Around The Rink 01.29.08: All-Star Break

Posted by Jeremy Yoder on 01.29.2008

Around The Rink this week, coverage of the All-Star game and the skills competition is discussed, the Maple Leafs fire their GM and Ilya earns a game off. We’ll take a look at the top team in the Eastern Conference as we review the Northeast Division. In my weekly Penguins section, I will discuss how the season has gone so far and where it is headed for the ‘Guins.

Main Topics...

This weekend saw the 56th NHL All-Star game come and go. The skills competition came and went with it. The next few paragraphs are just a few thoughts I had while taking the weekend in.

First and foremost, how does a man who didn't even play for half of the first season make the All-Star roster? I'm talking about Scott Niedermayer of the Anaheim Ducks who played for the Western Conference All-Star team. Don't get me wrong, I think Scott Niedermayer is one of the most talented, best defensemen in the league. However, I don't think that it is fair that he made the All-Star team based pretty much on name recognition. A guy like Brian Rafalski in Detroit, despite there already being many Red Wings on the roster, was absolutely more deserving of a trip than Niedermayer. I felt it was an injustice to the players who have put in the work the entire first half of the season for someone to come out of retirement and take the ice at the All-Star game.

That rant was a little off the subject I really wanted to discuss, but I needed to get it out. My main focus for this blog is to discuss the coverage by the Vs. network. This year was better than last year, that much can be said for certain. There were still some things that could have been done better. During the "elimination break-away" competition, the camera angle was from the guy skating after the player doing the shooting. It was like that for every shooter. I'm all for experimenting with new things, but they should've scrapped that view after the first shooter. It was hard to tell what exactly the player shooting on the goalie was trying to do. Lastly, you couldn't even see the puck go into the net if it did go in. I like the idea, but it could've been done a little better.

The other issue I had with the coverage was during the Young Stars game. The game was a running clock game, yet a replay was deemed necessary after every goal in favor of watching more live action. Maybe it's because this was the first time the Young Stars game was played like that, but they would have been better suited doing a recap after the game or something. I don't want to see a replay of anything when there's live action going on.

Lastly, the broadcast just seemed lost at points. I think that can be somewhat contributed to the NHL as a whole struggling with the format of the game. However, there were some fairly long pauses where no one was talking during the broadcast. During some of those times, there was nothing else going on either. If there's not at least action on the ice, there needs to be action in the booth. I think Mike Emrick is one of the better commentators in the game today and I was kind of disappointed at these pauses.

Let's talk briefly about the competitions themselves. The NHL really made some changes this year and I don't think they were necessarily for the better. The obstacle course challenge was an interesting idea, but I don't think it worked out so great. Perhaps it was a better idea in concept and after seeing it in action they'll scrap the idea for next year. I also did not like the way that they modified the fastest skater competition. Some people I talked to liked seeing the skaters going head to head, but it really made it more of a fastest accelerator competition than a fastest skater competition. I definitely enjoyed seeing the old style of the competition much better. Both of the break-away competitions were good, but I don't think the players fully understood the second "freestyle break-away" competition. Not enough of the players went out of their way to try something really creative. If they use that some competition next year, I think we'll see some more creative stuff out of the players. The last competition that I want to touch on was the Young Stars game. It was interesting to see 3 on 3 run-and-gun hockey and all, but ultimately I wasn't a fan. I liked seeing the Young Stars play a full game. I think it was a better showcase of the talents they bring to the ice. This Young Stars game was interesting, but came up a little short in my humble opinion.

What's my favorite competition you ask? The accuracy shooting competition is far and away my favorite. Fortunately, I don't think there's much they can do to mess that one up so I think I'm safe. Fans of the hardest shot competition are probably safe as well…I don't think you can muck up a hardest shot competition.

So what was going on in the NHL outside of the All-Star game? The answer is not much. There were some items worthy of brief discussion though.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a long expected move and fired GM John Ferguson Jr. Cliff Fletcher has been named as his replacement for at least this season. Fletcher has previous experience as a GM with the Leafs as he was their GM from '91 – '97. Like I mentioned, this was definitely a long expected move. If memory serves me correct, Richard Peddie, President & CEO of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment was quoted earlier this season as saying that hiring Ferguson as their GM was a huge mistake. It really was an ugly scene in Toronto that had to draw to an end somehow. Hopefully for Leafs fans, this will stabilize things a little as they begin to make a stretch run at the playoffs.

The other news this past week was that the league's second-leading goal-scorer was suspended for a game. Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers was suspended one game for hitting New York Rangers defensemen Michal Rozsival from behind on Wednesday. He sat out the game against the Rangers on Thursday night to fulfill the suspension. I saw this hit and it seemed pretty dirty to me. Kovalchuk was quoted as saying that Rozsival turned right before he was hit, but I have to disagree. Anyone who reads my columns knows that I'm very hard on the hittee. In this case though, I think all the blame goes on Kovalchuk and a game suspension was definitely warranted.

Same Old Story, Same Old Song and Dance in the Northeast

When I last reviewed the Northeast, the Ottawa Senators were flying high in first place. Guess what? They still are! With a record of 31-15-4 for 66 points, the Senators are atop not only the Northeast Division, but the entire Eastern Conference. They aren't doing it right now without some hardship though. Star forward Dany Heatley has missed the last few games and will miss the next six weeks with a bad shoulder. Daniel Alfredsson also missed the last couple of games with a hip-flexor injury. Alfredsson played in the All-Star game though and will be ready to go after the break. Some may say that the Senators rely too much on Heatley, Spezza and Alfredsson, but I think they're a pretty balanced team. With the firepower that line produces, you don't need a whole lot more. They do have more though. Mike Fisher is having a great year so far with 18 goals and 21 assists. Antoine Vermette has been kind of quiet this year, but I have a feeling he'll have a good second half. Of more concern for the Senators should be the climate that Ray Emery creates in the locker room. Did I say the locker room? Make that really everywhere he goes. There were reports that Emery was fist-fighting with a teammate at a recent practice. There have also been reports that he has not been handling being the second goalie very well. Clearly they need to get him under control because you don't want these kinds of things going on in the locker room. They can be very disruptive to the team. I think the Senators will be fine though and will go on to win the Northeast Division. You can document me as saying they will be the number one playoff seed from the Eastern Conference as well. I don't think anyone will be able to catch up with them.

The Montreal Canadiens occupy second place in this division. They are currently 26-15-8 for 60 points. The Canadiens are a hard-working team that just seem to be playing good, consistent hockey. While this team certainly has some stars on the roster, Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu, Andrei Markov, they are primarily just a very well balanced team. They are capable of rolling four very effective lines, while getting offensive contributions from each line. The defense is solid with Mike Komisarek, Patrice Brisebois, Roman Hamrlik and Andrei Markov taking care of business. In net, Cristobal Huet has been outstanding for the Habs. His 2.33GAA and .922SV% are both good enough to have him in the top ten in each category for goaltenders. I have to admit that I am surprised by this team. Maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention, but I did not see this coming out of the Canadiens. Not only are they second in this division, but they have the second most points in the Eastern Conference. If the Senators slip, the Canadiens will be right there to capitalize on the mistake. However, I don't think the Sens will make that slip and the Canadiens will finish second in this division.

In third at 25-19-5 for 55 points are the Boston Bruins. I predicted the downfall of this team when I last reviewed this division. I couldn't have been more wrong. The Bruins continue to play good hockey and make noise in the Eastern Conference. I said Tim Thomas couldn't keep up his stellar play. He kept it up while playing in the All-Star game this weekend. I'm not sure how they're managing to do it all though. They don't have a 20-goal scorer on their roster and their top offensive talent in Patrice Bergeron is definitely out of the rest of the season with a concussion. Somehow, some way though, they are getting it done. Even while they are playing good hockey to this point, I don't see this team as a real threat to go anywhere in the playoffs. I think they'll make the playoffs, thanks to a steadily-growing-weaker Eastern Conference, but that will be about it. Defense wins championships, but you also have to be able to score. I don't see the Bruins doing a lot of that and it will come back to haunt them. However, a deadline deal could absolutely be the catalyst for a strong run. Regardless, this team will finish third in this division.

Tied for last in the division are the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both teams currently have 48 points with the Sabres record at 21-21-6 and the Maple Leafs record at 20-23-8. The Leafs have played three more games than the Sabres, making them officially the last place team. I really don't know what to say about either of these teams. Starting with the Leafs, I think problems in the front office can lead to problems on the ice. All the issues with the GM this year have been a major distraction and I think that can wear on a team. That certainly isn't all that has been wrong in Toronto though. Mats Sundin is the only forward on the team with at least 20 goals. I imagine they were counting on a little more out of Jason Blake when they signed him. I think they were probably also counting on a little bit more out of a host of other players on the roster. In short, I believe the team is largely underachieving. Vesa Toskala was down for a few weeks with a sore groin, which didn't help matters either. The Leafs don't have a solid backup and that was proven when Toskala went down. Ultimately, excuses are like anuses, everyone has one. The Leafs will have to come up with a good one for missing the playoffs again. I'll predict them as last in this division, though they will battle with the Sabres for that spot the rest of the season.

The Buffalo Sabres. What happened there? Last year they were such a good team with great depth and this year they're nothing. On a team that was loaded with scoring last year, they do not have a single 20-goal scorer yet on the roster this year. Players like Ales Kotalik, Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek have not been able to step up and carry the offensive load this year. I knew that losing Chris Drury and Daniel Briere would not help the team at all, but I really thought that with all the depth and talent on the team that they would be somewhat alright this year. That couldn't be further from the case. Ryan Miller is having a decent year, but obviously he's not able to keep the Sabres in a lot of the games they're playing. It's been a disappointing year so far for Sabres fans and I don't expect it to get any better. The Sabres will miss the playoffs this year and finish fourth in the Northeast Division.

Weekly Pens Update

In case you live under a rock, only getting out to read this column(poor you), Sidney Crosby was officially diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain this past week. He will be out of the lineup for 6-8 weeks placing his return in mid-early March. The team's stint without their leader, in every facet of the word, began this past week with games against the Capitals and Flyers. Both games were wild; both games resulted in a loss. They at least got a point against the Capitals in a shootout loss. They played hard in both games and I think it's definitely going to be a month or two of character building for this young team. As long as they can stay in the playoff hunt while Sid is out, they will be fine when he returns to the lineup.

That brings me to my review of the season thus far for the Pens. As I write, the Pens are third in the Atlantic Division with 58 points. I am not surprised by this. I think that if you were to read back through my blogs, even when the team wasn't playing well, you would see that I never really panicked. People called for Therrien's head while I continued to defend him. Folks stumbled around wondering out loud what had happened to the amazing team of last year. I said the team was young and a repeat of last season was highly unlikely. Through it all though, I maintained that the Pens were going to be alright and would be in the playoffs this year. I stand by that. What they have accomplished to this point does not surprise me. What they may accomplish may surprise me though.

With Sidney Crosby out, it's hard to expect big things out of the Penguins. However, already in his absence, Evgeni Malkin has risen to the challenge of taking this team on his shoulders and carrying them. His play in the last few games has been nothing short of outstanding. To think that he was almost totally left off of the All-Star roster, even in replacement of someone, is crazy. That being said, it will take more than one man stepping up to carry the team through this. Players like Petr Sykora, Jordan Staal, Ryan Malone and Colby Armstrong need to step up and lead this team. Getting Marc-Andre Fleury back in the next week to two weeks will be a nice boost for the team. I don't think the team will freefall while Sid is out, but I also don't think they'll do extremely well without him. What would surprise me would be to see the Pens move higher than third in the Atlantic while Sid is out. What is more expected by me is for them to maintain a solid 5th, 6th or 7th place in the conference, securing a playoff spot. When Sid returns, the team will take off. They just have to hang on until then.

Some quick notes…I mentioned Fleury will be back in about a week or two. I heard an interview with MAF late last week and he said he felt he would be ready in a week. If I were the Pens, I would make him sit another week. High-ankle sprains are pesky injuries and can be very serious if not given enough time to fully rehab. Tyler Kennedy was selected to participate in the Young Stars game at the skills competition this past weekend and had to decline. Kennedy was diagnosed with mono last week. Obviously this is why he hasn't been dressed the last few games. Coming back from the All-Star break, Colby Armstrong has caught the flu bug and will be out of the lineup for at least a game. In other news, the Pens reacquired Kris Beech off waivers this past weekend. Many of you are familiar with Beech as the promising "Ron Francis-like" player that was acquired from the Washington Capitals when Jaromir Jagr was dealt away many years ago. So much for that projection. Beech has bounced from NHL team to NHL team in his career. The Pens will be his fourth team this month alone. This move was made simply to fill roster space. The Baby Pens roster is starting to get a little thin from all the call-ups and Beech is a player with NHL experience. Don't look for him to be a long-term difference maker of any kind. If he is, I will certainly be shocked.

Random Thoughts

Why do people stop when they're about to be hit by a vehicle? Whether they are walking or driving another vehicle, people always stop when they're about to get hit. Does that make sense to anyone else? Is stopping in front of a vehicle that's about to strike you really going to increase your odds of not getting hit? Wouldn't it make more sense to keep moving, maybe even at a quicker pace? I don't understand it. I guess it's the whole deer-in-headlights syndrome, but we're smarter than deer, right? Well, I guess some of us are anyway.

More Next Tuesday...

I'll be back next week with another column. Please send any comments, questions, suggestions or a topic that would interest you to [e-mail].