The Cold War

Many, many moons ago, the MSM would often toss the idea of European expansion for the League into the ring. And time after time, it would get shot down with a list of travel and economic logistics. But the powers that be have humored us and teased the idea of the NHL on foreign soil with the a handful of regular season games to kick off the year in Western Europe.

The history of NHL exhibition games in Europe first began in 1938 with the Canadiens and Wings leading off, and that wouldn't get followed up until over 20years later when the Bruins played the Rangers in 1959. The next international game wouldn't happen until 1976 when it circled around the globe to Japan. Sweden would host the next few games, but the idea really didn't get hot until the 90s, when exhibition games between NHL teams would be played almost every year.

After a four year layoff, the trend was picked up again, this time at the O2 Arena in London with cross-town rivals the Kings and Ducks facing off in 2007, and for the first time counting in the standings as a regular season matchup. The next year followed up with tilts between the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague, Czech Republic, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators played in Stockholm, Sweden. However, before the Rangers were to face the Bolts, they played European Club Champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk from the KHL for the Victoria Cup. This year we started off with games pitting the Chicago Blackhawks against the Florida Panthers in Helsinki, Finland, and the Detroit Red Wings against the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm, Sweden. The League hit us with tacky slogans like 'When Helsinki Freezes Over,' and 'How Swede It Is' in order to (make us gag) promote the Premiere Games.

Why all the background on these seemingly meaningless games?

Because today, the Swedish club team, Stockholm AIK signed a letter of intent to join the Kontinental Hockey League starting in the 2010-2011 season. Dirk Hoag, at On the Forecheck was the first to break the news (at least on my radar), so he gets the credit. This is a major step in terms of swagger and the amount of respect that we should throw in the KHL's direction.

Granted the KHL is already an international league with the majority of teams hailing from Russia, but also individual teams coming from Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Latvia. I know what you're saying, 'does that really count since those countries are all former Soviet Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics?' Or maybe you're not saying that, maybe I'm giving you too much credit. In any case, the USSR broke up in 1991, so you're either kidding yourself, or you feel really old and/or dumb. Those are legitimate self-governing countries and even if they weren't, adding a team from Sweden certainly makes it international, and a League that's now ventured into Western Europe. So what was I saying? Fuck, you little 'ignants' made me lose my point.

My point is that the KHL has inched that much closer to being a legitimate hockey league and on an even broader scale by becoming more international. The NHL can no longer hide behind the guise that it maintains the top pro hockey players in the world as we see disgruntled foreign born player after player leave for a very lucrative, and viable league.

People love international play, there's no disputing that, its very easy to get behind your very countrymen and boast about your nationalism. Easy because everyone gets represented, at least everyone who gives a damn. The lines of America and Canada are blurred by the similarities of our cultures, so to call the NHL an international league is a bit of a stretch. But there's leagues set up in every corner of the hockey-loving world. Its only a matter of time before the Champions Hockey League gets off the ground with their stable of national leagues from 22 different countries. Again, they all aspire to be like the NHL but the more cooperative it gets, the bigger it gets, and the more competition it creates between the two.

Bottom line, there's two ways to approach the KHL. Embrace it as an up-and-coming competitor and establish some type of an agreement with regards to player transfer and possible tournament play between one another. Or attack it by acting indifferent towards it as if it doesn't exist, and continually questioning its worth, existence and ability to compete with our League, essentially the status quo.

Its like the Cold War (bad pun intended) all over again, when we as children pit the United States (or Canada) against those commie bastards in whatever type of imaginary battle we were fighting.

There's Pee in My Pool

And a steamy Baby Ruth to boot...



"Don't touch it!"

Believe me I wish I didn't have to, but I've got to go back over my miserable bracket to break down the next round. And while it's not a total failure, my SCC pick has hit Shitsville with golf rounds-a-plenty. Yes San Jose has bombed once again, and have now rightfully earned the title of "Choke Artist." I took Philly too and immediately regretted it. I took them for the first two rounds last year and it paid off.

So I went 6 for 8, and I'm down a goaltender who only earned me four points. I should have gone with Timonen and taken Parise, instead of Richards and Oduya, that was just a bonehead move. Even though Timonen didn't do shit, he did more than Oduya who gave me a goose egg. Richards shoulder, and Drury's hand fucked me too.

So who's left...
Well I've got two offensive defensemen in the Detroit/Anaheim series, Scotty Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski, both who have done well for me. Jonathan Toews and Daniel Sedin have also put up nice numbers for me, as well as Evgeni Malkin, and Eric Staal who's been lighting it up. Timmy Tommy didn't need any extra time to whomp the Habs, but didn't shut them out either. Ovechkin has been a little disappointing, only because its him and you expect him to get 7 goals a game. But he's starting to break out, and elude his shadow, we'll see who Pittsburgh puts on him. Hooks Orpik anyone?

As for bracket picks, maybe I just better stick to round to round like MSM does so not to put too much of their ass on the line. So for the second round I'll start with the East...

(1) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Carolina Hurricanes - I'm taking the Bruins in 5 games.

Here's why...
- Boston disassembled Montreal piece-by-piece, they looked instrumental in doing so.
- That Carolina/New Jersey series was very streaky, very all over the place. Its obvious Carolina could turn it on when they wanted to, but they also didn't show up for a few games as well. Boston has killer instinct. Carolina may steal one, or two, but not three, and certainly not four.
- Boston won't underestimate them like New Jersey did. This is the second round, teams are even more prepared for their opponents by having watched their first round series.

Bottom line, probably the least exciting series of the second round. Boston will execute.

(2) Washington Capitals vs. (4) Pittsburgh Penguins - I'm taking the Pens in 7 games.

Here's why...
- The Capitals are good, but too offensively minded, Pittsburgh is two-way hockey.
- Washington showed they are weak in going down in a series to the lowly Rangers. Pittsburgh literally kicked the crap out of Philadelphia.
- Because I want it to go to seven games, don't you?

Bottom line, this will be a no holds barred, adrenaline-filled, thrill ride.

To the left, to the left... (I hate that bitch.)

(2) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Anaheim Ducks - I'm taking the Ducks in 6 games.

Here's why...
- Because I've got Game 6 tickets.
- Because no one's repeated as Stanley Cup Champions in a decade.
- Because I don't give a shit, and I hate the fucking Red Wings.

Bottom line, this will be a great series, even if Detroit wins. The bad blood between these two teams will be boiling.

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (4) Chicago Blackhawks - I'm taking the Canucks in 7 games.

Here's why...
- Vancouver dismantled a very hot St. Louis team in short order.
- This is a real youth series, and while Chicago is younger, Vancouver has a little more playoff experience, and the sour taste of losing in the post.
- Do you not remember the late regular season matchup between these two that resulted in hair pulling?

Bottom line, this will be another lights out series if nothing more than a battle between Luongo and Khabibulin. Chicago will lose this year, and return next season with a lesson learned.

So it all sets up for a pretty orgasmic second round, with the exception being the Bruins/'Canes series. Gary must be creaming in his pants.

Can You Smell the Bullshit?

This time I'm talking about the race for the Calder Trophy, the award given to "the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition" in the league. Us mutts know it better as rookie of the year, in less refined terms.

This year it seems as though the MSM has already selected their winner, in feel good choice Steve Mason, goaltender for the suddenly significant Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets definetely have had a turnaround season, and are poised to make their first postseason appearance in the franchise's young history, and that, no doubt, is thanks largely to Mr. Mason.

My question is in the numbers that are seemingly similar to another rookie goaltender by the wonderfully delightful name of Pekka Rinne, goaltender for the Nashville Predators. In the seemingly unimportant wasteland of space between the East and West Coasts, these two keepers have chased their previous #1's out of the net, and secured the jobs themselves. As noted in Puck Daddy's earlier blog 'Pekka Rinne: Like Steve Mason, but without that pesky hype!' their stats are seemingly identical, while both of them making their irrevelevant teams revelant in terms of making the playoffs.

So where's all the hype for Pekka for Calder?

Is it racism?

Mason's apparently Canadian, Rinne's a Finn. You remember the last time those Scandinavians got all upitty, we had to stomp some 'Wegie ass. Fucking 'Wegie's.

The fanbase is starting to make some noise about it. Finally.

We all remember last year's awarding of the Hart to Alex Ovechkin, after leading the Caps to the playoffs in the closing days of the season, taking over the Southeast Division lead automatic berth. Everyone said leading up to the close of the season, that if Washington makes the post, then Ovechkin wins the Hart. And so he did.

So with that kind of reasoning, does that mean if Mason, well we won't says leads, but keeps the BJ's in postseason position, then he automatically wins the Calder? Right now, Columbus is sitting in the sixth spot with 86 points and six games remaining, followed by their unexpectedly competitive Central Division compatriots, the Predators, and the Blues(?, more on that another day)

But Pekka's Preds are right in the hunt too, sitting only two points back from the symbolic Union Army, so why isn't poor ol' Pekka getting a look too? Typically, this race only involves a goaltender twice a decade, with the last one being this show-stopping, jaw-dropper Andrew Raycroft in '03-'04. After that stoic career the company gets significantly better with Evgeni Nabokov in 2000-'01, Martin Brodeur in '93-'94, and my personal hero, Eddie Belfour in '90-'91.

Again, as Wyshynski points out that the rookie forwards aren't exactly "lighting the world on fire" with scoring, some of them have turned it on in the past few weeks. Some of them have gotten hot enough to turn this into more than a two (one) horse race.

Bobby Ryan has been firing the puck at will with 2 goals, and 8 shots in his last game against the lowly Avalanche. He leads all rookies in goals with 26, and points with 50, and only appearing in 58 games. He is tied for points with Kris Versteeg, who jumped out early in the Calder race, but slowed mid-season, and is now turning it back on again. Flying under the radar is Stars rookie forward James Neal, second in goals for rookies with 24. Blake Wheeler also got some credit for Boston's quick start this year, just as Patrick Berglund and T.J. Oshie are being held partially responsible for the Blues miraculous turnaround. Even Freshman flop Steven Stamkos has turned it on lately now that the pressure is off, now with 19 goals, now that we're not waiting for his first anymore.

On one hand, it is pretty amazing to lead a perennial doormat to the dance, on the other hand its not like he's the only one.

Hypothetically, lets just say both Columbus and Nashville make the post, and in the spots they're at right now, six and seven. That means Columbus faces Calgary, and Nashville takes on Detroit. Okay now let's just say Columbus goes down in six, and Nashville takes down the red giant in seven. Now Pekka's won a huge series against the mighty Red Wings, and Columbus goes down in the first round like everyone outside of Ohio figures. What then? Granted hypothetical, but not completely unreasonable, unless your a Red Wings fan. And then I don't even know why you're reading my blog.

I'm just saying, the race always changes as you get closer to the finish line. Make up your own mind on your flight to Vegas.