2007-08 NHL Thread...

[ZiggyPop]

Originally Posted by BruceM

MVP = Ovechkin

Come Back Player of the Year = Kovalev

I don't know about Kovalev as Come Back Player, it would depend on how you would define the award I guess.

Is it a reward for coming back from a season in whick your performances where really sub-par or from any other event (injury, sickness, retirement)?

My pick would be Jeremy Roenick and his 10 GWG.

[Muppetus Galacticus]

Originally Posted by BruceM

MVP = Ovechkin

Come Back Player of the Year = Kovalev

Coach of the Year = Bruce Boudreau. 37-17-7 record on a team that was 6-14-1 when he took over.

Rookie of the Year = Patrick Kane. I think Price would have got it if he stayed up the whole year and Toews might have ended up on top without his injuries.

[Operation Shutdown]

Originally Posted by Big Hugg

Leave it to Ken Hitchcock to set the tone on the most critical off-season in Blue Jackets history (20-25 million to spend, fan base getting fed up):

"Other than two or three players ... I told the players that you might have a contract, you might be a member of the organization, but you don't have a spot. This is the way it's going to be. It's going to be a mandate from ownership, from the president, from the general manager that we've entered a new phase, and the phase is 'Win now.' You might have 20 NHL contracts and there might be minor-league players or free agents or walk-ons who do a better job. And when the mandate is that it is now, that's a whole different mind-set. The developing is to be done by the developers and the winning is going to be done by this group."

I don't get what you're trying to say here, that Hitchcock's words are wrong? I think that's exactly what a coach needs to say to a team that didn't make the playoffs, especially if they're feeling pretty good about themselves for doing so. Basically, he's saying, hey, we did okay this season, but don't you dare get complacent about where we are as a team. The organization is demanding more out of us, if you think your job is secure, think again.

[Operation Shutdown]

Originally Posted by Starshadow

There's been some talk amongst Pens fans that they would be better off losing to the Flyers and taking their chances with the Sens.

Personally, I think a Pens-Flyers series would be nasty, and I doubt the Pens chances afterward if they can survive such a series.

Count me in as one of the fans who actually didn't mind the Penguins losing the game on Sunday to the Flyers. While a conference championship would have been nice (and I'm not diminishing what the Canadiens did this season, if the Pens don't make it I'll be rooting for them), I think it's all about the playoffs and making a run at the Stanley Cup. While I think the Pens would have probably beat the Flyers in the playoffs, the chance for injury would have been higher and I think they match up much better against Ottawa. Ottawa is a team that has been slipping and is still falling apart (with the injuries to Fischer and Alfreddson and their goalie troubles) while the Flyers had their issues, slipped a bit, but have actually been playing fairly solid hockey for the past month or so.

As for the game yesterday, it was interesting to see how tight the referees were really calling that game on both sides, even to the point of going a bit overboard (I'm thinking of the Gonchar penalty when he checked a guy from the side right after the puck hit his stick and they called interference???). OTOH, they really kept things from escalating so I really didn't mind. They were calling every little cheap shot in order to keep things in check. It'll be itneresting to see if Flyers games are called in a similar manner in the playoffs. Chances are probably not. Here's to hoping that Caps fans (and NHL fans for that matter) get to actually watch Ovechkin in the playoffs instead of watching him watch the games from the press box after getting elbowed, boarded, sucker punched, you name it by Scott Hartnell, Derian Hatcher, Riley Cote, etc.

[Long_Long_Name]

Originally Posted by Kekkonen

Put a replacement level defenseman in Lidström's place, and the Wings still win their division. Put a replacement-level LW in Ovechkin's place, and the Capitals have a shot at another #1 overall pick.

That's all likely, but I don't think that really matters in determining who the best player was. I have a problem with giving an individual award to a player based on who's around him.

As for coach of the year, I really don't know how to determine that. People usually vote for the coach whose team surpassed expectations the most (see Guy Carbonneau), which I think is a shame - as if it's entirely the coach's fault, and as if there was nothing more to a coach's job than performing better than expected. Other candidates I've heard are Therrien (won his division without Crosby), Julien (made the playoffs despite numerous injuries), Trotz and Lemaire. Of the bunch, from what I've been able to see, Lemaire and Julien are way, way better coaches than any other in the NHL - not that this year is better or worse than usual in that regard.

As for Bruce Boudreau, his team did turn around when he came along, going from last place to 7th place in the East. 7th isn't all that fabulous, especially with the unbalanced schedule heavily favouring them this year. It's a pretty cool comeback nonetheless, though.

[Muppetus Galacticus]

Originally Posted by Long_Long_Name

Julien (made the playoffs despite numerous injuries)

I would not be disappointed to see him win at all.

[marc]

Originally Posted by Big Hugg

Leave it to Ken Hitchcock to set the tone on the most critical off-season in Blue Jackets history (20-25 million to spend, fan base getting fed up):

"Other than two or three players ... I told the players that you might have a contract, you might be a member of the organization, but you don't have a spot. This is the way it's going to be. It's going to be a mandate from ownership, from the president, from the general manager that we've entered a new phase, and the phase is 'Win now.' You might have 20 NHL contracts and there might be minor-league players or free agents or walk-ons who do a better job. And when the mandate is that it is now, that's a whole different mind-set. The developing is to be done by the developers and the winning is going to be done by this group."

If they have this "win at all costs" type mentality all of a sudden, then why did they totally pack this season in when they were still in the playoff hunt by moving their best veterans at the deadline?

Quite a frustrating organization, they better spend that money this offseason.

[Big Hugg]

Originally Posted by Operation Shutdown

I don't get what you're trying to say here, that Hitchcock's words are wrong? I think that's exactly what a coach needs to say to a team that didn't make the playoffs, especially if they're feeling pretty good about themselves for doing so. Basically, he's saying, hey, we did okay this season, but don't you dare get complacent about where we are as a team. The organization is demanding more out of us, if you think your job is secure, think again.

I'm saying he set the tone. It's exactly what should have been said.

[Big Hugg]

Originally Posted by marc

If they have this "win at all costs" type mentality all of a sudden, then why did they totally pack this season in when they were still in the playoff hunt by moving their best veterans at the deadline?

Quite a frustrating organization, they better spend that money this offseason.

Because the team they had in place wasn't ready to do what he's talking about doing. If they were, they wouldn't have folded like a card table in the time between the all-star break and the trade deadline.

A number of players aren't going to be back, because they're not competitive enough. When you're 30th in the league in goals scored (and they were then too), you're not good enough.

[marc]

We'll see. He's saying the right things now but the organization needs to actually walk the walk.

They quite easily could have ADDED to their team down the stretch instead of giving up. Hell the Flyers STOLE Vinny Prospal from Tampa.

[Big Hugg]

Well, they tried to get Brad Richards. But the Lightning were obsessed with an NHL-ready goaltender that wasn't old and they weren't getting Pascal Leclaire.

[Kekkonen]

Originally Posted by Long_Long_Name

That's all likely, but I don't think that really matters in determining who the best player was. I have a problem with giving an individual award to a player based on who's around him.

But the Hart isn't given to the best player. Here's straight from the NHL web site:

The Hart Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team.

[Long_Long_Name]

Originally Posted by Kekkonen

But the Hart isn't given to the best player. Here's straight from the NHL web site:

Well, I'd be all for changing the nature of the award, because it's simply idiotic to award an individual award to a player based on the strength of his teammates. Basically, the same player on a somewhat bad team and on a fantastic team shouldn't, by these rules, have completely different odds at getting an individual award. That would mean that on the stand at the awards ceremony, you'd never ever see a well-surrounded player accepting the most prestigious trophy. Frankly, I think that's stupid - you don't give individual awards to people based on what the other 20 guys on the team did (unless it's some sort of leadership trophy). For the same reason, I don't like putting a player's MVP credentials conditional to a playoff participation.

....Of course, changing the nature of the award isn't necessary if we interpret it to be simply the player with the highest value (to his team being redundant). A player with a high value will undoubtedly be more valuable to his team. As in, if, say, Ovechkin has a value of 90 on an arbitrary scale, and Pominville has a value of, say, 75, then Ovechkin will be more valuable to his team. If Lidstrom, for the sake of argument, was a 92, his team would still find him more valuable to itself than Ovechkin. Lidstrom would still be more valuable to his team than Ovechkin. After all, who can be more valuable to his team than the best player in the league?

[Kekkonen]

There is already an award for the best player.

The Lester B. Pearson Award is presented annually to the "most outstanding player" in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players' Association.

It may not get as much press as the Hart, I've heard it said that this is the one NHLers appreciate the most, since it's voted by the players themselves. The vote does seem to be stacked against defensemen and in favor of forwards, though; the trophy was first awarded in 1971 and the only non-forwards to win it are Bobby Orr, Mike Liut, and Dominik Hasek (twice).

[Long_Long_Name]

Originally Posted by Kekkonen

There is already an award for the best player.



It may not get as much press as the Hart, I've heard it said that this is the one NHLers appreciate the most, since it's voted by the players themselves. The vote does seem to be stacked against defensemen and in favor of forwards, though; the trophy was first awarded in 1971 and the only non-forwards to win it are Bobby Orr, Mike Liut, and Dominik Hasek (twice).

Right, the LBP and the Masterton are the weirdo, non-traditional voting ones. As far as I know, though, it's awarded by the NHLPA, not the NHL, though I could be wrong. In either case, I fail to see how a trophy awarded supposedly to a player who is the sole reason his team went anywhere during the regular season is useful, and certainly how it would be the most prestigious award the NHL awards. It just makes zero sense to me. Plus, the writers seem to see it the same way as I do, because a lot of players on good teams have won the trophy.

Note that the Hart is also loaded against defensemen. Since Bobby Orr, only Chris Pronger's the only defenseman who's won it - also, no left winger has won it since Bobby Hull in the 60's, but that's just because left wingers have been unimpressive.

[Long_Long_Name]

Luc Bourdon died in a motorcycle accident two hours ago.

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by Long_Long_Name

Luc Bourdon died in a motorcycle accident two hours ago.

Very sad news, here's the article on TSN.

Canucks blueliner Bourdon killed in motorcycle crash

Condolences to family and friends.

[Long_Long_Name]

Originally Posted by Long_Long_Name

Operation Shutdown, Jonzard showed me this, you've probably seen it, but here it is anyway: YouTube - Funny Pittsburgh Penguins Car Commercial, airing on FSN HD .

Maxime Talbot is awful .

Part 2!

YouTube - Funny Pittsburgh Penguin Car Commercial Part II