Penguin Doctors Incompetent?

1) That's what many specialists are telling Fauxrumors as the new revelations concerning Sid Crosby's medical situation. Evidently Crosby, in addition to the concussion(s) suffered, also sustained a "neck injury". An interesting twist for sure, but before we get into the medical aspects of this we ave to ask:

1. When did this injury take place?



2. When was it detected?



3. Has it been known all along?



4. Is this why he hasn't been playing since early December?

2) This appears to be the second time (in our opinion) that the team medical staff (trainers and Doctors) have screwed up. The first time was NOT detecting Crosby's first apparent concussion that occurred in the 2011 Winter Classic when he and then-Caps forward David Steckel had a collision. It was clear to even casual fans that Crosby was not himself after that. You would have thought that he would have been thoroughly examined to be cleared to play after that. However he was allowed to play in the Penguins' subsequent game against the Lightning. Here Crosby suffered yet another concussion when he was hit by monster defenseman Victor Hedman into the boards head first. We believe from our discussions with concussion specialists this is where Crosby was let down by the team med staff. As we have mentioned here before, its the second and subsequent concussions that occurred BEFORE the earlier ones have resolved is what makes them so debilitating. If he was not allowed to play after the first hit he would have been more likely to have been able to recover and probably be playing today.

3) Now this new revelation has us asking about the competence of the Penguins medical staff. Regardless of when it occurred, how could a potentially life threatening injury to a neck be missed when the player has been examined by countless specialists? From the trainers, team DR. then a litany of neurologists, etc you would have to think someone would/could pick up such an injury? (As an aside IF they did find it and treat it, why are we only now hearing about it???) It doesn't appear to be the case though and we again have to question the competence of the Penguins medical staff and also wonder how long before this becomes public, or the Crosby family starts to ask these questions much like the Lindros camp did 20 years ago when the Flyers medical staffs' gaffes almost cost Eric his life? http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/03/sports/sp-23883

4) Our sources tell us that although the Crosby family is no where near where the Lindros' were when Eric and then- Flyers GM Bob Clark had their very public feud resulting in Lindros eventual trade to their division rival NY Rangers, things are not all roses and candy in Penguin-land. It was the Crosby camp that have pushed for non-penguin specialists to examine and clear him to play this past December miffing management. Although in public they have been supportive of their captain, privately things have been a bit "tense" lately with the Pens quietly questioning Sid's commitment to trying to actually returning this season. Its also complicated the Penguins cap issues. Should they put Crosby on LTR and save his 8.7 mil cap hit? Crosby has another season with that same cap hit remaining and we do not foresee a Lindros type power play occurring, but if things such as misdiagnosed neck injuries and concussions continue there could be long term repercussions for the relationship. Hopefully Sid's health issue will be resolved soon. The NHL needs him!

Good For You Tim Thomas!!!

1) Many have lambasted Boston Bruins super star net minder Tim Thomas following his decision to not go to The Obama White House visit by his team. It is customary for a championship team to visit the White House and give the current occupant a jersey with his name etc. However as Thomas correctly pointed out, these are NOT usual times, but a precarious time period where our very existence as a free, representative democratic republic is under attack from all sides and Thomas wanted to make a statement that he is decrying what is happening to the country he represents and loves.

2) To that we both agree and applaud Thomas' principled stand and throw out all the negative press that has been thrown his way by the far left wing media (including most sports writers.) We hope his statement places more light on what is happening in our great country and opens the eyes of more citizens that freedom isn't free and won't last if its taken for granted!! "Don't Tread on Me" Indeed!!!!

Week 16 Results

1) The busy week 16 day/night is complete For the day we went a disappointing 8-6 to bring the season total to 113-85, or a .571 winning percentage. On the bright side we got our Lock of the week correct to elevate that stat to 13-3. We will NOT be picking next week (as its Allstar Snooze Weekend) and no games will be played) So the next pick is February 4th when a dozen games will be played.
2) We hope to publish a few posts this up coming week. As the abbreviated pre Allstar week arrives we believe teams will start to look toward the trade deadline and deals will be coming fast and furious. We will pass along any trade discussion we are privy to. As always keep it here for all the latest

Week 16 Picks!

1) Yes, its week 16 of the NHL season. We hope it will turn out to be a sweet week for us to help erase the sour taste from last weeks picks. Today/night we have a very busy schedule with 14 games up for grabs. Not sure if it was it intentional, but lots of current/former rivalry type games this day. We hope to improve our record of 105-79 or a .571 winning percentage.

NY Rangers at Boston: Rangers (Original 6 matchup/top 2 in conference)

Philadelphia at New Jersey: Devils (Old Patrick Divison rivalry)

San Jose at Vancouver: Canucks (Conference Finals Preview)

Ottawa at Anaheim: Duck (2007 Finals replay)

Montreal at Toronto: Maple Leafs (Biggest NHL rivalry?)

Carolina at NY Islanders: Islanders

Columbus at Detroit: Red Wings (Lock of The Week)

Florida at Winnipeg: Jets

Buffalo at St. Louis: Blues

Chicago at Nashville: Predators

Tampa Bay at Phoenix: Coyotes

Dallas at Minnesota: Wild

Calgary at Edmonton: Oilers (Battle of Alberta)

Colorado at Los Angeles: Kings

Wanted Dead or Alive?

1) Well, its not quite life or death (even to the nutty Montreal media) but the evaporation of ANY contribution from well paid center Scott Gomez has many in the NHL asking how long can the Habs carry along this underachiever? Yes Scott has not played to much so far this season, but in the 15+ games he has participated in he has yet to 'dent the twine', and has a mere 5 assists. Not that Gomez has ever been much of a sniper which makes it all the more curious as to why the Habs ever traded for the Anchorage Alaska native in the first place. Originally the NY Rangers signed him as a UFA from New Jersey, who correctly saw that he was no more than a good 2nd line play making center not worthy of top forward money, let alone super star compensation. However Glen Sather bestowed the former Devil with a very lucrative 7 year 51 million contract that had a cap hit of 7.357. We at Fauxrumors saw it as a boondoggle from the start and were extremely surprised that Sather was able to deal away Gomez to the Canadiens. It wouldn't have mattered if the Rangers didn't get back anything for him, but in addition to unloading his bloated salary (allowing them to bid on/attain Marion Gaborik) they also got defensemen Ryan McDonagh, who at 22 has quietly become a top 4 defender for the Blue shirts this season, compounding the error by the Habs.

2) So what do they do now? "Gomer" has ANOTHER 2 YEARS AFTER THIS, sucking another 7+ million from the Canadiens cap space while providing marginal output. We believe that the Habs will either exercise their right to buy out the remaining 2 seasons at 2/3 of the remaining salary spread out over 4 seasons OR if/when there is another post new CBA grace period for buyouts he would be a prime candidate to be bought out without the Habs taking the long term cap hit. We predict right now that Gomez will NOT be with the Canadiens beyond this season AND another team will be happy to give him a 3+ million deal when he becomes a UFA again this summer! Yes, GM's are not the brightest bunch!

Week 15 Results

1) A rather disappointing afternoon/evening for week 15. We went 5-6 to bring the season total to 105-79 or a .571 winning percentage. The bright spot was we got our Lock of The Week correct to bring that season long total to 12-3, or .800! Look for Week 16's picks next Saturday when a whopping 14 games will be decided.

2) We're working on several posts for the up coming week including a rumour post concerning early possibilities of what may occur later next month as the trade deadline approaches.
As always, keep it here for all the latest!

Week 15 Picks

1) WE enter the NHL season's 2nd half this weekend and we hope to continue where we left off last weekend with our pretty decent showing in our weekly picks. Thus far we are 100-73 or a .578 winning percentage. Today/night there are contests on the schedule.

Chicago at Detroit: Black Hawks

Colorado at Dallas: Stars

New Jersey at Winnipeg: Jets

NY Rangers at Toronto: Rangers

Ottawa at Montreal: Habitants

Buffalo at NY Islanders: Islanders

Boston at Carolina: Bruins

San Jose at Columbus: Sharks (Lock of The Week)

Minnesota at St. Louis: Blues

Philadelphia at Nashville: Predators

Los Angeles at Calgary: Flame

At The Half Way Point........

1) Hard to believe, but we are actually at the half way mark of the NHL season. Seems like just yesterday that we were discussing and making preseason predictions, etc. Much like Fauxrumors did at the "Quarter pole' we will PROJECT, (NOT PREDICT) where each team will end up based upon their current points/games played. Its a bit more accurate than the 1/4 mark, as trends have firmly been made between the contenders and pretenders now, but there are still lots of games and time remaining for teams to ascend or decline from their current situations. Like usual, we will do the East, then West. I will also list my current Awards winners based upon the first half.

2) East:

1. NY Rangers- 118


2. Boston- 114


3. Philadelphia- 107


4. Florida- 97


5. New Jersey- 96


6. Ottawa- 95


7. Pittsburgh-94


8. Toronto-94


9. Washington- 90


10. Winnipeg- 90


11. Buffalo-82


12. Montreal-78


13. Tampa Bay-76


14. NY Isalnders- 71


15. Carolina-67

West:

1. San Jose- 108


2. Detroit- 106


3. St. Louis- 106


4. Vancouver- 104


5. Chicago-103


6. Dallas-96


7. Nashville-96


8. Minnesota-94


9. LA- 93


10. Colorado-90


11. Phoenix-88


12. Calgary- 82


13. Edmonton-70


14. Anaheim-61


15. Columbus-54

3) Next our picks as Half way Trophy winners:

• Hart/MVP: Claude Giroux


• Norris: Shea Weber


• Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist


• Calder: Adam Henrique


• Adams: Ken Hitchcock

Scott Arniel Fired

1) The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired head coach Scott Arniel. The move comes a day after the Blue Jackets were defeated 7-4 by the Anaheim Ducks in a meeting of the NHL's worst teams. (The Ducks fired their coach Randy Carlyle a month ago and thus far have failed to improve). Assistant coach Todd Richards will take over on an interim basis for the remainder of the season. As Fauxrumors stated in October in his annual great post concerning NHL coaches- who-gets-axe-first-2011-edition. In that post concerning Arniel he said:" Scott in a tough situation. The team tried to make a splash with off season moves AND they have a GM(Scottt Howson) who himself is under the gun. Coupled that with not having the horses to win a playoff spot, we wouldn't be shocked to see Scott be on the chopping block before season's end. Nice call FR!

2) We believe that Columbus management would have been better served if they simply "cleaned house" and fired Howson first or along with Arniel. We feel badly for Scott as I believe he never had a chance to succeed here. A bad team with a few injuries simply was NOT going to win. He didn't assemble the team, Howson did! So when the GM says crap like:" I just wanted to move the team in a new direction with a different head coach. Scott tried everything and he was running out of answers. I didn't see much hope in moving forward with him. I just felt this needed to be done." Hey asshole, YOU'RE the problem. If you had any class you'd have resigned today!

3) As for the change we don't think it'll have much long term impact upon the team this season. Much like we didn't have anything against Arniel, we also aren't slighting new coach Richards. He did a decent job with the Wild in his last head coaching gig, but they are 20 points out of the 8th spot, dead last in the West. At best they may avoid being 30th and overtake Anaheim, Edmonton or the NY Islanders but we can't see them going above 26th, so (another) Lottery pick is all but assured. The team needs to trade Nash (which we believe it will be the deadline) and also jetison Howson and start afresh this summer.

Week 14 Results

1) Basically we are at the half way mark of the NHL season. The official half way game is the Caps-vs Kings tomorrow night, but for all intents and purposes we are there. Yesterday/night we went a pretty decent 9-4 to elevate our season total to 100-73 or a .578 winning percentage. Additionally we got our weekly 'Lock' correct to bring that season long stat to a now impressive 11-3' Of course look for Week 15's picks next Saturday when 11 games will be decided

2) In the upcoming week we plan to do out 1/2 way projections(not predictions) along with our 1/2 way Trophy winners. Also we are finally planning on dropping our post on the stats behind scoring 50. As always keep it here for all the latest!

Weekly Picks-14

1) Its a new year, and week 14 rolls around with 13 big games on the NHL docket today/night. We bring our 91-69 record, or a .569 winning % into the action. Hoping to improve on our .500 week last time around.

Vancouver at Boston: Bruins (11' Cup Finals Rewind)

Ottawa at Philadelphia: Flyers

Edmonton at Dallas: Stars

Columbus at Los Angeles: Kings

Winnipeg at Buffalo: Jets

Detroit at Toronto: Maple Leafs

Tampa Bay at Montreal: Habitants

New Jersey at Pittsburgh: Penguins

Colorado at St. Louis: Blues

Carolina at Nashville: Predators (Lock of The Week)

NY Islanders at Phoenix: Coyotes

Minnesota at Calgary: Wild

Washington at San Jose: Sharks

All-Star Fan "Voting" Results Absurd!

1) WE at Faux rumors are already on record of the inanity of the concept of playing an All Star game. (In any sport) no-more-all-star-games-please The game itself is usually boring to the max and rarely resembles actual hockey. More like a game of shinny, or pond hockey with better ice. As we wrote 3 years ago on the topic of the fans picking the team: Our take on that is; Who cares! The All Star game has become increasingly irrelevant. With the success of the Winter Classic, the All Star game has become less and less of interest to fans. As for the picks; that's what you get when you combine allowing fans to vote as much/often as they want (Chicago politics) with the idiocy/incompetence that is the NHL. The "honor" of starting is not like it was years ago. The real honor of selection takes place at the end of the season when the true All Star selections are made. Sure its nice to be selected, but few players have (are allowed with the current CBA) to get contractual bonuses for selection, so many might prefer to have the 3 days off in the middle of a grueling season instead.

2) To illustrate the insanity of the "selection process" the host team Senators were able to select 4 of the 6 starters! The 6th seeded Senators somehow landed 67% of the Eastern Conference starters? Now, for sure Erik Karlsson deserves to be starting. As the leading scorer among defensemen the 21 year old Swede as well as Toronto's DION Phaneuf are fine to be heading to the festivities in Kanata. The other 3, less so much. We'd even be OK if Spezza was an add on (not a starter) If the prerequisite to being selected is who is having the best 1st half. Spezza is currently 11th in the league in scoring ; meaning the Top 10 NHL scorers were NOT among the starting All stars! Absurd. However, the next 2 Senators really illustrate the nonsense here. Daniel Alfredsson, as much of a future Hall of Famer he might be, is NOT having an All Star year. If the commish wanted to add him as a fan-favourite, that would be fine, but as a starter? No! An Milan Michalek? There are 73 forwards with MORE points than he!! He's an elite player???? His selection more than taints the process, its destroys it!

3) Geez, we read that Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer was second in goalie voting behind Tim Thomas. Thomas is a no brainer. As the reigning Vezina/ConSmyth winner, as well as having some of the best stats among goalies in the NHL he should be the starter no questions asked. However how could ANYONE vote for Reimer?? He's 37th in wins, 35th in save %,and 36th in GAA. In other words there are probably 35 better goalies to choose from, and he was within a whisker of starting???.

4) We maintain the ONLY possible way to make the game have any possible excitement was to have player stats count in the regular season AND to give a boat load of cash to the winners. Right now there is NO enticement for players to give anything near 100% Even the "skills competition" which initially was well received/got increased fan interest, has seen its shine dwindle in recent years. However that all said anyone who believes we will see the end of the game as we know it you can forget it! Like in the other team sports, both the league and Players' Association want the event to continue. Too much money is involved to change that fact (surprised that's all about cash?) In fact, we're told cities and teams are still lining up to host it. Despite the bore, it does generate revenue for the host team/city. So we can all save a trip to see our Dr. for an Ambien prescription because the NHL All Star game is here to stay.

Is Torts Right?

1) Fiery NY Rangers head coach didn't beat around the bush about how he felt about the officiating after the Winter Classic. In his words it was "disgusting". Now usually its the losing coach that blames the officiating for helping defeat his team, but in this case its the WINNING coach making the claims that perhaps there was some kind of maleficence going on to try to keep the game close. Saying, "I thought the game was reffed horribly,"....I'm not sure what happened there. Maybe they wanted to get it to overtime. I'm not sure if they have meetings about that or what...That third period It was disgusting."

2) So did Tortorella have a beef here? In our opinion its yes and no. Certainly the penalty shot awarded Philly in the waning moments of the game appeared to be justified, as the Ranger player clearly covered the puck inside the crease preventing the Flyers from stuffing the puck into the net. Actually it was a great play. However preceding that there were two questionable calls that Tortorella probably was also seething about. One was the "pitch forking" of Rangers super star Marion Gaborik which was not called and then moments later Ryan Callahan was called for a very questionable call for "holding the stick". It was probably those 2 calls/non-call that set off Torts.

3) OK, he later took back his comments, but in the heat of the moment he may have stumbled upon something that each and everyone of us fans already suspected; that the officials alter the way they call the game based upon circumstance. No, its not what Tortorella initially insinuated (sarcastically or otherwise) that the league, and NBC discussed with the officials on how to keep the game close/exciting. We do NOT believe in that 'Conspiracy Theory' nonsense. However there is NO doubt that referees do not call the games the same from start to finish. We called around to various folks we know within the league and with no exceptions (as long as they weren't going to be 'on the record') and all said its been long understood that if a team is leading they were MORE likely to be assessed the next power play. Additionally they also said it seems that refs try to keep the number of PP's awarded as even as possible, even if the play didn't dictate it. The league absolutely HATES when the officials, and by extension/insinuation the integrity of the game is questioned. Which explains the huge fine ($300,000) Tortorella recieved even after following his mia-culpa yesterday. The NHL simply couldn't be silent when a winnig coach with credibility questions in such a public forum the integrity of its officials. John should know better.

Dumbest Post of Year Award?

1) Yes, yes, its early in the year but when we came across this premise for a hockey post we felt it would be tough to top. The blog post I'm referring to is From "The Bleacher Report" and it's titled "The Dumbest Player on Each NHL Team". OK, we got hooked into reading this tripe to see if in fact there was something to the author's premise. However he immediately takes the story from what we expected, dumb or unintelligent players to players who may be a bit odd, he writes"... Every team has at least one guy who has a few screws loose..." Well, duh! Everyone who has co-workers can say that, but being nutty or is far from "dumb", no? First here's the link if you want to read the bullshit for yourself: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1006227-the-dumbest-player-on-each-nhl-team

2) So here are a few of his reasons for a player making his 'dumb' list.

• Boston Bruins: Tuukka Rask- Apparently he's the dumbest Bruin because he walked off the plane after winning the Stanley Cup wearing a helmet




• Buffalo Sabres: Ryan Miller- Dumbest Sabre because the author (and I use that term loosely here), thinks he's a whiner with regard to comments after being hit by Lucic.



• Calgary Flames: Olli Jokienen - Dumbest Flame for- "acts stupid, says stupid things and just looks dumb" Can you believe this guy had the balls to write this nonsense?



• Carolina Hurricanes: Tuomo Rutu-"I can't speak to his intelligence certainly plays the game like a jackass". Fine, buddy you don't like these guys but maybe they aren't dumb, perhaps some like Tuomo they are just dicks? We did our list of hated players last month. http://newfaux.blogspot.com/2011/12/all-prickmost-hated-teams-2011-edition.html




• Chicago Black Hawks: Dan Carcillo- Finally a player clearly worthy of the list! LOL




• Colorado Avalanche: Shane O'Brien- A bit of a pest/pugilist, but don't recall any major incidents?




• Columbus Blue Jackets: James Wisniewski- On the list for his elbow this preseason? Dumb!




• Dallas Stars: Steve Ott: "I'm sure he is fairly smart, but he doesn't do himself any favors with how he behaves on the ice." Again, if the premise was assholes or hated players, yes Ott would be fine to list, but 'dumb'?? No!




• Detroit Red Wings: Todd Bertuzzi- OK, we might be OK with this one too




• Edmonton Oilers: Nikolai Khabibulin- Dumb for drinking and driving. Agreed, it was a dumb move, but hardly is unique to the Oiler netminder




• Florida Panthers: Ed Jovanovski- The author doesn't like Jovo's interview style apparently?




• Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar- "can be difficult to comprehend at time in his interviews" Dipshit he's Slovenian! I guarantee his English is better than your Slovenian or maybe YOUR English!




• Minnesota Wild: Dany Heatley- I don't know for sure, but I can't argue with this choice




• Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price. As goalies are, he's weird, but "dumb"? Hardly!




• Nashville Predators: Jordin Tootoo. Another player who would be properly labeled a 'dick', not dumb.




• New Jersey Devils: Martin Brodeur- First he didn't have kids with sisters. Not defending him, but get your facts correct. They were sister's in-law. He's a shit head, yes. but dumb?




• New York Islanders: Evgeni Nabokov- Yes, his failure to report to the Isles was dumb, but who knows if his agent is the one behind the move? I can name several Isles who ARE dumb!




• New York Rangers: Sean Avery- Hard to argue here. A dick for sure, but does stupid things too.




• Philadelphia Flyers: Ilya Bryzgalov. Like Price, (and most goalies) he's an odd ball, but hardly "dumb"!




• Phoenix Coyotes: Paul Bissonnette- "Anyone who follows Paul Bissonnette on Twitter knows that he says some entertainingly foolish things". Anyone who follows a player on Twitter is DUMB!




• Pittsburgh Penguins: Evgeni Malkin. So because Geno likes to "party" he's "dumb" Then 99% of the league is dumb! Moron!




• Ottawa Senators: Jason Spezza- Makes this moron's list because of his "laugh"




• San Jose Sharks: Martin Havlat. "Ill advised Tweets". Again with this dumb Twitter nonsense. Get a life!




• St. Louis Blues: T.J. Oshie- "Dumb" for missing a practice last season. Immature maybe, dumb, hardly.




• Tampa Bay Lightning: Steve Downie- "Maybe he is just a goon..." He has scored 20+ goals and is on one of the Bolts top 2 lines. A pugilist/pest yes. 'Dumb', hardly.




• Toronto: Dion Phaneuf- Apparently the blogger didn't like the way Dion read a prepared statement? Dumb reason!




• Vancouver Canucks: Roberto Luongo- Over paid/over rated, perhaps. Dumb? Hardly!




• Washington Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin "....goofball Alexander Ovechkin can be. He parties hard.." Moron, you got the wrong Alex! Semin is the player who really IS Dumb!!




• Winnipeg Jets: Tanner Glass- "Glass is a complete goon" Perhaps, but he makes $750,000 for playing a few minutes a night! Brilliant!

Trade Whispers......

1) Firstly thanks to FR2 for the blogs first real post for the year. he beat me to the punch with his usual top notch Power Rankings post. We usually don't like to make multiple posts on one day, but we got some inside info earlier today from some of our usually good sources that we wanted to pass along to our loyal readers. There are a few possible trades being contemplated/worked on today.

2) We are hearing that the Washington Capitals GM George McPhee has been working the phones the past week or so in an attempt to peddle either or both enigmatic Winger Alexander Semin and defensemen Jeff Schultz. Schultz has become an after thought once new coach Dale Hunter took over. Our sources tell us Hunter has told his confidants that he "doesn't want that pussy on his team." Alluding to the perceived way the 6'5" 230 pounder plays the game. His +50 2 yrs ago fell back to Earth once he was no longer paired with Mike Green and his career has fallen as well. The stumbling block with Schultz is his 2.75 mil cap hit (with a year left after the current one) As for Semin his recent surge is giving other GM's reason to possible add him as a rental. His dwindling 6.7 mil cap hit looks better with each passing day, so a team in need of offense might take a shot at him as long as the price isn't too steep.

3) What we have been hearing all day is a possible "package deal". We've been hearing that the Caps were asked by a rival team to keep Semin out of practice today out of fear he could get injured. So what teams are in on this possible deal? The big deal that we've been alluding to for months is the Drew Doughty deal. A possible scenario is Doughty along with a throw in Colin Fraser for Semin and Schultz along with a possible draft pick(s)-a 1st rounder for sure. Its a cap-neutral deal and could be contingent upon a "sign and trade" arrangement with Semin extended for another season at about 6 mil. We're told the bad blood with Doughty's "hold out" is still fresh, and the team would be fine with this deal to possible infuse some offense into the club. Other possible Semin suitors include the Avalanche who are looking to unload Paul Stastney. A one for one is possible but a draft pick or lower level player thrown into the picture is also possible. Stay tuned this could happen soon

4) Islanders getting multiple calls about Nabokhov. NY Islanders GM Garth Snow has been coy about moving the previously disgruntled Kamenogorsk native. Now that he is healthy and playing well it would seem to be the perfect time to make a deal. So who is calling? Oddly the team that traded for a goalie from the Isles last year, the TB Lightning. Last year Roloson turned out to be a steal. Guiding the Bolts to a playoff semi finals appearance. However the 49 year old has looked his age this season and he along with Garon have been quite underwhelming. Its unlikely Snow will get more than a 2nd rounder for Nabby, and if we were he, we'd make the deal now and not wait for Evgeny to reinjure his groin again!

Power Rankings-New years Edition!

1) First off, Happy New years to everyone out there in the blogosphere! Looking forward to contributing along with FR to yet another year of writing about our favourite subject, NHL hockey! We are long over due in compiling a Power Rankings so we figured what a great time to throw out our latest rankings as we head into the 1/2 way mark. As we always do we list each team's current rank, their previous ranking as well as our input about the team/why we ranked them where we did.

1. NY Rangers: (4) A couple of blips lately but overall playing the best hockey of any NHL team as they head into the Winter Classic. Scary to think how they will do once healthy, as Staal appears almost ready



2. Chicago: (2) Are pacing the entire NHL in points. Practically unbeatable at home. Is there any better all around player than Patrick Sharp? Getting quality starts from both Crawford and Emery the offensive power house looks ready to get back to the Finals.



3. Vancouver: (20) The Canucks very quietly have been vaulting up the standings. Starting to look much like last season's version with their dynamic offense. As a top 10 team in offense, defense and special teams they are a threat to win every night .



4. Boston: (12) Since their Cup coma wore off have been one of the best teams in the NHL. The B's lead the league in goals per game and goals allowed per game. Equally dangerous home or away, bodes well for Cup repeat



5. Philadelphia: (3) Suddenly there is a goalie controversy in Philly. Nothing new to them except this time they are on the hook for 50 million for their 'back up'! That said the Flyers night in and out are one of the tougher teams to play against. If they could win at home more frequently they'd be atop the NHL



6. Detroit: (9) Unbeatable at The Joe, but under .500 on the road. Uncharacteristic for them. Is Lidstrom really 41? Looks like he's ready to compete for another Norris! They are clearly one of the best West teams BUT right now appear to be a shade weaker than their divisional rivals in Chicago



7. Nashville: (15) The loss of Weber hurts as he was their leading scorer and a probable Norris finalist, but still the Preds just keep on staying competitive, winning their last couple without their super star captain.



8. Los Angeles: (19) The Daryl Sutter Kings are light years better than the Murray Kings! If they can start to score (and we believe they will) they will quickly rise in the West



9. St. Louis: (17) Another team that has greatly benefited from a coaching change. Hitchcock has the Blues playing great defensive/opportunistic hockey. Have stumbled a tad lately and also need to play better on the road to be taken seriously as a contender



10. Florida: (14) Has any coach done a better job? Dineen has quickly shaped a rebuilt roster with average goalies into a playoff contending squad. Recent injuries have hurt them lately though and we believe they are at a cross roads. Will they rebound, or fall back to old habits and miss the post season.... again!



11. New Jersey: (24) The past few eeks the Devils have put together a very solid record that has put them right in the middle of the tight East playoff race. However without lots of wins in extra time/shoot outs the Swamp things wouldn't be quite so well off



12. Minnesota: (5) Starting to tumble big time. Back to where most of us believed they belonged; Competitive, but not quite ready to make the playoffs. As seems to always be the case, have trouble scoring



13. Pittsburgh: (1) The slew of injuries seem to have finally had their toll on the pens as they have played .500 hockey the past couple of weeks. With the news on Crosby apparently bleak, the Pens are not looking Ike the cohesive unit that started the season. The loss at home to the Jagr-led Flyers signified who the better Pennsylvania team was



14. Winnipeg: (25) The Jets seemed to have found their after burners and are no longer the door-mat they were when in Atlanta. If they played .500 on the road they'd be firmly in first in the SE!



15. Colorado: (26) Bizarre season thus far. Started on fire, then fell quickly to the near bottom, and now are playing solid hockey again. As always it comes down to goaltending and Guigere has recently looked like his old self



16. Ottawa: (22) Just when you think the Sens are ready to pack it in they rebound. The past couple of weeks they have been solid despite having a porous defense/goaltending. We don't see them staying in the top 8 hunt all season



17. Washington: (10) Winners of 3 strait are the caps ready to get back to contention or is this just another 1 step forward to be followed by 2 back again? Inconsistent goaltending has plagued them all year



18. Dallas: (8) Similar to Minnesota the Stars have returned to the pack after a fast start. Surprise has been Richard Bachman who is in for injured(again) Lehtonen. hard to figure out a team that beats Boston and loses to Columbus in back to back games!



19. San Jose: (13)Have yet to put it all together. Hanging in there, but they should be better than this. Lets see if this most recent up-tick is for real or another mirage



20. Phoenix: (6) Have fallen off the map after an exciting/fast start. Not surprisingly are not a good home team as the desert is usually, well deserted. The loss of Mike Smith certainly has hurt their cause.



21. Tampa Bay: (21) As good as they have been in St Pete Times Forum, they have been bad away. 'Scar' can not be pleased with the poor goaltending that has been his team's number one issue thus far. Too much talent here for them to stay out of playoff contention. (Nabokhov coming?)



22. Toronto: (16) The Maple Leaves (we hate saying Leafs!) appear to be settling down to the ground after a nice start. Ron Wilson got his contract extended so I guess he's not going anywhere soon!



23. Calgary: (23) Just when it looked like the Flames were about to rise from the ash heap, their long road trip has tripped them up. This version doesn't seem to perform well away from Saddle Dome. If they wan to return to the playoffs they best start winning some road games



24. Buffalo: (7) After a nice start injuries have riddled and destroyed the team. Of course getting less than the usual spectacular goaltending from Miller hasn't helped. Still if they stay close and get healthy in the 2nd half we wouldn't yet count them out



25. NY Islanders: (30) have shown positive signs of life the past couple of weeks, but those times are few and too far between the bad outings. Will the endless rebuild ever show real fruit? WE don't want to hear crap about the arena being the reason!



26. Montreal: (18) In any language, they suck! Its not Cunneyworth's fault (nor was it Martin), its the moron in charge of assembling players(Gautier!) Winning 3 of their past 10 don't be shocked to see yet another coaching change with of course a French flavour.



27. Edmonton: The kids are no longer alright. Outside of Rexall they are as bad as ever (5-14). Thankfully they are decent at home. Exciting team to watch, but not quite ready for the prime time



28. Carolina: (27) New coach, similar results. Muller seems to have them playing better, and Staal appears to be back, but is it too little too late? Missing Skinner also not helping



29. Anaheim: (28) See above, only team WORSE with new 'Gluttonous" coach. Is it time to dismantle the Ducks? Bobby Ryan appears almost out the door and few except maybe recent Hart winner Cory Perry are safe. Might Getzlaf be available?



30. Columbus: (29) What a mess! Forging new levels of futility. The Jackets are equally bad home and on the road. Exactly what is keeping Howson's job secure other than ownership turmoil? A troubled franchise from top to bottom!

Week 13- Results

1) Not quite a horrifying day/night for us, but it wasn't pretty. We went 6-6 to bring the season totals to 91-69, or a .569 winning %. On the bright side we did get the Lock of the week correct to bring that stat up to a healthy 10-3 on the year. Look for us to get back at the picks next Saturday when a 'Bakers Dozen' (13) games are scheduled. Lots of games to either improve on or plummet. Also we should be shaking off the holiday doldrums to get you folks some 'non picks' posts this coming week.
As always, keep it here for all the latest into 2012 and beyond!