Anybody Can Be Cool... But Awesome Takes Practice

God damn right. How radical is that picture, looks like a typical bullshit '80s public service announcement that they used to make us watch in health class, in between learning about the vas deferens and fallopian tubes. Standard on VHS. The acting was awesome on those things.
Just some news and notes and highlights and shmilights from an almost super Saturday. 13 games around the League today, and just about one Awesome in every game. Not sure what I mean, hop aboard, lets go for a looksee.

The Matinee, Nashville Predators @ Los Angeles Kings
*Well it was a matinee out here.
*Dan Ellis backstopped a solid win against a rolling Kings team, after a miserable effort on Thursday from Rinne. And right after I gave him that glorious review. Ellis trying to steal that job back from the young Finn? Both in final year of contract.
The Awesome? Joel Ward's move on Quick for the Preds third goal.

The American Northeast Division Matchup, Buffalo Sabres @ Boston Bruins
*How is Boston winning this game? Oh, Ryan Miller's not playing. Neither is Lalime, (groin). Enroth? Didn't play that bad but looked out of position on a few goals, not unlike Mr. Jimmy Howard.
*Is Patrice Bergeron back? Or is he still woozy? He kinda looks like he's returning to form again with a season post-concussion under his belt. Although I must say that breakaway attempt was brutal.
The Awesome? Shawn Thornton with two scraps on the night, and two wins, (technically three). Whooped Montador's ass, and then finished strong on Gaustad.

Hall of Fame Game, Detroit Red Wings @ Toronto Maple Leafs
*You know its bad when... You get your ass handed to you by the 2-7-5 Leafs.
Osgood looked like shit. But don't worry, he never doubts himself. Fucking little prick.
*Gustavsson is a difference maker. Goaltending is crucial.
*The Detroit penalty kill was passive as hell. Dan Cleary was the only one working out there.
*Kessel gets a real crap goal for his first in Toronto, and the messiah has arrived. Can you imagine if his shoulder hadn't healed well and he was out longer, or if he didn't take 300 shots in the last two games? Shit, he would have been crucified. Now he's just delaying that until later in the season.
*How fucking useless is Todd Bertuzzi? A graph should be made. Mirtle?
The Awesome? The only thing better than the Red Wings losing, is the Rangers losing.

Vinny Returns, Tampa Bay Lightning @ Montreal Canadiens
*Vinny's got to be hurt right? Lecavalier is too good to be playing this bad without something else going on. Have you ever seen this guy play live? He's just pure, natural talent. I predict some time off in the near future.
The Awesome? Andrei Kostitsyn's double hit on two Tampa players for an icing touchup. Yeah, there wasn't much here.

Yeah, I don't know, New Jersey Devils @ Ottawa Senators
*Ottawa blows a two goal lead to lose 3 to 2. Three power play goals will fucking kill you every time.
The Awesome? The Devils are 8 and 0 on the road. Lemaire doesn't miss a beat. Not much here either.

The Worst of the East? Atlanta Thrashers @ New York Islanders
*Pavelec is the greatest thing since sliced bread, then looks like ass the next. I wasn't fooled.
*Who the hell is this guy Moulson? I've seen him chip shit in almost every night. WTF?
The Awesome? The Isles have won four straight at home. Yippee kaiyea motherfucker.

Missoura @ Pennsyltucky, St. Louis Blues @ Philadelphia Flyers
*Two Awesomes in one barn burner of a game.
Awesome #1 - The scrap between Cam Janssen and Arron Asham, best of the night.
Awesome #2, and bigger awesome - Chris (not Steve) Mason's stop on Fartsmell halfway through overtime. That was just awesome, that was fucking awesome. To make that save and then lose in the shootout does just suck, it fucking sucks.

Southeast Shootout, Florida Panthers @ Washington Capitals
*Cory Stillman, has still got it. Oh, he's only 36? Why does he look like he's a Korean War Veteran?
*Lots of Washington goals from whacks right outside the blue paint. Cats need to do a better job of clearing out the middle. Among other things.
The Awesome? Mike Knuble with a four point night, two goals, two assists.

If it wasn't for Bad Luck, Carolina Hurricanes @ Columbus Blue Jackets
*Carolina has lost 12 straight. That's completely unawesome.
*And Cam Ward gets his thigh sliced by Rick Nash's skate coming through the crease. If they weren't already fucked, I'd know what to call the shit they're in now. There have been rumblings of Schoenfeld making a move to shake things up in the locker room, but they haven't hit the panic button yet. Is Maurice the first to go? Do they pull the trigger to bring in a goaltender, or does Leighton earn himself another contract in his final year?
The Awesome? Steve, (not Chris) Mason's toe save a la Marty Turco.

Battle of Minnesota? Dallas Stars @ Minnesota Wild
*Does a Stars/Wild matchup have any special meaning? 'Cause no one else seems to care.
*On Zidlicky's goal, Grossman must feel like a total ass.
The Awesome? I guess Buttercup's shorthander ripped over Auld's shoulder was pretty cool.

Sloppy Seconds Eventual Fallout, New York Rangers @ Calgary Flames
*This was the game I devoted myself to for the night, unlike my family. Watched the whole thing through so there's lots of comments.
*Sean Avery's such a fucking chicken shit. He dodges the media all day so that he doesn't have to explain himself, and plays the entire game as if someone was about to take his fucking head off. As soon as he got the puck, he would dump it or just get rid of it. Fucking pussy.
*By the way, Phaneuf's hit on him in the third was not nearly enough. Don't think its over Vogue.
*Jarome Iginla in November is very different from Jarome Iginla in October.
*I love it when guys take it to teams that spurned them previously. Dawes helped on all three goals to down his old teammates.
*I think we should start keeping a camera on Tortorella every night. His facial expressions are hilarious.
*Higgins surprised me with some speed and almost beat Giordano to a lose puck.
*A lot of shitty, ticky-tack penalty calls in this game, only one powerplay goal.
*Surprised at how much Gaborik mouths off, he should let his game do the talking.
*Watching Mike Keenan fumble in the MSG broadcast was fucking priceless. Especially since they were playing Calgary. Its easy to see how he would lose teams if this is how he was in the locker room.
*Dubinsky blocked a shot from the point, Torts says out a while. Broken wrist?
*The hit on Drury? I don't know, it was too convoluted by homer announcers for me to even think straight.
The Awesome? Kirpusoff, the sole reason the Flames won.

Pacific Division Matchup, Phoenix Coyotes @ Anaheim Ducks
*Ducks weren't in penalty box for once, 6 minutes total.
*The Dogs almost climbed back into the game, with three goals in the third.
*Where is Giguere? Is he injured? I honestly don't know. Will Pogge ever get a start for the Ducks?
The Awesome? None from this game. Got tickets for a Phoenix game later this month. Going to take the temperature of the atmosphere around the Desert Dogs. Before its too late.

Would-be Stanley Cup Matchup? Pittsburgh Penguins @ San Jose Sharks
*Pittsburgh looked exhausted from a West Coast road trip, got their asses whooped. Game got billed larger than it actually was.
*Fleury got yanked after three goals on 14 shots. Not his best performance.
*I thought Brent Johnson's Zeppelin themed helmet would be bad ass, its fucking lame. And from the sides, those black Bauer pads make him look like he's wearing Cooperalls.
*Boyle's quick move to the outside, and even quicker shot for the goal was pretty sweet.
The Awesome? Douglas Murray has to be the worst skater currently playing in the NHL. You want some comedy watch that behemoth Swede(?) skate. Its like Fulton Reed playing for the Sharks.

Yeah, that's it.

The Contract Year Anomaly - The Goaltenders

This is a first of a series of post I hope to get out before we get too deep into the season, compiling lists of those players who are in the last year of the contract, what they're doing to Rod Tidwell status, and what teams will do to keep them. I figured we might as well start from the back out and list the goaltenders, seems like as good a place to start as any. I've been trying to figure out the best way to compile these lists, and I think by position makes the most sense. Now this isn't a complete list, this just highlights the best and brightest, (or at the very least the B-listers) of the League at the time. Those who have been guilty of sucking have been left out to protect the innocent. And away we go...

Yes Vesa, bow your head in shame.

10. Vesa Toskala, TOR - $4mil

Mr. Toskala seems very uninterested in playing hockey anymore, whether that's due to playing in Toronto, or just typical Finnish demeanor I don't think we'll ever know. Its hard to imagine this guy coming back to play in the League, although I'm sure some schmuck will offer him something, my bets are on him leaving to play in the KHL, the Swedish Elite League or back home in the SM-liiga.

9. Dan Ellis, NSH - $1.75mil

Mr. Ellis has played himself out of the #1 position for the Preds. Either that, or last year's would-be Calder nominee (see #1), played better. Dan's probably headed for another seat on the bench next year, but probably in some other town due to the fact that Nashville will have to pony up to keep Rinne.

8. Jose Theodore, WAS - $4.5mil

Jose hasn't played all that terribly this year but he won't command anywhere near the salary he's been earning. Originally thought as George McPhee's biggest mistake, he and prodigy Var-LAHM-ov have made a nice tandem for the Caps. Washington will need one or both in order to go deep this year. My feeling is that Jose will play well enough this year to earn some of the value back that he lost from his poor play in previous years, but like I said nothing near $4mil.

7. Marty Biron, NYI - $1.4mil

Poor Marty got picked last, but seems happy to still be in the League. He and Rolosson provide good support for a young Isles team that's trying to find its legs so that it can stand in a few years. Maybe. Most experts pegged this deal as genius, a movable contract that can go to a team in dire need of goaltending. Biron hasn't been the answer in Buffalo, or Philadelphia, it would be funny to seem him do something with a contending team in a trade.

'He's got a great big, bushy beard!'

6. Chris Mason, STL - $3mil

We hear at 'the Grip' love talking about Mason's, but we are always sure to get the right Mason. This one is Chris, he plays for the Blues, loves long walks on the beach, and hates rude people. Chris was one of the main reasons the Blues made that incredible playoff push after the All-Star break. Not one of the best goaltenders in the League by any means, but he gets the job done as a solid workhorse on a nuts and bolts team. I would think that John Davidson would extend him, the Blues are never big buyers in free agency, but you never know how it will play out.

5. Ray Emery, PHI - $1.5mil

Everyone's favorite timebomb. Holmgren could only offer him a year deal to see if his game hadn't gone to shit, and that he could be on his best behavior. Who am I kidding? This is the Flyers we're talking about, bad behavior is a commodity in this town. Emery's doing well enough to get the Bullies to the postseason, but I don't know if he's the netminder to get them over the hump. My guess is the Flyers will go deep, but of course not deep enough, and they'll re-up Emery on a two or three year deal with a small raise, if possible.

4. Evgeni Nabokov, SJS - $5.375mil

Well Ron Wilson picked the right one, or did he? Nabokov runs hot and cold, and I think its safe to say that Wilson's "makeover" that began this summer will probably continue into next if the Sharks can't get it done. Sometimes this guy is unreal, other times he makes Vesa look sharp as a tack. But he's a solid goaltender, and if he doesn't get re-signed in the South Bay, he'll get picked up elsewhere, no doubt.

3. Marty Turco, DAL - $5.7mil

Marty Turco's in a contract year, holy shit! This is the one everyone should be watching. After an absolutely miserable season last year, blamed solely on Sean Avery, Turco can't help but play better this year. It's impossible to suck any worse. Dallas is a middle of the pack team, that can always make a run, and that's thanks to solid goaltending, when they have it. My gut says Turco will retire in Dallas. Money-wise, probably somewhere near the same amount.

2. Jonas Hiller, ANA - $1.3mil

This is where it gets interesting. Young goaltender, plays hard (almost every night), and fills up the net well. Jonas is a big dude, not big like Giguere's chest protector, big in the net. I have no doubt that Hiller is the future for Anaheim and Giguere is the past. They'll have to lock him up early in order to avoid the big money that will be waved his way if he sees the dawn of Canada Day.

I'm making how much?! Oh that shit's gotta stop.

1. Pekka Rinne, NSH - $725k

Pekka has both the best name in the league right now, and has the best value per contract. He and Hiller are the young guys of the group with bright future's in front of them. Now Pekka probably won't make the top tier $6mil threshold, but he'll command a hefty raise in the $4mil area I would think. Nashville's never big on shelling out big dough, but I think this is a contract they'll have to offer. Otherwise they'll be taking another ride on the Nashville goaltending carousel, Vokoun, Chris Mason, Ellis, Rinne, ?

There's another 10 of probable Pine Riders up for free agency as well, I won't even bother to rank or comment on these poor bastards....
Johan Hedberg, ATL - $1mil
Patrick Lalime, BUF - $1mil
Michael Leighton, CAR - $600k
Peter Budaj, COL - $1.25mil
Alex Auld, DAL - $1mil -
Yann Danis, NJD - $500k
Stephen Valiquette, NYR - $725
Brent Johnson, PIT - $525k
Antero Niittymaki, TAM - $600k
Andrew Raycroft, VAN - $500k

And then of course there's the Offer Sheet Bait...
Justin Pogge, ANA - $605k - Burke's not impressed, why should we be?
Kari Lehtonen, ATL - $3mil - 'We can re-build him, we have the technology.'
Ondrej Pavelec, ATL - $1.4mil - Helmetless save and you're the greatest thing ever.
Antti Niemi, CHI - $827k - Arbitration - Gotta steal the show from Huet. Shouldn't be hard.
Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, EDM - $625k - Arbitration Eligible - Took his wife's name.
Jaroslav Halak, MTL - $775k - Arbitration Eligible - I do this when I cough up phlegm.
Jonas Gustavsson, TOR - $2.5 - Arbitration Eligible - Re-sign in Toronto.
Cory Schneider, VAN - $1.1mil - Manitoba Moose-bound.

'I love my tuxedo t-shirt because it says I'm formal, but I like to party.'

Carey Price, MTL - $2.2mil

Price name has hit the rumor mill of potential trade bait for Bob Gainey. He hasn't been playing great, but he's been playing well enough to keep the Habs in it. His motivation and his focus have been called into question more often than not, but again he's a young goaltender and he's got the potential to be a great netminder in the future. Think Jose Theodore, before everything exploded, that's right about where Price is at. And in Montreal too.

Somebody get me out from under this rock named Backstrom.

Josh Harding, MIN - $1.1mil

This is another young guy who I think has a great future ahead of him, but just needs to get out into the limelight, and establish some consistency on a regular playing routine. Backing up a great goalie like Backstrom is not going to allow you to do that. I hope someone extends this guy an offer sheet, but I don't think they will have enough faith to hand over the #1 role. Yet.

As far as Teams with something to think about...

Toronto - Dump Vesa, go with the Monster

Nashville - Sign Rinne, bye bye Ellis

Montreal - I don't know what Gainey's thinking. First he goes all in with Price, and now he's second guessing him.

Dallas - Will probably stick with Turco, for better or worse.

Atlanta - Its like a Presidential election, who's not as bad as the other.

Anaheim - Go with youth, ship JS to Toronto.

Philadelphia - Goaltending carousel, Emery and Philadelphia seem like a perfect fit. In demeanor.

Washington - Var-LAHM-ov's the future, right?