The Memorial Cup Recap

For those of you out there that did not get a chance to watch the Memorial Cup this year, I would already be marking it on the calendar for next year. Unlike the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Memorial Cup is an event featuring teams from three different leagues: the QMJHL champion, the OHL champion, the WHL champion, and the team from the host city. The winner of the event is dubbed the Canadian Hockey League champion. As a result of the round robin format, we got to see the best teams play the best teams and therefore, some really great and exciting hockey.

However, I have a different theory for the quality of play.

All of the teams that participated in the Memorial Cup this year were full of recently drafted or draft eligible players. This is especially true for the Memorial Cup champions, the St. Johns Sea Dogs. There is a possibility of 3 or 4 of their players going in the first round not to mention another 8 who could be drafted before the end of the 3rd round. This abnormal wealth of young talent inspires competition not only between the teams but also between the players within one team. In addition, this was a tournament that was accessible to many viewers through network television. Most of the players had not even played on tv before. The pressure that they felt must have been almost unbearable. However, with the futures of their professional hockey careers looming in front of them, all of the players stepped up their game and fought for every puck and every inch of the ice. Some of them wanted to improve their stock come draft day while others tried to prove that they want to, and can, fight for a roster spot in the AHL or even the NHL.

As a Capitals fan myself, I was very interested to see how Cody Eakin and Stansislav Galiev would react to the pressure of playoff hockey. What I saw was more than I ever could have expected or even dreamed of. Both of the promising prospects skated their hearts out, scored clutch goals, and made brilliant plays to help their team. It makes me fell much more secure about the future of the team. I am sure that many other teams feel the same way. In addition, the jobs of general managers across the league became much easier after seeing the potential draft picks on the biggest stage of their young careers. The GMs now know that whomever they end up picking come draft day can stand up to the pressures of the playoffs and still manage to produce and help his team win.

Come this time next year, I know that I will be watching the Memorial Cup along with many other true hockey fans whose only desire is to see great hockey.

(photo courtesy of www.mastercardmemorialcup.com)

2011 Stanley Cup Preview

Yes, after 82 grueling regular-season games and 3 spirited and emotional playoff rounds, it has ultimately come down to the last four wins for either team; the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. While the Bruins clashed with the Lightning, the Canucks were resting from their swift defeat of the San Jose Sharks in 5 games. The Bruins proceeded to oust the Tampa Bay Lighting in game 7 last Friday night in an electric TD Garden to secure the Prince of Wales Trophy, but as Yogi Berra put it, "It's not over until it's over".

This series will ultimately come down to goaltending. By the numbers, both Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo have 12 wins and a 2.29 GAA average, yet Tim Thomas has a minuscule 7 thousandths of a point advantage over Luongo in the save percentage department. Tim Thomas played spectacular throughout their series with the Lightning and was pushed to his limits last Friday night to post a 1-0 shutout in a action-packed game 7. Luongo's performance was also superb during the Vancouver vs. San Jose series, finishing off the Sharks in 5 games.

Throughout the regular season and post season, the Canucks have proved to the league they are number 1 in offense, defense and special teams. Considering how Tim Thomas has been playing lately Thomas has the upper hand over Vancouver's Roberto Luongo. Despite Boston's incredible goaltending, their ability to score goals on the power play has struggled profusely, with only 5 power play goals in their entire playoff run, while the Vancouver Canucks have poured on 17 power play goals on 60 opportunities. If the Bruins do not score more goals while on the power play, Vancouver's dynamic power play unit will crush Boston's hopes of lifting La Coupe Stanley.

This series will be quite interesting to watch based upon both teams strengths and weaknesses. In the end, the West is still the best. I anticipate the Canucks hoisting the club's first ever Stanley Cup in 6 games.

(photo from Hoist the Cup gallery)

Battle of the Goalies: Roberto Luongo vs. Tim Thomas

Tim Thomas celebrates the Eastern Conference win with Johnny Boychuk. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

After last season's Stanley Cup Finals, people everywhere proclaimed that the matchup of the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks proved that goaltending was no longer a requirement for being a successful team, and that defensive depth was the single most important thing. Teams should spend more money on elite defensive talents (like Chris Pronger (set to make $7.6 million next season),  Kimmo Timonen (set to make $5M), Duncan Keith ($8M), and Brent Seabrook ($7M)), as opposed to goaltending. Not only that, but that money would not have to be spend on top-level goaltending; adequate goaltending should have been enough (see the 2010-2011 Philadelphia Flyers for an example).

How very short sighted of them.

Luongo makes a save against the Sharks. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

This year's playoffs have been defined by balanced rosters as well as incredible goaltending. Both of the teams that made the Stanley Cup Finals have Vezina finalists in net for them, and all three Vezina finalists made it past the first round (Roberto Luongo's Canucks dispatched Pekka Rinne's Predators, so all three did not make it past the second round). Dwayne Roloson's goaltending is a large reason the Lightning went as far as they did, as was Antti Niemi for the Sharks. If anything, this year's playoffs have proved that goaltending cannot be undervalued, and those teams that do that do it at their own peril. As I said, see the Philadelphia Flyers from this season; they had among the deepest teams in the NHL this season, with three solid defensive pairings and four good offensive lines... but a constant carousel in net that never got resolved was their downfall. In their second round sweep against the Bruins, Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher got terrorized by the Bruins offensive, to the tune of 20 goals in 4 games.

Luongo in Panthers colors. (LIFE)

This year is both Roberto Luongo's and Tim Thomas' first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, though both have taken incredibly different roads. Luongo's is the much more conventional one; he was drafted 4th overall by the New York Islanders (bet they wished he was playing for them right now) back in 1997. In 2000, following the drafting of Rick DiPietro 1st overall by the Isles, Luongo and center Olli Jokinen were sent by the GM Mike Milbury to the Florida Panthers for right wing Mark Parrish (currently playing in the AHL for the Sabres organization) and center Oleg Kvasha (currently playing in the KHL). Luongo played well in Florida, even finishing with a 93.1% save percentage in the 2003-04 season while playing 73 games. In 2006, Luongo was traded to the Vancouver Canucks along with defenseman Lukas Krajicek and a sixth round draft pick in exchange for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen, and goalie Alex Auld. There, Luongo continued his assent into the NHL's goaltending elite, and in 2009 signed a 12 year contract extension worth $64 million and running through the 2021-2022 season (when Luongo will be 43 years old). In 2010, Luongo was in net for Team Canada as they beat the United States in overtime to win the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and this season received a nomination for the Vezina trophy as the NHL's top goaltender.

Thomas in HIFK gear. (NHL)

Tim Thomas had quite a more interesting route to his current position as one of the best goalies in the NHL. Tim Thomas was drafted 217th overall (a pick that doesn't exist in modern drafts) by the Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche) back in 1994. Between 1993-94 and 1996-97, Thomas played college hockey at the University of Vermont (funny story - Dwayne Roloson was the starting goalie for the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, which is why Thomas chose to play at the University of Vermont), and then continued his career in both the ECHL and IHL before leaving to play for HIFK Helsinki of the Finnish SM-Liiga, winning the SM-Liiga that same year (1997-98) with many other future NHLers, such as Brian Rafalski, Olli Jokinen, Jarkko Ruutu, and Kimmo Timonen. Thomas then played the next season both in the AHL and with HIFK in the SM-Liiga, and played the 1999-00 season in the IHL. He played the season after that in the Swedish Elite League, then returned to the SM-Liiga in 2001-02, playing this time for Kärpät instead of HIFK.

Tim Thomas celebrates the Bruins' Game 7 victory.
(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

In 2002-03, Tim Thomas joined the Bruins organization, playing with the Providence Bruins of the AHL as well as getting a few games with the Bruins in the NHL; he had to wait 9 seasons between being drafted and getting his first taste on NHL action. The next season was spent entirely in the AHL, and the NHL lockout in 2004-05 resulted in Tim Thomas returning to the SM-Liiga to play this time for the Jokerit. Following the end of the lockout, Thomas played part of the 2005-06 season with both the Bruins of the AHL and of the NHL, before finally joining the Bruins full time in 2006-07. In 2009, after having become the Bruins' starting goaltender over the past few seasons, Tim Thomas won his first Vezina trophy as top goaltender in the NHL. In the 2009-10 season, Thomas struggled to find his game as he was relegated to the backup role behind Finnish rookie Tuukka Rask, who had an absolutely stellar season. Thomas did go to win silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics with Team USA. Assumed to be the backup again for the 2010-11 season, Thomas instead seized the starting job at the beginning of the season and did not let go. Tim Thomas finished the 2010-11 regular season with an absurd 2.00 goals against average, and beat Dominik Hasek's NHL single-season average save percentage record by a tenth of a percent, having a 93.8% save percentage as opposed to Hasek's 93.7%. Needless to say, Thomas was once again nominated to win the Vezina trophy as best goalie, which he is the leading candidate to win.

Luongo skates around in practice. (AP)

This year's Stanley Cup finals will feature two of the very best, if not the two best goalies in the NHL today playing at the top of their game when it matters most. Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo have never experienced the Stanley Cup finals, but I doubt that will affect them much. What is almost certain is that, in this battle of deep and powerful teams, both goalies will have a hand in deciding the outcome of the games. For goaltending does matter quite a bit at this level of play, and Tim Thomas' and Roberto Luongo's combined $16 million in salaries are testament to the value their play has to their respective teams. Who will come out on top? Tim Thomas, arguably the better goalie on a slightly weaker team, or Roberto Luongo, not quite as good statistically but with a more dominant squad playing in front of him? We just have to wait and find out.

Tim Thomas, net minder. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)

Eastern Conference Finals: Game 7 Recap

As predicted, Game 7 was one of the best games of the 2010-2011 NHL season. Both Tim Thomas and Dwayne Roloson played out of their minds. However, Thomas did not win the game by himself and Roloson did not lose the game. In fact, I don't think that anyone can flat out say that Tampa Bay lost the game, Boston simply had lady luck on their side. Neither of the offenses were really able to break the other team's defense except for the one unfortunate lapse by the Lightning blue liners. As Tim Thomas said in his postgame interview, the game came down to the play of Boston's defense especially that of Zedeno Chara. In the last minute alone, he blocked multiple shots and prevented the last two Tampa entry attempts. Both teams played extremely hard and had their fair share of opportunities; it was anyone's game to win. In the end, Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton crashed the net in the 3rd period to score the first and only goal of the game securing his team's spot in the Stanley Cup finals. Boston and Vancouver will open the series in Vancouver Wednesday night. All I hope is that the Stanley Cup Final is as exciting as the Eastern Conference Finals Game 7.

Eastern Conference Finals: Game 7 Preview

Tonight we will see what I expect to be one of the most exciting games of the 2010-2011 NHL season. The series so far has been amazing and we have seen some of the best hockey of the playoffs. The Lightning jumped out to an early lead in the series in game 1 by tallying their 8th straight win. Boston came back to take game 2 on home ice and then took a 2-1 series lead in Tampa. The resilient Lightning came back to tie the series before going down in 3-2 in the series in game 5. With their backs against the wall, Tampa pulled out a come-from-behind victory in game 6 overcoming a clutch hat trick from David Krejci. So now for tonight's game. Both teams have potent offenses but they have both gone through struggles in the series. I had my doubts about Tampa's defense, but they have at least been satisfactory if not excellent. Boston's defense, on the other hand, is one of the most formidable in the league. Therefore, the game and both teams Stanley Cup aspirations will come down to two of the NHL's elite goaltenders. Dwayne Roloson, 41, has been shaky at best and was even pulled in favor of Mike Smith but he has never lost an elimination in his illustrious career. He has a chip on his shoulder and wants to prove that he deserves his place in the pantheon of great goalies despite his advanced age. On the other side of the ice, you have Tim Thomas who set a single season record for save percentage. He has been able to pull his team through the mid-season lows and the playoff trial. However, Thomas is 37 in his own right and has let in some soft goals to an extremely lucky Tampa Bay team. He too wants to prove that he is one of the best goalies ever and has another few years left in him. My prediction? It will be a close, hard-fought defensive hockey game that will be suspenseful to the end and it might even come down to the last rush up the ice. In the end, I think Boston will have benefited from last year's disappointment and find away to shut down the Lightning's potent offense and advance to the Stanley Cup finals. Tampa Bay 1 Boston 3

Detroit Red Wing Defensemen, Brian Rafalski, Retires

The 37 year old defenseman, Brian Rafalski, announced his retirement Yesterday, May 25th. The 5 foot 10, 3 time Stanley Cup winner began his slow moving career playing in the Big Ten Athletic Conference for the Wisconsin Badgers for four years. From then, Rafalski played for three different teams in Scandinavia, before returning to the US in 1999 to face the world's toughest competition in the NHL. After recording 311 points and wining two Stanley Cups as a New Jersey Devil, he later signed with the Detroit Red Wings in the 2007-2008 season and went on to win his third Stanley Cup, as a rookie of the Motor City organization.

The US olympian was offered $6 million to stay with the historically prestigious hockey club, however Rafalski declined the offer to spend more quality time with his wife and three children.

Rafalski's decision to retire was speculated during the middle of the season due to his continuous absence from the roster. His injury-plagued season resulted in him missing nearly half of the season due to knee and back injuries. The Michigan native will be dearly missed by the entire Detroit Red Wing organization.

With a pivotal defenseman retiring from the Detroit lineup, will this be the beginning of the end for the Detroit hockey club? No. Of course not. This crucial change in the lineup could definitely effect, 6 time Norris Trophy winner, Nicklas Lidstrom's decision to return to Hockey Town next fall or return to his mother country of Sweden for good, but early indications from Detroit Red Wing's head coach, Mike Babcock, points in the direction of another successful year for the 41 year old defenseman. The final decision will be announced as early as June 24th.

(USHL photo)

Why the Caps Will be Beasts in the East for a Long Time

Right now, Caps fans everywhere are freaking out about a non-existant problem. In fact, the entire hockey community is exploding with criticism. It is pathetic that this argument is even happening. The Caps are not in trouble and their window is certainly not closing. First, they have one of the best rosters in the league. Their top defensive pairing is made up of a 21 y.o. and a 23 y.o. in John Carlson and Karl Alzner both of whom have limitless futures. Next, they have one of the best hockey players of the decade in Alex Ovechkin. I know he had an off year, but he still scored 30+ goals and was one of the top 10 scorers in the NHL. In fact, the entire team had an off year and they still won their conference and had the second best record in the entire NHL. Third, they are blessed by the invaluable gift of youth. They have players like Marcus Johansson who came in with little to no expectations in the beginning of the season and ended up being one of the most sought after players in the entire league at the trade deadline. Finally, and most importantly, the organization has the best front office staff that I have ever seen. Nicklas Backstrom was chosen 4th overall in the draft that saw Erik Johnson drafted with the 1st pick (I know the St. Louis staff are still kicking themselves). Alex Semin was a steal at 13th overall, and Mike Green and Jeff Schultz were drafted 29th and 27th respectively. Cody Eakin, Stan Galiev, and Braden Holtby were all drafted as 3rd round picks, and all of them have the potential to be integral parts of the starting line-up in the next 3 years. Last year saw Evgeny Kuznetsov, the second best Eropean in the draft, picked up at 26th overall. The talent that McPhee and his scouts have found in late first round and after is absolutely unbelievable. The Eastern Conference, however strong it may be, should fear the currently undisputed beasts of the east that are the Washington Capitals, despite recently disappointing playoff performances.