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NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 20

February 15th, 2010

Welcome to the final Classy Power Rankings prior to the Olympics! This week, the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators move up, while the Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild take a slide downwards.

Scroll down to see how your favourite teams measure up at the break. Please note this will be the last Power Rankings for a few weeks – the Classy Power Rankings will return on Monday March 8th, once the NHL season resumes.

NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 20

30.  Edmonton Oilers (last week: 30)
29.  Toronto Maple Leafs (last week: 28)
28.  New York Islanders (last week: 27)
27.  Carolina Hurricanes (last week: 29)
26.  Florida Panthers (last week: 26)

The Carolina Hurricanes have been playing their best hockey of the season recently, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. All this while the Toronto Maple Leafs lost both of their games this week. In other news, the Florida Panthers management recently sent out a letter to all season ticket holders explaining large changes will be made to their roster soon. Hmmmm…

25.  Columbus Blue Jackets (last week: 25)
24.  Atlanta Thrashers (last week: 23)
23.  Tampa Bay Lightning (last week: 17)
22.  New York Rangers (last week: 22)
21.  Montreal Canadiens (last week: 18)

The Tampa Bay Lightning keep bouncing in and out of playoff contention with inconsistent play. The New York Rangers have won two straight games and are just outside of the 8th spot in the East. The Montreal Canadiens, who are holding down the 8th position in the Conference, traded a second round draft pick for Dominic Moore (of the Panthers)… why do teams keep trading second round draft picks for Moore?

20.  Minnesota Wild (last week: 16)
19.  St. Louis Blues (last week: 21)
18.  Boston Bruins (last week: 24)
17.  Anaheim Ducks (last week: 19)
16.  Detroit Red Wings (last week: 14)

The Boston Bruins seem to have found their stride, having won their last four games, while the Anaheim Ducks continue to move closer to the playoffs. Ryan Getzlaf appears to be OK after having a sprained ankle scare earlier this week. At this point in the Western Conference, I’m starting to believe the Ducks are the only team outside of the playoffs who can make the post-season.

15.  Philadelphia Flyers (last week: 20)
14.  Dallas Stars (last week: 15)
13.  Calgary Flames (last week: 12)
12.  Nashville Predators (last week: 13)
11.  Buffalo Sabres (last week: 11)

This is where it gets tight. The Philadelphia Flyers have done a nice job moving up, thanks to four straight wins.  The Dallas Stars, Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames all remain in the top 15 going into the Olympic break.

10.  Pittsburgh Penguins (last week: 9)
9.  Ottawa Senators (last week: 10)
8.  Colorado Avalanche (last week: 8)
7.  Vancouver Canucks (last week: 7)
6.  New Jersey Devils (last week: 6)

The Ottawa Senators move up one spot this week thanks to big wins over the Capitals and Islanders. The New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils stay pat in their respective positions.

5.  Phoenix Coyotes (last week: 5)
4.  Los Angeles Kings (last week: 3)
3.  Chicago Blackhawks (last week: 4)
2.  San Jose Sharks (last week: 2)
1.  Washington Capitals (last week: 1)

The Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks swap positions this week, while the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals hold down the top two positions in the Classy Power Rankings. The Blackhawks, Sharks and Capitals are starting to pull away from the pack in the NHL points race. They are the class of the league.

Stay classy, NHL Power Rankings.

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Why Brian Burke was scared about announcing his trade for Dion Phaneuf

February 2nd, 2010

As Brian Burke approached the press conference microphone last Sunday morning to announce the big trade he made for Dion Phaneuf, it appeared as though he looked a bit scared. His lips trembled as he gulped to catch his breathe…

Many would say “Scared, Burke? Never. He just acquired a punishing and truculent defenceman”. Fair enough – Phaneuf is all that. However, Burke was scared. Very scared.

Why? That’s the easy part. Burke was fearful of Phaneuf – the center piece of the 7-man swap –  having to play Jason Spezza and the Ottawa Senators 8 times a year for the rest of Phaneuf’s contract (at least 4 more years). This doesn’t have anything to do with Spezza’s world class puck handling skills. Instead, the root of Burke’s fear is derived from Spezza’s UFC-class fighting skills. Don’t believe me? Check this out:

So, as Leaf fans across the world eagerly watch Dion Phaneuf’s debut in blue tonight, just know Spezza is waiting for Phaneuf. The Sens and Leafs next hook up Saturday, February 6th. Clearly, this is 100% not a joke.

Stay classy, Dion Phaneuf.

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NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 18

February 1st, 2010

Here we go, week 18 of the NHL Classy Power Rankings! This week, there’s a new number one team with huge jumps from the red hot Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, and the high flying Los Angeles Kings.

The result of the Senators, Canucks, and Kings pushing into the top 10 means a few slides for the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators. The New York Islanders are among the week’s biggest drops with a current 5-game losing streak.

NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 18

30.  Edmonton Oilers (last week: 30)
29.  Toronto Maple Leafs (last week: 29)
28.  Carolina Hurricanes (last week: 28)
27.  Columbus Blue Jackets (last week: 27)
26.  New York Islanders (last week: 20)

Virtually the same bottom 5 as last week, with the addition of the New York Islanders, who slide 6 spots after dropping 5 straight games. Of these bottom teams, there’s a few things to note since last week. First of all, Sheldon Souray fractured his hand on Saturday night. The Oilers obviously won’t be able to trade Souray at the deadline. And of course, the big news from Sunday morning – The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired J.S. Giguere and Dion Phaneuf by swapping out 6 players.

25.  Boston Bruins (last week: 22)
24.  New York Rangers (last week: 19)
23.  Tampa Bay Lightning (last week: 25)
22.  Montreal Canadiens (last week: 17)
21.  Atlanta Thrashers (last week: 26)

Cue the Vincent Lecavalier rumours… it appears the Lightning are in the process of being sold to a new owner and whispers suggest the new owner may (I stress may) want to cut payroll. Instantly, Lecavalier to Montreal/Los Angeles stories are popping up. I highly doubt this. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins continue to slump with bad goaltending and little scoring. They are 1-7-2 in their last 10 games. For the Rangers, they may (again, I stress may for multiple reasons) get a boost in scoring as a trade with the Calgary Flames has been reported but not yet completed (or may not happen at all).

20.  St. Louis Blues (last week: 24)
19.  Anaheim Ducks (last week: 15)
18.  Philadelphia Flyers (last week: 16)
17.  Florida Panthers (last week: 23)
16.  Minnesota Wild (last week: 21)

The Anaheim Ducks signed Jonas Hiller to a 4-year extension on Saturday and the Florida Panthers got a big boost to their lineup as David Booth returned in Sunday’s win against the Islanders (Booth recorded an assist in his return). The Minnesota Wild have reportedly terminated their 1-year contract with Peter Sykora after he didn’t report to the AHL.

15.  Dallas Stars (last week: 18)
14.  Calgary Flames (last week: 14)
13.  Detroit Red Wings (last week: 13)
12.  Nashville Predators (last week: 10)
11.  Colorado Avalanche (last week: 5)

The Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators slip out of the top 10 because of sub-par weeks and big winning streaks by other teams. It will be interesting to see how the Calgary Flames look with 4 new players in their line up. For the record, the Leafs/Flames don’t hook up again until next year… unless they meet in the Stanley Cup Fina… wait. Nevermind. I’ll stop there. They’ll next meet in the 2010-2011 season.

10.  Ottawa Senators (last week: 12)
The red hot Ottawa Senators have won 9 games in a row against some impressive teams. They’ve really set themselves apart from the 6th-13th seeded teams in the Eastern Conference and are 3 points back of Pittsburgh for 4th in the Conference. It’s not all great news for the Senators – Nick Foligno is out for 6-8 weeks with a broken leg after blocking a shot on Saturday.

9.  Pittsburgh Penguins (last week: 8)
It’s hard to knock the Pittsburgh Penguins. For the most part, they play like an experienced playoff team with a pretty deep roster. I’m interested to see what they do between now and the March 3rd trade deadline (some rumours suggest they are looking at Toronto’s Alexei Ponikarovsky).

8.  New Jersey Devils (last week: 4)
The New Jersey Devils have hit a bit of a rough patch lately – they are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and Martin Brodeur has been showing some signs of shakey goaltending we saw during the conclusion of the Hurricanes/Devils playoff series from last year.

7.  Los Angeles Kings (last week: 11)
The Los Angeles Kings just wrapped up a road trip that saw them go 5-0. They’ve won 6 games in a row and are really starting to gel as a team. Rumours continue to name the Kings as one of the frontrunners for Ilya Kovalchuk, but as of now (Yeah – I sort of buy some of it), there doesn’t seem to be much to the stories.

6.  Phoenix Coyotes (last week: 9)
The Phoenix Coyotes had a nice week topped off by a win in Dallas on Sunday night. It was Dave Tippett’s first time in Dallas  since being fired by the Stars last year. The Coyotes have won 5 of their last 6 games and are starting to get contributions from a few of their young kids.

5.  Buffalo Sabres (last week: 6)
After going winless on their 4 game Western road trip, the Buffalo Sabres turned in 2 straight home victories against Eastern Conference teams. Good timing for the Sabres who now hold significantly reduce 5 point lead on the Northeast Division.

4.  Vancouver Canucks (last week: 7)
The Vancouver Canucks are one of the hottest 3 teams in the league! They’ve just set out on a NHL record 14 game road trip (making way for the Olympics) and are firing on all cylinders. The only question I have for the Canucks right now (beyond what, if any moves they may or may not make at the deadline) is if they are peaking too early in the season.

3.  Chicago Blackhawks (last week: 3)
With Dave Bolland scheduled to return to the line up this week (per Harken), the Chicago Blackhawks will be as close to 100% health as ever. It’s arguably the deepest roster in the NHL, so it will be interesting to see how the players and coach Joe Quennville handles it. Of course there is trade speculation, but we’ll have to see. The Hawks are 6-4 in their last 10 and currently hold a 15 point lead on the Central Division. The team is only 3 points back of the NHL lead in points.

2.  San Jose Sharks (last week: 1)
It’s pretty amazing a team (Capitals) can win 10 games in a row and still not lead the NHL in points. The reason for that is the 8-0-2 record of the San Jose Sharks over their last 10 games. The Sharks have quietly been winning nearly every game they play. In fact, they’ve only lost 10 games all year (in regulation). I’m pretty sure the Edmonton Oilers have dropped more games than that in 2010 alone…

1.  Washington Capitals (last week: 2)
The Washington Capitals are the hottest team in the league with 10 straight wins! The bad news is Mike Green was suspended for 3 games after a bad elbowing incident. In the same game Green suffered a knee injury, however, Capitals insider Tarik El-Bashir believes the injury isn’t too serious.

Stay classy, NHL Power Rankings.

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The Senators toying with everybody all this time?

January 26th, 2010

Oh how quickly things can change in today’s NHL!

Afternoon sportsfans, Champ here feeling the winds of change (insert mandatory Scorpions plug here) in the Nation’s capital with the Ottawa Senators suddenly rolling over opponents like a fat kid at the all you can eat buffet (chubby & blimpy kids association please send your hate mail to the following email address mantooth@stayclassy.net).

Daniel Alfredsson - Ottawa Senators

Daniel Alfredsson has a lot to do with the Senators recent success. Classy.

The Senators, winners of 6 straight, are looking like the Harlem Globetrotters of the NHL right now. With Daniel Alfredsson, Milan Michalek, and Jason Spezza now all back in the fold, they really look to be pushing for a top 4 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Goaltending, which was horrendous for about a 10 game stretch (almost Red-Light Rocicot-ish), is suddenly quite solid and providing the Sens with a chance of winning every night. Even the powerplay is putting pucks in the net – something Senators fans haven’t seen all season long.

The are even reports that Bryan Murray will be an active buyer at the March 3rd NHL trade deadline. Murry has made no bones about wanting to add additional scoring depth to this seemingly potent lineup. It’s believed he’s looking for a top 6 forward (Carolina’s Ray Whitney or Edmonton’s Andrew Cogliano come to mind) without changing the current roster.

It should make for an interesting conclusion to this hockey season after the Olympics. Either the Senators will keep plowing through teams or will suffer another bi-polar episode and go on a losing streak of epic proportions. It will surely keep fans glued to their televisions to see how this season plays out.

Until next time,

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators Fans.

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NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 17

January 25th, 2010

Finally, week 17 of the Power Rankings are here! We have a new number one team and jumps from the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, and Ottawa Senators (each team are currently riding six game winning streaks).

As with any Ranking system, there were some notable falls this week. The Edmonton Oilers fell to the very bottom of the league (as I predicted… but seriously, who didn’t see this coming?) while the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins suffer drops in the Classy Rankings with their poor play, too.

NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 17

30.  Edmonton Oilers (last week: 29)
29.  Toronto Maple Leafs (last week: 28)
28.  Carolina Hurricanes (last week: 30)
27.  Columbus Blue Jackets (last week: 27)
26.  Atlanta Thrashers (last week: 25)

To no one’s surprise, the Edmonton Oilers have finally hit rock bottom. They are the worst team in the NHL. They haven’t won a single game in 2010. All this while the Carolina Hurricanes have started playing slightly better. Last week, the Hurricanes announced Eric Staal as the new team captain, with Rod Brind’Amour remaining an assistant captain. The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to lose ground on a decent finish to the season and the playoffs seem nearly impossible at this point. Right now, last year’s record looks pretty good to the Leafs. The Thrashers and Blue Jackets are still hovering around the bottom five positions in the league… or more importantly, the draft lottery sweepstakes.

25.  Tampa Bay Lightning (last week: 26)
24.  St. Louis Blues (last week: 21)
23.  Florida Panthers (last week: 24)
22.  Boston Bruins (last week: 14)
21.  Minnesota Wild (last week: 19)

The Boston Bruins suffer the week’s biggest drop from 14 to 22 following four straight losses. They are currently 9th in the Eastern Conference with the Islanders. For the St. Louis Blues, they are 5-2-1 in their last eight games and have some wondering if they can reproduce a similar late season run into the playoffs like they did last season. (If any team could do it this year, my money is on Anaheim). The Blues and Minnesota Wild are on the outside of the playoff race right now, but still in the mix. They’ll both need about two-three solid weeks of strong results to really have a shot at getting into the playoffs. I don’t like their chances though.

20.  New York Islanders (last week: 17)
19.  New York Rangers (last week: 16)
18.  Dallas Stars (last week: 18)
17.  Montreal Canadiens (last week: 20)
16.  Philadelphia Flyers (last week: 22)

Montreal, Philadelphia, and the New York Rangers are currently in playoff positions while the Stars and Islanders aren’t. In the case of the Islanders, they are one point back and the Stars are three points out of the last Western playoff spot. The Flyers inconsistency still bothers me and I’m impressed with the Islanders fight to stay in the playoff hunt. I find you can always tell when the Rangers are struggling as John Tortorella’s press conferences start becoming “can’t miss events“. Of course, with any anticipated Tortorella press conference comes a fantastic quote!

15.  Anaheim Ducks (last week: 23)
14.  Calgary Flames (last week: 12)
13.  Detroit Red Wings (last week: 13)
12.  Ottawa Senators (last week: 15)
11.  Los Angeles Kings (last week: 11)

The Calgary Flames could very well find themselves out of the playoffs by next week’s Power Rankings. They are on a five game losing streak and have only won two games of their last 10. A far cry from the “contender status” they started the season with. The Red Wings continue to get healthier in their drive for the playoffs. Looking at the Western Conference right now, the Wings are the one team not in the playoffs who I expect to make it come April. Finally, both the Ducks and Senators enjoy huge jumps this week with red hot play. The Ducks are 8-2 in their last 10 games and could be considered a dark horse team to make the Western Conference playoffs (to me, it’s between them and the Wings). The Ottawa Senators have won six straight games and are nearly 100% healthy again with big impact returns from Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Filip Kuba, and Milan Michalek. The Sens recent hot play means Melynk’s at it again. Urrrgh.

10.  Nashville Predators (29-19-3, 61 pts; last week: 6)
The Nashville Predators fall this week after losing three straight games, particularly because of a loss to the Leafs – a team they should beat. The Predators are in the middle of a four game home stand with games against the Red Wings and Blue Jackets this week.

9.  Phoenix Coyotes (29-18-5, 63 pts; last week: 7)
The Phoenix Coyotes also drop this week as a result of losing two of their last three games. The Coyotes were lit up 7-2 by the Sabres last Monday and lost a close one to Washington after taking too many penalties. This week, the ‘Yotes play the Red Wings, Flames, and Rangers.

8.  Pittsburgh Penguins (32-20-1, 65 pts; last week: 9)
The Pittsburgh Penguins move up in this week’s rankings largely because the Coyotes and Predators moved down. The Penguins still aren’t looking like the Stanley Cup Champions with a terrible powerplay and too many blown games. Sidney Crosby continues to score goals at a torrid pace and Marc-Andre Fleury is expected back from his finger injury this week.

7.  Vancouver Canucks (31-18-2, 64 pts; last week: 10)
The Vancouver Canucks are really starting to heat up. What’s impressed me most about the Canucks has been the firepower from their forwards. Sammuelson, Kesler, Burrows, Raymond, Sedins-squared make up a great top two lines and the Canucks are getting strong play out of Alex Edler and Christian Ehrhoff too. This week, the Canucks play the Sabres, Blues, and Maple Leafs.

6.  Buffalo Sabres (30-13-7, 67 pts; last week: 5)
The Buffalo Sabres have dropped three of their last four games against Western Conference teams. Allowing 15 goals in four games against the Coyotes, Ducks, Kings, and Sharks makes me wonder if the Sabres are benefiting from a weak Division/Conference or if this is merely a slump against good teams. The Senators are now seven points back of the Buffalo for the Division lead and the Sabres will look to add some distance this week in games against the Canucks, Devils, and Bruins.

5.  Colorado Avalanche (30-15-6, 66 pts; last week: 8)
The Colorado Avalanche are the second team this week to have six straight wins. Last week, the Avalanche knocked off the Oilers and Stars and have two shutouts in their last three games. After a few days off, the Avs will play the Wild and Stars in back to back games this week.

4.  New Jersey Devils (34-15-1, 69 pts; last week: 4)
The New Jersey Devils have been very mediocre in their last 10 games (5-5) in comparison with the rest of their season. While recent losses against the Canadiens and Islanders are concerning, this is a very strong team that will challenge for a Division title and the Eastern Conference championship this Spring.

3.  Chicago Blackhawks (35-13-4, 74 pts; last week: 1)
I wasn’t terribly impressed with the Chicago Blackhawks last week. They came out flat against the Senators and Canucks and are 3-2 on their season long road trip so far. The Road trip wraps up this week against the Oilers, Sharks, and Hurricanes.

2.  Washington Capitals (33-12-6, 72 pts; last week: 3)
Along with the Senators and Avalanche, the Washington Capitals are among the hottest teams in the NHL, having posted six straight wins. The team are 9-1 in their last 10 games and have lost once since making Alex Ovechkin team captain. Not bad…

1.  San Jose Sharks (35-10-8, 78 pts; last week: 2)
The San Jose Sharks are back to the number one position in the Classy Rankings! We’ve talked a lot about the Capitals, Senators, and Avalanche having six games winning streaks, but the Sharks are no slouches either. They’ve won five straight games against good teams (including the Sabres, Kings, and Ducks). The Sharks have three games at home this week against the Hawks, Wild, and Red Wings.

Stay classy, NHL Power Rankings.

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NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 16

January 18th, 2010

Every day I shake my head at how different the Eastern and Western Conferences are. If the NHL playoffs started today, only four of the Eastern Conference teams would qualify for the playoffs in the Western Conference. And aside from the Calgary Flames, all the playoff seeded teams in the Western Conference are on winning steaks.

This week the NHL Classy Power Rankings features jumps from the Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, and, St. Louis Blues while the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens dropped a few notches with poor play and bad losses.

NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 16

30.  Carolina Hurricanes (14-26-7, 35 pts; last week: 30)
29.  Edmonton Oilers (16-26-5, 37 pts; last week: 29)
28.  Toronto Maple Leafs (16-24-9, 41 pts; last week: 28)
27.  Columbus Blue Jackets (18-23-9, 45 pts; last week: 23)
26.  Tampa Bay Lightning (18-19-10, 46 pts; last week: 27)

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Edmonton Oilers might just knock Carolina out of 30th in the league. The Hurricanes are playing a bit better while the Oilers seem to lose every game, regardless of what the score may be after two periods. Of course, the Maple Leafs 28th position doesn’t seem to change and Tampa/Columbus aren’t going to make the playoffs this year. The only redeeming quality for these teams at this point is the upcoming draft. Ooops, sorry Leafs, I forgot you don’t have a #1 pick this year.

25.  Atlanta Thrashers (21-19-7, 49 pts; last week: 23)
24.  Florida Panthers (20-20-8, 48 pts; last week: 24)
23.  Anaheim Ducks (22-20-7, 51 pts; last week: 21)
22.  Philadelphia Flyers (23-21-3, 49 pts; last week: 18)
21.  St. Louis Blues (21-19-7, 49 pts; last week: 25)

Just when I thought the Flyers had their problems figured out, they lose two in a row. Not the worst slide ever, but they need all the wins they can get right now. They still aren’t back in the playoffs yet. The two notable teams in this category are the Ducks and Blues who’ve both started playing much better recently. I’m not sure if the Blues can reproduce a similar run to last season, but for some reason, I believe the Ducks aren’t out of it (they are six points back of 8th)… yet.

20.  Montreal Canadiens (23-23-4, 50 pts; last week: 16)
19.  Minnesota Wild (24-22-3, 51 pts; last week: 20)
18.  Dallas Stars (20-17-11, 51 pts; last week: 17)
17.  New York Islanders (21-19-8, 50 pts; last week: 19)
16.  New York Rangers (23-19-7, 52 pts; last week: 14)

Both New York teams have played pretty well lately and are sitting in playoffs spots, while the Canadiens, Wild, and Stars are all challenging for playoff spots. Honestly, I don’t like the odds of the Wild or Stars (at this point, they are six points back of 8th), however, Montreal are on the fringe (with the same number of points as the Islanders). In order for the Habs to get serious about flirting with the playoffs, they need to start winning games against Northeast teams. They are 7-7 against their own division and are losing critical points at an important part of the season.

15.  Ottawa Senators (24-21-4, 52 pts; last week: 21)
14.  Boston Bruins (23-16-8, 54 pts; last week: 15)
13.  Detroit Red Wings (24-16-8, 56 pts; last week: 13)
12.  Calgary Flames (26-17-6, 58 pts; last week: 6) ** playing
11.  Los Angeles Kings (27-18-3, 57 pts; last week: 11)

All five of these teams are in playoff positions, and its worth noting that the Bruins, Senators, and Red Wings have all battled heavy injuries all season. The Flames don’t have the same excuse but they’ve lost three straight games. The Kings have been better of late with two straight wins in an extremely tight Western Conference.

10.  Vancouver Canucks (28-18-2, 58 pts; last week: 8)
The Vancouver Canucks ended a three game winless streak with a win on Saturday against the Penguins and are 3-1-1 at GM Place this month. That’s good since four of their next six games are at home. The only regulation loss this month was against the Predators… yes… that game that featured Burrows vs Auger. The Canucks play the Oilers, Stars, and Blackhawks this week, hopefully without any more controversies or drama.

9.  Pittsburgh Penguins (30-19-1, 61 pts; last week: 9)
Despite a good start to their Western road trip, the Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t end it well with an injury in Edmonton and a bad loss on Saturday in Vancouver. Marc-Andre Fleury fractured his finger during the Penguins-Oilers game and the team played Saturday’s game without an NHL goalie. The 6-2 loss shows that. Things don’t get any easier for the Penguins as they’ll play the Islanders and Capitals at home this week.

8.  Colorado Avalanche (27-15-6, 60 pts; last week: 10)
The Colorado Avalanche have put together a three game win streak against some pretty good teams recently. They’ve defeated the Sabres, Flames, and Devils over the last week. Not everything is perfect in Colorado though. Forward Milan Hejduk is out 2-4 weeks with a knee injury. Fortunately for the Avalanche, their schedule isn’t too bad, starting with games against the Oilers and Predators this week.

7.  Phoenix Coyotes (28-16-5, 61 pts; last week: 7)
The Phoenix Coyotes remain one of the surprise NHL teams this season with an impressive 61 points so far through 49 games. Ed Jovanovski missed a game this week due to suspension and Peter Mueller looked strong with a few nice goals. For a team who’s had great success this year without many of their young stars, it could get awfully scary for other Western Conference teams if players like Mueller can start to pick up their play.

6.  Nashville Predators (29-16-3, 61 pts; last week: 11)
The Nashville Predators tore through Western Canada last week with wins over the Canucks, Flames, and Oilers. Star players in Nashville typically fly under the radar, but one player who’s caught my eye recently is winger Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist has 19 goals this season and six of them are game winners. This is his first full season in the NHL and he’s only 23 years old. This week, the Preds face the Leafs, Coyotes, and Avalanche.

5.  Buffalo Sabres (29-11-6, 64 pts; last week: 5)
The Buffalo Sabres haven’t lost a regulation game in their last 10 starts. In fact, their last regulation loss was December 23rd! I usually say this when talking about the Sabres, but they seem to get big wins with the least amount of goal scoring possible. Their leading goal scorer has 12 goals (although six players have 11 or 12 goals each) and Tim Connolly, their leading point scorer doesn’t even average a point per game (39 points in 46 games). The Sabres success this season can be centered around Ryan Miller’s terrific play and the tactics/coaching of Lindy Ruff. Kudos to the players for buying into a great system.

4.  New Jersey Devils (32-11-1, 65 pts; last week: 2)
This wasn’t the New Jersey Devils best week. The team dropped two road games that were probably measuring stick games (against the Coyotes and Avalanche) and lost Patrick Elias to injury for an unknown amount of time. The Devils will look to bounce back this week when playing the Islanders, Panthers, and Canadiens.

3.  Washington Capitals (30-12-6; last week: 4)
The Washington Capitals are hot, having lost only one of their last seven games. US World Junior Champion John Carlsson has recently been playing with the Capitals (and looked pretty good) and Alex Ovechkin is inching closer to the goals/point scoring lead with his hot play. It will be an interesting test this week for the Caps as they’ll play some pretty good teams in the Red Wings, Penguins, and Coyotes.

2.  San Jose Sharks (31-10-8, 70 pts; last week: 3)
I can’t help but marvel at the play of Patrick Marleau this year for the San Jose Sharks. Never in a million years did I think removing his captaincy would have such a positive impact on his play. Marleau leads the NHL in goals and hasn’t looked this confident in years (or perhaps ever). It hasn’t been talked about too much, but Marleau is a UFA after this season. It will be interesting to see how the Sharks handle him and other UFA/RFAs (Setoguchi, Pavelski, Blake, Nabokov) beyond the 09/10 season. This week, the Sharks play the Flames, Kings, Ducks, and Sabres.

1.  Chicago Blackhawks (34-11-4, 72 pts; last week: 1)
For two straight weeks, the Chicago Blackhawks are the top team in the NHL and in the Classy Power Rankings! This team doesn’t lose very often and it seems they always find ways to win. It’s impressive to watch, although for other Western Conference teams, it must be frustrating. By next week, I predict Chicago to have more wins than the Oilers have points. For that to happen, the Hawks must win their games against the Senators, Flames, and Canucks this week. The Hawks are in the middle of their eight game road trip and are 2-0 so far.

Stay classy, NHL rankings.

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The Ottawa Senators new anthem?

January 14th, 2010

“Ya I’m free… Free falling”
The new theme song of the Ottawa Senators 2009-2010 Season

Morning Sportsfans, it appears Tom Petty hit the nail right on the head with his popular song. The Ottawa Senators seem to be spiraling out of control with no end in sight. The injury bug has bitten the team like a black fly in Muskoka at the end of June (if you’ve ever been there you’ll understand the reference).

As of writing this, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, Filip Kuba, Milan Michalek, and Jesse Winchester are all out with various injuries. That’s a ton of money sitting on the sidelines (approximately $248,875 per game, using the cap hits from NHLNumbers.com).

To further compound the Senators problems, goaltending has been horrendous as of late (that’s probably why goaltending coach Eli Wilson was fired yesterday). Taking it a step further, it was reported this morning that Pascal Leclaire is now injured (again). The Senators are in New York tonight to face the Rangers. It’s expected Mike Brodeur (who’s 1-0 in his NHL career) will get the start in goal for Ottawa.

Oh and let’s not forget that the team also can’t seem to buy a power play goal… or any goals for that matter. The Senators have only scored five goals in their last five games. The team currently sits tied for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and every team with the exception of the Edmonton Oilers appears to be playing better than the Senators right now.

As a fan it’s difficult to watch, and numerous fans will likely start jumping off the band wagon… if they haven’t already. But those fans faithful to the Church of Alfie will see the team get through this slump once key players return from their respective injuries. Let’s just hope the Senators can regain some chemistry and make a push for the playoffs. One can only hope!

And besides… at least we still have our first round draft pick!

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 15

January 11th, 2010

Welcome back to week 15 of the NHL Classy Power Rankings! And what a bizarre week it was. First, the NHL postpones a Lightning-Devils game during the second period after the Prudential Center failed to regain power (the make-up game was yesterday evening) and then Saturday night saw the NHL refer to rule 78.6: not having two goals in the same sequence in the Penguins-Leafs game.

This week in our Power Rankings, we note jumps from the Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, and Washington Capitals. Of course with the rises come the falls. This week, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers, Ottawa Senators, and Colorado Avalanche drop off.

NHL Classy Power Rankings – Week 15

30.  Carolina Hurricanes (12-24-7, 31 pts; last week: 30)
29.  Edmonton Oilers (16-23-5, 37 pts; last week: 29)
28.  Toronto Maple Leafs (15-22-9, 39 pts; last week: 28)
27.  Tampa Bay Lightning (16-17-10, 42 pts; last week: 21)
26.  Atlanta Thrashers (19-19-6, 44 pts; last week: 22)

Due to rough play lately, the Tampa Bay Lightning (losers of two straight games- not including the make-up game against the Devils on Sunday) and Atlanta Thrashers (who’ve won one of their last 10 games) fall to the bottom of the classy rankings this week. The Hurricanes may just surpass the Edmonton Oilers this week or next, should the Oilers continue their slumping ways. And of course, the Maple Leafs are forever stuck in 28th place in the NHL.

25.  St. Louis Blues (18-19-7, 43 pts; last week: 25)
24.  Florida Panthers (18-20-7, 43 pts; last week: 23)
23.  Columbus Blue Jackets (17-20-9, 43 pts; last week: 27)
22.  Anaheim Ducks (19-19-7, 45 pts; last week: 26)
21.  Ottawa Senators (22-19-4, 48 pts; last week: 14)

After losing four straight games, the Senators drop comes as no surprise, especially when looking at who’s out of their line up with injuries- Michalek, Alfredsson, Spezza, Winchester, and more. The Columbus Blue Jackets also find their stock dropping, having gone 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. Despite firing their coach, the St. Louis Blues haven’t noticed any change in their play thus far and are still finding themselves out of the playoff picture.

20.  Minnesota Wild (22-20-3, 47 pts; last week: 19)
19.  New York Islanders (19-19-8, 46 pts; last week: 20)
18.  Philadelphia Flyers (22-19-3, 47 pts; last week: 24)
17.  Dallas Stars (19-14-11, 49 pts; last week: 16)
16.  Montreal Canadiens (22-21-4, 48 pts; last week: 17)

Have the Philadelphia Flyers gotten their season back on track? I’m not sure about that (just yet), but they’ve been playing much better recently, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. The rest of the teams in this grouping continue to play well in hopes of staying in the playoff hunt. It’s worth noting the New York Islanders are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, too.

15.  Boston Bruins (22-15-7, 51 pts; last week: 13)
14.  New York Rangers (22-17-6, 50 pts; last week: 18)
13.  Detroit Red Wings (23-15-6, 52 pts; last week: 15)
12.  Los Angeles Kings (25-17-3, 53 pts; last week: 12)
11.  Nashville Predators (26-16-3, 55 pts; last week: 8)

The Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators will tell you the Western Conference is pretty tough right now. In fact, two wins for either team will booth them from 7th/8th to 4th.  Meanwhile, the New York Rangers have been playing better lately, as they’ve lost only once in their last 10 games… despite the NHL trying to censor coach John Tortorella’s press conferences.

10.  Colorado Avalanche (25-15-6, 56 pts; last week: 5)
The Colorado Avalanche are fine, despite dropping five notches on this week’s Rankings. It’s largely a result of how tight things are in the Western Conference. In fact, Avalanche fans don’t need to worry at all. The club are 6-4 in their last 10 games and finish off a small road trip in Calgary on Monday night before returning home to enjoy a five game home stand starting with the Devils on Saturday.

9.  Pittsburgh Penguins (28-17-1, 57 pts; last week: 10)
Just when you think the Pittsburgh Penguins are starting to get hot, they drop a game or two that they should probably win. Having said that, they have won two of their last three games; each of which by three goals. The Penguins have just started a five game road trip that will take them Minnesota and Western Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver) before the end of the week. Four games in six nights will be a good test for the Penguins, who’ve enjoyed their recent wins over struggling teams (their last three wins have come against Toronto, Atlanta, and Ottawa).

8.  Vancouver Canucks (27-16-2, 56 pts; last week: 11)
The Vancouver Canucks have put together a pretty impressive string of wins lately, thanks in part to the NHL’s leading goal scorer, Henrik Sedin. The Canucks are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and haven’t lost a game  in regulation since December 20th (St. Louis). The red-hot Canucks will face the Predators, Wild, and Penguins this week.

7.  Phoenix Coyotes (26-15-5, 57 pts; last week: 7)
If it seems like the Phoenix Coyotes are always hanging around seventh in the Classy Rankings it’s because they are. The Coyotes are consistently playing well under Dave Tippett. Although they’ve been 5-2-3 in recent action, it’s still good enough to keep them fourth in the Western Conference and a thread to the Sharks, Devils, and Wild – all of which are games in Phoenix as part of their season long six game home stand.

6.  Calgary Flames (26-14-5, 57 pts; last week: 6)
Amid speculation of Dion Phaneuf requesting a trade, the Flames quietly hum along as another strong Western Conference team. Although regular season success is nothing new for this team, they are facing some great competition from the Vancouver Canucks. It’s going to take a lot for the Flames to retain the Northwest division lead, but Miikka Kiprusoff is playing some of the best hockey I’ve seen him play in his career. This week, the Flames host the Avalanche, Penguins, and Predators.

5.  Buffalo Sabres (28-11-5, 61 pts; last week: 4)
Is anyone else shocked the Buffalo Sabres hold the NHL’s fourth best record? Going down their line-up, there are no real stars beyond Ryan Miller and struggling forward Thomas Vanek (yet he has the team lead in goals with… 12). The Sabres haven’t lost in regulation in their last eight games and they continue to widen the gap in the Northeast division. The Sabres have a light week on the road this week, playing the Thrashers and Islanders before their road trip kicks into high gear next week with four games on the west coast against three very strong teams.

4. Washington Capitals (27-11-6, 60 pts; last week: 9)
The Washington Capitals three convincing wins over the Canadiens, Senators, and Thrashers have helped them climb back up the Classy Rankings. That and naming Alexander Ovechkin their new team captain. Also the Caps have resigned Tyler Sloan and David Steckel to contact extensions while rumours continue to swirl that the Capitals are interested in Ilya Kovalchuk. The Kovalchuk-less Caps play the Lightning, Panthers, and Maple Leafs this week.

3.  San Jose Sharks (28-10-7, 63 pts; last week: 1)
OK, the San Jose Sharks are hot. What else is new? Prior to a loss against Detroit on Saturday night, the Sharks had won eight their last nine games. That’s nearly as many games as they’ve lost in regulation this season (10). And those wins came against some pretty strong teams, too. The Sharks are three points back of first overall in the NHL and will look to climb to the top when they face off against the Kings, Coyotes, Bruins and Oilers this week.

2.  New Jersey Devils (31-10-1, 63 pts; last week: 3)
After awhile, it gets to be a bit boring when talking about the New Jersey Devils. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games, they have a solid team and… uhhh… a crappy power system? That aside, the Devils continue to roll. This week, Jamie Langenbrunner will be named as the US Olympic team’s captain while he and the Devils hit the road to New York, Phoenix, and Colorado. The bad news for those teams is the Devils are 15-4-1 away from the Prudential Center.

1.  Chicago Blackhawks (31-10-4, 66 pts; last week: 2)
Welcome to the best team in the NHL… according to total points… and the NHL Classy Power Rankings. The Blackhawks have scored the second most goals in the league this season and have allowed the second least against. Yes, even less goals than the Sabres/Ryan Miller. Not bad. Meanwhile, Patrick Kane has quietly climbed to 6th in the league in points. Although the Hawks lost both games on the weekend in less than stellar ways, they are still the deepest team in the league. Following a game at home on Thursday against the Blue Jackets, the team will start a eight game road trip in Columbus and end it in Carolina at the end of the month..

Stay classy, NHL rankings.

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What can NHL teams do to improve atmosphere?

January 8th, 2010

It’s a tough thing, the business of in-game entertainment. A slow, boring game can sap the life out of an arena pretty quickly, and pockets of empty seats can stop “the wave” dead in its tracks.

As a frequent attendee of hockey games, I’ve been fortunate to witness the best from hockey crowds, and unfortunate to see the worst as well.

Recently, Erin Nicks at Universal Cynic posted a statement from The Real Sens Army about some mistreatment they received at Scotiabank Place. Root of the problem: the group intended to cheer loud and proud for the Ottawa Senators at a recent home game, but were shunned, exiled and even kicked out for ‘rowdy’ behaviour.

Now I don’t intend to cast guilt on either party. I wasn’t there, and I can’t speak to what happened. But it does raise some interesting issues about Scotiabank Place crowds.

So how do you get the crowd more involved? What elicits a response from crowds, and what is downright cheesy? I think there’s a few things we can look at, which hopefully find their way to the right people.

1.  Fans aren’t stupid.

- There is an absurd amount of coddling that takes place during hockey games. To think of a few: the noise-meter, the red light, the “Noise” wordmark that travels around the arena. All of these seek to create a response, but in my opinion, do nothing but offend the fan. I understand the necessity to fill dead air with noise, but fan responses are…

2.  …organic.

- That’s right. Fans are an organism. If you look at the fan base as a body or structure, it is filled up of many moving parts. In unison, it can work marvellously; however, it also has the ability to appear discombobulated without a unified goal. I know it sounds like I’m saying one thing and preaching the other, but fan responses (the best ones at least) come from the grassroots and not from a fancy graphic on the scoreboard. Not once have I ever seen the scoreboard tell fans to Boo the referee, but yet these are some of the loudest moments in a game. Same goes for booing individual players. As such, in-game entertainment should seek to complement this organic and grassroots movement, rather than force it. Which leads me to my next point.

3.  Fans often come up with better choices than they’re given.

- This might offend a few people in the marketing department, but it is a difficult point to argue against. After all, the marketing department is at the arena every single day. It must be hard to not have apathy find it’s way into the job, and sometimes it’s easier to look at what other arenas are doing and just emulate that. But like the booing of a referee or a player, fans respond better to the mob mentality than they do to big brother. Think back to a few years ago during the playoffs when the “Alfie chant” first emerged. No prompting from the scoreboard. No explanation from Stuntman Stu. Pure, unadulterated passion from the fans. In my opinion, the marketing department should be taking a long look at stuff like that, and trying to complement it rather than replace it. I think throwing “Alfie, Alfie, Alfie” on the scoreboard is a lot more effective than “Noise!”

4.  We’re there for the hockey game, but the marketing should be about us.

- The Senators have tried this over the past few years, but ‘Sens Army’ just hasn’t taken off as well as I thought it would. But the marketing should be about the fans and their contributions to the game and the team. The 13th Man for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (sorry, the irony is too much) is a classic example. But again, fans aren’t stupid. A simple slogan of ‘Wear Red’ might work for a few, but pictures and movies of an arena awash in red is much more effective. We want to know that our contributions to the game are being recognized, rather than being told what to do. The Senators have done an okay job at this, sometimes. A few years ago they had a video playing about the run to the cup, but this is still the closest I’ve seen them get to celebrating the fans. The Montreal Canadiens, on the other hand, make you feel like you’ve been around for the entire 100 years of the organization; that in some microcosmic way, the fans have contributed to the franchise’s success. I don’t need to see highlights of goals and saves anymore. I need to see the fans.

5.  Fans respond to one another.

- This is the simplest of all. It’s a mob mentality out there, but good ideas don’t go unnoticed. Even the shyest individuals will join a chant if enough people are involved. I like to think of the J-Block at Arthur Ashes stadium as a classic example. Whenever James Blake plays in the U.S. Open, the J-Block is full of fans cheering for Jason Blake, wearing matching shirts and going absolutely nuts for him. Why not block off a section of Scotiabank Place, and advertise it as a fan zone. But not a GM Fan Zone. Advertise that this is for real fans only. Noisemakers, signs, capes and flags are not only there, but strongly encouraged. I have no doubt that it would take off and maybe even grow.

–

I’m not sure if any of these ideas will actually go anywhere, but I had to write it down. I’ve grown so tired of going to games and watching fans sit on their thumbs. Maybe I’m way off base on these ideas, but hey, I tried. And I’m not even getting paid for this.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators crowds.

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Chris Chelios on ice

January 7th, 2010
Chris Chelios' mug shot... not so classy

Chris Chelios' recent mug shot... not so classy.

So a day after Chris Chelios signs a second contract with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL (minor league farm team for the Atlanta Thrashers), he apparently was pulled over for “improper lane usage” at 4:00am driving his truck. He was charged with speeding and drunk driving. A $300 bail charge later, and he is released with a promise to appear in court on February 1st.

Hard to believe, but 2009 is the first year since 1983 in which Chelios did not attend an NHL training camp. That’s a whopping 26 years.

In 1983:

  • Lotus 1-2-3 is introduced
  • Final episode of M*A*S*H
  • Michael Jackson first does his moonwalk
  • Microsoft Word is first released
  • Jason Spezza is born
Chris Chelios as a Montreal Canadien... much classier.

Chris Chelios as a Montreal Canadien... much classier.

Think about it. I can’t think of a single thing I have done (successfully) for the last 26 years. Most of the guys I play hockey with haven’t even been on this planet for that long.

His credentials just ooze Hall of Fame material: 3 times Norris Trophy winner, 11 All Star games, 3 Stanley Cups over 1,644 NHL games (185 goals, 948 points).

Sad to see the lack of good judgment which lead him to driving drunk. Maybe he was out celebrating the fact that he doesn’t have to hang up his skates just yet. You’d figure old guys would know better.

Stay classy, Chris Chelios. Sometimes you just need to know when to say “when”.

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