FROZEN ASSETS

Does parity in the standings lead to parity in Stanley Cup odds?

In this week’s Tuesday Editorial, we questioned the value of seeding in the playoffs and concluded that the difference between the top seeds and bottom seeds is negligible. If the difference between the top and bottom seeds are negligible, the odds on each team to win the Stanley Cup should be relatively similar, especially two-thirds of the way into the season.


An examination of the best odds on each team to win the Stanley Cup reveals significant differences in odds between similarly situated teams. Why? Do the Rangers have enough time to turn around their season? Are the Ducks the third most likely team to win the Stanley Cup? Will the bottom fall out for the Habs and Bruins? Odds makers think so. Do you?

Here are the standings and best odds as of January 31, 2008. I have ordered the teams by conference and points-per game played. Note I will only include a price in a betting exchange if there is more than $10 available on the posted odds.

Eastern Conference


Team……........PPG…….…Best Odds......…Site....PPG Rank...Best Odds Rank

Ottawa…....…..1.33…………+600………Carib……..(2)….........(2)

Philadelphia......1.24…………+2200…….Betfair........(3)….........(8)

Montreal…...…1.24………….+3300….....Ladbrokes..(3)…........(12)

New Jersey...….1.18…………+2050….…Olympic.... (7)........….(5)

Pittsburgh……...1.18………...+2050….…Olympic.....(7)….........(5)

Boston…………1.14…..…….+5500…..…Canbet......(11)…....…(16)

New York (I)….1.06………....+6600….....Ladbrokes.(19)…........(17)

Buffalo………...1.04…..…….+7000….….Betfair......(20)....……(20)

New York (R)…1.04……...….+3000….....Stan James(20).......... (11)

Carolina……….1.02…………+3343.....….Pinnacle....(22)...........(13)

Washington…...1.00…………+10000….…Stan James(23)...........(23)

Atlanta………...0.98…..…….+6600……...Stan James(24)...........(17)

Florida………....0.94………..+16000….....Betfair......(27)...........(29)

Toronto…….0.92………….…+12500…....Stan James(28)...........(25)

Tampa Bay…0.88……………+12500….....Pinnacle..(29)...........(25)


Western Conference

Team….…....PPG……………..Best Odds……Site….PPG Rank…Best Odds Rank

Detroit……..1.54……………..+354…….....WSEX…..(1)………..(1)

San Jose….1.24………………+1415………Olympic....(3)…….…(4)

Minnesota...1.20………………+2550….…..Olympic....(6)…….....(9)

Calgary...…1.18………………+2550….…..Olympic....(7)…….….(9)

Dallas…….1.17……………….+3345……...Pinnacle..(10)………(13)

Colorado…1.14………………..+4000……...Carib.......(11)…...….(15)

Vancouver..1.12………………+2050…..…..Olympic...(13)……....(5)

Anaheim….1.11……………….+885….……Olympic...(14)…….....(3)

Phoenix…..1.10……………….+12500……..Ladbrokes(15)...........(25)

Nashville….1.08……………....+6600…..…..5dimes....(16)…....…(17)

Columbus...1.08……………….+9000….……Betfair....(16)…........(22)

St. Louis…..1.08………………+7900…….....Betfair.. (16)............(21)

Chicago……0.98………………+11000…...…Betfair...(24)............(24)

Edmonton…0.96………………+12500………Pinnacle(26)...........(25)

Los Angeles..0.83……………..+6000.………Pinnacle(30)............(30)


Based on points per game and odds, Anaheim and Vancouver are overrated in the Western Conference, while the New York Rangers and the Hurricanes are overrated in the Eastern Conference. The best value in the Western Conference is on Phoenix, followed by Columbus and St. Louis. In the Eastern Conference Montreal is the best bet, followed by Philadelphia and Boston.

I hope you can use this information to generate a few cheap thrills, but remember my favorite expression: “You win some, you lose most.”

For illegal curve, I’m Ari Baum-Cohen

About the writer: Ari Baum-Cohen's first sports betting victory came at age 8 when he won his father's office pool. He screamed like a 14 year-old girl at a Lil' Bow Wow concert when Tampa Bay (had at +3500 to win Cup) and Calgary (had at +15000 to win Cup) made the Stanley Cup finals.

January 17, 2008: Reviewing the Division Predictions
January 10, 2008: 10 Futures Bets You Should Have Made Over the First Quarter of the Season
January 3, 2008: Glossary of Terms Used on Frozen Assets
December 27, 2007: Ho Ho Horrible Homestands and Road Warriors
December 14, 2007: Western Conference: Starting Odds, Current Odds, Highest Odds
December 7, 2007: Eastern Conference: Starting Odds, Current Odds, Highest Odds
November 29, 2007: How to Find the Sportsbook For You, The NHL's best division - The Central(?)
November 22, 2007: 10 Futures Bets You Should Have Made Over the First Quarter of the Season
November 15, 2007: Explaining the Exchange(2), Random Thoughts on the Futures
November 9, 2007: Exaplaining the Exchange(1), This Weeks Best Bets
November 1, 2007: Profiling the Eastern Conference Teams
October 25, 2007: Profiling the Western Conference Teams
October 18, 2007: To Win the Conference or the Cup? Frozen Assets' European Vacation
October, 11, 2007: Top 5 Hockey Futures Books, Stanley Cup Odds
October 4, 2007: Bad Lines, Soft Lines, and Conference Odds
September 27, 2007: Avoiding Fraudulent Sportsbooks and Preview of Division Betting
September 20, 2007: Introduction to Frozen Assets and Futures Highlights From Last Year

Rob Schremp Shootout Goal

Throughout the year Rob Schremp has contributed to Illegal Curve by giving readers an inside look at life in the AHL. Rob's fourth contribution to the site will be posted in the next day or two, but for now, just sit back and enjoy this goal that Rob scored at AHL All-Star Game over the weekend.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Thanks to HockeyTubeV1 for posting it on YouTube.

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• The Globe & Mail provides readers with a NHL salary database for all 30 teams.
• Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail evaluates the jekyl and hyde San Jose Sharks in this morning's paper.
• Wayne Scanlan of the National Post thinks Ray Emery really should have been a rock star.
• The hard-working Shawn Horcoff stills feels like his Oilers have a chance to make the playoffs, writes Mike Brehm of USA Today.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• In the midst of their 4-1 victory over the Penguins last night, the Thrashers lost Ilya Kovalchuk to a knee injury and the extent of the damage is currently unknown. (Update: Kovalchuk will miss two games over the weekend but the injury is not considered serious.) "The next eight to 10 games will help us decide if we look at moving him for assets or look at keeping him because winning the division is within our grasp and something that is very important to us," said Thrashers coach and GM Don Waddell in regards to the Marian Hossa contract situation.
• Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe details the struggles that Bruins winger Peter Schaefer hasn't been able to overcome. In injury news, the Bruins will be without Glen Murray and P.J. Axelsson for tonight's game. (Update: Axelsson is now a game-time decision) With all the injuries to the team's regulars, Boston's roster is loaded with young players who are demonstrating their ability to play older than their age.
• Ryan Miller had seven family member in the stands last night in Florida and didn't disappoint them by leading the Sabres to a 1-0 shutout victory over the Panthers.
• Brett Hedican wants his colleagues on defense to keep the game simple and make sure they move the puck quickly out of their own end, writes Rachel Carter of the News Observer.
• The Rangers head into Philadelphia tonight and if they don't plan on going hard to the net, they will be the only team on the ice that isn't, writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post. John Dellapina of the NY Daily News evaluates the trading possibilites that Glen Sather may have are we near the trade deadline.
• The Flyers don't want to put the cart before the horse, but they believe they have a shot at catching the conference-leading Senators for first place. Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer profiles the much-improving Braydon Coburn in this morning's paper.
• The Penguins suffered their first blowout loss since Sidney Crosby went down to injury last night as they lost 4-1 at Atlanta. "It was weird. You're used to having the whole play in front of you. Your vision, your sight lines are so different," said Penguins forward/defenseman Brooks Orpik about his move to the wing.
• The Capitals have revenge on their minds for tonight's game versus Montreal, after they feel like the Habs were trying to run up the score against them in Tuesday's contest between the two squads.
• "It was a tough game. We did a lot of things right, but couldn't put the puck in the net," coach Jacques Martin said after his team's 1-0 home loss to the Sabres. The Panthers were without captain Olli Jokinen for the final two periods of last night's game, but poolies need not worry, it was only the stomach flu.
• Habs defenseman Josh Gorges has been a very pleasant surprise on the team's blue line since Patrice Brisebois went down to injury, writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette.
• Many of the Islanders players are questionable for tonight's game versus L.A. with a case of the flu, writes Eric Boland of Newsday.
• Scott Morrison of Sun Media believes Martin Gerber is the reason that the Senators can't trade Ray Emery. According to coach John Paddock, Daniel Alfredsson is "iffy" for tonight's contest with a hip injury.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star advises the Leafs to get Mats Sundin's name on a contract extension, and focus on trading the team's other assets. Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun wonders who in their right mind wouldn't want to add Mats Sundin before the trade deadline? In non-Sundin news, Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star thinks Jim Rutherford would be a perfect fit for the Leafs' GM position.
• "He's right. It's our responsibility to outplay the other team's best players and we haven't done that. There is no one else to blame but ourselves," said Devils forward Zach Parise after being criticized by his coach Brent Sutter.
• The Lightning know what they are going up against tonight when they face-off against their old nemisis Roberto Luongo.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• After heading into the first intermission scoreless, the Ducks had a complete lapse at the beginning of the second period and found themselves down 3-0 in under four minutes on their way to a 5-1 road loss at Minnesota.
• The well-rested Flames handed San Jose just their fifth road loss of the season on Wednesday with a 5-4 victory. The Flames were led by former Sharks winger Owen Nolan who tallied his first hat-trick in nine seasons.
• With Jody Shelley gone to San Jose, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch wonders who is going to fill the veteran's leadership void. Here are tonight's probable lines for the Blue Jackets.
• Stars netminder Marty Turco feels like he's at his best if his sole focus is on stopping the puck, writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• The Red Wings were outplayed at Joe Louis Arena last night, but good teams know how to pull out victories when they don't play their best and that is what Detroit did with a 3-2 victory over the Coyotes. Even though the Wings won, they did lose defenseman Niklas Kronwall to a shoulder injury that will sideline him for at least a week.
• Even though he entered the game with tremendous numbers at the Xcel Center, the Wild were not intimidated by J.S. Giguere, and in fact, chased the former Conn Smythe award winner from the game in their 5-1 victory over Anaheim. "We all got soft living in California," said Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf about his intolerance for the Minnesota cold.
• Blues coach Andy Murray thinks his team's power play is on the right track.
• The Blackhawks were all geared up for a good post-All-Star Game showing but they were less than impressive in Colorado last night, losing 6-3 to the Avs, writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. (Writer's Note: The team thinks it should have Jonathan Toews back in the lineup for February 13th versus Columbus)
• Even with all their offensive stars out of the line up, the Avalanche were able to score six goals against the Blackhawks on Wednesday, writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
• Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal says the Oilers are no longer hard to play against. To make matters worse, Sheldon Souray has, once again, injured his shoulder and will be out of the line up for some time.
• "It was a tough loss for us because we played so well, " said Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky after his team blew a one goal third period lead to lose 3-2 at Detroit. Gretzky wants to make sure his team doesn't go on a losing skid, and therefore, fall out of the playoff race they have worked so hard to be involved in.
• The score indicated it was a closer game than it actually was as the Sharks lost 5-4 at Calgary on Wednesday night, writes David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News.
• The Predators could get a big boost tonight with the return of David Legwand to the lineup, writes John Glennon of the Tennessean.
• "Yes, without a doubt, [Tuesday] night was one of my most frustrating moments since I've been here," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault about Tuesday night's loss to Dallas. As if they don't have enough injuries, it appears that Sami Salo may miss Thursday's game versus the Lightning with a sore groin.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail doesn't necessarily believe that the Senators' Stanley Cup chances depend entirely on goaltending.
• Cliff Fletcher says it is "very premature" to talk of any Mats Sundin trade, writes Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail.
• You are wrong if you think that NHL players are averse to playing in the cold.
• Winnipeg is bidding for the World Junior Hockey Championships for either 2010 or 2012.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today breaks down the NHL scoring race; evaluating which players have a realistic chance at winning the title.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• With six of their next seven games at home, the Atlanta Thrashers realize that this upcoming stretch of schedule may determine their playoff fate.
• The Bruins came out on top 3-1 over the Predators, in a feisty affair at the TD Banknorth Garden. Meanwhile, injured Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron saw a neurologist yesterday.
• With all the stars on the ice in Tampa Bay last night, it was the Sabres' unheralded line of MacArthur-Pominville-Hecht that stole the show. Yesterday's game was Nolan Pratt's first game back at Tampa since playing for the Lightning for five seasons.
• The Hurricanes exacted revenge in more ways than one last night, with a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers.
• "We have to play with some urgency and desperation and get different people to raise their game up," said Panthers coach Jacques Martin, as his team starts its drive for a playoff spot. In other Panthers news, Olli Jokinen was questioned as part of the Jere Karalahti drug ring case in Finland.
• The Canadiens were impressive in all aspects of the game, especially special teams, in their 4-0 victory at home over Washington last night. Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette profiles new Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau.
• The Devils squandered a 2-1 lead on home-ice and lost 4-2 to division-rival Pittsburgh last night at the Prudential Center. Brent Sutter called out his best players yesterday, telling reporters that his top players need to start playing like they are top players.
• The Rangers demonstrated a lack of patience last night in their 3-1 road loss at Carolina, writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post. John Dellapina of the NY Daily News says that the reffing in last night's contest sure didn't help the Rangers.
• Mark Herrmann of Newsday tells readers that the only way the Islanders usually beat the Senators is if they play flawless hockey, and the Islanders play was quite flawed last night in their 5-2 loss to Ottawa.
• Brian Murray has been honest with Ray Emery, telling the netminder there is no market for his services at this point in time. Even though they defeated the Islanders 5-2, the Senators are more concerned with Daniel Alfredsson's hip injury, writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
• Getting a 3-2 overtime win over the Kings, was a nice way for the Flyers to start off their post All-Star break run to the playoffs. The Flyers are on a roll right now, and when you are on a roll, you seem to get all the bounces, writes Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• The Penguins defeated the Devils 4-2 last night and clearly are not using injuries as an excuse right now. Brooks Orpik the winger? Apparently so.
• With a 4-2 loss at home to the Sabres on Wednesday, the Lightning may have to realistically consider becoming sellers prior to the trade deadline.
• Forget the fact that they lost 3-2 to the Blues, the talk around the Leafs surrounds the high number of scouts watching their games from now until the trade deadline.
• "When you start thinking you are better than you are, and forget what got you there, then usually the result is what happened tonight," said coach Bruce Boudreau after his Capitals were defeated 4-0 at Montreal.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• With all the hype around the return of Teemu Selanne, the Ducks still have to focus on their upcoming eight game road trip, which is the longest in team history.
• Jarome Iginla is looking forward to ending his seven-game goalless drought tonight when the Sharks come to town. Meanwhile, with a fairly healthy roster on his hands, coach Mike Keenan has some decisions to make.
• The Hawks are downplaying a comment by Denis Savard in regard to the crest on the team`s jersey. In other Blackhawks news, Tuomo Ruutu may be the only person in the hockey world who didn`t hear about Denis Savard`s rant last Thursday.
• Jose Theodore will be in net tonight for the Avs when they face-off versus the Blackhawks.
• Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch says that not only will teammates miss the recently traded Jody Shelley but so will the fans. Even though the Jackets were defeated 4-2 by Phoenix last night, the entire team`s focus was on the leadership void created by the Shelley trade.
• The Stars caught a break last night by visiting Vancouver and not having to face Roberto Luongo, and took advantage of that opportunity by recording a 4-3 road victory at GM Place.
• The Red Wings will be without defenseman Brett Lebda for tonight's game because he is nursing a sore wrist.
• The Oilers were outshot 39-13 on home-ice last night, and were handily defeated 3-0 by the powerful Sharks. "I like our team overall, and we're not trading any of our good players," said Oilers GM Kevin Lowe on Wednesday about the upcoming trade deadline.
• "I really thought we played a solid game, a road game, and coming into a building where they had won six in a row," said Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky after his team's impressive 4-2 road victory at Columbus. Meanwhile, the Coyotes were excited to get Daniel Carcillo the NHL penalty minutes leader back into their lineup last night.
• With the Sharks dominating performance over Edmonton last night, David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News shifts his focus to the beyond cold temperatures in Northern Alberta.
• Tim Thomas proved to the Predators why he was on the All-Star team last night in Boston's 3-1 victory.
• The Blues, led by Keith Tkachuk, looked rejuvenated last night in their 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs at the ACC.
• Vancouver made a late push, but was defeated 4-3 by the Stars at GM Place last night. The Canucks can't seem to start off a game with a lead, and it is coming back to haunt them, writes Gordon McIntyre of the Vancouver Province.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Tuesday Editorial: Does Seeding Even Matter?

With the NHL Playoffs less than three months away, the time has come to start seriously evaluating the playoff race. Prior to the NHL lockout, it was fairly easy to predict the majority of the teams that would qualify for the playoffs in the spring. Now, however, with parity becoming the new catch-word in the NHL, it has become almost impossible to predict who are the haves and have not’s going into the stretch drive of the season.

One needs to just take one look at the Western Conference standings to understand this phenomenon. Aside from the Detroit Red Wings, who are sitting atop the Western Conference at 78 points, seeds two through twelve in the conference are separated by a meagre ten points. Think about that for a second; only ten points separate a strong “playoff favourite” from a team that will be hitting the links in mid-April. With seeds two through eight (eight teams make the NHL playoffs in each conference) only separated by five points right now, if the playoffs were to start today, would any match-up constitute an upset? The only team that, in reality, could be upset is the Detroit Red Wings. While the Red Wings have had their fair share of playoff success over the years, they have also had their fair share of disappointments; an upset of this year’s version of the Red Wings wouldn’t be all that shocking.

If you thought the Western Conference was close, the Eastern Conference is separated from seeds one through eight by a total of twelve points. In fact, if the Southeast Division teams continue their embarrassing seasons to date, it appears one team in the Eastern Conference will be left out of the playoff with more points than the three seed (each division winner is guaranteed a spot in the top three of the conference). Aside from the Ottawa Senators, who are actually coming back to the pack, the conference is extremely close. In fact, only five points separate seeds two through eights. Again, this may sound repetitive but, is seed two really any better than seed eight? Not likely. Further, if seeds nine (New York Rangers) and ten (Washington Capitals) miss the eighth seed of the playoffs by a point or two, and the fifth seed by five or six points, are they that much worse than a “favourite” in their conference. I think not; in fact, the playoff team may have gotten an extra bounce or two over the course of the season and that becomes the difference between a successful and disappointing season for the organization and its fan base. It really is such a fine-line.

With all playoff teams so close together in the standings, does seeding really matter? If the third seed has two more points during an 82 game schedule than the sixth seed, does that make the third seed a better team? It most likely does not. Never mind the inception of the shootout, which taints point totals that “teams accumulate” because it really is an individual competition, that is, of course, gone come playoff time. Many readers may be thinking, “But c’mon these teams get home-ice advantage.” While that point is true, how important is a one game home-ice advantage in a seven-game series, in which the teams facing each other are basically equal? It is somewhat important, but that’s only if the series is extended to seven games, and that didn’t happen all that much in the 2007 playoffs. All in all, when two teams face-off in this fall’s playoffs and you hear the word “favourite” being used, take a second to really consider if that “favourite” is really any better than their opponent.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.

Numbers Game: Goal Differential

We have just passed the half-way point in the NHL season. With the all-star game over, GM's will be spending the next few weeks assessing their team's chance of succeeding in the playoffs and deciding whether they are buyers or sellers at the fast approaching deadline.

One indicator of success is a team's goal differential. In the Western Conference, the Ducks and the Avs are the only playoff teams that have scored fewer goals than they have allowed. But their -.02 differential will almost certainly become positive. Selanne, a 40 goal scorer last year, announced yesterday that he will be returning this season and his $600,000 salary will allow Burke to make some last minute additions at the deadline. The Avs have been hampered by injuries, but as soon as Stasny and Sakic return they will receive some much welcomed and needed offensive contributions.

The only non-playoff teams in the Western conference with a positive goal differential, the Blue Jackets and the Predators, sit within a point of the 8th place Avalanche.

In the East, it is much the same story. The Bruins and the Islanders are the only playoff teams that allow more goals than they score, while the Sabres are the only non-playoff team with a positive goal differential. The fact that the Lightning have the third worst goal differential in the league despite having two of the league's top 10 scorers in Lecavelier and St. Louis speaks to the problems they have been having in net this year.




For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin.

NHL Morning Papers (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• William Houston of the Globe & Mail wonders if it is time to stop playing the NHL All-Star Game in its current form.
• Mark Spector of the National Post says the hardest part of rebuilding a hockey team are the first few steps.
• Even with yesterday's signing of Teemu Selanne, Kevin Allen of USA Today tells readers that Brian Burke is still looking to make another big move to improve his forward corps.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tries to figure out whether the Atlanta Thrashers are any worse than the Atlanta Hawks.
• With every team so close in the Eastern Conference playoff race, the Bruins cannot afford to get off to a slow start post All-Star break. Apparently neither P.J. Axelsson nor Glen Murray are close to returning to action for the Bruins.
• Maxim Afinogenov is close to returning to the Sabres lineup, writes Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.
• The Hurricanes have given the second most goals in the entire NHL and if they want to make the playoffs, they will have to shore up their defensive game, writes Rachel Carter of the News Observer.
• Jozef Stumpel will return to the Panthers lineup for Wednesday's game against Buffalo. With a number of injuries on the roster, the Panthers made a few call-ups yesterday from Rochester of the AHL.
• Chris Higgins of the Canadiens says the team's ultimate goal this season is to win the Stanley Cup.
• Depending on their place in the Eastern Conference standings, the Devils may opt to give Martin Brodeur more time off over the remainder of the season with so many back-to-back games on the schedule.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post tells readers that the Rangers' asking price for defenseman Marek Malik is quite high. Meanwhile, Rangers coach Tom Renney is hoping that his team can play the same way they did to close out last season.
• "I think teams always play well against the elite because there's some fear if you don't, you're going to get blown out," said Islanders captain Bill Guerin about his team's game tonight versus the powerful Senators.
• To say John Paddock is sick and tired of Ray Emery's antics would be an understatement. Emery was back practicing on Tuesday morning, but there has been no word on his future with the club, writes Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen.
• Flyers forward Joffrey Lupul is hoping to return to the team's lineup in two weeks.
• Colby Armstrong will miss the Penguins' next two road games with the flu. Here are some news and notes about the Penguins.
• Dan Boyle has returned to the Lightning's lineup and wants to be a leading hand in turning his team's fortunes around.
• The Leafs could learn a thing or two about the Blues' rebuilding plans writes Damien Cox of the Toronto Star. In other Leafs news, Cliff Fletcher had a discussion yesterday with Mats Sundin but "nothing tangible" was discussed.
• The Capitals are only one point out of first place in the Southeast Division and have their sights on winning the division.

The Western Conference morning papers are soon to follow...

• As Jeff Miller of the Orange Country Register tells us, Teemu Selanne's return to the Ducks has brought much joy to Anaheim fans, players and management.
• Mike Keenan is not going to change the approach he has with the Flames for the entire season just because the playoff push is about to get underway, writes Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald.
• After his tirade last Thursday, Blackhawks coach Denis Savard was happy to see his team rebound with a good, up-tempo practice on Monday.
• Adrian Dater of the Denver Post provides a number of hypothetical situations in which the Avalanche would not make the playoffs
• Rick Nash gets to reunite with the two defensemen he made look foolish two weeks ago, when the Coyotes visit Columbus tonight. Tonight's game is a match up between two possible Jack Adams candidates as Wayne Gretzky and Ken Hitchcock face-off against one another. Here are the Blue Jackets' lines for tonight's game.
• The Stars are poised to make a run over the remaining portion of the season because the tough part of their schedule is behind them, writes Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News.
• Darren McCarty is trying to work his way back to the NHL and his next stop is Grand Rapids of the AHL.
• Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, tells Oilers fans that the team probably needs to win 22 of its remaining 30 games to crack the NHL playoffs.
• The struggling Kings are set to embark on an eight-game road trip, which may see some of their players traded along the way.
• The Wild had a spirited practice yesterday and, more importantly, are getting closer to full health just prior to the stretch run.
• "Our missing piece is a top-six forward,'' Predators GM David Poile said on Monday.
• The last thing the Coyotes want for the stretch-run is a rental player, writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
• With cold temperatures in Northern Alberta, the Sharks only have hockey to worry about as they start the second-half of their season.
• Blues coach Andy Murray wants his defensemen to move the puck more efficiently, writes Jeremy Rutherford of St. Louis Disptach.
• Curtis Sanford of the Canucks will be starting tonight with Roberto Luongo in Florida with his pregnant wife.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

The HD Corner - 2008 All-Star Game

CBC’s coverage of this year’s All-Star game included Jim Hughson doing the play-by-play, with Craig Simpson and Greg Millen crammed into the booth. As usual, Hughson called a flawless game, Simpson provided some insight, and Millen was more annoying than a Carrot Top stand-up routine. There was an increase of in-booth banter due to the friendly nature of the game as expected; however, the folks at Versus seemed to have taken this to a new level. As much criticism as Versus receives for its lack of viewers, they deserve credit for usually providing entertaining broadcasts for their target – something that CBC has been criticized for in the past. Specifically, at one point of the All-Star game telecast, Gary Bettman was invited into the booth and was joking with Blues goalie Manny Legace about large goalie equipment while he was in the process of playing. CBC can learn a thing or two, and ease up on the boring Mike Babcock interview next time around.

Unfortunately my HD-PVR let me down and I was unable to watch the Skills Competition live (according to Illegal Curve’s Cold Hard Rant section, I didn’t miss much). Needless to say I was still able to watch most of it on CBC.ca’s streaming video section, which I highly recommend to anyone wanting to see the incredible Obstacle Course Relay that closely resembled the 1980’s board game Mouse Trap (click here for a trip down memory lane).

Now on to some other random All-Star game thoughts…

Was there anything more awkward then the Elliote Friedman and Samantha Micelli - I mean Alyssa Milano - interview. Wow Alyssa, you have a new NHL clothing line? Will it be available at Stitches, Winners, or Giant Tiger? These are things that I need to know. Speaking of Who’s the Boss, did anyone know that little Jonathan has come out of the closet? The only thing less predictable was Tony Danza’s career going into a downward spiral after playing a male housekeeper for eight years (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

So you’re telling me that Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas is an all-star? What, was Jim Carey not available? It’s important to note that Thomas’ goalie coach on the Bruins is non other than Bob Essensa. Yes, a goalie with the nickname “Flipper” has trained and produced an all-star calibre goalie. Further, the same man who once traded Teemu Selanne for Chad Kilger and Oleg Tverdovsky is the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars. Next I’ll find out that Doug Smail is Alex Ovechkin’s power skating coach.

All-Star game MVP? Forget Eric Staal, what about The Hives? Past All-Star Game bands have included the Barenaked Ladies, The Trews, and probably The Harlots, so The Hives were quite the pleasant surprise. The only disappointing fact was that they didn’t play during the 2nd intermission. Instead, we were treated to the funky beats of “Ne-Yo” (whoever that is). Wow they sure now how to party south of the Dixie line!

Although this year’s All-Star Game wasn’t the most entertaining, it did conclude in dramatic fashion and featured an interesting subplot with Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov and fan favourite Ilya Kovalchuk of the Thrashers. Click here to see a clip of a few Nabokov-Kovalchuk highlights.

Breaking News: Teemu Selanne returns to Ducks

TSN is reporting that the Ducks have agreed to a 1 year, $1.5 million contract with Teemu Selanne.

Instant Analysis: The Ducks have few, if any, holes on their roster now that Selanne has agreed to return. While he may miss his former centerman Andy McDonald, the sniper is a terrific addition for a team that can use some extra scoring. It is official--the Ducks are stacked.

Fantasy Watch: Scouring the Waiver Wire

D Braydon Coburn, Philadelphia Flyers
Coburn didn't make much noise throughout the first half of the season, but managed to head into the all-star break riding a four game point streak. The former Atlanta Thrasher currently has 22 points on the year, making him Philly's second leading scorer on defense. Receiving time on the power-play, Coburn has made the most of his opportunity notching three pp assists in January. Entering the second half of the season, Coburn will be looking to extended his point streak and play a larger role in Philadelphia's offense.
Fantasy Take: Coburn has been very inconsistent all year but has heated up over the the last four games and may be worth a flier for those in need of a lower-end option at defense.

F Chuck Kobasew, Boston Bruins
In his first full year with Boston Kobasew is off to his best start as a pro, scoring 17 goals and 26 points in 49 games. The forward has benefited from playing with all-star centerman Marc Savard and is giving the Bruins a capable goal scorer they so desperately need. Leading the team with 17 goals, Kobasew has also been productive on the powerplay, scoring five pp goals to go along with four assists. Look for Kobasew to break his previous career high in points and goals in the next few weeks.
Fantasy Take: Kobasew has been a shaky play but is currently heating up, scoring five points in his last four games. Before making a claim for the forward, watch how he performs post all-star break to see if he can continue to be a regular on the score sheet.

F Martin Gelinas, Nashville Predators
Gelinas has come alive this January, scoring half of his points in this month alone. Appearing in 44 games for the Preds, Gelinas has totaled eight goals and 18 points on the year. Enjoying his best game of the season earlier this week, Gelinas scored two goals and added one assist while playing over 16 minutes. Although Gelinas had a rough season up until January, the forward has shown that he can still score in this league and may even be a decent fantasy option in deeper leagues.
Fantasy Take: Gelinas enjoyed a great month, scoring three goals and six assists. Keep an eye on him post all-star break to see if he continues with this pace, or returns to scoreless ways.

D Ryan Suter, Nasville Predators
Suter has been Nashville's second most productive defenseman, scoring five goals and 21 points. He is currently riding a four game point streak, scoring four points during that span while averaging around 15 minutes of ice time. Although he has failed to pick up power-play points (Suter has only two pp assists this month), the defenseman is still young and continuing to progress as a player. Increasing his point total in each of the first two seasons, Suter is a lock to surpass his 24 points he put up last year and could finish with around 35+ points if he continues to play well.
Fantasy Take: Although Suter may not help your fantasy team this year, he is a good defenseman to look at in keeper leagues. In only his third year in the league, Suter continues to improve as a player and will only get better as the years go on.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

NHL Morning Papers (Monday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• As Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail tells us, it didn't take long for the new boss of the NHLPA to have a disagreement with Gary Bettman.
• Shoalts provides readers with a recap of yesterday's All-Star Game.
• Mark Spector of the National Post has an interesting article on the modesty and humbleness of NHL players.
• Mike Brehm of USA Today gives the players' perspective of all these long-term contracts being signed in the NHL.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Bill Tiller of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution gives an Atlanta perspective of All-Star weekend.
• After getting booed all weekend long, Marc Savard was happy to score the winning goal for the Eastern All-Stars and finally hear some cheers in Atlanta, writes Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe. After being scored on twice early in the third period, Tim Thomas made sure to remember that the All-Star Game is supposed to be fun.
• Brian Campbell increased his price tag once again last night, writes Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News.
• Eric Staal is being used to advertise for the NHL and, as a result, he has come to the realization that he is one of the young marketable stars of the NHL.
• Making his second All-Star appearance, Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun wasn't as nervous as he was in his first appearance in the All-Star Game a few years ago and just made sure to enjoy himself over the weekend.
• With the 2009 All-Star Game slated for Montreal, Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette provides readers with the history of the game in Montreal.
• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger wonders what the Devils are going to do for a netminder once Martin Brodeur hangs up his blades.
• Sidney Crosby was clearly missed by both the fans and fellow players in Atlanta this weekend.
• Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star bashes the NHL Skills Competition. (Writer's note: This article raises many of the same points that Illegal Curve's Andrew M. brought up in his Cold Hard Rants yesterday.)
• Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun speculates that the NHL might cancel the All-Star Game altogether after 2009.
• Alexander Ovechkin always enjoys himself playing hockey, writes Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun has an interesting piece on the evolution of Mike Keenan as a NHL coach. Meanwhile, George Johnson of the Calgary Herald provides readers with Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf's perspectives of the All-Star Game.
• Terry Frei of the Denver Post suggests the Avalanche should attempt to make a trade for Thrashers superstar Marian Hossa.
• Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch believes Rick Nash has missed out on the All-Star Game MVP two years in a row because he is playing for the Blue Jackets.
• Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News examines the dynamic between co-GMs Les Jackson and Brett Hull and their possible plan of attack before the upcoming trade deadline.
• After watching yesterday’s NHL All-Star Game, Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times (should demand a pay-raise) thinks the league is in good hands with all its young talent.
• Sharks coach Ron Wilson sees Jacques Lemaire as the perfect tutor for Marian Gaborik even if the speedy Slovak sometimes craves more freedom.
• Ron Wilson was happy to be able to get to know other players around the NHL that he hadn’t had an opportunity to meet throughout the years.
• The Blues still see themselves contending for a playoff spot but the organization is not going to mortgage its future for a short-term fix, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

THE AHL REPORT

The AHL Report is the newest section to be added to the family of Illegal Curve feature articles, appearing each and every Sunday at your favourite hockey blog. Although the report will explore a wide range of topics, a special emphasis will be placed on developing prospects and NHL call-ups.

The American Hockey League is often referred to as a second-tier professional hockey league, an inferior brand of bush-league bandy composed of NHL rejects who couldn't cut it in the best league in the world. This misguided public view couldn't be more fallacious as the AHL boasts a cornucopia of top prospects, talented veterans and world class goaltenders.

Upon recently attending a Manitoba Moose/Syracuse Crunch game on Friday at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, I counted at least six 1st round NHL picks from the past three entry drafts, many of whom will play huge roles in the NHL next year (Michael Grabner, Luc Bourdon, Cory Schneider, Gilbert Brule, Alexandre Picard and Derick Brassard). Juraj Simek, a 20-year-old winger from Slovakia, scored a picturesque dipsy-doodle goal that would give Rick Nash a run for his highlight reel money. Duvie Westcott, Zenon Konopka, Jason Jaffray and Mike Brown are all players who have contributed to their parent clubs this season. Aside from following your teams NHL call-ups, their are many AHL regulars who have excelled enough to capivate your attention. Unsung heroes like Brad Moran, Rick Rypien and Colby Genoway are all good players with exceptional hockey talent.

In a 3-1 Manitoba Moose victory which featured three fights, the arena was packed and engaged, and the on-ice action was intense and compelling. Given that many of these prospects will only spend one or two years "on the farm", it is evident why fans find it difficult to become too attached to players who won't be playing in the AHL for very long. However, this does not mean that the quality of hockey should be undervalued. Over the past three of four years, players such as Jason Spezza, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Brad Boyes, Patrick Sharp, Mike Cammalleri and Joe Pavelski have lit up the lamp in the 'A' along the way to the NHL.

The naysayers of the AHL like to point out that franchises relocate all the time, creating an unstable environment with dire consequences. This is simply the reality of a league which doesn't have the guaranteed revenue streams to save all of their clubs. Teams in towns like Adirondack and Utica are forced to fold when ticket and merchandise sales slide too much in relation to inflating player costs. To the AHL's credit, it still boasts 30 teams and manages to attract ownership interest whenever one of their franchises is on the brink of collapse. Had enough Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights? Enter Quad City or Rockford. Anyways, it isn't like the National Hockey League doesn't have ownership issues itself (Ahem! Nashville? Tampa Bay?).

The fact of the matter is people will always write-off the American Hockey League for vacuous reasons. Viewers of AHL Hockey, including this weekend's 2008 AHL All-Star Classic festivities, know better.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

Cold Hard Rants--An All-Star Debacle

Coming to you live, once again, from the “Centre of the Universe”, Toronto Ontario, is another action-packed, exciting and dynamic, edition of Cold Hard Rants. Unfortunately, for the NHL those three words certainly could not be used in an honest manner to describe yesterday’s NHL Skills Competition as part of the NHL All-Star Weekend “extravaganza.”

Fresh off the un-mitigated disaster that was last year’s all-star weekend the NHL, to their credit, realized that the weekend needed a revamping. Unfortunately, as has become commonplace in Gary Bettman’s NHL, the purported cure was as bad as the disease, and the skills competition portion of the revamped weekend fell flatter than the terrain in Saskatchewan. (Note, I will not comment about the fact that the All-Star game was played in Atlanta, as I am not sure if the people at the event were knowledgeable enough about hockey to realize that what they were watching was in-fact a skills competition and not in actuality how all NHL games are played……hockey in the deep south, FEEL THE EXCITEMENT!)

A group of athletes who’s best selling features is their combination of size, and speed, were reduced to embarrassing themselves in ridiculous competitions like who could shoot a puck into a miniature net, and what goalie can shoot pucks the length of the ice into an empty net. The only thing the night was missing was a dog running through an obstacle course (which, by the way, I would have rather watched). As a viewer at home, the whole debacle was cringe worthy. I was half expecting the entire event to be sponsored by “Bad Idea Jeans.” (™ SNL).

Of course, just when I thought this had reached the pinnacle of debacle, the speed skating competition took the whole thing to a new level. On it’s face there is nothing wrong with a timed event to see who can skate the fastest from goal-line to blue-line, but when the freakin timers don’t work, what’s the point? The NHL couldn’t have asked to borrow a TIMEX from someone in the crowd? As I was watching at home, and saw Brian Campbell come out for the “finals” I was incredulous, as it was apparent to everyone that Campbell had LOST his heat. I don’t need a timer to tell me he lost, I saw it with my own eyes! To say that this was amateur hour is an insult to anyone who has ever been an amateur athlete. There aren’t enough adjectives in the English language for me to use to blast the NHL for how pathetic this was. Instead of it being a platform to highlight the tremendous athletes that play in the NHL, all it did was re-enforce how incompetent the Bettman era has been. Something the NHL has been all too skillful at showing the public time after time after time.

For Illegal Curve, I am Andrew M.

NHL SuperSkills Live Blog

Welcome to the 2008 NHL SuperSkills Live blog, This event will showcase the super skills of all the NHL All Stars, except for the ones who injured (Sidney Crosby, Henrik Zetterberg), or with their families (Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo). Illegal Curve was able to obtain some press credentials for this event and I am writing live from the press box at Phillips Arena my basement watching on CBC HD. I am looking forward to tonights festivities. If you are not aware of tonights events, and rules, they are available here.

In order: Obstacle Course Relay, Fastest Skater, Elimination Shootout, YoungStars Game, Accuracy Shooting, Hardest Shot, Breakaway Challenge.

I will be updating this throughout the competition, timestamped (Central time) with the most recent entry at the top.

8:22pm: The competition is over, it was a bit of a snoozer at times, but some players were able to showcase their talent. Ovechkin was the superstar of the night, receiving the biggest ovation. Tomorrow is the All-Star game, for all you fans of Frozen Assets, the over/under is 16. Out.

8:18pm: Alex Ovechkin tries to spin-o-rama and then baseball bat the puck into the net and gets a loud ovation. Somewhere Sidney Crosby is sitting at home crying.

8:09pm: The balding (who knew?) 22 year old Ryan Getzlaf shows two of the nicer moves so far. This event is showing so far to be a bit of a bust, with goalies making the saves and poke checking. I wouldn't mind seeing a shooter tutor or Mr. Sieve.

8:04pm: The moment everyone has been waiting for, the shootout challenge. Atlanta Hawk Dominique Wilkins, Scot Mellanby, Bill Clement and some guy from Friday Night Lights are judges.

7:42pm: Kaberle hits the target in sudden death, all the players celebrate. Greg Millen says "you don't think these guys compete". Settle down Greg.

7:14pm: Manny Legace makes a beauty breakaway pass to Patty Kane for a goal. Maybe I spoke too soon.

7:12pm: If the players don't really care, should I be interested?

7:01pm: The YoungStars were just introduced, what a bunch of babyfaces, several of them look like they just had their bar-mitzvahs.

6:53pm: Dion Phaneuf, who knew he could deke like this? He wins the elimination shootout.

6:45pm: CBC has chosen to put a person skating with a camera behind the shootout shooters, it's giving me a headache. Excuse me while I go throw up.

6:42pm: Jim Hughson explains that Brian Campbell's time was the only one that registered for the East, so he was put in the final. Wow. Who is running this thing?

6:36pm: After much confusion, Brian Campbell and Shawn Horcoff face-off in fastest skater. CBC shows the time as 0.00 seconds. Someone explain to me what is going on here. I would have preferred the traditional fastest skater, and compare to former all stars such as Petr Bondra and Mike Gartner. I really had no idea what was going on there.

6:27pm: Evegni Malkin just screwed up on the stickhanlding. If Nelson Muntz was here he'd say Ha Ha!

6:25pm: If the first time wasn't exciting enough, they are doing this course again. Alright!

6:20pm: Obstacle course relay, this is new. Great hands displayed by Spezza and Henrik Sedin. This is a nice change from guys skating through pylons.

6:17pm: Sidney Crosby wasn't available to play in the competition tonight, but he is featured playing with children in Tim Hortons commercials. What a role model.

6:07pm: Here's the most exciting part of the night, the player introductions. Is it just me, or does Mike Ribero look like a starving fetus?

6:00pm: I just got back from dominating the cowbell, lets get this thing started.

5:00pm: I have gone to practice with my Rock Band, Estimated Tongue. I am quite the shredder on lead guitar (Medium Difficulty), I'll be back around 5:45 with updates.

Fantasy Watch: Goalie Starts

Jan 28th – Feb 3rd

Anaheim Ducks (3) – Giguere should be well rested for back-to-back games this week.

Atlanta Thrashers (3) – Hedberg may steal a start due to back-to-back games.

Boston Bruins (3) – Look for Thomas to start all three games this week.

Buffalo Sabres (3) – Miller should be ready to go for all three games.

Carolina Hurricanes (3) – Ward will be looking to get back on track after the all-star break.

Calgary Flames (2) – Kiprusoff will get a much needed rest and should be back between the pipes for both games this week.

Chicago Blackhawks (2) – The Blackhawks haven't fully given Lalime the starting job, but if Khabibulin keeps struggling expect him to be out of the picture sooner than later.

Columbus Blue Jackets (3) – Leclaire has been stellar all year and should start all three games this week.

Colorado Avalanche (3) – Theodore recently took over the #1 position and should continue to hold onto it after the all-star break.

Dallas Stars (3) – Smith may steal a start due to back-to-back games this week.

Detroit Red Wings (3) – Look for a split between Osgood and Hasek.

Edmonton Oilers (2) – Garon should get both starts this week.

Florida Panthers (3) – Expect Vokoun to start all three games this week.

Los Angeles Kings (3) – LaBarbera hasn't been great but is still the starter in L.A.

Minnesota Wild (2) – Backstrom should get both starts this week.

Montreal Canadiens (4) – Huet will have a busy week with four games on the schedule.

Nashville Predators (3) – Look for Ellis to steal a start this week.

New Jersey Devils (3) – Brodeur will be busy during all-star week but should be ready to go for all three games this week.

New York Islanders (3) – Expect DiPietro to receive all the starts this week.

New York Rangers (4) – Lundqvist should be well rested for four games this week.

Ottawa Senators (3) – Gerber and Emery have both struggled as of late and will be looking to regain their early season form.

Philadelphia Flyers (3) – Nittymaki has been playing well this month and should steal a start this week.

Phoenix Coyotes (3) – Newly resigned Bryzgalov should receive all three starts this week.

Pittsburgh Penguins (3) – Conklin and Sabourin will continue to receive the starts while Fleury remains on the IR.

San Jose Sharks (3) – Nabokov has started all but one game for San Jose and should be ready to go post all-star break.

St. Louis Blues (3) – Legace struggled to close out the first half, but will be looking to get back on track after the break.

Tampa Bay Lightining (3) – Holmqvist will be looking to continue his hot-streak post all-star break.

Toronto Maple Leafs (3) – Toskala has won four of his last five games and should start all three games this week.

Vancouver Canucks (3) – After skipping the all-star game, Luongo should be ready to go for all three games this week.

Washington Capitals (3) – Look for Kolzig to start all three games this week.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

NHL Morning Papers (Friday Edition)

Note: With All-Star weekend upon us, I will not be posting on Saturday or Sunday. The usual NHL Morning Papers will return bright and early Monday morning.

Here are the national morning papers:

• Brian Burke is happy in Anaheim, so you can take his name off the list of candidates for the Maple Leafs' GM position.
• With the trade deadline fast approaching, Mark Spector of the National Post says it is time to separate the buyers from the sellers.
• Mike Brehm of USA Today previews this weekend's All-Star Game.
• The breakaway challenge has quite the cast of participants and should be more than entertaining, writes Kevin Allen of USA Today.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers lost to the Rangers 2-1 in a shootout last night, and the team has not won a game since January 15th.
• The Bruins rebounded from their 8-2 loss to Montreal, with a strong 4-1 victory last night over the Islanders. Meanwhile, injured Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron enjoyed his time in Aruba because it allowed to him to get away from all the attention he has received due to his concussion and just relax.
• The Sabres ended their road winless streak at eight games with a 2-1 victory at Dallas. Sabres defenseman Jaroslav Spacek admits that wearing the "C" has made him do things he normally wouldn't do.
• The Hurricanes are currently leading the Southeast Division but still think they need to win 20 of their last 30 games to make the playoffs.
• The Panthers blew a two-goal lead with under two minutes remaining in the third period and eventually lost 4-3 in a shootout to the young Oilers. "We were in control of the game. . . . We have to pick ourselves up. We have a busy month, and hopefully we get some guys back after the break," said Panthers coach Jacques Martin who chose not to dwell on the tough defeat.
• The Habs showed some resilience by coming back from a 2-0 deficit at New Jersey to defeat Brent Sutter and his troops 4-3.
• "To be quite honest, I was disappointed in the whole team tonight. Our commitment to win, our commitment to our system and our commitment to playing like you're supposed to play was brutal," said an angry Brent Sutter after his team blew a 3-1 third period lead to fall 4-3 to the visiting Canadiens. Sutter was so angry after the game that the players are lucky the CBA doesn't allow for practices over the All-Star break.
• It was a touching night at MSG on Thursday as the Rangers raised Brian Leetch's number 2 to the rafters. The Rangers played last night's game versus Atlanta without Marek Malik who was benched for not shaking coach Tom Renney's hand after Tuesday's 4-0 victory over the same Thrashers. As for last night's game, the Rangers came out pretty flat but ended up pulling the game out with a 2-1 shootout victory.
• "Maybe the guys were thinking about the break before the break started," said an angry Ted Nolan after his team's 4-1 loss to the Bruins. Islanders forward Richard Park has been the team's unsung hero this season, writes Greg Logan of Newsday.
• The Senators rode the back of Daniel Alfredsson's seven point night to an 8-4 victory over the defenseless Lightning.
• The Flyers were happy to head into the break with a 4-3 victory over division-rival Pittsburgh, writes Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Inquirer. When the Penguins and Flyers meet there is nothing but bad blood, writes Rich Hofmann of Philadelphia Daily News.
• While they lost 4-3 to Philadelphia last night, the Penguins are happy to go into the break trailing first place in the Atlantic Division by only a single point. In other Penguins news, they will open the 2008/09 season in Sweden versus the Senators.
• The Lightning enter the break on a sour note after getting dominated 8-4 by the Senators on Thursday night. One positive that came from last night's game for the Lightning was the surprise return of defenseman Dan Boyle.
• Not only did the Leafs lose 2-1 at Washington last night, but they lost two of their better players in Alexander Steen and Alexei Ponikarovsky to injuries. New GM Cliff Fletcher is lucky he didn't have to watch last night's game in person, as he stayed behind in Toronto to conduct meetings.
• The Capitals continued to move towards first place in the Southeast Division with a 2-1 home victory over Toronto last night.

The Western Conference morning papers were lost to a computer problem. Thank you Microsoft Vista! I apologize for this omission. The regular format will return on Monday.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Numbers Game: Maple Leafs Winning %

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hardly been in the news these days. It seems as though the hockey media has forgotten about them, so I have decided to write yet another Numbers Game on the beloved Leafs. In all seriousness, I recognize that this is the third consecutive Numbers Game article on the Leafs and I have promised Illegal Curve’s editor, Richard Pollock, that this will be the last for a while.

In today’s Numbers Game, I decided to look at a relatively meaningless stat; the winning percentage of the Maple Leafs when each player on the Leafs scores. It’s even more meaningless for a Leaf’s team that is near the bottom of the NHL in wins.

But did you know that the Leafs never lose when Wade Belak scores? Perfect, Maurice can stop his search for a winger to fill in for Ponikarovski on one of the top lines. #23 out, #3 in. That’s right, the same #3 that stars on Leaf’s TV’s “Wade a Minute”. Belak’s versatility is clearly underrated.

Unfortunately for the Leafs, Belak has only scored one goal. The Leafs, however, do have an impressive .750 winning percentage with Alex Steen scores (he has 10 goals on the year). 8 of Stajan’s 11 goals were scored in Leafs’ victories, while 5 of Tucker’s unimpressive season total of 6 goals were scored in losses. Never mind Sundin, it’s time to start the “trade Tucker” campaign. The Leafs just can’t seem to win when he scores. It appears that Tucker might not be doing such a disservice after all: it’s a good a thing he never scores!

What about Sundin who has been the subject of many trade rumours? The Leafs lose half the games that he scores in.

I would not focus on these stats at all. They really don’t mean anything. No one is going to suggest that Tucker shouldn’t score, as easy as that would be for him. Obviously, the more goals your team scores, the more likely you are to win. The issue is not really who is scoring and when, but rather who is not scoring enough. The Leafs brought in Jason Blake, a 40-goal scorer last year, to help ignite the offense. He currently sits at 9 goals on the year. Darcy Tucker scored an impressive 24 goals in 56 games last year and a career-high 28 goals in 2005-2006. After 42 games this season, he has 6 goals. If the Leafs want to turn around their season, then everyone has to step up, especially Tucker and Blake.

For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin.

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Alan Maki of the Globe & Mail tells readers that there are a lot of positives that could come along with being GM of the Maple Leafs.
• William Houston of the Globe & Mail wonders if Cliff Fletcher is just a puppet for Richard Peddie.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today has a great article on the success of the Detroit Red Wings since the salary-cap was introduced.
• Brett Hull is enjoying his role as co-GM in Dallas, writes Kevin Allen.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Ilya Kovalchuk has been suspended one game by the NHL for his hit-from-behind on
  Michael Roszival and, as a result, the superstar forward will sit out tonight's rematch versus the Rangers at MSG.
• Coming off of an 8-2 drubbing at the hands of the Habs, the Bruins are looking to rebound tonight versus the Islanders. In other Bruins news, Glen Murray has hit a speed-bump in his road to recovery and his return date is still unknown.
• The Sabres still don't have a timetable for the returns of both Maxim Afinogenov and Tim Connolly, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. With the Sabres visiting the Stars tonight, coach Lindy Ruff wants his team to be cognizant of Marty Turco's ability to handle the puck.
• Both Sergei Samsonov and the Hurricanes are happy to have each other, writes Rachel Carter of the News Observer.
• Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says that South Florida is desperate for a winning team; so, now is the time for the Panthers to create a buzz. Nathan Horton hasn't scored a goal in the three weeks, but he has a contributed to the team in a variety of different ways.
• In Montreal, Mathieu Dandenault is not very happy sitting on the sidelines as a healthy scratch. Meanwhile, before the Habs go on vacation over the All-Star break, the team will attempt to solve Martin Brodeur and company at the Prudential Center tonight.
• Michael Fensom of the Newark Star-Ledger details the progress made this season by Devils youngster David Clarkson. The Devils are looking forward to getting a break over the weekend before the playoff-run ramps up.
• Jaromir Jagr hopes to remain a Ranger through this season and beyond, writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post. Jay Greenberg salutes Brian Leetch whose number being raised to the MSG rafters tonight.
• Mike Sillinger says that the Islanders just need to maintain their focus on the teams ahead of them in the standings.
• Eugene Melnyk had breakfast with John Paddock and Bryan Murray yesterday to discuss the current state of the Senators, writes Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun. John Paddock was also busy doing other things on Wednesday as he threw out a challenge to both of his netminders, with the promise that whomever wins will continue starting.
• Flyers coach John Stevens wants his team's penalty-killing to improve.
• Ron Musselman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discusses the unexpected success of Penguins netminder Ty Conklin. The Penguins head into tonight's game versus Philadelphia with the early-season blowout loss to the Flyers on their minds.
• The Lightning have three star players who are not afraid to lay it on the line and lead by example.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star discusses the circus that is the new Leafs GM situation. With all the distractions in Toronto, the Leafs relied, as they usually do, on Mats Sundin and the big captain didn't disappoint by scoring with less than one minute remaining in regulation to give the Leafs a 3-2 victory over Washington.
• "We definitely didn't play our best game," Capitals forward Matt Pettinger said after his team's 3-2 loss at Toronto.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Wings got a little bit of payback last night, when they caught a break on the game-winning goal and defeated the Ducks 2-1 at the Honda Center. "They're the best team in the league for a reason," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle about the Red Wings.
• Jarome Iginla will aim to end his seven game goalless drought when the Flames resume play on Tuesday. Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald provides readers with candid comments from Flames GM Darryl Sutter.
• Martin Lapointe is champing at the bit to get back into action for the Blackhawks having missed four straight games with a bruised kidney.
• Whichever team wins tonight's Wild/Avalanche contest will be in first place in the Northwest Division heading into the All-Star break. Terry Frei correctly points out in this morning's Denver Post that the Avalanche are playing some boring hockey as of late.
• The Blue Jackets have to rely on their veteran players to keep them emotionally in check heading into the chase for a playoff spot, writes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. Blue Jackets rookie Kris Russell was happy to get his first NHL goal out of the way. Here are the Jackets' projected lines for tonight's tilt versus Chicago.
• The Stars will be happy to welcome back Jussi Jokinen to the line up tonight versus the Sabres after the Finnish winger missed the last thirteen games with a knee injury.
• The Wings did not back down from the physically imposing Ducks and defeated Anaheim 2-1 last night.
• According to a University of Alberta business professor, the Oilers have a 1% chance of making the playoffs. (Writer's note: I'm no professor, but I am pegging their chances at 0%.) John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal thinks the time is right for Daryl Katz to be the new owner of the Edmonton Oilers.
• After playing the Red Wings on Tuesday, the Kings' road to the All-Star break doesn't get any easier with a tough contest versus the Ducks tonight.
• Wild rookie James Sheppard has been trying emulate the play of teammate Mikko Koivu and it has served him well, writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
• Jason Arnott of the Predators is from your quintessential hockey family, writes John Glennon of the Tennessean.
• The San Jose Mercury News takes a look at the dangers that come with blocking shots.
• Blues coach Andy Murray was very happy with his team's effort in their 3-2 shootout loss at Vancouver.
• The slumping Canucks were relieved to get a victory heading into the All-Star break after last night's 3-2 shootout win over visiting St. Louis.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. The IIHF will go to a 4-official system at the World Championships.
2. The Flames and h ave assigned Eric Nystrom to the AHL and Patrice Bergeron has returned from vacationing in Aruba.
3. Doug Gilmour said to be confused over his role with the Leafs. Also confusing Gilmour, the statutory age of consent.
4. Blah, blah, blah, blah, Leafs, blah, blah, blah.
5. The St. John's Fog Devils will relocate to Quebec.
6. Tom Glavine still wonders if he could have made it in the NHL.
7. Something about a Wang that enjoys growing...
8. Magnus Wernblom is closing in on the scoring record in the SEL.
9. This year's CHL Prospects game will be defense heavy.
10. A primer on how to coach an All-Star Game.
11. Spector says that Hossa might stay in Atlanta now that the playoffs are a possibility.
12. Interesting take on the lack of action in getting more NHL teams in Canada.
13. A pretty hilarious photoshop contest over at Pensblog. The Flyers are the natural target.
14. A story on the Gamebreaker video system from the Prince George Citizen.
15. My least favourite hockey analyst and least favourite newspaper have joined forces to create a plethora of suck.
16. Worst hockey mom ever. Note to all the studly 16 year old hockey players out there: If your next conquest could be mistaken for your hockey bag, don't hit it.
17. John Ferguson Jr. ponders his future. If he just waits a few years the Leafs will hire him back.
18. Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star tells us the goal of Leafs' Nation is to find their "Bryan Colangelo". No wonder they can't play hockey. Too many scouts looking for 6'8 guards and mobile swingmen.
19. A faction of the Edmonton Investors' Group is attempting to match Daryl Katz' offer. Smells like a bidding war to me.
20. Not sure why this story is getting so much attention, but the Pens Tyler Kennedy is out with mono.
21. The final instaalment of the Staal brothers will take the ice at the CHL Prospects game tonight.
22. Jyri Niemi of the Saskatoon Blades won the hardest shot competition at the CHL Prospects game with a 97 mph blast.
23. The Hockey News, apparently addled from being in Toronto for too long, attempts to give the Cy Young Award to 10 NHL'ers.
24. Catching up with Gilbert Dionne.
25. Mike Milbury has his own blog. I am going to see if I can acquire it from him for a blog to be named later.

Fantasy Watch: Buy/Sell

BUY

F Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
Marleau has been awful this year, but appears to be turning a corner in the New Year, scoring in four of his last five games. He has also been producing on San Jose's power-play unit, registering four assists in his last five games. Although this could just be a tease, a player with Marleau's talent is worth to take a gamble on. You don't lose the ability to become an 80 point player in the NHL overnight, and even though Marleau won't put up anything close the 78 points he did last year, the forward could still be in for a pleasant second half.

F Cory Stillman, Carolina Hurricanes
Stillman started the season on fire, scoring 31 points in his first 23 games but has struggled to keep up that astonishing pace and is currently enduring his worst month of the season. With only two points in his last eight games, Stillman's value has plummeted and may be in the trading block in your league. His recent scoring slump does bring a cause for concern, but with a potent Carolina lineup featuring three other 40+ point players, Stillman's slump should end in no time. If you can get Stillman for below market value, then do so now as he could heat up at any moment.

SELL

F Todd Bertuzzi, Anaheim Ducks
After enduring two unsuccessful stints with both Florida and Detroit, no one was sure how Bertuzzi would perform in his first year with the Ducks. Scoring only two points in his first seven games with Anaheim, Bertuzzi's miserable start was put to an end early after suffering yet another concussion. Unsure if Bertuzzi would ever step foot back on the ice, owners acted quickly and dropped the forward in favor of other options. Returning over a month later, Bertuzzi got off to another slow start but has since picked it up, scoring 13 points in his last 10 games. Due to his rugged style of play, Bertuzzi puts himself at an extreme risk of another serious injury that could end his season prematurely. With his value as high as it might be all season, it's advised to ship Bertuzzi off for other options.

F Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Minnesota Wild
Bouchard has been extremely streaky this year, often going several games without registering a point only to bounce back and post the odd multi point game, making owners shrug off his inconsistency.
After scoring only three points in his last seven games, Bouchard bounced back and posted his first four point night, much to the dismay of owners who probably had him on their bench after his awful week beforehand. My advice? Trade Bouchard to another team, avoid his scoreless nights and the headaches that come with debating whether or not to start him for the week.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

NHL Morning Papers (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail says that most of what John Ferguson Jr. did during his stint in Toronto was unsuccessful.
• Cliff Fletcher does not have very much time before the trade deadline arrives, writes Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail.
• The NHL and Versus have agreed to extend their television contract for another three years.
• Mark Spector of the National Post tells readers that Cliff Fletcher has a big mess to clean up.
• Mike Brehm of USA Today providers readers with some news and notes from around the NHL.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Ilya Kovalchuk was ejected late in the first period as the Thrashers went on to lose their fourth straight game last night with a 4-0 loss to the Rangers. Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details behind the confusing Thrashers and Hawks ownership situation.
• The Bruins were defeated 8-2 by the Canadiens last night, making that six losses to the Habs this season. Even with the drubbing handed to them by the Habs, the Bruins did get some good news on Tuesday with the announcement that Tim Thomas had been named to the All-Star team. Also, injured center Patrice Bergeron has returned from a club-ordered vacation to Aruba.
• Sabres coach Lindy Ruff accepts responsibility for his club's recent struggles, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News.
• The Hurricanes gave up a shocking three short-handed goals yesterday in their 6-3 home loss to the Islanders, writes Luke Decock of the News Observer.
• With last night's 5-3 victory over the Senators, the Panthers moved within four points of the Southeast Division lead.
• The Canadiens were about as impressive as you can get last night in their dominant 8-2 victory over the division-rival Bruins.
• The Devils tied a franchise record with five power play goals last night in their 7-3 victory at Philadelphia yesterday. Meanwhile, both Martin Brodeur and Brent Sutter have pulled out of All-Star weekend.
• The Rangers finally looked like the team that everyone expected in the off-season, with a 4-0 dominating performance over the Thrashers last night. "We were a relentless team tonight," said coach Tom Renney after last night's game.
• The Islanders were 3 for 8 last night scoring on Carolina's power play, as they defeated the Hurricanes 6-3 at the RBC Center last night.
• The Senators were defeated 5-3 at Florida last night, and have only 15 wins registered in their last 32 games played. The return of Daniel Alfredsson to the Senators line up didn't help the team keep the puck out of their own net, which seems to be their biggest problem as of late.
• "We had a total letdown," Flyers coach John Stevens said after his team's embarrassing 7-3 home loss to the Devils. Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News wonders if the Flyers fear the Devils.
• The Lightning recorded a 4-3 victory over visiting Edmonton yesterday to make it three straight wins, which has vaulted the Bolts back into playoff consideration. Bolts coach John Tortorella has been very impressed with the play of his team's fourth line.
• David Templeton of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at the positive side of things when it comes to Sidney Crosby's ankle.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star wonders if Cliff Fletcher can save the Maple Leafs. Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun lists possible GM candidates for the Leafs. It shouldn't take John Ferguson Jr. too long to find work, writes Mike Zeisberger of the Sun.
• Bruce Boudreau will be making his first coaching experience in his home-town Toronto tonight as the Capitals visit the Leafs.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Both Corey Perry and Scott Niedermayer have been named to the All-Star team, writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register. (Writer's note: How can anyone take the game seriously when Niedermayer is named to the team? While he is one of the top three defensemen in the game today, he has hardly played this season! C'mon NHL, give someone else the opportunity.)
• The Flames are now in first place in the Northwest Division, for the time being, after defeating division-rival Minnesota last night in a closely contested 2-1 game.
• The Blackhawks had their four-game winning streak snapped last night as they lost 3-2 in San Jose, writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. (Injury news: Jonathan Toews is expected to be out for three more weeks.)
• "The desperation wasn't there for us tonight. Right from the get-go, you could tell," said Avalanche winger Ian Lapperierre after last night's 4-0 loss at home to Nashville. Meanwhile, Woody Paige of the Denver Post thinks that Colorado should host an outdoor game. For those who love rumors, both the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs have had scouts following the Avalanche.
• "To win a game like this, down and coming back with such a big effort by so many guys, it's a turning point for our organization," said an excited Ken Hitchcock after his Blue Jackets came back from a third period deficit to defeat the Stars 4-2. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch provides readers with the details of the minor swap between Colorado and Columbus. (Writer's note: Ken Hitchcock and Scott Howson have this club moving in the right direction. They may not generate much attention from the casual fan, but the Jackets should not be overlooked.)
• The Stars feel like they let two point slip away last night versus the Blue Jackets, writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• Chris Osgood started his first game since being pulled from a game last week by coach Mike Babcock and was tremendous shutting out the Kings by a score of 3-0. Red Wings star Henrik Zetterberg has decided to take a week off to rest his ailing back.
• "Every single game is vital for us moving forward," said Oilers forward Marty Reasoner after his team's 4-3 loss at Tampa Bay last night. Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun wonders how the Oilers can expect to make the playoffs by losing games to the 29th and 30th ranked teams in the NHL.
• The best in the West defeated the worst in the West last night, as the Kings were beaten 3-0 by the powerful Red Wings.
• The Wild suffered a letdown last night after their inspiring victory over Vancouver on Monday and were defeated 2-1 by the Flames at the Saddledome. The Wild top forwards asked Jacques Lemaire for more ice-time and their wish has been granted, writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
• The Predators separated themselves from the Avalanche at the beginning of the third period last night and cruised to a 4-0 victory. In the process, J.P. Dumont extended his point streak to thirteen games.
• Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic provides readers with the details behind the Ilya Brygalov contract extension.
• The Sharks ended their four-game winless streak last night with a 3-2 home victory over the Blackhawks.
• "We haven't paid as much attention to detail," said Blues coach Andy Murray in reference to his team's current five-game losing streak.
• In Vancouver, coach Alain Vigneault has challenged Roberto Luongo to play better. The Canucks have lost Kris Beech on waivers to the Capitals.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Numbers Game: Ferguson by the numbers

Hats off to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for finally recognizing that they made a huge mistake by bringing in John Ferguson Jr. to “run the show” for the Leafs. I use the term “run the show” very loosely of course. Ferguson was merely a puppet for the MLSE board which is compromised of prominent real estate developers, lawyers and pension fund directors who in addition to being extremely successful businessmen also possess brilliant hockey minds?

With Ferguson fired, the Leafs have handed the GM position to former Leafs’ GM Cliff Fletcher accompanied by a promise by the MLSE board to give him full control over the hockey operations. This model has certainly worked well for the Raptors and under the guidance of a hockey version of Bryan Colangelo, it will certainly serve the best interests of the Leafs. However, the question remains: Is Fletcher the right guy for the job?

Fletcher has certainly demonstrated the willingness to pull off the big trade and the foresight to recognize the potential contributions of players. He was responsible for bringing Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin to Toronto. He will have to utilize the same foresight and willingness in the next month when he is faced with the pressure to, ironically, trade Sundin.

In response to today’s firing, I looked at the success of the Leafs under their last 4 general managers dating back to when Fletcher took over in 1991. The list includes:
Cliff Fletcher (1991-1997)
Ken Dryden (1997-1999)
Pat Quinn (1999-2003)
John Ferguson Jr. (2003-2008)

For the analysis, I recognize that team points are now scored differently than they were in the 90’s. Since 1999, teams received a point for losing a game in overtime and, of course, shootouts were brought into the game to break ties in 2005. As well, the league has expanded since the early 90’s from a 22-team league to the 30-team league that we have today.

Click on image to enlarge:

The Leafs were most successful under Pat Quinn. They enjoyed their highest winning percentage (.589) and on, average, ranked 5th in the conference and 2nd in their division, while qualifying for the playoffs every season. Quinn’s teams also consistently ranked in the top 10 in the league in goals scored and were above the league average in goals against. They narrowly missed the Stanley Cup finals losing to the Hurricanes in 2001 and were generally regarded as contenders in the East every season.

Conversely, under Ferguson, the Leafs have failed to qualify for the playoffs since the lockout and are likely going to fall short again this year. They did tally 103 points in his first season (2003), but how much of that can be attributed to Ferguson instead of Quinn, his predecessor? Since the lockout the Leafs have ranked, on average, 10th in the East and 4th in their 5-team division.

Ironically, Fletcher did have a lower winning % than Ferguson. However, the Leafs in the mid 90’s, when Gilmour was in his prime, were a much better team than now, and they would have arguably had a much higher winning percentage should the shootout have been in place. As well, the Leafs almost reached 100 points in 1992-1993 and 1993-1994 en route to conference finals appearances without receiving points for overtime losses. For 4 consecutive seasons starting in 1992, the Leafs finished at worst 5th in their conference.

Under Fletcher, the Leafs appeared to have difficulty scoring, finishing, at best, 13th in the league in goals for. However, the Leafs did rank above league average in goals against during Fletcher’s tenure with the exception of his final season. In the last 2 seasons, the Leafs have finished 21st and 25th overall in goals against and currently have the 4th worst goals against to date.

Ferguson had his chance with the Leafs. His track record certainly supports MLSE’s decision to fire him today. Whether Fletcher was the right guy remains to be seen. Granted, while he will only retain the GM title until the end of the season, what Fletcher does in the next few months will certainly go a long way in molding the Leafs potential success over the next few years. Here is to hoping that they don’t continue along the path that Ferguson has currently steered them on.

For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Kalamazoo wins a game in the IHL when they score with 0.1 seconds left on the clock. Big deal. I can score and cuddle in 0.1 seconds.
2. A decision is expected today on the fate of John Ferguson Jr. Update: JFJ fired.
3. Hockey Hearsay reports that Ottawa almost made a trade. Big news day in Ottawa. I almost won the lottery, too.
4. The weekly release from the USHL.
5. Evanka Osmak of Sportsnet does some deep thinking on the All-Star Game. Save yourself the trouble and instead spend 30 seconds checking out her pictures.
6. Just like Regina girls, this guy loves the wood.
7. The Coyotes have inked Ilya "The Human Alphabet" Bryzgalov to a 3 year extension.
8. Evgeni Malkin will replace Sidney Crosby at the All-Star Game in Atlanta.
9. In an effort to make up for yesterday's worst fight ever, please enjoy this goalie fight featuring Illegal Curve favorite, David Reekie. The video is shakier than bigfoot footage, but you get the idea.
10. This week's ECHL update looks at Peder Skinner of the Phoenix Roadrunners. I think Peder Skinner ranks right up there with Corey Pecker as worst hockey name.
11. The Junior Report says that Belleville is the team to beat in the OHL and notes that David Reekie has helped turn around Lincoln's season in the USHL.
12. Cherie Piper has rejoined the Canadian Women's Team after a year-long battle with knee problems.
13. Tyler Cuma of the Ottawa 67's is looking to make an impact at the CHL Prospects game.
14. The Everett Herald examines the consequences for the WHL should Canadian schools join the NCAA.
15. Here is a review on the new documentary following the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL.
16. Ken Campbell notes that internal divisions with the Leafs' braintrust may have cost them Fabian Brunstrom.
17. Good story on Jonathan Morrison, an official in the USHL.
18. Spector provides a list of NHL'ers who may be moved at the deadline.
19. The London Free Press with a story on Yvon Cournoyer. Also check out this video of The Roadrunner. You're welcome Mad Dog.
20. Things are getting testy in NYC.
21. The Hot Prospects list from the Hockey News.
22. Adam Proteau's vision of how the NHL should run.
23. An update on Montreal's prospects in the NCAA system from Hockey's Future.
24. Scott Wraight of SI gives some early predictions for the playoffs.
25. Finally, an article from the CBC not blaming W. for global warming, hangnails and papercuts.

NHL Morning Papers (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Reports indicate that the Leafs are finally going to put John Ferguson Jr. out of his misery today. (Update: JFJ has been fired with Cliff Fletcher being named interim GM.)
• William Houston of the Globe & Mail providers readers with all the details behind the NHL's television deal with TSN.
• With Sidney Crosby lost to the Penguins for at least a month, Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail says it is Evgeni Malkin's time to shine.
• Even with all the mistreatment he has received, executives around the league know that John Ferguson Jr. will be around the game of hockey for a long time, writes Michael Traikos of the National Post.
• Dave Staples of the National Post says Canadian franchises are generating lots of interest from potential purchasers.
• Nicklas Backstrom has been playing very well as of late, and should now be considered among the favorites for the Calder Trophy, writes Kevin Allen of USA Today.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tells us about Joel Kwiatkowski's love for the guitar.
• Bruins forward Pascal Pelletier is beyond excited to play in his home province of Quebec tonight when the Bruins face-off against the Habs. Meanwhile, Glen Murray practiced with his teammates yesterday and should be ready to return to the line up post All-Star break.
• After an embarrassing 6-2 loss at Phoenix on Monday, the Sabres called a players-only meeting. Here are some notes about the Sabres provided by John Vogl of the Buffalo News.
• The Hurricanes defeated the Islanders 3-2 in overtime on Monday to win back-to-back games for the first time in one month. Rachel Carter of the News Observer provides readers with news and notes about the Hurricanes.
• Panthers owner Alan Cohen has told Olli Jokinen he won't be traded. "I like this place. This is home. I don't believe the grass is any greener on the other side . . . I want to win here and hopefully we make some moves here," said Jokinen.
• Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette has a nice article on Habs equipment manager Pierre Gervais.
• After being bitten by Derian Hatcher, Travis Zajac has been on fire for the Devils, writes Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger. According to Mark Everson of the NY Post, Lou Lamoriello has ramped up his efforts to acquire a top-four defenseman and a scoring forward.
• Rangers coach Tom Renney doesn't believe his team needs to make any changes heading into the stretch drive for the playoffs. John Dellapina of the NY Daily News tells readers that Renney is inspired by the Giants run to the Super Bowl and is hoping his team can make the same run.
• The Islanders blew a two-goal third period lead yesterday, making it two games in a row that they have blow such a lead, and were defeated by the Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime.
• Senators GM Brian Murray thought he had a couple deals done last week only to have the other GM back-off at the last minute, writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
• The Flyers have lost four straight games to the Devils and will be looking to make a statement tonight against their division-rivals at the Wachovia Center.
• Sidney Crosby is now expected to miss six-eight weeks of action, instead of four weeks which was originally reported. Without Crosby in the line up last night, Alexander Ovechkin took over and led the Capitals to a 5-4 shootout victory over the Penguins. Crosby isn't the only Penguins player who is injured, writes Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• With Johan Holmqvist regaining his confidence, the Lightning will ride the Swedish netminder as far as they can.
• As Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun tells us, John Ferguson Jr. believes he will have a job in hockey for years to come. Damien Cox of the Toronto Star says MLSE does not care about Leafs fans.
• Alexander Ovechkin exhibited last night why he is considered a superstar, writes Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Flames are asking for more goals from their bottom-six forwards to help alleviate the pressure on their top players, writes Steve Macfarlane of the Calgary Sun. Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald has the Flames' defensemen's opinion on battling in front of their own net.
• Currently in the midst of an eighteen game goalless drought, Blackhawks forward Tuomo Ruutu knows he has to be better.
• The Avalanche aren't sitting around feeling sorry for themselves because of all team's injuries, instead, they are coming together and replacing skill with grit and determination.
• Blue Jackets rookie Derek Brassard has been promoted to the team's number one line and will play alongside Rick Nash and Fredrik Modin tonight in Dallas. In other Jackets news, the organization has decided to leave Gilbert Brule in the AHL for the time being. Here are the Jackets' projected lines for tonight's contest.
• Stephane Robidas plays far bigger than his size, writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• It appears that Henrik Zetterberg's back is acting up again and the Swedish star may be out of the line up for his team's next two games and possibly the All-Star Game.
• The Oilers' "kid-line" is coming together, writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal. Here are some notes about the Oilers and Lightning heading into tonight's contest in Tampa.
• Kings youngster Teddy Purcell has impressed the Kings brass since his call-up from the AHL, writes Dan Arritt of the L.A. Times.
• The Wild rode Pierre-Marc Bouchard's four point effort to a 4-2 road victory at Vancouver. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune examines whether the second game of back-to-back games is really that bad. (Writer's note: Great article by Russo.)
• The Predators defeated the Blues 6-3 on Monday and took over second place in the Central Division. However, it wasn't all good news last night, as David Legwand will be lost to the Predators for at least the next two games with a lower-leg injury.
• The Coyotes continued to prove the pre-season pundits wrong last night with an impressive 6-2 victory at home over the Sabers.
• "I probably shouldn't say it, but I will: The Anaheim game had a little bit of a carry-over that bothers me," said Sharks GM Doug Wilson about the Sharks' recent skid.
• The Blues lost their fifth straight game yesterday and their playoff hopes will become more remote if they don't turn it around soon. Meanwhile, Blues defenseman Christian Backman has been told that the coaching staff expects more from him.
• The Canucks have not won one game this season in which they were trailing going into the third period and that trend continued last night in their 4-2 loss to the Wild. The Canucks are going the way of the stock market right now, writes Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Peter Forsberg has resumed skating with Modo.
2. Bob McKenzie with an homage to Don Wittman.
3. The CHL Hot or Not list looks at Claude Giroux of the QMJHL.
4. An update on the ongoing Bertuzzi-Moore scandal.
5. Sidney Crosby will not have an MRI until Tuesday. Expect the NHL to devote full coverage to the event.
6. Mike Lundin has won a spot on the Bolts' blueline by playing a simple game. Checkers?
7. Kyle Okposo is adjusting well to life in the AHL.
8. Patience is paying dividends for Don Waddell in Atlanta.
9. Ice Age looks at how a couple of Flames defensmen deal with trade rumours.
10. Scott Burnside profiles the upcoming Trade Deadline by looking back at past deals.
11. You want NCAA power rankings? Ok, fair enough.
12. Mike Chen tries his hand at predicting trade value.
13. Larry Brooks thinks the Rangers are making a mistake by not honoring past greats.
14. The Puck Stops Here touts Patrick Sharp as the next winner of the Selke.
15. Jacques Lemaire is a fan of consistency. Why wouldn't he be? He has the personality and offensive flair of dry toast.
16. A compilation of NHL trade rumors, courtesy of Spector.
17. An interview with NAHL Commissioner, Mark Frankenfeld.
18. Check out the world's worst fight. I get more touching in washing the dishes with my wife.
19. A little known Swede has become a hot property in the NHL.
20. Scott Morrison details the NHL's plans to "jazz" up the All-Star Game.
21. Jeremy Roenick says Chris Chelios intends to play until he is 50.
22. Very, very good read on the Dave Semenko-Muhammed Ali fight. Is that Jerry Seinfeld in the picture with Ali and Semenko?
24. News and Views from Around the NHL.
25. In a stunning moment of clarity, Mike Brophy writes that the Sabres shouldn't overpay Brian Campbell.

Fantasy Watch: Scouring the Waiver Wire

D Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers
Timonen may have been drafted in your league due to his strong past performances with Nashville, but was probably dropped within the first month based on his early season performance with the Flyers. Scoring only five points in the first month of the season, Timonen had fallen off the fantasy radar only to reappear in the New Year, after busting out with eight points in his last eight games. With two three point nights in the last week, Timonen has regained fantasy value as a defensive option and may reach the 50 point plateau with a few more strong months.
Fantasy Take: Timonen is on fire right now, scoring seven points in his last three games. He is an important piece on Philadelphia's power-play unit, which should continue to give him several scoring chances throughout the season.

F Michael Peca, Columbus Blue Jackets
Peca was a popular early season pickup after scoring six points in his first eight games with Columbus. Soon after his surprising start, the forward found himself on the IR and has battled with injuries throughout the season. Finally healthy, Peca is again showing why he was such a popular early season pickup, scoring six points this January. He has been a force on the power-play, registering a point on the pp in each of his last three games. Although Peca won't give you many goals, he has been an excellent setup man in Columbus, and should continue to be a great complement to Rick Nash.
Fantasy Take: Although he has battled inconsistency this year, Peca can be a reliable lower end fantasy starter if he can stay off the IR.

F Daniel Paille, Buffalo Sabers
Paille has given Buffalo a much needed scoring boost over the past month, notching five goals in his last seven games. Although his recent scoring outburst hasn't done much for Buffalo in the standings, the third year forward is slowly making a name for himself on the fantasy radar. Appearing in 42 games this year, Paille has registered 12 goals and 10 assists. Although his totals aren't very high, its important to note that half of Paille's points have come within the last 12 games.
Fantasy Take: As of now, Paille is only a good start in deeper leagues, but keep an eye on him over the next few years, as he has the talent to become a great player in this league.

F Robert Nilsson, Edmonton Oilers
After only appearing in only four games for the Oilers last season, Nilsson has been a regular in the lineup this year playing in 40 games. The forward has scored six goals and 22 points, which is a new career high for the former Islander. With three goals and seven points this month, Nilsson has proved to be a capable scorer on an Oilers team desperately looking for offense.
Fantasy Take: Currently riding a three game point streak, Nilsson can be a valuable pickup for those looking for help on the wing.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

NHL Morning Papers (Monday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• It looks like Daryl Katz is once again closing in on purchasing the Edmonton Oilers, writes Dan Barnes of the National Post.
• Kevin Allen of the USA Today looks at the week ahead in the NHL.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• A bad line change swung the momentum in favor of the Oilers yesterday afternoon as they defeated the Thrashers 4-2 in Atlanta.
• The Bruins defeated the listless Rangers for the second time in two days, writes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. Bruins netminder Tim Thomas was unhappy that he gave up the shutout by allowing a goal in the final minute of the game.
• Sabres forward Daniel Paille is finally coming into his own, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News.
• Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette is trying to use positive reinforcement with his struggling club. After injuring himself in practice on Sunday, Erik Cole is still expected to suit up this afternoon as the Canes face-off against the Islanders.
• Panthers rookie Shawn Matthias is impressing more than just the coaches in Florida, writes Ted Hutton of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Panthers winger Rostislav Olesz will be out of the team's lineup for at least two weeks with a hand injury.
• If you are looking for a defenseman who consistently hits the opposition and blocks shots, then Mike Komisarek of the Canadiens is your man, writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette.
• The Devils got back on track last night, holding onto a 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs at the Prudential Center. "I don't even know who Willis Reed is," Devils forward John Madden said after his performance against the Maple Leafs.
• The Rangers lost 3-1 at home to the Bruins yesterday afternoon, and Brendan Shanahan was benched in the process. "So step up or step back," said coach Tom Renney after his team's loss.
• Both Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek will return to the Islanders lineup today as they face-off against Carolina this afternoon.
• Not only were the Senators dominated by the Flyers yesterday but they didn't exact any revenge on Steve Downie either, writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. In positive news, Daniel Alfredsson is expected to return tomorrow night in Florida.
• The Flyers have now won ten of their past twelve games after defeating the Senators 6-1.
• With Sidney Crosby out of the lineup, Evgeni Malkin has become the center of attention on the Penguins, writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Pens will have three AHL call-ups in the lineup tonight when they face-off against the Capitals.
• Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune thinks the Lightning should be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline.
• With their three-game winning streak now a thing of the past, the John Ferguson Jr. watch is sure to ramp up after his team's 3-2 loss at New Jersey on Sunday.
• Tarik El-Bashir has the details behind Michael Nylander's decision to have season-ending shoulder surgery.

The Western Conference morning papers are soon to follow...

• Not only did the Ducks lose 5-2 to the Stars yesterday, but they also lost first place in the division, writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• Trade winds continue to swirl around Flames winger Alex Tanguay as the trade deadline nears. Meanwhile, Adrian Aucoin won the Flames' fastest shot competition with a 102.3 mph shot, and he did it all with a wooden stick.
• Blackhawks rookie forward Patrick Kane has become a shootout weapon with four goals in five attempts this season.
• With their top three offensive players on the sidelines, the Avalanche got contributions from all over the roster to defeat Columbus 3-1 on Sunday night. After last night's victory, the Avs are now first place in the Northwest Division.
• "We didn't want it enough to get these two points," said Blue Jackets defenseman Rostislav Klesla after his team's 3-1 loss at Colorado. In other Jackets news, it is no sure thing that Gilbert Brule will return to Columbus from the AHL.
• Dwayne Roloson was a good soldier during his time on the bench and he made the best of his opportunity to play yesterday in Atlanta by leading the Oilers to a 4-2 victory. "Every game is like a playoff game for us right now," said Oilers rookie Sam Gagner.
• Playing their fourth game in six days, the Stars didn't use fatigue as an excuse last night, and their resiliency paid off as they defeated the streaking Ducks 5-2.
• Wild tough-guy Todd Fedoruk has learned to do more than just fight in the NHL, and that has allowed him to earn the trust of Wild coach Jacques Lemaire. When the Wild visit Vancouver tonight, it will be the first time that Mikko Koivu and Mattias Ohlund will be facing-off against each other since Ohlund injured Koivu with a slash to the leg.
• "We've got to sign him,'' said Predators captain Jason Arnott regarding the impending UFA status of J.P. Dumont. Predators center Radek Bonk will be a game-time decision for tonight's game versus division-rival St. Louis.
• The Coyotes host the Sabres today, and coach Wayne Gretzky sees a lot of similarities between the two teams.
• Currently on a four-game losing skid, the Blues realize they need to turn their game around right now if they want to make the playoffs, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• As Illegal Curve's Ezra Ginsburg told readers last night, the Sharks have recalled Tomas Plihal from the AHL.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

THE AHL ZONE

The AHL Zone is the newest feature to be added to the family of Illegal Curve articles and will explore the latest news from around the American Hockey League, with special emphasis placed on prospects and call-ups.


- According to the Associated Press, Worcester Sharks left winger Tomas Plihal has been called up by the San Jose Sharks after center Curtis Brown was placed on injured reserve. Plihal has only three NHL games under his belt.
- The Manitoba Moose are currently on a six game losing skid after back-to-back weekend losses to the Peoria Rivermen and must be concerned with their inability to score goals. Brad Moran and Michael Grabner lead the team offensively but have been inconsistent over the past two weeks. The Moose were pleased to get Jason Jaffray and Mike Brown back from the NHL's Vancouver Canucks but are unsure if they have enough firepower to compete with the top teams in the Western Conference. In a possible team shake-up, the Moose released forward Mathieu Melanson and re-assigned defenceman Dylan Yeo to the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL. The Moose don't play until next Thursday night against the Syracuse Crunch, and will be desperately seeking to end their streak.

- The 2008 AHL All-Star Classic will be played in Binghamton, New York, the home of the Baby Senators, on January 28 with the Skills Competition going a day earlier. The Binghamton Senators are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Ottawa Senators. The AHL All-Star Classic annually pits Canadian All-Stars versus PlanetUSA All-Stars. It is very common for players named to the All- Star team to be called up to the NHL, for obvious reasons, and in this case many players will fly to the host city for the one night. It was announced early last week that two Winnipeggers named to the Canadian team, New York Rangers/Hartford Wolf Pack forward Nigel Dawes and Chicago Blackhawks/Rockford Ice Hogs defenseman Cam Barker,would participate in the All-Star Classic despite currently playing in the NHL.

Here are the complete rosters for the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic game:

Canadian AHL All-Stars

Goalies

Drew MacIntyre, Manitoba Moose (Charlottetown, PEI)
Nolan Schaefer, Houston Aeros (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan)
Michael Leighton, Albany River Rats (Petrolia, Ontario)

Defensemen

Cam Barker, Rockford Ice Hogs (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Micki Dupont, Peoria Rivermen (Calgary, Alberta)
Joel Kwiatkowski, Chicago Wolves (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
Lawrence Nycholat, Binghamton Senators (Calgary, Alberta)
Ryan O'Byrne, Hamilton Bulldogs (Victoria, BC)
Adam Pardy, Quad City Flames (Bonavista, Newfoundland)
Alexandre Picard, Philadelphia Phantoms (Gatineau, Quebec)
Derrick Walser, Toronto Marlies (New Glasgow, Nova Scotia)

Forwards

Derick Brassard, Syracuse Crunch (Hull, Quebec)
Nigel Dawes, Hartford Wolf Pack (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Denis Hamel, Binghamton Senators (Lachute, Quebec)
Mike Iggulden, Worcester Sharks (St.Catherines, Ontario)
Jason Krog, Chicago Wolves (Fernie, BC)
Clarke Macarthur, Rochester Americans (Lloyminster, Alberta)
Pascal Pelletier, Providence Bruins (Labrador City, Newfoundland)
Joel Perrault, San Antonio Rampage (Montreal, Quebec)
Rich Peverley, Milwaukee Admirals (Guelph, Ontario)
Teddy Purcell, Manchester Monarchs (St.Johns, Newfoundland)
Martin St.Pierre, Rockford Icehogs (Embrun, Ontario)
Jeff Tambellini, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Calgary, Alberta)
Kyle Wanvig, Norfolk Admirals (Calgary, Alberta)

PlanetUSA All Stars

Goalies

Jimmy Howard, Grand Rapids Griffins (Syracuse, New York)
Tuukka Rask, Providence Bruins (Savonlinna, Finland)
Pekka Rinne, Milwaukee Admirals (Kempele, Finland)

Defensemen

Jonathan Ericsson, Grand Rapids Griffins (Karlskrana, Sweden)
Peter Harrold, Manchester Monarchs (Kirtland Hills, Ohio)
Matt Lashoff, Providence Bruins (East Greenbush, NY)
Brian Lee, Binghamton Senators (Moorhead, North Dakota)
Erik Reitz, Houston Aeros (Detroit, Michigan)
Brian Salcido, Portland Pirates (Hermosa Beach, California)
Anton Stralman, Toronto Marlies (Tibro, Sweden)
Clay Wilson, Syracuse Crunch (Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota)

Forwards

Keith Aucoin, Albany River Rats (Waltham, Massachussetts)
Gabe Gauthier, Manchester Monarchs (Torrance, California)
T.J Hensick, Lake Erie Monsters (Howell, Michigan)
Joakim Lindstrom, Syracuse Crunch (Skelleftea, Sweden)
Greg Moore, Hartford Wolf Pack (Lisbon, Maine)
Joe Motzko, Hershey Bears (Bemidji, Minnesota)
Toby Petersen, Iowa Stars (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Jared Ross, Philadelphia Phantoms (Huntsville, Alabama)
Bobby Ryan, Portland Pirates (Camden, New Jersey)
Rob Schremp, Springfield Falcons (Syracuse, New York)
Brett Sterling, Chicago Wolves (Los Angeles, California)
Jeff Taffe, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (Hastings, Minnesota)
Petr Vrana, Lowell Devils (Stemberk, Czech Republic)

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

NHL Morning Papers (Sunday Edition)

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• “I’m a buyer for sure,” said Thrashers GM Don Waddell when asked about the upcoming trade deadline. In other Thrashers news, Ilya Kovalchuk may start the NHL All-Star Game after all, writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Chuck Kobasew was the star in the Bruins' 4-3 shootout victory over the Rangers yesterday afternoon. Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe has a very good article on the physicality and grinding nature of a full NHL season.
• The Sabres ended their ten game winless streak on Friday, and then reverted right back to their losing ways on Saturday with a 4-2 loss at Toronto. Thomas Vanek was benched for the third period of last night's game.
• The Southeast continues to be the weakest division in the NHL, writes Luke Decock of the News Observer.
• The Panthers were defeated 5-3 by the Capitals last night but there was a bright spot, as rookie Shawn Matthias scored twice.
• Crosby or no Crosby, the Penguins shutout the Habs last night in Montreal by a score of 2-0. Although they defeated the Habs without Crosby, his loss is a big blow to the Penguins.
• Colin White can hardly see out of his right eye but he has not let that get in the way of his hockey career, writes Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger. The Devils know they need to score more, but they are content winning games 1-0 and 2-1.
• While the Rangers received one point for their 4-3 shootout loss at Boston yesterday, they will not make the playoffs if they continue to play the way they currently are, opines Larry Brooks of the NY Post. With his #2 due to be retired on Thursday, John Dellapina of the New York Daily News has a must-read article about Brian Leetch and his family.
• Here is Larry Brooks of the NY Post with his weekly Slap Shots column.
• "It was just a total team fall-apart," said Islanders coach Ted Nolan after his team blew a 3-1 lead at home to the Flyers and ended up losing the game 5-3.
• With Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley on the sidelines, it was difficult to determine who was the best team in the Eastern Conference and who was the worst last night as the Lightning defeated Ottawa 2-0. Apparently John Paddock can be sarcastic, writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Meanwhile, Erin Nicks of the Sun wonders if Senators fans even want Marian Hossa back.
• The Flyers stormed back from a two-goal deficit on the road by riding the Scott Hartnell train, as the power-forward tallied a hat trick in his team`s 5-3 victory over the Islanders.
• Dany Sabourin shut the door last night in Montreal, leading the Penguins to a 2-0 victory and first place in the Atlantic Division. Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette analyzes the fast-appoaching trade deadline from the Pittsburgh perspective.
• The Lightning shutout Ottawa last night, making it two straight shutout road wins, writes Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune.
• In the face of adversity, the Leafs have now won three straight games, after their 4-2 victory over Buffalo last night. Damien Cox of the Toronto Star says the Leafs are playing themselves out of top draft position. Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle doesn't want to think about all the trade talk.
• The Capitals rode Nicklas Backstrom's first career four point night to a 5-3 victory over Florida, and a .500 record.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks are thoroughly enjoying their current road trip because their dads are along for the ride, writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun brings to light the fact that the Flames may not be able to re-sign Daymond Langkow this off-season. When it comes to re-signing the team's free agents this off-season, Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald shares the same concerns as Francis.
• The Hawks defeated the Coyotes 2-1 in a shootout last night, making it four straight victories for the young club.
• Jose Theodore will start his eighth straight game tonight as the Avalanche host Columbus.
• "Those are two points we lost that we should have had," said Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock after yesterdays 3-1 loss at Dallas. It appears that Duvie Wescott's time in Columbus has come to an end.
• Mike Smith is one of the top backups in the NHL, and he strutted his stuff yesterday by leading his team to a 3-1 victory over the streaking Blue Jackets.
• The Wings went into San Jose last night and only allowed 18 shots against in defeating the Sharks 6-3. Wings star Henrik Zetterberg is far more popular in Sweden than his is in his NHL hometown, writes Shawn Windsor.
• With both teams coming off blowout losses, it should be a spirited affair this afternoon in Atlanta between the Oilers and Thrashers. Here is Jim Matheson's weekly Sunday column.
• Wild coach Jacques Lemaire had encouraging words for his team yesterday as they are set to head out on a west coast road trip. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune examines the possibility of the Wild looking into acquiring Marian Hossa.
• The Predators defeated the Blues 5-2 on Saturday and set two franchise records in the process.
• "I liked our effort throughout," said Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky after his team's 2-1 shootout loss at home to the Blackhawks.
• The Sharks continued their struggles against the Red Wings last night with their third loss against them this season.
• The Blues can take very little from their 5-2 loss to the Predators on Saturday.
• The Kings continue to have the Canucks number after defeating them 4-3 at GM Place last night.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

The HD Corner - The Cliff Fletcher Saga

I’m writing this article today with a heavy heart, as legendary broadcaster Don Wittman has passed away. Always a staple on the treadmill at a local Winnipeg gym, Wittman will be best remembered in my mind for calling Jets playoffs games for CBC. For more details on Wittman and his illustrious career, please click on this link.

In other breaking news CLIFF FLETCHER HAS BOARDED A PLANE TO THE MAYAN RIVIERA!!!

How is this news? I actually wanted to throw my remote at Bob McKenzie’s head when he dropped this bombshell. While we’re on the subject, I would like to dedicate this column to some TSN personalities. In no particular order…

Pierre McGuire: the Sean Avery award for most annoying TSN personality
-Is there anyone else more annoying on TV than Pierre McGuire, let alone on TSN? The former Habs radio colour guy (I refuse to acknowledge his prior NHL coaching duties) is just too intense. Yes, he brings tremendous insight to the game, but at a cost of blowing out my subwoofer. Tone it down a notch Pierre.

Jay Onrait: the Brett Hull award for funniest TSN personality
-Onrait has been my favourite ever since I ran into him one fateful summer afternoon at a restaurant in Winnipeg. You’ll often find Onrait and his 6’5” towering frame cracking jokes at his SportsCentre co-host or making fun of his own suits. His column on tsn.ca is also worth checking out for a chuckle.

Michael Landsberg: the Mike Cammalleri award for best Jewish TSN personality
-The duo of Michael Landsberg and Brendan Connor will go down in TSN history as one of the all-time greats. Thelma and Louise. Sonny and Cher. Bonnie and Clyde. Peter Bondra and Michal Pivonka. Landsberg was one of the best TSN Sports Desk (RIP) hosts, but Off The Record doesn’t really cut it. There’s only so much analysis a WWE wrestler can give regarding the Argonauts off-season acquisitions. Just when you thought Landsberg made the wrong career move, please remember that Brendan Connor was last seen covering women’s volleyball on CBC. I rest my case.

Dave Hodge: the Chris Chelios award for most senile TSN personality
-Dave Hodge has got to be pushing seventy but still manages to toss out a good one-liner once in awhile. Gone are the days of TSN Inside Sports (thankfully), and now Hodge can usually be seen hosting TSN’s The Reporters on Sunday mornings. Sorry, 100 Huntley Street fans, this may create a scheduling conflict.

Rod Smith: the Rod Brind’Amour award for most multi-dimensional TSN personality
-Although Rod “The Bod” Smith can hold his own in the weight room, his versatility is best personified in how he closely resembles Brind’Amour. Whether it is hosting SportsCentre, doing TSN voiceovers, or calling CFL football, Rodsky always brings his best. Speaking of weight…

Bob McKenzie: the Teemu Selanne award for largest cranium at TSN
-Selanne’s signature Jofa helmet has reached a cult following simply because of the large melon which it protects. Bobby Mac was the obvious candidate for this prestigious title, as his oversized skull is chalk full of vital hockey information. Bob’s skills are best exemplified during the NHL Entry Draft each year when he always accurately predicts where every player will be drafted. That, and he could tell you where the best “all you can eat buffets” are located in the Greater Toronto Area.

Gord Miller: the Wade Redden award for most overrated TSN personality
-Since Pierre was already awarded the most annoying personality, I didn’t think it would be fair to have a TSN column without ripping into Miller and several of his chins. Having the opportunity to see Miller tape a segment of That’s Hockey! years ago, I can attest to the fact that he is definitely over hyped (it actually took him about 25 takes to record a proper intro to his “ground breaking” Ryan Smyth interview). How Miller is still viewed as the #1 play-by-play guy over Chris Cuthbert is beyond me. It may have something to do with Cuthbert snubbing Illegal Curve’s own Richard Pollock at a downtown Minneapolis hotel in 2003, but details are still to be confirmed.

Darren Dutchyshen: the Martin LaPointe award for best TSN bodybuilder
-My highlight of high school definitely has to be coming to school with a newspaper clipping outlining the details of Dutchie’s brawl with the groom at a wedding. No one in their right mind would want to start “chucking knuckles” with this guy. Martin LaPointe may be able to bench 300+ pounds, but I can guarantee he doesn’t look as good as Dutchie does in ruby red lipstick.

As much flack as TSN and SportCentre get for having annoying personalities, I’m thankful they still focus on actual sports and haven’t followed the path of ESPN which essential has an hour long infomercial called “SportsCenter” (note the American spelling). I’ll take Jennifer Hedger over ESPN’s Rachel Nichols any day.

NHL Morning Papers (Saturday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• The NHL on NBC has implemented a flex schedule option this season akin to the NFL on NBC, writes William Houston of the Globe & Mail.
• Even with all the humiliation he has had to deal with, don't expect John Ferguson Jr. to resign from his post as GM of the Maple Leafs.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• "I think everyone in this room should be embarrassed," said Thrashers defenseman Garnet Exelby after last night 10-1 loss at Buffalo.
• The Bruins have been very happy with the play of Zdeno Chara this season, writes Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe. "I don't think he will be back this season," Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said about injured forward Patrice Bergeron.
• The Sabres snapped a ten-game losing streak last night by scoring ten goals in their dominant victory over the Thrashers. The Sabres' top-line was reunited last night with the return of Derek Roy and the unit impressed with a combined twelve point effort.
• Eric Staal led the Hurricanes to a convincing 7-2 victory over the Oilers last night, writes Luke Decock of the News Observer. Meanwhile, after being written off by almost every team in the NHL, Sergei Samsonov has impressed in his short stint in Carolina.
• The Panthers defeated the Devils 2-1 last night and, in the process, gave Jacques Martin his 500th career coaching victory. "I've been real fortunate to work in this league,'' said Martin after the contest.
• Here is Red Fisher's Notebook from this morning's Montreal Gazette.
• "You're up 1-0 in your own building going into the third period. You've got to win the hockey game," Devils coach Brent Sutter said after his team blew a third period lead to the Panthers and lost 2-1. Devils forward John Madden is unsure of whether he will be ready for his team's next game tomorrow against the Leafs.
• If the Ranger want to improve on their recent struggles, they need to improve the 20th ranked powerplay in the NHL, writes Brett Cyrgalis of the NY Post.
• It looks like Senators winger Daniel Alfredsson will miss both his team's games this weekend, writes Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun.
• Scott Hartnell loves playing with Mike Richards and Steve Downie, writes Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Only a week before the All-Star Game, Sidney Crosby has been lost to the Penguins for at least four weeks. A lot of streaks came to an end last night in Pittsburgh as the Penguins were defeated 3-0 by the Lightning. In other Penguins news, rookie defenseman Kris Letang is looking forward to playing his first game in his home province tonight at Montreal.
• The Lightning got scoring from unexpected sources last night in their 3-0 road victory at Pittsburgh. In positive news, it appears that Dan Boyle could return from his wrist injury prior to next week's All-Star break.
• A new Leafs line combination has been one of the keys to the team's modest two-game winning streak, writes Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.
• Alexander Semin finally feels healthy and that is the main reason why the sniper has gotten back on the scoring track in the new year.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks' top line of Bertuzzi-Perry-Getzlaf has been on fire as of late, and that success did not slow down last night as the trio combined for nine points to defeat the Wild 4-2.
• Miikka Kiprusoff doesn't seem overly worried about the Flames picking up Curtis Joseph earlier this week.
• Not surprisingly, the Blackhawks game versus the scoring-deprived Avalanche was low scoring with the Hawks winning the game 2-1 in a shootout.
• "It's a good chance for a lot of our young guys to get a chance to play and prove themselves in this league," said Avalanche forward Andrew Brunette about his team's recent string of injuries to its top players.
• Stars winger Loui Eriksson has been a different player since around Christmas time, writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press thinks Henrik Zetterberg would have been a far bigger star if he had played in Detroit ten years ago.
• "I want this hanging over us for a while -- until we can come up with a better consistent effort. I'm in no mood to brush this under the carpet," Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish said after last night's 7-2 loss at Carolina. The Oilers haven't forgotten their playoff loss to the Hurricanes in 2006 and some of the memories of that series were re-hashed yesterday.
• The Blues have recalled Mike Glumac from Peoria of the AHL so they can have some extra depth at forward.
• John Glennon of the Tennessean tells readers that the Predators are falling short of their attendance goals.
• The Sharks can measure themselves tonight when they host the conference-leading Red Wings, writes David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News.
• Wayne Gretzky is not concerned about his team's bounce-back ability tonight when they host Chicago.
• The Wild didn't get off to a good start last night at home versus Anaheim and it cost them, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. The Wild is hoping the ice surface at the Xcel Center will be back to normal when they return from their upcoming road trip.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. LZ Granderson tells us the Willie O'Ree is still trying to make a difference in hockey.
2. You want more Willie O'Ree? You got 'im.
3. Darren Dreger writes that the NHL and NHLPA are discussing the implementation of a declaration date for players to decide their playing fate.
4. Bob McKenzie says that the ideal situation would see Calgary make some trades to free up money for their impending free agents.
5. Pierre Lebrun writes that Ken Hitchcock didn't even get to see Rick Nash's spectacular goal, despite being on the bench.
6. The ECHL is inducting four into their Hall of Fame.
7. The NHL Notebook from the Globe and Mail reminds us its almost deadline time.
8. Nike is about to sell their Bauer division.
9. The Puck Stops Here examines who gains the most from long term contracts for young players.
10. Chris Chelios is saying that Rob Blake wants to be a Red Wing. Chelly must need someone to carpool with when its Senior's Night at Cracker Barrel.
11. Lets Play Hockey has a feature on Brady Hjelle of the Cedar Rapids Roughriders.
12. To help illustrate this slow news day, the papers in Philly are reporting that 76'ers forward Samuel Dalembert will attend his first ever hockey game, despite being a Canadian.
13. The Duluth News Tribune says that college players are feeling the pull to turn pro earlier than in the past. I've seen girls from Duluth before, I bet they feel the urge to pull something else rather than subject themselves to those lovelies.
14. A story on the US Pond Hockey Championships, set for this weekend.
15. Charles Wang is spreading good will through hockey, and hoping that the good will reaps benefits.
16. Fanhouse does a follow-up on the Chris Pronger furniture burning story.
17. St. Louis Blues fans werethisclose to getting free beer for attending a home game.
18. Allan Muir gives us the most bang for the buck team. Might I also suggest Regina girls if Illegal Curve fans are looking for more bang for their buck?
19. Dean McAmmond has an alter ego.
20. The latest cartoon from The Instigator.
21. CBC has a feature where you can send in questions to Commissioner Gary Bettman.
22. Ryan Dixon looks at the next wave of Swedish defensemen.
23. Ross McKeon examines Brett Hull in his new role as co-GM in Dallas.
24. Check out these hockey pictures from The Best Seat in the House blog.
25. Lowetide updates us on the Oilers 2004 draft choices.

Fantasy Watch: Goalie Starts

Jan 21st - 27th

Anaheim Ducks (2) – Expect Giguere to start both games in this short week.

Atlanta Thrashers (2) – Lehtonen is healthy again and should get both starts this week.

Boston Bruins (2) – Look for Thomas to receive both starts this week.

Buffalo Sabres (2) – Miller's last win was on December 22nd, so the Sabres may turn to Thibault for one start this week.

Carolina Hurricanes (2) – Ward should be between the pipes for both games this week.

Calgary Flames (1) – CuJo will need some time to get into game shape before he gives Kiprusoff a much needed rest.

Chicago Blackhawks (2) – After two straight wins with Lalime in net, the Blawkhawks should give him the nod for both games this week.

Columbus Blue Jackets (2) – Since returning from injury, Leclaire has won his past four starts.

Colorado Avalanche (2) – Theodore has gained full control of the #1 spot and should start both games this week.

Dallas Stars (2) – Look for Turco to start both games this week.

Detroit Red Wings (2) – Expect a split between Hasek and Osgood for these games.

Edmonton Oilers (2) – Roloson had his first start this month, giving up four goals in an OT loss Expect the Oilers to return to Garon for the next two games.

Florida Panthers (2) – Vokoun has been mediocre this season but should get both starts this week.

Los Angeles Kings (2) – LaBarbera has won his last three games and should receive both starts this week.

Minnesota Wild (2) – Harding missed his last start with a groin injury, so until he returns Backstrom will carry the load.

Montreal Canadiens (2) – Expect Huet to start both games this week.

Nashville Predators (3) – Mason hasn't been great lately and should yield one start to Ellis.

New Jersey Devils (2) – Brodeur should be in net for both games this week.

New York Islanders (3) – DiPietro has had a rough month thus far, but should receive all three starts this week.

New York Rangers (2) – Expect Lundqvist to start both games this week.

Ottawa Senators (2) – Look for Emery and Gerber to split the starts this week.

Philadelphia Flyers (2) – Nittymaki has gotten the bulk of the starts this month and should receive both this week.

Phoenix Coyotes (2) – Look for Bryzgalov to start both games this week.

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) – Conklin has been fantastic while Fleury has been sidelined and should get both starts this week.

San Jose Sharks (2) – Look for Nabokov to shake his losing streak this week.

St. Louis Blues (3) – Legace is currently day-to-day with a forearm injury, making Toivonen the #1 guy.

Tampa Bay Lightining (2) – Ramo has struggled this season and will continue to split starts with Holmqvist until he can prove to be a reliable starter.

Toronto Maple Leafs (2) – Toskala has won his last two games and should get both starts this week.

Vancouver Canucks (2) – Luongo should receive both starts this week.

Washington Capitals (3) – With back-to-back games, expect Johnson to steal a start.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

NHL Morning Papers (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• As Eric Duhatschek writes in this morning's Globe & Mail, Curtis Joseph has no problem playing for Mike Keenan.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today provides his midpoint report, which looks back on the first-half of the season and looks ahead to the second-half.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers lost 3-2 in a shootout last night to the Canadiens, but as a result of the one point they earned in the standings, the Thrashers now sit all alone atop the Southeast Division. In other Thrashers news, the Marian Hossa contract negotiations are still ongoing, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• The Bruins were happy to at least earn a point last night in their 3-2 shootout loss to the Leafs because a number of the team's players have been hit by a bad case of the flu. "I thought we tried, I thought we battled," Bruins coach Claude Julien said after last night's game.
• Derek Roy should be in the Sabres' line up tonight after missing four games with an injured shoulder.
• "I guess we've hit bottom, if you want to say it that way," Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley said after his team's embarrassing 5-1 loss against the Senators last night.
• Rostislav Olesz will miss at least the Panthers' next four games with a hand injury he suffered on Wednesday when Steve Downie of the Flyers hit him after the whistle.
• Habs netminder Cristobal Huet was happy he got a chance to shutdown the Thrashers in the shootout last night, after he had single-handedly caused the Thrashers' second goal by straying away from his net. Meanwhile, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette tells readers not to expect the Canadiens to trade for Alex Tanguay.
• The Devils play a string of home-games in a row, and the last thing coach Brent Sutter wants to happen is for his team to become complacent, writes Mark Everson of the NY Post.
• Rangers defenseman Paul Mara has seen his ice-time increase in the past couple of weeks, writes John Dellapina of the NY Daily News.
• Islanders forward Trent Hunter was given an "A" last night by coach Ted Nolan, writes Mark Herrmann of Newsday.
• The Senators dominated the Hurricanes last night by a score of 5-1, but their concern now lies with the status of Daniel Alfredsson who left last night's game with a hip flexor injury.
• Ed Barkowitz of the Philadelphia Daily News profiles the ever-travelling Jim Dowd in this morning's paper.
• Mark this down as a weird trend, Sidney Crosby has not recorded more than two points in any Pittsburgh home-game this season, writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. After practice yesterday the Penguins had to take part in the NHL's random drug testing.
• For all their struggles, the Lightning are lucky to be in the worst division in hockey, and therefore, not out of the playoff race.
• It is not calming down off the ice in Toronto, however on the ice, the team has now won two games in a row after last night's 3-2 shootout victory over Boston. Damien Cox of the Toronto Star doesn't believe Cliff Fletcher's management ways are the right fit for the next Leafs GM.
• It only took twelve rounds, but the Capitals finally ended the marathon shootout on a goal by Matt Bradley to defeat the Oilers 5-4.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks made it five games last night by squeaking out a 2-1 victory over visiting Nashville, writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• Curtis Joseph took part in the Flames' optional practice yesterday. In other Flames news, Joseph's new teammate Jarome Iginla was named captain of the Western Conference All-Star team.
• Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune has the details behind Patrick Sharp's four year, $15.6 million contract extension.
• With Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth already out of the lineup, the Avalanche's luck got worse yesterday when Paul Stastny was lost to the team for 2-3 weeks after undergoing an appendectomy.
• The Blue Jackets made it four wins in a row last night, on the back of Rick Nash who scored the game winning goal with under 30 seconds left and boy was it pretty (video link). (Writer's note: Watch the link. The goal is absolutely mind-boggling.) Ken Hitchcock says his third line needs to improve its defensive play.
• Craig Rivet woke up the Dallas Stars early in the first period last night with his hit on Brenden Morrow and the Stars responded by defeating the Sharks 4-2 in San Jose.
• The Red Wings ended their three-game losing skid with a 3-2 shootout victory at home over the Canucks. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said he would love to coach the Canadian Olympic team in Vancouver in 2010 but you won't see him lobbying for the position.
• The Predators have played very well lately, unfortunately they can't seem to beat the Ducks during this most recent stretch as they were defeated by Anaheim 2-1 last night.
• "We didn't deserve to get a tie in that game. They outplayed us. They outworked us," said Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky after his team allow Rick Nash to score the game-winning goal with 22 seconds remaining in the third period. Meanwhile, Coyotes forward Mike Zigomanis is often a healthy scratch but has been coping with the disappointment by keeping a positive attitude, writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
• Instead of beating the Stars and capturing first place in the Pacific Division, the Sharks lost 4-2 to Dallas and fell to third in the division behind Anaheim.
• The Blues caught a big break yesterday with news that Manny Legace is okay and will be ready to play on Saturday night.
• The Canucks lost 3-2 to the Wings last night in a shootout, and the team can give most of the credit for the point earned in the standings to Roberto Luongo who made 47 saves in the loss.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

FROZEN ASSETS

NHL Divisions: Then (start of season) & Now (now)

I have some good news for readers this week. For those of you that complained about the length of my articles, note the wider space available for writing on the blog. This will allow my articles to appear shorter.

Last week I ranked the 10 best bets you should have made over the first half of the season. Reflecting on those picks I realized that I made a mistake ranking Carolina at +4300 over Atlanta at +10000. Atlanta has been playing decently after their 0-6-0 start and now leads the Southeast Division. Seeing a new division leader in the Southeast prompted me to review the division odds as well as my picks for the division before the season.

The full September 27th article can be found here.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

.........................Average Odds ..... Best Odds..... Site......................... Site Rating


Detroit ............... -230 ......................-163 ...........Skybet ...........................B+

Nashville ........... +337..................... +600 ......... Betsafe ....................... (NR)

St. Louis .............+1043................... +1200........ Skybet........................... B+

Columbus ......... +2063 .................. +2500........ Skybet........................... B+

Chicago ............. +2113..................... +2800...... .Skybet........................... B+


My play: Detroit -163

I said: "Although I hate laying chalk (taking a favorite at odds of less than even money) on a futures bet, Detroit is the clear favorite to win the division and could run away with the Division early. This two unit investment could pay out by December."

Analysis: Wow! Predicting Detroit to win the division. I am a geeneeus.

Northwest Division

.........................Average Odds.....Best Odds.....Site......................... Site Rating


Colorado .......... +251.................... +275 ...........Stan James....................B

Vancouver......... +259................... +320 ...........Betsafe........................ (NR)

Calgary.............. +261 .................. +285.............Betsson ......................... B-

Minnesota .........+341................... +420 ...........Betsafe .........................(NR)

Edmonton ........ +1383................ +2200...........Skybet............................ B+


My play: I passed

I said: "The Northwest division is a toss up between Colorado, Calgary, Vancouver, and probably Minnesota."

Analysis: Again no earth-shattering predictions here. All four teams are separated by two points. Best bets from this group are Vancouver at +320 and the Wild at +420.

Pacific Division

.........................Average Odds..... Best Odds..... Site......................... Site Rating


Anaheim ...........+111 ....................+125 ..............Skybet .................... B+

San Jose ...........+159.....................+200..............Gamebookers........ B-

Dallas ...............+469 .................. +600..............Betsson ...................B-

Los Angeles .....+1450................. +2000............Stan James............. B

Phoenix ............+2625..................+3300............Gamebookers.........B-


My play: San Jose +200

I said: "With Scott Niedermayer’s return to Anaheim uncertain and San Jose having basically the same team as last year (minus Bill Guerin but with a young, improving defense), I see no reason why they cannot match the Ducks stride for stride."

Analysis: Good for me. San Jose is one point up on Anaheim with three games in hand. San Jose was able to build up a lead with Niedermayer out. Can they hold on? Maybe Dallas at +600 is the best bet but I would still rather have San Jose at +200.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

.........................Average Odds.....Best Odds.....Site.........................Site Rating


Pittsburgh...........+197 ..................+220............Betsafe.......................(NR)

NY Rangers.........+203..................+225............Gamebookers.............B-

New Jersey.........+400..................+500............Betsafe.......................(NR)

Philadelphia.......+413...................+450.............Skybet..........................B+

New York (I)......+1225.................+1500...........Unibet........................(NR)


My play: Pass

I said: "Like the Northwest Division, the Atlantic Division is also too close to call. Comparing the average odds of each team to win with the highest odds of each team to win, there is no value in the Atlantic Division. This is an easy pass."

Analysis: Looks like the Devils at +500 were the best bet out of these five teams. The Atlantic is the most competitive division thus far, as all five teams are within six points of each other. Note: New Jersey has played only 19 of their 45 games at home.


Northeast Division

.........................Average Odds ..... Best Odds..... Site......................... Site Rating


Ottawa...............-132......................+100..............Skybet......................B+

Buffalo...............+257.....................+385..............Betsson.....................B-

Toronto.............+819.....................+1200............Stan James..............B

Montreal...........+1016...................+1400............Skybet.......................B+

Boston...............+1775....................+2000...........Skybet......................B+


My play: Buffalo +385

I said: "Buffalo is strictly a value play. I don’t think Buffalo will finish ahead of Ottawa in the standings, but I still like them for 1.5 units at +385."

Analysis: Oops. Buffalo was strictly a value play. They are never going to catch Ottawa. Watch out for Montreal though, +1400 and currently eight points behind a struggling Senators (two wins in regulation over last eight games) team.


Southeast Division

.........................Average Odds.....Best Odds.....Site.........................Site Rating


Tampa Bay..........+248...................+350...........Betsafe........................(NR)

Carolina..............+263....................+300..........Gamebookers...............B-

Atlanta................+274....................+350...........Stan James....................B

Florida................+425....................+600..........Betsson...........................B-

Washington........+903...................+1400.........Skybet.............................B+


My play: Washington +1400, anyone besides Carolina

I said: "The Southeast is my favorite division from a wagering perspective. All five teams have a legitimate chance to win. Washington is strictly a value play, as I don’t think they will win, but I expect all five teams to compete for the division. At odds of +1400 it can’t hurt to take a shot at 1.5 units."

Analysis: The Capitals will not be able to recover from the loss of Michael Nylander. This division is once again wide open after Carolina jumped out to an early lead before struggling over the last two months.

Other than the Central and the Northeast, NHL divisions are wide open. What's your take?

For illegal curve, I'm Ari Baum-Cohen, or as my friends like to call me, ABC.

About the writer: Ari-Baum Cohen's first sports betting victory came at age 8 when he won his father's office pool. He screamed like a 14 year-old girl at a Jermaine Dupri concert when Tampa Bay (had at +3500 to win Cup) and Calgary (had at +15000 to win Cup) made the Stanley Cup finals.

January 10, 2008: 10 Futures Bets You Should Have Made Over the First Quarter of the Season
January 3, 2008: Glossary of Terms Used on Frozen Assets
December 27, 2007: Ho Ho Horrible Homestands and Road Warriors
December 14, 2007: Western Conference: Starting Odds, Current Odds, Highest Odds
December 7, 2007: Eastern Conference: Starting Odds, Current Odds, Highest Odds
November 29, 2007: How to Find the Sportsbook For You, The NHL's best division - The Central(?)
November 22, 2007: 10 Futures Bets You Should Have Made Over the First Quarter of the Season
November 15, 2007: Explaining the Exchange(2), Random Thoughts on the Futures
November 9, 2007: Exaplaining the Exchange(1), This Weeks Best Bets
November 1, 2007: Profiling the Eastern Conference Teams
October 25, 2007: Profiling the Western Conference Teams
October 18, 2007: To Win the Conference or the Cup? Frozen Assets' European Vacation
October, 11, 2007: Top 5 Hockey Futures Books, Stanley Cup Odds
October 4, 2007: Bad Lines, Soft Lines, and Conference Odds
September 27, 2007: Avoiding Fraudulent Sportsbooks and Preview of Division Betting
September 20, 2007: Introduction to Frozen Assets and Futures Highlights From Last Year

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Rob Ramage has received a 4 year jail sentence for his part in the crash that killed Keith Magnuson.
2. The Hurricanes have traded Craig Adams to the Blackhawks for a conditional draft pick.
3. Dan Pollard of TSN gives a shout out to Tobias Enstrom.
4. Gene Principe notes the irony of Michael Nylander going out for the season with a shoulder problem just before playing the Oilers, a team he reneged on last summer after his wife twisted his arm.
5. The NHL and IIHF propose to raise the Euro transfer age to 20, meaning no more young Euros playing in the minors.
6. A resurgent Denver Pioneers team has its sights set on the NCAA tournament.I hope they don't contract the plague of so many other pioneers, the dreaded dysentery.
7. Brandon Nolan credits coaching for his break out year, and the AHL is considering an outdoor game, with Winnipeg as a possible venue. Evidently, the AHL braintrust has never visited Winnipeg in January.
8. Anze Kopitar is living the single life in LA, with his parents for roommates. Sounds perfect for my sister in law.
9. Iggy and Vinny have been named All-Star Captains.
10. The Fargo Force is going to attempt to "tap" Fighting Sioux fans. I bet they are. Just don't disturb my wife during Project Runway. Trust me, I tried that two weeks and one testicle ago.
11. Taking Note gives us the complete run down of WHL news from Wednesday night.
12. Adam Proteau tells us that Brian Burke will listen to offers for the 1st round pick he acquired from Edmonton in the Dustin Penner deal.
13. Jay Feaster gives us his thoughts on the trade deadline in his blog.
14. Chris Pronger alleges that Edmonton fans burned his rental furniture. Still no cure for gap-toothedness.
15. The latest installment from the Year of the Rams.
16. David Staples with a very funny look at his likes and dislikes about each Oiler.
17. The Score gives the low-down for everyone involved in fantasy hockey.
18. Edward Fraser notes that the Oklahoma City Blazers are giving away livestock as a promotion for fans attending their games. They should try this in Calgary. Even Flames fans deserve a little action now and again...
19. A mildly entertaining (Think Flames vs. Wild on a Wednesday night) work of fiction on how Cujo was wooed to Cowtown.
20. Battle of California makes a heartfelt plea to Ottawa to take Rob Blake off the Kings' hands.
21. In a follow up to RP's Ovechkin editorial, Tyler Dellow of the MC79 blog offers up his detailed analysis on AO.
22. The Blackhawks have signed Patrick Sharp to a 4-year contract extension.
23. Thursday's water cooler notes from nhl.com.
24. A profile on Bruins prospect Pascale Pelletier, recently recalled to Boston.
25. George Johnson thinks the mind games will start in Calgary with Curtis Joseph's arrival. Likely the first and only time the phrase "mind games" will be used to refer to Calgary.

Cold Hard Rants

I admit it. Lock me up. Throw away the key. Sentence me to hard time. I’m guilty. I enjoy it now, and I will enjoy it when it happens again. Nothing tickles my fancy quite like the sight of the Toronto Maple Leafs in disarray.

Given the amount of newsprint that has been generated on this issue, an alien dropped into the centre of Toronto would not be too far off in assuming a catastrophic, apocalyptic event has occurred (i.e. World War III, natural disaster etc). In reality, all we are witnessing is a historically poor performing franchise, *gasp* still performing poorly. (Note: for all the Leafs die-hards who are typing/scribbling hate mail to me for calling the Leafs a bad franchise, save it. Don’t talk to me about what happened in the NHL of the 1940s. You have sucked since I can remember, and will probably continue to do so by the time I have forgotten how to remember.)

What I do not understand, is why people are surprised that the Leafs suck. All of the trademarks of a franchise in disarray are present and accounted for in Leafs land.

Top heavy, overly bureaucratic organization? Check.

General Manager who was hired for reasons other than being the best available candidate (hello, working for cheap)? Check. (Although it pains me to write that about an old neighbour—Ramsgate Bay in Winnipeg, represent!)

Poor scouting and thus poor entry draft performances? Check. (Can anyone recall the last homegrown Maple Leafs star? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller?)

Overpaying for free agents? Check.

Trades that “address” issues that weren’t a priority (coughVesacough)? Check

I could go on and on, because I am thoroughly enjoying this. However, I do feel a little bit bad for the real Leafs fans who have had to put up with a level of consistent incompetence which makes the presidency of George W. Bush look like a resounding success in comparison. (Note to Republican readers: it hasn’t been, no matter how many of those “Mooslims” he blows up.)

Unfortunately for Leafs fans, in contrast to the Presidency of George W. Bush which is mercifully coming to an end, there is no hope on the horizon, as I, for one, and call me a pessimist if you must, see no signs that the diseases which have plagued the Maple Leafs organization for generations on end, show no signs of abetting. The Leafs would be very wise to look down the hall at the Toronto Raptors for advice on how to resuscitate a floundering franchise. However, as we all know the words Leafs and wise rarely appear together in the same sentence.

For Illegal Curve, I am Andrew M.

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail provides readers with the apparent conditions under which Cliff Fletcher would agree to accept the Leafs' GM position.
• Kevin Allen attributes much of the Thrashers' recent success to the play of Kari Lehtonen in this morning's USA Today.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• According to Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Marian Hossa hopes he can agree to an extension with Atlanta but realizes that may not happen. Thrashers associate coach Brad McCrimmon believes he is ready for a head coaching job in the NHL if he is called upon.
• The Bruins may have a number of their AHL players in the lineup tonight to fill-in for a couple of their players who have gotten a bad case of the flu, writes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. Luckily for the Bruins, they get to face the Leafs, a team that is facing as much pressure from its fans and the media as you can possibly imagine.
• Last night's loss at New York made it ten straight games without a win for the struggling Sabres, writes Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. Frustrated coach Lindy Ruff thinks Brendan Shanahan should be suspended for his cross-check on Clarke MacArthur in the last minute of the last night's game. (Writer's note: To Shanahan's credit, he was remorseful after the game and took full responsibility for the play.)
• With a couple of important players returning from injury tonight, the excuses will no longer be available for the struggling Hurricanes. The team needs Cam Ward to step up and look like the goaltender he did in October.
• The Panthers lost last night's game to the Flyers in the first period, writes Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Steve Downie struck again last night with a late hit on Panthers forward Rostislav Olesz after the whistle.
• Pat Hickey profiles the underrated Tomas Plekanec in this morning's Montreal Gazette.
• The Islanders continued their domination of the Devils last night with a 3-1 victory in Newark. The Devils outplayed the Isles last night, but the play of Rick DiPietro was the difference according to Islanders coach Ted Nolan.
• Larry Brooks didn't see much good in the Rangers' 2-1 home victory over the Sabres on Wednesday night.
• With last night's victory over the Devils, the Islanders are now only four points back of the division lead, writes Mark Herrmann of Newsday. (Writer's note: Ted Nolan has to be up there with Wayne Gretzky when it comes to Coach of the Year talk.)
• Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun believes the Senators would be interested in Marian Hossa if he were to become available before the trade deadline. (Writer's note: I think Hossa will become available before the deadline, but there is no way Waddell deals him back to Ottawa. Why would he? Not only are they in the same conference but the team would have both Dany Heatley and Hossa on the same team, making Waddell look bad for making the trade in the first place.)
• The Hartnell-Downie-Richards line caused havoc for the Flyers last night in their 5-3 home victory over the Panthers.
• It appears that Marc-Andre Fleury's ankle injury is taking longer to heal than anticipated, writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Penguins forward Erik Christensen will not dress for tomorrow's contest against the Lightning because of a viral infection.
• You can't say Lightning GM Jay Feaster is not a stand-up guy after reading this piece in the Tampa Tribune.
• Apparently the Leafs are allowed to smile, writes Rick Matsumoto of the Toronto Star. Youngster Anton Stralman has impressed in his recent stint with the Leafs, writes Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun.
• The Capitals are calling upon Boyd Gordon, among others, to replace the scoring of the injured Michael Nylander.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• After having their work ethic questioned on Tuesday by coach Mike Keenan the Flames played with far more intensity in their 3-2 shootout victory at Minnesota last night, writes Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald.
• The Blackhawks took advantage of Blues backup goaltender Marek Schwarz last night by scoring six goals on the AHL call-up after Blues starter Manny Legace left the game after the first period with a wrist injury.
• Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch has an interesting article on the benefits and risks of blocked shots. Reed's colleague Michael Arace has been impressed with the Blue Jackets organization so far this season. Here are the Jackets' probable lines for tonight's game versus the Coyotes.
• It is "gut check" time for the Stars tonight as they roll into San Jose and attempt to put their struggles behind them.
• Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press has some suggestions for the Wings if they want to keep their fan-base strong and prosperous.
• With a five-game road trip on the horizon, the Oilers are shooting to finish the trip above .500, writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal. Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun believes the team's upcoming road trip may decide whether the Oilers make the playoffs or not.
• The Wild had trouble stopping Flames superstar Jarome Iginla last night in their 3-2 home shootout loss to Calgary, writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. (Writer's note: Join the club Minnesota.)
• Jessica Hopp of the Tennessean has a feature on quiet leader Dan Hamhuis in this morning's paper.
• Radim Vrbata will not suit up for the Coyotes tonight after suffering a groin injury on Tuesday night.
• The Blues chances of winning last night went down with Manny Legace as their number one netminder couldn't play the final two periods of his team's 6-1 loss after being runover by Hawks forward Patrick Sharp. (Writer's note: Coach Andy Murray said it was just a bruise and Legace will play on Saturday.)
• The Sharks are classifying their next four games at home as crucial, writes Mark Emmons of the San Jose Mercury News.
• Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province says the Canucks should seriously consider acquiring Mats Sundin from the Maple Leafs.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Wednesday Editorial: Examining the length of the Alexander Ovechkin contract

With the recent signing by the Washington Capitals of superstar Alexander Ovechkin to a thirteen year contract, many people around the hockey world are wondering if this term is too long. Before examining the Ovechkin contract, we must first note that both Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders and Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers signed contracts longer than ten plus years prior to the Ovechkin deal. Therefore, it should be pointed out that Ovechkin’s contract was not the first of its kind. That being said, we will still examine this contract from the perspective of both parties.

Is the contract too long for the Capitals?

When examining the contract from the Washington perspective, there are a number of factors that have to be taken into account. First off, if the Capitals didn’t give Ovechkin thirteen years on his contract, would he have re-signed with them? That question seems stupid seeing as how his rights are owned by the Capitals until he is 25 (thus giving them the right to match any offer from another team) but if he really did not want to play for the team, he could have held out. Using that line of thinking, the Capitals may have been in a very poor bargaining position.

Secondly, the Capitals are paying Ovechkin a lot of money now; however, they are also avoiding having to worry about Ovechkin becoming an unrestricted free agent (UFA) down the road. Often times, especially in baseball, teams will pay a higher starting salary, in order to pay-off the player for any loss he will incur for having passed up on unrestricted free agency. So, even though the NHL takes the player’s average salary per year and counts that number against the salary cap, there is a reason why Ovechkin is being paid more money than Sidney Crosby starting next season.

Thirdly, how can the Capitals be sure Ovechkin will stay healthy? The fact is--they can’t. That, in my opinion, is the biggest risk that comes along with this deal. What if Ovechkin sustains a career-changing injury? While I hope this doesn’t happen, and understand the unlikeliness of it occurring, anything is possible. It is possible that an injured Ovechkin will not be the player he is now; thus, leaving the Capitals with an annual cap-hit of almost ten million dollars without justifiable production.

Is the contract too long for Ovechkin?

Alexander Ovechkin has to be thrilled that he just signed a guaranteed thirteen year contract; that being said, his guarantee of $100+ million does carry with it some possible drawbacks. First, we must examine the possible loss of money Ovechkin will incur because he passed up unrestricted free agency during the prime of his career. Unrestricted free agency not only carries with it a bidding war for a player’s services (many times from big-time markets like New York or L.A.) but also the ability to make a lot of money through endorsements. If the young Russian superstar were to have passed on this contract and played the rest of his time out until he reached UFA status in his mid-twenties, then almost every team in the NHL would have been salivating to sign him. Assuredly, a number of those teams would have been in big markets, which carries with it big time endorsement money. Never mind the fact that the NHL in four-to-five years could have a far higher cap than it currently does (therefore allowing for a higher maximum per-year offer).

Secondly, one has to wonder what the NHL salary landscape will be in 2017. Ovechkin will still be in his early 30’s, and with the way athletes condition themselves these days, he will most likely be playing at a very high level. Consequently, if you factor in inflation, the average NHL salary in 2017 will almost assuredly be significantly higher than it is today and Ovechkin may be worth far more than the almost $10 million average he will be paid at that time. If that is the case, then Ovechkin may be losing out on a fair amount of money. On the other hand, if the NHL struggles and the cap shrinks, then Ovechkin will be quite happy with his new contract.

Finally, what if Ovechkin wants out of Washington in a few years? That possibility is realistic. It is not as if the Capitals have been a successful franchise this decade; and while they have some young players to be excited about, this is not the second coming of the Ottawa Senators or Detroit Red Wings. It is very possible Ovechkin gets sick and tired of losing in the U.S. capital and wants out. Now, I realize he did negotiate a modified no-trade clause as part of his contract, but that doesn't kick in until 2014. Moreover, after 2014, he can only list ten teams to which he doesn't want to be traded to. One must wonder if Ovechkin may have been better off signing a six-year deal at his current price, leaving himself the ability to re-evaluate his surroundings and the success of the Capitals at that time.

Conclusion

In the end, the contract carries with it many negative risks and may very well be too long for the Capitals. Nonetheless, it also carries with it some positive risks and that is the way contract negotiation should be. The fact of the matter is, risk on both sides isn’t a bad thing; so long as the parties involved are able to deal with the possible consequences that lie therein.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Damien Cox suggest players like Scott Niedermayer and Ty Conklin should appear on the balloting for the Hart Trophy. I think he has spent too much time in Toronto. The only trophies these guys should get are Best Mid-Season Un-retirement and Best Option Available in Pittsburgh (Which Isn't Saying Much) awards.
2. Danielle Goyette has retired from hockey at the age of 41.
3. Willie O'Ree recalls his NHL debut.
4. Bob McKenzie reports that Marian Hossa will test the UFA waters this year, and expects to be traded.
5. Martine Gaillard (Meow) says that the one good thing about the implosion of the Leafs is that players and management are giving candid interviews.
6. News and Notes from the CHL.
7. The USHL has posted their draft lists for 1992's and 1993's. They have also entered into a sponsorship agreement with JLG Architects.
8. The NHL Hot or Not list from John Kreiser.
9. Inside College Hockey gives us their Hobey Baker tracker. Is it me or does the kid from St. Cloud look like a guy from ABBA?
10. Al Strachan offers advice to Leafs management.
11. Fox Sports profiles the top snubs for the NHL All-Star Game.
12. Jeff Marek with an interesting take on the price of young defensemen.
13. Bobby Orr has been selected to the World Sports Hall of Fame.
14. David Staples examines the "older" free-agent signees from last summer and how they are progressing.
15. Allan Muir of SI answers questions in his weekly mailbag.
16. The Stars have recalled BJ Crombeen and the Canucks have recalled Mason Raymond.
17. Interesting story on Dennis Polonich and his year of pro hockey in Europe.
18. The NHL and the IIHF are meeting in New York to discuss transfer agreements, though Russia is still not expected to sign the agreement. In Soviet Russia, agreement signs you.
19. A Q and A with Gerald Coleman and Trevor Daley.
20. Ryan Dixon details the miracle that was Sergei Samsonov's 3-point game and uses his gleaming wit to tell us NHL'ers should wear masks. If you are over 18 and still wearing a mask in the NHL, you should relinquish your nuts and start watching Sex in the City.
21. Another humourous entry by Jamie McLennan in his blog on playing hockey in Japan.
22. The Hockey News tells us about 10 players they had never heard of before. Thats some mighty fine reporting there, Lou.
23. Ending the worst kept secret since Brad dumped Jen, the Leafs have received permission to talk to Cliff Fletcher.
24. The Score highlights the young players making an impact in the game today. In mentioning Oilers rearguard Ladislav Smid, we can only assume that the Score is a sucker for guys who are consistently -3.
25. To cap off an especially boring news day, a look at the ECAC.

NHL Morning Papers (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• William Houston of the Globe & Mail tells readers that the Leafs have been replaced on this week's Hockey Night in Canada national broadcast by the Canadiens/Penguins game.
• Bruce Arthur of the National Post explains to readers that the Leafs' current situation is all about money.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today has a feature on Wild star Marian Gaborik.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Marian Hossa was the star of the night on Tuesday as he tallied a hat trick and led the Thrashers to a 5-1 victory over the powerful Red Wings.
• Milan Lucic of the Bruns is ecstatic to have a chance to participate in All-Star weekend after he was named to the roster for the Young Stars Game. In other Bruins news, it appears that the flu bug has hit the team.
• Sabres GM Darcy Regier has not ruled out trading Brian Campbell after the defenseman cut-off contract talks with the team. Meanwhile, former Sabres forward Chris Drury says he has too much concern about the way his new team is playing to worry about tonight being his first game against his former teammates.
• After last night's 5-4 loss at Toronto, the Hurricanes find themselves in second place in the Southeast Division. Hurricanes netminder Michael Leighton was surprised that he was pulled after two periods of play last night.
• Injured defenseman Cory Murphy joined his Panthers teammates at practice yesterday for the first time in two months.
• The Canadiens came into Tuesday night's game with the Islanders very prepared and it showed as they made up for their lackluster effort at MSG on Saturday with a 3-1 victory at Long Island. In other Habs news, defenseman Patrice Brisebois is worried that his foot injury is more serious than originally thought.
• The risk of infection is too much for Devils forward John Madden to suit up tonight when the Devils face the Islanders, writes Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post believes Rangers coach Tom Renney is being too soft on his players. Meanwhile, John Dellapina of the NY Daily News tells readers that Jaromir Jagr has been playing the last few weeks with a foot injury.
• The Islanders only mustered 18 shots on net in their 3-1 loss to the Habs last night, writes Mark Herrmann of Newsday.
• Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun says that the Senators better hope they don't play the Capitals in the playoffs as Washington defeated Ottawa 4-2 last night and swept the season series.
• For all the antics that come along with Steve Downie's play, the rugged winger has more talent than most people think.
• With Kris Letang and Tyler Kennedy being named to the Young Stars roster, that means four Penguins will be off to Atlanta for All-Star weekend.
• "I have never been more embarrassed," said Lightning coach John Tortorella after his team's 3-0 loss at home to the Avalanche.
• Even with all the external pressure and commotion, the Leafs were victorious last night over the struggling Hurricanes by a score of 5-4.
• It looks like Olaf Kolzig has entertained the idea of retirement, writes Matt Wise of the Washington Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Scott Niedermayer proved how valuable his mid-season addition has been to the Ducks last night with one goal and two assists in his team's 4-2 victory over the Stars.
• "We're getting embarassed," said Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr after his team's 3-0 loss at Nashville on Tuesday. Two of Curtis Joseph's former teammates, Jason Arnott and Greg deVries