The Pugilistic Bar Is Raised
Despite Gary’s Bettman’s best attempts to eliminate the prevalence of fisticuffs in the game, old-time hockey fans have been treated to some memorable flashbacks this season.
• On October 18th, the Blackhawks and Thrashers combined for 127 penalty minutes in the 3rd period of a 7-2 Atlanta win. The fireworks began after Chicago’s Scott Nichol sucker-punched Atlanta rookie Tommi Santala.
• On October 30th, the Predators beat Detroit 5-3 in a game that featured 18 fighting majors – the most in an NHL game since the famed Brawl In Hockeytown. Tempers flared after the Wings’ Jiri Fischer TKO’ed Scott Hartnell, who had injured Fischer’s knee with a slew foot last season.
• On February 10th, the Oilers and Thrashers engaged in a vicious line-brawl late in a 5-1 Edmonton victory. Highlights included Oiler rookie Mike Bishai fighting Serge Aubin in the Atlanta bench, and a battle between goaltenders Ty Conklin and Pasi Nurminen – the first goalie fight in an NHL game in over two years.
Little did we know the best was yet to come. No more than a few hours after I’d made reference to
December’s AHL fight-fest between Binghamton and Philadelphia, the respective parent teams had a similar case of the 70’s.
The Senators and Flyers put on a show last night for the 19,000 strong at the Wachovia Center – an unmatched pugilistic display that shattered the all-time NHL record for most penalty minutes in a single game.
Not coincidentally, reading
the game recap on the league’s official website, without knowing in advance what happened, would give you the impression there wasn’t a single physical altercation during the contest. Even though the late-game brutality was plastered all over sports television shows and newspapers this morning, the league (under Gary Bettman’s directive) refused to acknowledge the violent conclusion to the game, opting instead to remove the portion of the AP article that mentioned penalty minute totals. Funny enough, the article did include Jacques Martin’s “I don’t know what happened at the end” quote, which would actually confuse a reader who hadn’t heard about the 3rd period shenanigans through another source.
The Rogers Sportsnet broadcasters seemed completely befuddled by the euphoric reaction of the Flyer fans during the course of the fisticuffs. The reason why is anybody’s guess, as Philadelphia is widely known for its appreciation of bloodshed. While some of the fans were a bit over-enthusiastic (there were several fights in the stands), the response from the Flyer faithful is absolutely no different from that of any other NHL rink that hosts a pier-four donnybrook.
What made the climactic finish all the more entertaining was the fact that some of the best bouts featured players who don’t normally participate in such activity. Shaun Van Allen laid a beating on Branko Radivojevic, Mark Recchi pounded Bryan Smolinski, Jason Spezza went after Patrick Sharp, and right on down the line. The bloody heavyweight battle between Rob Ray and Donald Brashear turned out to be a mere appetizer that served as preparation for the main course.
In the end, the
fiery conclusion to this game didn’t prove anything, although it did dispel the ridiculous myth claiming the Senators were lacking enough toughness. As it turns out, the win was a costly one for the Flyers, as they lost defensemen Chris Therien and Joni Pitkanen to injury early in the 1st period. If the two rearguards are out of the lineup for an extended period of time, Bobby Clarke may be forced to deal for an experienced blueliner like Sean Hill, Brendan Witt, or Lyle Odelein at the trade deadline.
The Sens and Flyers conclude their season series in the city of Brotherly Love on April 2nd. While there were several thousands tickets available for the game 24 hours ago, they sold out no more than an hour after the conclusion of Friday night’s affair. We all know how rematches often fail to live up to the hype, especially when the conference title is on the line. Nevertheless, bitter rivalries are difficult to find these days, and considering the NHL’s declining viewership, a little hateful anticipation for a late-season contest is just what the league needs.
No matter what Gary Bettman doesn’t say.
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Emery's Edge Must Be Refined
The Ottawa Senators didn’t have to trade for Todd Simpson or coax Rob Ray into coming out of retirement in order to add some toughness to the roster. In reality, all John Muckler had to do was call up arguably the most volatile player in his organization -
goaltender Ray Emery.
Wednesday night, while playing for the Senators’ farm team in Binghamton, Emery was ejected from a game against Wilkes Barre for striking an opponent in the head with his blocker. The netminder was
assessed a match penalty on the play. The baby Penguins scored three times on the subsequent power play en route to a 7-3 victory.
B-Sens head coach John Paddock was livid with Emery after the game:
"It's completely stupid, any situation like that with any player putting himself before the team… I don't know for sure, but the organization will probably meet with him. I don't even (want) to talk about (Wednesday) or anything that's happened in the past, but just going forward, in the next 10 years, to talk with him about how he's going to react in those situations. That's the goal for him as a goalie."
Interestingly enough, Paddock had a heart-to-heart talk with Emery just last month about the goaltender’s tendency to let his temper get the best of him. Obviously, the words of the former Winnipeg Jets coach were not absorbed by Emery, who has been disciplined on several occasions during his two seasons in the AHL. In fact, Emery’s rap sheet bears a striking resemblance to that of a young
Marc Laforge:
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In Febraury of 2003, Emery was suspended for six games after shooting a puck at an official during a blowout loss in Hamilton.
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The following month, Emery received a three-game sentence for attacking Rochester winger Denis Hamel, inciting a bench-clearing brawl. Hamel allegedly used a racial slur against ‘Razor,’ a charge Hamel denied.
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In December of 2003, Emery skated the length of the ice and pummeled Wilkes-Barre goaltender Andy Chiodo during a line-brawl. After the game, which Binghamton lost, Emery proclaimed, “I was frustrated with the game. I like to fight as a way to get some of that out. It's only the third fight of my pro career.”
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Later that month, Emery jumped Philadelphia Phantoms winger Mike Peluso, flooring him with a plethora of punches. The attack provoked a series of line-brawls to end the game, totaling 332 minutes in penalties.
Somehow, Emery managed to avoid disciplinary action after the two latter incidents, but he will not be as lucky following his latest tantrum. The AHL has suspended the Cayuga, Ontario native indefinitely, pending a league review.
While Emery’s propensity for violence may come as a shock to some observers, his shenanigans have been well-documented in recent months. Following his bout with Chiodo in December,
Ottawa Sun beat writer Bruce Garrioch wrote about Emery’s fight-filled days with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In the article, Sens goalie coach Phil Myre discussed the need for Emery to concentrate on his game, and to pick his spots carefully when it comes to the rough stuff.
Either Ray has difficulty digesting advice from his coaches, or he simply doesn’t care enough to listen:
"I will admit that I do like to fight…I played junior C when I was 15 or 16 years old, and we had tons of line brawls…I think everyone likes it.”
Everyone except John Paddock and the rest of the Senators’ brass. Wednesday night’s game against Wilkes Barre was tied when Emery lost his marbles and pounded Michel Ouellet with his blocker, a split-second decision that ended up costing the B-Sens any chance to win the match. With his club chasing the baby Pens for the final playoff spot in the East Division, Emery’s penalty was untimely, to say the least.
You could also dub Emery’s actions selfish and bone-headed, but there’s no need to rub salt in the wound:
"I'm really disappointed in myself, especially because we talked about discipline before the game. If I could take it back, I would. What happened with me was a turning point in the game with them scoring twice on the penalty I took."
At the moment, Emery’s Binghamton team is mired in a franchise-worst seven-game losing streak. The club hasn’t won since losing the highly-touted Brooks Laich to the Capitals in the Peter Bondra trade, and while the B-Sens’ clear lack of talent is no fault of the goaltender, it’s obvious that Emery is having difficulty coping with the team’s rapidly accumulating losses. He’s performed admirably in his two NHL starts (both wins), and the Ottawa organization was expecting Razor to make a statement this year by bettering last season’s AHL win total of 27.
That’s not going to happen. Nevertheless, the former Greyhound has maintained a steady goals against average (2.44) on an atrocious team – a testament to his ability to keep a poor club in games. The fact the B-Sens are in the midst of a playoff race can be strictly attributed to Emery, who has carried the load for his club this year, having started 18 of the team’s last 20 games. Asked to explain why the B-Sens’ net has been almost exclusively occupied by Razor during the stretch run, John Paddock said his team lives and dies with its best goalkeeper – and usually lives.
Prior to the season, Senators winger Josh Langfeld summed up the players’ opinion of Emery:
"He's solid, and he's going to be ready (for the NHL) soon. We expect great things from him. I think he's good enough and strong enough mentally to be that guy to get us there (to the Cup).”
Whether Emery is good enough isn’t the question. Whether he’s strong enough mentally is up for debate.
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Sather Ships Out Two More
• In a feat worthy of commendation, John Ferguson has managed to temporarily satisfy the Maple Leafs faithful by acquiring two-time Norris Trophy winner Brian Leetch from the Rangers. The pressure on the Leaf GM to respond to the Sergei Gonchar trade had been building up all day Wednesday,
and Ferguson reacted fabulously.
The trade is curious in the sense that it appears Toronto sacrificed much more for Leetch than the Bruins did for his younger, more mobile counterpart. Glen Sather was quite candid about his belief the Caps underestimated Gonchar’s true value, and as a result, he demanded a more expensive return for the comparable Ranger d-man. However, it should be noted that while the Leafs are going to retain the services of Leetch for another season, Boston is unlikely to re-sign Gonchar next year. Ferguson was willing to give up more young assets, knowing he would have his man locked up for the 2004-2005 term. The Bruins, conversely, were unwilling to mortgage the farm for what amounts to be a playoff rental.
The same could be said for the other teams interested in Gonchar. If the Russian was truly in such high demand, teams would’ve been lining up at George McPhee’s door in an effort to win him over. When Glen Sather says the Capitals should’ve gotten a better return for Gonchar, he assumes teams were willing to give up a king’s ransom. Unfortunately for McPhee, that was not the case. Gonchar’s restricted free-agency status was undoubtedly a major stumbling block during negotiations, and as it turns out, the Bruins were the only team willing to relinquish a reasonable part of their future to add him to the roster.
Time will tell which club got the better end of these respective deals. In the grand scheme of puck, the end usually justifies the means. The Leafs and Bruins are each determined to win now, as their recent trade activity would indicate. And in the event that neither team is playing hockey come early June, it will be fair to say that we were all making much ado about nothing.
• The Edmonton Oilers believe they are still in the playoff race, as evidenced by Kevin Lowe’s decision to
acquire winger Petr Nedved from the Rangers in exchange for goaltender Jussi Markkanen, a prospect, and a draft pick (New York also received Steve Valiquette).
While Bob McKenzie sees Nedved as
strictly a late-season rental for the Oilers, Tom Benjamin surmises that
Lowe may intend on picking up the Czech’s $5 million option for next season. Lowe made it clear last night that he wouldn’t have made this trade if Markkanen was not included in the package, which is leading to speculation the Edmonton GM might be thinking about dealing Tommy Salo before the trade deadline. Lowe attempted to put that rumor to rest immediately, saying the Swedish netminder will remain with the club for the balance of the year.
If Lowe is taken at his word, it can be assumed that Salo’s performance down the stretch will determine whether the Oilers pick up his club option next season. Lowe evidently holds Markkanen in high regard, so should Salo flop in the last month, he’s as good as gone. At that point, Edmonton would have the available cash to keep Nedved on the team. It's a win-win situation for Lowe - this trade not only bolsters his club’s playoff chances, but it also serves as wake-up call for his current #1 goalkeeper.
Now it’s up to Salo to answer the bell.
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Gainey Makes His Move
• Yet another somewhat surprising trade went down last night, as the Rangers kick-started their late-season selling binge
by trading underachieving winger Alexei Kovalev to Montreal in exchange for the highly-touted Jozef Balej and a second round draft pick.
The Canadiens were one of the last teams rumored to be in the running for Kovalev. His $6.6 million salary, coupled with his status as an unrestricted free agent after the season, was considered enough of a reason for GM Bob Gainey to resist temptation. However, in light of Montreal’s recent surge in the standings, Gainey elected to solidify his club’s playoff position by obtaining the services of one of the most electrifying players in the game. In doing so, the Canadiens GM satisfies his team’s need for a scoring winger (albeit temporarily), while simultaneously reinforcing his endorsement of the current roster.
For months, Gainey has gone on the record
saying his team will make the playoffs. NHL fans, particularly myself, have been skeptical from day one, taking into account the inexperienced talent on the team and Jose Theodore’s struggles last season. Yet the Canadiens have persevered, thanks largely in part to Gainey’s unrelenting support. The wily GM realizes his club has the potential to surprise an opponent should they sneak into the playoffs, and he understands how such an experience could benefit his young players down the road. For sure, Gainey isn’t naïve enough to think his boys can win it all, but by bringing Kovalev on board, he is indirectly telling the Canadien players that he will do whatever it takes to help them accomplish their immediate goal – making the playoffs.
Ranger fans should be excited about the potential of Josef Balej, a Slovakian winger that has come into his own in his second professional season. Drafted 78th overall by Montreal in 2000, Balej has been the most consistent performer for the Canadiens’ farm club in Hamilton, having scored 58 points this year (25-33), good for 4th in the AHL. Even more impressively, the 22-year-old led the Bulldogs with a +19 rating at the time of the trade, which indicates his overall game is developing quite rapidly.
Despite Balej’s dynamite sophomore season, Gainey felt he was expendable. The Canadiens have a wide array of young, talented forwards in their system, namely Tomas Plekanec, Alexander Perezhogin, and Christopher Higgins, all of whom are
performing admirably this season in Hamilton. At just 5’11”, 180, Balej is the smallest of the legitimate Montreal prospects (including Marcel Hossa), and considering the Canadiens already have a size deficiency up front, it is no surprise that Gainey was unwilling to factor the Slovak into the team’s future plans.
Balej will likely spend the remainder of the year in Hartford, but I would not be surprised if Glen Sather elects to have a look at him on Broadway before the season ends. Should the Rangers GM ship out much of his overpriced talent before March 9th,
as many of us think he will, there will be plenty of roster spots available for Balej to occupy. As for the Canadiens, it’ll be interesting to see how Kovalev adapts to a youthful, team-oriented environment that is
completely opposite to what he was accustomed to in Manhattan:
"I came in and I was happy and I wished I could have done better with this organization… I guess you try to take too much into your own hands and try to do too much and it didn't work out. There's a lot more guys here that are star players. I just didn't fit in."
Sounds like he’s on his way.
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Gonchar Beantown Bound
So much for the rumors claiming Sergei Gonchar would be dealt for a current player, a prospect, and a draft pick. Earlier today,
the Boston Bruins acquired the Russian rearguard for a relatively small price - promising defenseman Shaone Morrisonn and two draft picks.
This trade will probably come as a shock to most hockey pundits, many of whom predicted the Caps would demand a more lucrative return for Gonchar. But what really caught everyone off-guard was owner Jeremy Jacobs’ willingness to bring aboard what could amount to be a playoff rental. Gonchar is in the final year of a four-year contract, and the Bruins are highly unlikely to accept the defenseman’s arbitration award in the off-season, which, in my mind, could be anywhere between $4 and $7 million.
It was only a few days ago that assistant Bruins GM Jeff Gorton said his team was not going to make a big splash at the trading deadline. Considering the fact Jacobs traditionally balks at taking on hefty contracts late in the season, the hockey world had every reason to believe Gorton. But Jacobs evidently feels extremely strong about the Bruins’ chances to win the Cup this year. As a result, he gave GM Mike O’Connell the green light to snag Gonchar, as long as the club didn’t have to sacrifice any integral roster players to do so.
By picking up Sergei Gonchar, the Bruins have sent a definitive message to their Eastern counterparts. The question is,
now what?
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Scotty Sounds Off
• Considered one of the most renowned hockey minds in the world, former head coach Scotty Bowman has weighed in with his opinion on how to improve the aesthetic quality of the game. In an article
published in the New York Times this past weekend, Bowman advocated several rule changes, including the following alteration to the two-line pass infraction:
This might be more dramatic than some people want, but if we added a line running across the top of the face-off circles inside the zone (which is 25 feet inside the blue line) and allowed passes from north of that area to cross the red line and go anywhere in the neutral zone (that's another 60 feet to the far blue line), that would spread out the defense. Instead of defending 27 or 30 feet, they'd have to defend from the top of the circle to the far blue line. That's 85 feet. This would make it more difficult for the defensive team and could open the game up to some big passes, odd-man rushes and exciting hockey.
Many hockey fans would endorse this rule change, but because of its extremity, it will never be tested at any level. Bowman’s proposal would have to garner an extensive amount of support prior to implementation, and that will not happen because,
as Eric McErlain notes, the rule would cause complications for officials. Linesmen would have a difficult time accurately enforcing this change because they’d be responsible for covering an additional 50 feet of ice (25 each). And in case you haven’t noticed, the peripheral vision of most officials isn’t very reliable.
Bowman goes on to petition for stricter rules that would prevent players from deliberately stopping play. The idea here is to keep the game moving, which would result in players becoming more fatigued, which would subsequently lead to more scoring opportunities. Scotty would like to see penalties assessed to goaltenders who freeze the puck outside the goal crease, and to skaters that shoot the puck over the glass.
Since the league seems so hell-bent on targeting goalies, I can see officials cracking down on netminders that cover the biscuit in the slot area and behind the net. However, the coach appears to have forgotten that the AHL did enforce a rule last season that penalized all players that shot the puck out of play (if it wasn’t deflected). League president Dave Andrews rescinded the penalty prior to this year, as many players correctly noted that they were being
penalized for the wrong reasons. The rule was designed to prevent players from deliberately stopping play, but on many occasions, a penalty killer trying to clear his defensive zone would accidentally shoot the puck into the stands, which resulted in many unwarranted two-man advantages. The rule completely backfired, and therefore was not adopted by the NHL.
One of Bowman’s more realistic suggestions would eliminate substitutions on all coincidental penalties, including fighting majors. This would dispose of the famed ‘Edmonton Oiler rule’ that was adopted in the mid-80’s, which was (ironically) designed to inhibit the Oilers’ ability to open up the game following a fight. Even though I believe this proposal could gain some steam, I doubt the NHL would be willing to adopt a rule change that could potentially encourage fisticuffs. It would also result in 4-on-3 power plays in cases where the instigator rule is violated, and something tells me most GMs will not endorse that idea.
I credit Scotty for pondering the possibilities. While hockey pundits have long petitioned for drastic changes in the game’s structure, most of them have failed to offer a thoughtful alternative to the current product. Bowman has at least devised a plan of attack. By no means am I completely dismissing his input, as the Hall of Famer has forgotten more about hockey than I’ll ever know. However, Scotty’s concepts, like his coaching style, are a bit too revolutionary for the league to handle. Instead, the NHL hierarchy would rather heed the advice of GMs, many of whom have never graced a professional ice surface, never mind coached the game.
That’s unfortunate for the league.
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Forsberg Report Makes No Sense
• Canucks Op Ed
hit the nail on the head when pointing out the absurdity surrounding unconfirmed reports in a Swedish newspaper regarding Peter Forsberg’s immediate future. The Aftonbladet publication claimed the Swedish superstar had already committed to playing in his native country next season, regardless of whether the NHL can avoid a lockout.
It is completely befuddling how quickly this story gained momentum in the mainstream press, particularly considering the fact that no North American media outlet had consulted with Forsberg or Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix before its publication. Last night, E.J. Hradek of ESPN talked about how Aftonbladet has a reputation for printing unsubstantiated material. Nevertheless, his company didn’t hesitate to break the story after glossing over the article’s contents.
USA Today,
TSN, and
SLAM! were among the other media outlets that couldn’t resist this juicy rumor.
Today
Forsberg is denying he made any promises to play in the Swedish Elite League next year. Indeed, he will likely return to his native land should there be a lockout come mid-September, but that is hardly surprising news. After all, many NHLers competed overseas during the 1994 players strike. However, if the owners and players somehow manage to reconcile their differences in time to salvage the season, you can bet that Forsberg will be donning the maroon and blue Avalanche sweater come opening night.
The fact that Forsberg’s contract expires after this season, coupled with his insistence that he hasn’t decided for sure where he’ll be playing next year, seems to be adding fuel to a fire that never should have started. Forsberg has expressed a desire to return to Sweden at some point during his playing career, but anyone who truly believes he’d be willing to abandon the league that provided him with an extraordinary lifestyle and an annual opportunity to obtain the most prestigious trophy in professional hockey is not thinking rationally. Furthermore, under no circumstances will Pierre Lacroix allow his most consistent performer to depart, despite his injury history, while in the midst of his prime years.
I admire Forsberg for openly expressing a desire to return to Sweden before he retires. His allegiance to his homeland is admirable, and I have no doubt in my mind that he will finish his career in the Elite League. Should there be a lockout in September, Forsberg will likely sign a contract with MoDo containing a clause that will allow him to return to the NHL as soon as the labor dispute is settled. Pierre Lacroix will cover his bases, as allowing Forsberg to get away would not only require a willingness on the part of Lacroix to sacrifice the best player in the game, but arguably the face of the franchise as well.
Now
that would be an interesting story.
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