Fighting over fighting

"People will tell you that loving tough hockey means loving enforcers. No. Guys like Janssen, Parros, they’re a very recent invention, a product of the last 30 years or so. For most of hockey history, there was no space on rosters for anyone who couldn’t play, and the famous old-time tough guys could carry the puck and throw a hit both. If anything, hockey was tougher when players, star or checker, fought their own battles, rather than downloading the entire team’s violence onto one or two marginal players."
- Ellen Etchingham, Backhand Shelf blog 

If you're regularly reading hockey blogs, you probably know about Cam Janssen's recent interview. If not, you can check it out here. I don't really care about anything he said, after all, the fact that we actually spend time asking professional athletes questions at all is kind of silly if you think about it. Professional athletes are famous for their amazing physical abilities and that has absolutely nothing to do with being an interesting or intelligent person. Why should we expect a wise and learned response from a group of people that consists of few college graduates and many (in the case of Canadian hockey players) high school drop-outs? Obviously, there are exceptions, but if you want philosophy, shouldn't you ask the philosopher (or at least someone who took a philosophy class)? So seeing headlines like "Hockey goon shares uneducated, offensive opinions" should shock exactly no one.

But the Janssen interview did prompt a very interesting post over at that the Backhand Shelf blog. The blogger, Ellen Etchingham disputes Janssen's views and more broadly, the idea that there remains honor in being a tough guy or "goon" in today's NHL. This is related to a broader question that I've been thinking about a lot more: Does fighting still have an important role in hockey? Obviously, that question has been going on for as long as I can remember (and I'm in my 30s!). But it's a question I've found myself answering differently lately.

When I was a kid, the Red Wings had the toughest team in hockey and I loved it. Not only did they have the toughest tough guy of all time, Bob Probert who could score goals as well as knockouts, they had several guys more than ready to drop the gloves. But despite their pugilistic prowess, the Red Wings didn't begin winning Stanley Cups until they opted for more of a skill game. They still had guys willing to fight on those teams, and some memorable brawls, but more often the Red Wings earned revenge not with fists but on the scoreboard.

That evolution only continued as the team transitioned from being Steve Yzerman's team to Nick Lidstrom's. And as my favored team changed, so has my taste in hockey. I used to love a good donnybrook as much as the next guy, but now I find I'm more interested in amazing displays of agility, coordination, hockey smarts, and effort. I love the pass no one saw coming, the quick turn that leaves the defender stunned, the perfect read that allows a defender to effortlessly disrupt the pass, the hard work that allows a back-checker to pick his opponent's pocket.

I'm sure a big part of my changing tastes resulted from the fact that the Red Wings just don't fight that much anymore. But I think the bigger part is the overall satisfaction that comes with your team winning cups. Sure, the 80s Wings could leave a game with heads high, knowing they had gotten the better of their opponents in the evening's dust-ups, but that's the kind of consolation prize you hold on to when the other team has won the contest that actually counts in the record books.

The other thing that is making me question fighting is the clear toll it takes on the players and the game. I don't think fighting is any worse now or players more violent than in the past. When you hear people complain about the lack of respect in today's NHL, I think about some of those Red Wings-Blackhawks clashes from the 80s. I distinctly remember one altercation involving pushing and shoving that quickly escalated when Gerard Gallant, one of my favorite players, cross-checked a Blackhawk directly in the mouth. And remember, this was in the days of tree-limb sticks, none of this carbon fiber stuff that snaps if you poke it just right. If this had happened in 2012, Gallant would have had the book thrown at him, maybe a 20 game suspension. Back in the 80s, I'm not sure, but he may have gotten a 2 minute roughing call, unless it went uncalled all together. So yeah, I don't really think the issue today is a change in the level of respect players have for one another.

No, I think what has changed is the understanding that people's brains are kind of fragile and repeated blows to the head can leave the brain with long-term damage that does not heal. Who knew?! This was really driven home for me with the devastating piece in The New York Times about Derick Boogard. The juxtaposition of the league cracking down with steep suspensions for checks that hit the head, while sticking to the same penalties for players who punch each other in the face now seems more than ludicrous.

I know a lot of people love hockey fights and contend that it keeps players honest. And truthfully, players taking care of business themselves is something I've always thought was distinct and enjoyable about hockey. Try watching an NBA game sometime. No matter how many times Dwayne Wade slides his feet under an opposing player as they come down from a jump-shot, hoping to cause a twisted ankle, no one is going to respond for fear of being tossed from the game. Self-policing is one reason I've held off from the view that fighting should be banned. And that's what I found so interesting about Etchingham's post, the idea that maybe self-policing and "the code" are already gone from the game.

If the enforcers of the NHL are no longer enforcing anything, how can we justify fighting in the face of the high price we now know players are going to pay? Yes, these guys know the risks and feel it is worth it for a few years of making a lot of money. But should that be good enough for us, just because we want to be entertained? I encourage you to read Etchingham's entire post. It got me thinking. The role of fighting in hockey has already changed, is it time for the league to change too?

So what's plan B, Red Wings?

Going into this off-season, there was no question this would be an uncertain time for my beloved Red Wings. Things have not gotten a whole lot better with Ryan Suter and Zach Parise both signing with the Wild. However, I don’t think it is the end of the world for the Wings. Detroit remains well positioned to make the playoffs. Had they signed Suter and Parise, you could make the case they would have been a cup favorite. And there are actually positives from Detroit’s standpoint for the way things shook out with “the big two.”

The main positive for every team in the Central division is that losing Suter has hit the Predators like a Tiger Uppercut. This comes on the heels of once again losing Alex Radulov to the KHL. And from the sounds of it, the loss of Suter has hit Shea Weber like, well, like someone grabbing his head and smashing it into plexiglass. I would be surprised if Weber signs a long-term deal with Nashville at this point, which almost guarantees Nashville GM David Poile will trade the captain. There’s no way he lets himself get burned again like he just did with Suter. Suddenly the Preds are looking at a lost decade.

Postive No. 2 for teams that did not sign Suter and Parise (who I will now forevermore refer to as Surise, pronounced sur-ee-say) – cap space! The Wild are handing Zach and Ryan nearly $200 million over the next 13 years. And $48 million is in the first two years. The contracts are identical and rank as the fourth richest in history behind only Crosby, Ovie and Kovulchuk. That’s pretty impressive for two guys who are not even the best players at their respective positions, let alone top 10 players in the league. So three or four years from now, all the teams losing out on Surise may look back and be glad they are free of that albatross. Heck, it could be a lot sooner than that. Who knows what the CBA is going to look like for next season? You might even be able to add Surise to the list of people regretting this decision. The Wild are not a very good hockey team. They just added some nice pieces, but are they now a cup contender? My gut feeling is they at best will be the new Phoenix/Nashville, good enough to make the playoffs every year, but usually exiting in the first or second round.

Speaking of teams that usually lose in the first or second round, how will Detroit pick up the pieces of their once proud franchise? Well, let’s take a look at what they’ve lost. To do so I’m going to look at the GVT (goals versus threshold) for the players leaving Detroit. Here’s a nice explainer of what GVT is. Basically, a hockey stat dork has used some fancy math equations and book learnin’ to try to represent every way a player impacts a game and quantify that into a simple number to make it easier to compare players. A player’s GVT represents how many more goals that player would help score/prevent over a year compared to the best AHLer not playing for your NHL team. So for example best AHLer’s GVT = zero, and Justin Abdelkader (slightly better than an AHLer) = a GVT of 3.9.

So how many GVT did Detroit lose? 28.1. That breaks down as follows:

• Nick Lidstrom (10) – Keep in mind he missed more games than usual
• Brad Stuart (9.3)
• Jiri Hudler (8)
• Thomas Holmstrom (0.8)

And in case you’re wondering, Ty Conklin had a GVT of negative 6.8 in only 15 games last season. I wish I were joking. Starting him was like spotting the other team at least half a goal. A negative 6.8 means he was actually substantially worse than if Detroit had just brought up an AHL goalie to back up Howard. Wait, that’s what Detroit was eventually forced to do! Joey MacDonald had a GVT of positive 2 over 14 games. And in case you’re excited to be rid of Conklin, don’t be. Detroit was able to beat out the competition and somehow sign one of the seven goalies who were actually worse than Conklin last year: Jonas Gustavsson (with his sparkling -7 GVT). It seems Ken Holland (a former mediocre goalie himself) has a soft spot for reclamation projects between the pipes. So how will Detroit replace the output of these players?

First let’s look at the forwards

Jordan Tootoo (3.7 GVT) is comparable to adding another Abdelkader to the lineup. He’ll hit, he’ll drop the gloves, he will probably score a little more, but he probably won’t contribute as much on the PK. Still, he’s a big step up on the fourth line from Holmstrom. Mikael Samuelsson (5 GVT) played only 54 games last year. If he’s healthy next year, he’s probably closer to a GVT of 6.5, and 40-50 points. I’d say together they will roughly equal and possibly surpass the contributions of Holmstrom and Hudler. If Patrick Eaves is able to return to form he will also add bottom six forward depth. Before a blocked shot cost Eaves nearly all of last season, he had chipped in a solid 4.7 GVT in the 2010-2011 season with his blend of timely goals (13) and strong PK play.

In addition, the departure of Holmstrom (I’m assuming he’s going to retire, PLEASE LET HIM RETIRE!) should open up more time for Gustav Nyquist, and that’s where things get interesting. Nyquist was good for 1.6 GVT and 7 points in somewhat limited use over 18 games last season (still better than Holmstrom who played 74 games and saw extensive power play time). Nyquist has almost always been at least a point-per-game player at every level of hockey he’s played. He had 144 points in 113 games over three years at the University of Maine. He followed that up with 58 points in 56 games in the AHL last year. If you prorate his 2011-12 GVT to an entire 82-game season you get 7.3 and almost 32 points. If he maintained that level of play he’d almost be equivalent to Hudler’s 8.0 GVT. And unlike Hudler, he’s still getting better. Of course, 18 games is a small sample size, so perhaps he ends up falling on his face over a full season. But I wouldn’t bet on it.

Still, Detroit should continue trying to sign another forward or two and put their extra cap space to use. While many saw the Kings’ Stanley Cup victory as proof that only big teams can win now (not true), I think the better lesson is that balanced scoring and depth continue to be the recipe for success in the salary-cap era. I know Detroit also signed the leading Swiss-league scorer Damien Brunner, but it never hurts to go for a more known quantity. It sounds like Shane Doan (5.2 GVT) is interested in coming to Detroit, which does not knock me over, but could help the bottom 6 scoring depth. I think a better option would be to do what every national hockey journalist wants and sign Alex Semin to play on Datsuk’s wing.

Semin (12 GVT) is a highly skilled offensive player who for some reason has become the whipping boy for the Washington Captials’ playoff failures. Despite that, Semin remains a top six talent who can be acquired without giving up any pieces. To me, that makes him hands down a better option than Rick Nash (GVT 11), whom the Red Wings have inquired about. Semin is not as much of a pure goal scorer, but he does have a comparable points-per-game number (.87) to Nash’s (.81). And for the Blue Jackets to trade Nash to a rival inside their division, the asking price is likely to be too high to make a deal worthwhile. A better trade strategy would be to grab a surplus of forwards in free agency and turn that around into a trade for a top four defender. Which brings me to …

How will Detroit fill the chasm left by No. 5?

When Detroit traded a first-round pick for Kyle Quincey (6.5 GVT), it was eventually reported that it was not so much about loading up for a cup run, but a pre-emptive move to replace Stuart. I would not put this one among Ken Holland’s all time shrewd moves. After all, this is the same guy he’d previously drafted and lost on waivers for nothing. And Quincey isn’t on the same level as Stuart. But Stuart is clearly slowing down and Quincey has more good years ahead. Quincey is now the Wings third best defensemen, behind Kronwall (9.9 GVT) and White (10.4 GVT). That is, unless Brendan Smith can live up to the hype.

Like Nyquist, Smith had a successful college career and looked promising in limited action last season with a 2.5 GVT in 14 games. Had he played 30 games, his GVT likely would have passed Kindl (4.1) and Ericsson (4.9). Prorating his GVT to a full 82 games puts him at 14.6, which would have been the highest among the defenders on the team.

Again, 14 games is a small sample size, I certainly remember when Ericsson’s playoff run alongside Lidstrom made him look like yet another Red Wings draft steal. Now when I hear broadcasters boast “And Ericsson was the very last player taken in his entry draft, can you believe it?” I want to shout back “Yes! He looks exactly like someone who should have been taken last!” But unlike Ericsson, Smith was a first-round pick, and I think he’s going to show that he’s a first-round talent. He’s big, he takes the body, he’ll drop the gloves and he can run a power play. The question is; how fast can Smith step into the role of a top-four defenseman? That is why Detroit needs another veteran defenseman.

However, the remaining free agents are no better than anyone currently on the Red Wings roster. Ideally, they would pick up a player who could push Quincey or Smith out of the top four and that can only be achieved via trade. So who can they target? There are a handful of names being thrown around the hockey blogs as potentially on the move.

Keith Yandle (9.4 GVT). Yandle is slick and could replace Lidstrom’s offensive numbers immediately, though he’s not a shutdown defenseman. He is only 25, coming into his own, and has a great cap number of $5.25 million for the next four years. If Phoenix moves Yandle, Detroit has to pull out the stops to get him.

Tobias Enstrom (7.6 GVT). Enstrom has often been rumored to be on the way out (first with Atlanta and now Winnipeg). I have no idea why. He’s a solid, all-around defender who can put up 40-50 points in a season. Of course, he’s only one year away from being an unrestricted free agent. If the Jets can’t agree to an extension, they may well decide to move him. It could be worth it for the Wings to try to get ahead of the free agency frenzy and bring him in before his contract expires.

Jay Bouwmeester (6 GVT). Bouwmeester is like the bizarro Lidstrom. He almost never misses a game, only instead of leading his team to 20 straight playoffs, he’s never made it to the post-season. Granted, many of those years he was playing in empty arenas outside of Miami and he escaped that circus only to find himself in the inept hands of the Calgary Flames management. But if I were the Wings, I would stay away, because as Alec Baldwin said in Glengarry Glen Ross, a loser is a loser.

Dan Boyle (11.8 GVT). OK, this one probably can’t happen. Yes, the Sharks were kind enough to give Detroit a seventh-round pick for Stuart, even though everyone knew he was going to sign with San Jose at 12:01 July 1. But I don’t see these two teams coming together for a real trade. There is too much of a rivalry here (even if it is very one-sided). But … San Jose’s blue line is getting pretty crowded. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jason Demers and Douglas Murray are really coming along. You add in Brent Burns and the just signed Brad Stuart and you start to wonder how they’re going to split up 60 minutes of ice-time. Clearly San Jose is going to move a defenseman for another forward. Boyle is about to turn 36 and is making $6.6 million the next two seasons. He’s exactly the kind of old vet the Red Wings love and would be a perfect stopgap over the next two-three years while the they look to bring along their prospects and go after the next top free agent defensemen. And that’s probably why the deal would never come together.

It’s very unlikely that Detroit will be able to replace Lidstrom’s defensive ability, at least not with someone who also has his offensive ability. Teams just don’t hand away shutdown defenseman who can score. That is where missing out on Suter hurts the most. But if they are able to land Semin and/or Doan and possibly a sixth/seventh defenseman, that would give the team the latitude to use any of the following in a trade: a forward (Filppula/Franzen/Cleary), defenseman (Ericsson/Kindl), draft picks and a prospect. Pulling off a trade is never easy, especially with the NHL’s parity making every team think they are just a move away from a good playoff run. But if the Wings can make a deal for a top-four defenseman, they should see themselves once again safely in the warm embrace of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Put his number in the rafters

With the Stanley Cup now claimed by the winner of the greatest playoffs in all of sport, I've had a lot of people asking me if I'm bummed that the NHL season is over. But the thing is, I've come to enjoy pretty much every part of the year. For the end of the playoffs brings the start of the off-season, a time when every fan can dream about draft picks, prospects, free agents, trades, and the renewed possibility that this could be the their team's year. It also gives us a chance to reflect on the past season and the history of the game. This becomes particularly relevant when a significant player from your team retires or moves on.

My favored team the Detroit Red Wings lost one of the all-time greats this year to retirement. With Nick Lidstrom retiring, this is one of the most uncertain off-seasons for Detroit in a few years. Add in Brian Rafalski retiring last year and Brad Stuart leaving for San Jose (via trade), the Wings have now lost three of their top four defenseman from their last cup win (and the core from just two years ago). But with the free agency window still a week away, I thought I would dedicate this post to a bit of nostalgia.

I read many great tributes to Nick Lidstrom after his retirement announcement, and I may yet add my own. But while many mentioned his status as a soon-to-be first ballot hall of famer, my thoughts often went to another former Red Wing great who also retired this year. And who also deserves to have his jersey retired in Detroit. That is of course Sergei Fedorov.

Most of the retired Red Wings numbers came from one of the team's most dominant eras, which ran from roughly 1947-48 and ended in 1956-57. During those 10 seasons the wings finished first place eight times, second place twice, reached the cup final seven times and took home four Stanley Cups. The Red Wings would eventually retire the numbers of core players of that era: Terry Sawchuk (1), Ted Lindsay (7), Gordie Howe (9), Alex Delvecchio (10), and Sid Abel (12).

The Red Wings would not experience such a dominant run again until around the start of the 1993-94 season when Scotty Bowman took over a talented but under-achieving roster, which lasted until he retired after the 2001-02 season. And just like the earlier era of success, the late '90s run was fueled by a core group of hall-of-fame players. Of the core players from that era, only Steve Yzerman's No. 19 has been retired. But who are the other core players from the Bowman era? Excluding the key role players who were a big part of the Red Wings success, I come up with Brendan Shanahan, Igor Larionov, Nick Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov.

There's no question Detroit will be raising No. 5 to the rafters next season. But Fedorov's No. 91 should be the next one to follow. I did not see much fanfare for Fedorov when the word came he was retiring, perhaps because he played the past three seasons in the KHL. But much like Lidstrom helped raise the profile of European players by being the first Euro-born player to win the Conn Smythe or raise the Stanley Cup as a captain, Fedorov lead the charge of a new generation of Russians entering the NHL. Previously, many of the Russians who defected from the Soviet Union made it to the NHL past their prime. Fedorov, along with Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure, entered the NHL as true rookies with their best years ahead of them. And Fedorov stood tallest amongst them, winning the Hart Trophy, a couple of Selkes, and proving himself one of the greatest playoff performers in NHL history.

Fedorov played 908 games for the Red Wings scoring 954 points (fifth in team history) and was +276 in 13 seasons (second only to Lidstrom's +450). Fedorov's points per game rank fourth in team history (1.05) behind only Marcel Dionne (1.18), Steve Yzerman (1.16) and Gordie Howe (1.06). But where Fedorov really shined was in the playoffs. 

I've long thought that Fedorov was the under-appreciated piece during the Red Wings '90s dominance. The spotlight was often on Yzerman and eventually on the understated greatness of Lidstrom. Sometimes the big name additions to the team like Larionov and Shanahan got the attention. But Fedorov was one of the best defensive centers in the game and racked up points at a stunning pace. In the four-year period in which the Red Wings went to the cup final, conference final and then won back-to-back cups, Fedorov had 84 points. I'm going to write that again. In the four playoff seasons in which the modern Red Wings were at their most dominant, Fedorov had 84 points! It's not even a question of whether he was the most dominant Red Wing forward during that stretch. No player in the NHL has come close to a four year run like that since, and you have to go back to late-'80s, early '90s Mario Lemieux to find someone who can top it.

But perhaps just as stunning as those numbers is the fact that Fedorov was never recognized as a playoff MVP. In 1997 he was Detroit's leading scorer with 20 points (8G-12A) in 20 games, but lost to Mike Vernon and his 1.76 GAA. The following year he led the team with 10 goals along with 10 assists, but was again the bridesmaid, in favor of Yzerman who had four fewer goals (6), but four more total points (24). I remember thinking that just maybe Fedorov might finally breakthrough for the Conn Smythe after he played a key checking role, led all forwards in ice time and chipped in 19 points in 2002. But if any forward was going to win it that year it would have been Yzerman, who famously scored 23 points on one leg. Of course, Lidstrom very deservingly won the MVP honors, averaging a staggering 31:10 of ice time, adding 16 points and taking a single minor penalty over 23 playoff games.

So how can there even be a question that Fedorov's number would be retired? Well, because of what happened next. Fedorov played one more year with the Red Wings, which ended in a disappointing first-round sweep at the hands of the Ducks. Fedorov then signed with those same Ducks in the off-season, rejecting Detroit's 4-year $40 million contract in favor of the Ducks' 5-year $40 million. I fully expected this to happen at the time, though it was shocking for many Red Wings fans who had gotten used to their team being the poacher in those situations. It was clear that Fedorov deeply wanted the chance to shine outside the shadow of Yzerman, and maybe try living in California. I grew up in Michigan, so I can't fault him for wanting to get away from all that snow. And like I said, he was the best Wings' forward during four trips to the finals, and not once won the MVP award. If that happened to you, wouldn't you feel like maybe it was time to see if the grass was greener someplace else?

And if you think this was a bad split, let's talk about Ted Lindsay for a minute. Here's a guy who started the NHL players union and pretty much made his GM Jack Adams lose his mind. Lindsay was one of the best players in the league and a key player on the Wings' "Production Line." That didn't stop Adams from stripping him of the captaincy, trading him to Chicago, planting rumors in the media that Lindsay had trash-talked his teammates and even showing a fake contract to journalists to convince other players Lindsay had lied about how much he was paid. (Side note: Thanks Wikipedia for the details. But how is it that an NHL award is named after Jack Adams? What a dirt bag.) And yet, despite all of that ugliness, Terrible Ted's No. 7 was rightfully retired.

So whatever bitterness exists between the Red Wings org. and Fedorov, here's hoping they get past that sooner, rather than later (possibly at the Winter Classic alumni game?). It's past time for Fedorov to get the ovation from Detroit fans that he deserves. Now I leave you with this awesome segment on the Russian Five from the glow-puck days of Fox. The hockey clips are fantastic, second only to the fashion.

Self-serving Red Wing Fans Guide to the Rest of the Playoffs

So, now that my team has gone so meekly into the night, it's time to pick up the pieces and figure out who to cheer for as the playoffs continue. To be clear, it's not an option for me to watch hockey passively and cheer for a good match. So here's a look at the current series, who I'll be pulling for, and my reasoning.

Panthers v. Devils

This series may well be a preview to round two of the playoffs. With so many high-skill teams being eliminated in round one, the conference semi-finals will feature a lot of match-ups about as compelling as this one. So who do I want to move on? On the one hand the Panthers are in Miami, have about seven fans and should probably be moved to Canada. They pretty much represent the boondoggle of Gary Bettman's over-expansion that diluted the talent in the league and lead to a canceled season. On the other hand there is the squad from New Jersey, a franchise that won three titles over the past 17 years and was once considered a power house club. This one is a no-brainer: the Panthers. Yes, they've been a laughing-stock for more than a decade and if they win it's possible no one will notice. (Though Miami does flock to a winner). The problem is, I will never forgive the Devils for sweeping the Wings in 1995 and, more importantly, leading the clutching-and-grabbing charge. Also, I figure, the earlier the Devils go out, the better the chances that Zach Parise stays healthy and bolts for free agency.

Bruins v. Capitals

The defending champions against the chronic underachievers. This one is easy. I've always been a big fan of "enigmatic" Russians. Also, the Bruins are just not very likable. Tim Thomas' act has worn thin and it would be nice to see him beat by rookie netminder. But I think the Caps may have blown their chance to advance with the OT loss in game six.

Rangers v. Senators

This is also an easy one. This is hockey and Canada should have a team in the playoffs for as long as possible. And James Dolan owns the Rangers. Let's go Senators!

Blues v. Kings

As I once heard on a radio broadcast of a Blues game, defense isn't just something you put around your house. Of the 16 teams in the playoffs, these two teams gave up the fewest (Blues: 165) and the second fewest (Kings: 179) goals in the regular season. And when it comes to offense, neither team will be confused for the 1980s Oilers. The Blues scored 210 goals in the regular season (14th among playoff teams) and the Kings were not only last among playoff teams with 194 goals, but only one other team in the entire NHL scored fewer goals this season. So this is a long way of saying that this one is likely to be one of those series where first team to one wins. These games are going to be three-hour long heart attacks for fans of these two teams. I do not envy them. Still, I know a few Blues fans ans strangely, I'm actually kind of glad this team is good again. St. Louis is an actual hockey town with passionate, knowledgeable sports fans. So Blues it is.

 Coyotes v. Predators

Phoenix will have home ice, but Nashville might be the favorite to come out of the Western conference now. Nashville has balanced scoring, two of the best defenders in the league and a monster of a goalie. They also do all the minor league hockey crap that I can't stand; cheerleaders, ice girls, chanting a players name followed by "you suck," the list goes on. On the other side is a team owned by the NHL, winding down the clock until it's eventually relocated. Still, out of pure self-interest, I have to pull for the Coyotes. The earlier the Preds exit, the less money they make, meaning it's more likely the team cuts back payroll, increasing the odds that Suter or Weber eventually walks to free agency.

Hockey justice

When things started to get serious with my fiance, Amy, I had to explain something. The playoffs were starting soon and the friendly, attentive guy she knew was about to disappear and be replaced with playoff Adam. The silent, angry, sports fan who lived and died with each goal or penalty kill. Gradually we made adjustments (well, Amy made adjustments) and got into a routine. I'd watch the games and as she worked on her new hobby, knitting. She would sit near me, but not close enough to be in the blast radius of any possible explosions on my part. It was a long two months and it ended with the Red Wings raising the Stanley Cup.

That was the fourth time in a decade that Detroit won the title and it was the last time I cared so deeply about the outcome. I've been thinking a lot about that lately. With each passing year, Detroit has lost earlier and earlier in the playoffs. In 2009, they were two goals short and a Brad Stuart turnover away from winning the cup. In 2010 and 2011, they came up short in the second round, losing by a goal each time. Now it's 2012 and it looks like they will be going home before things have really even gotten started. At this rate, you'd think they could be struggling just to make the playoffs next season.

But strangely, I'm not as upset as I would have been in the past. I remember in 2007, when a few fluke injuries to the defense and some poorly timed broken sticks made the difference for the Ducks, who put Detroit out one round before the finals. I was so angry. I'd been watching hockey all my life, and Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg were playing at as high a level as I'd ever seen. But everything I watched and read was about Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. I was convinced that Detroit had the two best forwards in the league and had drafted them at a time when they were winning titles, not picking first overall. I wanted Detroit to win so the hockey world would have to admit those guys were the best.

That off-season the Red Wings signed Brian Rafalski and continued their dominant ways. But still, you'd hear commentators dismiss the team. They were too old. They'd lost too many players from the championship years. Pierre McGuirre made sure to point out that in his opinion a team whose top three players were Europeans just wasn't tough enough to truly contend in the playoffs. In reality, Detroit was in the middle of a three-year run that few modern teams could match. A bounce here and there and they could have won three consecutive titles. In 2007, before they'd won anything, I believed they were that good. So when they lost, it felt unfair, as if some kind of cruel force had intervened to take what was rightfully theirs.

That's one thing Amy learned about playoff Adam. I have a strong desire for "hockey justice." This is not a reference to the hockey code or player conduct, or any of that jazz. (Though I have strong feelings about that too.) When I say hockey justice, I mean the idea that the team that played better for longer, should win the game. If I cheer for a team and watch them outclass their opponent and yet they still come out on the short end, there is a bitter taste in my mouth that cannot easily be cleansed. But, if my team is outplayed, outworked, and just out-passioned, then I can accept their defeat as a just result.

And for the last few years, that's how I've started to feel. In 2010, San Jose had a huge advantage in power plays on some terrible calls and were still only able to scratch and claw to one-goal victories. Last year, Detroit should have been ready for revenge, but instead allowed San Jose to once again win the first three games of the series. Detroit fought back to force a game seven, and it was statistically the closest seven game playoff series in history. It was some of the fastest, high skill hockey I'd seen in years. But in the end there could be no doubt, San Jose was the better team.

Now it's the 2012 playoffs and Nick Lidstrom is 41 and may be finally ready to retire. The Wings have often looked the same, out-shooting Nashville by huge margins, killing off key penalties. But some thing's not right. Yes, they've run into hot goalies before, and trap-heavy defensive teams. In the past, it felt like it was just a matter of time before the goals started to go in. Game 4 did not feel that way. Yes, Detroit carried the play, but they didn't seem poised. They had 41 shots to Nashville's 17. But rarely did those shots seem intended to beat Rinne, as opposed to some soft slap-pass that then got redirected meekly into his pads. Nashville on the other hand seems cool and collected. Just waiting to slip another soft goal past Howard. Their best players have been their best. The entire team is chipping in. Somehow, even though statistically Detroit should have been the better ream in the last few games, it doesn't feel like they were. So when the Red Wings eventually lose game No. 4, I'll be sad to see another season end without a cup. I'll be disappointed that they finished the season with $5 million in unused salary cap. It sure seems like they could use $5 million more in players right now. But I won't be outraged or even all that surprised. It will just be hockey justice.

I apparently doodled this little hockey dude in a meeting a few weeks ago.

Little Ronnie Franchise

Jaromir Jagr has been something of the Joe Biden of the Flyers this season: vastly experienced, more lovable with age and a reporter's delight. He's generous with praise for teammates and thoughtful about what he says, too. After game 2 against the Pens, he compared Sean Couturier to Ron Francis, and I wanted to see how they stacked up. It's really only fair to Couturier to compare their rookie seasons, but I'll indulge in some wild and baseless speculation at the end anyway.

Pre-Draft

Both were somewhat unwanted; the Whalers had professed their love for Bobby Carpenter, whom the Caps took a pick ahead; they settled for Francis.
Couturier had been a glittering prospect. But leading up to the draft, scouts backed off of his size - he'd gotten mono and lost weight - and, of all things, his defensive ability - the QMJHL isn't known for producing strong defensive prospects. He fell to Philadelphia at No. 8, with a lot to prove.

Play

Numbers are of limited use here. Francis played in the pre-OG lockout, go-go '80s; Couturier is a defensive center first on the fourth line of a deep offense. Still, Philly's system is built for scoring; witness the increased production of new Flyers Wayne Simmons or Max Talbot (and, conversely, the decrease for, say, Mike Richards.)
So what can numbers tell us?
Francis had 68 points in 59 games as a rookie, good enough to crack the top 80. (Gretzky had 212 points that year. The Flyers as a team scored 268 goals this season. Good night!) In 2011-12, he'd have been 25th in points.
Couturier had 27 points this year, but much more impressively, was plus-18 to Francis' minus-13.
Couturier obviously benefits from playing on a much better team than Francis. The Flyers finished third in points in the conference; the Whale of '81-'82 failed to even make the playoffs. Still, though, a lot of it is Couturier's own doing. His plus-minus, second-best on the team, came while he skated against the league's top scorers most of the season.

Smarts 

Couturier has shown poise; I remember half-watching an end-of-game, empty-net faceoff in the defensive zone sometime around Christmas and being surprised to see Couturier take it. He won it, of course; he always seems to. He turned 19 in December; sometimes I think about what dumb things I was doing at 18, or, very unfairly, what my 18-year-old niece is up to. (Sample tweet: "Why does the school hallway always smell like fart?")
Couturier, meanwhile, is containing the beast that is Malkin, attacking again and again. Never mind this very painful spear he took a couple months ago:



Now, I'd be a bit gunshy about going after the guy who did that to me. But that is why I don't play in the NHL. (That and I can't skate. Those are the only two things, though.)

Francis also quickly showed how smart he played. He is often described as "a quiet superstar," if there is such a thing, because of the very traits Couturier is noticed for: level-headed play, consistency, two-way play.

Other important comparisons

Hair

Couturier may moonlight in a Canadian boy band, I don't know for sure because America just steals Canada's best pop culture and repackages it as its own.










Francis, well, it was the '80s:

Teeth

OK, Couturier is definitely not in a boy band:


Advantage: Francis

Nicknames

Cooter is the worst nickname I've heard for anyone, ever, and that includes a college friend who endured the childhood taunt Vagina Crust. It is worse than Boner. (When did Kirk Cameron find religion, anyway? "Boner" seems like something he'd object to.) Perhaps this will grow stale with age, and his teammates can start calling him, I dunno, Ol' Toothy, or Stringbean.

Francis had the standard hockey deviation nicknames: Ronnie, Franny, Ronnie Franchise. Perhaps Couturier's best shot is to marry a lady with a last name that lends itself to an -er or -ee nickname and be a progressive dude who takes her name.

Bottom line

Jagr wasn't even talking about rookie Ron Francis when he made the comparison. He was talking about the Cup winner, franchis center, fourth-leading scorer all-time. And that guy, by the way, started his career on a struggling team. Couturier gets all the benefits of playing on a winner early on. They say he's playing beyond his years. Will he get better? Of course. Does he have to? Well, what comes after stopping the league MVP and getting a hatty in the same playoff game? A Selke or four?

Sources: Hockey Hall of Fame, hockey-reference.com

What the hell is happening?

By Adam

Before the playoffs started, pretty much every preview I read circled two must-watch series: the Nashville v. Detroit series, and the Pittsburgh v. Philadelphia series. So of course the NHL would schedule the games to be at the exact same time. As a result, I've only been able to watch bits and pieces of the Pennsylvania Powder Keg (registered trademark). That's too bad, because I would love to watch that series. Yeah, I guess I could record the game and watch it later, but thankfully, I'm not that far off the hockey deep end.

But in the short times I've been able to watch the Pens-Flyers, a strange thing has happened. I've found myself cheering for the Flyers. How is that possible? Philly has been on my short list of hated teams for pretty much as long as I can remember (OK, it's more like a moderate to long list). But for some reason, I find myself pulling for them. I'm not someone who can watch a game and just sit unbiased. I have to choose sides. We'll, I've never tried watching Rangers-Pens, that might do the trick.

The weird thing is, I've gotten over my Crosby hate. I can no longer look past the singular skill and deep passion with which he plays the game. Yeah, he bitches a lot. Yeah, he takes cheap shots. Yeah, he'll do anything to win. But you know who used to bitch at the refs and slash and bend the rules from time to time? Steve Yzerman. But Yzerman was just being competitive and showing leadership, right? I honestly don't see much difference. I know those last few sentences have probably just gotten me excommunicated from the Church of the Winged Wheel. But it's the truth. Who was Crosby's favorite player growing up? Gretzky? Lemieux? No way. Steve Yzerman.

What I don't like is that the NHL has a double standard with Crosby and the Pens. He gets away with more. He gets on TV more. The broadcast teams all fawn over him as this "aw-shucks, I'm just here to play 110 percent" hockey idol. And that's hard to take when you've got two eyes that see the way he actually plays the game. The Pens play a dirty style. They're the type of team that has to "send a message" when the game is out of reach. And I just don't respect that.

Of course, isn't that exactly the kind of team Philadelphia has been known to be pretty much since they joined the NHL? Well, sort of. Now when I watch them play, I see a highly skilled squad that will take the body, but they can pick you apart like a surgeon too. They have so much skill and youthful exuberance and just plain likable players. They've got Giroux, they've got Jagr. And they've got insane Bryzgalov. And maybe craziest of all, I find I like Scott Hartnell. That dude busts his ass. He's a classic unattractive hockey player whose hair choices only make things worse. Plus, he pulled out the best taunt of the season after that big brawl a couple weeks ago against the Penguins.

So yeah, I guess I'm pulling for the Flyers. What the hell is happening?

Suspending Disbelief

By Adam

"On all plays we deem to be illegal there are varying degrees that escalate from one level to the next," said Shanahan in a statement. "I didn't like this hit, and I expressed that to Shea Weber. I feel it was an illegal hit. I would like to see less force in that situation and that is why he's being fined."

- Brendand Shanahan, NHL director of player safety

“I play the game hard. I finished my check. I do not think that I would have done anything differently. I didn’t even think it was a penalty.”

-Shea Weber, best defenseman in the NHL

Well, as you can see from the above, Shea Weber has a history of questionable decision making and a total lack of remorse. That would be the statements following this hit from Weber in October.

So it's really no surprise that the lesson Weber learned was that he can get away with dirty stuff that would get other players suspended. He hits a guy right in the numbers from behind into the boards with the puck nowhere close. He gets a fine for $2,500 of his $7.5 million salary. Here he is doing the old turnbuckle routine with Hank Zetterberg's head and the glass last night.

Again, he gets a fine for $2,500, oh, and a 2 minute minor penalty as time expired in the game. But just in case you think Shanahan has gone soft after all those 5-10 game suspensions at the start of the season, he made clear this fine would be taken into consideration in the future. I'm sure it will, just like the first one wasn't. Honestly, I can't say I was surprised. This is the same league that fined Claude Lemieux $1,000 and suspended him for two games for nearly killing Kris Draper.

That's just how things work. I don't care how many concussions Crosby gets, this is the playoffs and that's just how it works. Well, unless your name is Byron Bitz. In a consistent, just NHL Weber would have sat a game. But here's what's great about the NHL, the players still play the games and still answer to each other. The Red Wings get at least three more games to find satisfaction with Weber. And if they play to their potential they will send him packing before May.

The Greatest Game

By Adam

I love hockey. I mean, I really love hockey. It is irrational how much I love this game. I consider myself to be a pretty level-headed person in most aspects of my life. But something about hockey is different for me. There are certain joys, certain heartaches that only hockey can bring. I've loved hockey in all forms for as long as I can remember, and actually longer than that. What memories do you have from when you were two? I don't really have any, but I'm told as soon as I could stand (and maybe even before) I was waving around a hockey stick, working on my slapshot.

I've loved hockey in every form ever since. I spent hours in the driveway with my brothers, taking turns playing goalie. We'd invent entire NHL playoff brackets, each taking turns "playing" as each team, picking our own players to pretend to be. I was always partial to players named Adam (Oates) or Gerard (Gallant), my first and middle names.

Table top rod hockey? Loved it. I spent way too many quarters on those bubble top games pitting the USA against the USSR (the '80s were awesome). I actually dream of living in a bigger place one day, just so I'd have a place to put one of those giant machines.

Sure, I enjoyed Super Mario Bros., but I spent the most time on my Nintendo playing Ice Hockey and Blades of Steel. I still love that you could get into a fight in Blades of Steel and only the player losing the fight would be sent to the penalty box. NHL Hockey on Sega? Edit roster, insert Nick Lidstrom.

But most of all, I've loved watching hockey. It's probably sad how much of my life I've devoted to this. I remember nights, flipping between ESPN, CBC, and the local sports station during the playoffs. Three games was not enough though, as I stayed up to watch the late double header games, refusing to yield to sleep as Dallas and Edmonton went into a second overtime.

Early on, I was a front-runner, but who isn't at the age of five? Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers were my team. I even had a Great One action figure. But soon, my allegiance would turn local to the Detroit Red Wings and their young captain Steve Yzerman.

So with the start of a new playoffs season, I've decided to start writing down my thoughts about hockey. Mostly because I know my friends would rather I get it out this way then try to talk to them about it. As I've gotten older, I found that somehow I'm even more interested in hockey. My hope is this blog will help me connect with other people who feel the same way, people who are also captivated by the greatest tournament in all of sports.