A Lost Cause for the Leafs in the 'Peg

Nothing like home ice advantage for some teams such as the Winnipeg Jets this season. It has been a up and down time for the Jets but being home has had their benefits.

The home town Jets took down the winning ways of the Leafs last night with a score of 2-1 in front of a energetic crowd, splashed with Maple Leaf jerseys as much as the Jets.

The Leafs opened the scoring in the 1st with a beauty goal from Phil Kessel, his 30th of the year and his fourth year completing that goal mark. At the 14 minute mark the Jets tied it up from Chris Thorburn who slid in a nice backhand pass the sprawling Gustavsson.

Going into the second period the Leafs seem to be waiting for their opportunity to break the game open but Jets goalie Pavelec kept shutting the door on them. Then at 9:47 of the second Bryan Little slammed home a rebound from a great rush from Wheeler to have the Jets go up 2-1.

The third period was a fast pace back and forth play interrupted by a unenthusiastic fight between the Jets Johnny Oduya and the Leafs Joey Crabb. No scoring was a result of the relative clean third period as it looked like the Leafs just could not mustard anything of a good scoring attack. The Jets played a tight checking third and were satisfied with the 2-1 score.

Just a couple of notes on this game, the Leafs finally drew a penalty in the 2nd period by Kessel. This was one of the few times where the Leafs went back to a old way, retaliating from a play, as Kessel got hooked up and slashed the Jets player.

Also both teams failed to score on their PP chances.

The Toronto Maple Leafs head off to Philadelphia to play the Flyers on Thursday night, game time is at 7pm on TSN. The Leafs will need to bring their 'A' game for this one to get back to the winning ways.

Until Next Time,

See you after the Game!

Coach Nye

Ilya’s Devils contract no longer looking like a contract from hell!

All I have heard since Ilya Kovalchuk was signed, was that the Devils mortgaged the future by signing him to a 15 year/100 million$ contract. After his 1^st season with the Devils, many said that he wasn’t worth 6.6 million a year, let alone having him under contract until he is 42 years old. Kovalchuk still managed to score 30+ goals last season, so if fans were upset with his performance even when he scored 31 goals it shows just how much of a superstar he really is. But nonetheless, fans weren’t happy with Ilya’s performance, and they weren’t shy about letting him know. I guess he read the headlines and took all of the criticism to heart, because he has been playing with a HUGE chip on his shoulder this year. So far this season in 47 games, Kovalchuk has scored 22 goals and put up 50 points! Well over a point per game, and reminding us more and more of the player who has twice scored 50 goals in a season and reached 90 points. What’s makes his season so far even more impressive is that he averages nearly 25 minutes per game! He averages the 16^th most time on ice (TOI) in the NHL for all skaters. What makes that so impressive is that he is the only forward in the top 60, as he averages nearly 2 and a half minutes more than any other forward in the NHL! A large reason for that is that Ilya contributes in all aspects of the game, he is dominant at even strength, lethal on the powerplay, and very dangerous shorthanded (which he has shown with his 3 shorthanded goals and 5 SH points). All of that has reminded us all why he got the contract in the first place and that he is worth every single penny of that 100 million $ contract!

However, despite having a great season all year, Kovalchuk has managed to elevate his game to an even higher level lately. The Devils have been on fire and it is largely due to Ilya who has 10 goals in his last 13 games leading the Devils to a 9-3-1 record over that span. But the last 3 games Kovalchuk has been flat out unstoppable, as he has posted 3 straight games with at least 3 points, and has played an incredibly key factor in each of those games. If those stats don’t prove to you that Kovalchuk is playing his absolute hardest, and putting everything he has on the line for the Devils, than look no further than his fight with B. Schenn. Kovalchuk came to the defense of teammate Z. Parise after he was give a slewfoot from a Flyers player after the whistle. Ilya Kovalchuk hit Schenn with one of the best right hooks I have seen outside of the UFC or boxing in a very long time, and helped send the message that Kovalchuk is and will continue to be an absolute force to be reckoned with for the Devils! And as long as he plays at this level, the Devils will continue to be a tough opponent night in and night out, and will continue to climb the standings. Not only that, but that 100 million $ contract will begin to look like a bargain if he keeps this up! In the case of Ilya Kovalchuk, the saying “making a deal with the Devil(s)” may have just turned out to be the start of something great.

Grant Robinson (@thesportsgrind)

MVP: Most Valuable Penguin?

In a season where the Penguins have been absolutely decimated by injuries, with key players missing significant time such as Crosby (45 games), Letang (23 games) and Staal (19 games) respectfully; you wouldn’t expect much from the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, they currently sit in 5^th place in the Eastern Conference standings, and are 1 of the NHL’s hottest teams recently. How is that possible without not only the NHL’s best player but the world’s best player in Sidney Crosby, and the answer is simple…Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin has been an absolute force this season, and at this point he is the league’s most valuable player at this point in the season! He has 29 goals and 61 points in only 46 games played this season, if you pro-rate that to an 82 game season, he would be on pace for 52 goals and 109 points! Malkin has been the epitome of consistency all season long, not being held off the scoresheet for more than 2 games in a row yet. But his play as of late is what has really had him running away with the Hart trophy, as he has been on fire! In Malkin’s last 14 games he has scored 14 goals! Scoring at least 1 goal in 11 of the last 14, he has been contributing every single game, and is one of the biggest reasons that the Penguins are 9-2-1 in their last 12 games, after losing 6 games in a row.

The Penguins were plummeting in the standings, as during a 6 game losing streak they managed to score only 6 goals! But don’t blame those losses on Geno, as he had 3 goals and 4 points on those 6 goals. However, with the season hanging in the balance, Malkin put the Penguins on his back and dominated each and every single game since getting the Penguins all the way back up to 5^th place in the East. During the 9-1 Penguins run, they managed to score 4 or more goals in 6 out of 10 games, in large part due to the all-star forward. But it’s not only the amount of goals and points Malkin put up during the winning streak, it’s the timing of his goals that impressed me even more. In those 10 games, he scored 3 Game Winning Goals; one vs Fla, one in OT vs the Capitals and one of which included a natural hat trick in the 3^rd period vs TB. But the key goals didn’t stop there, during those 10 games Malkin also scored 3 game winning goals in the shootout that didn’t count on the scoresheet. He scored the exact same goal in 3 straight shootouts, which is a perfectly placed shot 8 inches off the ice blocker side in off the post. He seems to have perfected it, and that kind of shot is a goalie’s worst nightmare, which is largely why he went 3/3 with that move! So in total Malkin’s goals were the difference in 6 out of 10 games. And that’s not even counting the fact that he scored a late 3^rd period goal to get to overtime against Montreal, and scored with 6 seconds left to go to overtime vs the Leafs. Malkin has been without a doubt the most clutch and dominant performer in the NHL over the past few weeks! In fact, Malkin has been so good that the question isn’t “is he the best player playing right now”, it’s “will he be the league’s best player even when Crosby comes back”? Malkin, when healthy, has played without Sidney Crosby for a significant amount of time twice in his career now. The first time was in 2007-08 when Crosby missed 22 games. During those games, Malkin scored 14 goals and had 36 points! That is almost 2 points per game! This season, in 8 games with Crosby, Malkin had 10 points. But without him in 38 games he has 25 goals and 51 points. It seems as if Malkin produces more when Crosby is out. The reason for this is because when Crosby is out, Malkin is given true #1 center opportunities, and he seems to respond extremely well to the pressure. 1 year ago, if anybody asked hypothetically if the Penguins had to choose between Malkin and Crosby, who would they keep? It would have been no-contest Sidney Crosby, but now if you combine the level Malkin is playing at with Crosby’s injury issues; I think you would get a very different answer.

For those of you who will argue and say that a few good months from Malkin, doesn’t erase what Crosby has done, you are completely right. But Malkin hasn’t only had a few great months. He has been great his entire career! He started off by winning the Calder trophy in his rookie season, he then was the runner up for the Hart trophy 2 seasons in a row, won the Art Ross in 1 of those 2, and also won the Conn Smythe trophy on his way to becoming a Stanley Cup champion. Well on his way to winning his 1^st Hart trophy this year, there isn’t much more Evgeni Malkin could accomplish in the NHL. The only reason he hasn’t been fully noticed, is because he was playing in the shadow of Crosby. Malkin is no longer in the shadows, he is front row center, and in the spotlight for all the right reasons. The Penguins will only get better when Crosby returns, but even without him they are a force to be reckoned with, because even when the Penguins are missing the best player in the world (Crosby) to injury, they still have the best player in the world (Malkin) playing for them! One thing is for certain, Geno is here to stay, and the questions of whether or not he was a true #1, have subsided, as he has went above and beyond what was expected of him when he was drafted 2^nd overall behind fellow Russian Alexander Ovechkin; who is another NHL superstar who has taken a backseat to Evgeni Malkin this season! Get used to it

Grant Robinson (@thesportsgrind)

Check out my podcast www.grantrobinson.podbean.com

Leafs Slip by the Oliers

I thought I was watching a little bit of the Oilers from the 80's tonight but then as the game went on between the 'New' Leafs and the 'Very Young' Edmonton Oilers I realized, no we are in the year 2012.

What was shaping up to be a barn burner at the ACC in Toronto tonight really turned out to be a team (insert Leafs here) that is on the move upwards and another team (insert...ya you know who...) who is trying really hard to stay a float.

The Oilers are going to be a real good team eventually in time. Young hockey studs they have but what is missing is the vets to lead them to the next level and that is what the Leafs have now.

Before the fans in the platinum's at the ACC could settle in for the start of the game the score was tied at 1-1. With a goal from Eberle of the Oilers and a bullet of a snap shot from Clark MacArthur of the Leafs we could tell this was going to be a fast pace game with some good scoring chances. At 13:45 of the 1st Toronto went up by one on a goal from young Jake Gardiner and then less then four minutes later Edmonton's Jordan Eberle recorded his second of the evening and weren't even done the first period yet.

Going into the second period all evened up I think this is when the Leafs decided we better get it going or these young bucks will be going at us hard. Quickly into the second period Phil Kessel jumped on a loose puck and fired home his 28th. Following him was Bozak counting on his 10th of year. At the 13 minute mark Jeff Petry brought the Oilers back to one but the rejuvenated Jeffery Lupul, his 21st made the score 5-3 for the home team Leafs.

The third period was exciting with full of chances from both teams but James Riemer shut the door for his club and with less then 2 minutes remaining in the game Kessel fired one into the empty net from just inside the red to end the game 6-3 for your home town hero's.

The fans in T.O were shown what a up and coming team can be looking like as the Oilers fired 30 shots at the Leafs. While Leafs countered back with the same amount but truly had the better scoring chances through out the evenings match.

So the Leafs hop on a jet plane and are off to Winnipeg to do battle with the Jets. You can catch it on Sportsnet with game time at 8:30pm. This will be a good time for the Leafs to keep on winning and to put a little breathing room between them and the Jets.

See you all after the game!

Coach Nye

Champions Declared at 2012 Spud

The 2012 Spud AAA Hockey Tournament concluded late Sunday afternoon and the champions of the 5 divisions were declared. The host team Charlottetown Abbies claimed the Novice division with a 5-1 win over Western. In the Atom division Acadia used the momentum from an overtime 4-3 win against Summerside in the semi-finals to propel them over the Dartmouth Whalers 2-1 in the final. Dartmouth defeated Halifax 5-2 earlier in the day to earn a spot in the final game.

In the Peewee division the Summerside Capitals defeated Dieppe/Memramcook 7-0 and went on to the final and destroyed Western Valley 9-0. Summerside was probably the most dominate team in the tournament and they have not lost a game all year. Western Valley defeated Western Warriors 3-2 in overtime to gain the right to play Summerside.

Nova Scotia teams were the class of the Bantam division this year as 3 of 4 semifinalist were from the province. The other team was New Brunswick's KV Rangers and the squared off with the defending and tournament favourite Western Hurricanes. The Hurricanes came out on top 4-0. The other semi final saw Scotsburn Crushers from Pictou edge the Chebucto/TASA Bubba Ray Gulls 3-2. In the championship game Scotsburn used a hot goaltender and the motivation of seeing one of their teammates carted off the ice after a scary spill into the boards, to upset the top team in Triple OT 3-2.

In Midget AAA play the 2012 final was a rematch of the 2011 final as Prince Edward Islands Mid-Isle Matrix squared off with the host Charlottetown Abbies. The Matrix defeated another PEI team, Kings County 7-2 in one semi final and Charlottetown won 6-3 over East Hants in the other. Midisle got off to an early lead as Jordan Mayhew scored 12 seconds into the game, however all momentum was lost as Midisle got into penalty trouble and spent the majority of the first period killing them off. In the second Spencer McAllister made won a race for a loose puck with Abbies goaltender Zach Geldert to make the score 2-0. Charlottetown spent the rest of the period killing penalties and Midisle could not score to give them a 3 goal cushion. Early in the third period Josh Scott scored to get Charlottetown within a goal but Jordan Mayhew scored once again to restore the 2 goal lead. Midisle received another goal, this one by Campbell Gallant, to put the game out of reach. Spencer McAllister added an empty net goal to make the final 5-1.

Charlottetown's Tournament MVP was the Captain Nick Handrahan and Jordan Mayhew was tournament MVP for Midisle.

- Mike Lord

Cardiff Devils @ the Center of UK Hockey News ( UK Round Up 3rd – 5th February)

The big news of the ice in the UK was literally big as the Cardiff Devil’s forward and character and tough guy Brad Voth hung up his skates for the last time. The 6ft5 forward from Calgary has been out with a nerve injury since late December and has decided that in order to protect his future health he could not continue his playing career.

It is a big blow for the Cardiff Devils who now cannot sign another import player due to the end of the IIHF transfer window and a big blow for the sport. Voth had a proven record for the physical play and had provided plenty of talking points both good and bad during his time in the Welsh Capital.

There was more positive news however as the Edinburgh Capitals captured the signing of their free scoring forward Rene Jarolin for next season.

Elite League

Friday 3^rd January

Hull and Coventry started the weekends on ice action at the Hull Arena. It turned out to be a very bad start for the Hull Stingrays as the Blaze turned on the style. Goals from Owen, Fussey and new signing Nylander ended the game as a contest by the end of the first period.

Fussey completed his hat trick and Nylander and Kralj added a brace to complete the rout before the game was over. Cloutier and MacKinney did add 2 consolation goals but it was poor night at the office for the Stingrays.

Saturday 4^th January

The weekend then got worse for the Stingrays as they faced the Steelers in the Yorkshire derby at the Motorpoint. Despite putting up some good shot numbers the Stingrays could not make a break through. The Steelers however without the suspended spare import Neil Clark did take their chances and goals from Stephenson, Legue and Fulgham ensured the 2 points stayed in Sheffield.

Coventry on the other hand showed no signs of fatigue from their game the night before as they continued their free scoring in Fife. However the Blaze had to come from behind as Hartmanis put the Flyers ahead. It was goals from Cowley and Weaver who put the Blaze back in front before Owen Fussey added another 2 to his tally for the weekend to seal the win.

The Flyers though remain above the Stars at the foot of the table as the Stars lost in the NIC. The Panthers found their game legs early and the back of the net, as they did not look back. A David Clarke hat trick was the highlight of the game.

The nights other game was at the Odyssey as the Giants and the Devils faced off in the league and Challenge Cup second leg. The Devils had enjoyed a one-goal lead in the cup tie and that was doubled inside the first minute as MacRae put the Devils one up. However that was as good as it got for the Welsh side. The Giants were ahead on the night and level on aggregate by the end of the first period thanks to former Devils forward Jon Pelle and Craig Peacok. Dowd and Aaron Clarke added to that lead as the Giants progress to face the Panthers in the final and take 2 more league points.

Sunday 5^th February

The weather caused some chaos to start times in the EIHL and to the Belfast Giants in particular. The Giants arrived late for their top of table clash with the champions and their bus legs showed as the Steelers took a first period lead.

Former Steeler Robert Dowd then levelled the scores in the second before King put the Steelers ahead again. The Giants then got into their stride as Mason levelled the scores going into the third before Pelle and new signing Hoffman sealed an important victory for the Giants.

At the bottom of table the Stars leap frogged the Flyers as the two sides faced off in Dundee. 2 goals in the first minute but the Stars up but a brace from former Stars player coach Dan Ceman kept the Flyers in the tie. However it was a brace from Ceman’s successor in Dundee Brent Hughes and goals from Kolanos and McIntosh that sealed a key 2 points for the Stars.

Cardiff and Braehead met in the nights final game and the Devils difficult trip home from Belfast seemed to have hurt them as the Clan took a first period 3 goal lead. A second period goal from Pierce gave the Devils hope however and 3 third period goals from the Devils seemed to sealed the victory but Jade Galbraith completed his hat trick with 30 seconds left to take the game to overtime.

There were no goals in the extra period but the Clan salvaged the win on penalties.

English Premier League

Saturday 4^th February

It was a big weekend of action in the EPL as the top-sides face off against each other. On Saturday night the joint second placed Manchester Phoenix travelled to Milton Keynes and got one up on the Lightning to leave the hosts adrift of the rest of the title chasers in fifth place. Slough had the opportunity to close the gap at the top but the Flames stole the game in overtime to move another point ahead of the Jets.

Fellow title contenders Sheffield had easer game against the Phantoms as they ran out 3 – 0 winners to move level on points with the Jets. Whilst Bracknell moved 2 points further ahead of the Phantoms in the playoff race with 1 – 0 victory over Telford.

Sunday 5^th February

On Sunday the title race probably ended for the Lightning as they lost to the Flames at the Spectrum. Manchester kept up their challenge though as they beat the Wildcats in an icey Altrincham. The Jets also kept their title hopes alive with a 3 goal win over Basingstoke. Whilst Peterborough took the 2 points in a 15 goal thriller at Telford to move within 4 points of the playoffs.

Scores

Friday 4^th February

Elite League

Coventry Blaze 8 Hull Stingrays 2

Saturday 5^th February

Elite League

Dundee Stars 2 Nottingham Panthers 6

Hull Stingrays 0 Sheffield Steelers 3

Coventry Blaze 5 Fife Flyers 1

Elite League/ Challenge Cup

Cardiff Devils (3) 1 Belfast Giants 4 (5)

EPL

Manchester Phoenix 3 Milton Keynes Lightning 1

Guildford Flames 5 Slough Jets 4 (AOT)

Swindon Wildcats 4 Basingstoke 5

Telford Tigers 0 Bracknell Bees 1

Peterborough Phantoms 0 Sheffield Steeldogs 3

Sunday 5^th February

Elite League

Breahead Clan 5 Cardiff Devils 4 (APS)

Belfast Giants 4 Sheffield Steelers 2

Fife Flyers 2 Dundee Stars 6

EPL

Swindon Wildcats 3 Manchester Phoenix 6

Milton Keynes Lightning 2 Guildford Flames 4

Basingstoke Bison 0 Slough Jets 3

Peterborough Phantoms 6 Telford Tigers 8

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com

Business of Hockey: Rags or Riches?

During the NHL All-Star break, I made the mistake of making a rather disparaging remark about the legitimacy of the All-Star Player Fantasy Draft in a post I had written. Earlier that day I heard an interview with captain Daniel Alfredsson where he mentioned that he had met with opposing captain Zedeno Chara to discuss “strategy.” That night, as I was watching the Fantasy Draft, I noticed when each player was selected a perfectly prepared jersey of the correct color with name and number was presented for the player to put on.

“A-ha! They must have had this all set up before hand.” Of course, how else would the jersey be ready for the player? These things aren’t cheap, even for the NHL so the thought of there being two sets of jerseys didn’t make sense to me. Dollars and cents.

Boy was I wrong. After being called on the carpet by one reader from Ottawa, the host city, I did a little research to find out the true story. Okay, perhaps “research” is too broad a word. I sent an email to the NHL and found out that no, there were not two jerseys prepared for each player -- there were four.

According to a high ranking NHL official, the player retains one for himself, one is given to the player’s club, one to the NHLPA and one to the League itself. Why so many jerseys? Charity.

NHL game worn or issued player memorabilia has great value even with hockey's limited, yet passionate fan base. These extra sweaters are a perfect way to generate charitable donations without diluting the market by making hundreds or even thousands.

I decided to really do a little research; key word here is “little.”

If you check on EBay a Gretsky 99 All-Star jersey from 1990 was up for auction for a whopping $39,999.00. Included with the jersey was it’s letter of authenticity dated February 25, 1990 stating that the jersey was auctioned off at the SGMA Super Show in Atlanta, Georgia. Certainly it was no where near $39,999 in 1990. If you’re curious, SGMA is the trade association of leading industry sports and fitness brands. The “Super Show” was the premier sports and fitness marketing event of it’s time.

The NHLPA uses jersey auctions for their charitable endeavors as well. In 2010 the NHLPA raised over $94,000 for “Hockey for Haiti” using 2010 Olympic jerseys. There were140 jerseys worn by NHL players from 12 different countries auctioned off on line. Sidney Crosby’s jersey drew the highest bid at $37,100. After all, Crosby did win the gold medal for Team Canada.

On Wednesday, February 1st, NY Islanders star John Tavares’s All-Star jersey was auctioned off for the Islanders Children’s Charity and brought in $10,500 alone. Not bad for a sweater. Of course he managed to sign it right there at the auction for the lucky bidder.

However, not all these “rags” turn into charity “riches.” Some of them end up being cut into tiny pieces to be added to Hockey cards. I’m not exactly sure how many little one inch squares one NHL jersey can turn into, but it has to be a lot.  I assume the Hockey Card manufacturer purchases the jersey.  I didn't research that part.

While Sports memorabilia is an investment to base your retirement on, it is priceless to those who are avid collectors. It’s nice to know that some of what is being spent actually goes to worthy causes. The hockey community is very generous but it’s a shame we’ll never run out of worthy causes that need help.

- Dee Karl