My apologies for the winter hibernation. Some personal issues arose that forced me to take a break from the blog. Now we are back and better(?) than ever. To ease back into this, let's take a quick look at what we missed.
World Junior Championships
This one really hurt to miss writing about. The annual World Junior Championships are simply the best hockey you can watch. The Olympics, Stanley Cup Playoffs, and NCAA hockey have nothing on the excitement, competitiveness and quality you see on display at World Juniors.
What made this year even more special was that Team USA dominated the tournament. I love USA hockey. Sorry Canada, I was born in the states and prefer our brand of hockey. The Americans not only won the tournament, they went undefeated. Along the way they beat both Russia and Canada twice, including in the semifinals and Gold Medal game. It was probably the most excited I've been while watching hockey in my living room.
My biggest takeaway from the tournament was this, Jordan Greenway is going to be a star. He looked like a man among boys. There were players that scored more often, but he scored and created huge goals when his team needed him. Luckily for Minnesota fans, he happens to be a Wild prospect.
Learn more about World Juniors here: http://www.worldjunior2017.com/en/
NHL All-Star Game
The NHL tried something new for this year's All-Star game, they went with a 3-on-3 tournament between divisions. I thought it was a great idea. Give the best players in the world more space to put on a show. Making it a tournament and putting a million bucks on the line seemed like it would add some flare. Unfortunately, it was still an All-Star game and the players treated it like one. They did not play hard, which actually made 3-on-3 less fun to watch. This was probably because there was more room for them to just skate away from each other. The tournament idea was fun, but you could tell the players were out of gas by the end of their first game. 3-on-3 hockey is tiring and with so much hockey played, it got sloppy. It was all a nice idea in theory, but just goes to show that the idea of All-Star games should be done away with. Everyone should get a three day break in January and come back refreshed for the stretch run.
The loan highlight of the All-Star game was seeing Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby play together on a team coached by Wayne Gretzky.
What made this year even more special was that Team USA dominated the tournament. I love USA hockey. Sorry Canada, I was born in the states and prefer our brand of hockey. The Americans not only won the tournament, they went undefeated. Along the way they beat both Russia and Canada twice, including in the semifinals and Gold Medal game. It was probably the most excited I've been while watching hockey in my living room.
My biggest takeaway from the tournament was this, Jordan Greenway is going to be a star. He looked like a man among boys. There were players that scored more often, but he scored and created huge goals when his team needed him. Luckily for Minnesota fans, he happens to be a Wild prospect.
Learn more about World Juniors here: http://www.worldjunior2017.com/en/
NHL All-Star Game
The NHL tried something new for this year's All-Star game, they went with a 3-on-3 tournament between divisions. I thought it was a great idea. Give the best players in the world more space to put on a show. Making it a tournament and putting a million bucks on the line seemed like it would add some flare. Unfortunately, it was still an All-Star game and the players treated it like one. They did not play hard, which actually made 3-on-3 less fun to watch. This was probably because there was more room for them to just skate away from each other. The tournament idea was fun, but you could tell the players were out of gas by the end of their first game. 3-on-3 hockey is tiring and with so much hockey played, it got sloppy. It was all a nice idea in theory, but just goes to show that the idea of All-Star games should be done away with. Everyone should get a three day break in January and come back refreshed for the stretch run.
The loan highlight of the All-Star game was seeing Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby play together on a team coached by Wayne Gretzky.
NHL 100
Outdoor Games
Oh no, we missed the outdoor games (shouted no one). No offense, but nobody cares about these anymore. The NHL took a good thing and beat it to death. The first few years were exciting. A once a year chance to see two great teams in the elements, in front of a huge crowd. It always helped that the Winter Classic was on New Year's Day, so we could just lay on the couch and nurse a hangover. Now there are too many each season, nothing special anymore. Also, we all realized the quality of play is terrible. The ice is never very good, so the puck is bouncing everywhere and players cannot skate. Also, these guys are used to a conditioned environment. Outside on a 15 degree day, the air is thin and it is hard to breathe. The conditions make for a bad experience.
Either way, the NHL had the Centennial Classic and Winter Classic while we were on break. The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings at the Centennial in front of 40,000 people. In the Winter Classic the Blues beat the Blackhawks at Busch Stadium in front of 46,000. Nothing more to report.
As a blogger, I fully understand the hype around these lists. It is an exciting thing to get fan chatter going. However, these rankings should be left to media outlets and bloggers (like me). When league's start doing it they are putting themselves in a dangerous spot. If Beyond The Boards leaves a great player off a list, then just fans are upset. If the National Hockey League misses honoring a great player, it is the player who is upset and the league looks bad. Also, it is just bad business for a league to publicly say certain players are better than others.
I did not have any big issues with the NHL 100 list. Some great players did not get honored. Some overrated players did. That is simply the business of ranking things. Anyway, here are a few guys that had no business on the list, and who should've taken their place.
- Adam Oates = Cam Neely
- Neely was the far more dominant player. Teams game planned for Cam Neely. No team ever feared playing Adam Oates. Had the early 90's Bruins gotten over the hump and won a Stanley Cup, Neely definitely would have been on this list.
- Jonathan Toews = Evgeni Malkin
- Toews is only on this list because he is Canadian born and the Hawks have won three Stanley Cups. He is a nice player, not transcendant. If he was drafted by the Wild, he would not be on this list. Evgeni Malkin is a rare talent. Maybe the most well-rounded offensive superstar since Jagr's prime. I am not sure how anyone can argue Malkin does not belong on this list.
- Scott Stevens = Phil Housley
- Stevens was a goon and a cheap shot artist. He made a career of highlight reel hits, not being a good player. He is another beneficiary of being Canadian and a member of a dynasty. He wasn't even the best defenseman on his team. Housley was great in all areas of the ice. He could do it all. An offensive threat that could also play as a shut down defensemen.
- Pat Lafontaine = Rick Tocchet
- I have never been a big Lafontaine fan. He was a super skilled player that was never big enough to dominate in the NHL. He got on the score sheet a lot, but did not do anything else. Rick Tocchet, much like Neely, forced teams to fear him. How many guys can get you 40 goals and 200 penalty minutes in a season?
- Eric Lindros = Joe Thornton
- I will never understand why Lindros still receives all the credit for being a great player. He was the most over-hyped player in history. He managed one 100 point season in his entire career. He spent nearly as many games in the press box (injured) as he did on the ice. Sorry, but there are no awards for almost being great. Thornton has never received due credit, probably because he has not won a cup and spent most of his career in San Jose. However, Jumbo Joe has three 100 point seasons to his credit, in a low scoring era. Also, Joe was the best player in the NHL in the early 2000's. Being the best player in the league for a time is worth something.
See the full NHL 100 list here: https://www.nhl.com/fans/nhl-centennial/100-greatest-nhl-players
Outdoor Games
Oh no, we missed the outdoor games (shouted no one). No offense, but nobody cares about these anymore. The NHL took a good thing and beat it to death. The first few years were exciting. A once a year chance to see two great teams in the elements, in front of a huge crowd. It always helped that the Winter Classic was on New Year's Day, so we could just lay on the couch and nurse a hangover. Now there are too many each season, nothing special anymore. Also, we all realized the quality of play is terrible. The ice is never very good, so the puck is bouncing everywhere and players cannot skate. Also, these guys are used to a conditioned environment. Outside on a 15 degree day, the air is thin and it is hard to breathe. The conditions make for a bad experience.
Either way, the NHL had the Centennial Classic and Winter Classic while we were on break. The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings at the Centennial in front of 40,000 people. In the Winter Classic the Blues beat the Blackhawks at Busch Stadium in front of 46,000. Nothing more to report.
Blue Jackets Win Streak
Something nobody saw coming. The Columbus Blue Jackets managed to win 16 games in a row, one game short of tying the NHL record. Pretty impressive for a team most people thought would miss the playoffs and be among the league's worst teams. During the Jackets streak we learned they are a good, well-rounded hockey team. They won their games through great goaltending and timely offensive outbursts. The team no one thought was anything special now has a chance to compete for the President's Trophy and have to be considered a Stanley Cup contender. More impressive is they did this as a member of the Metropolitan Division, in my opinion the deepest most competitive division in the NHL. Now they must prove it was no fluke, as we enter the hardest part of the season.
Something nobody saw coming. The Columbus Blue Jackets managed to win 16 games in a row, one game short of tying the NHL record. Pretty impressive for a team most people thought would miss the playoffs and be among the league's worst teams. During the Jackets streak we learned they are a good, well-rounded hockey team. They won their games through great goaltending and timely offensive outbursts. The team no one thought was anything special now has a chance to compete for the President's Trophy and have to be considered a Stanley Cup contender. More impressive is they did this as a member of the Metropolitan Division, in my opinion the deepest most competitive division in the NHL. Now they must prove it was no fluke, as we enter the hardest part of the season.
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