What Happened to Ryan Miller?

Ryan Miller has shown over the past few years that he is one of the best goaltenders in the world.  He has played extremely well throughout his career in Buffalo, and was the main story of the 2010 Winter Olympics with his stellar performance.  However, this season Miller is in the lower half of NHL goalies in statistics such as Goals Allowed Average and save percentage.  Even though Miller has been hurt for a few games this season, the Sabres have struggled in the 13 games that he has started as well.  Why is this?  Has Miller lost his touch in goal? Absolutely not.  The Sabres front office is to blame for Miller’s struggles this season.

This offseason, Buffalo’s top 2 defenders were free agents.  Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman were consistent defenders who had anchored the defense for years.  However, Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier, known for his conservative free agency moves and his inability and unwillingness to sign big contracts, let both of these players sign elsewhere.  The Buffalo defense was left completely depleted, and was left to be led by a second year player in Tyler Myers.  Regier then signed a mediocre defender in Jordan Leopold to offset the loss of the two defensive anchors in the offseason.  In the early part of the season, Leopold has shown an affinity for turning the puck over in critical situations, and often in the defensive zone, which consistently puts Miller in bad spots and leads to many goals that are given up through no fault of Miller.  He hasn’t lost the touch, but has no one in front of him to help deflect pressure from the opposing offense.

Therefore, defenders, often more so than the goaltenders themselves, are the major factors that determine the performance of goaltenders.  The goaltenders need to be talented, but the talent differential of goaltenders at the NHL level is often very miniscule.  The difference stems more from the quality and chemistry of the defenders in front of the goaltenders.  Defenders who work together, work with the goaltender, and control the puck in the zone make a larger impact than the talent or fundamentals of the goalie himself.

Consider the playoffs last season.  The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup behind rookie goaltender Antti Niemi.  Niemi had shown himself to be vulnerable at times, but played well enough in the playoffs to win the Stanley Cup.  However, Chicago thought so little of his performance that they walked away from his deal after he was awarded arbitration for the staggering salary of $2.75 million (sense the sarcasm).  The Blackhawks organization could not have been as impressed as all the analysts were with Niemi’s performance.  More likely, the Blackhawks realized that, as I have mentioned, the difference between the talent and fundamentals of goaltenders is so miniscule.  The organization realized that quality defenders like Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell were much more important to lock up long term.  Niemi is a good goaltender, but not a top 5 goaltender; Niemi was not why the Blackhawks won the Cup last season.  Defense is the most important factor, and because of this Chicago will not struggle in the transition from Antti Niemi to Marty Turco in net.

Consider the Philadelphia Flyers.  The team went to the Stanley Cup Finals behind journeyman goaltender Michael Leighton and seasoned, seasoned, and extra seasoned veteran goalie Brian Boucher (who hadn’t played meaningful hockey in nearly a decade).  However, the defense carried these goaltenders to impressive performances throughout the playoffs.  Chris Pronger especially had a major impact, as he logged heavy minutes and led the Philadelphia defense the whole season.  Neither Boucher nor Leighton will be known as top goalies, but they led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals, whereas goalies like Martin Brodeur and Ryan Miller were ousted in the first round of the playoffs.  Defense is the key.

Marc-Andre Fleury is another classic example.  He is a goalie that was a bit overhyped after he won the Stanley Cup, but always lacked fundamentals and showed a propensity to flail in net and not stay balanced.  Fleury always had a great defense in front of him, which hid many of his flaws.  However, in the past 2 years he has lost several quality defenders, including Sergei Gonchar this offseason, and Hal Gill the year before.  Now, Pittsburgh is lacking depth at defense, and it has clearly affected Fleury.  Fleury has been the biggest disappointment in goal this season, and has been replaced by backup Brent Johnson.  One has to realize how difficult it is to lose the top spot on the depth chart in the first 7 games after a 3 year history in net with the franchise that includes: an Eastern Conference Championship (2008), a Stanley Cup (2009), and a 4th place finish in the Eastern Conference (2010).  However, the Pittsburgh organization realizes that Fleury lacks mechanics in net, and no longer has such a quality defense behind him to compensate for his mistakes.  In other words, they realize that defense is the key, Fleury isn’t the goalie everyone thought he was, and Johnson has slightly better mechanics right now.

Therefore, while Miller might still have the best lateral movement in the league, might have the best instincts, and all else equal, might be the best goalie in hockey, he (and every other goalie) needs defense in front of him.  The Buffalo front office left Miller out to dry this offseason by losing the starting defensive line to free agency, and, quite simply, it is the reason that Miller is struggling in net right now.

#17 Gets 17

In the biggest free agent signing of the season, New Jersey Devils star Ilya Kovalchuk has signed a 17 year, $102 million deal.  17 years?  For a guy that is 27 years old and, while a legitimate offensive threat, did not lead the 2nd seeded Devils past the first round of the NHL Playoffs, it seems a bit excessive.  However, New Jersey has locked up its hundred million dollar man until he will be 44 years old.  Shades of the New York Mets and Bobby Bonilla.

In more local news, the Philadelphia Flyers have parted ways with Simon Gagne, who has spent 9 years with the team and has been an integral part of all the team’s successes during that time period.  Gagne will be missed by Flyers fans everywhere, and the pain will be doubled when one considers what the Flyers received in return for Gagne (defenseman Matt Walker and a 4th round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft).  Gagne will play with the Tampa Bay Lightning next season.

2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: What We Learned

Yesterday, the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in 6 games.  This year’s playoffs showcased many upsets, previously unheralded players, and many unexpected twists.  Here are a few things we learned from this year’s playoffs:

We learned that this league is based upon parity.  In the Eastern Conference, the two lowest seeds (7 and 8), advanced to the Eastern Conference Final, and the Flyers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.  Upsets were as prevalent as wins by the higher seeded team, and the regular season and seeding meant absolutely nothing in this year’s playoffs.

We learned that a big name, quality goaltender isn’t necessary.  Arguably the two best goalies in the world right now, Ryan Miller and Martin Brodeur, were eliminated in the first round by lower seeded teams.

However, we learned (and already knew) that consistent goaltending is the key.  Other than Evgeni Nabokov of San Jose, the three goaltenders participating in the Conference Finals (Antti Niemi, Chicago; Michael Leighton, Philadelphia; and Jaroslav Halak, Montreal) were either relatively or completely inexperienced at the playoff level.  However, even though these goaltenders are unheralded and haven’t performed consistently over the course of their careers (albeit many of them have been short to this point), they played very well in this postseason, and were keys to their teams’ successes.

We learned that the physical, tough-nosed style hasn’t completely been replaced by the quicker, more athletic style of play.  After the lockout in the middle of the decade, many rules were changed to benefit the smaller, quicker, more athletic teams.  However, teams such as Philadelphia and Montreal advanced far in the playoffs by beating quicker, more athletic teams by playing a tough, physical, and sometimes ugly style of hockey (Philly fans refer to the style as the “Broad Street Bully” style, hailing from the Flyer teams of the 1970s).  That style isn’t dead yet, but instead is still alive and kicking (no pun intended).

We learned that it doesn’t matter how one scores the final goal of the Stanley Cup Finals, it is still a thrill.  No red lights or horns need to go off, no music needs to start playing, no one else even needs to know that the puck went in the net.  When Patrick Kane shot the puck that was lodged in the side of the net, he knew it crossed the line.  He began skating down the other end of the ice, and his teammates, not quite knowing what happened, blindly followed in celebration.  The play was reviewed, and the goal stood.  The Blackhawks were Stanley Cup Champions.

Finally, we learned that redemption does happen, and that it is sweet for those who achieve it.  Marian Hossa lost the Stanley Cup Finals with Pittsburgh in 2008 and then turned down a large contract the next season with Pittsburgh for a 1 year deal with Detroit in an effort to win the Stanley Cup.  He then lost in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, to who else but Pittsburgh.  This season, he signed with Chicago, and looked to erase the “Hossa Curse.”  When the Blackhawks made the Stanley Cup Finals, some questioned whether Hossa would lose in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.  However, Hossa finally achieved the ultimate goal, and proved that good things come to those who wait.

Blackhawks Win the Stanley Cup

The Chicago Blackhawks have just defeated the underdog Philadelphia Flyers to capture Lord Stanley’s Cup.  The ‘Hawks won the Cup for the first time in 49 years.  It took 6 games for the Blackhawks to establish themselves as the best in hockey.  Stay tuned tomorrow for a recap of the Stanley Cup Finals, and the 2010 NHL Playoffs as a whole.

Flyers Advance in Historic Fashion

There was only 1 NHL playoff series yet to be settled as of Friday night.  The Flyers and Bruins were playing in Game 7 at TD Banknorth Garden, and since it seems to be everyone’s favorite phrase the past 2 days, I’ll say that “History would be made” in this game.  The Flyers had trailed 3 games to 0 to begin the series, and rallied to win 3 straight games to even the series and force a Game 7.

The irony of this series is almost too pronounced to be irony.  The final game was a microcosm of the entire series.  In the first period, the Bruins were much more physical than the Flyers, Tuukka Rask played tremendously, and the Bruins jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, almost before anyone knew what had happened.  In the series, the Bruins won the first 3 games, looked to be the more talented and physical team, and hoped to close out Philadelphia quickly.  However, the Flyers have been on the brink of elimination at multiple points this season, and the team remained poised both in the series and in the Game 7 deficit. 

Late in the 1st Period, Philadelphia Head Coach Peter Laviolette was seen on the bench telling his team “One goal, one goal.”  He was reminding the team that there was plenty of time remaining in the game to come back, and that the team needed to focus not on scoring 4 goals, but instead 1 at a time.  The Flyers scored a quick goal at the end of the 1st Period, then scored 2 more in the 2nd to tie the game entering the 3rd Period.  At this point, Tuukka Rask became more frustrated and appeared lost in net, just as he has became increasingly shifty and uncomfortable in net as the series progressed.

As the 2nd Period ended, it became a 1 period season for both the Bruins and the Flyers.  At stake was home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens, who had defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 on Wednesday.  The 3rd Period was as exciting and intense a period of hockey as one will see, as both teams showed toughness, defensive prowess, and sheer desire.  Several pucks hit the post on both sides of the ice, countless shots were blocked, and players were crunched into the boards consistently.  Only late in the 3rd Period did the Flyers break through and score their 4th goal of the night, which would prove to be the game winner.  Who else but Simon Gagne would be the one to score the goal to send the team to the Conference Finals, as his return to the ice in this series was parallel with the team’s 3-0 turnaround.  The Bruins pulled Rask with just over a minute remaining, but could not score with the man advantage, and the Flyers celebrated on the Garden ice as the Bruins fans were silent.

There was a certain group of people in South Philadelphia who were not silent as time expired.  Over 10,000 fans traveled to the Wachovia Center to watch the Flyers on the bigscreen with the rest of the fan base.  Fortunately or unfortunately, not all the fans who entered the Wachovia Center celebrated with the fans at the end of the game.  With the 3-0 deficit early in the game, there were some fans who left the arena because they thought the game was over, which left only the diehard fans and the fans who had faith in the team.  Good for those who stayed, and for those who left because they thought the game was over, I have no sympathy.

As has been the popular phrase, “History will be made.”  This slogan has permeated the NHL playoffs, and has concluded every NHL commercial.  This series has epitomized the slogan, as it is only the 3rd time in NHL history that a team has won a series after trailing 3 games to none.  This series, from the 3 game deficit to the 3 goal deficit in Game 7, was one of the most unbelievable events I have seen in sports.  The Flyers were a Ranger penalty shot away from not making the playoffs on the last day of the regular season, and were a Bruin overtime goal away from being swept in this series.  However, the Flyers never let up the season-ending, backbreaking goal from which there is no returning.  No matter how far out of contention the Flyers appeared to be, the team never gave up, and from this desire and passion the team produced the best sports story of the new decade.  It is these types of games and postseason series that draw fans to our great sport, and it proves that the NHL doesn’t need Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby to carry the torch alone.  Hockey is a very intense, entertaining sport that needs to be marketed better so that it is viewable by more audiences.  Only then will it get the attention that it deserves, and this series showed very clearly that hockey should be getting much more attention than it does.

Now that the Conference Semifinals have concluded with this historical effort by the Flyers, the Conference Finals will begin.

In the Western Conference Finals, 1] San Jose Sharks will host 2] Chicago Blackhawks.

MY PREDICTION: Sharks win in 6 games.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, 7] Philadelphia Flyers will host 8] Montreal Canadiens

MY PREDICTION: Flyers win in 7 games.

MY STANLEY CUP PREDICTION: Sharks beat Flyers in 5 games.

NHL Quarterfinals

The NHL Conference Semifinals begin tonight with the Sharks vs. Red Wings series.  Here are my predictions for the series:

EAST:

4] Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 8] Montreal Canadiens

After Montreal’s improbable series win over President’s Cup winning and top seeded Washington, many people may expect goaltender Jaroslav Halak to carry the Habs through the remainder of the playoffs.  However, I believe that the Penguins ability to get pucks in front of net in traffic will be the difference between being able to score goals and being shut down by Halak as the Caps were.  The Caps refused to score the ugly goal; the goal where the puck was thrown on net and was jammed away at in front of net.  Those types of goals are what beat hot goaltenders like Halak, and that is what Pittsburgh is unafraid to do and what Washington was unable to do.

MY PREDICTION:  Penguins win in 5 games

6] Boston Bruins vs. 7] Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers are led by Brian Boucher, long time veteran who hasn’t started in 10 years, and the Bruins are led by Tuuka Rask, a rookie who hasn’t even started the entire season.  However, the poise that Rask showed against the Buffalo Sabres and the best goalie in the world in Ryan Miller proves to me that this kid can take the pressure.  Rask may even have been a better goaltender in the second half of the season than Miller has been.  I think Boston’s physicality and Tuuka Rask’s dominance in net will fuel Boston to the Conference Finals.

MY PREDICTION:  Bruins win in 6 games.

WEST:

1] San Jose Sharks vs. 4] Detroit Red Wings

Both teams had difficult first round series, as both teams faced a lot of pressure with the expectation to beat young, inexperienced teams.  The difference for me between the pressure these teams faced is the amount of pressure that San Jose has gotten off its shoulders after its first round victory over Colorado.  The Sharks distanced themselves from years of consistent choking in the postseason with that series win, and I think that this pressure release will allow the team to play the explosive hockey that put the team at the top of the Western Conference in the regular season.

MY PREDICTION: Sharks win in 6 games.

2] Chicago Blackhawks vs. 3] Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver seems to have it all.  Great goaltending by Roberto Luongo, and great goal scoring by the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel.  What is not to like?  The Blackhawks also have great goal scoring with players such as Patrick Kane and Jonathon Teows, but the Blackhawk goaltender, Antti Niemi, is not on the level that Roberto Luongo is at this point.  This series will be a great series, and may well come down to a decisive 7th game.

MY PREDICTION: Canucks win in 7 games.

NHL First Round Playoff Update

The first round of the NHL play0ffs has been thoroughly entertaining and has exhibited the parity that exists in the NHL.  To this point, the first round of the playoffs has been the most evenly contested first round that I have ever witnessed.  Each of the 8 series was tied at 1 game apiece after 2 games, and no team has had a 2 game lead yet in the playoffs.  These 4 opening round series are currently tied at 1 game each (through April 18th games): Buffalo vs. Boston, Chicago vs. Nashville, Washington vs. Montreal, and Vancouver vs. Los Angeles.  The other 4 series are 2-1, and in 2 of the series the lower seed is leading (Philadelphia (7th East) and Colorado (8th West)).  In the other 2 series, the 4th seeds in each conference are leading the 5th seeds 2 games to 1, neither of which were highly favored to win the series.  Therefore, there is no team that appears to be running easily through the first round into the conference semifinals, and this round will continue to be very close and competitive.

Some early storylines in the first round:

Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson has played incredibly well in the first round, as he has consistently faced more shots than San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov.  Anderson has the Avalanche leading the series 2 games to 1.  His series performance was highlighted last night, when he made 51 saves in a Game 3 shutout.

Dan Boyle of the San Jose Sharks made one of the most embarrassing plays in recent memory last night.  Boyle inadvertently shot the puck into his own net in overtime to give the Avalanche a 1-0 overtime win in Game 3.  The play was very emblematic of San Jose’s recent playoff struggles, which have been well documented in the city of San Jose and by its fans.  The Sharks were booed off their home ice after losing Game 1 to the 8th seeded Avalanche because the fans grew too weary of and accustomed to their team losing to teams that were inferior opponents in the regular season.

The President’s Cup winning Washington Capitals need a 3 goal comeback in Game 2 in order to even the series with 8th seeded Montreal.  Goaltending has been the main problem for the Caps, as Jose Theodore has been extremely inconsistent early in the postseason and was pulled at one point in the series.

The New Jersey Devils were never an offensively gifted team, and the trade deadline move to get Ilya Kovalchuk was an attempt to put an offensive threat into the power lacking offense.  However, thus far in the postseason the Devils have had trouble creating scoring opportunities, and have needed power plays to get decent scoring chances.  Martin Brodeur has played very well in net for the Devils, but the Devils have not scored enough to reward Brodeur’s performance.

The first round of the playoffs continues tonight, with three Game 3′s scheduled.  At 7:00PM, top seeded Washington will travel to (8) Montreal, and (3) Buffalo will play at (6) Boston to attempt to take a 2-1 series lead.  At 10:00PM, (6) Los Angeles will host (3) Vancouver in Game 3 of that series.  Stay tuned for more playoff coverage in the coming days.

NHL First Round Playoff Predictions

The first round of the NHL playoffs begins Wednesday with 4 games.  82 regular season games has dwindled the field to 16 teams, and here are my predictions for the first round:

IN THE EAST:

1] Washington Capitals beat 8] Montreal Canadiens in 4 games

The Capitals have been the best team in the league all season, and have disposed of Eastern Conference opponents consistently.  This series will be no different, as the Capitals simply have too much firepower with Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin for the Canadiens to compete.

2] New Jersey Devils beat 7] Philadelphia Flyers in 7 games

This matchup of Atlantic Division rivals will be a very entertaining series.  Although New Jersey is set in its goaltending with perennial All-Star Martin Brodeur, and Philadelphia is on its 5th goalie this season with Brian Boucher, this series is more balanced than one would be led to believe.  The Flyers have fared very well against New Jersey this season and have a winning record against the Devils.  Key factors in the series are Ilya Kovalchuk for the Devils and Brian Boucher for the Flyers.  The Devils picked up Kovalchuk at the trade deadline to improve the team’s lacking offense.  If Kovalchuk can have success offensively against the Flyers, Philadelphia doesn’t have enough offensive firepower to win a high scoring series with Brodeur in the New Jersey net.  However, if Boucher can hold the Devils in check on offense, the Flyers may be able to steal a few games in the series and potentially move to the next round.  This series is one of the series to watch closely in the first round.

3] Buffalo Sabres beat 6] Boston Bruins in 5 games

In a matchup of Northeast Division rivals, these teams will not play passively.  Both teams have much disdain for one another, and this series will be a classic physical battle.  An interesting fact is that the goaltenders in this series (Ryan Miller for Buffalo and Tim Thomas for Boston), were the starting and backup goalies for the USA Olympic Hockey Team, respectively.  This series will be determined by which goalie will be better in net.  Miller has been the best goalie in the league this season, but the Sabres have lacked offensive firepower at times.  Expect a low scoring series with quality defense and goaltending. 

5] Ottawa Senators beat 4] Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games

The Penguins seem to have become America’s team since the team won the Stanley Cup.  However, the Senators may be the most underrated team in hockey.  The Sens made a run from the 8 spot to the 5 spot towards the end of the season, and looks to ride its late season momentum into the playoffs.  Alexei Kovalev and team captain Daniel Alfredsson lead a high powered Senators offense, and Chris Phillips heads the Senator defense.  Goalie Ryan Elliot had an efficient GAA (2.57) and will look to hold the Penguins offense in check.  For the Penguins, Marc-Andre Fleury will be the key.  He hasn’t always been the most consistent goaltender, but is very good when playing well.  If Fleury is inconsistent throughout the series, the advantage will be with Ottawa.  This series will be very entertaining and will be a tight series that could be won by either team.  My pick is Ottawa in 7. 

IN THE WEST:

1] San Jose Sharks beat 8] Colorado Avalanche in 7 games

This series could be very competitive even though it is 1 vs. 8.  The Sharks have been impressive this season, as they are most seasons, but the team has often struggled in recent playoffs.  The Avalanche only finished 18 points behind 1st place San Jose this season, and were inconsistent in their play.  However, in a seven game series, Colorado has the ability to hang with San Jose and potentially win the series.

2] Chicago Blackhawks beat 7] Nashville Predators in 5 games

Chicago, although a young team, has the most talent in the West.  Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Jonathon Teows, and Patrick Sharp highlight an explosive offense for the ‘Hawks.  Chicago should have no problem with Nashville in this opening round series.

3] Vancouver Canucks beat 6] Los Angeles Kings in 5 games

The Canucks have the severe advantage over the Kings at the goaltender spot.  Roberto Luongo is a top goalie in the league for the Canucks, but Jonathon Quick is a young, inexperienced goaltender for the Kings.  Luongo won a gold medal for Canada in the Olympics, and is very solid in net.  The Kings will have trouble scoring consistently against Luongo and the Canucks.  The Canucks, however, do not have offensive struggles.  Daniel and Henrik Sedin are a dynamic duo which is very dangerous.  In addition, key USA Olympian Ryan Kesler is a key which holds the Canucks together.  Vancouver will take care of the young LA Kings without much trouble.

5] Detroit Red Wings beat 4] Phoenix Coyotes in 6 games

Phoenix has been that “under-the-radar” team that no one has paid attention to this season.  Before anyone knew it, the Coyotes were fighting for the top spot in the West more than halfway through the season.  The Coyotes finished in the 4th spot in the West, but only 6 points between conference leading and Pacific Division rival San Jose.  However, the Red Wings’ experience and success down the stretch this season will power Detroit through to the next round.  Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holstrom highlight Detroit’s offense, and veteran Chris Osgood anchors the net for the Red Wings.  It will be an interesting series, but Detroit should win.

Stay tuned after the first round concludes for my second round picks.

NHL Playoff Matchups

Sunday was the final day of the regular season, and heading into Sunday 15 teams were assured of playoffs spots.  Still to be decided was whether the Flyers or Rangers would earn a spot in the East.  The teams were tied in points going into the final game of the season, and as was appropriate, the teams played one another in the final regular season game.  The game was a hard fought, low scoring game which required a 5 minute overtime period and then a shootout to decide the winner.  Claude Giroux scored in the shootout to give the Flyers the advantage, and the Rangers were forced to make their next shot to extend the shootout.  Flyers goalie Brian Boucher made the stop on Olli Jokinen’s final attempt to seal the victory and the playoff appearance for the Flyers, who earned the 7 seed in the East.

Here are the playoff matchups, some of which will begin Wednesday:

EAST

1] Washington Capitals vs. 8]  Montreal Canadiens

2] New Jersey Devils vs. 7] Philadelphia Flyers

3] Buffalo Sabres vs. 6] Boston Bruins

4] Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5] Ottawa Senators

WEST

1] San Jose Sharks vs.  8] Colorado Avalanche

2] Chicago Blackhawks vs. 7] Nashville Predators

3] Vancouver Canucks vs. 6] Los Angeles Kings

4] Phoenix Coyotes vs. 5] Detroit Red Wings

Some things to look out for as the playoffs begin:

In the East:

The Flyers have had much success against 2nd seeded New Jersey this season.

The Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins will face off in a battle of hated rivals, and the teams have already exchanged some “bad blood” this season.

Ryan Miller will be on the national stage again for the first time since the Olympic Gold Medal Game.  How will he handle the increased attention?

The Capitals will need to prove if they are really that much better than everyone else, as was indicated by their extremely wide points gap in the East.

Will the Penguins and Crosby be able to advance far enough to face Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals in what has become the most hyped player rivalry in hockey?

In the West:

All 8 teams are within 18 points of one another.  Which team will be able to cause an upset in the first round?

Will young teams like Chicago have the advantage with its speed and youth, or will experienced teams like Detroit who made a late run have the advantage with its wealth of experience?

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Stay tuned for my predictions, which will be released very soon.

The Winter Classic

The NHL played its third annual New Year’s Day Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.  The Philadelphia Flyers traveled north to face the Boston Bruins.  The game, as all Winter Classics have been, was extremely intense and exciting.  The Flyers had a 1-0 lead into the third period, and the Bruins tied the game to send it into overtime.  In the first overtime, Patrice Bergeron crossed a puck on net that was deflected in by Marco Sturm to give the Bruins the 2-1 win. 

The Winter Classic, established in 2008, has done wonders for the sport of hockey.  Since the lockout and the change of the tv contract from ESPN to VERSUS, hockey on the whole has struggled to draw crowds and boost high television ratings.  Part of the reason for the low television ratings is because many people do not even have VERSUS, and their only chance to watch hockey are Saturdays on NBC.  Therefore, in the 2007-2008 it seemed that hockey needed something to rejuvenate interest in the sport.  The answer was the Winter Classic.  They decided to play a hockey game outside, in the Buffalo Bills’ Ralph Wilson Stadium, and to play it on January 1st on NBC  to allow for a large audience.  This game drew a crowd of 71,217 fans, and drew high television ratings.  The NHL tried to limit the amount of penalties called and tried to keep the ice as playable as possible while keeping the game moving. 

The overwhelming success of the inaugural Winter Classic made this game a top priority of the NHL.  In 2009, the game was played in the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detriot Red Wings.

This increased viewership through the Winter Classic has and will continue to increase NHL attendance and television ratings.  The new found interest in the sport of many fans will undoubtedly help hockey to get back on the map as a major sport.  Now all hockey needs is to change TV networks (but that is a topic for another blog).

It has been rumored that Beaver Stadium may be a site for a future Winter Classic, serving as the site of the “Battle for Pennsylvania,” Flyers vs. Penguins.  Although that would be an unbelievable atmosphere for such a game, it is likely that since both the Penguins and the Flyers have participated in a Winter Classic already, the Winter Classic would not be held here.  Future sites for the event could be Denver Bronco’ Invesco Field, Yankee Stadium, or the Minnesota Twins’ new stadium, set to open this spring.