Battle Of Hudson

Every June after the Cup champ is crowned, the NHL wraps up with the NHL Awards, which for a second straight year will be in Las Vegas. With the Boston Bruins winning their first championship (5th overall- one more than the Rangers :P), there will be plenty of hardware on display Wednesday night.

The show can be seen on Versus, who will pick up the TSN feed. While I have little interest in seeing who wins the individual achievements, let’s take a look at the key categories and pick who we’d like to see crowned.

CALDER- F Logan Couture, F Jeff Skinner, F Michael Grabner

The forward trio are all worthy of winning the award for top rookie. However, Skinner entered as an 18 year-old as compared to more experienced competition in Couture, who is easily the best overall. Meanwhile, Grabner finally stuck with his third organization after Garth Snow stole him on waivers from Florida. Shocking. Grabs had a tremendous second half but the other two were more consistent. It’s really a toss up. I’ll give the nod to Skinner, who became a key cog on an offensively challenged Carolina squad. The kid performed well down the stretch with his team just missing the playoffs.

Honorable Mentions: John Carlson, Corey Crawford, P.K. Subban, Brad Marchand, Michael Neuvirth, Tyler Ennis, Derek Stepan

VEZINA- Tim Thomas, Pekka Rinne, Roberto Luongo

While nobody would debate either Thomas or Rinne, it still boggles how GMs selected Luongo over Carey Price, Henrik Lundqvist or Marc-Andre Fleury. I guess playing on the best team has its perks. Unfortunately, Lou’s D broke down and he wasn’t up to the challenge against Boston, who outscored Vancouver by a wide margin (23-8). It really is between Thomas, who shattered Dominik Hasek’s single season GAA and Rinne, who backstopped offensively challenged Nashville to its first second round. If he won, I’d have no beef. But this is the Conn Smythe winner’s award. Thomas became the first American to win playoff MVP since Brian Leetch. It seems like the affable 37 year-old deserves the icing on the cake.

NORRIS- Zdeno Chara, Nick Lidstrom, Shea Weber

Each are outstanding in their own right with the remarkable 41 year-old six-time winner trying to tie Doug Harvey. Lidstrom is up for the league’s top defenseman for a ridiculous 11th time in 13 seasons. That the Detroit captain re-upped for one more year today is even better. One of the game’s all-time greats gets one more chance to deliver another Cup to Motown. Still, it really should come down to defending champ Chara versus Weber, whose leadership/value cannot be overstated. Like Zach Parise, he’s going to arbitration. Hopefully, the Preds will do everything in their power to retain their captain. I’d really love to see him win if for nothing else, because Nashville doesn’t have one elite scorer and Weber’s been waiting a while. Honestly, Chara’s a freak of nature- able to impact games in so many ways. Whether it’s sheer strength, brutality or even dexterity for the near seven-footer, he is the game’s top blueliner. Whoever wins is deserving.

HART- Daniel Sedin, Corey Perry, Martin St. Louis

What’s not to like about this class? All are dynamic forwards who are vital for their respective clubs. While it’d be fun to see another Sedin win in back-to-back years, I find myself rooting for ’04 winner St. Louis, who is the backbone of the Bolts. He has always flown under the radar. Especially with Steven Stamkos emerging into one of the game’s elite scorers. However, it’s hard to argue with Perry, who carried the Ducks down the stretch with Ryan Getzlaf banged up. Perry is a throwback who will do anything to win a game, even if it means dropping ’em. His final month-plus was remarkable. If you’re going for consistency, the other two were stronger. But let’s give the nod to Perry.

SELKE- Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Kesler, Jonathan Toews

What can be said about three of the smartest players on the planet. All are terrific in their own right with three-time recipient Datsyuk leading the way. There really is no better overall hockey player than the crafty Russian pivot, who also overshadows ’09 Conn Smythe winner Henrik Zetterberg. How Detroit can have two of the best players in the world who have no flaws is beyond me. Especially when they stole them. I love watching Datsyuk fly. His effort is always there. Even when he’s not producing, the backcheck is constant and nobody’s better at stealing a puck and turning it into offense. The man is legendary. However, this really was Kesler’s year with the American eclipsing 40 goals for the first time while shutting down opposing scorers. Outside of a quiet Cup, he had a terrific postseason while Toews did all he could to scare the Canucks. All three are worthy but it says here that Kes deserves his first.

JACK ADAMS- Dan Bylsma, Barry Trotz, Alain Vigneault

It comes down to Bylsma, who guided the Pens minus Sid and Geno to the playoffs. Sure. I will always have total admiration for The Czar, Trotz- who every year squeezes as much out of the Preds despite a lack of talent up front. It amazes how tough they are in the face of adversity. No matter who they lose, this team always finds a way. A tribute to Trotz. However, Bylsma did an outstanding job just getting his team in following the loss of his dynamic duo. Kris Letang had a brutal second half and Jordan Staal ran out of steam along with the grinding Pens against Tampa, which was predicted. He deserves to win. Vigneault is not a great coach. Not when he has the most talent. He was badly outcoached by Claude Julien, who finally got his due after an unfair exit from New Jersey. I still can’t believe Guy Boucher was passed up. It is what it is.

LADY BYNG- Loui Eriksson, Nick Lidstrom, Martin St. Louis

Is there a more gentlemanly player than Lidstrom? Oh sure. St. Louis’s won it before and one of the game’s underrated finishers Eriksson is a fine choice. Amazing as it sounds, the do everything Swede who proved a European captain could lead his team to a Cup- has never won this prestigous award. Alright. You don’t really care. But in an age where instigators like Matt Cooke, Alex Burrows and Jarkko Ruutu exist, it still is nice to reward character. The choice is Lidstrom.

BILL MASTERTON- Ray Emery, Daymond Langkow, Ian Laperriere

There is no more special award than this one, which rewards perseverance after overcoming great obstacles. All three are worthy of this award with both Emery and Langkow coming back from tough setbacks. Everyone knows about Emery, who was once of the NHL’s bad boys before off-ice issues saw him wind up in the KHL. He returned to the league and fared well with Anaheim, helping backstop them into the playoffs- overcoming avascular necrosis, which interrupts blood flow. Without him, the Ducks don’t make it. As for Langkow, he finally returned from a fractured vertebrae in April. Always an inspirational player who was overlooked on the old Flyers teams, Langkow is a good story. A high character guy that all teams need. Pencil in Mason Raymond next year. Of the trio, Laperriere’s the best. The way his career ended was sad. Sacrificing his body to block a shot in the Flyers’ first round triumph last year over the Devils. You’re not taught to dive in front face first as he risked not only his manhood, but his life. That’s why hockey players are toughest SOBs on the planet. I always had a soft spot for Ian stemming from his too brief stint here (thanks Messier/Neil Smith). He was forced to retire but still works in a capacity with the Flyers. I hope he wins. Imagine the reception.

LESTER B. PEARSON Corey Perry, Daniel Sedin, Steven Stamkos

The award for MVP as chosen by the NHLPA is pretty cool. Imagine being selected by your own peers as the game’s best. I always like this award and we get three superb candidates, with Hart nominees Perry and Daniel up for it along with Stamkos, who cooled off considerably but still finished second in goals (45) and fifth in points (91). Give to the kid who made Barry Melrose eat his words.

Congratulations to Rocket Richard winner Corey Perry, who paced the league with 50 goals and to Art Ross winner Daniel Sedin, whose 104 points were five better than Martin St. Louis. Vancouver’s duo of Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider will receive the Jennings for fewest goals allowed, combined by a team.

TOP EXECUTIVE- Mike Gillis, David Poile, Steve Yzerman

Nobody deserves it more than Stevie Y, who in Year 1 added all the right pieces even if his Bolts fell a little short against eventual champion Boston. Whether it was adding pieces like Dominic Moore, Sean Bergenheim and Eric Brewer or picking up vet Dwayne Roloson from the Islanders for the home stretch, Yzerman did everything in his power to deliver a second Cup to Tampa. With a nucleus that features Stamkos, St. Louis, rejuvenated Vinny Lecavalier, Victor Hedman, Pavel Kubina and Brewer along with the game’s scrappiest line (Bergenheim-Moore-Downie), there’s a lot to like about the Lightning’s chances. Especially with one of the greatest captains running the show. They’re not going away anytime soon. Don’t forget the choice of Boucher too. Gillis is in there for a stellar season while Poile deserves inclusion for how he keeps the Preds competitive. But this is Stevie Y’s.

MESSIER LEADERSHIP- Zdeno Chara, Shane Doan, Nick Lidstrom

It’d be easy for Mark Messier to present the trophy to either Chara or Lidstrom, who exemplify the unique qualities The Captain did. Anytime you got the only two European captains to lead their teams to Lord Stanley, it makes them co-favorites. While I respect both, there’s a lot of love for Doan, who has been Mr. Jet/Coyote throughout. Despite a move, all the rumors and uncertainty, Shane’s been a classy leader, who’s helped get the franchise back to the postseason in consecutive years. He has always flown under the radar and deserves this award.

Coming Tomorrow: We present our All-Star Teams

With no coach as of yet, free agency set to begin in less than two weeks and the negotiations for a long-term deal with star winger Zach Parise intensifying while the ownership structure is changing, the Devils have many questions heading into 2011-12 after a roller-coaster 2010-11.

Unlike in recent years, the Devils at least won’t have too many defections in free-agency this time around. Our most noteworthy free agent is the talented but erratic Andy Greene, alternately capable of brilliance and hopelessness. Probably Greene will head for greene(r) pastures, and he’s a replaceable part given the amount of young defensemen in the system such as second-year players Mark Fayne and Matt Taormina (remember him?), as well as potential additions from within such as Michigan defenseman Jon Merrill. That said, we don’t have the cap space to do anything big in free agency either. Given the fact that we signed Ilya Kovalchuk, Henrik Tallinder and Anton Volchenkov last offseason and have to keep some money free for a potential Parise deal this offseason I can’t exactly complain about inactivity this year.

One thing that does need to be addressed is the goalie question. With Martin Brodeur now 39 years old and coming off of multiple injuries last year, it underscores the need to either have a reliable veteran backup (a la Johan Hedberg last year) or a prospect who will potentially be groomed to take the legend’s place on the roster. More likely the Devils will lean towards the first option and try to retain the Moose, but if Hedberg doesn’t re-sign then I’m not sure which way the Devils go. Either way, answering the backup goalie question is infinitely more important than it was two years ago, or five – and perhaps the most important question the Devils can address in free agency.

Concurrent with free agency is the Parise dilemma. Can the Devils re-sign him before a potential arbitration hearing late next month? If not, should they trade him or just hold onto him and risk having Zach walk at the end of the year? I don’t even want to think about that alternative. Despite the fact that Zach only played a single game from November on last year, there are no two ways about it – he needs to be re-signed, and the cap shouldn’t be an excuse. Not after the Devils basically forefitted games early last season to get Kovy under the cap. Perhaps the only tricky thing about fitting Zach under the cap long-term is the cap figure for this year, before a ton of money comes off the books in 2012 with the expiring contracts of Brodeur, Brian Rolston, Colin White and Bryce Salvador.

Still, with the cap increasing yet again you figure the Devils will have enough money to get it done, if ownership issues don’t get in the way. As is the organization’s tradition, even this situation has been clouded in mystery since February though it seems as if almost half the team’s up for sale. Although now it doesn’t seem like there’s any indication that Jeff Vanderbeek will lose his title of majority owner, you still never can tell how such a dramatic shift in the ownership structure will affect the payroll or organization structure. Not to mention the $100 million we committed to Kovy last offseason and the fact we had declining attendance in a non-playoff season.

Perhaps just as mysterious right now, but not quite as important given our track record in this area is the head coach question. Other than Jacques Lemaire , who’s been here seven years in three different stints and Pat Burns, who would have been here a lot longer if he didn’t get sick, the Devils really haven’t come up with any kind of long-term solution in recent years. At least we know who it won’t be – since Lemaire retired for good after last season, where he brought the Devils back to respectability once again.

With the John MacLean experiment having failed so spectacularly, we know it won’t be him either. I do wonder if that rules out any other potential rookie hire, such as Hawks assistant and Jersey native Mike Haviland (already passed over twice by us) or Habs assistant and ex-Devil Kirk Muller? If so then you have a uninspiring group of candidates such as Craig Ramsay – likely to be let go by Winnipeg, former Pens/Habs coach Michel Therrien and Ken Hitchcock, who has a terrific coaching record including a pre-lockout Cup win but doesn’t seem to be what we need in a post-lockout world. Plus the latter two were also passed over last offseason as well, when Lou hired Johnny Mac.

If I had a choice I guess I’d go with Muller among the rookie candidates (and coming from the Habs makes him a plus in Lou’s eyes, not to mention being an ex-Devil) and a sort of outside the box candidate in Pete DeBoer among the retreads. Only a hardcore hockey fan would have ever heard of DeBoer, who was recently let go by the Panthers just two seasons after remarkably contending for a playoff berth with a rag-tag team, and never really had a chance to mold a winner down there. Even this year when they finished in last, his team played us as tough as anyone’s in the second half but perhaps the biggest plus is he’s cut from the former cloth – coachingwise anyway – as Brent Sutter, who seemed to be the choice to take the Devils into a post-lockout world…before losing two straight horrific first-round playoff series and running home to Calgary. At least there’s no evidence DeBoer needs to be in Western Canada to do his job.

Whichever way Lou goes, I’m sure Zach will want to know who the coach is going to be as well, before he commits long-term here. Zach’s publicly endorsed a Sutter-like coach, recognizing that while the trap system may keep us respectable it isn’t ultimately going to be the entire recipe for success without being able to improve on an offense that was dead last in the NHL in 2010-11.

Speaking of coaches…I wasn’t going to talk about this without mentioning the most recent Stanley Cup winner, one Claude Julien. As most hockey fans know, Julien was hired by the Devils in ’06 and unceremoniously dumped with three games to go in the regular season, and the Devils still in first place. While the Devils – with Lou behind the bench – did beat Tampa Bay in the first round, they were outclassed by Ottawa in the second and the coach who didn’t even get one playoff with us has won playoff rounds in each of the last three years (while we haven’t won one since that series with Tampa).

Fellow Devil fans – then and now – compared it to the Robbie Ftorek firing, when Ftorek was let go with eight games to go in the 1999-2000 season with the team in first, and the Devils went on to win the Stanley Cup that year. Well, there’s no comparison really other than the timing…for one, it was Ftorek’s second season with us, after a dissapointing playoff loss to Pittsburgh in 1999 and Julien didn’t even get one playoff series. Not to mention Julien’s team never slumped anywhere near as bad as Ftorek’s did when the Devils went 4-10-2 and were spiraling out of control in 2000, despite having arguably the most talented Devils team ever to that point.

Granted, I never thought Julien was a great coach by any stretch, and he was surely one first-round loss away from being dismissed in Boston this year…just that he deserved a lot better than he got from both the team and fanbase, who were complaining that we were too boring and won too many one-goal games. Perhaps this Stanley Cup and our nightmare of a first half was just desserts for Lou and the fanbase, both of whom got spoiled to the point where even being in first was no longer enough.

After what was a pretty good playoffs on the whole, despite a bizarre final forever marred by the idiocy of Vancouver ‘fans’ after their Game 7 loss, at last the fans of the other twenty-eight teams can turn the page and start looking to next year with the NHL Draft this weekend and UFA beginning the weekend after. Friday’s first round of the draft is actually intriguing for the Devils, as they have the fourth overall pick courtesy of their nightmare first half of 2010-11 and getting lucky in the lottery. With a weak draft that supposedly has a handful of top-end players, going from eighth to fourth might well prove to be a boon to the Devils, who haven’t drafted that high since fleecing Toronto for the third overall pick nearly two decades ago and turning that pick into future HOF’er Scott Niedermayer.

Among the top prospects are center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, predicted to go #1 overall to Edmonton, defensemen Adam Larsson (expected to be first among d-men off the board within the first five picks) and Dougie Hamilton, center Sean Coutrier and left-wingers Gabriel Landeskog – pictured above – and Johnathan Huberdeau. I don’t claim to be any kind of an authority on these kids, though with the high pick I’ll probably read up on all at some point before going to the Prudential Center Friday for the draft party in Championship Plaza but just from what I’ve seen from the young players we already have it seems as if we could still size on the forward line and puck-moving ability from the back end.

Granted in the NHL you can’t really draft for need in a sense, since usually first-rounders are still gonna be a year or two (at least) away from playing the league unless they’re a supreme talent like Sidney Crosby or Steven Stamkos. Yet, you almost have to consider need based on the fact the Devils really haven’t have enough beef up front or offensive ability from the blueline anywhere in the organization in the last several years but do have smaller, skilled forwards and big defensemen. As talented as a Nugent-Hopkins or Huberdeau might be, drafting them would add to a strength and not really help a weakness. And though Larsson might be the best defenseman, we have defensive defensemen in abundance while Hamilton seems to have a lot more offensive ability.

So even if you go by the premise that the Devils are more likely to draft Landeskog, Coutrier or Hamilton (and I do agree you have to put Larsson in the mix if he’s there at four) it’s a mortal lock that at least one of the above will be there when the Devils draft. All three have their pluses and minuses – Landeskog is a big forward and seems to be the most Devil-like player of the bunch, at least if you go by what he said about his own game:

“I think today in the NHL, you’ve got to be able to play in both ends of the ice,” Landeskog said. “I’ve always taken pride in my defensive-zone (play) first and, being not the most skilled guy out there, I’ve got to rely on my work ethic and take care of my own end first and let my skill take over in the offensive zone.”

Unfortunately, Landeskog’s primary position is left wing where we happen to have Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise and Patrik Elias ahead of him on the depth chart at the moment. Coutrier could give the Devils size and skill in the middle the likes of which they haven’t had since Jason Arnott and Bobby Holik were in their prime, skating ability seems to be the only real question with him. Big centers are at a premium in today’s game though so I don’t really see Coutrier getting to four. Hamilton probably will but it’s always tricky drafting offensive defensemen, do they become Sergei Zubov or Marc-Andre Bergeron? Certainly, Larsson has the size and skill to play on a blueline for many years but after signing Anton Volchenkov long-term should getting another stay-at-home d-man be a priority with such a high pick?

Given the fact the Devils don’t have a second-rounder this year, it’s probably unlikely they can move up from four unless they give up a high pick in next year’s draft or a prospect, neither of which I think Lou Lamoriello will do – especially since next year’s draft has more value, and the Devils might have to give up their first-rounder as part of the Kovalchuk penalty. Will they trade back? I suppose the possibility exists, especially if you can get a second-rounder but it depends on how many players you have rated in the top tier and how far back you move. Since this is a thin draft though, I don’t really see moving back to stockpile picks as a priority. Ergo, I think the Devils will stay right where they are at four.

My prediction (more of a guess really) for the first three picks is that Nugent-Hopkins, Coutrier and Larsson will all be off the board, leaving the Devils with Landeskog, Hamilton, Huberdeau and the rest of the field. If that’s the case then I see the Devils taking Landeskog – who also has a high character rating supposedly – and making him a RW’er, which we do have a need for. Fortunately, though Landeskog is listed as a LW’er he has played at RW as well and would slot in there nicely considering our current RW’ers are Nick Palmeri, who played on the first line when he really should have been a back six winger, the overpaid David Clarkson and the gritty but offensively challenged top six forward Danius Zubrus.

If that happens I’d be fine with that, of course since I haven’t gotten a prediction right from April on, and the extent of my scouting consists of reading Tom Gulutti‘s blog, it’s more likely that the top of the draft board will look very different.

In my next blog I’ll look at the Devils’ more immediate concerns, such as who the head coach might be (every other team currently has one though Winnipeg’s probably going to let Craig Ramsey go, which might actually impact our coach search too) and the ongoing negotiations with Zach Parise on a long-term deal before the team and player have to go to arbitration in a month or so after the Devils filed for team-elected arbitration Friday afternoon.

As a New Yorker, it’s pretty hard to praise the enemy. Particularly when it comes to the guys in Northern Massachusetts with the funny yet cool accents. When it comes down to it, New York and Boston will always be rival cities, whose passion runs deep. Yankees/Red Sox, Knicks/Celtics, Rangers/Bruins and Jets/Patriots are bitter rivalries.

There’s no love lost between sportsfans. You’re either on one side or the other. Never both. Hell. Even Mets/Sahhxx remains fresh with ’86 hero Gary Carter rushed to ER to a brain tumor last night. As a Yankee fan, I respected those Amazin’s and even rooted for them when at the time I was a kid. Carter was a gritty leader who changed things for that team. Just ask Calvin Schiraldi about the resilient Kid that fateful October day. For Red Sox fans, it still irks even if they finally broke the Curse at our expense, going onto to win in ’04 and ’07.

Boston and New York don’t mix. Oh. We’ve been to their fine city and enjoyed a game at illustrious Fenway Park (Pa-hk). I can still recall the heckles that poor Tigers outfielder got up in the bleachers next to the Green Monster (Mon-stah). Everything about that old ballpark is nostalgic. No matter what side you’re on, it’s worth making the trip. Along with a classic Trolley system, Quincy Market and some of the best seafood around, Massachusetts has its perks. And then there’s that funky accent with fancy terms such as, ‘Gahhhden and ‘chowdah’ resonate. If you’re not 24/7 on the classic rivalries, you can actually appreciate what the enemy has to offer. We even visited the infamous Cheers, which of course I was too young to enter.

Aside from the Giants’ recent Super Bowl upset of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s Pats, we don’t exactly have a leg to stand on when comparing our sports teams to theirs. They already double up the Yanks this century in world titles and New England still is three times better than both our pigskin teams, even if Gang Green had fans sick to their stomach last January. Basketball doesn’t compare either. Even in a year the Knicks with Carmelo and A’mare get back in it, the Celts’ Big Three (Four) took another Dolan club apart. Throw in their recent championship and it adds to a proud legacy as compared to still only two years when Willis Reed and Walt Frazier were ultimate heroes.

Now, you can add the Boston Bruins to the list after they dug out of a 2-0 hole and 3-2 to capture the Original Six franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks, who are still wondering what happened. Entering the Spring, Claude Julien’s bunch were labeled as chokers thanks to the epic 3-0 meltdown last year at the expense of the Flyers. It wasn’t exactly an easy climb to their first championship in 39 years (’72) when you guessed it, Bobby Orr skated the Cup at a then pretty new MSG with Dad looking on. Ironically, the Knicks’ last NBA title was a year later with Clyde and Pearl making magic.

Sometimes, the impossible becomes possible. The ’04 Red Sox are proof as are the ’05 White Sox. I started to believe that this was the Flyers’ year to finally win its first Cup since ’75 before I existed. They had a strong team. However, injuries played a factor with Chris Pronger a shell and the goalie carnival that is Philly lore made a mockery of my original pick. Instead, the Bruins after a hard fought battle with bitter nemesis Montreal courtesy of Nathan Horton’s heroics, dismantled the defending Conference champ in four straight. To say it was uncompetitive would be putting it mildly. They massacred the Flyers to get revenge but weren’t done against the pesky Lightning, who proved more of a challenge for Tim Thomas.

Thomas is the very admirable 37 year-old veteran who lost his job to Tuukka Rask last year following his first Vezina. He even didn’t get a sniff in Vancouver with Ryan Miller backstopping Team USA to silver sans Sidney Crosby’s ultimate winner replayed over and over in Canada. One year, you’re great and the next, you’re done. A has been like Rocky after Clubber Lang pummeled him. You can either give up or come back stronger. Thomas is a fighter. He was an eight round pick, who looked like he’d never get a shot in North America. So, he went overseas to Finland and refined his skills. Following the lockout, the Bruins came calling. I never thought much of it when he was matching Henrik Lundqvist shot for shot until the shootout at TD Garden. Just figured he was a journeyman who’d eventually falter. Boy, was I wrong!

I am not ashamed to admit that Thomas is a better goalie than our King. He also plays a much more aggressive style, challenging shooters and even going Billie Smith on crease crashers like Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows. You want a turning point of the Cup Final? Reference either exhibit, which fired up teammates and fans as the B’s tied the series by routing the ‘Nucks 12-1. Sure. Vancouver played a splendid Game 5 outphysicaling Boston with Roberto Luongo sharp throughout, for his second shutout of the series. But that didn’t matter much because the superhyped gold medalist had been a different goalie on the road. So, it was no surprise that the B’s scored three times and chased him for the second instance in Beantown.

One thing that separated Thomas from Luongo was aside from style, one guy had little support. Even if he gave up several softies, including a pair in the deciding Game 7 that proved an epic fail for Vancouver in more ways than one sadly, where was the offense?!?!?!?! The Sedins may as well have been sharing the back of a milk carton with Marian Gaborik. Even Ryan Kesler through an injury, was hardly a factor, though he showed for the final game unlike his more gifted twin mates.

The Bruins were better, getting contributions throughout from pesky rookie Brad Marchand, forgotten ’03 gem Patrice Bergeron, captain Zdeno Chara, ageless Mark Recchi, leading scorer David Krejci, powerhouse Milan Lucic, and underrated Dennis Seidenberg. This was a complete effort. Even team ornament Tomas Kaberle contributed along with adopted favorite Shawn Thornton, whose insertion sparked the B’s.

Here’s to you Boston! Cheers.

In a little while, the puck will drop for Game 6 at TD Garden. For one franchise, they’ll aim to finally deliver a first championship to their city in Vancouver. Yes, the Canucks are in the driver’s seat up 3-2 in what’s amounted to a home ice series- reminding of the Devils’ last hurrah when they went the distance to edge the Ducks in ’03. Can a road team finally win in this edgy Cup Final that’s seen plenty of shenanigans on and off the ice? We’ll know soon enough.

The Bruins have other ideas like extending the series to a climatic Game 7, which is really what it deserves. In a year where the NBA somehow finished before the NHL despite our sport starting some two and a half weeks prior, we may as well have the kind of dramatic conclusion these playoffs need. It’s been a fun ride for both combatants. The bad blood making it one of the more intriguing matchups in recent memory. Sure. The two Pens/Wings series were great back-to-back. But this isn’t as much about skill even with star power on display. Rather an edgier brand of hockey that reminds of old school. These guys hate each other and will do anything to win. Even bite opponents. Well, I guess Alex Burrows was hungry. 😛

Now Roberto Luongo, who of course had to get a shot in at certain Conn Smythe frontrunner Tim Thomas, is one game away from silencing the doubters, including yours truly even though we took them. Why he had to say he’d have gotten teammate Max Lapierre’s goal that decided the best game of the series, remains a mystery. Guess Lou isn’t Martin Brodeur, who ignored all the banter about brilliant counterpart J.S. Giguere in leading the Devils to their most unlikely Cup. One knew when to keep his mouth shut and afterwards, made it about the best trophy in sports instead of Playoff MVP. The other probably has grown tired of all the accolades Thomas is receiving. It’s not about style. Even if awkward and adventurous, showing flashes of Dominik Hasek, the 37 year-old American vet gets it done. His team needs one more stellar performance to hold serve and push it the distance. If he and teammates deliver, anything can happen Wednesday. Just ask the Pens sans Marc-Andre Fleury on Nick Lidstrom.

Boston will be rocking. Our eyes will be glued to the TV set. Are the Canucks tough enough to win their first Cup in enemy territory or does a franchise that’s lost the other two times have to go seven, increasing nerves and heart rates? Compelling theatre. Either way, we’re about to find out who has the juice.

Well, at least it’s a series. Using extra incentive, the Bruins routed the Canucks 8-1 in Game Three at TD Garden last night. The eruption didn’t get started until 11 seconds into the second when an Andrew Ference shot snuck past Roberto Luongo. Vancouver’s Vezina candidate had previously been stellar in backstopping his club to a 2-0 series lead, permitting only two goals. However, it wasn’t his night nor any other Canuck as they were badly outplayed by a determined bunch of Bruins, hell bent on sending a message following what happened in British Columbia.

As if it weren’t enough that Max Lapierre mocked bite victim Patrice Bergeron during Game 2, the B’s had even more reason to respond when Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome delivered a late hit on an unsuspecting Nathan Horton, who laid motionless for several minutes. Horton had already released the puck a good second when Rome came from the blindside with a shoulder right to the jaw. The stunning cheap shot silenced a sellout crowd as Horton looked skyward. That it came so early was startling. Rome isn’t a dirty player. Something Bobby Ryan noted today via Twitter. Unfortunately, he erred in judgment with the kind of late hit the league is looking to rid of. Not surprisingly, he was suspended four games, which if it went the distance, would mean the rest of the series. In the event it ends early, he’d serve out the rest next season.

The appropriate call was made with Rome ejected for a five minute interference major, which was installed last year. Down a man, the Bruins couldn’t take advantage as their power play fizzled thanks to superb penalty killing and some timely stops from Luongo, who was sharp initially. He took away the low part of the net and had solid rebound control. Boston also overpassed, which allowed an already good Vancouver special teams to get the job done and build momentum. In fact, they took the play to the B’s the last half of the first, forcing Tim Thomas to come up with a few sparklers, including a kickout and cat-like glove.

Following his team’s eruption that saw them score four apiece in the second and third, Claude Julien noted that he didn’t say anything different than usual to his desperate team at intermission. The veteran coach felt his club was lacking emotion and inserted popular enforcer Shawn Thornton for rookie Tyler Seguin. The move worked with the 14-year vet sparking the B’s with solid work over nine shifts (5:50), delivering a crunching hit and even drawing a penalty when he forced Luongo to deny a bid. Naturally, with all the bad blood, once Boston put it away it turned nasty and Thornton was there to protect teammates.

If Vancouver did everything right the first two in holding serve, that team was nowhere to be found, often leaving Luongo to fend for himself. The best D in the game didn’t show and lost focus in a penalty marred game that included five game misconducts with the teams combining for 125 PIM with most of it in garbage time. It even saw the tame Daniel Sedin assessed a misconduct following a wild scrum involving Bite Gate extraordinaire Alex Burrows, who went to the ice a little too easy from a shove following a slash, infuriating Milan Lucic, who challenged him. Of course, the Game 2 hero chickened out hiding behind the stripes. Lucic also lost his cool waving his finger right into Lapierre’s mug during another scrum that saw the antagonist tossed. He was chastised by Julien along wiht 43 year-old vet Mark Recchi for shenanigans and later critiqued himself for sinking to Lapierre’s level. During the chaos, Ryan Kesler took on Dennis Seidenberg following some cheap stuff, which saw both gone.

Speaking of Recchi, the ageless warrior who just ended a scoring drought, was again involved- tallying twice to eclipse his three round total (2) in just three games of the chippy Stanley Cup Final. On the 25 Year Anniversary of the Cam Neely trade, who the Canucks ironically gave up on, the Bruins turned back the clock to whip the President’s Trophy winners. Once Ference broke through, the black and gold seized control with Recchi centering a pass off Ryan Kesler’s stick for a power play goal, marking the second consecutive game Boston’s power play scored. Before the onslaught, Lucic took his second undisciplined minor giving Vancouver a chance to get back in it. Instead, an unbelievable individual effort from rookie Brad Marchand resulted in the goal of the series. Stealing the puck at his own blueline, the speedy penalty killer slipped around three Canucks and then completely undressed Luongo, deking and going forehand top shelf for an unassisted goal that blew off the roof.

Finally with some breathing room, the B’s didn’t sit back with David Krejci adding to it when he took a Michael Ryder backdoor feed and beat Luongo in front. The four-goal explosion left questions as to whether Luongo would return for the third. Surprisingly, he did. It only got worse as Boston wasn’t done, putting another four spot on the helpless Canadian hero in the second part of the third. With his team on another power play, Daniel Paille powered past ex-Isle Jeff Tambellini and beat Luongo thru the wickets for 5-zip with 8:22 left. Tambellini had a brutal game, also in the box when Recchi notched his first of the night.

Though Jannik Hansen broke up Thomas’ shutout after slashing Krejci and then burying a Raffi Torres feed, even in a blowout the Vezina frontrunner was outstanding, finishing with 40 saves. Vancouver certainly got scoring chances but the athletic 37 year-old vet wouldn’t allow them to think comeback. As a matter of fact, Thomas has allowed four goals on 108 shots thus far. Given his brilliant play throughout the postseason, you can make the argument that win or lose, he’s the leading Conn Smythe candidate. We’ll see how it plays out.

After Recchi finished off his second off a great pass from Marchand, it escalated with Ference and Kevin Bieksa trading barbs before getting the final couple of minutes off. With what was left of the Canuck bench going through the motions, Chris Kelly and Ryder added insult to injury to mercifully conclude the scoring. Even Tomas Kaberle got on the score sheet.

The madness certainly was entertaining but I doubt a seven-goal rout was what Versus had in mind following a much lower rated Game 2 that went to sudden death. I guess scheduling even on NBC for a June Saturday was a mistake. Be that as it may, this is a very fun series with plenty of intensity. These teams don’t like each other and it should only intensify when they take the ice for Game 4 tomorrow night in Beantown.

As for the Rome suspension, I’ve seen some fans argue that it wasn’t that bad. I wouldn’t necessarily call it blatant. But he did cross the line, which is why rules on late hits are in place. This isn’t a repeat offender. Just a kid who made a mistake and probably feels badly for Horton, who luckily was moving all extremenities as he was carried off the ice and rushed to the hospital. We sure hope the ex-Panther will be okay. For Alain Vigneault, he can dig into reserve and reinsert vet Keith Ballard, who might be an upgrade. The Canucks are without Dan Hamhuis, which hurts strong blueline that still features Christian Ehrhoff, Alex Edler, Bieksa and Sami Salo. However, they’re already using ex-Bruin Andrew Alberts. So, Ballard could prove vital if he gets in. Meanwhile, figure Seguin to take the place of Horton leaving Thornton in as an energizer.

It all sets up a pivotal Game 4. Don’t miss it!

In case you were on a blue moon, the weekend was full of news off the ice involving Brandon Dubinsky and free agent to be Brad Richards. Before we get into the Dubinsky stuff, let’s first address what Mr. Richards is rumored to want this July 1.

Not surprisingly, the 31 year-old former Conn Smythe winner expects to sign a long-term deal for at least five years. Per our favorite Brooksie, the playmaking pivot would like to be paid handsomely with $7 million-per-year floating around. As good as he is, that price is astronomical. Especially for a player whose health could come into question following another concussion that kept him out for a critical stretch when the Stars were pushing for the playoffs. Coincidentally, they played better without their top scorer. Go figure.

Richards is a talented player who certainly makes teammates better with precision passing. With Joe Nieuwendyk already indicating that Dallas is out of the running, B-rad will be on his third team this summer. Both the Kings and Rangers are interested with possibly the Leafs in the mix if Richards decides they’re worth pursuing. Of course, he definitely can boost our power play, which again was useless thanks to Marian Gaborik’s milk carton showing. In fact, our best performer was Ryan Callahan, who netted a team best 10 power play goals despite missing 22 games. Seven of Gaborik’s 22 markers came via the man-advantage, checking in behind Cally. Remarkably, Dubinsky only scored four of his club-leading 24.

I’m on record as being against signing Richards because investing five years in a vet could prove disastrous at such a high cost. The CBA will soon run out next year and nobody knows what to expect. With Dubinsky, Callahan, Artem Anisimov, Mike Sauer and Brian Boyle all potential Group II’s along with Ruslan Fedotenko and Matt Gilroy, who likely will be on the market, Glen Sather must turn his attention to getting our core signed before embarking on such chaotic dreams that have backfired (ex.Gomez, Drury, Redden). It’s much better to take care of our own for a change instead of nickeling and diming them while catering to guys who have never worn the jersey. How many years has this gone on?

I like Richards but at that price along with the length, forget it. And I’m not high on trading for Jason Spezza, who isn’t exactly what he should be and will not come cheap (3 years left at $7 M avg). Larry Brooks also suggested Stephen Weiss, who’s solid but unspectacular with NHL Siberia Florida. Weiss is at best a 60-65 point guy who also is a better passer than finisher, which would fit the bill. He’d also come cheaper with just two years left at a more affordable $3.1 million cap hit before turning unrestricted in 2013. I hardly believe he’s the solution but Brooks is assuming Weiss will be rejuvenated in a larger market like Nathan Horton is with Boston. Perhaps, but it’s hit or miss. What would it cost?

As for Dubinsky, Brooks states that our leading scorer may want $4.5 million. He’s been a good player for us but still hasn’t scratched the surface for what his potential could be. The 54 points (24-30-54) over 77 games were all career highs but the ’04 second round steal (60th overall behind busts Darin Olver, Dane Byers and Bruce Graham) is capable of at least 30 goals and 30 helpers. His goalscoring leaves something to be desired with a hot start (10 in first 12) nearly half the production. John Tortorella was right that Dubinsky is better suited as a left wing where he can use his size and strength to ward off defenders. His postseason (2-1-3) minus key ingredient Callahan was passable. If that really is the cost following the Sabres’ inking Drew Stafford to a four-year $16 million deal, is it really worth it? I’m still not sold.

I really feel both Dubinsky and Callahan should be paid similarly. I wouldn’t go higher than what Stafford got, who also has something to prove off his best year statistically. By show of hands, how many Blueshirt fans think that Dubi is more valuable than Cally? One is our next captain while the other is a solid all around player with more ability. Callahan was drafted the same year in Round 4 127th overall. In only 60 games, he was 23-25-48 with 10 PPG and five game-winners. All heart. Had he been healthy, the Rochester native could’ve made a difference in what was a closer series than the end result against nemesis Washington.

In a perfect world, they both take a little less so it’s easier to get everyone else signed and then address the lack of a No.1 center along with a power play quarterback. Why not 3.8 apiece for Dubilan? That would make fiscal sense.

Today is a historic day for not just our country but for democracy and freedom. It was 67 years ago on June 6, 1944 that our soldiers helped achieve the greatest win in World War II history. D Day is a special day of Remembrance of all those lives sacrificed in the Battle of Normandy along the coastline of Belgium that finally ended the war. It’s a day to reflect and thank those before us who fought for our independence.

Perhaps on 6/6/11, the American team involved in the Stanley Cup will actually make it a series tonight in Beantown. For the Boston Bruins, that requires a maximum effort against the faster and more talented Vancouver Canucks, who by sweeping the first two at home, are two steps closer to the franchise’s first Cup. Yes. Both Games 1 and 2 were competitive but only due to outstanding play from certain Vezina selection Tim Thomas, who stood on his head giving his team a chance to steal home ice. If not for a couple of key breakdowns, it would’ve been enough. Instead, thanks to Raffi Torres’ heroics, Daniel Sedin and Public Enemy No.1 Alex Burrows, who took the ‘bite’ right out of Claude Julien’s guys a jaw dropping 11 seconds into sudden death, the B’s find themselves in a huge hole as they return to TD Garden.

They’ll have to have short memories if they want to make it interesting over the next 72 hours. In the NBA, the expression is a series doesn’t start until the road team wins. Using that philosophy, all the Bruins have to do is hold serve and get it to a pivotal Game 5 even. If they can, anything could happen like it did in ’09 when the Penguins became only the second team to rally from an 0-2 deficit to win Lord Stanley. Of course, they still lost Game 5 before winning a third straight at home and then finally becoming the lone road team to win in a dramatic Game 7 that’s still fresh in Pens’ fans memory banks. Marc-Andre Fleury stacking the pads to deny Nick Lidstrom’s last second bid.

What has to happen for the Bruins to turn the tables starting tonight on the Canucks?

1.Get a 2-goal lead- they say the 3-goal lead is the worst in hockey and Julien’s club are proof. However, they’ve yet to build a cushion and put the pressure on Vancouver. How will they react if it happens? Against the Blackhawks early on, we saw what happened when Chicago was ahead, digging out of a 3-0 hole to force a seventh game that required overtime where the all too familiar Burrows clinched it.


2.Don’t sit back- one of the fundamental flaws with Julien’s Lemaire-esque system is they often try to hold on instead of pushing for more. Throw out the perfect regular season record. At this point, that doesn’t matter. Especially against an opportunistic club like Vancouver, who only needs a few chances to cash to turn a game. We saw it the other night when they predictably tied it up with over 10 minutes left and then took it to OT where the B’s never recovered.


3.Chara Time- simply put, Zdeno Chara is a beast on the ice who logs a ton of minutes in every situation. While the Boston captain did set up Mark Recchi’s go-ahead tally, he also was caught out for Sedin’s equalizer and didn’t recover to stop Burrows from skating around Thomas and stuffing a wraparound for the stunning winner. Chara must be better along with Julien, who got duped by Alain Vigneault’s on the fly change that caught Andrew Ference instead of reliable partner Dennis Seidenberg. With the last change on home ice, that can’t happen.


4.The Horton Affect- when Nathan Horton scores, good things happen for the black and gold. The big man has been instrumental during their run, scoring big overtime goals while setting up teammates. When the going got tough against Tampa, the ex-Panther shined brightest with two goals and two assists over the last three games including the series clincher. He’ll need to be a factor in front of Roberto Luongo, who hasn’t dealt with much chaos compared to his busier counterpart.


5.Shoot The Puck- there were opportunities to shoot the puck when it was tied late in regulation that the B’s mysteriously passed up. One such chance saw a streaking Johnny Boychuk passing up an open shot from the right circle, instead overpassing to a covered teammate. Vancouver’s D is too stingy. They take away that East/West option, which hardly works during this time of year. The Bruins must pepper Luongo from every angle. He’s good at making the first save but will let out juicy rebounds, which the B’s must be in position to pounce. Fire away and score in the dirty areas.


6.Special Teams- the B’s have been brutal on the power play but finally connected when ultimate warrior Recchi parked himself in front of Luongo and neatly deflected a Chara blast that steered them ahead. Vancouver has a dangerous PK that comes right at you. Their tendency is to overcommit. So, crafty playmakers like David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron must distribute the puck quickly. Short, concise passes can trap Canuck attackers high, giving them a decided edge down low. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Vancouver boasts the best PP with many weapons ranging from the Sedins to Ryan Kesler, Burrows plus sharp shooters Christian Ehrhoff, Sami Salo and Alex Edler. The advice is simple. Stay out of the box, which requires not targeting Burrows or knucklehead Max Lapierre.

On paper, it sounds like they’ll have to play a perfect game just to give themselves a chance. However, these are all winning qualities good teams execute during a primetime series such as this. It’s not won early but late. All depending on how you adjust. We’ll see if Boston can use the crowd to their advantage. They’ll be loud. The B’s haven’t won the Cup since 1972 when Bobby Orr skated the fancy chalice in front of Dad after beating the Rangers. They’ve failed five times since then including back in 1990 to Mark Messier’s Oilers, who won the last of their six Cups. Starting tonight on Versus, we get to see what they’re made of.

Drew Stafford got his payday. Coming off a career season that saw the Buffalo Sabre forward notch 31 goals, 21 assists and 52 points in just 62 contests, the former North Dakota product was rewarded with a brand new four-year contract worth a reported $16 million yesterday. The deal prevents him from hitting the dreaded restricted free agency.

Kudos to new Sabres owner Terry Pegula on his continued level of commitment. It looks like the days of classic teases are over for the proud franchise in Western New York that in the past operated like its small market status. When Pegula took over for Tom Golisano, his enthusiasm restored faith to Buffalo fans, who saw their team fall short in the first round to the hated Flyers. The second straight year they were eliminated early. It still was a good showing considering injuries to Jordan Leopold, Jason Pominville and Derek Roy, who returned but wasn’t the same. Boasting a nucleus that includes franchise netminder Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek, Tyler Myers, deadline pickup Brad Boyes for another year along with young guns Tyler Ennis, Nathan Gerbe and Marc-Andre Gragnani, the future looks bright. With Jhonas Enroth also providing surprising netminding in Miller’s absence to help get them in the postseason, suddenly Buffalo is deep there too.

Might Darcy Regier actually dip into a FA market a second straight summer? Last year, he plucked Leopold, who effectively replaced Toni Lydman. Encouraging for passionate Buffalo fans like our very own Brian Sanborn is that Pegula is hands on. He wants to build a winner. Maybe not as crazy as Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban but just the same and that’s what it should be about. Not treading in mediocrity like other organizations that shall remain unnamed.

“I’m very, very excited that a deal got done,” a pumped up Stafford acknowledged. “Buffalo’s an organization that I believe is going in the right direction. I’m just so excited and feel very privileged to be a part of this organization’s future. I just believe we have a chance to bring a championship to the city of Buffalo.“

Certainly, the former ’04 first rounder is headed in the right direction- also posting a career high 11 power play goals which tied Vanek for the club lead. Despite missing 20 games, the 25 year-old kid from Milwaukee was one of the Sabres’ most reliable scoring threats- lighting the lamp plenty down the stretch to get his team in a second consecutive postseason. Though he only registered a goal and two helpers in the seven-game opening round defeat to Philadelphia, the former 13th overall selection feels good about himself.

“I believe I just took a step in the right direction in becoming a better player,” Stafford said. “I plan on continuing to get better and build on last season.“

With Stafford locked up, the Sabres can turn their attention to UFA’s Tim Connolly, Rob Niedermayer and Mike Grier. It’s unlikely Connolly returns unless the injury prone playmaking pivot takes a discount. Pieces like Niedermayer and Grier are nice to have as each played their role well but are replaceable.

Things are looking up for Buffalo. How Stafford’s deal impacts how much potential Ranger RFA’s Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan remains to be seen. It just got interesting.

A couple of days ago, everyone in Twitter land was rejoicing. Colin Campbell will no longer be League Deputy in charge of disciplining players. Brendan Shanahan takes over the challenging role, giving fans and press hope that future endeavors will be more consistent. Be that as it may, we get to last night’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final that after way too many whistles, finally saw the Bruins and Canucks put on quite a show with Raffi Torres providing a stirring ending that left Boston cooked with 18.5 seconds left in regulation.

While the criticism of the stripes is well deserved, let’s give some credit for no offside on a hustling Ryan Kesler, who again managed to make the biggest play that allowed his team to prevail. We’ll never grasp how the gritty do everything American who in our view is the leading Conn Smythe candidate, stayed on side. However, replays confirmed the miraculous play that allowed Jannik Hansen to set up Torres for a tap in that touched off some fireworks. The play of Hansen was imminent all night with a superb Tim Thomas stoning him on a breakaway moments earlier. So, it wasn’t too surprising that Hansen was involved. But Torres?!?!?!?! A borderline player who plays his role well. I guess that’s what makes this Vancouver team the best one they’ve ever had. It doesn’t matter who it is. They all contribute. That’s why they’re a favorite in this series and explains our Canucks pre-playoff prediction, ironically over the Bruins in seven. Still, I did err in going against myself when taking my regular season pick the Flyers in Round Two over Beantown. Oops.

When they were allowed to play, the hockey was riveting with each club playing a frenetic pace, generating quality chances. Even if Vancouver’s were better especially in a lopsided third that if not for Kesler’s dramatics, was headed to overtime. It made for compelling play with nobody passing up a check. And the action was fast and furious. Exactly what you’d want from the two best teams left. If only that was the whole story.

What would a great game to kickoff the fight for Lord Stanley be without controversy? It came in the form of Alex Burrows at the end of the first. Not surprisingly, following a hard fought period, the two teams got together behind Thomas’ net. First, Burrows challenged Patrice Bergeron. He of a concussion history who fought back to return last round. Intelligent. As if that weren’t enough for a quite capable player who’s scored some big goals this tournament, he then took a bite out of Bergeron’s glove, stunning NBC production talent that included Doc Emrick, Ed Olczyck, Pierre McGuire, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones. All called the instigator out and expected him to be suspended for Game 2, which would’ve been the logical thing to do.

When you’re talking about a league that after retaining Phoenix, allows Atlanta to relocate to Winnipeg and then threatens fans before they even get hockey again, there is no logic necessary. That may explain how Mike Murphy somehow concluded that Burrows did nothing wrong. That even with video replay, which seemed to indicate Bergeron taking off the glove and bleeding, he ruled that there was no ‘conclusive evidence.’ Even if it looked like a bite to a vast majority including a large audience that made Game 1 of the SCF its highest rated to start a Cup Final in 11 years thanks to NBC, our opinions didn’t matter. Unfortunately, one person is ultimately responsible for such pivotal decisions.

Burrows’ large appetite reminded us of Jarkko Ruutu when he got nabbed for two games after treating Andrew Peters’ glove like a snack. Biting incidents have also been alleged with a recent case if memory serves coming from the Flyers. In this game, you never know what can happen. Players will do anything to gain an edge. Though we’re baffled as to what purpose Mr. Burrows had in mind at the end of a period on one of our faves, the classy Bergeron. Mystifying. Had it been the regular season, the NHL would have had more time and used better judgment. Perhaps the Canucks would’ve lost Burrows for two games. Instead, he gets of scot free and once again leaves fans, media and the blogosphere alike wondering how this is possible on such a big stage.

Like it or not, this is how our game operates. I am out of answers.