Paul Kariya - Only 400?

I was pretty shocked to learn that Paul Kariya only netted his 400th career NHL goal last night against the Rangers. Don't get me wrong, he's been a solid producer for most of his career, but injuries seem to have taken their toll now. But for a guy who was such an elite player for the Ducks for so many years and then had solid (if unspectacular) years in Nashville as well (and what with being just over a 'point per game' player over his career to date) I was surprised he was not a member of the 500 club.

Kariya, now 35, is rapidly homing in on 1,000 games and 1,000 points (currently 400+583 in 978 at the time of wiritng) and will certainly live on in Ducks folk lore after almost carrying the team at times with line mate Teemu Selanne back in the 1990's, and will no doubt be remembered as a fine NHL player. But with less than 50 post season games, no Cup ring and only a couple of Lady Byng's to his name in the NHL (he did win a gold medal in 2002 with Canada mind) it seems unlikely he'll find is way in to the Hockey Hall of Fame any time soon.

Habs Quietly Coming Together

Things are rarely dull in Montreal. A combination of great history, high expectations almost every season, passionate support and whatever other day to day 'happenings' the NHL can throw at a team all combine to produce a continual cycle of interest in Canadiens country.

This season they have seen high profile free agent signings, a trade for another high paid (over paid?) forward. Then the GM who made those moves, a Habs legend in his own right, stepped down (completed with speculation he did so before he was pushed). And mixed in amongst that was the release of George Laraque and the ongoing battle between Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak for the top job in the Montreal goal.

And yet, the team is on a 6 game winning streak with a pretty respectable spread of goals and points.

Was it the change of management at the top? The move away from the idea that an enforcer is a 'requirement' on any roster?  Simple good fortune and a combination of players in form at the same time? A mixture of all that? Plus maybe more?
Either way, I am actually quite excited to see this storied franchise hitting it's stride at the right time - if nothing else, an in form Habs going in to the play-offs will at least create some excitement in Quebec which seems to stir up feeling of either love or hate among other fans - either way, it adds that little bit extra to the post season!

Bruins Cannot Afford to be Distracted by Cooke

Regardless of how you feel about Matt Cooke's hit on Marc Savard - even though the entire world outside of the Campbell house seems to think he should have been suspended - Cooke has certainly done one of the key jobs of a 'pest': he has caused a mighty distraction!

So many folks have become caught up in the 'Will the Bruins go after Cooke?' question they have lost sight of the fact the Bruins are FAR from guaranteed a post season berth right now, they have scored the fewest goals in the entire league and are now missing arguable their most skilled forward in Savard.

It needs to be all hands on deck in Boston if the Bruins are too qualify for the play-offs this season, and distractions like 'the Matt Cooke saga' must be left to the fans and media to speculate and lament.

'Old Dogs' Teaching Some Young Guys a Few New Tricks

Two of the biggest surprises of the season so far has been the continued play of both the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Colorado Avalanche.


Phoenix woes off the ice are well documented and many expected a season of misery as a result. While the Avs hit a new low last season by finishing 15th in the West - despite picking up Matt Duchene at the draft, few expected them to be near the play-offs again for at least a couple of years.


Step up hockey's two biggest pieces - the coach, and the goalie.


Dave Tippett is a veteran of 11 NHL seasons, he spent some time with a pretty talented Dallas Stars team, but was unable to bring Lord Stanley back to Texas. Joe Sacco notched up over 700 NHL games with 5 different teams and worked with the Avs AHL affiliate Lake Eerie for two seasons before replacing Tony Granato in the Summer.


While Wayne Gretzky's forgettable dance in the desert as Yotes Coach proved the old saying that not all great players make great coaches, it's hard to argue with the results Tippett and Sacco have produced this season. Even if both sides went out in Round 1 of this season play-offs it would still represent not only a huge improvement in the teams fortunes from last season, but will have blown away pretty much all pre-season expectation of what these two franchises would achieve this year, or probable next year!


Of course, it hasn't hindered the teams progress to have two of the leagues hottest (and perhaps more importantly most consistent) netminders. Ilya Bryzgalov has a league leading 8 shutouts and an impressive 37 wins so far this season, while Craig Anderson recorded his 7th shut out against Florida a few days ago and then stopped another 40+ shots to help the Avs beat Dallas!


Combining good coaching with strong goaltending will always be something of a winner - perhaps in any other season Bryzgalov and Anderson might be in the frame for a Vezina, but thanks to Ryan Millers almost super human play, that award seems to have already been ear marked. But that does not mean Tippett and Sacco should not be mentioned when it comes to awards, and more specifically of course the Jack Adams Trophy. Given pre-season expectations, both men must be in the frame come the annual end of season knees up?

Stamkos in the Frame for Hart Trophy?

With 42 goals, 80 points and an average 20:10 minutes of ice Steven Stamkos contribution to the Tampa Bay Lightning this season is a major reason why they are still in the hunt for a post season run. 

So many times in the past I have seen the words 'Player X could win the Hart if his team makes the play-offs' - so I am wheeling it out for Stamkos! If the Bolts make it (they are currently 4 points behind Boston with 14 games to play) surely the young star is at least up for consideration? 

While the elite names such as Crosby, Ovechkin and even Henrik Sedin continue to do what they do best, they have also enjoyed playing along side some other highly talented NHL players, whilst Stamkos has only really seen Martin St Louis as anything like an 'elite' team mate this season

Either way, the future is looking that little bit brighter for one team in the 'Sunshine State' 

Ovechkin Suspension the Right Decision

And so Colin Campbell has spun the wheel and the Gr8 Alex Ovechkin will sit for two games.

You'd be forgiven for thinking Campbell does indeed have a wheel resembling that from the well known game show Wheel of Fortune at times, with the numbers replaced by differing disciplinary actions - "Knee-on-knee hit you say? * spins wheel * That's four games son!"

But this time, I think he has it right! Campbell had almost painted himself in to a corner with this one - the Matt Cooke hit on Marc Savard last week drew attention from hockey fans everywhere, but Campbell remained firm under fire, saying he could not suspend Cooke after dropping the ball and not suspending Mike Richards for a similar hit earlier in the season. Ok, I added that 'dropping the ball bit' myself, but if Campbell wishes us to believe that there is some method to his madness, by the same token that Cooke could not sit due to the Richards 'saga' then Ovie surely had to as well? Thanks largely to Maxim Lapierre's four game ban.

Lapierre was, rightly, given a suspension for shoving Scott Nichol from behind in to the boards, in a recent clash between San Jose and Montreal. I'm inclined to agree that Lapierre's hit was probable worse than Ovechkins, there are still too many similarities to allow the Caps star to escape a ban, while the Habs man takes a seat in the press box - both players shoved an opponent from behind (on the numbers - in my eyes a big no no), in a position of vulnerability, and at some speed. Add on to that Ovechkin's previous this season and Campbell needed to show, or attempt to show, the NHL disciplinary system shows no favour or bias because of a players name or status.

Ovechkin is a star, he plays on the edge and scores plenty of goals - and for that I have the utmost respect! He is great fun to watch at his best, and a rare breed that can lift you from your seat with a shake if his wrists. And I am quite sure he did not intend to injure Campbell, and at least had the decency to apologise publically today. But that should not absolve one from punishment if they cross the line.