Weekly Picks: Week 5 and Halloween Edition! BOO!!!

1) Happy Halloween to all our readers. Scarily its week 5 in the NHL 2009-2010 season. There are 11 games up for grabs today. We take our not so scary good record of 34-22 or a .607 winning % into Week 5's slate


Edmonton at Boston: Bruins


Carolina at Philadelphia: Flyers


Atlanta at Ottawa : Senators


New Jersey at Tampa Bay : Devils-Who else could we pick today? ; )


Toronto at Montreal : Habitants


Buffalo at NY Islanders : Sabres


Minnesota at Pittsburgh : Penguins ( Lock Of The Week)


Florida at St. Louis: Blues


Dallas at Nashville: Stars


Anaheim at Phoenix Coyote


Detroit at Calgary: Flame

South-Least Division?

1) With all due respect to our readers who are fans of teams in this division, the lofty pre season expectations for the elevation of the division as the annual door mats of the league has not transpired. Despite having two of the NHL's best/most exciting players(above) the division continues to falter. In fact it can be argued that it is as bad as ever. We expected so much more. Perhaps we were expecting more than what was possible? Only the Capitals are where most would expect-3rd overall in the East. The rest of the division after about 10 games is a mess. Of course we caution our readers as was mentioned in FR's early-surprises post, its still early enough that this and other early trends might change, but so far its not pretty.

2) With 4 of the bottom 6 teams coming from this one, oft (deservedly) maligned conference. Some use this as ammo to attack Gary Bettman's/NHL's southern exposure policy. We'll leave that for another day/other blogs, but lets take a look at the teams that make up the so-called South LEAST Division:

• Carolina Hurricanes: We expected so much more from one of last year's Final 4 teams. As was written before, this blog expected them to compete with the Caps for the division. That may still be possible, but only 2 wins after 11 games, (having lost 7 in a row!) and already 9 points off the pace is no way to start a season. Maurice has been in vainly jumbling his lines in an attempt to get their offense to awaken. Too early, but might Paul's job already be in jeopardy if the Canes continue to stumble?




• Tampa Bay Lightning: Few had much in the way of expectations for TB. We expected an improvement, but not a playoff calibre team just yet. So far those expectations are on target. On one hand a 3-3-3 record isn't bad, but 3 wins in 9 isn't all that great either. Alex Tanguay is still looking for goal #1, and captain for life Lecavalier, has one! So we suppose they are poised to improve once that Quebecer-duet get going? Right now the biggest issue surrounding the team is their continued ownership problems (sound familiar?)




• Florida Panthers: Like Carolina, we expected much more from the big Kittys. Not a surprise that they are off to a slow start, but come on this is ridiculous! After 10 games only the Toronto Maple Leafs have fewer points than the Panthers. As was written by FR concerning Coach DeBoer who-gets-axe-first-2009-edition, "the jury is still out" on this guy. If this trend continues however the jury will be returning a negative verdict very soon!

• Atlanta Thrashers: Like Tampa, low expectations coming into the season. Tough break-literally, that they have lost super star sniper Ilya Kovolchuk for a month. Before that the Thrash were a respectable (for them) 4-3-1. Its anyone's guess how they'll do without their best player in the lineup for a protracted amount of time. Will/can Afinoganov/Antropov fill the void? Our guess, based upon past performances, is no. Will they put teen ager Evander Kane on the top line? The kid has shown us a lot early on, but this might be asking a lot so soon.




• Washington Capitals: Only team in the SE that currently appears to be playing as expected/a playoff team. Probably one of about 3 teams in the East that is a Cup contender. Not without their problems, but one can't argue with success, only 2 regulation losses in 11 games thus far. Will be interesting to see if they can unload salary cap anchor, Nylander and bolster an already potent line up.

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss?

1) Many were proclaiming relief/excitement that the Coyotes were finally sold. If you missed it, the Coyotes former owner Jerry Moyes officially sold his bankrupt Coyotes (pending judge approval) to the NHL. Under the agreement, apparently Moyes gets no more than what the judge had said was not enough and rejected last month. Not sure how/why he would now approve the sale now? However, from what we have been told, its likely the judge WILL approve it as it now appears that with each passing day the red ink gets deeper so "the sooner this deed is done the better" is the way one source put it.

2) However, before the fans in Phoenix pop their champagne corks they should first wait for the next series of moves, because in essence the NHL has been running the team since last season anyway. This move merely makes official what has been a defacto situation since last November, we've been told. The real move is what the NHL now does with the troubled franchise. There are two very significant reasons why this news is not anything too important to us. The biggest is that the problems that caused the team to be drowning in red has not changed. Yes, a better more fiscally responsible owner might do better than Moyes, but even the best case scenario would still result in the losing of additional millions unless the City of Glendale makes significant concessions. As we, and many others have written, its VERY unlikely the city can/will give the team much. The city (like most of the US) is already trying to stay afloat and can't give away tax breaks/money, and as important its citizens (voters) are hugely against such a move. " It ain't gonna happen" a person close to the situation told us when we called over the weekend. '

3) Another problem therefore is who in their right mind would pay money for the privilege of losing millions annually? If there is no light at the end of the tunnel who would buy the team? Unless that group/individual had intentions of pulling a Balsillie and moving the team we can't see an ownership group emerging that would be willing to do that. Right now there is only one group that has expressed continued interest, The Ice Edge Holdings group. Press reports seem to indicate that they are going to be awarded the team from the NHL as soon as Judge Baum approves the Moyes-NHL sale- as soon as later this week. However (and fans of the 'Yotes need to know this) the Ice Edge Holdings group is on record in wanting to play five games in 'Credit Union Centre' in the town of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan(Yes Canada and a thousand miles from Arizona) There is also the possibility the group would award the games to another Canadian city(Halifax), but that would be even more ridiculous geographically!

4) Its obvious to anyone with a functioning brain what Ice Edge is doing here. Putting their foots in the door of relocation without publicly saying so. There is no doubt that the Saskatoon games would be hugely successful and show the stark difference between the two markets, making a decision to ultimately move the team (inevitable in our opinion) less a PR nightmare for the NHL. What is unclear is how the NHL feels about that possibility. We have in the past been told that Bettman would prefer another southern US market (KC) get the team, but if there aren't any takers would he modify that position?

5) Another issue that no one has addressed how Wayne Gretzky feels about this move. He stands to lose a few milion in this deal. If he rejects the deal can he stop it? Ultimately, as we wrote way back last summer this team WILL be moved. The question simply remains to whom and to where. From that angle/from a Coyote fan's perspective nothing has changed at all with this latest move and nothing it appears short of a miricle will. The Coyotes are still a Dead team walking, and The New Boss, Will be the Same as The Old Boss.

Results Week 4

1) Week 4 is done and gone. For the evening we went a very ordinary 8-7. It seemed every game went into extra time (Actually 5 or 1/3 of all games last night). The results brought our 4 week total to 34-22 or a .607 winning %. we did win our Weekly 'Lock' to keep an unblemished 4-0 record in that department.

2) of course we will be back here next Saturday when 11 games will be played on Halloween. We intend to be scary good then. ; ) Between now and then look for some interesting posts concerning Quebec and expansion and also general rumours, etc. As always keep it here for all the latest!

Week 4 Picks!

1) Yes its Week Four of our weekly jaunt into picking all NHL games. This week there is another rarity, a full NHL schedule. Yes, 15 games, all 30 teams are in action today. Which means we can either bolster our already solid (26-15 for a .634 winning %) record or have it come crumbling down.

NY Rangers at Montreal: Rangers

Washington at NY Islanders: Capitals

Boston at Ottawa: Senators

Florida at Philadelphia: Flyers

Toronto at Vancouver: Canucks (Lock Of The Week)

San Jose at Atlanta : Sharks

New Jersey at Pittsburgh: Penguins

Buffalo at Tampa Bay: Lightning

Dallas at St. Louis: Blues

Carolina at Minnesota: Wild

Nashville at Chicago: BlackHawks

Detroit at Colorado: Red Wings

Los Angeles at Phoenix: Kings

Edmonton at Calgary: Flame

Columbus at Anaheim: Duck

Early Surprises? Its the Goaltending, Stupid!

1) We're nearly 4 weeks into the new NHL season and as always this time of year there are some surprises. Some on the positive side and some on the negative side of the ledger. Before getting into them we of course need to remind our readers that this is a long season. Most teams have played only 7-8 games thus far. Also we have to say that in almost every instance, be it positive or negative the key underlying factor seems to be Goatending. To paraphrase James Carville: Its the goaltending, Stupid!

2) Positive Surprises:

• NY Rangers- Many didn't even see the Blue Shirts as a playoff contender, let alone a Cup challenging team. It may be premature to say they are ready to challenge the Pens for the Cup, but as we wrote in our preseason assessment (where we DID see the Rangers making the playoffs) the key is Lundqvist. With an impressive 6-1 record with an anemic GAA of 2.30 and save % of .927, The King is a big reason the boys from Broadway are where they are. Have to also mention Gaborik and the kid defense. We have never been big Gabby fans, but when he is healthy is one of the more dangerous snipers in the game. Can he stay that way, and can the likes of Del Zotto play this well all season?




• Colorado Avalanche- Did we say is goaltending stupid? It certainly applies in spades(sorry Rev. Sharpton) in Denver where Craig Anderson is playing lights out to say the least. With a GAA of 2.06 and save % .934 its no wonder the Avalanche are 6-1-2 after 9 games. No slap at Peter Budaj, but when a team has a goalie playing as well as Anderson is currently, it has a carry over confidence that makes a team all that more tough to play. Few (including us) thought the Avs would be anything more than West doormats this season. We are thus far happy to be proven wrong. Can Anderson, who has yet to be a true #1 play that way for 60+ games?



• Phoenix Coyotes- Another very pleasant surprise. While we (unlike many) saw the team as being better than a bottom feeder, we didn't see them as being a playoff calibre team just yet. Never underestimate having a real coach. Tippett is a HUGE upgrade over Gretzky who, when the rubber hit the road, showed himself to be all about the money. (best-news-in-phoenix-so-far-this-year) Also to go along with our theme, Ilya Bryzgalov is having a great start in net. His stats 5-1, a GAA an incredible 1.14 and save % of .953 would make him an early Vezina candidate. A bit early for that kind of talk, but so far so good in what we believe will be the last season of hockey in the desert.



• Buffalo Sabres- Like the Rangers, many prognosticators didn't see the Sabres as a playoff club. We thought differently, with Ryan Miller being the reason. Last season the team took a big hit when Ryan was lost for a significant chunk of the season and the Sabres missed the post season by a hair. So far Buffalo is playing well, but Miller has been unconsciously good. His stats? Only 5-0 with a GAA of 1.66 and a save % of .942. Along with Bryzgalov an early Vezina candidate. Like the other above listed teams, their success will continue as long as Miller continues to play this well. Ladies and gentlemen, your USA Olympic starter!

3) Enough of the good, now for the negative. teams that thus far have been playing significantly below expectations.

• Boston- With expectations of a President's Trophy anything less than a hot start would be considered a problem. Hardly out of it at 4-4 after 8, but even when they have won it has been brutal at times. Almost losing at home to the lowly Islanders for instance. Thus far their Vezina winner Tim Thomas hasn't exactly played that way with a very ordinary/poor GAA of 3.00 and save % a shade over .900. With injuries to Savard and Lucic the B's will have to tighten up its defense considerably to win consistently.



• Detroit- Surprised? We aren't. With a few goals lost to free agency the Wings are having to rely more heavily on its defense and goaltending. When your top net minder is Chris Osgood and his GAA of 3.21 and save % of .886 you may have to reconsider your thoughts on making the Red Wings a favourite to repeat as Western Conference champs this season. Its only been 7 games but if they think they will make hay with a PK of 75% Mike Babcock will be for a long season. They probably have enough talent to make up for the listed deficiency, but not enough in our opinion to be considered an elite team



• Vancouver- Many had the Canucks as their regular season West winners. So it was a surprise to see them floundering a bit after their first 9 games with a 4-5 record. More surprising is to see newly signed goalie for life/captain Roberto Luongo has yet to earn the big bucks. With very UN-Luongo stats of 3.07/.881 the Caunucks have looked like a middle tier team and not a supposed elite West team. It is still early with plenty of time to turn things around, but the early trends have to be disturbing to folks in BC


• Carolina: A Final Four team last spring, many (including us) saw the Canes as possibly able to compete with the Capitals for the SE division. So far its been anything but a solid early season in Raleigh. Unlike the other teams above, it hasn't been the goaltending that has been the problem. Playoff hero Cam Ward and his new big contract has played well enough to win on most nights, but with a mere 18 goals in 8 games and a PP operating at 11% its been the offense that has let down the Hurricanes. WE think its too early to panic, but Staal and co. better get their act together soon.

4) As we mention (and a frequent poster here Vlad the Impaler) used to say its all about goaltending. The early trends for the above listed 8 teams seems to show (with the exception of Carolina) that this axiom holds true. Its also, as we mentioned, very early. Certainly too early to expect these trends will hold for the full season. Time will tell. We for that reason hold off on publishing a Power Rankings post until teams have played at least 15-20 games. Look for that post (to be done by FR2) to be out sometime in mid November.

As always, keep it here for all the latest

NHL Anti Francophone?

1) That is the accusation leveled in a round about way by author of a new book called 'Le Québec mis en échec'. For those of you who aren't bi/multi-lingual that means 'Quebec Bodychecked'. A book published by former National Hockey League player Bob Sirois. In the book he examined four decades of professional drafts, comes to the conclusion that francophone Quebecers are systematically thwarted by an "anti-francophone virus" plaguing the NHL

2) Before we get into the merits of the book we felt we should share a little back ground with our readers of the history there. If you are a hockey fan but have never traveled to Canada, specifically Quebec province, you are probably not fully aware of the intense animosity there is between francophones (French Speakers) and Anglophones (Everyone else). The closest analogy we can come up with is the racial divide here in the US that still exists despite slavery having ended over 140 years ago, as welll as anti discrimination laws past 40+ yrs ago. In Quebec (A former French colony) in many quarters its as if the war that the French lost to England was waged in the past decade. In fact you might have come across a car from Quebec and read the little saying at the base of their license tag: "Je me Souviens", which literally means " I Remember". No gray area there as this refers to their French ancestry, even though that war took place even BEFORE the revolutionary war here.

3) Fast forward to modern day Canada and you still have a big divide over language. Even though French is one the two official languages of Canada, many English speakers feel put off at having to pay extra to make their areas accessible to Francophones, and vise versa in Quebec. Try going to a smaller Quebec city and find someone willing to speak English and go to BC and try to find someone who can understand French, etc. So its understandable that some might find this same animosity within the hockey culture.

4) While we don't doubt that there is a small degree of discrimination by one group against the other, we feel its unlikely that there is a systemic anti Franco-phone bias within the NHL. Sure, there are undoubtedly occurrences of racial epithets delivered from time to time, but we can't see there being a well thought out, or even reflexive avoidance of employing players just because of where they are from. NHL teams, like any organization's first goal is to win. It matters not who can deliver that. If a GM/team thinks they can better win with a particular player they will draft/play him regardless of what his native language is.

5) From what we've heard Sirois attempts to demonstrate with stats and numbers that the hockey league's managers don't hold French-Canadian players in as high esteem as their anglophone peers. We are sure that he could find numbers to correlate his hypothesis, but as Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) correctly said: "There are lies, dam lies and statistics". Meaning anyone can form and twist numbers to make their point. Sirois states: "If you're francophone and your son is talented in minor hockey, anglicize his name and you will double his chances of being drafted".

6) He then goes on to get at the crux (in our opinion of his selling point), Quebec's own Montreal Canadiens run by a Anglophone ( Bob Gainey). Quebec hockey players are headed for extinction with the Montreal Canadiens," he writes. He points out that the team's general manager, previously held the same position at Dallas for eight years. Since Mr. Gainey's arrival in Montreal, the number of francophones drafted by the Canadiens has dropped sharply. One of his remedies he prescribes is a return of professional hockey to Quebec City. (See our post on this upcoming soon). Not sure how that would change a perceived injustice other than to guarantee a few Quebecers an NHL job, but would it alter the way the other teams do business? Probably not. All in all we have to say that it just belies modern hockey logic to intentionally, or passively avoid attaining the best players available. We are saddened that Siois is evidently attempting to play into the intense dislike the two groups in Canada have for eachother, and sell a few books in the process. Thumbs down Bob!