being taken to the hospital.

Avery's mother told the Toronto Sun that her son injured her spleen in the first period colliding with a Pittsburgh defenseman.

Avery has battled for the Rangers in every way possible (and in many ways inconceivable) in the past few weeks. He has (for the most part) kept his mouth shut and focused on the game played on the ice.

While I have voiced my displeasure concerning Avery's antics in the past, he has shown himself to be a warrior and you have to feel for players who suffer injuries like this in the post-season.

Best of luck to Sean in his recovery.

The loss is troubling for the Rangers more so after they lost post-season marvel, center Chris Drury during game 3 after injuring his ribs.

Tampa starts Stamkos media blitz - www.SeenStamkos.com

The Tampa Bay Lightning, owners of the first pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft have launched www.seenstamkos.com, a website dedicated to consensus #1 prospect, Steven Stamkos.

I can't remember another example a franchise has launched a marketing campaign for a player they have yet to obtain rights to. Either way, this tells me two things:

1. Tampa is not trading the first pick.
2. The Lightning think Stamkos may be able to step into the line-up next year.

The last time the Lightning had the first overall pick was 1998 when they selected current superstar Vincent Lecavalier. Then-Lightning owner Art Williams made one of the all-time sports blunders and referred to Lecavalier as "the Michael Jordan of hockey"....No pressure.

While Williams is no longer the owner, one wonders if Tampa has not learned from their past mistakes.

Marketing blitz or no, Stamkos will be able to join Tampa Bay in much the same way as Crosby came to Pittsburgh, with somebody there who has been in his shoes. With Lecavalier, St. Louis
and Dan Boyle as established faces of the organization Stamkos's development should not be as rushed as Lecavalier's was.

By all accounts Stamkos, a skilled play-maker, will be a star in the NHL some day.

Play of the Day: Hart to Hart (Finalist)

One of my favorite plays from the 2007-2008 NHL season.

Explosive, astounding, entertaining. I'm not sure what impressed me more, the fact that Malkin basically shrugged of a blind-side hit from the 220 lb Ovechkin or that Ovechkin lost sight of Malkin for a mere split-second while airborn and retains all composure as he absorbs an incredible impact that could have winded most NHLers.

Ahh, what could have been. Leave it to Tom Poti to ruin my dreams.

Hart Trophy Finalists Announced!

The NHL has announced the finalists for the Hart Trophy (MVP or "Player most valuable to his team" depending on which definition you go by) and the nominees are:

Jarome Iginla - RW, Calgary Flames
Evgeni Malkin - C, Pittsburgh Penguins
Alexander Ovechkin - LW, Washington Capitals

One interesting omission is Devils' goalie Martin Brodeur. As a Devils fan this bothers me, but only slightly. The first two names are merely formalities as Ovechkin is the hands down favorite. This was his year, nobody was wrestling the flame-shaped trophy from Ovechkin's cold Russian hands.

If Brodeur wasn't in net for the Devils they would have finally gotten a good draft pick (last top-10 pick: 1996 - Lance Ward....sigh), but with Ovechkin's domination it really doesn't matter who the other two names are. Malkin and Iginla are also more than worthy finalists.

Goal of the Day - Brad Richards March 15, 2008, shorthanded.

When the Dallas Stars picked up the best player at the trade deadline by pulling Tampa Bay center Brad Richards out of an assured extended golf season.

A brilliant move by co-GMs Brett Hull and Les Jackson to add a Conn Smythe winner to a team that is a lock for the post-season every year. Dallas also gave up very little in exchange (Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern, and Mike Smith for Richards and Johan Holmqvist)

Richards is a great playmaker who, while not a pure goal-scorer does possess a lethal shot.

Richards busted out with four points (one goal, three assists) in last nights 5-2 win over San Jose.

By the end of the third round Richards should be vying for the points lead before Dallas bows out after falling to the Wings in six.

Goal of the Day - Darern McCarty (Versus Promo)

Unfortunately this is the best quality footage of this goal I could find.

Not a bad voice over except they fail to mention that McCarty's name is on the Stanley Cup not once, not twice, but three times. A testament to how important it is to get the right mix of players on the ice and in the locker room.

McCarty has a good shot at his fourth ring as he is back with the Wings this year.

Barry Melrose leaving ESPN? Whaaa?

Apparently Hockey Night In Canada reported that ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose might be leaving the network to become the next GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

I really don't see much truth to this rumor, but musing on the topic half asleep I asked myself, who would replace Barry Melrose? Here are some options to fill in next to John "Do You Get How Much I Love Music and How Many Famous People I Know Yet" Buccigross.

Don Cherry: Grapes is a broadcasting legend. I doubt in a million years he would ever leave HNIC. NBC tried to bring him down south and it failed miserably. It's hard to appeal to Canadian pride when your audience is void of Canadians.










Neil Smith: Former GM of the Rangers and Islanders (for 40 days, but still). Currently resides in NYC and works in broadcasting for Versus. Built a winner in 1994. Has said that living in New York allows him to be close to his son. Working in Bristol, Connecticut wouldn't change much.










Bill Clement: Former NHLer has two Cup rings from his time in Philadelphia. Clement has an extensive broadcasting background working for Versus, NBC, and ESPN. Hosts a Flyer's radio show on WBCB 1490 AM in Pennsylvania.












Jeremy Roenick: Wasn't he only signing with the Sharks to get his 500th goal? What the hell is he doing scoring in the post-season like it's 1993? Ok, JR might have a bit left in the tank, but if he calls it quits (again!), he's going to the mic. He's already shown he can be an interesting, provocative presence as he is never one to mince words on the ice or off it. Gregarious and intelligent, Roenick has cut his teeth with TSN during previous post-season coverage.




Steal Someone From TSN: Let's see how YOU like it, TSN!
When TSN took Darren Dreger from rival Canadian network Roger's Sportsnet they entered a dirty game. It's payback time.
Ok, by "Someone" I might be misleading. I really meant, "STEAL BOB McKENZIE!" I know it's his home and he loves it, but Canada, you've had Bobby Mac for too long! Stop being so damn selfish. He's one of the most connected men in all of hockey, the ultimate insider. His knowledge of the game covers every aspect from Joe Thornton's Raisin Bran to Gordie Howe's dentures.







Count von Count: One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six!.....SIX!! Six skaters on the ice for the Canucks! TOO MANY SKATERS!!!






Shakira: You want ratings? This woman could be talking about the pros and cons of outside-in skate lacing and it's effect on pre-season game-day meals and guys would watch.







Wait a minute! This is ESPN! If Melrose leaves that gives them an extra three to five minutes a week they can devote to the 15th round of the NFL draft! The suspense is chilling! Who will be the 11th best offensive lineman this year?

Seriously, if Melrose does leave (and if he does I doubt it's to become GM of the Lightning), I wouldn't be surprised to see Clement, Darren Pang, or Ray Ferraro take over.