The Mac Attack is Back

Vol I., No. 88

Devils news for June 17th, just a little more than one week after the Stanley Cup finish.  Lou Lamoriello has filled the biggest hole on the team, the one left by Jacques Lemaire's retirement. 

Johnny Mac (John Maclean) is the new head coach.  He has ascended from the Lowell (now Albany) Devils.  It is one or three years too late, but better late than never.

At the end of 2007, Maclean had been an assistant coach with the Devils for five years, but was passed over when Brent Sutter came in as head coach.  At the end of 2009, then-head-coach Brent Sutter remarked that Maclean (an assistant coach) was ready for the top spot.

The Devils obviously went another direction, and sent Maclean "down" to their AHL affiliate in Lowell.  There, he coached the little Devils to a 39-31 season, finishing in fourth place in the AHL Atlantic Division. That was an improvement over the prior year 35-36 record.

Maclean , #15, was always a fan favorite, during his 15-year stint with the NJ Devils.  He was the Devils all-time leading scorer until Patrik Elias finally eclipsed his mark on March 17, 2009.  He is promising a return to "Devils style hockey".

One interesting tidbit. Check out pictures of Lou Lamoriello and John Maclean (with his 2010 style hair).  From a distance, they look like twins.  Will they make the "separated at birth" intermission screens at the Prudential Center?  Only time will tell (but don't hold your breath).

Mac now has to prove he has what it takes to succeed behind an NHL bench. Some first tests will be how he assembles or retains his own set of assistant coaches.  Might he be able to lure former teammate Kirk Muller down from Montreal?  They also played together on the "Grumpy Old Men" line for the Dallas Stars. They have history together.

Hockey Rules.

PS Goaltender Jaroslav Halak will be wearing blue and gold next year.  The Canadiens have traded him to the St. Louis Blues.  There is French history in St. Louis, just upriver from Louisiana.  Say it like SANH LOOEY and you get the picture. Montreal has obtained the rights to two prospects in return and has opened a gap in their salary cap as well.

2010 Season Ends with Dynasty Triumph

Vol. I, No. 87

The Chicago Blackhawks may rule the NHL, but there is a dynasty in hockey and it is not in the "bigs".  In the American Hockey League, it was crowned tonight. The Keystone state of Pennsylvania still has a hockey champion to brag about.

With a 4-0 shutout of the Texas Stars, the Hershey Bears won their fourth game in a row, in the best of seven series, to capture a second consecutive Calder Cup.  It was their third Cup in five years, and the franchise's eleventh Calder Cup.  No other AHL team has won the Calder more times. This is the definition of dynasty. 

The Bears' championship capped a record-breaking 60-17 season with 123 points.  Second place Albany finished 29 points behind Hershey. Tonight's shutout put the icing on an amazing performance this year. The Bears did it in front of a sellout crowd at the Giant Center in Hershey.  Their fans waited 30 years for the club to win the Calder on home ice. The last time was in 1980. Tonight, they were rewarded.

Sellout crowds in Hershey are not reserved for playoff games.  The fan base has existed since 1936, when the franchise was started by Milton Hershey. It is the oldest continuous team in the American Hockey League. The waiting list for season tickets is long, with seats held in families for generations.

Among the Hershey players tonight was left winger Chris Bourque, an American kid who was born in Boston in 1986. That was one year after his dad, Ray Bourque, became a co-captain of the Boston Bruins. Bourque Sr. was in the crowd tonight, and was able to have a picture taken with Chris down on the ice. 

The crowning of the Bears is a fitting end to the 2009-2010 season, a year filled with the Olympics, IIHF World Championships and a tremendous (dare I say breakout) year for NHL hockey.  Ratings went through the roof this year. With coverage by NBC and Versus, with the NHL Network getting into 80 million homes, hockey gained huge exposure and reached fans who had never before seen the sport.

Hats off to the Hershey Bears, to the Chicago Blackhawks, to the Windsor Spitfires, to the IIHF Champion Czech Republic, to Team USA's paralympic gold medal team and to Team Canada's Olympic champions. It has been a good year for hockey.  

In nine days, the season really ends in Las Vegas with the NHL Awards on June 23rd.  Las Vegas is also the site of the NHL Entry Draft on June 25th-26th. And then everyone takes a well-deserved break for July and August (with summer hockey camps all over the place). 

Hockey Rules.

Goals, Goalies and New Jersey

Vol. I, No. 86

Here's surprising news from the AHL hockey world.  The Hershey Bears won a third consecutive road game last night, on an OT goal scored by Alexandre Giroux (no relation to Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers, other than the fact that two both play in the Keystone State).

The Bears are on the verge of repeating as AHL Calder Cup Champions. There has not been a back-to-back repeat since 1991, when the Sprinfield Indians won two years in a row.  Hershey has a 3-1 series lead.  The contest now return to Giant Center in Hershey for the last two games (in the AHL, seven game playoff series are played 2 home - 3 away - 2 home, to cut down transportation costs). 

Speaking of goals, there is another net sport known as football in most of the world.  It is not played on ice, but has virtually identical principles to ice hockey.  Put an object into a net and score a goal.  Here in the US, we call it soccer.  And the world's biggest team sport competition, the FIFA World Cup, is underway in South Africa.  This year, there is a New Jersey dimension.

Team USA's top goalkeeper is Timothy Matthew Howard.  He was born in North Brunswick, and played high school ball for Montclair Kimberly Academy, before graduating to pro soccer where he quickly stood out as a superior talent.  

Howard starred for the Metrostars (now Red Bulls) and then was good enough to be traded to Manchester United. Presently, he is in goal for Liverpool's Everton Football Club.

Tim Howard is well known to the English. Today, he held England to one goal while Team USA scored a goal and earned a 1-1 tie against the favored team from Great Britain.  The 8th seed English team were confident that they could easily handle #14 Team USA. Tim and his teammates had other ideas.

Go Tim!  Go Team USA!

Hockey and Soccer Rule!

P.S.  Two million spectators turned up for the Chicago Blackhawks victory celebration.  The Second City has not stopped partying since Patrick Kane scored his OT Stanley Cup winner on Wednesday.

Breaking New Jersey Devils News

Vol. I, No. 85

The Devils are returning to Albany.  The "little Devils", that is.

The AHL has issued approval for the Lowell Devils to relocate to Albany.  The Albany River Rats, a minor league franchise of the Carolina Hurricanes, are moving to Carolina.  They will become the Carolina Checkers.  For the Devils and Canes, having a minor league team two hours away makes for easier personnel movement.

Ilya Kovalchuk has not yet signed with the Kontinental Hockey League in Europe, but his Russian agent reports that Ilya wants to play there. The tax regs make it much more attractive.  Ilya has not announced any plans, but it is expected that he will not renew his contract with the Devils (or vice versa).

The Prudential Center is still standing, filled with non-sport events, while it waits for the Devils and Nets.  The basketball team will be a temporary resident until a new arena is completed in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, the Nets have announced the hiring of their new coach, Avery Johnson.  He will meet with Mikhail Prokhorov on Sunday.  The two are sure to make a powerful management team.

Prokhorov is probably also a Russian hockey fan, but above all else, he knows how to make money.  Don't count on him buying the Devils, signing Kovalchuk, Gonchar, Malkin and Ovie, and then taking on Gary Bettman over the salary cap.

Mikhail is too smart for all of that meshugas. He has the rubles to spare for any of this, but knows that there is more money in NBA basketball than in NHL hockey, no matter how high this year's ratings have gone.

Money rules.

Reflections on a Cool Ending

Vol. I, No. 84

The Hawks have come home to roost, after a 49-year absence. Chicago's group was the only Original Six team to have not won a Stanley Cup in five decades.  After the NY Rangers erased their 50-year drought in 1994, only the Blackhawks remained as perennial wannabees.

Patrick Kane, of Buffalo NY, has now made Chicago happy.  Reports indicate that the largest sports celebration in Second City history will occur tomorrow, with over 500,000 spectators expected to watch the parade through the downtown streets.  It should eclipse celebrations held for the Bears (held in the Chicago winter, so crowds are smaller). But it will also exceed celebrations for the White Sox and Bulls. 

Another factotum.  NBC's television ratings for the game were the highest in 36 years, with 8.3 million viewers.  All of this surely reflects hockey's universal appeal, and growing popularity.

Kane's overtime goal may have been one of the strangest in NHL history.  The puck disappeared, literally, and the delayed reaction by refs, teams, fans and sportscasters created a surreal "slow-motion" reality. If you have not seen it, go to NHL.com to view a replay.

This playoff season includes a number of wonderful "storybook" endings.  Here are a few:

The Hawks have ended their 49-year drought.

The Flyers came from nowhere in the East, went through New Jersey, Boston and Montreal, winning 12 out of 17 games to reach the Final.

The Montreal Canadiens came from less than nowhere in the East, beating Washington and Pittsburgh before finally being mowed down by Philadelphia.

Marian Hossa finally gets his ring, after two unsuccessful tries in the past two years. Some fault Hossa for moving around as a free agent. But he is a hard working player, and deserves the success.

John Madden has gotten his third ring.

There are so many other stories.  It was a great run to the Cup. The Chicago Hawks faced an unexpected opponent in the final series. Congratulations to both of these franchises.  In Chicago, Rocky Wirtz has finally realized the family's dreams. And Philadelphia, under Peter Laviollette, exceeded all expectations.

Hockey Rules.

PS The AHL Calder Cup playoffs continue, tied 2-2 between the Texas Stars and Hershey Bears. The next game is Friday in Hershey PA. Go Bears!

Bears Rule in Texas and other news

Vol. I, No. 83

The Hershey Bears have won again on the road. AHL series tied 2-2 and the teams return to Hershey on Friday.  So one road team has won tonight.  My prediction was for a split between road and home teams.

The Flyers have the edge, going into OT.  But the last time this happened, a team from NJ won in Dallas in Game Six.  It took 28 minutes of OT for the Devils to win their Cup.

How many minutes and OT periods will it take tonight?  One thing is sure. The final score will be 4-3, the most common score in hockey.

11:06PM.  The road team scores.  Chicago's drought is ended.  49 years, and the Cup goes back to the Second City.  An amazing shot by Patrick Kane put the Flyers out of their misery.  Hossa finally has got his name on a Stanley Cup.  John Madden gets his name on for a third time.

Philly was valiant and went farther than any #7 seed ought to expect. Hats off to the Flyers for an amazing playoff run.

As for clairvoyance, I will keep my day job.  Two road team wins in one evening.  The Hawks were due.

Hockey Rules.

The Curtain is Almost Closed

Vol. I, No. 82

At around 10pm this evening, Philadelphia's Wachovia Center will be the site of delirium.  The Stanley Cup is in the building.  The hockey world is watching.

The home team can prolong its season by one more game, with a win. If they do that, the fans of this #7 Eastern Conference seed will be delirious. They'll anticipate one more game, to see if the Flyers can bring the Stanley Cup home from Chicago on Friday night.

If Philadelphia loses on home ice, the Chicago Black Hawks will be delirious, skating with the Stanley Cup after a 49-year drought.  They'll take the Cup back to Chicago and the 2010 hockey season will be done. Well, almost.

The AHL Calder Cup finals are still in progress. The Texas Stars lead the Hershey Bears 2-1 in the series, after winning two games in Hershey.  The Bears won a game in Texas on Monday night.  Game four is scheduled tonight in Texas.  So far, the road team has won every game - just the opposite of the NHL Cup finals.

So here's a prediction.  Tonight, one road team will win and one home team will win.  If the road team wins in the NHL Philadelphia game, THE Cup gets skated.  It's also possible that the other Pennsylvania team could win away, in which case Hershey will even its series at 2-2. Will both Pennsylvania teams lose tonight?  Fans in Chicago and Texas are sure hoping so.

And after Lord Stanley appears, the curtain on Hockey 2010 still remains open a crack.

The AHL Calder Cup will be awarded sometime between June 11 and June 16, if the series goes a full seven games.  And after that comes the NHL Awards Ceremony on June 23rd in Las Vegas.  And then, the Entry Draft on June 25-26th, in Las Vegas.

On June 27th, the curtain closes for a couple of months, and then it's back to training camps in September. When Labor Day arrives, it will be a good season for hockey 2011.

Hockey Rules.

A Tale of Two Goalies and the Season

Vol. I, No. 81

Chicago faced two goaltenders in game five, and broke both of them down.  Three goals scored on Michael Leighton in the first period chased him from the Flyers goal.

But over the next two periods, Brian Boucher also allowed three goals, and by the time the game was over,  Chicago had put seven pucks into the Philadelphia net.

Over the five games, Philadelphia's goaltenders have a combined .857 save%.  Goaltending woes have been the story of their season. A potent offense can only go so far.  Tonight, the Flyers were able to score 4 goals. In most Stanley Cup final games, that would seal the deal.  But when a team has spotty goaltending, four goals (or five, as in game one) just cannot get the job done.

This series has now had two eleven goal games.  The first one was 6-5 in favor of Chicago.  Tonight's game was 7-4 in the Hawks' favor. I'm not sure if there has ever been a final series with two eleven goal games. It is fire-wagon hockey, exciting to watch.  But for the coaches, you can see the grey hairs about to sprout on Peter Laviolette's head.

The common wisdom is that defense and goaltending ultimately wins Stanley Cups.  But this series is turning that conventional thinking upside down. Maybe all the NHL rule changes have opened up the ice and are creating higher scoring games.  That's what the league wanted after the low-scoring trap style of the 90s and early 2000 years.  

The 2010 Stanley Cup series has been odd. High scoring games are not the norm, but in this series, teams have scored five or more goals in three games. The next game could easily go the other way - a low scoring defensive contest or even a shutout.  Which goaltender will Laviolette pick to put up a stone wall? My bet is Brian Boucher. But watch out for Antti Niemi. His play tonight was spectacular at times, but four goals got past him.  He knows what is on the line in game six.

Tuesday night in Philadelphia will be an elimination game. The Stanley Cup will be present, in case Chicago can end it all with a road game win. Until this series, the Hawks had astounding road success against the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks. Can Philly shut down Chicago for a third time at the Wachovia Center? On Tuesday, we will find out.

Hockey Rules.

Flyers Keep On Coming

Vol. I, No. 80

The hockey world knows the score.  There are two kinds of finals.  Some are let downs, after intense Conference championship battles.  One team, totally wiped out, folds in the final.  That's not happening this time. This one is loaded with suspense and game-changing leads.

The Stanley Cup 2010 series is deadlocked at two games apiece.  The number of goals scored in four games is 29 - a bit on the high side, after the Game One rinky-dink-wheres-the defense game got out of both teams' systems.  One team, the Flyers, have scored one more goal than the other team.  15 to 14 goals.

The goaltending has also been close.  Both goalies (Leighton and Niemi) have save percentages just .001 apart.  Philadelphia's is .883 and Chicago's is .882 - you can't get closer than that.

Philadelphia's play has been slightly more consistent in terms of shots on goal.  31 to 33 per game.  That means Chicago has not been able to figure out a way to shut the Flyers' offense down.  The Flyers on the other hand, have contained Chicago in two games to 26-27 shots on goal.  The Hawks won the first one, with stellar goaltending (1 GAA). The Flyers won the next one with an OT goal.

What's missing in these playoffs is stand-on-your head goaltending, the kind that Jaroslav Halak came up with for the Montreal Canadiens before being de-railed by Philly.  In past Cups, a goaltender has taken control of a series. Not this one, at least not yet.

The funny thing is that the Hawks had the second best goals against performance in the Western Conference during the regular season (209 GA). The Flyers, with 225 GA, were far down in the standings (and their last minute 7th place finish reflected that).  So here's the question.

Will the law of averages finally re-assert itself?  Will Chicago's defense and goaltending rise to the occasion and shut down the Flyers in game six?  If they don't, is sure looks like Coach Q and the boys from the shores of Lake Michigan won't be parading a Stanley Cup down State Street this year.

One more note about personnel.  Chris Pronger, age 35, has already won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.  John Madden is in the same position, age 37, with two Cups under his belt (a former NJ Devil on their 2000 and 2003 championship teams).  

Marian Hossa, age 31, has never won the Cup.  This is his third appearance in a final series.  He missed with Pittsburgh in 2008, he missed with Detroit last year and this year, his chances are ???  What's more, Hossa has never won an international medal playing for his home country Slovakia, has remained medal-less in two World Junior Championships, seven World Championships, two Winter Olympics and one World Cup.  The last time he won anything was the Memorial Cup in 1998 with the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL.

If the hockey gods are watching, it is Hossa's turn to finally bring home some hardware. If he misses for a third consecutive time, Chicago can always hope for next year...or even 10 more.  Hossa signed a 12 year contract with the Hawks.  Somebody must feel he can keep playing until the ripe old age of 42.  Some goalies make it that far, but a forward? Hossa must have a really good agent. In fact, the contract is a source of controversy in the NHL, because it may bend some of the salary cap rules. No forward plays until 42 years of age, unless you are Gordie Howe and want to play with your kids.

Hockey Rules.