Locked Out

Just the other day, I was thinking to myself: what ever happened to Corey Locke? Locke had an outstanding junior career with the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. He was the OHL's outstanding player back to back years in 2003 and 2004. In each of those seasons he led the O in goals (63 & 51) and points (151 & 118).

I saw the headline just yesterday that Locke had been recalled from Hamilton of the American Hockey League to their NHL affiliate Montreal Canadiens. It would appear that after three and a half years at the farm, that Locke finally got his chance. Well, not exactly.

Locke received the call that he was heading up to the big club on Sunday morning after Habs captain Saku Koivu came down with the flu. That afternoon, Locke took an American Airlines flight from Toronto to New York and landed at JFK airport at 5:30 pm EST for a 7:30 puck drop at Madison Square Garen. His arrival time was late as it is, but may have been able to suit up just in time if everything ran smoothly. Not the case.

Locke's luggage didn't arrive in time, lost in the abyss that is air travel, and the Habs had to suit up with only seventeen skaters.

So the 23 year old's NHL debut will have to wait another day. Who knows when that may be though? The Habs next contest isn't until Thursday, when they take on the Lightning at home in Montreal and one would have to assume that Koivu will be recovered in time from any illness by then. Unless Montreal makes another roster move to make room for Locke in their lineup, he will likely be sent back down to Hamilton. After waiting and working his way towards the NHL, a baggage issue is what kept Locke from possibly getting his big break. Who knows, instead of Brendan Shanahan potting the winner in OT, maybe Locke would have been the hero? Maybe he keeps the Habs fresher because they have 18 skaters instead of 17 and prevents a third period collapse?

Locke must feel doomed by fate at the present time. He's done all he can with the Bulldogs to prove his value and a call up to the NHL's most storied franchise. He leads Hamilton in points with 23 in 30 games so far this season. He led the team in points with 22 during their Calder Cup win last summer. He's registered 180 points total in 265 games with the Bulldogs over the past three plus seasons.

Call it fate or call it bad timing, Locke's NHL debut will have to wait another day. His recent brush with pro hockey can only motivate him further in his quest to reach the NHL full time. With the new year upon us, Corey Locke can only hope for a better fate in 2008.

Happy new year everyone.

Saturday Night Recap

It was quite an interesting Saturday night around the NHL with a full slate of games (13 total). Let's get things started right at home in Toronto.

As only the Maple Leafs can do, they managed to surrender six goals to the lowest scoring team in the NHL (the Rangers were the lowest scoring team before last night's game. They are now the fifth lowest scoring team.) Granted, this Ranger team is not one anyone would have expected to have trouble putting pucks in the net with the likes of Jagr, Gomez, Shanahan, Drury and Straka up front. The Leafs took terrible penalties all night long (two ugly ones by Andy Wozniewski who was back in the lineup after sitting out Thursday's game on Long Island as a healthy scratch) as New York scored five times on the power play. Andrew Raycroft (pulled after the fifth goal) can't be faulted for this one alone, but he didn't make any of the big saves needed to keep him team in the game. Raycroft is simply mediocre. He can be a solid tandem goalie on a good team, but not a true number one that can carry the load for a winning team. This team needs Vesa Toskala back very soon. If he's out for an extended period of time, the Leafs won't be anywhere near the playoffs this year. That might not be the worst thing for this franchise, but that's fodder for another day.

Just a couple of more notes on this debacle. This loss for Toronto is right up there with their ugliest of the season on home ice, yet somehow not the ugliest thus far. The 7-1 and 8-1 losses to Washington and Carolina, respectively, in October were both equally as bad or worse. Like many others I'm sure, I switched over to watch the Patriots go undefeated at the half way point of this one.

Darcy Tucker's meaningless goal in the third to break Stephen Valiquette's shutout was his first in 12 games and only second point in over a month. He's been demoted to fourth line duty and has registered less than 10 minutes of ice time per game in his last three outings. Tucker and Jason Blake have combined for 9 goals so far this season and at a combined salary of 7 million dollars have been nowhere near the "scoring wingers" the Leafs expected them to be. Tucker is 32, Blake is 34. Their best years are behind them and the Leafs are stuck with their hefty contracts. Not pretty.

What a wild game in Ottawa last night. 14 goals total, including 4 by Alex Ovechkin (a career night for him) in a 8-6 win for the Caps. Amidst all the goal scoring however, the most interesting part of this game might have Ovechkin's celebration after his third goal. He screamed and threw off his left glove in celebration. Now I'm sure a lot of people are calling him a hot head for this, but I'm not so sure that's the case. I think Ovie is a generally crazy and hilarious dude. No further evidence is needed than this video.

I love what this guy brings to the game. The NHL needs more of these kinds of personalities or at the very least needs to start marketing guys like him the right way. He's playing a game for a living and he's having fun doing it.

A very entertaining game was played out west on Hockey Night in Canada's late game between the Flames and Ducks. Jarome Iginla is another joy to watch, but for different reasons than Ovechkin. There might not be another forward with the combination of strength and skill that Iggy possesses. It's great to see him enjoying another great season. The Flames have begun to turn things around and for their sake, let's hope Iron Mike doesn't manage to screw things up.

In the aforementioned Ducks-Flames game, it was nice to hear Kelly Hrudy providing the colour commentary on HNIC. His analysis is always bang on and he's never afraid to speak his mind without being arrogant or abrasive. I've always felt that Hockey Night could use him more than they do. It would be nice to see them use him again in that role.

What a beauty of a game for Blue Jackets forward Nikolai Zherdev. His end to ender early in the second period is one of the nicest goals so far this season. He scored another beauty on a breakaway on a nice lob pass from Rick Nash, then had the chance for the hat trick with the net empty but generously passed the puck to teammate Kris Beech. A four point night still isn't bad at all. After a horrendous year last season, Zherdev seems to have turned things around with Ken Hitchcock behind the bench.

Tough break (pardon the pun) for Gary Roberts. A broken left fibula could spell the end of a great career for the 41 year old. He hasn't been a glimmer of even his solid later days in Toronto, but it's tough to see a guy like him go down because of his dedication to the game. If this is the end, he'll retire with 434 goals and 903 points. Not hall of fame numbers but not bad for a guy who many (including himself) thought he was done 11 years ago. Knowing what we know about Roberts, he'll give it everything he's got to attempt to recover from the injury, but at his age you have to wonder whether it's worth it. Good luck Gary.

A very nice effort in Phoenix last night by the Great One's Coyotes against the best team in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings. Wayne may not have the most skilled team, but they sure seem to be one of the most hard working ones in the NHL. I just love watching Gretzky behind the bench. It's something we've never seen out of Wayne before in his hockey career. His intensity as a player was always fierce but kept more internal. I always get a chuckle seeing him all riled up and yelling behind the bench. It has to be pretty intimidating to play under. The greatest hockey player in the history of the game screaming into your ear (although he appears to be screaming at the officials most of the time). Maybe that's what's got this team playing better than expected, but whatever it is, he's keeping his team competitive and out of the basement (a place many thought they would be, myself included.) Keep entertaining me Wayne!

A Model in Consistency

Once again, the Detroit Red Wings sit atop the NHL standings. Should this surprise us? Looking at their recent track record, the answer is unequivocally no.

The Wings have finished first overall three straight seasons now (last year they finished tied for first with Buffalo with 113 points). Not bad at all for a team that many believed would be strapped coming out of the lockout with the amount of salary they had tied up to aging veterans in the new cap world.

Their success has not been limited to recent history either. Over the past 13 seasons (not including the lockout shortened season of in 1994-95) the Wings have finished with 100 or more points in 11 of those seasons. Over the past 14 seasons however, they have finished in the top 5 of the NHL overall standing each season.

In 1995-96, Detroit set an NHL record with 131 points. They were defeated by a very tough Colorado team led by Patrick Roy in the conference finals that season. They followed up that season with a modest 94 points the next (call it a hangover from the season before if you will), but went on the win their first Cup in 42 years by sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers in the final.

A number of executives, managers, coaches and players deserve all of the credit for the Red Wings success over the past decade and a half. You can't ask for a better owner than Mike Illitch. Over the past 15 years, he has never failed to open his pockets when needed to help his team win. He has employed an excellent staff with a very clear focus at every level.

In 1982, he hired Jim Devellano as general manager, previously a scout employed by the New York Islanders. Devellano held the position until 1990 and under his direction the team slowly developed from a bottom feeder into a team with a bright future. Devellano oversaw the drafting of cornerstone players such as Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Niklas Lidstrom. He built the foundation for this Red Wing team and remains with the club as it's Senior Vice-President.

Scotty Bowman took over the coaching reigns in 1993 and led the Wings to three Stanley Cups, retiring after it's last Stanley Cup in 2002. If you don't know what Bowman means to the game, then you simply don't know hockey. He is considered by nearly everyone as the game's greatest coach. He has won more games (1,244) and more Cups (9) than any other boss in NHL history. He started his career in St. Louis, leading the Blues to the final in 1970-71 only to be defeated by Bobby Orr and the Boston Bruins and hockey's most famous goal pictured at the header of this blog. He left St. Louis for Montreal, guiding the Habs dynasty in the 70's, winning five rings in the process. The only real blemish in Scotty's career came in Buffalo, where he took over the Sabres in the 1980's as both it's coach and general manager. He missed the playoffs the one and only time during his coaching career with the Sabres in 1986 and failed to lead Buffalo to the promise land. After a brief retirement, Bowman took over the Penguins following the death of coach Bob Johnson. He guided Magnificent Mario and the Penguins to their second consecutive cup. Finally, in 1993 Mike Illitch lured in Scotty to lead the Red Wings to the promise a land, a thing he had accomplished several times before, and he did just that.

The man most responsible for Detroit's recent success who doesn't wear a team sweater 82 days of the year, is general manager Ken Holland. He has managed to keep this team among the league's elite while constantly building for the future. He and his scouting department have turned the late rounds of the draft into parts to build his team around. In the sixth round of the '98 draft, Detroit drafted Pavel Datsyuk. The next season, they drafted Henrik Zetterberg in the seventh round. Both players have become elite NHL players. Zetterberg is currently tied for second in the NHL in points with 50, while Dastyuk isn't far off in the ninth spot with 46. Though the Wings are without high first round draft picks because of their strong regular season performances throughout the years, Holland and his staff have made many excellent picks outside of Datsyuk and Zetterberg. They have taken productive and promising players such as Jiri Hulder, Niklas Kronwall, Valteri Filppula and Johan Franzen, not to mention picking up the likes of Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson via free agency, a couple of journey men who have found their niche in MoTown. Holland has done a remarkable job with this team. He is without question the best general manager in hockey.

No one can understate the importance of Steve Yzerman to this hockey club past, present or future. He was the one player more than anyone else, that turned around the franchise in the 1980's. His scoring was prolific, but was never regarded as a strong two way player nor an exceptional leader. All that changed in the mid-90's when Scotty Bowman hit the scene and the Red Wings started winning a lot of hockey games. Yzerman completely transformed himself as a player. While still being one of the league's top scorer's, he also became one of it's best checkers and eventually won the Selke Trophy in 1999 as the league's top defensive forward. He captained Detroit to three Stanley Cups and remains a legend in the hearts of Wings fans and hockey fans around the world because of his leadership, dedication, quiet demeanor and overall classy attitude. He is now a VP and assistant under Holland and many believe Stevie Y will succeed the great GM when he decides to step down.

One player has been there right from the turnaround in the 1991-92 season. He might be the most underrated player in the history of the league and is without question the best defenseman of his generation. His name is Niklas Lidstrom. Drafted in the third round in 1989 out of Vasteras, Sweden, Nik scored 60 points in his rookie year. Like Yzerman, his dedication, quiet winning demeanor and classiness have been staples of his game on and off the ice. He is as gifted an offensive rearguard as you will find, but amongst the best defensively at the same time. Not overly physically by any means, his strength lies in his positioning and anticipation of the play. He makes as good a first pass out of the offensive zone as any, which only means more now with the deletion of the red line. He quarterbacks Detroit's power play masterfully and has a very underrated, accurate shot. He took the Red Wings captaincy after Yzerman's retirement following the 2006 season and continues to carry the torch that Stevie Y ignited nearly 25 years ago.

Simply put, no one does it better as a franchise in this game than the Detroit Red Wings.

Here We Go

After a year long absence from the blogosphere, I am back. Let me assure you, I am back for good this time.

A lot has changed in the world of sports and blogging in the past year. More and more blogs are created each day by experts, fans, executives, players and coaches. I figured why not pollute the world wide web with more opinion?

I like to think that I have somewhat of an interesting take on the world of sports and more specifically, the world of hockey. In the past year, I have become a member of the sports media. It's been a very interesting ride. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm actually being paid to watch, research and talk about sports. I literally look in my bank account and sometimes wonder whether I am actually being paid because in all honesty, the money sucks. I think about what else I could be doing with my life and realize this is the right field for me. I have a very long way to go, but I like to think that I'm at the beginning of my journey.

While I am a member of the media, I grew up as a fan of a variety of sports but none more than the great game of hockey. At times it can be hard to discern between being a fan of the game and being an objective observer. While one becomes less of a fan of a team or a player alone, my love for the game of hockey itself has only increased. I've bought into all of the cliches surrounding Canada and our love for the game. But I'm not going to wax poetic about why we love the game or where it fits into the fabric of this country, I'll leave that to Roy MacGregor and the late great Peter Gzowski. I'm going to write simply because, like several other males in my demographic across this country, I love writing, discussing and debating all things that surround this great game.

I want to focus on hockey rather than a variety of sports because it is what I know best. I did not play the game at a high level, but I have devoted much of time, beginning at early childhood on to adolescence and straight into "manhood" to observing and learning all there is to know about it. I have a great deal of interest in the history of the game, but also in its future. While the NHL took great strides coming out of the lockout in 2004, I still believe that more changes can be made to improve the game. The game is always changing and the decision makers that surround it need to implement ways to improve the game on a consistent basis. This is no easy task by any stretch of the imagination, but it is absolutely necessary to do so in order for the game to live a healthy life and mean something to those who love it.

But I think that's enough rhetoric for now. Without further ado ladies and gentlemen, here we go.