Mike’s Blog

As a big believer in the notion that the success of a sports league is the continued strength and success of its oldest franchises, I am really happy to see this.  Just two short years ago the Blackhawks were a complete joke, and the quick turnaround has been a pleasant surprise.

Fans warm to Blackhawks after decade of apathy - NHL - Yahoo! Sports

Nowadays, the Blackhawks are such a hot ticket even seats way up high in the United Center are filled. The Indian Head logo is all the rage, spotted across the city on men and women, young and old, on everything from jerseys to caps to pajama bottoms.

As a video on the Jumbotron before a recent game proclaimed, “Hockey never left Chicago, but it has definitely returned.”

A year after the season ticket base dwindled to 3,400, it’s now a franchise-record 14,000. Every game so far has sold out, including a regular-season record 22,690 for the Oct. 25 game against the Red Wings. Merchandise sales are up a whopping 60 percent from last year.

I am hereby predicting another last-place finish for Tampa.  Guess 12 years of watching Barry on ESPN wasn’t enough to prove to the Lightning’s new owners that Barry knows absolutely nothing about hockey.  (And as for how Barry was employed by ESPN for so long: ESPN doesn’t know a lick about hockey either.)

Lightning hires Barry Melrose as coach - NHL - Yahoo! Sports

Now that the playoffs are in full swing, lest anyone forget how heated things can get, here’s a little reminder…

Last year, Chris Neil leveled Chris Drury with a blindside hit a full second after the puck was shot, driving his shoulder into Drury’s head.  Drury missed 4 or 5 games with a concussion, and when the hit was called dirty, Ottawa fans screamed “You gotta keep your head up”.   Daniel Alfredsson apparently didn’t listen.  Mark Bell just proved to the Senators that karma is a bitch by doing almost the exact same thing to Alfie - a guy who, by the way, proved how high-class he is last year by intentionally shooting the puck at Scott Niedermayer during the finals.

Ottawa fans, don’t you dare tell me the Bell hit was dirty after defending the Neil hit.  Don’t you dare.

Exhibit A right here. LOL

… the bright side is that there are now only 14 games left in Dmitri Kalinin’s Buffalo Sabres career.

Now THAT is something to celebrate!

Mr. Regier, if your team truly has a need for a slow-skating defenseman who mishandles the puck, commits countless giveaways, and allows breakaway after breakaway, please give my agent a call.  I’ll offer my services for much less than the soon-to-be free agent Kalinin will surely fetch on the open market.

(Dmitri, you didn’t seriously wonder why your agent hasn’t been called yet, did you?)

Well, it’s official - the NHL has finally announced the outdoor game between the Sabres and Penguins on New Year’s Day.  For all Gary Bettman’s faults and missteps, he’s finally done something I can be happy about on a personal level.  This is gonna be insane and I can’t wait.

Briere rejects Sabres’ offer

I think what drives me nuts about this are the comments from seemingly ill-informed people such as “Buffalo was cheap last year thats why they are paying this year” and “Buffalo’s cheap ways are coming back to bite them in the slug!!!”

Point 1: In case you’ve forgotten, the NHL has a salary cap. Each team is not allowed to go over a predefined league limit for player payroll, meaning that you’ve got a lot of players to keep happy with only a finite amount of money. The Sabres just barely did that last year, managing to stay under the $44 million cap only with such actions as walking away from JP Dumont’s $2.9 million arbitration award, trading Marty Biron at the deadline to dump his $2 million salary, and demoting Drew Stafford to the minors for the final two games of the regular season. Can someone explain to me how spending every red penny on players that the league allows you to spend is considered “cheap”?

Point 2: This year, the Sabres are trying to resign Drury and perhaps Zubrus (although the latter is unlikely at this point), and will have to match whatever offer sheets come in for RFAs Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy. Plus, I’m sure they’d like to pick up a gritty winger or two. So… starting the negotiations by offering a guy what he wanted the prior year, knowing that you have a heap of other players to keep happy with a limited amount of spending ability, is being cheap?

Point 3: The salary cap is rising too quickly, from $39 million two years ago to $50.3 million this year. (Side note: I sure wish my own salary would increase by nearly a third over a two-year span.) The Sabres are attempting to keep up with this tidal wave of rising payroll while having revenue that is among the lowest in the league: average ticket prices are in the mid-$30 range, necessary because sellouts weren’t nearly as prevalent before last year, and because the economy in Buffalo is terrible.

But I suppose it’s just easier to assume the Sabres are just cheap. So forget everything I just said and cling to that mantra like a dog with a new chewtoy.

Flashback to May 19th, 2007: As the Ottawa Senators celebrated a series-clinching overtime goal right beneath me, my emotions got the best of me and I bitterly exclaimed: “Don’t worry Ottawa, you’ll blow it in the finals.”

I told you so.

Congrats to the Ducks on being the first California team, and the first team on the West Coast in over 80 years (no, Colorado doesn’t count) to win the Stanley Cup. The Ducks didn’t just win, they consistently manhandled the Sens. Ottawa won a lot of games in the playoffs by playing a physical style, but when they ran into a team that plays even more physical, they couldn’t hang. Ray Emery fell back down to earth and proved he’s a below-average goaltender who seems to let in at least one soft goal per game, and the rest of the Sens did nothing to shed their image as chokers. They were so rattled that they turned over the puck like it was a hot potato and resorted to a barrage of cheap shots, including Chris Neil’s attempt to behead Andy McDonald in Game 3 (which, mysteriously, went unpunished) and Daniel Alfredsson’s shooting of the puck at Scott Niedermayer in Game 4 as the period ended in a humiliating display of poor sportsmanship.

Can you tell I don’t like Ottawa very much? Heh.

This video is the sort of thing I’ll watch years from now when I’m having a bad day, and it will cheer me up instantly.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
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Buffalo (1) vs. New York Rangers (6)
Buffalo swept the season series with the Rangers, but the Rangers were a vastly different team when they last played on Dec. 1st. Many took the Islanders lightly, but they played the Sabres much tougher than most people expected - and the Sabres still won in five. The Rangers will offer more of a challenge, but the Sabres are up to it after acknowledging that they need to play better. The Rangers took advantage of an easy first-round matchup with the overrated Thrashers and wiped them out in four straight, but the train stops here. Sean Avery will not be able to throw Buffalo off its game as easily as he did with Kovalchuk, Hossa, and Kozlov, and the Rangers’ D is slow and exploitable. Sabres in 6.

New Jersey (2) vs. Ottawa (4)
Ottawa easily beat a young and shell-shocked Pittsburgh team, while New Jersey struggled a bit against the one-line Lightning. But now, the Devils and Senators enter a matchup in which the opposition has just as much depth and experience. As a Sabres fan, I hope these two teams beat the hell out of each other. Martin Brodeur will not be able to get away with mediocre play as he did in the first three games against Tampa. Ottawa in 7.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
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Detroit (1) vs. San Jose (5)
Don’t look at the rankings here - the only reason Detroit finished a mere six points ahead of San Jose was because of the easy-pickings division they play in. Although Detroit overwhelmed Calgary, it took them six games to do so - and San Jose is far, far better than Calgary. San Jose beat Nashville in five games despite going only 2 for 30 on the powerplay, and if they get it on track in this series, Detroit is done. San Jose in 6.

Anaheim (2) vs. Vancouver (3)
Anaheim won the season series 3-1 and held Vancouver to an average of 2 goals per game. In its previous series against Dallas, Vancouver scored a mere 13 goals in 7 games - only eight of which came in the final six games. These are not auspicious numbers for the Canucks. Marty Turco was stellar in the first round, but let’s face it, the Canucks are extremely mediocre offensively - and now they get to face Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. Does Roberto Luongo have four shutouts in him? He might need to for the Canucks to have a chance. Anaheim in 5.

I’m really starting to dislike the Predators and Barry Trotz.

After Game 1, when Hartnell kneed the hell out of Cheechoo: “There was no sticking out of the knee.” What replay were you looking at? It was clear as day. Even I could see it.

After Game 2: “We came here to play hockey tonight. We knew it was an important game, and they turn it into a street brawl.” Hmm, perhaps because for the second game in a row the refs kick out one of your players, this time Radulov for trying to kill Bernier from behind?

Face it, the Preds are dirty. Of course, as a Sabres fan I already know this from when Scott Nichol sucker-punched Jaro Spacek in the back of the head back in December. There is nothing likable about this team whatsoever.

“Anytime you can have your best players on the ice, it’s a good thing for any hockey club.” - John Madden, New Jersey Devils forward

Silly me… I was under the impression that it was better for your best players to be on the bench, trainer’s room, or even the pressbox.   I always thought it was the AHL-caliber scrubs that you wanted out there.  Thanks for clearing that up John!

EASTERN CONFERENCE
====================
Buffalo Sabres (1) vs. New York Islanders (8)
Nobody but the most diehard of Islander fans would have even suggested that the Isles would be here a week ago, but Montreal, Toronto, and Carolina collapsed all around the Isles in hilarious fashion while the Fishsticks were busy winning four straight to close the season. Unfortunately for the Islanders, all they have earned is the right to get utterly destroyed by the President’s Trophy-winning Sabres. Lindy Ruff will not allow his team to take anyone for granted despite the #1 seed, so don’t expect the Islanders to catch anyone by surprise. Ted Nolan is good enough to coach New York to perhaps one win, but he can’t compensate for a lack of depth and a recently called up third-string goalie who is about to crack under the pressure of facing the highest-scoring team in the league, which boasts seven guys with 20 or more goals. And I hear a lot about how Miro Satan will be pumped to play against his old team, but does anyone really think he won’t go in the tank if the Sabres win the first two games? (Note to the AP: the Sabres didn’t fire Nolan - his contract had expired, Darcy Regier was a new GM in a tough spot, and Nolan turned down his one-year contract offer. Get your facts straight.) Sabres in 5.

New Jersey Devils (2) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (7)
The Devils have a couple guys who can score, a defensive philosophy that is effective (although incredibly boring), and some guy named Brodeur between the pipes. Tampa has…. a couple guys who can score. Seriously, “Charlie’s Angels” has more depth than the Lightning, and it might have better goaltending too. Keep those pillows around for New Jersey’s snooze-inducing second-round matchup. Sealy ought to ditch the sheep and use Lou Lamiorello in their mattress commercials instead. Devils in 6.

Atlanta Thrashers (3) vs. New York Rangers (6)
Those lucky Rangers. They get to play the overrated Thrashers - a team that earned only three more points despite being seeded three spots higher - all because the Rangers weren’t quite as good as the Penguins, who get stuck playing Ottawa. This series points out the big flaw in the NHL’s playoff system - the Thrashers are not worthy of a #3 seed, and will most certainly not be around for the second round. I don’t know how to fix that, but I do know that Henrik Lundqvist has been on fire lately, and that combined with the Rangers’ recommittment to defense means that Atlanta GM Don Waddell will have traded his future at the deadline for nothing. Shut down Kovalchuk, Hossa, and Kozlov, and Atlanta has no one left to put the puck in the net. Keith Tkachuk? Yeah, he sure has led teams to playoff success everywhere he’s been. Rangers in 6.

Ottawa Senators (4) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (5)
There’s no doubt in my mind that this will be the most thrilling of all the first-round matchups. Both teams have a lot of scoring and play an up-tempo game. It’ll be interesting to see how Pittsburgh’s kids respond to their first playoff series - there’s a reason why the Pens got Gary Roberts at the trade deadline. That will pay off enormously, but I don’t think it will be enough. The Sens have more depth, are better on the blueline, and Ray Emery still hasn’t realized he’s only Ray Emery yet. Sid the Kid’s first playoff series will end in disappointment, but disappointment will never be more fun to watch. Senators in 7.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
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Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Calgary Flames (8)
Detroit is a fraud. I say it every year, and usually I’m proven right - you may recall that I picked the Oilers to win in the first round last year. The Wings went 22-4-6 against the incredibly weak Central Division and 28-15-7 against everyone else - it’s easy to amass a lot of points when you get to play Columbus, Chicago, and St. Louis a total of 24 times a year. Detroit finds itself in a similar situation to last year, matched up with a #8 seed from Alberta who barely made the playoffs and is known for a defensive style. The difference is that this year, that #8 seed stumbled badly entering the playoffs - Calgary lost its last four games. Miikka Kiprusoff has given up at least three goals in each of his last three starts, and he needs to be better for the Flames to have any chance at all. He has the capability to steal a series though, as he did in ‘04 when the Flames made the finals. The Flames have a bit more scoring depth than in the past - Alex Tanguay, the better-late-than-never emergence of Kristian Huselius - but Detroit should have just enough to get by the Flames despite some injuries, most notably Niklas Kronwall. Assuming that Dominik Hasek doesn’t get his yearly groin injury in the next week, the Wings will wait until the second round this year to be exposed for what they are. Wings in 7.

Anaheim Ducks (2) vs. Minnesota Wild (7)
Minnesota is a team stuck with an awful first-round matchup. Technically the Ducks are no longer Mighty, but you’d never know it after their unreal 28-5-6 start. Then the injuries started piling up - first J.S. Giguere, then Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. The Ducks were a rather mediocre 20-15-8 for the rest of the season, blowing the #1 seed in the West and nearly the Pacific Division title. The Wild also endured more than their fair share of injuries, most notably to Marian Gaborik (whose groin injuries rival Hasek’s in terms of frequency) and Manny Fernandez, who seems to have been replaced as the #1 guy by Nicklas Backstrom, who has played very well. Nearly all the walking wounded have healed though, and as long as the Ducks can stay healthy, they have too much for the overmatched Wild, especially on defense. (Side note: Minnesota must have the coolest potential chant in the league - “Let’s Go Wild!” They do use that, right?) Ducks in 6.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Dallas Stars (6)
If you like low-scoring games, this is your series. The Stars ranked #2 in the league with only 197 goals against, and Vancouver isn’t far behind, tying for fifth at 201. Meanwhile, Dallas is #21 in goals for (226) and the Canucks are #22 (222). Having said this, I am certain every game will be 6-5. Clearly, this series is going to come down to goaltending, and how unlucky for Dallas that they don’t have a clear-cut advantage as they would against most other teams. Which Marty Turco will we see this time - the guy with the .910 save percentage and the 2.23 GAA in the regular season, or the guy who chokes nearly every year in the playoffs (3.32 GAA, .849 save percentage in ‘03-’04, and 3.39 GAA, .868 save percentage last year)? My guess is the latter. Roberto Luongo has been waiting a long time to make the playoffs, and he will not disappoint. Canucks in 6.

Nashville Predators (4) vs. San Jose Sharks (5)
The seedings in the West don’t make much of a difference this year, with only nine points separating the top seven teams. This series is no exception. Nashville - like Detroit - is somewhat of a fraud, padding its record by beating up on weak AHL… er, I mean Central Division teams. San Jose plays against a couple of bottom-feeders in the Pacific as well, but have Anaheim and Dallas to keep them a bit more honest. Both teams have two solid goaltenders (and it will be interesting to see if the Sharks pick a guy and stick with him or continue to use a strict every-other-game rotation), both teams have balanced scoring with 11 players each who scored at least 10 goals, both teams are good on the road, and both teams play well defensively. In short, these two teams are very evenly matched. In the end, I like San Jose’s trades at the deadline (Craig Rivet, Bill Guerin) better than Nashville’s (Peter Forsberg), and I think that can be the difference in an otherwise even matchup. Oh, by the way, this is a rematch of last year’s first round, so it’ll be even more intense. This is going to be a great series. Sharks in 7.

That has a nice ring to it…. but it’s not quite good enough. How about “#1 playoff seed in the East” Buffalo Sabres? Yeah, that’s even better.

The road to the Stanley Cup goes through Buffalo this year, at least for the East. Toronto, Montreal, Tampa, I don’t care who it is we face in the first round. Bring it on. We’re ready for you.

“Stanley Cup champion Buffalo Sabres” will sound the best of all.

Whenever the subject of realignment and relocation comes up, the teams of the Southeast Division (along with Nashville and Phoenix) are always the first to be mentioned. Attendance figures are lukewarm at best, with Atlanta, Florida, and Washington in the bottom 10 of the league, and there is a general sense that hockey in the South just doesn’t make sense, that the population doesn’t “get” the game.

Michael Fahey of CNNSI hs a different spin on things, though. He paints a picture of the Southeast as a high-scoring, physical, high-energy brand of hockey that just might be the NHL’s best-kept secret, pointing out that (as of the time of the article) 6 of the NHL’s top 8 scorers were from Southeast teams. Fahey also takes on the attendance issue, noting that attendance is generally up in the Southeast as compared to last year, and discusses the particular challenges that non-traditional hockey markets face in selling a game to a fanbase that is more used to football and NASCAR.

This is something I’ve been meaning to write about for a while now, but haven’t had the chance. It’s an interesting read for anyone (like me) who has quickly dismissed the Southeast as a throwaway division.

The South Has Risen

This was one of my Christmas gifts from the wife this year. I just (finally) hung it on the wall the other day. The picture isn’t the greatest due to the way my living room is lit, but I think it looks really slick.

About 45 seconds into the video, they play the audio - Georges Laraque, a real heavyweight, is miked up. Listen to how he challenges the other guy to a fight. Friggin’ hilarious.

Articles like this bring a smile to my face.

When we destroyed them in the playoffs last year, Philly should have figured out that old and slow won’t cut it in the new NHL - but they did nothing to rectify the situation. Now they’re the worst team in the NHL, and firing the coach and letting the GM walk hasn’t helped either.

Couldn’t happen to a more deserving team.

Time to show off my dog as well as my wife’s creative talents. If this isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, you must be a Leafs fan: