Trophy Tidbits and Upside Down Eastern Hockey

Vol. I, No. 56

Boston, Montreal, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are "duking" it out for the Eastern Conference title. The winner gets a trophy.  Can you guess its name? (Hint: the Eastern Conference used to be the Wales Conference, from 1974 to 1981). Princes, Dukes and Lords notwithstanding, this story also includes a King.

The trophy originally cost $2500, dates from December 1925 and was the idea of  England's future King Edward VIII (aka Duke of Windsor, Uncle Edward to Queen Elizabeth II and great Uncle Edward to Prince Charles, all House of Windsor, mind you).

This was the same Edward who abdicated the English throne, preferring to marry an American commoner and divorcee, Wallis Simpson.  He also was the last King of Ireland. His younger brother George (Elizabeth's late husband) never inherited that crown. In Ulster, perhaps some old timers wish things had turned out differently.

Edward, the highest English lord of all (way up the ladder above that Stanley fellow who was only a Viceroy) sponsored the trophy for award to the then mostly Canadian National Hockey League. Its first recipient was the Montreal Canadiens, who beat the New York Americans in the final that year.

The following year, Madison Square Garden sponsored a competing team, named the Rangers after owner Tex Richards' home state cavalry. The Amerks franchise failed in 1942, which is considered to be the start of the NHL "Original Six" era.

In 1925, the Stanley Cup went to the Montreal Maroons.  In those days, Montreal had TWO teams in the "National" Hockey League, and the Coupe Stanley was awarded to the winner of inter-league play against the Western Hockey League.  The Maroons were coached by Lester Patrick (grandfather of Craig Patrick, who was the longtime GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins). They beat the Victoria Cougars.  

The current trophy possessor comes from Pittsburgh. The Penguins have won the trophy two years in succession, repeating as Eastern Conference champions in back to back years. The first time (2008), they did not earn the Stanley Cup. Last year, the Penguins collected the big enchilada, overcoming the defending champion Red Wings in a full seven game series.

Which brings us right back to 2010.  The Canadiens and Penguins are locked in a 2-2 series tie, trying to gain entrance to the Eastern Conference final. Of all four teams mentioned at the beginning of this piece, Montreal is the greatest surprise. The #8 regular season Habs are playing in May, when the top three seeds (Washington, New Jersey and Buffalo) have all washed out in the first round.  #4 (Pittsburgh) is contending with #8 (Montreal) along with #7 and #6 fighting for the other Conference final spot. Something about this picture is upside down.  Does the regular season really make a difference?

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were expected to be strong contenders at the start of the season (although Philly played a lackluster regular season). Boston has become more competitive over the past three years, and their elimination of Ottawa in the first round was no surprise. But Montreal, with its plowing through the Washington Capitals and playing even with Pittsburgh, is the Cinderella story of these playoffs.

Montreal is in the party because of one player. Jaroslav Halak is turning in a career-high goaltending performance for Montreal.  His save percentage, before tonight's contest, was 0.934 and in his "hot" games, he has been allowing 1 goal per game.  He and Boston's Tuukka Rask are the top two netminders in the playoffs.  Halak is on the eve of unrestricted free agency, and that means there will be a bidding war for his services once the playoffs are concluded.

Halak has been inconsistent.  In three games against the Washington Capitals, he allowed 5 or 6 goals against.  On April 30, the Penguins scored 6 goals.  But in the other games, Halak has been a stone wall, allowing 1 or two goals. So far, Halak has not pitched a shutout.

In the Saturday contest, the Penguins established a lead with a power play goal in the first period at 18:18, scored by Quebecer Kris Letang. The Pens' power play has been dominant, with a 30% success rate.  In the second period, Sergei Gonchar launched a missile from the right point.  It beat Halak cleanly over his right shoulder, aimed perfectly at the top corner of the net. 

Tonight, the Penguins played a physical game. Hits were frequent and hard. A few Montreal players had their bells rung. Ex-Penguin Hal Gill, a key defenseman for the Habs, went to the locker room. The Pens were able to get players in front the Montreal net. Even so, Montreal  outshot the Penguins.  The game boiled down to the goaltenders.

At the end of the game, the Pens drew a penalty, allowing a Montreal PP goal at 19:30.  Fleury stopped 32 of 33 shots. Pittsburgh emerged with a 2-1 victory and a 3-2 series lead.

Going back to Montreal on Monday night, the Pens have the upper hand.  If the regular season stats mean anything, if being a defending champion has an influence, then the Canadiens may be getting to the end of their party, when their coach turning back into a pumpkin. Will a glass slipper be found at the Bell Center on Monday?  Only Jaroslav Halak has the key to that question.

Hockey Rules.

P.S. No surprises in the West.  The Red Wings have been dislodged from their perch by #1 seed San Jose.  The only other teams in contention are #2 Chicago and #3 Vancouver.  The two play tonight, with the Hawks up 3-1. Vancouver will pull out all the stops, if Bobby Loo has a good game.  If not, the Western Conference finals might be decided tonight.  Sharks vs. ???  For the purposes of east coast viewing, let's hope that Chicago can win one more game.  Otherwise, there will be some late night TV for all of the Western finals.

Hockey Across the Pond

Vol. I, No. 55

While the games rage in North America, with minor league cups, Olympic contests just past and the "Inter"National Hockey League Stanley Cup playoffs going on right now, there is a hockey world beyond the Western hemisphere.

Ice hockey is played in Europe, Asia and just about on every continent on earth.  Along with soccer, it is truly an international sport.  Since the soccer pro leagues in North America are still a weak shadow of all other sports played here, it can be argued that hockey is the most popular game on earth.  

Rumor has it that a game broke out in Antarctica not too long ago, where the mean temperatures in summertime (when there is light present to work or play outside) vary from -15 to -35C.  Being outside at -31F, with a wind, is not conducive to hockey or any other form of human activity. In the land of real Penguins, hockey is an oddity practiced by scientists who have too much time on their hands.

There is an international hockey consortium which links all individual country leagues. The  International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is hosting the 74th annual 2010 World Championships right now, with 16 teams from Europe, North America and Asia (yes, Kazakhstan).  The games are taking place right now in Germany.

Today, the home nation won its first game against the US squad, in front of a crowd of 77,803 (take that, Fenway).  Germany beat the USA. with an overtime goal 2-1. Germany's coach is Uwe Krupp. 

The tournament attracts players from US colleges, NHL, and leagues in each country. A host of Russians who play in the NHL (but are no longer in the Stanley Cup running) have travelled to the Worlds, with the intention of avenging their poor showing in the Olympics. Ovechkin, Semin, Kovalchuk and Varlamov all made plans right after the Olympics - if they were not in the hunt for Lord Stanley, their next games would be at the Worlds.

You have to wonder about the distraction.  Would keeping revenge in the back of your mind, for your mother country, might that affect play during the "paying" league?  With free agency and trades occurring every 3 - 5 years, how deep do loyalties run towards Atlanta, New Jersey or Washington?  But when it comes to your mother country, who would refuse a chance to shine again?

Canada is again aiming for gold, and has a power ranking of #2 in the tournament.  On top is Russia.  The expectations for Team Germany, ranked #11, are enormous.  The Germans have not fared well in IIHF competitions and for Coach Krupp, it could be a swan song.  He has been at the helm as national coach for five years.

For results, the IIHF website is updated regularly.  iihf.com

Hockey Rules, globally!

P. S. Philadelphia escaped extinction tonight. Down 0-3 in the series, the Flyers jumped out to an early lead in tonight's semi-final game at the Wachovia Center.  Boston tied the game late in the third period.  The game went to overtime. The Flyers took a penalty in the OT for an illegal boarding hit. At 10:05pm, the Boston power play went to work with the game tied, 4-4.

No luck for the Bruins this time around. The boys in orange killed the power play to keep their season going. Not many teams have come back from 0-3.  I think the stats are 5 out of 160 times, or something like that. At 14:40 of the OT, Simon Gagne, back from an injurty for his first game, scored the tam winner to prolong Philly's season.

Game 5 returns to TD Gardens on Monday night.  The Flyers only have to win three straight to advance. Anything is possible on the ice.  But the odds are still heavily in favor of Boston.

Three series now stand at 3-1.  San Jose, Chicago and Boston all have good chances of advancing to their Conference finals. The Penguins-Canadiens series is tied up 2-2, behind incredible goaltending on both sides of the ice. Tomorrow night, one team will emerge with an edge. 7pm at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. Will Sid the Kid break out? San Jose will also have a chance to put away the Detroit Red Wings at 10pm. It will be a good night for hockey (thanks, Badger Bob).

The Reds Have It

Vol. I, No. 54

On May 6, the red teams came out flying. 

Down 3 games to none, the Detroit RED Wings (hey, they even have the color in their name) decimated the San Jose Sharks by a lopsided score of 7-1, including an amazing four-goal, four-point, natural hat trick effort by Johan Franzen.

Franzen's performance was spectacular. He scored four points in the first period (tying previous NHL playoff records), scored three goals in succession without any other intervening scores (the natural hat trick) and capped things off with a third period power play goal, making it four goals in one game (tying another NHL record). He was a one man wrecking crew.

With the onslaught, Detroit chased Sharks netminder Evgeny Nabokov from the goal, at the end of the first period.  By that time, Detroit was ahead 5-0. The next two periods were only a 2-1 game, with the Wings on top. San Jose has been taken apart before, and the question for 2010 is how tough the Sharks are this year.  They still have a 3-1 series lead, and the next game returns to the Shark tank in San Jose.  Expect the Sharks to come out with a perfect game.

The other red team also played in front of a home crowd. At the Bell Center (or Centre Bell) in Montreal, the Canadiens found a way to come from behind and eke out a 3-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Over the past two games, these teams are tied at 3 total goals apiece. The series is tied at 2 games apiece. The #8 seed Canadiens have won six of the past ten games against two Eastern Conference powerhouses, Washington and Pittsburgh. These Habs are for real.

The Habs and Wings aren't the only teams that play in red.  A few others come to mind, including the Washington "Rock Your Red" Capitals, the New Jersey Devils, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Phoenix Coyotes, the Ottawa Senators, the Calgary Flames, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Russian national team and Team Canada.  That's a lot of red jerseys.  Why so much red?

It boils down to human vision.  Red lights and red flags get our attention better than any other color. That is because the human eye sees light more effectively at 6500 Angstroms than at any other wavelength.  In non-technical terms, we see red better than any other color.  And that is because the sun emits its maximum power at, you guessed it, 6500 A (after being filtered through our atmosphere).

So, let's say you are a team "designer" and want to give your players an edge.  You put everyone in red, and players can see each other in their peripheral vision, can sense each other's presence faster, can see more players silhouetted against the white ice.  By seeing better, the team members play better.

If you skate, the next time you are on the ice, try looking at people who are wearing red or white.  You will see the red people in the corner of your eye first.  

There is one other color that works well on the ice - although not quite so well as red.  Black contrasts against the white ice too.  So which teams wear black?  The Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Then there are teams which combine red and black. The New Jersey Devils. I wonder when the Devils will bring out black jerseys edged with red highlights. Changing jerseys is a tradition in the NHL, because the teams know that modified or changed designs will bring in more revenue. Sometimes the changes are minor, and sometimes they are mindboggling. For a history of jersey designs and team colors, go to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.  

Pittsburgh and Montreal - black against red.  All tied up.  Look for black and gold to be bringing the fire on Saturday at the Mellon Arena. And, on Saturday, the Wings returns to San Jose. Can they win two in a row? Detroit has history on their side.  San Jose has hunger. Nabokov won't give up 5 goals again.

Hockey Rules.

Dropping Like Flies in Philly

Vol. I, No. 53

Gagne, Carter, Laperriere, Seidenberg, Stuart, Krejci, Sturm...seven players out with injuries for the Boston - Philadelphia playoff contest. Boston's Marc Savard just coming back from a regular season injury. Both teams missing their leading scorers. The Flyers are down three. The Bruins are down four, with another just getting back from injured reserve.  That means over 15% of each team (20 players dress for each game) are down and out.  

This is a sport where playing hurt is not only common - it's normal. Now, include the goaltenders, and the degree of hurt in hockey goes off the scale for all other team sports (with the possible exception of rugby, but let's save that reference for a column on the truly insane).

Despite all the padding, if you ever see a goaltender after a long season, black and blue marks mark the body in places where the pads are joined. By the wrists, or between the leg pads and chest protectors, pucks have a way of finding small spaces and making their mark. Especially when they are fired at 100 mph. A frozen puck, on edge, is a lethal one inch projectile with the hardness of a brick. Think about police firing rubber bullets and you'll get the picture.  

Catchers behind home plate are handling marshmellows by comparison. And when a fastball specialist really brings the heat, have you ever heard a catcher squeal with pain in his catching glove?  It happens, even though he he has a clear view of the ball as it comes in, from only one point on the mound.

Goalies don't have those clear views, if the attacking offense in front of them is doing the right job in screening incoming shots. The shots come from all angles, from high and low, from near and far.  Now imagine the puck heading for all parts of the goalies' body - or aimed at his head by a a point man trying to intimidate the netminder.  The shots sometimes get past the blocker, the stick, the glove and the padding. That's why netminders are often walking baskets of aches and pains.

The hockey playoffs only make things worse. Teams block shots like crazy. Ian Laperriere paid a steep price in the first Philly series against the Devils. The pain comes when a hard shot is blocked, hits a shin on the side, or the back of an unprotected leg. If a player is lucky, there is no lasting injury. If he is not so fortunate, well, it's a quick out from the playoffs and summer vacation (and rehab) begins early.

That is the nature of this sport, even without injuries caused by high sticks, skates, blindside boarding, crosschecking to the head, tearing helmets off and all of the other ways that forces impact on human bodies, travelling at high speeds, in this fastest of sports.

Maybe the only riskier activity is playing polo while on a motorcycle, riding without a helmet.  Ben Rothlisberger might fit right into the NHL, if only he could learn how to skate.

Hockey Rules.

PS Boston, despite the injuries, beat Philadelphia tonight in a road game at the Wachovia Center. The Bruins have a commanding 3-0 series lead, with four more games to come (and two more home games in Boston).  Things are looking rosy for the Bruins at the moment. Teams come back from 3-1 deficits on rare occasion. But down 0-3? All that Philly has to do now is win the next four games in a row. Three weeks ago, Philly was struggling to get into the playoffs, and did so in the last regular season game.  The Bruins hung on to 7th place - and behind the goaltending of Tuukka Rask, are playing higher than that.

Playoffs, Comcast, Versus, NHL Coverage

Vol. I, No. 52

If you were in Boston at around 9:45pm, Comcast New England was providing coverage of the Bruins' Game Two victory, after a late third period score by Milan Lucic, his second goal all year long in TD Gardens.  Talk about a clutch game-winning goal. With Lucic's late score, Boston beat Philly 3-2, and leads their semi-final series 2-0.

The series now heads south, down I-95, crosses Manhattan north of Madison Square Garden, goes right through Newark, past its sleeping Prudential Center, and winds up at the Wachovia Center on the west bank of the Delaware.  Philly took both games there against the Devils.

Will the Bruins fold for two games?  Tuukka Rask and Evgeni Nabakov are at the top of the goalie pack, with 6 wins.  Rask has a 2.32 GAA with .922 Sv%.  His stats are a lot better than the last goaltender who faced the Flyers (initials MB, wears #30 for the Devils).

For fans in Philadelphia, around 9:45pm, Comcast was providing coverage of the Flyers and their reaction to the game.  It was an even match, and the Flyers' penalty kill was outstanding.  But they could not withstand the Bruins' attack.

Everywhere else, below the 49th parallel, Versus switched to coverage of the Vancouver - Chicago tilt which started at 9pm in the United Center. Vancouver jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 5 minutes of the game. One of the goals was a 5 on 3 power play, caused by a bad line change (too many men on the ice) by the Hawks.

Chicago is staying in the game, with a late first period score. Vancouver creamed the Hawks in the first game. Remember that these are the #2 and #3 seeds in the Western Conference.  The Hawks ought to be equal, if not better, based on regular season standings. By the end of the first, the Canucks have outshot Chicago 13-10.  It is anybody's game, and the Hawks were looking stronger as the period wore on.

The Canucks have won four straight including the first round, with three wins on the road. Can Chicago end their winning street before the series returns to GM Place (you know, the arena where Canada won the Olympics)? Bobby Loo has seen success there before.

By the end of the night, all semi-final series will either be 1-1 or 2-0 (or 0-2 depending on your viewpoint).  In a best of seven series, a 2-0 lead may not mean much, unless those wins were gained by visitors on the road.  In the old days (twenty years ago, before the grand expansion was finished), the first rounds were best of five game series. Ah, for the good old days when two wins really put the pressure on the losing team to win three straight.

Playoff Hockey Rules.

Halak the Horrible Pins the Pens

Vol. I, No. 51

Jaroslav Halak has evened the Montreal - Pittsburgh series, at one game apiece.  For a change, the hockey world can write about the OTHER team in this series. The one that has a storied past, with more Stanley Cups than any other team. The Canadiens.

Facing 39 shots on goal today from the defending Stanley Cup champs, Halak allowed only one goal.  That's back to his Capitals-beating 1.00 GAA in the final 3 games of the 1st round.  His performance reflects a pattern against the Capitals - a bad game (3 goals against) followed by a mile-high stone wall.

Now the Habs return to home ice in Montreal.  24 Stanley Cup banners hang from the rafters of Bell Centre (inherited from the old Forum, site of the Canadiens' glory years). Home ice advantage really counts in Montreal. But then again, the Penguins have a few French-Canadian players who may have a thing to prove in front of their friends and relatives. Fleury, Dupuis, Talbot and Letang return to their childhood province. Expect great road games from these players. In the regular season, the teams split two contests in Montreal.

Today's game showed the value of opportunistic offensive play. Halak was given a helping hand by Montreal forwards Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri.  Gionta scored the equalizer at 15:48 of the first period, with an assist from Scott Gomez (who may finally be earning his New York Ranger/Canadien contract salary).  The Gionta-Gomez combination has to be one of the smartest off-season moves made by the Canadiens last summer.  They took a gamble on Gomez.  With Gionta's signing, the two were reunited after their successful Cup-winning days with the New Jersey Devils.

In the second period, on a power play, Cammalleri scored one of the prettiest goals of the playoffs. At full speed, he elevated a puck off the ice and then swatted it in mid-air right into the Pittsburgh net, over the shoulder of Marc-Andre Fleury. No goalie could have stopped the shot. It was only one of three Montreal shots on goal during the period.

Montreal sealed the deal with another Cammalleri goal at 17:06 in the third period. He split the Pittsburgh defense and, skating in alone, beat Fleury with a clean wrist shot.  

The game was a perfect example of how defense wins playoff games. Montreal's defense allowed shots, but scoring chances were few and far between. The play in front of Halak was controlled by Canadien players. There were very few rebounds. Many of the Penguins shots were fired into traffic, and never even reached the crease.

Out of the past nine games, the Canadiens have won five contests against the 2009-10 regular season Presidents Trophy winner, and against the defending 2009 Stanley Cup champions.  This is a team that has to be taken seriously.

In the west, Detroit and San Jose are at it again.  This time, the best in the west (the Sharks) have a one game lead.  If the Wings can win one in San Jose, they will be in the same position as Montreal. If not, Detroit may have a tough hill to climb.  The game started at 8pm but it is time for the Hockey Tattler to retire for the evening (and watch a great game on Versus).

Hockey Rules.

A Lovely Day in May - Saturday's Races

Vol. I, No. 50

Super Saver and Calvin Borel ruled the mud today in Louisville.  Coming in at 15-1, Super Saver ran away from the field under Borel's expert ride. It was his third Derby win in four years.  You can call that a dynasty.

On the ice, Boston fans left TD Gardens happy after a tight game. The Flyers had closed a 2 goal gap in the 3rd period, but Bruins defenseman Marc Savard scored in OT to give Boston the victory. Savard had just returned to the team, after suffering a concussion at the hands of Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke on Sunday March 7. It was a fitting comeback.

With Pittsburgh leading Montreal in its series, and Boston edging Philadelphia, it is possible that these two teams could meet in an Eastern Conference final.  But that outcome is many games away. Based on regular season standings, Pittsburgh (#4) and Boston (#6) are higher than Philly (#7) and Montreal (#8).

The difference in the eastern playoffs has been the goaltenders.  In the first round, Flyers goalie Brian Boucher stoned the New Jersey Devils, and Canadien Jaroslav Halak stood on his head against the league-leading Washington Capitals. Against second round opponents, Boucher has just allowed five goals on 46 shots against by Boston. Halak allowed three goals on 20 shots against by the Penguins, before being pulled in the third period.

Philly will have to tighten up its defense in front of Boucher to overcome the Bruins.  And, for Montreal, the question of inconsistent goaltending has reared its ugly head again.  For #7 and #8 seeds to make it through the second round, all parts of their teams have to be playing at the top of their game.  Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has lost a key center, Jordan Staal, with a lacerated tendon in his foot. His return is indefinite.

In the west, the Detroit - San Jose series looks close, after a tight 4-3 Shark victory on Friday.  The Wings were playing tired, after a seven game series against Phoenix which ended on Wednesday. Even so, Detroit managed to outscore the Sharks 2 - 1 in the last two periods.

And tonight, Vancouver seems to have the Chicago Blackhawks on their heels, with a 5-0 lead going into the third period.  Chicago may not be able to match Vancouver's big, physical play.  And, Vancouver had Bobby Loo in goal. Based on the regular season, Chicago (#2) and Vancouver (#3) ought to be evenly matched.

It's early in the second round to make any predictions, and the 136th Run for the Roses is finished. By the time we get to Pimlico for the Preakness Stakes, on Saturday May 15th, the NHL Conference finals ought to be in full swing. There's a lot of hockey to be played between now and then.

Hockey Rules.