Posted by Gord Wilson on February 27, 2008

Greetings, everyone, from about 35,000 feet above sea level. I construct this blog in between games for the Senators. Off to Philadelphia at the time of this writing, a few hours after another demoralizing loss, this time to the Boston Bruins... 4-0 the final. This was yet another game that clearly showed what confidence, or in this case, lack thereof, has gripped the Senators. Every mistake seems to end up as either a scoring chance or goal and, oddly enough, the highest-scoring team in the league can't seem to compensate.

All that being said, the trade deadline has come and gone, and I suppose certain players can breathe a sigh of relief. Antoine Vermette was one who has heard his name mentioned in just about every Sens rumour and, by his own admission yesterday, said he was happy the day has come and gone. His pre-game ritual consists of an afternoon nap and yesterday, he was able to have one of those.

So the Senators make one move on 'trade day,' acquiring veteran Martin Lapointe from the Hawks. A few things I've heard about Lapointe, a former Bruin who put up some pretty good numbers for the B's. Words to describe him were durable, gritty and good leadership qualities. All things needed for a Senators team that seems to have lost its way. Oh, and he's apparently got an awesome wine cellar (I happened to see a feature on him done by the NHL a few weeks back. Apparently, it's legendary!).

In any case, with the absence of Chris Neil for the next four weeks or so, Lapointe might be just what the doctor ordered. We'll see. He's got his first practice with the Senators today in Philadelphia, then will be in the lineup tomorrow evening (pay-per-view broadcast, by the way).

All right, so let's take a look at some of the trades made on Deadline Day. Everyone has their own way of evaluating and really, until the season comes to an end, there's no way of really looking at winners and losers. For instance, if the Penguins fall flat and get bounced in the first or second round of the playoffs, or even fail to make the playoffs, their deal with the Thrashers to acquire Marian Hossa will be considered a bust. Right now, though, man does it look good.

To me, it's a deal that makes this Penguin club an instant contender in the East (if they weren't already). Crosby, Malkin, Hossa ... eeech, scary stuff. So hats off to Ray Shero. He'll look even better if Ty Conklin can continue his winning ways.

From the Southeast Division, the Washington Capitals got serious about the playoffs with their moves made yesterday. Acquiring Cristobal Huet from the Canadiens gives them some goaltending depth and stability, and Fedorov from Columbus replaces the injured Nylander in the middle and also puts him with fellow Russians Ovechkin, Semin and Kozlov.

Quietly, I like what the Devils have done. Depth wise, they've strengthened an already strong lineup. Cam Janssen hadn't played a game this year, but they turned him into Bryce Salvador, a dependable, tough defenceman who will help that club. It appears Lou's kool-aid reached the desks of John Davidson and Larry Pleau.

By the way, I ran into former Capitals coach Glen Hanlon in the Boston press box last night and, while he liked George McPhee's moves, Hanlon did say that the challenge put out to Olie Kolzig would be a good one. Kolzig won last night, so maybe he's not quite ready to relinquish his No. 1  status.

Montreal's move to say goodbye to Cristobal Huet is intriguing to say the least. Remember back to the start of the season, when head coach Guy Carbonneau said Huet would be the starter for Montreal. GM Bob Gainey was very quick to step in and say "wait a minute, Carey Price is going to start the season with us." Well, guess who's the starter today, and expected starter if the Habs make the playoffs. Price.

Teams like Tampa and Toronto are teams that have an eye toward the future. Such is life in a salary cap world. Every team is, at some point, going to have to go through a rebuilding "pay the price now" situation, where they have to give up some of their core to gain something for the future. Leafs and Tampa are going through that now.

Out West, good gravy. How much fun is it going to be to watch the Western playoff teams beat each other up before the Cup final. Every team, with the exception of Anaheim, has used the Ducks as the measuring stick. Load up with some talent and toughness and you might have a chance.

I'll go out on a limb and say if the Dallas Stars can continue on the path they're on right now, they'll stand as good a chance as anyone to get out of the West. The addition of Brad Richards is a huge move, not just on the ice but in the locker room. What a message this sends to the players on one of the hottest teams in the league. Watch out for the Stars.

Sharks have done a good thing by getting Brian Campbell from the Sabres, but don't expect instant miracles. His transition from Eastern Conference hockey to Western Conference play could take a bit of time.

Minnesota has a playoff team, but the addition of Chris Simon clearly indicates they want to get more toughness to compete with the Ducks and other teams that want to run other teams out of the rink.

All in all, a good day yesterday was for 30 general managers. The NHL's salary cap world has forced everyone to think a little harder about how teams are built or tinkered with, which is something we'll all get used to and perhaps embrace.

And in fairness, final evaluation can't be made on all of yesterday's deals until the day after the Stanley Cup is awarded in early June.

cheers, gord

Posted by Gord Wilson on September 27, 2007

Okay,  so  by  now,  I'm  sure  you've  seen "the hit". Of  course, I'm talking  about   Steve Downie's   missle  launch  on  Dean McAmmond in the  2nd period of  Thursday's game against the  Flyers.

You've  seen it,  I've  seen it,  and  so too has  the  NHL.  Fortunately, the game  was  televised  by  Roger's  Cable, so  the  brass  in the  war room in  Toronto  got  an immediate  look at the  incident.

How  immediate  the  NHL  reacts to the  hit  remains  to be seen. But  one  thing is  certain.  It's  a  hit  that is  not  sitting well with  any of the  rank and  file of the  NHL's  players  association.

Reaction from  players  has been quick, and  harsh.  Brian McGratton wasn't  the only  player  to  vow   that   Downie  would " get his",  eventually. Jason  Blake went  as  far as to  say  he  should not be allowed  to play in the NHL... ever.

We  know  that's  not  going to happen, but what  should happen is this.

A  lengthy suspension.  Lengthy  enough  to  finally  send  a message. And  I'm not  talking  20  or   30 games...  but   more  like  60. And  force   the  Flyers  to  have  Downie as  part of their   23 man roster. I'm  not  sure the   cba  would  allow that  to happen, but  its a move that  makes  sense.

The  NHL is in  a   win-win  situation  here.   First,  a  decision on a lengthy  suspension  isn't  like its  affecting  an everyday   NHL player. And  second,  just  what  message  would    60 games or more   send to young players  who  are ,   as   Downie  said,  " just  trying  to get noticed.  Just  trying to make my  mark."

Well, he  made  his mark  all right, but  for all the wrong reasons. His  hit  was  an embarassment  not only to himself and the league, but to his  union.  And  that  was  evidenced  by  the player reaction  from  around the league.

If  the league  were  to hand down  a suspension of  significant  length,  I  can guarantee, inside  the  players association rank and file, there would  be  zero  complaint.  Sure, a  grevience  would be filed, and  PA brass  would  raise a  stink, but  they'd  simply be doing their  jobs.

Quietly, the  players  association  has  been sickened by this hit, as  much as  you and  I.

Steve  Downie  is a  20 year  old  player already  with  a  checkered  past, but  with potentially  several years of playing  as part of his  future.

Dean McAmmond is a  34 year  old  veteran  who's  done  nothing but  demonstrate  fair play and  class  throughout his career. A career that will likely be cut  shorter  than it should because  of this  hit. It's a career  that  right  now sits on hold.

The  NHL  should  move  quickly  on this  matter, and put the career of the  offender,  on hold  as well.

cheers, gord

Posted by Gord Wilson on September 18, 2007

Well, can you believe it? Three months gone in the blink of an eye, and we're set to embark on another NHL season. June 6th, 2007 saw the Anaheim Ducks hoist the Cup in their own rink, and I'm sure Southern California has never been the same. My goodness, the partying that must have gone on there!

Alright, yes, you are sensing sarcasm. And for good reason. While the Ducks fully deserved the win, I don't think that part of North America deserves or fully appreciates the celebration that should go with winning the championship.

Case in point ... there were more fans at the Ottawa Airport on June 7th cheering on the return of the losing team than there were outside the Honda Center in Anaheim, the night their team won everything.

What's wrong with that picture!

In any case, I digress.

What this Blog is all about is life around the NHL. An opportunity, on a regular basis, to offer up an opinion or two on the happenings around the league. Whether it be a player trade, a coach firing, a bonehead comment from an overzealous general manager, or maybe it's a quirk in the schedule. Here's the forum to comment on it. And I welcome your comments as well.

The off-season was an interesting one for a lot of teams in the NHL. Interesting for teams that didn't make the playoffs, and interesting for teams that did.

July 1st was obviously the day everyone anticipated really from the last day of the regular season. Teams that didn't qualify for post season play, were already laying the groundwork for the most significant "unrestricted free agency" day of the year.

And while I don't think it completely lived up to the hype ... there certainly were some interesting signings. On July 1st, Eastern teams caught much of the spotlight. The Philadelphia Flyers were one of those, and they had to. An awful year last season meant they had nowhere to go but up. The big question is, can a player 5-7 be enough to put them back to where they're used to being. Daniel Briere plays big for a little man, but are his shoulders broad enough for Broad Street. Briere is one of 5 significant moves general manager Paul Holmgren made during the summer. Adding Hartnell and Lupul up front gives Philly more depth and scoring, while Timonen and Smith on defence gives the back end more skill and experience. Getting Martin Biron under contract long term doesn't hurt ... but how much does it help? Biron hasn't been " the man" yet in his career. A slow start could lead to his undoing, if the Flyer faithful stay true to form.

For me, it's the New York Rangers who got the biggest bang for their buck. Adding heavyweights Chris Drury and Scott Gomez should push the Rangers to the top of the Atlantic Division, if not the Eastern Conference.

I'd also keep an eye on the Florida Panthers. Our old buddy Jacques Martin got the goalie he so desperately needed in Tomas Vokoun, and his young players should benefit from last season's late push that saw the team just miss making the playoffs. To me, the Panthers are playoff bound this year.

Sid the Kid will have another phenomenal year, but will the rest of his Penguins? Remember, they weren't expected to do all that much last year (certainly not have a 105 point season), but expectations and pressures will be different this time around.

Out west, I don't think anyone is wrong in expecting the Ducks to be the team to beat this year. With or without Scott Niedermayer, Randy Carlyle won't let anyone rest on laurels, especially the young talent this club is blessed with. I suppose it will be easy to write off the Predators. And what a shame. Once thought to be a good young team for years to come, now it almost seems like it's back to square one for David Poile and company.

The Canucks will be an interesting team to watch. It's quite possible they could challenge for top spot in the conference, if Roberto Luongo has another MVP type season.

Over the last few seasons, too many people have pegged the Sharks to be the team to watch, but over the last few seasons, the Sharks have made fools out of too many people, so in this Blog, I'll stay away from San Jose.

I will predict this about the West ... at least 2 teams that failed to make the playoffs last year, Colorado and St. Louis, will finish top 8 this time around.

In my travels around the NHL over the next 8 months, I hope to use this Blog to share my experiences. Voice an opinion. And hear from you as well.

Cheers, Gord