Stanley Cup Playoffs 2nd Round Preview.

Well the first round came with its usual share of upsets and unexpected results. For my part, I did about as well as I could hope, picking 50 percent of the series winners, a result with which I can live.

So here we go with the second round choices....

Eastern Conference

New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

The Call: Rangers in 6

Don't let the fact that the Rangers were brought to 7 games versus the Ottawa Senators in the 1st round fool you, New York is still one of the strongest teams in the East. The first round was simply a case of a seemingly weaker team matching up very well against a team who finished higher in the standings. The Ottawa Senators had been a thorn in the side of the Rangers all season long, and almost pulled off the upset. Almost.

The Washington Capitals come into this series having knocked off last year's Stanley Cup champions, which of course is no small task. They did it mostly based on the very strong goaltending of relative unknown Braden Holtby, the maturation of Alexander Ovechkin, and the leadership provided by head coach Dale Hunter. "Play hard, whistle to whistle" was the mantra for the Caps against the Bruins in the opening round, which turned out to be a very smart approach as they refused to get into a war against Boston, a war that they inevitably would have lost.

With the Ottawa Senators behind them, the Rangers will be heading into the second round with renewed confidence, a result of beating a team which no doubt had many of them worried from the outset. Holtby's heroic's aside, the Rangers match up favourably against the Capitals in nets. Henrik Lundqvist's 3rd period performance in game 7 will go a long way in boosting his confidence going into the second round.

The goal in New York is to win the Stanley Cup. The goal in Washington, at least from the outside looking in, was don't get embarrassed in the first round. The Rangers have yet to reach their goal, the Caps have.

The only way the Caps win this series is if Braden Holtby turns in a goaltending performance for the ages. 

 

Philadelphia Flyers vs. New Jersey Devils

The Call: Flyers in 5 

 The Philadelphia Flyers started the playoffs with an impressive win over their arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins in a series that saw them dominate their cross-state nemesis on every level. Laviolette outcoached Bylsma, Bryzgalov outplayed Fleury, Giroux outplayed Crosby, and they won the physical battles. 

On the other hand, the Devils were taken to the absolute limit by the Florida Panthers, winning game 7 in the second overtime period. While their win was laudable, the Flyers are not the Panthers, and this series should mark the end of the road for the Devils' season.

The Flyers have better scoring, more depth, and are riding sky-high confidence into this round. Could be a very short series.

Western Conference

Nashville Predators vs. Phoenix Coyotes

The Call: Predators in 5

 The big question facing the Nashville Predators as they headed into this years playoffs was, "Yes, they have one of the best teams in the NHL, but can they knock off the Detroit Red Wings, their longtime Achilles' Heel?" The Preds answered that question with an impressive 5 game domination of what looked like an aging Detroit squad.

With the first round hurdle cleanly jumped, look for the Predators to continue on their roll against the Phoenix Coyotes, a team against which they match up very well on every level.

The Coyotes, for their part, are in the second round based on the performance of the NHL's first round MVP, goaltender Mike Smith, whom Don Cherry recently called "the best goalie on the planet right now."

Smith notwithstanding, the Predators are simply too much for the Coyotes to handle. Better goaltending, better defence, better scoring, and better coaching than the Chicago Blackhawks who took them to 6 games.

A Nashville sweep wouldn't be a shocker.

St-Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings

The Call: Blues in 6 

It seems like ages since these two teams last played. The Blues and Kings each won their first rounds in short order, the Blues sending the San Jose Sharks packing in 5 games, while the Kings knocked off last year's Stanley Cup finalist Vancouver Canucks, also in 5 games.

The Blues have been pretty much the best team in the NHL from the moment that Ken Hitchcock was brought in as their coach in early November. They are playing strong hockey throughout their lineup and their goaltending has been solid. They are not a flashy club, but they play a smart, defensively sound game, a style that is tailor-made for the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Kings are also a team that is collecting the dividends of an in-season coaching change. They were an underachieving group until Duane Sutter was brought in late into the season. The addition of Jeff Carter, whom they acquired from Columbus, has also had a positive effect on the team, most notably on former Flyers' teammate Mike Richards.

Of the four series picks, this is the one in which I have the least confidence, as it may just boil down to who has the hottest goaltender.

2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round Preview

"Predictions are for gypsies." - Toe Blake

The 2011-12 NHL regular season is finally over. For Canadian fans, unless you happen to live in Ottawa or Vancouver, it will largely be one to forget as 5 of the 7 teams based in the home of hockey find themselves on the outside looking in this post-season.


Regardless of how you feel about this "Year of the Concussion", here we go with my picks for the first round of this year's race for the Stanley Cup.

Eastern Conference

New York Rangers - Ottawa Senators
The Call: Rangers in 6.

On paper, as they say, this should be a cakewalk for the Rangers. They possess one of the NHL's best defences whereas the Senators have the fourth worst goals against average in the league. But, last we checked hockey isn't played on paper, but on the ice. 

The Senators saw Jason Spezza finally develop into the player that most observers have always believed he could be this season. Milan Michalek had a breakout offensive season, Erik Karlsson was far and away the best offensive defenseman in the league, and rookie head coach Paul McLean was able to get this club to believe in their chances pretty much from day one. But it won't be enough...

In Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers have Vezina Trophy caliber goaltending. And, contrary to last year, Lundqvist is heading into this post-season well rested, thanks to the solid play of backup goalie Martin Biron. The Rangers' blueline corps is also top-notch with the first pair of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi ably supported by Michael Del Zotto and Marc Staal.

With Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik, and Ryan Callahan leading the way up front, the Rangers should ultimately take this series. But they will have their hands full.

Boston Bruins - Washington Capitals
The Call: Bruins in 5

It has been an up and down (mostly down) season for the Washington Capitals. The Caps, a chronically underachieving bunch, finally got their head coach, Bruce Boudreau fired early into the season. The expected bounce that the arrival of new head coach and former Washington Capitals legend Dale Hunter was expected to provide never really happened, yet they managed to stumble into a playoff position with a late season push.

The Bruins have also had their share of hot and cold moments this season, with many observers attributing their streaky play to a Stanley Cup hangover following last year's inspirational win. The jury is still out on the possibility of the Bruins going deep into the post-season this year, but they should cruise through the Caps on guts alone.

Florida Panthers - New Jersey Devils
The Call: Devils in 6.


Hard to get really excited about this one. 


Long and short of it is that the Devils have been here before, and they have Martin Brodeur. Sure the Panthers are a good-news story this year. Impressive turnaround with GM Dale Tallon and head coach Kevin Dineen at the helm. 


Whatever happens, neither of these teams is what can be considered a front-runner for the Cup.
 

Pittsburgh Penguins - Philadelphia Flyers
The Call: Pittsburgh in 6.

This series has been designated by yours truly as the series to watch in the Eastern Conference. 

We've repeated ad infinitum that "the Flyers just need goaltending" and in the off-season Mr. Snider and the boys decided to throw as much cash as they could at their legendary goaltending woes and went all-in with Ilya Bryzgalov. Those who have followed Bryzgalov since his beginnings in the NHL with the Ducks kind of suspected that the Russian goalie was a little different. One season with the Flyers proved that Bryzgalov is indeed "wired a little different"  as they say down home. He' s a little strange, but when he' s focused on stopping pucks, he' s one of the best in the business.

So, we've established that the Flyers seem to have pretty good goaltending. Which is a good thing for them because it turns out that they are going to really need it.


The Pittsburgh Penguins will be coming at the Philadelphia Flyers with as healthy of a Malkin-Crosby duo the NHL has had in quite a while. Recap...


Malkin just officially wrapped up the NHL scoring title. Gino got himself 109 points and notched up 50 goals in what was a Hart Trophy caliber season. A brilliant season by any standards.


Crosby came back, scored a bunch of points in a short period, went out again, came back again, and has been scoring points by the bucketload and pissing of opponents since. 37 points in 22 games.


Pro-rate that production and you get yourself a 138 point season. Yeah, that' s right 138 point season. It's been 25 years since somebody has scored 138 point in a season. Them's Mario Lemieux numbers.


Which brings us back to this Flyers-Pens series and the reason for the call in favour of Pittsburgh.


Sidney Crosby will focus on playing hockey and avoiding post whistle activity in this round. Like all of the men who come to dominate the game of hockey, Crosby is an intelligent man. He is also a highly emotional man.


Hockey is an emotional and intelligent game, therefore achieving a balance that yin and yang is a skill as essential as being able to skate, shoot, and pass. Sidney Crosby is very well aware that he needs to control himself. It's his Achilles' Heel. But like all great athletes, he knows that he has to work at his weaknesses as well as his strengths.


They said Orr couldn' t be a good defensive defenceman with his run and gun style. He proved them all wrong by not only becoming the best offensive defenceman of all-time, arguably the straight-up best offensive player of all-time, but also no doubt one of the best shut-down defensive players as well.


Wayne Gretzky, they said, was too small, too slow, and didn't have a good enough shot. The only times where his size may have been  a bit of an issue were; once, when he got nailed at the blueline at Maple Leafs Gardens with his head down, and when he got cross-checked face first into the boards by Gary Suter, injuring his back.


As for Gretzky being too slow, all I know is that we've seen an awful lot of guys chasing him over the years. He may not have been the fastest, but he certainly more than fast enough. As for his shot, well, we all saw what he could do coming across the blueline with a full head of steam, and cranking it as hard as he could past more than just one or two goalies.


This to say that the greats, the truly greats, have made strengths of their perceived weaknesses, and I believe that Crosby will ultimately do the same. It doesn't play well into the Pens' hand to start jabbering, and pushing, and shoving after the whistles against the Flyers.


They can still win a chippy, ugly series against the Flyers should they wish, but that would not be a very smart approach. All that does is add games to the series, and more importantly, wear and tear on the players.


The best approach? Just go in against the Flyers like pros. Play hard, keep your mouths shut, win the games, move on to the next round. Remember, Penguins, the goal is to win the Cup.

Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks - Los Angeles Kings

The Call: Canucks in 5 


 Most agree that the only scenario in which the Los Angeles Kings win this series is that if both Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider forget to show up for the Canucks and that Jamie Quick plays just absolutely lights out hockey.


That might be oversimplifiying it somewhat, but facts are facts. The Vancouver Canucks have put together back-to-back President's Trophy seasons and are coming off a playoff year that saw them come to within one win of the Stanley Cup.


The Kings have some big names and big salaries on their roster, the Canucks have names and achievements on their rosters.


Wouldn' t be shocked to see a sweep...

St-Louis Blues - San Jose Sharks

 The Call: Blues in 5


 Since Ken Hitchcock took over behind the St-Louis Blues bench on November 6th they have been one of the NHL's best teams. And like all winning teams, they did it through defence and home ice dominance.


The Blues allowed a league-low 165 goals and have a remarkable 30-6-5 record at home. The Elliott-Halak tandem has worked very well for them all season. The fact that almost all of the Blues' regulars are "plus" players is also bodes well for them.


The San Jose Sharks had a difficult season. They struggled mightily to remain in the top 8 in the Western Conference and didn't wrap up a playoff spot until the last week.

Phoenix Coyotes - Chicago Blackhawks

The Call: Blackhawks in 6 


 This series could boil down to a battle of respective MVPs.


Mike Smith has been arguably the best defenceman in the league down the homestretch and has to be considered as a serious Vezina Trophy candidate. He finished fourth among goalies in wins, 3rd in shutouts and save percentage and 7th in goals against average. In his last 5 games he allowed just two goals on 192 shots, easily making him the hottest goalie in the NHL at this moment.


For Chicago, the good news is that it appears as though captain Jonathan Toews is ready to go after missing the last 22 games of the season with a concussion. Toews has clearly established himself as one of the game's best leaders with a propensity for playing his best during big games.


The Hawks also enjoy much more depth in their lineup than does Phoenix. The Coyotes have a 1st line of Radim Vrbata, Shane Doan, and Ray Whitney, with little else to support them. Not exactly up to Chicago's roster of Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Patrick Bolland, and Viktor Stalberg.

Nashville Predators - Detroit Red Wings

The Call: Predators in 7 


 In the Western Conference, this should be the "must-watch" series.


On the surface, these teams appear to be evenly matched. Both teams finished with 48 wins. Both teams feature balanced attacks and strong scoring support from their respective bluelines.


In nets, Nashville's Pekka Rinne is coming off his best regular season of his career, whereas Detroit's Jimmy Howard looked as though he might give Martin Brodeur's record of 48 regular season wins a run for its money until injury dashed those hopes.


The one area that plays in favour of Nashville is in home vs. road performance. The Red Wings have been lights out within the friendly confines of Joe Louis Arean putting together a record of 31-7-3 at home. On the road, it has been a different story as they struggled to a 17-21-3 mark, which is the same as the Toronto Maple Leafs, hardly an impressive lot. At 22-16-3, Nashville owns the 2nd best road record in the Western Conference.


Home ice advantage may just end up being the difference in this one.

Goodbye Toronto Maple Leafs

As of the end of this NHL regular season, I will be putting an end to one of the longest relationships I've ever had. That's right, as of the end of play on Saturday, April 7^th 2012, I will officially cease being a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Call it irreconcilable differences.

I've been a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club pretty much since birth so it will take some getting used to on my part, but, as they say, enough is enough. Any relationship must be comprised of a healthy balance of give-and-take, and for the most part it has been give-give-give on my part, and take-take-take on the part of the Leafs.

As a fan, you hand over your heart and soul to your team. Growing up as I did in Gaspé, Québec in the 60's and 70's I proudly and openly declared myself to be a Leafs fan amidst a sea of Montreal Canadiens red, white, and blue. I wore a Toronto Maple Leafs T-shirt to school. Heck, I even had a “Clear the track for Eddie Shack” lunch box.

My bedroom wall was adorned with a Toronto Maple Leafs calendar on which I would write down the game results. During my first visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame, then situated on the CNE grounds in Toronto, I took my piggy bank money and dropped it all on a Toronto Maple Leafs memorabilia. My blood flowed blue and white.

Like many kids, I grew into becoming a Leafs fan mainly through genetic pre-disposition. My dad was a Leafs fan. His dad was a Leafs fan.

My grandfather traced his Toronto “bloodlines” all the way back to the beginnings of the club. When he talked about the early days, he didn't refer to the man who put together the team and built Maple Leafs Gardens as Conn Smythe, he referred to him as “Mr.” Smythe. And as far as he was concerned, Mr. Smythe was the be-all and end-all in terms of hockey people.

 Photo: Toronto Maple Leafs owner, President, and General Manager, sits directly behind the Stanley Cup, surrounded by the 1932 champions. Seated to Smythe's right is Frank Selke Sr. To his left, Dick Irvin Sr. King Clancy is the third player from the left, front row. Other Hockey Hall of Fame members on this photo include, Ace Bailey, Charlie Conacher, Hap Day, Red Horner, Busher Jackson, and Joe Primeau.

The best hockey player of all-time, bar none, for him, had been King Clancy. “Not very big, could skate like the wind, and one tough son of a gun” was his assessment. With the Kid Line of Busher Jackson, Joe Primeau, and Charlie Conacher, as well as bruising defenceman Red Horner in their lineup, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the late 20's and early 30's captured his imagination.

He of course, passed his passion along to my father, for whom Syl Apps, and later Ted Kennedy, became heroes. “Nobody worked harder at the game of hockey than Teeder Kennedy” he would repeat ad nauseam. And of course, the best “money goalie” of all-time was without a doubt Turk Broda. Like I would do years later, he collected hockey cards and pictures, his prized possession being a complete Bee-Hive series of his beloved Maple Leafs.

Photo: Left to right, Hockey Hall of Famers, Syl Apps and Ted "Teeder" Kennedy. Apps won 3 Stanley Cups. Kennedy won 5 Stanley Cups and the Leafs never once missed the playoffs during his career.

When I came along, I did what many kids do and slipped into the family business. The first players I followed were Keon and Ullman. Then Darryl Sittler arrived and soon was the captain. My grandfather had Clancy, my father had Kennedy, and I had Darryl Sittler.

For a while there was hope. Things for which to cheer. There was the 6 goal and 10 point night against the Bruins. There were the 5 goals in one playoff game against the Philadelphia Flyers. And there was of course The Goal, the 1976 Canada Cup winner (in overtime, thank you very much).

Video: Darryl Sittler,  captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs scores the 1976 Canada Cup winning goal in overtime. Goal as it the 2:38 mark of this clip.

 

But then it fizzled... Badly. The Leafs were no longer being run by Mr. Smythe like they had been in the early years. No. My Leafs were under the control of a lunatic. Harold E. Ballard. The fat, loud, obnoxious, classless, lying windbag who became quite possibly the most hated owner in the Canadian sports history.

He had managed to wrestle ownership of the Maple Leafs by being buddy-buddy with Conn Smythe's hapless son, Stafford. Through a series of machinations, Pal Hal, ended up as the head honcho at Maple Leafs Gardens. Actually ringleader is a better term than owner, because under Ballard the Leafs were a circus act that would have made Barnum and Bailey green with envy.

He was brash, and he was crass, and it seemed as though he was doing everything possible to destroy the Toronto Maple Leafs. He let Dave Keon get away to the WHA because he didn't want to pay him. He humiliated his coaches, first Red Kelly and then Roger Neilson.

Under his watch the Leafs traded away fan favourite Lanny McDonald. He fought constantly with Darryl Sittler. Soon, he was gone too.

Video: Lanny McDonald interviewed by HNIC's Dave Hodge. McDonald's first game at Maple Leaf Gardens after being traded to Colorado.

Things got so bad in Toronto a one point that a high draft prospect's parents wrote Ballard urging, pleading, that the Leafs not draft their son. Ponder that for a moment. A kid, an Ontario kid, not wanting to go to Toronto because it was a terrible organization. “Not under Mr. Smythe's watch” I can almost hear my grandfather saying...

Yet Ballard kept kicking the Leafs further and further down the path of disrepute. A once proud franchise, it had become a shattered shell of its former self. Even as he faced death he held true to his classless form. There were the public fights with his son, Bill Ballard. And there was Yolanda. Yes Yolanda. No Vaudeville farce would be complete without a Yolanda. An equally unbalanced younger, second (or was it third?) wife.

Photo: Harold Ballard barks at reporters as his wife, Yolanda, looks on.

Eventually, Ballard died. While it may seem harsh, it's safe to say that not many Leafs fan cried when it happened. In fact, there was reason for hope. Things could only improve right? Well... yes, and no. While there were some notable improvements, the end result was the same. The Stanley Cup remained some distant dream. An illusion, a mirage...

Sure there were some good years following the Ballard era. Some good teams and players. Doug Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Curtis Joseph, Eddie Belfour, Mats Sundin, Wendel Clark. But still they came up short. Not a single Stanley Cup finals appearance since 1967.

Photo: Toronto's Doug Gilmour slips puck past Los Angeles goalie Kelly Hrudey in the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Fast forward through the Cliff Fletcher, Pat Quinn, and John Ferguson Jr. eras to November 2008 the arrival of the brash and tough talking Brian Burke.

Burke certainly came to the Leafs with a second-to-none resume. Harvard Law School graduate. Director of hockey operations in Vancouver. GM of the Hartford Whalers. Executive Vice-President and Director of Hockey Operations NHL. GM of the Vancouver Canucks. GM of the Anaheim Ducks.

In press conference after press conference there was a promise of no five year plans. Winning now, was the credo. Burke used words such as truculence and rambunctiousness when describing what the Leafs would be like under his control.  In the time since his hiring the Leafs have missed the playoffs in 2009, 2010, 2011, and now, 2012.

This of course while the Toronto Maple Leafs reside in what is quite possibly the most fertile ground for the development of hockey players anywhere on the planet. A point that Don Cherry made quite famously on a recent edition of HNIC's Coach's Corner.

Video: Don Cherry criticizes Brian Burke for lack of Ontario players on Toronto Maple Leafs roster.

 And through it all Brian Burke remains defiant, acting as though he's actually building a winner in Toronto. Trying to convince fans, or perhaps himself, that everything is under control. Lambasting any and all who dare question his decisions.

Well, I for one am not buying it and am moving on as a fan. After this season, yet another miserable season that ended in failure, I will be a free agent. Free to cheer for an organization of my choice. It would be hard for me to do worse.

The Senator returns.

There are people in sports who have the ability to command respect well beyond traditional team rivalries. Baseball has men like Joe Torre. Basketball has Magic Johnson. In hockey, Serge Savard is such a man.

Many people grow to become leaders over time, or through the demands thrust upon them by circumstance. Some people were just born with a natural ability to lead and inspire, in much the same way that some hockey players were born with the ability to score goals. Hockey Hall of Famer Serge Savard is one of those rare individuals whose very presence seems get everyone around him to try a little harder, play with a little more confidence, and ultimately, win.

It's no secret to those who know me that I've never been a dyed in the red, white, and blue Montreal Canadiens fan. Au contraire, I've been fairly vocal about the fact that I'm not a disciple of Les Glorieux. But Serge Savard, is a different story. Rewind 40 years...

In the fall of 1972, Team Canada played an epic hockey series that pitted them against the hated USSR. For years the Russians had dominated hockey at the Olympic and World Championships level. The reason for this dominance was the absence of our top professional players at these competitions that were deemed "for amateurs only".

This series was supposed to be a cake walk. Eight straight wins, eight straight easy wins, was the prevailing opinion. History tells us that what ended up happening was quite different altogether.

It started with a 7-3 loss in Montreal that left the fans stunned. Surely it was just a bad dream. Surely Team Canada would bounce back and take all of the remaining games. Well not exactly. Things got so bad that at the end of the Game 4 loss in Vancouver, fans were actually booing Team Canada. Think about that... Team Canada booed off its own rink.

It was as if everything we had grown up to believe up to that point was one giant lie. My world, all of our worlds, seemed to be crumbling around us.

Well we all know the story now. Team Canada dropped the first game back in Moscow, but roared back to win the last 3 games to take the series 4-3-1.

We remember the exploits of Henderson, Cournoyer, and Esposito, to be sure. But it is also very telling that Team Canada never lost a game in that series when Serge Savard was in the lineup. A fact that was not lost on his teammates who were unanimous in stating that when Savard was in the lineup they all felt just that little extra confidence, that belief that, in the end, everything was going to be alright.

So that would be the first reason why I respect Serge Savard. Anyone who pulls on the Team Canada sweater and performs like he did, is bound to be good in my books, no matter what NHL team he plays for.

The second reason I respect Serge Savard is that he has been very, very good for the development of hockey in Quebec. Which by extension is good for Canadian hockey, and hockey in general.

It's no secret that the game of hockey is going through some very difficult times in Quebec at the minor level. Less and less kids are playing the game. Only 100,000 or so are registered in leagues this season. A quick check of NHL rosters last December revealed that there are more NHLers who hail from the state of Minnesota that do from Quebec.The number of QMJHL players drafted by NHL clubs is also in constant decline.

A few years ago, Quebec boys dreamed of becoming the next Richard, Beliveau, or Lafleur. Today they dream of becoming Alex Harvey, Mikael Kingsbury, or Alexandre Despaties. Fine athletes to be sure, but not hockey players.

Don't believe in the effect that having a homegrown hockey hero has on the long term development of players? Think Patrick Roy. During the time that he was arguably the best goalie in the game, he inspired many of Quebec's best young athletes to become goalies, the result being that a generation of top notch NHL goaltenders have hailed from La Belle Province.

Serge Savard made no secret of the fact that part of the role of the Montreal Canadiens was to nurture, encourage, and develop home grown talent. His teams not only counted on star players from Quebec such as Roy, but he also filled his roster with players such as Sergio Momesso, Gaston Gingras, Serge Boisvert, Stephan Lebeau, and Gilbert Dionne. He brought Quebec born coaches such as Jean Perron, and Pat Burns and the Montreal Canadiens hockey operations department was filled with Quebecers.

The Savard effect was felt all the way down the hockey ranks. During his years at the helm of the Montreal Canadiens, hockey flourished in this province. The QMJHL expanded at a prodigious pace. Young players were drafted into the NHL in record numbers.

By bringing in Serge Savard as an advisor to the Montreal Canadiens today, Geoff Molson showed that, yes, he understands the special responsibility that he has as head honcho of the hockey club. He also understands, that very soon, just a couple of hundred kilometers down Highway 20, there will soon be an NHL club (Quebec will return to the NHL, you can count on it) that not only is backed by one of this country's most impressive media empires, but a club that will surely go to great lengths to show that they, not the Montreal Canadiens, are Quebec's true team.

Today, Geoff Molson fired the first salvo in the Montreal-Quebec City hockey war. The big winners will ultimately be the fans, Quebec-born players, and the game.

Hockey Evening in Old Quebec.

   We call ourselves "Les Vieux", or, "The Old Guys", and we meet every Tuesday evening on the outdoor rink just inside the walled portion of Old Quebec, near the St-Louis Gate, to play a little hockey.

   I'm not certain what the world record is for the most outdoor hockey rinks, but Quebec City has 127 of them. Within a 20 minute walk from my house there are three. I divide them into the very busy rink, the not-so busy rink, and the skate-with-the-sweetheart-or-the-family rink.

  Tuesdays, we head to the busy rink where "Les Vieux" divide themselves into two groups. Darks versus Whites.

   As Tuesday night is my Toronto Maple Leafs vintage Bill Barilko sweater night, I'm with the Darks, where my job is to play defense, dish off the puck to the more energetic guys, and maybe, just maybe, embark on one or two rushes.

  Rushes that may or may not become end-to-end jobs. That, and of course, have myself some fun.

   So tonight we started throwing the puck around in our usual lazy manner, as guys came on to the ice, one by one, or two at a time, and eventually a game started. A game just like any another game.

   That is, until a coach bus parked itself on D'Auteuil Street, 50 feet or so from the rink.

   As the door opened, a ruckus could be heard. The type of ruckus that any of us who has ever been anywhere near a hockey rink has heard many times.

   They piled out of the bus, half-running, half-stumbling, and headed towards us. Or more accurately, headed towards the ice. "Hey, hey, guys. Wait up, wait up!", a parent or coach yelled from the back.

   The first thing I noticed was their equipment. Everything matched. The gloves, the pants, the helmets. All new and all top of the line.

   I couldn't help but think back and my own faraway years as a young minor hockey player, and think that we would have been quite impressed to see an opposing team so nattily attired.

   Our team, had the old early 1970's Vancouver Canucks hockey stick and rink logo, and certainly had no names on the back. They were passed down from year to year, and you were fortunate if the socks actually matched the sweater.

   As I was the player who is the most comfortable with English, and the player whose style is well adapted to chatting while skating, the man who appeared to be in charge of this group asked me, "Is it okay if the boys go out on the ice? They've never skated outdoors before.". 

  "Sure, we'll divide the rink up. You guys take half, we'll take half." As our numbers were lower on this evening due to the fact that it's Valentine's Day and some guys have their priorities wrong, there would be room for everyone, we all agreed.

   Enough room, until we realized that there was not one, but in fact, two teams, presumably here to take part in the 53rd annual Quebec City Pee-Wee Tournament, hockey's equivalent to the Little League World Series of baseball.

   As sharp looking as the first group of kids looked in their coordinated outfit, the second group was a more ragtag looking bunch. In fact they didn't have full hockey gear. Just skates, gloves and helmets. Except their goalies, who were in full gear, complete with yellow sweaters which had clearly seen better days.

   In the space of about 15 minutes, we went from being 10 older guys shinnying our way through a nice winter evening, to a mishmash of "Les Vieux", a couple of Pee-Wee teams, and about a dozen adults armed with cameras, scrambling to get snapshots of their offspring taking their first strides on natural ice.

   The chaotic scene was too much for a few of our group, who simply chose to leave the ice to the oncoming mob. A couple of us older guys remained, throwing the puck around while looking on as the kids soaked in the experience of skating outdoors under the lights, in a remarkably beautiful setting, just steps away from where, unbeknownst to them, 100 years earlier a group of Quebec City boys, who called themselves the Bulldogs, a team led by hockey legend Joe Malone, won the first of its two Stanley Cups.

   I learned that the first of the two teams, the one with the matching uniforms, was from the U.S. and they figured that it would be good to take the boys out on natural ice while they were in town, and they invited a team from the Ukraine to join them in the experience. "Even if they both played yesterday, they still have lots of energy left over", said one of the coaches.

   "Why don't you guys take the whole rink and have the kids play a game?'', I asked.

   "Only our kids have full gear, plus the kids are not all at the same level", answered the coach.

   "Just throw the sticks in the middle, and split them up. I think the people would like to see that.", I said pointing to the 20 to 30 passersby who had stopped to watch the two Pee-Wee teams buzzing around the outdoor rink, laughing, talking, and having the time of their lives.

   Within two minutes I found myself standing over a pile of sticks.

   One fancy stick thrown to the left, one fancy stick thrown to the right. One not-so fancy stick thrown to the left, one not-so fancy stick thrown to the right. "All right boys, whichever side your stick is on, that's your team", yelled out the coach.

   For the next 20 minutes or so, two Pee-Wee teams from two totally different cultures skated, passed, stickhandled and shot the puck all over the ice.

  As I skated off the ice, my unofficial refereeing duties fulfilled, one of the horse carriage drivers who had walked over to watch the action said to me in French, "Ça c'est la meilleure game de hockey que j'ai vu depuis longtemps''. (That's the best hockey game I've seen in a long time.)

  Hard not to agree with him.

 

The time has come for the Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky trophies.

   You might say that the last thing the National Hockey League needs right now are another trophy or two added to their already well stocked hardware shelf, but a case could be made for the point of view that the time to create a Bobby Orr trophy and a Wayne Gretzky award has now come.

   Right now we have the Art Ross, the Hart, the Norris, the Rocket Richard, the Calder, the Vezina, and the Lady Byng as what one might consider the as the first tier regular season individual trophies. Add to that the Conn Smythe trophy, and we pretty much have it covered.

   Some fans and observers have mentioned that perhaps renaming certain trophies, like, for instance making the Norris trophy the Bobby Orr trophy, or have the Hart trophy become the Wayne Gretzky trophy could be a solution.

  Personally, I'm not a fan of the renaming route. The original names help in passing down hockey history through the generations.  These trophies help tie players like Red Kelly to players like Zdeno Chara. Or guys like Howie Morenz to Sidney Crosby.

  No, rather than change what we now have, adding the Bobby Orr trophy and the Wayne Gretzky trophy would probably do the trick.

   Award the Bobby Orr trophy to the NHL's top scoring defenceman, and the Wayne Gretzky trophy to the Stanley Cup playoffs leading scorer. Those are both accomplishments which legitimately deserve to be honoured. And for those who figure that the Orr will almost always come to the winner of the Norris, or that the Conn Smythe trophy winner will more often that not also add the Gretzky, consider this...

   Since the NHL lockout, the winners of the Norris trophy have been:

Lidstrom
Keith
Chara
Lidstrom
Lidstrom
Lidstrom

   The winners of the Bobby Orr trophy, had it existed of course, would have been:

Visnovsky
Green
Green
Lidstrom
Niedermayer
Lidstrom

Only one two occasions would there have been a simultaneous Norris and Orr trophies winner, and that would have been Nicklas Lidstrom.

   As for the Smythe-Gretzky comparsion we had the following Conn Smythe trophy winners

Thomas
Toews
Malkin
Zetterberg
Niedermayer
Ward

Over that same period, Gretzky trophy winners would have been

Krejci
Briere
Malkin
Zetterberg
Alfredsson
Stall

   Again, we see only two instances where there would have been a simultaneous Smythe-Gretzky winner. In this case, Malkin and Zetterberg.

   So how long before the NHL adds some more trophies? Who knows, but the time has come for the Orr and Gretzky awards.

   

It's a hockey sweater.

   Today was Hockey Day in Canada. A great tradition started about 10 years back by the folks at CBC Sports. It gives us all a chance to reflect on what the game means to us both as individuals and as a society.

   We've heard all the cliches before. Hockey is like a religion. Hockey is what binds us together as a country. Hockey defines us as a people.

   Hockey has also given us expressions and vocabulary that is unique to us as Canadians. Things such as "changing on the fly", "two-hander", "playing in traffic", and "top shelf". 

   And in much the same way that we spell words such as "colour" and "centre" differently than they do in the United States, the vocabulary of the game of hockey is also different to that used in what are considered American sports. Two examples of this are the use of the words "jersey" and "locker rooms".

   Unfortunately these words seem to be creeping into the hockey vernacular. They are terms which are used by the NHL by the CBC, and by the Canadian Press.

   As the NHL is mostly an American corporate entity, that it lacks awareness of the traditional Canadian hockey vocabulary is not all that surprising. The CBC and CP on the other hand, should know better.

   At the risk of being accused of nitpicking, here in Canada, it's a hockey sweater and a dressing room. In the words of Hockey Night in Canada's Jim Hughson, "a jersey is a cow", and there are no lockers in a hockey dressing room.

   So in the spirit of keeping the Canadian game Canadian, let us therefore commit ourselves to using the proper terminology when discussing hockey. A good place to start would be the proper use of the terms hockey sweater and dressing room.

Give the right-wing goalie a break.

   When reading a story yesterday, that the Boston Bruins would be attending the White House to meet with President Barack Obama in a ceremony meant to highlight last spring's Stanley Cup victory, I must admit that my reaction was one of "ho-hum". Boring...

   For American sports teams, the Washington visit is one of the perks of winning a championship. Baseball teams, basketball teams, football teams, and United States based hockey teams, go to their nation's capital, pose for pictures, hand the Prez a jersey with his name on it, make a few lame jokes, everybody laughs, and everybody moves on.

   When it's the Stanley Cup champions making the visit, these public relations events usually serve to show how little most presidents know about hockey.

   The image of George Bush The First, not knowing who Mario Lemieux was, or of Bill Clinton calling the Detroit Red Wings captain Steve "Why-Zerr-Man" are two such instances.

   I don't know this for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that Barack Obama isn't exactly an expert on the game. I could be wrong, but I suspect that if asked he would say that hybrid icing has something to do with green technology being used for the freezing of the playing surface.

   So I figured that this visit would be one that would come and go as most others have in the past, a 15 second blurb at the end of the nightly sportscast. But I hadn't figured on Tim Thomas.

   Today, Tim Thomas, an American-born NHL goaltender, declined the invitation to attend the White House and meet President Obama with the rest of his teammates. This of course set off the media and sent the Twitter world, well, all atwitter. 

   Thomas, for those who may not know, is an active member of the Tea Party, an ultra-conservative political movement. Some clues as to his political views can be seen on his mask which include the "In God We Trust" inscription on the front and a stylized Gadsden flag on the back. Thomas has also stated that he is a fan of conservative media figure Glenn Beck.

   So that he is not enamored with this particular President of the United States, is certainly not a surprise. That he decided that his political convictions demanded that he snub an invitation to the White House is  also not really surprising given the highly divisive nature of current American politics.

   Although Thomas stated that "this was not about politics", the reality is that refusing an invitation to the White House is a profoundly political act. Regardless, how it is spun.

   But be that as it may, as a hockey fan, it is a story of little or no consequence. I'm certain that his teammates are not torn in the least about this, so it won't have any effect on the cohesiveness of the Bruins. 

   This is not Carlos Smith at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, nor is in Muhammad Ali refusing induction in the United States Army. A hockey goalie refusing to meet the President of the United States is hardly the type of event that will have sociologists and historians writing about years from now.

    I didn't care about the Bruins visiting the White House earlier today, and even with this controversy, I still don't care.

  

Sunday Shots

-   My last trip to the hockey equipment equipment store got me thinking: "When was the latest technological advance in the hockey helmet?". Seems like today's helmets are pretty much the same as they have been for the last 30 years. With all of the talk about concussions, you'd think that helmets would have evolved. Or, maybe not...

-  Even though the top ten leading NHL scoring leaders are within 5 points of each other, one cannot help but feel that it's only a question of time before Pittsburgh's Evgeny Malkin starts to separate himself from the pack. After briefly falling out of a playoff spot last week, the Penguins have won 5 in a row, thanks in large part to Malkin's inspired play.

-   It never fails. You go out on a limb and pronounce a team as being a shoo-in to go all the way, and they thank you by going out and playing a stinker of a hockey game.

   The culprits this time are the Shawinigan Cataractes whom only a few days ago, I predicted will ultimately win the President's Cup, the trophy awarded to the QMJHL champions. While I still believe that they are the best team in the league at this time, yesterday's loss to the Gatineau Olympiques shows that the road to QMJHL supremacy will not be without bumps.

   Ultimately this loss may serve as a reminder to the Cataractes that while they may have a top level roster, rarely, if ever, are hockey games won on talent alone. 

   In their defence, the Cats were not favoured by the schedule, one of the QMJHL's glaring weaknesses, having played the night before in Quebec City, and they did fire 39 shots at the Olympiques' net. But a lot of those shots were from a fair distance, with little or no traffic in front of the Gatineau net.

   Rather than continue to work at coming back from a 4-2 deficit late in the game, they lost their cool and their focus, and became embroiled in a game ending free-for-all. Frankly they looked a lot like a team who felt entitled to win. A team who figured that just showing up at the Robert Guertin Arena was enough to guarantee two points.

   Very rarely does it work out that way at The Bob.

-   It's too bad for the Colorado Avalanche that they are in the Western Conference. They are in the middle of a dogfight for the eighth and final playoffs spot, yet they are 10-2 vs. teams from the East.

-   Good to see Mike Milbury back on Hockey Night in Canada's Satellite Hot Stove. While Milbury may not be everybody's cup of tea with his gruff manner and sometimes extreme viewpoints, I find him entertaining. Plus in a segment that features Ron MacLean, Eliotte Friedman, and Eric Francis, somebody has to bring some testosterone. 

-   It could be a while before we see another 500 goal scorer, in the NHL. Now that Jarome Iginla has passed that milestone, only 3 active NHLers are in the 400 to 499 goal range. Jason Arnott (412), Marian Hossa (408), and Daniel Alfredsson (404). I'm not betting on any of those players making it to the 500 mark.

-   Has hockey changed? Take a look at this hit delivered by Dougie Hamilton, Boston Bruins 1st round draft pick, during a recent OHL game. The Sudbury player is dipsy-doodling around the opposing blueline with his head down for about 4 to 5 seconds before getting leveled by Hamilton. I'm not necessarily a fan of hits to the head, but come on, keep your head up kid.

Untouchable? Why?

   Watching Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban arguing on the bench with coaches Randy Ladouceur and Randy Cunneyworth after turning over the puck in the Habs zone, a play that led to a Pittsburgh Penguins shorthanded goal, showed just how bad things are going for the Habs these days.

   There was Pernell Karl, sitting alone at the end of the bench, his teammates shuffling down to their left and looking away, as the young defenceman argued on and on, even as coach Ladouceur held up his hand in a "that's enough P.K., just play" motion. 

   Considering the absolutely brutal game that Subban had been playing up to that point (turn over after turn over, bad penalties, getting caught pinching in at the Pittsburgh blueline), it wasn't as if the Montreal defenceman was arguing from a position of strength.

   But what yesterday's game showed is just how bad things really are for the Montreal Canadiens. Not only do they have to count on a player of P.K. Subban's caliber to assume the role of number one d-man, but he feels confident enough in his role on the team that he figures that it's acceptable for him to get into a debate with his coaches during an NHL hockey game. 

   Some will say that what P.K. Subban did is not anywhere near as serious as the epic Patrick Roy-Mario Tremblay blow-up which led to the Hall of Fame goaltender being traded to Colorado in 1995, but that would be missing a couple of major points. The most obvious difference is that P.K. Subban is nowhere near being the hockey player that Patrick Roy was.

   When Patrick Roy confronted Montreal Canadiens president Ronald Corey behind the player's bench on national television, he had 2 Stanley Cups, 2 Conn Smythe trophies, 4 Jennings trophies, 3 Vezina trophies, and 3 NHL First-All Star team selections under his belt. 

   P.K.Subban, on the other hand, is in his second full season in the NHL. He was selected by Montreal with the 43rd pick in the 2007 draft. Sixteen defencemen were selected ahead of him. 

   Yet through a series of fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on your point of view) events, he has managed to find his way into a critical role within an organization that has lost its way. So overrated has he become, that many observers have taken the irrational and illogical view that somehow P.K. Subban is one of the few untouchables on the Montreal roster. A player who cannot be traded away.

   That Subban ranks so incredibly high on the Canadiens depth chart is not his fault. It does however serve as a glaring example of the dire situation the Montreal hockey franchise finds itself.

   Jacques Martin was heavily criticized by fans and by hockey analysts for what they felt was the stifling of Subban. That somehow Martin was preventing him from fully expressing his talents on the ice. It was as if Subban were only to be left alone to play without the shackles of a system, he would magically develop into the second coming of Bobby Orr. 

   The reality is that Subban is showing himself to be an incredibly selfish and high maintenance player. Last night's loss to Pittsburgh can be pinned squarely on his shoulders. Had it not been for a couple of very good saves by Peter Budaj off chances which resulted directly from Subban blunders, the Habs would not have even escaped with a single point.

   If I were a fan of the Habs, I would also be very worried that even though Subban was a liability on the ice and was sucking the energy right out of the team with his on-bench attitude, the coaching staff decided to keep putting him out there, shift after shift. The message being, "it doesn't matter if you're playing poorly and being selfish, you'll still play". No consequences, at least if your name is P.K. Subban.

   That Pernell Karl Subban has elite level talent is undeniable. There are nights when he can make a difference in a hockey game and be a big part of a win. But for the most part, he has not shown that he has the maturity level required to be a leader in an organization. Successful teams, whether it be in hockey or any other endeavour, are those in which the most talented people are also the best leaders.

   I've been a very vocal critic of the Montreal Canadiens over my many years as a fan of the game of hockey, but the one thing that I've always respected about that organization is that everything they did seemed to be done with an eye towards ensuring the success of the team. Nothing, and no one, came before the team.

   Very high on the Habs executive list needs to be the re-establishment of the mentality within the organization that every action taken by all members is to be geared toward the betterment of the team. 

   Make sure that those who are brought in are not only top end talent, but top end people. People who understand to build something worthwhile, you need to be prepare to fill your role, but also need to do it with a good attitude and in a manner that does not impact negatively on others.

   A team, any kind of team, should be all about "us" and very little about "me''. In only 125 games in the National Hockey League, P.K. Subban has required, and received, far more attention than he warrants. The reality is that he will never be one of the NHL's top defencemen. He will never be the type of player who anchors a blueline and leads a team to the Stanley Cup. 

   If the Montreal Canadiens don't want to spend the next few years coddling, coaxing, and otherwise dealing with P.K. Subban, for what will probably be limited returns, then trade him. There are surely teams out there who would be interested in his talent and ability, and he could bring some interesting elements in return.

   If they don't, they risk regretting it for a long time. Time will tell...

Hall, Salming, Cataractes, Phaneuf, and Pronger.

-   Taylor Hall's much publicized skate cut to the face/head, which occurred during the pre-game warm up two nights ago, has many calling for NHL teams to make the wearing of helmets mandatory for all players when they hit the ice for the pre-game. 

   So far, Hall's Edmonton teammates have vowed to wear helmets in pre-game skates, and the Colorado Avalanche management has directed their players to do the same.The good news is that it doesn't appear as though Taylor Hall will be out of action for long. Just a question of reducing the swelling and letting the stitches heal a little and he'll be back. 

   The Oilers sure have been snake-bitten on the injury front as of late. Jordan Eberle was out for four games with a knee injury and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be out for at least another week with a shoulder injury.

-   Older fans will remember another fairly gruesome skate vs. face incident. This one occurred back in November of 1986.

   Toronto defenceman, and Hockey Hall of Famer, Borje Salming, was struck in the face by a skate during a game against the Detroit Red Wings.The injury required 200 stitches to close, yet remarkably, the Swedish rearguard was in the Leafs' lineup just 3 days later. 

- I've seen pretty much every team in the QMJHL (haven't seen Bathurst or Cape-Breton) in action this year, and no team has impressed me more than the new look Shawinigan Cataractes. As they are hosting this year's Memorial Cup, they were intent on icing a competitive team.

   The acquisitions of Morgan Ellis and Brandon Gormley, when added to an already impressive squad headed by Mikael Bournival, have pretty much ensured that the Cats are the team to beat in the race for the QMJHL's President Cup. 

-   Is it just me or has Nick Foligno been at the centre of a few controversies this season? The latest was the submarining of Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf in the latest Battle of Ontario. 

   Foligno was assessed a two minute penalty, and while he sat in the box, many were saying that he would have to answer to Leafs strongman Jay Rosehill once he returned to the ice.

   It wasn't surprising however to see Dion Phaneuf take matters into his own hands as he dropped the gloves against Foligno, in what turned out to be a spirited scrap.

   You can count me as one of the the tens of thousands of players who have never been clipped like that, but one can easily imagine that being on the wrong end of a dirty hit of that ilk leaves one more than a little pissed off.

   The kind of thing that would leave you saying "Never mind, I've got this one" to however happens to be the designated bodyguard on your team. 

   Kudos to Phaneuf for taking on Foligno, especially when you consider that he still hasn't fully recovered from taking a shot to the face in a game against the Winnipeg Jets.

   While the Leafs did ultimately lose the game, seeing your captain go out there and "take care of business" surely must have left an impression on his teammates. I know that it did on me.

-   While were speaking about controversial defencemen, Chris Pronger, the captain of the Philadelphia Flyers is by all accounts not doing very well in his battle with concussion symptoms. You knew it had to be a serious injury for the Flyers to announce that there was no way that Pronger would be back, so early in the season. 

    Because love him or hate him, there is no denying that throughout his career Chris Pronger has shown a remarkable ability to either come back from, or play through, injuries.

   So for word to be getting out, both through his family and Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, that Pronger is not doing well, is unsettling.

The All-Star game, Schenn for JVR, and Jacques Martin.

-   The NHL will be holding it's All-Star game in Ottawa in about 10 days and it would be impossible for me to care less. 

   The fan balloting. Who is in. Who is out. The fastest skater competition. The fastest slapshot competition. The picking of teams by the players themselves. All of it. I just don't care. 

   I am a hockey fan because I like watching hockey games. All this other stuff, it's just there to fill coffers which are already overflowing with money. I get that it's meant to entertain fans, showcase and promote the game, bla, bla, bla...

   The fact of the matter is that I am already a fan. I'm in. You don't need to put on a special show to try and recruit me as a fan. I'm hooked. You got me.

   Truth is, there is only one sport for which the all-star format works and that's baseball. If you forget about the fact that managers in All-Star games try to make sure that everybody gets in a least a little action, the All-Star game is pretty much like all the other games. Pitchers pitch, hitters hit, and away we go.

   In hockey, it just doesn't work. An All-Star game doesn't look anything like a regular hockey game. There is the obvious difference caused by the lack of body contact, which is course understandable. Who would want to risk injury to self or others for the sake of an exhibition game? 

   There is also the lack of defense. Your level of intensity on the backcheck is directly related to the importance of the game. If you're out skating with the boys, it's not quite the same as if you're chasing the Cup.

   And then there is the scoring. 11-10, 12-11, 8-7, and 12-9. Seriously, when was the last time you were at a hockey game that ended 12-9? Yet those are the final scores of the last four NHL all-star games. And those are just the recent results. You don't have to go that far back to find scores such as 16-6 and 14-12. I defy any hockey fan to sit on the edge of their seat for that.

   So like Teemu Selanne and Nicklas Lidstrom, I too will be taking All-Star weekend off. You can find me at the Colisée watching junior hockey or outside at the rink down the street.

-   We've been hearing rumblings about a possible trade between Philly and Toronto that I don't like. The central parts of that rumoured deal are Luke Schenn and James van Riemsdyk. 

   That the Flyers are shopping in the NHL's defenceman aisle should come as no surprise. While they have managed to stay near the top of the Eastern Conference standing through the first half of the season, the reality is that they have allowed 45 more goals this season than have the Boston Bruins. Hardly a recipe for long term success.With Chris Pronger out for the season, finding someone to eat up some of his mega-minutes has proved a bit of a problem.

   The Leafs on the other hand, having been bouncing around the 5th to 10th spots for the better part of the last two months. As they have not been to the playoffs since 2004, you have to think that there is some pressure to make the playoffs this season. How long ago was 2004? Well their goalie was Eddie Belfour, and the team had players such as Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, and Alexander Mogilny on their roster. 

   If these rumours are true, and they are only rumours, it's also a sign that both teams are starting to lose patience with the pace of development of their respective players. Both were high first round picks.

   James van Riemsdyk was selected with the second pick in the 2007 draft. While there were some who felt that the Flyers may have let the fact that he's somewhat of a local boy, he's from New Jersey, cloud their judgement when they decided to take him with such a high pick, the reality is that none of the players selected immediately after him are off to Hall of Fame type starts to their NHL careers.

   Consider that the 3, 4, 5, and 6 picks of that draft were, in order, Kyle Turris, Thomas Hickey, Karl Alzner, and Sam Gagné. Not exactly a draft class that seems destined to go down in history as a great one. 

   This to say that maybe thinking of JVR, as some like to call him, as a second overall draft pick is not necessarily the way to go when trying to assess his trade value.

   I happen to see him as a 6'3'' forward, who plays in Philadelphia, but doesn't play like a Flyer, that is to say he's not overly physical, and while some have said that he's got 35-40 goal potential, sorry folks I don't see it. To score 40 goals in one NHL season a player has to be on his game night in, night out. I'd be more inclined to think that with him you're looking at 25-30 goals, tops. 

   If you're looking to get a 25-30 goal guy, you might as well go and try to get one with more major league intangibles than JVR possesses. Stuff like great leadership, gritty play, excellent special team play. I've never been a fan of the 25-30 goal player who brings little else to the rink.

   Which is why I don't like the Schenn for JVR rumours. Sure it has been a bumpy ride for Schenn. Part of it is actually the Leafs' own fault. The team was so bad, that three months after drafting him with the 5th overall pick in the 2008 draft that they felt compelled to throw an 18 year old kid in the lineup for 70 NHL games, a move that was motivated, at least in part, because of pressure to give the Air Canada Centre fans a little something to cheer about, a little hope.

   It's a truism that NHL defencemen take longer to develop second only to goaltenders. That Schenn seems to be stumbling a bit in his progression at this point in his career is hardly surprising and/or cause for panic. At just 22 years of age, whatever is deemed to be wrong with him can be fixed. With all of the people working in the hockey department of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club, you have to hope that someone in there can help this kid get back on track. 

   If he needs coddling, coddle him. If he needs a kick in the ass, kick him in the ass. If he needs a coach or mentor just for him, get a coach or a mentor just for him. But whatever is decided, just remember that in about 2-3 seasons, Luke Schenn could realistically end up being one of  the top tier defencemen in the league. James van Riemsdyk will in all likelihood not be in the top tier of NHL forwards.

   So trade Schenn if you feel you must, but please make sure you get us some real player, or players, in return. But James van Riemsdyk? You can do better than that.

-   So Jacques Martin has been gone from the Habs dressing room for a few weeks now, and Les Glorieux have won a grand total of 4 games since. 

   They were two points out of a playoff spot when Pierre Gauthier decided that the kitchen was sufficiently hot and fired the coach. They are now 8 points out of a playoff spot.

   Like many, my take has been that the problem in Montreal is the roster, and not necessarily the coaching staff. Sure the loss of Kirk Muller as an assistant appears to have hurt, but even Toe Blake himself, would be unable to make a winner out of this group.

   Don't agree? Try this little exercise. Look at the Boston roster. Look at the New York Rangers roster. And the Philadelphia roster. Now look at the Montreal Canadiens roster. Not quite the same level is it? 

   We could enumerate a number of decisions that were taken by both Pierre Gauthier, and his predecessor Bob Gainey and find quite a few that didn't quite work out as planned or hoped. Decisions that made the coach's life more difficult.

   But beyond all of this, what really bugs and irritates me is the hypocrisy of fans and some members of the media.

   Pretty much since the season began, they've been calling for Jacques Martin's head on a platter. Fan poll after fan poll indicated that they wanted Martin to be fired. In some polls, Martin was even identified as the main problem with the Montreal Canadiens.

  Writers, television and radio commentators, and the seemingly endless supply of former players employed by the media, fed the flames of this discontent day, after day, after day. 

   Martin is too boring. Martin is too stiff. Martin looks like he's asleep behind the bench. They would laugh at is post-game press conference, his style none too colourful. Some could be heard to say Martin was downright incompetent.

   Yet as Martin embarked on a 3 day media tour, yesterday newspapers, today television, tomorrow radio, he is greeted with handshakes and smiles. Reporters who were at the front of the fire Martin parade just a few short weeks ago, are now saying that Gauthier "panicked" by firing him.

   You can't have it both ways boys. It can't be "Fire him, fire him, fire him!" one day, and then "The general manager panicked when he fired him" after it happens. It's called logical reasoning, you may want to give it a try.

   Now those of you who know me, which means pretty much everyone reading this, know that I'm not what would be considered a Montreal Canadiens fan. Part of it is genetic, part of it is decades of acquired distaste. Heck, if it was up to me, I'd give Pierre Gauthier a lifetime, fireproof contract as GM.

   But the reality is that Geoffy Molson has to pull the plug on Gauthier before he screws things up any further. No need to wait for the perfect time to do it, there is no such time as the perfect time to replace the general manager. 

   Surely Molson and the board of directors have been considering this possibility and have a plan B. 

   If they don't, it could be a long march into the darkness for the Montreal Canadiens and their fans for many years to come.