Midseason Gut Check

We're right about at the 42 game mark for all teams so lets take a look at where teams stand, and how our predictions are holding up.

In the West...
We flipped a coin with four for eight.

The Underdogs
I don't think anyone expected Colorado to do as well as they have, so that's a blemish in everyone's picks. Phoenix is the feel good story of the year, and a trip to the dance this season, in my opinion, will show the true colors of the love for the team, and its viability in Arizona. Nashville is always plugging away, Barry Trotz is a miracle worker in achieving more with less, and having two goaltenders playing for a contract will always make things competitive. Los Angeles has waited far too long for a trip, so it good to see this team finally come of age.

The Underachievers
Detroit has been riddled with injuries on key personnel and yet is still easily within reach, wouldn't worry about them missing out. Dallas has just been too inconsistent, firing Tippett and hiring Crawford was Nieuwendyk's first mistake. St. Louis could very well be poised to make their comeback, but instead they'll be reeling from Murray's dismissal, and their disbelief when they realize that he wasn't the cause of it. Anaheim has just sucked plain and simple. Hiller is not playing nearly as well as he should be, and their defense is just shit this year.

Right On
Chicago and San Jose are right where they should be, Calgary looks strong enough to secure a berth. Vancouver on the other hand should be playing better than they should, especially since they have that ridiculous roadtrip during the Olympics that's probably going to put a dent in their record. Then again, they could peak at that right time come Spring.

In the East...
Did a little better with six of eight.

The Underdogs
Buffalo has bounced back from last season's miss of the post with impressive play so far. Please address all Thank You notes to Ryan Miller. Ottawa's in it because Mike Fisher is hitting high notes with Carrie Underwood. I don't think they've got what it takes to stay in it, especially in goal.

The Underachievers
Well Toronto might have been a bit ambitious, then again they're only six points out of the last spot its anybody's guess as to who makes it in. Except of course for Carolina. Philadelphia is the real underachiever of the League, getting the passive coach axed with uninspired play, and more than enough talent to make it. I didn't mind Stevens as a coach, but he probably wasn't the right guy for that particular type of team, with their particular brand of hockey. Laviolette is a much better coach, but the results from the change in command have not been what the Philly brass is looking for. Losing the Classic that was handed to them by Thomas doesn't make it any sunnier.

Right On
As I mentioned before, the pack is still tight with nearly ten teams on the bubble. By the way, the three teams sitting just outside the eighth spot with just a point off, Isles, Thrash, and Bolts. Would you have guessed? New Jersey is in their typical form. Pittsburgh has been inconsistent at best, but good enough to make it in. Washington has too much firepower to be out of it, but will it be enough to overcome their defensive lapses? Boston has been shoddy at best, and lost more than it thought with the departures of Kessel, Axelsson, and Ward. Twit Allen Walsh has singlehandedly fired up the goaltending competition between Price and Halak, and Cammalleri has been lighting it up enough to keep them in the hunt. The New York Rangers will be in based on how good Gaborik and Lundqvist are against the other Eastern Conference bubble teams.

Individual Stats

• Joe Thornton is ridiculously good at dishing the puck, especially when he's got two triggermen like Heatley and Marleau to give him all those helpers, (Marleau with 26 goals, Heatley with 24). He's got 9 to 10 more assists than his competition, and that includes those eerie Swedish twins.
• Speaking of Marleau, have I mentioned him before? Letting Marleau go will be Doug Wilson's biggest mistake as GM of the Sharks without question.
• No 50 in 50 this year. With all those injuries and suspensions OV couldn't do it. And if Gaborik actually had some more help he might have been able to do it.
• Ryan Miller, is without question the best goaltender in the League thus far. Bryzgalov is showing that he is capable of being the number one and is providing the impetus for Phoenix to make the show.
• No chance of Andy Murray winning the Jack Adams. Now.

Ohhh, I've Got Notes Alright...

Let's put an end to my regular midseason hiatus shall we? I apologize to all of you who were so bored without your typical dose of sarcastic quips, but I'm sure you all survived just fine. With 80/20 beverages.

Anyway lets get started, first off...

The Winter Classic

• A complete and utter bore. It didn't really get remotely good until the Bruins tied it with two something left to play. It was sloppy play, to say the least, and my brain almost exploded from Darren Pang explaining how visual perception is different when you are outside as opposed to in an arena. Ballfield lighting, painted ceilings, the net looks farther away when you cross the blueline, yadda, yadda, yadda. I don't think a shot hit the net from beyond the circles until the third period.
• Tim Thomas is doing his best to channel Ron Hextall. Countless times I've seen the bear hunter lunge from the crease in order to send a message that he felt his defenseman weren't making. His shot at Jeff Carter was the only reason for the Flyers goal, and stupid play like that is what makes him a perfect fit on Burke's American team.
• This event is really starting to lose its luster to me. Wrigley provided the picturesque setting that Fenway didn't. The Green Monster is not enough of an interesting feature at least for a hockey game to make an impression. Adding two games next year destroys the uniqueness of the idea that everyone has been screaming to the powers-that-be not to change. Just do the next one in Canada to be fair, (I apologize if this is not fair enough, its obvious Americans have been hogging this event). I'm sure there will be plenty of facilities, plazas, event areas created in Vancouver for the Games to provide a nice enough setting.

Andy Murray Shitcanned

• If I had to guess, (which I did), which coaches would be packing their bags this year, it definetely would not have been Andy Murray. This is a mistake, but every pundit will say Davidson had to do it. I disagree. There are times when a team does not respond to a coaches demands/system/threats, and there are times when a team isn't winning. Yes, St. Louis should be doing better than they are, is it Murray's fault? I don't think so. This is an underachieving club with plenty of offensive talent that is not getting it done. The defense is definetely suspect. I don't believe that there are any coaches out there that are better than Andy Murray, and I sure as shit don't think this guy Dayne is either. This is a change for change's sake, and one that will bite them in the ass, or have them hiring him back next season.

Jiggs McDonald is back in town.

• I grew up listening to the Isles (for better or worse) and the voice of the Islanders without question is Jiggs McDonald. His play by play was some of the best I ever heard, and one of the most even-keeled compared with today's brand of homer announcers. Paired up with Isles alum, colorman Eddie Westfall, they made one of the best tandems leaguewide. In any case, Jiggs was back on the Isles broadcast for the last two games, and it was such a joy to hear him back in the booth. Unlike this guy, I think Howie sucks. "Right you are 18."

None of the games really blew my skirt up tonight, but I'll get cranking on some of the other things I've been promising, plus a look at the midseason standings and match those up with some of my shitty predictions, and other uninteresting things.

I said I had notes, I didn't say how many.

A Jump Onto the Media Bandwagon...

As much as I hate to do it, I feel I must. As much as I hate to give any time even thinking, let alone writing about omnipresent pest, Sean Avery. I won't put nearly the time into it that some of my favorite fellow bloggers have, but I will get it out of my system. But just in case you can't get your fill, check out Puck Daddy's side of it, and for another side, and a take on all the other opinions, check out my B's compatriot, Here Come the Bruins. Or if somehow you've been living under a rock for the day, you can hear about it on every other mainstream media outlet from Rush Limbaugh to Kevin & Bean on KROC as I was riding home from work.

First off, I'll say I am not a fan of Sean Avery, or his antics, but like it or not he's a profesional hockey player who earns a couple of million per year to play in the National Hockey League. If you offered me that kind of money, I could be a real asshole too, if that's what you were paying me for, and a pretty good one at that. The Dallas Stars knew what they were getting when they offered him $15.5mil for four years, and even if Brett Hull pushed for the deal, Les Jackson can't claim that he's not at fault for allowing it to happen. I think the rest of the hockey world thought that Steve Ott was enough for Big D, and Brenden Morrow can definetely mix it up when the occasion calls for it.

But by Bettman showing his hand by ordering the suspension, he has not only ruined an otherwise sleeper of a game, but now he has his final decision on this whole spectacle in the media spotlight. Had Bettman called the Stars organization and demanded a suspension by the team, as Puck Daddy suggests, this would be a non-issue in terms of the precedence the mainstream media has given it. "You think that happens if the Stars handle this internally?" Wyshynski states. Definetely not, hockey resumes its regular spot in the corner. The Dallas brass issued their displeasure with the remark so quickly, that it wouldn't have taken much convincing from Little Gary. But now, the media is all over it, and Sean Avery wins again. He gets exactly what he wants, more time in the spotlight, not to mention a league mandated break from an awful season for the Stars. The real punishment would have been to let him play, but in the interest of safety, either Dion or Jarome would have done their best to punch Avery's ticket. It would have made an otherwise dull game interesting, but potentially could have led to a lot more fallout for the league. It was a good decision to keep Avery out of the game, bottom line. An indefinite suspension, ummmm, not so much. I guess it gives you enough time to figure out what to do with him, and have him issue his extremely politically friendly "apology." Avery's future in the league will be determined at a later date. Okay that's enough of that.

Saw something interesting, and a little confusing in the St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild game tonight. Coach Andy Murray, "one of hockey’s most respected coaches" as his team profile states, opted to pull his goaltender for an extra attacker in the waning minutes of the third with his team down by three goals. Hey Andy, there's nothing wrong with giving your team a chance, but lets not be delusional about an abysmal Blues team that couldn't score on Nik Backstrom for the first 58 minutes. Then, to pour salt on an open wound, Antti Miettinen catches a headman pass from Belanger and breaks towards the open net, flying past newly acquired Toronto defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, whose last ditch effort to dive and knock the puck away with his stick, ends up in Miettinen's skates. Apparently a penalty shot awarded when the net is empty, is just credited as a goal. The Wild win 4-0.

Just a quick spot on coaching changes... Peter Laviolette has been axed as Carolina's head coach, and been replaced with former Carolina, (and even Hartford), head coach Paul Maurice. This makes shitcanning the Head Coach that led you to a Grail win a few years before the new "in" thing. John Tortorella, who steered the Lighting to the Cup in '03-'04, was given his walking papers before the season started in favor of the Mullet, Barry Melrose, who was sent home sobbing 16 games into the season. Interesting choice for Carolina, bringing back a previous head coach, but as the majority of the hockey world stated, that locker room needed a "shakeup." I personally like Maurice, who didn't have much to work with in his previous job in Toronto, but I'm not sure he's going to provide a real earth-shattering difference in that locker room. But this boss change made me think of another possible change in the near future, Craig MacTavish in Edmonton. MacT has been personally calling out players, most notably Dustin Penner, who, obvious to everyone else but Kevin Lowe, would not live up to the offer sheet he received. I think Mac is a good coach, and he's the perfect coach for Edmonton, where he spent the majority of his 14 helmetless seasons playing. But oh, rumble, rumble, the sluggish Oilers need a "shakeup," rumble, rumble. Does Laviolette fit in Edmonton? Maybe. Torts? Probably a better choice for a hard-nosed Canadian team like that. Think Darryl Sutter in Calgary. In summation, Laviolette, overachieving coach who got raw deal. Tortorella, think sandpaper on your bare ass. Maurice, good coach, but needs help in producing a winner. Melrose, stay in the booth, please. MacTavish, another good coach who's going to find another job quick, if he loses the one he's got.

Bye for now...