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Written by Wings
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Wednesday, 23 September 2009 14:06 |
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HockeyOutsiders continues with their pre-season roll around the league, with our first look out West. New HO correspondent, Wings, runs down the Central Division, with his take on each team's outlook for the upcoming season. Nashville Predators:
Seriously, why doesn’t the league just let Jim Basille buy the Predators and move them to Hamilton? The preview for the Predators is very easy. Another year older for Jason Arnott , another year of young fast skating, hard working players who lack the skill to push this team into real playoff contention. There isn’t any real talent in the “liquid ice girls” squad, the local Hooters has them beat. We do like Napoleon look alike Barry Trotz, we think he could coach a winner (if he moved to another team). When the most exciting thing in your building is when Faith Hill shows up confused looking for Kerry Collins to throw a hole-in-one.. You need to relocate or blow it up and start over.
St.Louis Blues:
Ahhh… the St.Louis Blues. This franchise that John Davidson has built from the ground up after leaving the television booth. Could it be that this is the one “hockey guy” from the television realm that knows what he is doing? A few years ago the 20+ consecutive playoff appearances gone and no real glimmer of hope, Davidson has reconstructed this team and has them back in the playoffs. They still lack a big time player that can carry them through slumps but they are moving in the right direction. What is the secret?? Oops wrong John Davidson!!!
I recently had the opportunity to ask the real John Davidson that question, the answer astounded me. “ I used the franchise game mode on NHL 08 and 09” John said. I know he could see the surprise in my face. So I asked him again and he elaborated. “That video game has made everything easy for us, it already has our minor league rosters, and with that simulation of each day and auto adjust feature on the salary cap…” as he was finishing these comments Head Coach Andy Murray grabbed Davidson from behind and mentioned something about medication. I really don’t know what that means for this season, but I guess Electronic Arts should keep up the good work.
Columbus Blue Jackets:
2009 was without a doubt the most successful in the history of this franchise. Despite being swept aside in the first round of the playoffs by division rival Detroit there is a lot to look forward to in Columbus. They have a roster full of future curtain jerkers and Rick Nash. Last year’s big surprise was goalie Steve Mason who should be able to save this team from a “sophomore” slump. Oh who are we kidding, nobody in Columbus even cares about the Blue Jackets until late December or early January which is when the Ohio State Buckeyes football season has wound down and there is no MLS.
This team is possibly best compared to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have a great venue to play in but no real talent on the ice. They are led by Captain Kangaroo, err Ken Hitchcock who seems to have lost what he had in Dallas, a talented team to make him look better than he is. The Jackets will probably get into the playoffs again, but look for the same result as last year.
Chicago Blackhawks: 
The Blackhawks are back!! From the front office to the talent on the ice, all the way down to the equipment guys. Last year was the one that got the Windy City energized and back behind the Hawks. Stan Bowman and Dave Tallon have built this team through smart free agent deals and solid draft picks. The acquisition of an injured Marian Hossa not withstanding.
This season looks to be another step closer to the cup for the team with the longest championship drought in the NHL. There is no doubt that the foundation exists and that it is probably only a matter of time before the Hawks bring the cup back to Chicago for the first time since…who the hell knows? HockeyOutsiders wasn’t even a glimmer in the internet’s eyes the last time the cup was raised above Chicago ice.
Our area of concern with Chicago is really with Patrick Kane. Why did he go to Buffalo and beat up Darren Puppa’s Grandfather?
Detroit Red Wings:
Finally, the Wings found and unbeatable opponent: Finals MVP Bill McCreary. Finally, Chris Chelios was given his AARP card and walker.
Seriously, the Red Wings are still the franchise to beat in the division as they have been for the last 15 years. They lost Marian Hossa, Jiri Hudler and Mikael Samuelsson to free agency, but reloaded with Ville Lieno, Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm. The only real question is will this team get too bored beating up the league again or will they simply be too exhausted to make another playoff run?
Division Prediction:
Some things never change, and this year that will be no different. Detroit will once again be too old, but somehow win the division and challenge for the President’s trophy. The Blackhawks will fight it out with the Blues and Blue Jackets for second place and nobody will care about Nashville.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 September 2009 14:54 )
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Written by FRE
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Thursday, 13 August 2009 15:54 |
Winnipeg, MB (HO). Thug Life. Playa. Malcolm X. These bumper sticks scream from the back of a late model Chevy Caprice, with 22 inch tires complete with shiny silver spinning rims parked in the driveway of a sprawling house in a sleepy little burgh of Winnipeg, Canada. This is the home of Jonathan Toews, twenty one year old phenom hockey player and baby faced captain of the Chicago Blackhawks.
We were invited here to speak with Toews about the incident this weekend, involving his teammate and close friend Patrick Kane after his arrest and charges of beating up an elderly cab driver over 20 cents. Toews wanted to defend Kane and tell his side of the story, not through the filter of the national media or his lawyer, but without prejudice.
Kane poses with Snoop “I’m telling you, he’s innocent!” proclaims Toews as we sit down with him in his lush, but modest living room. “If they weren’t black, that cabbie would have never had any issues with them…”, Jonathan continued, referring to Kane and his cousin who was also involved in the altercation.
The cabbie confessed that he had locked the doors prior to the Kane’s exiting the vehicle which is apparently commonplace practice for taxi drivers in Buffalo on late night shifts to ensure that their “fares” pay the tab.
“He had the doors locked, like they were scum. They were yelling at him; do you know who we are?!?! Obviously, he just judged them on the color of their skin. It wasn’t about the twenty cents that everybody is making such a big deal about.....but it ain’t about that, it’s not about that at all. You know, what I’m saying, I mean…..it’s easy to talk about, it’s easy to sum it up, when you just talk about the off-season. We’re sitting here, he’s suppose to be a franchise player and we’re in here talking about the off-season. I mean listen, we’re talking about the off-season, not a game, not a game, not a game, we’re talking about the off-season, not a game, not the game that we go out there and die for, and play every game like they are our last, not THE game. We’re talking about the off-season, man. I mean how silly is that? We’re talking about the off-season. I know, we’re suppose to lead by example. I know that, and I’m not shoving it aside like it don’t mean nothing…...”
Toews, who was obviously deeply troubled about how his line mate was being portrayed in the media, persisted; “You hear about guys like Plaxico Burress or Micheal Vick and you feel bad for them. This is exactly the same situation. They are considered low life thugs, but it’s not like that. We are just trying to feed our families.”
At this point, Jonathan, obviously caught up in the emotion of the situation, broke down into tears. In between his sobs, he stated; “It's really unfair. That's my teammate. That's my right wing. You guys do that, it's not fair. We lose as a team. We lose as a team, man.” Toews quickly excuses himself to go change his shirt, which is soaked with perspiration. As he peels it off, he reveals a large back tattoo of Tupac Shakur, a stark reminder of the culture that the Captain has created in the Windy City.
Kane could not be reached for comment.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 13 August 2009 16:27 )
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Written by FRE
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Monday, 15 June 2009 17:35 |
If you read the media or frequent many NHL blogs out there you’ll be familiar with everyone doing top 10 lists. Top 10 Stanley Cup finals moments, top 10 Pittsburgh plays, top 10 Malkin/Crosby goals and the lists go on. Well, not to be outdone, we here at HO came up with the top 8 ½ reasons why Detroit lost. If you're a Red Wing fan, please feel free to use one or all in your next conversation to explain why Detroit couldn't get it done in Game 7 last Friday night.
½. Pavel Datsyuk : He played 3 of the 7 games in the series. He collected 2 meaningless assists in Game 5, where the Red Wings humiliated the Penguins. In the 2 games that the Wings needed Datsyuk, he did what he usually does in the playoffs and that is absolutely nothing.
8. Mario Lemieux: Was the great Stevie Yzerman texting his team with his support after their Game 6 loss in Pittsburgh? Did Stevie Y make an emotional speech about being in things together after the Wings lost games 3 and 4? Does Stevie Y rent a room to Justin Abdelkader?
7. VS: Thanks to NBC picking up most of the finals, the Red Wings were forced to play most games to a nationally televised audience. Detroit, who had for most of the playoffs, been relegated to VS where most of North America didn’t or couldn’t watch them, the national spotlight provided to much pressure to perform.
6. Pierre McGuire : His love of the Penguins is no secret. Even though Pierre has praised the Wings in the past, when matched up with the Penguins, the Wings could not compete. Pierre’s karmic lovefest with Penguins players who apparently could do no wrong, helped propel Pittsburgh to victory.
5. Colin Campbell : It’s no secret that the officiating for the entire playoffs was highly suspect, but as all the fans of the opposing teams that faced the Penguins found out, the referees seemed to turn the other cheek when it came to Pittsburgh infractions. Malkin not being suspended for Game 3, although the rules were cut and dried, was just the tip of the iceberg.
4. Marc Andre Fleury : The Red Wings got used to MAF’s one horrible, soft as jello goal per game that usually served as a double whammy. Not only did it usually put the Penguins in a hole, but it killed any momentum Pittsburgh may have had. They didn’t get their WTF goal until it was too late in game 7.
John Mason knows a thing or two about playoff beards
2. Marian Hossa : The one guy with the most to prove. The guy that bolted the Penguins to find a “legit” shot at the cup. The guy with $7MM reasons to prove he was an elite player, proved once again that when it comes to the finals, he can’t deliver on his promises. It was apparent to everyone preseason except for Red Wings fans and Hossa himself that this single act of hockey treason, would all but mean that Hossa would not win.
And the Number 1 reason the Wings lost the Stanley Cup:
1. Sportsmanship : Everyone knows that the Wings locker room is filled with unselfish players with a love for hockey and a understanding that this is a team game. Their captain Niklas Lidstrom is the first European captain to raise the Cup, he is a class act and nice guy who deserves respect. Everyone also knows that nice guys finish last.
“Your best? Losers always whine about their best, winners go home and [expletive] the prom queen.” – John Patrick Mason
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 June 2009 18:00 )
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Written by NEO
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Friday, 29 May 2009 15:10 |
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As promised, here's some more classic HockeyOutsiders as we prepare for this year's exciting (as exciting as getting a root canal) Stanley Cup Finals rematch. Today we feature a guy (who is once again in the Finals), who is still underrated, even though he caught the eye of HO writers back in 2002 when this article was originally published. Dryden. Sawchuck. Plante. Tretiak. Esposito. Osgood? When the time comes, this writer knows what his ballot will read. The numbers speak for themselves. Two cups, 250 wins, a 2.4 goals against average and a save percentage hovering around .910. All this from a kid whose only been in the league nine seasons. Do the math, and you’ll see that that equates to an amazing 38 wins per season. 
Destined to be the best. As a 30 year old goal-tender, Cris has just reached his peak. His potential numbers are downright spooky. Roy had better watch out, because Cris will be breathing down the neck of his win total record before Patrick has a chance to write his induction speech. He is a winner. Cris has proven this in both conferences. As their goalie, the Red Wings won two cups and Osgood compiled over 220 wins in an 8 year span. After accomplishing every goal, climbing every mountain, slaying every foe, Cris left the West and set his sites on the East. Once joining perennial loser, the New York Islanders, Osgood set stringent goals for the team. He instilled a winning attitude, and brought great leadership --along with jaw-dropping goaltending-- to the franchise. By no coincidence, the club doubled their win total from the previous season and qualified for the playoffs, the first time they had done so since the Mike Bossy lead teams of the early 80’s. As always, Cris excelled under the pressure of playoff hockey. Osgood posted a goals against average under 2.6 and started every one of his teams three victories. He played a spectacular series, but advancing to the second round wasn’t to be. Despite his play, the club was forced to an early exit by an extremely dirty Toronto club. As good as Osgood is, he can't score goals and stone Mats Sundin at the same time. If greatness is truly shown when times are toughest then it's hard to argue against the induction of Cris Osgood. The man has a career playoff record of 41-29 with a goals against average of 2.22. The numbers are there, but the respect is not. Consider this: Assuming that he stays healthy and effective until he's 36 (and why not, Hasek, Roy, Belfour, Cujo all have) his stats will be the greatest in history next to Roy. 470 wins. 2.41 Goals Against. 71 Playoff Wins. 2.22 Playoff Goals Against. 2 Stanley Cups. He is one of the leading netminders of our generation, yet is cast aside by a large majority of NHL fans. Upon his retirement, he will immediately be thrust into the Pantheon of goaltending greats, to sit at the right hand of Patrick Roy. Cris Osgood a Hall-of-Famer? More like a first-ballot, unanimous Hall-of-Famer.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 29 May 2009 15:22 )
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