Posts Tagged ‘Mike Richards’

Will Philadelphia Flyers Leaders Step Up Next Year?

30, Jul 2010

 

Chris Pronger and Mike Richards better be ready to step up next season as the team’s captains, or this could be a long season.

If anyone thought the reports last season that there was a a split due to Carter having an affair with Hartnell’s wife were bad, this could be worse.

On the defensive side, due to the dealings of Holmgren, you have eight NHL-ready defensemen.  As a GM, not a bad problem to have. 

But here is the problem:

Four of them are 31 or older.  And seven of them played at least played 50 games this past season.  You are going to have some hurt egos in that group when they see their playing time go down. 

Players usually aren’t content with even being the third pair, much less healthy scratches—particularly after last season, when they were key men for their respective teams. 

Pronger and Kimmo better be stepping up here and making sure that these guys do not do anything to cause a tear in the defense between those playing and those not.

Then we go the offensive side.  If Laviolette decides to keep the super line from the postseason of Briere-Leino-Hartnell together, then that means you have five guys fighting for three spots on whatever line number Briere’s line is not (first or second).

 

 

You have JVR, Giroux, Richards, Carter, and Zherdev.  The two losers are going to be relegated to the third line and probably have to play with Carcillo, and if Carcillo plays like he usually does (fight anything in the other color), they won’t play much. 

But then who do you put on the third line? 

JVR will probably be on it since he is only 21, but then again he put up 35 points last season. 

Giroux was a breakout star last season who had 47 points and is also only 22. 

Richards is the captain of the team and the heart and soul of the Flyers (see play first game against Montreal for point). 

Jeff Carter put up 61 points last season but has been injury-prone. so what to do there? 

Then finally you have Zherdev.  You have a guy who wants to completely redeem himself after having to suffer in Russia for a year.  But then again, he is also prone to disappearing for large chunks of time.  If he disappears and he is not friends with guys on the team, then they have an even bigger problem to deal with.

This team if they can see a miraculous continuation of Leighton or Boucher’s play, then can have large success on the ice. 

But what happens in the locker room could bring the entire season down.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Player Projection: Nikolai Zherdev

25, Jul 2010

NHLHS Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent David Strehle takes a look at Philly’s top candidate to have a breakout season in 2010-11, newcomer Nikolai Zherdev. With youngsters like James van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux and playoff upstart Ville Leino, the Philadelphia Flyers do not have a shortage of players that could possibly have a breakout season in [...]

Simon Says Bye Bye

20, Jul 2010

Dustin Leed presents his thoughts on the end of an era in Philadelphia.

Zherdev Returns

8, Jul 2010

The Flyers have signed UFA forwad Nikolai Zherdev

Jody @*!#%#@ Shelley

7, Jul 2010

Question it now, but Jody Shelley will make you smile later

Mike Richards: How Does He Match Up Against Former Flyers Captains?

27, Jun 2010

One of the most important leadership roles in sports is being your team’s captain.

Fans, teammates, coaches and other captains look to you to make the right decisions both on and off the field.

In hockey particularly, the captain has the right to speak with the officials, takes part in ceremonious puck drops and leads the team through the season and often deep into the playoffs.

Hockey is also the only one of the major sports in which the captain is awarded the trophy when the championship is won.

Commissioner Gary Bettman awards the Stanley Cup to Jonathan Toews, not Joel Quenneville or Rocky Wirtz. Bettman gives it to Sidney Crosby, not Ray Shero.

The Philadelphia Flyers organization has had 16 captains through their 43-year history, averaging about 2.7 years of reign for each captain.

What began with Lou Angotti in the fledgling expansion team’s first season has now come to Mike Richards, the franchise player and (eventually) long-tenured captain of the club.

As the captain, Richards has done what most Flyers captains have been unable to do—lead the team to the Stanley Cup final. In fact, just four captains before Richards have done this: Bob Clarke, Mel Bridgman, Dave Poulin and Eric Lindros.

But where does Richie rank among the esteemed group of Flyers captains. For that matter, where could he rank when his now-young career is over in a decade or so?

Richards has won a Memorial Cup, a Calder Cup, a World Junior gold medal and an Olympic gold medal, all before the age of 26.

He is nearing his prime and with 283 points in 372 career NHL games (142 in the past two seasons), he is showing how well he can perform on the ice.

There is no doubting his leadership off the ice, but with so many famous ones before him, how does Richards stack up against the likes of Bob Clarke, Eric Lindros and more?

Begin Slideshow

The NHL Draft’s Wasted Years: The Worst First Rounds Since 1990

22, Jun 2010

The 2003 NHL Draft might have been one the best of all time.

4 Draftees are now team captains.
6 Have lead their teams in scoring.
3 Have played major roles on Stanley Cup Winning Teams.
9 Have been All Stars.
2 Scored 40+ goals.
1 Was a Norris finalist
15 Olympians
5 Members of the 2010 Canadian Gold Medal Team

Phew! What a draft.

However, the drafts highlighted on the following slides are a dog’s breakfast. They are in no particular order as it’s difficult to measure one disaster against another.

So, without further ado.

Begin Slideshow

Note To The NHL: Use Youth To Your Advantage

22, Jun 2010

The ongoing question for the NHL since its lockout in 2005 has been finding a way to make NHL hockey a must-watch sport in American households.

Selling the sport to a country dominated by football, baseball, and basketball is a daunting task.

But now, as the late NHL Coach Badger Bob Johnson once said, “It’s a great day for hockey.”

It also so happens to be a great time for hockey.

Look around. Since the lockout, there has been an overwhelming resurgence of talent, bringing unlikely teams deep into the playoffs and sometimes to championship seasons. These have created some of the best story lines in sports.

Most importantly, though, is that the great talent in the NHL is young talent.

Gary Bettman and the rest of the NHL need to use this to their advantage by attracting America’s youth.

As a young kid, I was always intrigued by young athletes who were making it big in the professional sports world.

They were close to my age; I could relate to them rather than the older veterans that grew up in a different time.

That’s what made it so cool to watch young players work hard and become the “youngest player to do xyz.” 

Surely if someone close to my age could achieve greatness, then it must be possible for me to do the same if I mimic his or her work ethic.

We are in the midst of a generation of gifted hockey players and they have all but taken over the NHL.

I’m talking about players like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Rick Nash, Zach Parise, Drew Doughty, and Mike Richards.

Bettman should market these players.

The NHL had the right mindset to market Crosby and Ovechkin as they became breakout players their rookie years. They were fresh faces full of potential in a League that was losing its spark.

However, I think the NHL can increase revenue while bringing in fans, young and old, by showing the different kinds of talent in their young players.

Crosby and Ovechkin are high-power, high-scoring forwards, but not every aspiring hockey player wants to—or will be able to—play their style.

For kids who find themselves on offense but playing more of a defensive game, what better NHL players demonstrate those skills other than Jonathan Toews or Zach Parise?

How about forwards with a physical punch? I say Mike Richards.

What about defensemen with an offensive touch? There were few—if any—better than Drew Doughty.

Or stay-at-home defensemen? Brent Seabrook and Marc Staal have made strong cases.

I don’t want to bring down the play of the “older” NHLers like Joe Thorton, Henrik Zetterberg, or Martin Brodeur, but they are as established as they’ll get. Now is the time for the emergence of the young hockey players.

All necessary proof can be found in the last two NHL seasons. Crosby and Toews became two of the youngest captains to win the Cup. Ovechkin’s never-ending dominance in scoring. Stamkos reached the 50 goal threshold at the age of 20. Doughty, also 20, received a Norris Trophy nomination. Goalie Steve Mason tallied a record seven shutouts as a rookie. The list goes on.

The NHL needs to keep in mind that successful, young athletes are the connection between kids and their dreams of becoming great athletes.

Make kids feel more connected to these athletes and you will find more young fans.

Once you’ve caught the interest of the youth, everyone else will follow.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Orange-and-Black Numbers Game

22, Jun 2010

Dustin Leed breaks down the salary cap and discusses some options for the Flyers heading into the NHL Entry Draft.

Aaron Musick: Fake news fridays: NHL Announces Outdoor Game on the Moon

18, Jun 2010

Welcome to my new feature on Hockeybuzz: Fake news fridays. You’ve all read or at least, I assume, heard of the ONION? Well this is if the ONION were to only do hockey stories. None of these stories are true but all are meant to be light funny and a nice way to get through the long offseason. Some stories will happen in the future, some in the past but most in the present.

For the future storie…

Tribune Provides Added Incentive With Cheap Shot of Pronger

9, Jun 2010

NHLHS writer David Strehle takes a look at the decision of the Chicago Tribune to publish a PhotoShop-ed photo of Chris Pronger, and the ramifications of possibly giving even more incentive to the Flyers defenseman.

After the final horn went to officially end game five, the tell tale signs were all there that this may finally [...]

“Relentless” Flyers Frustrate Blackhawks En Route To Game Four Win

4, Jun 2010

Throughout these playoffs the Philadelphia Flyers have made the impossible, well, possible. Friday night was no exception as the Flyers handed the Chicago Blackhawks their second straight road loss, taking game four by a final tally of 5-3.

For the most part the Flyers dominated the Hawks in every facet of the game; that is until the third period when, with the benefit of a five-on-three power play, the Hawks got back into the game, narrowing a 4-1 deficit to 4-2 on their first power play goal of the entire series.

The Hawks managed to score another goal just under four minutes later when Hawks defenseman Brian Campbell shot the puck through a ton of traffic, a shot that eventually eluded Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton—who, despite giving up three goals, was excellent on the night.

From a Flyers perspective the third period was a reminder that no game is ever out of reach for the Hawks and, on the positive side, that they can “get it done” under pressure.

Despite a hard-luck third period, the Flyers can take plenty of positives from game four.

First and foremost, the Flyers are now tied at two games apiece in the series, which, despite the Flyers heroic come from behind series victory over the Boston Bruins, was a must for the Orange and Black—nobody (outside of Blackhawk fans) wanted to see the Flyers go down three games to one.

Flyers captain Mike Richards finally scored his first goal of the series (the game opener) and looked very solid all night long, especially offensively where he managed five shots on goal. Claude Giroux, Ville Leino and Matt Carle also had strong offensive games for the Flyers—each scoring a goal, each providing the Flyers with numerous scoring opportunities.

Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger (for a closer look at {Pronger and Dincan Keith’s contributions check out this article: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/401703-2010-nhl-playoffs-keith-and-pronger-solidify-status-as-defensive-elite) continued his dominance of Blackhawks pest Dustin Byfuglien and also kept Blackhawks star captain Jonathan Toews (finished with a plus/minus -2 rating on the night) off the scoreboard for the fourth consecutive game.

Question is, will the Chicago fans who have called Pronger “Bush-league”, “slow” and a “hack” finally acknowledge that Pronger has been the best defenseman in the playoffs??? Probably not, but he has been…

The Blackhawks penchant for taking bad penalties (they had seven on the night) did not serve them well, as, while the Flyers only notched one power play marker (Richards at 04:35 of the first period), the constant barrage of Blackhawk players to the penalty box killed whatever flow the Hawks had and put far too much pressure on their first and second defensive and forward units.

Worse still, many of the Blackhawks penalties happened 200 feet away from their zone and, on occasions, were very undisciplined/lazy penalties—a real killer for any playoff team.

While the scoreboard suggests a close game it really wasn’t. The Flyers dominated the Hawks along the boards most of the contest and, in my opinion, were never really in danger of losing the game.

The Flyers also seem more willing to pay the price, as everyone from Ian Laperriere through Mike Richards were found blocking shots with abandonment, an attribute that has served both Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton and the Flyers well against the Hawks.

Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi looked very beatable on the night, giving up three goals on 11 shots in the first period and looking rather average throughout the rest of the game.

Heading into game four almost every Blackhawks fan was expecting their team to squash the Flyers, stating things like “The Hawks are going to kill the Flyers, 5-1”, “We (Hawk fans) have seen this before from the Nashville series, and look what happended to them” and “The Hawks haven’t played their best game yet”…

Needless to say, the Hawks still haven’t played their best game yet, have they??? I am not sure what “playing their best game” means at this point, guess we’ll know it when we see it, thus far, the Blackhawks “best game” was game one of the series, and that wasn’t exactly flawless hockey!

To be fair, this series has been extremely close. All three of the first three games could have gone either way, with many experts suggesting it was the Flyers (who outshot the Blackhawks 15-4 in the third periods of both games two and three) played the more complete games and deserved a better result.

I have tried to remain neutral all playoff long, looking to report the games as I see them, not as a Flyers fan— which, again, I am not.

From what I have seen thus far, the Flyers hold a huge edge over the Blackhawks in numerous areas of the game in this series.

First, the Flyers have been the more physical team. Second, the Flyers top players have been better than the Hawks. Third, Chris Pronger has been the best player on the ice…need proof? Dustin Byfuglien hasn’t been a factor, either has Jonathan Toews (except on faceoffs, which Pronger doesn’t take).

Fourth, the Flyers have been way more disciplined than the Hawks (and no, this has not been a biased series penalty-wise) which has caused the Hawks all kinds of trouble (Flyers have gone five for 11 on the power play in the series) and fifth, the Hawks power play effort has been horrific (one goal—which came on a five-on-three) in the entire series.

The point is, while many Blackhawks’ fans thought the Flyers would be pushovers in this series, they have been anything but and, in my opinion, the Orange and Black have been the better team.

Fact is, the Stanley Cup Final is now a three game race, with the Blackhawks having the benefit of two home games—which, given how the series has shaken out thus far, may prove to be a huge factor.

Will home ice be enough to beat the Cinderella Flyers? Only time will tell. One things for sure, if the Hawks are planning to play “their best game” they had better do it soon, time, is running out…

***The three stars of the game were all Flyers—Mike Richards (first star), Claude Giroux  (second star) and Ville Leino (third star).

***The Flyers pounded the Hawks with 35 bodychecks in game four.

***The Flyers have yet to lose a game after game three of any playoff series thus far.

***Scott Hartnell gave the game puck to Chris Pronger!

***Game five will be played in Chicago on Sunday night.

For more NHL news and notes check out my website at www.theslapshot.com
Until next time,

Peace!

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

“Puck-Gate” Nothing More Than Playoff Gamesmanship

2, Jun 2010

The National Hockey League’s postseason has always seen it’s share of gamesmanship and hi-jinx.
And through the years, the Philadelphia Flyers have been involved in their fair share.

In the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals, Philly goaltender Pelle Lindbergh, battling dehydration, asked that a water bottle be placed on top of the net so that he could drink at stoppages.  Edmonton Oilers’ [...]

Stanley Cup 2010: Antti Niemi, Blackhawks Hold on To Win a Crazy Game Two

1, Jun 2010

“One bad game is enough,” Antti Niemi probably thought to himself before his great win against the Philadelphia Flyers. And what he said worked because Niemi led the Chicago Blackhawks to a 2-0 series lead.

Niemi rebounded from letting up five goals in Game One to saving 32 out of 33 shots on the night. The lone goal came on a power play, by Simon Gagne, with 14:40 left in the third period of the game. Besides that though, Niemi was phenomenal because he stopped 14 shots in the third period including a bunch in the last few minutes of the game.

The Blackhawks played their best hockey in the second period of the game. The ‘Hawks scored two goals on Michael Leighton, who was playing great before the goals and even after the goals, with three minutes left in the second.

The first goal was by Marian Hossa who got the rebound on a Troy Brouwer shot. Then, less than 30 seconds later, Ben Eager scored a goal on a quick shot that went past Leighton. The ‘Hawks did get close to scoring a goal a few moments later, but Leighton was there just in time to stop the threat.

The most disappointing thing, though, wa s the amount of dumb penalties committed by both teams. Although this series is very rough and dirty with all the fighting between players, both teams did commit too many penalties.

One of these penalties by Patrick Sharp led to a goal scored by the Flyers. Also, the penalties committed by the Flyers could have led to better things because the best players on the Flyers were given the penalties.

The likeliness of the Flyers scoring to take the lead early on would have been a lot higher if the Flyers didn’t get three penalties in the first period.

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To Read the Full Article visit The Sports Dish (http://www.thesportsdish.com )
Or to see this other writers works visit The Sports Dish.

 

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Philadelphia Flyers-Chicago Blackhawks: Stanley Cup Final M*A*S*H’ed Up by BT

29, May 2010

Alright. So it’s the day of Game One of the Stanley Cup finals. I figured waiting this long would be a great idea: That way we’d have all the information possible heading in to this series so I could make an educated guess and finally beat one of those stupid fictional prognosticators.

Hawkeye: Wait…you mean you weren’t being lazy?

BT: No. I wasn’t. But thanks for that. Besides, what did you two end up doing with that four days off the just seemed to drag on?

Hawkeye: We drank.

BJ: And chased nurses.

Hawkeye: Well…I chased nurses.

BJ: And we both drank.

BT: Gotcha. Either way, there’s another problem with that stupid break.

Hawkeye: What do you mean? I had a great time!

BT: Yeah, well I had to put up with all of Frank’s crack-pot theories.

Hawkeye: In all fairness to him, he is crazy. Five years worth of it.

BT: That doesn’t make this better.

Hawkeye: Nor should it.


No. 2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia Flyers

People say you need to “throw the stats out the window.” For this series, that may be true.

Of course, you have the argument of the Blackhawks being the sentimental favorites, seeing as this team hasn’t been able to come home with a championship in 49 years. Then you have the Flyers who have overcome odds, injuries, and a 3-0 disadvantage in the second round to get here.

If you’re superstitious, Jonathan Toews completely ignored Clarence Campbell Trophy, while Mike Richards and the Flyers skated away with the Prince of Whales trophy. Why? I don’t know. You could have at least eaten cereal out of the Campbell Bowl. But only if the top comes off.

And if no one ever touches the trophy, we’ll never know.

Radar: Could we eat Lucky Charms out of it? I like the marshmallows.

BT: Yes Radar…we could. You’d have to win one first.

Radar: Well that’s easy. Short guys win them all the time….it’s the new NHL!

BT: That actually wasn’t that bad.

Getting past the trophy superstition, the matchup that everyone questions is in net. You’ve got people wondering (like I did last series —where you’ll notice another Radar/height joke if you read. We’re running out of material apparently). when the workload will catch up with Antti Niemi. Meanwhile, just how long can journeyman Michael Leighton be effective?

In my opinion, Leighton’s got the advantage of being rested and only having played half of the playoffs so far. Then again, young guys usually win out over journeyman goalies in the finals.

Cam Ward vs. Dwayne Roloson? Young guy came out on top because the well-travelled guy played just two periods. Jon Casey didn’t have all that much luck against Tom Barrasso either in the early ’90s. If you want to call Chris Osgood a journeyman, then congratulations. You proved my point wrong after reading that entire paragraph.

The reason why this could come down to the goalies though, is not necessarily pressure. It’s the two offenses that these two teams bring to the finals.

Everyone knows what the ‘Hawks have in Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Marian Hossa (Yes he doesn’t perform in the playoffs, but he could still score like…a goal or something next series).

Added to that is the sudden offensive explosion from Dustin Byfuglien, who has suddenly turned into next year’s Fantasy Breakout Candidate Who Won’t Pan Out Offensively Thanks to the Playoffs . Either way though, Big Buff scores big goals.

The Flyers aren’t that outmatched though. While the ‘Hawks have the playoffs leading scorer in Toews (26 points), Michael Richards is proving those early-career predictions of being a Steve Yzerman/Joe Sakic-type leader true. He’s led the Flyers in scoring (21 points) and carried them through an up-and-down season, along with an injury-riddled playoffs.

Then there’s Daniel Briere (who seems to play his best hockey after April 15, Jeff Carter (who got a little more conditioning time with the four-day break), and Claude Giroux and Ville Leino—two young guys going through magical playoff runs.

Each goalie has a quality defense surrounding him as well, but Philadelphia’s experience and size, and their ability to capitalize using it will determine the length and direction of this series.

Love him or hate him, Chris Pronger is a difference maker when it matters. Time to see how Byfuglien does against someone his own size.

Hawkeye: So I guess we have to make a pick now?

BT: Yup.

BJ: If we get it right, THEN can we go home?

BT: Sure. I guess. I’ll see what I can do.

Hawkeye: Alright…if that’s the case then we’re going with—

P.A. System: ATTENTION! ATTENTION! OUR ALL-TIME LOW PRICES HAVE BROUGHT A LINEUP TO OUR DOORS! MAKE YOUR WAYS TO THE HELIPAD FOR CASUALTIES!

BJ: Figures.


BT says Philadelphia in six

M*A*S*H predicts Chicago in seven

BT Tweets on Twitters @BryanThiel_88 . He also responds to e-mails at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. If you’re interested in his other work, be sure to check out Hockey54.com—The Face of the Game!

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Flyers/Blackhawks: Final Thoughts Leading into the Stanley Cup Finals

29, May 2010

It’s funny how things work out. Last summer there were a few teams that kept creeping into the experts Stanley Cup champion predictions—the Chicago Blackhawks and, to a lesser degree, the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Blackhawks and Flyers took very different routes to the Stanley Cup Finals. For the Hawks, their high-powered offense and stingy defense paved the way for their regular season and subsequent playoff success.

As for the Flyers, their inclusion in the Stanley Cup Finals came in spite of a coaching change, numerous injuries and with the benefit of hard work, fighting through adversity and a little thing called lady luck.

Regardless of the way these team have arrived in the Stanley Cup Finals, it’s safe to say both of these teams deserve to be here.

Chicago enters the Stanley Cup Finals as the prohibitive favorites with a roster that features some of the most exciting players in the game, mainly, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

Upon further review, the Flyers, while offset with plenty of veteran players, boast their own impressive group of youngsters in the form of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and the ever improving Claude Giroux.

On paper, there isn’t much to choose between these two teams. Both have offensive depth, both have plenty of grit and both have goaltenders that have as many great attributes as they do question marks.

Let’s face it, for one of these teams, something is going to have to give. Both the Flyers and Blackhawks are playing well defensively, both these teams are playing great defense and both of these teams are getting excellent goaltending.

The first goal of the series may prove to be huge. If the Blackhawks score first one has to think that the United Centre crowd will be all but unbearable. If the Flyers can score first they can achieve a measure of momentum and, while it would be tough to ever take the Blackhawk crowd out of the game, would gain a bit of breathing room.

The coaching seems to be about even, with both the Hawks Joel Queneville and the Flyers Peter Laviolette bringing tremendous resumes to the dance.

Special teams have been a strong point for both teams. That said, if the refs choose to call a close game during the Stanley Cup Finals you have to think the Flyers would end up on the short end of the stick there.

With so many things being equal between these two teams it would seem as if we are destined for a close series—one that should see it’s fair share of overtimes.

Many pundits have stated that the Flyers had it easy in beating the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens en route to the Final. All three of these teams had questionable offenses in the regular season and were, for the most part, ineffective against the Orange and Black.

On the flip side, the Hawks defeated three of the regular season’s best teams in the Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks.

What’s not being mentioned about the Hawks’ opponents, is the fact that all three of the Predators, Canucks and Sharks entered the Stanley Cup playoffs with the reputation as being playoff chokers—especially the Nashville Predators (who have never made it past the first round) and the San Jose Sharks (who have continually come up short come playoff time despite having a deep roster).

The illusion of the ultimate match up between Flyers captain Mike Richards and the Hawks captain Jonathan Toews is nice on paper but is unlikely to happen. As is the case when Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin play against each other, both coaches will likely elect to keep these two superstars away from each other rather than going with the highly anticipated head-to-head battle everyone wants.

As is the case in many NHL games, this series is likely to be decided with goaltending and in the trenches. It will be the secondary players—Dustin Byfuglien (who, admittedly has been a go-to guy this playoff), Troy Brouwer, Andrew Ladd and David Bolland for the Blackhawks and Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, James Van Riemsdyk and Ville Leino for the Flyers that may very well emerge as the difference makers for their respective teams.

When everything is said and done it may very well be the little things that are the difference in this series—faceoffs, timely power plays, special teams and checking.

Defensively, the Flyers combo of Chris Pronger and Matt Carle will have to be dominant, while the Blackhawks duo of Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith will need to be near flawless as well.

All and all, this series has the potential to be a classic, both in respect to the passion with which the fans will support their teams and with the play each team is capable of on the ice.

Good luck to both the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers. Let’s hope this series is everything we want it to be—gritty, tough, old-time hockey, with just enough skill and power to make it entertaining.

Go Flyers! Go Hawks! May the best team win!

For more NHL news and notes check out my website @ www.theslapshot.com

Until next time,

Peace!

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

2010 Stanley Cup Finals: Bleacher Report Covers Media Day

27, May 2010

Thursday was Media Day for the Stanley Cup Finals, and part of the first floor of the United Center was transformed into a madhouse of media personnel.

The Madhouse on Madison…with mics?

For a few brief hours a couple days before the abuse begins on the ice, the players at least appeared to be relaxed as hoards of media cornered every player wanting to get bulletin board material.

Bleacher Report was there.

The afternoon started with Chicago GM Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville addressing the media. A national group of media asked them questions ranging from the Blackhawks’ 49-year Cup drought to the size of Dustin Byfuglien’s… net presence.

Bowman was asked what he remembers of Michael Leighton’s time in Chicago, and what he sees in Philadelphia’s latest netminder. He noted that, in 2003, Chicago had a battle for their backup goalie position that Leighton lost to current Avalanche starter Craig Anderson.

“The key for us right now is recognize that [Leighton] really on a hot streak,” Bowman said.

Speaking of former employers, Chicago’s Patrick Sharp and Ben Eager fielded a lot of questions about being former Flyers.

“There’s always motivation when you’re playing your old team,” Eager said. ”You know, I’ve got a lot of good memories from playing in Philly, the team I got my chance to break into the NHL with… it’s one thing to be playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, but to be playing your old team… you can get a bit more revved up.”

“There’s enough incentive to win the series with the Cup on the line,” added Sharp, “ but playing the Flyers brings up a whole other set of emotions.”

Emotion isn’t something Chicago’s “Captain Serious,” Jonathan Toews, has been known for since breaking into the league. Indeed, the level to which he continues to downplay an increasingly overwhelming resume is both impressive and inspiring. When it was pointed out that the only other player to ever win the Stanley Cup in the same year as an Olympic gold medal, Toews was as underwhelming as always.

“When you win a [Stanley] Cup or Olympic medal, there are so many stats or things on paper that you can look at that make it seem more special, but at the end of the day you’re lucky to be in these situations,” Toews said. “It’s not just what you’ve done as an individual that’s helped you win these things… it wasn’t a one-man show. I’ve been very fortunate to be on that Olympic team and to be on a special team with a lot of great teammates here in Chicago.

“You just go out there as a player, as an individual, and try to influence your team as best you can.”

While Toews downplaying the success he’s enjoyed already at age 22, the Blackhawks’ elder statesman was surprisingly more forthcoming about the impact his season in Chicago has had on his career.

“It’s been eye opening,” said John Madden, a two-time Stanley Cup champion. “I’ve learned a lot about the game through Joel [Quenneville] and the coaching staff. Watching the young guys play, I’ve learned a lot from them… and the skill level they bring.”

When comparing this Chicago team to his two championship teams in New Jersey, Madden said, “There aren’t too many similarities. None of [the Devils'] teams were this highly skilled or fast. But the one consistency is that we’re a tight group, believe in ourselves, believe in our system and that we can do this, we love to compete and love to have fun playing hockey.”

The physicality of the Flyers has become a theme of the pre-Finals media breakdowns, and it was interesting to see how each team approached the subject. The Blackhawks were well aware that Philadelphia is a physical team.

“We know those guys are physical and will try to slow us down.” Toews said.

“Both teams have a similar makeup,” Eager said. “It’s going to be a battle.”

Madden, however, took a different approach. “They’re physical and they’re aggressive, but they also have speed and know when to use it. The difference between this [Flyers] team and the teams I played in the past is that they have a lot of skill… they’re all skilled up front.”

The Flyers took a similar approach to the media’s questions as Madden.

Despite a number of media members referencing Philadelphia as the “underdog” in the series, most of the Flyers downplayed that approach.

“We’re obviously feeling confident about ourselves, so are they,” Mike Richards said. “For you guys, the media and TV, you probably want to label someone the underdog but we feel confident in our capabilities… we got here for a reason.”

Jeff Carter agreed. “We know we’re playing a heck of a team… we’ve gotta keep going. We have to play our game.”

The Flyers player that successfully blew off the most questions was Chris Pronger, who wanted nothing to do with answering questions about his approach to moving Dustin Byfuglien. Most of his answers were, “You don’t honestly think I’m going to tell you?” and “I can go down a list of guys in the league that are big…” when pressed for how he was going to answer for Byfuglien’s size in front of the net.

Which was interesting, because Pronger was more than willing to speak at length on the subject when appearing on “Jim Rome is Burning” on ESPN on Wednesday. In that interview, Pronger said he would try to prevent Byfuglien from getting position, and, if he couldn’t prevent the position, would try to play around him and have an active stick.

On Thursday, though, it was more of “We’ll see.”

When it came to bulletin board material, the only player willing to go anywhere near the idea of a prediction was Carter. When pressed to pick a winner, Carter said “The Flyers… in however many games it will take to win.”

The Stanley Cup Finals begin at 7 p.m. CST on Saturday night.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Destiny vs. Dynasty

27, May 2010

Dustin Leed breaks down the Stanley Cup Finals

It Was A Good Run

26, May 2010

NHLHS Montreal Canadiens correspondent Christopher Nardi gives his views on the run the Montreal Canadiens provided through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

May 24, 2010 marked the end of a dream for many a Montreal fan. What had seemed destined to happen, the Habs winning the cup that is, crumbled like Jericho after only having been circled [...]

Battle of The Captains: Mike Richards and Jonathan Toews, Who Has the Edge?

25, May 2010

Sixteen teams, three rounds, 42 days, 82 games, and it all boils down to this: The Stanley Cup Finals.

A run that starts off with the 16 best teams (eight from each conference) all seeking the ultimate goal—the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.

It has been known throughout history that the star players do not necessarily lead their team to the Stanley Cup. Of course teams may look to their star players to lead the way, but that is not always the case.

Looking ahead to the Stanley Cup Finals we can see that contribution for both the Flyers and the Blackhawks came from the entire team. Even with a full team effort it is hard to ignore the amazing and inspirational play of both team captains Mike Richards and Jonathan Toews.

If we were to look at the paper stats of each captain, Jonathan Toews would have the edge, and well deserved I might add. He leads the playoffs in scoring with 26 points, he’s riding a franchise record 13 game playoff point streak, and also leads all forwards on the Blackhawks in ice-time. According to most people, Toews is so far the clear favorite to win the Conn Smythe trophy.

But what about Mike Richards?

The Conn Smythe trophy is awarded to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team during the playoffs. This is not necessarily the top point scorer at the end of the playoffs.

Some of the most recent Conn Smythe winners who did not necessarily accumulate the most points are Scott Niedermeyer in 2007, Nicklas Lidstrom in 2002 and Scott Stevens in 2000. Of course, they may all be defensemen, but that just proves that contribution to a team’s success runs deeper than just pure offense.

This is why I believe that Mike Richards’ contribution to the Flyers success runs a lot deeper than in just his offensive production. Of course he may be second to Jonathan Toews in scoring this postseason, but there is no denying the heart, dedication, inspiration that he brings to the Flyers makes him their most valuable player.

If we want to look at Richards’ stats, just like Toews he leads his team in scoring these playoffs and also just like Toews he leads all forwards on his team in ice time.

I don’t think anyone can count out Richards when they are talking about possible Conn Smythe candidates. In my opinion, when you look at a players’ impact on the team and not just his offensive capability, Mike Richards is by far the best suited for the award.

Of course the Conn Smythe usually goes to a player on the winning team and with the Blackhawks being the overwhelming favorites, Toews seems to have the edge.

Herb Brooks said in the movie Miracle about the Soviets, “if we played them nine times they might win 10.” You might be wondering what kind of context this has, but with the Soviets being the best team in the world for the last 20 years in 1980, everybody expected the underdog Americans to lose.

My case with that historic win for the Americans is that any team can win at any time. If you look at the Flyers and the Blackhawks lineup, their teams are unbelievably similar.

Both teams have that dynamic first line. Richards, Carter, and Gagne for the Flyers and Toews, Kane, and Byfuglien for the Blackhawks.

Both teams have a lot of secondary scoring presence. Briere, Giroux, Leino, and Hartnell for the Flyers and Sharp, Hossa, Bolland, and Versteeg for the Blackhawks.

Both teams have solid defensive players who can assist offensively. Pronger, Coburn, Carle, and Timonen for the Flyers and Campbell, Keith, Seabrook, Sopel, and Hjalmarsson for the Blackhawks.

Both teams like to play a physical brand of hockey with Duncan Keith and Chris Pronger leading the way for their respective teams.

And both teams have that goalie who nobody expected to lead their team to the finals. Leighton for the Flyers and Niemi for the Blackhawks.

This is going to prove to be one of the best and most even Stanley Cup Finals in recent memory. Both teams have the right mix of players that can lead them to victory and both teams have a captain who made it their mission to bring them this far.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that both the Blackhawks and Flyers have major cap issues coming in the offseason? Both teams are going to have to face some major remodeling before next season, but as it stands, this has been the winning formula for them so far.

The last time that Richards and Toews played on the same ice surface with the stakes this high was in the gold medal game at the Olympics for Canada. Although Toews stole the glory and was named the top forward of the tournament, don’t expect to see Richards sit back.

I can see the finals being a complete team battle and not just the captains, but when the going gets tough, look for both Richards and Toews to step up.

I’m not going to predict a series winner or even a Conn Smythe winner, but I will say this: This is going to be a very even finals and it will go to seven games. Home ice will be key but when the seventh game comes around, don’t expect Philly to sit back and give it to the Blackhawks.

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