26 Augusti, 2008

Kategorien arkiverar: Hockeynyheterna

NHL-Playoffförebudar - blinda man bluff

Vid OrderedChaos (mikrofonen Rucki)
Tisdag April 8, 2008

Danandealla förutsägelsear i någon sport är utmana-annorlunda by oss nu skulle har blödde de Vegas sportarna bokar torrt och sprutar ut över Nordamerika för att delta i NHL-slutspel. Oh och jag skulle köp ett hem i St. Lucia för det lågsäsongt (fånget till uppehället Fru Lycklig OC).

Vi har diskuterat frekventeragagnlösheten av preseasonförutsägelsear för; ännu som du ska, se nedanfört, några nyare tillträden är på motsvarande sätt apocryphal, eller åtminstone wildly felaktigt. Ännu huruvida vid lyckträffen eller riktig inblick som är några Nostradamuses (Nostramii?) slå markerabrunnen nog till funderare som kanske, precis kanske, där är mer till förebudleken, än enbyte version av klämmer fast svanen på åsnan.

Så nu, glömdes en lookbaksida på Huvudstad-släkta förutsägelsear som var värdiga av beröm, as well as de, som författarna önskar.

USA i dag' var förutsägelsear för s-preseasonNHL predictably fruktansvärdna. Nio av deras panel av 10 ”experter” tilldelade Harttrofén till Sidney Crosby; de lone tenderar-bucker valda Roberto Luongo. 10 av 10 var fla på pekar ledaregissning: 7 för Crosby, 3 för Joe Thornton.
Inga valde Washington för att segra southeasten. Beviljade var de fyra Carolina hackorna rimliga - efter alla, det var nätt stoppat nästan korrekt - men tänkte inte en av analytikerna att locken hade den i dem? Tre förment experter valde Atlanta, två Tampa och en Florida. Allt fel.

Lest vi bor för mycket på negationen, var locken mörker-häst favoriter för något. Hockeynyheterna', Adam Proteau impressively prophetic, var plockning locken som hans ”värst-till-första uppdelningsmästare.”, Proteaus kristallkula var bestämt genomskinlig, då han skrev:

Nu kan lagledareglenen Hanlon inte fortleva säsongen, om Washington snubblar ut ur utfärda utegångsförbud för, som den försök att göra alla nytt vänder mot (den inklusive potentiella Calder trofékandidaten Nicklas Backstrom) passformen in. Appellen det en föraning, men jag slå vad dem ska jell in i en av den mest swiftest ligan, offensively farliga lag. . . och tappa många en käke i det processaa.

John Buccigross av ESPN nu fast ombord är den Ovechkin orkestervagnen. Yet hans preseasontankar, as well as his reviderade förutsägelsear i Januari som lite visas tro i huvudstäderna, förutsägelse som ett fullföljande 14th-place i båda listar. ”Pekar åttio bör vara huvudstad mål; de hade 70 den sist säsongen, och de åtminstone kunde gå in i den nästa säsongen, veta som de förbättrade.”,

Terri Frei, also of ESPN, picked Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr, and Eric Staal as his top three Eastern contenders for the Hart Trophy. Continuing with ESPN analysts but on the plus side of the ledger, Scott Burnside said on September 30, “The Capitals will finish third in the Southeast Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference.” Nice call, Scott.

I hesitate to bring up Hockeybuzz.com, the “entertainment” Web site, since Eklund and company constantly make wild predictions of all kinds with little regard for accountability (unless they get one right, of course). But it is worth noting that, in March, Eklund’s Eastern Conference predictions were still way off. He even used the old trick of making über-exact predictions to imply importance–which, by the way, apparently works when setting the sale price of your home as well.

Yet not one of Eklund’s predicted playoff ranks were correct, despite making the selections with only a month left in the season.

1. NEW JERSEY….108 2. MONTREAL…….107 3. CAROLINA……..101 4. PITTSBURGH….105 5. OTTAWA………..101 (46 WINS) 6. NY RANGERS….101 (43 WINS) 7. BOSTON…………94 8. PHILADELPHIA…88 9. FLORIDA…………85 10. WASHINGTON…84 11. BUFFALO………..83 12. TORONTO……….74 13. NY ISLANDERS..73 14. ATLANTA………..72 15.TAMPA BAY………62

Finally, we end with Sports Illustrated’s Allan Muir, who managed to be dead wrong and absolutely right in sequential paragraphs:

The player who’ll generate more highlight reel moments than anyone not named Crosby: Vincent Lecavalier (Lightning)
Look for the reigning Rocket Richard Trophy-winner to not only improve on last season’s totals — 55 goals sounds about right — but lead the league in those oh-so-close moments that force first-star performances out of opposing goaltenders.

Um . . . no. Lecavalier had a good year, but Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin surpassed not only Lecavalier but Crosby as well, to the surprise of no one who’d actually watched them play.

Might want to keep a bag packed: Cristobal Huet (Canadiens)
The Habs are young and very promising, but this season will be about building towards that promise, not delivering on it. With Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak set to man the pipes for the next decade, Huet is a luxury with which the Habs can afford to part. His veteran services are likely to be in high demand after Christmas, at which point GM Bob Gainey can cash him in for a few more pieces of the puzzle.

Right on the money about Huet — except GM George McPhee took Gainey to the cleaners, so the return for Huet was less of a puzzle piece and more of an afterthought. And the #1 seed Canadiens may have something to say about “building . . . not delivering” on their promise this year.

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, ESPN, John Buccigross, Sports Illustrated, The Hockey News, USA Today, Washington Capitals, Washington Post| Permalink| Comments (12)

Sunday Morning Literature Search

By pucksandbooks
Sunday, April 6, 2008

Brew an extra pot-a-joe this sunny-despite-the-rain Sunday morning and luxuriate in some outstanding coverage of Washington hockey history made at Verizon Center last night.

‘Coming All the Way Back,’ by Tarik El Bashir, The Washington Post

” . . . in front of a manic, red-drenched sellout crowd at Verizon Center, the Capitals seized the moment.”

‘Mission Accomplished,’ by Corey Masisak, The Washington Times

” . . . Alexander Semin whipped a perfect cross-ice, backhand pass to his countryman, who broke in alone on the left wing and ripped a slap shot over Florida goaltender Craig Anderson’s right shoulder at 15:03 of the second period . . . The 38-year-old Russian’s offensive production has trended upward at season’s end. After registering one goal and five points in his first 12 games with the Caps, Fedorov has eight points in the past six contests.

“Maybe I looked a little younger, but I feel it right now,” Fedorov said. “I feel the same as the guys who have never played in the playoffs. I am as excited as they are.”

‘Capitals clinch Southeast division,’ by Jospeh White, Associated Press

“The Capitals were easily the worst the NHL had to offer — 6-14-1 — when coach Glen Hanlon was fired on Thanksgiving Day and replaced by career minor league coach Bruce Boudreau, who turned the team’s personality upside down by introducing an attacking style featuring the league’s most prolific offensive player (Ovechkin), the NHL’s top goal-scoring defenceman (Mike Green, 18 goals) and a rookie of the year contender (Nicklas Backstrom, franchise-rookie record 69 assists).”

‘Ovechkin, Capitals snare final playoff berth with 3-1 victory over Panthers,’ the Canadian Press

“Long before the final horn sounded, the sea of red-clad fans had turned the arena into an earsplitting din of cheers of their team, “M-V-P!” chants for their star player, a chorus of “Bruuuuuuce” for their coach. The owner responded by blowing a kiss to the crowd.”

‘Feeling just like playoff hockey,’ by Dan Daly, The Washington Times

“File this one under Great Moments in Washington Sports History . . . Granted, they didn’t win the Stanley Cup — only the Southeast Division — but it sure felt like it.

“If you’re looking for a freeze frame, how about the sight of Ovechkin leaping onto Semin after 2-1 became 3-1 — and knocking his teammate to the ice, creating the most joyous of dogpiles in the right corner?”

‘Capitals headed to playoffs on late-season resurgence,’ by Ryan O’Halloran, The Washington Times

“A year ago, the Washington Capitals were strangers in their own building, limping to another nonplayoff season. For the finale, Verizon Center became Buffalo South. The Sabres were in town, and their fans made up more than half of the 18,277 in attendance.

The Capitals’ fans were drowned out, and superstar Alex Ovechkin was booed every time he touched the puck.

It was embarrassing but expected. When winning teams like Buffalo and Pittsburgh visited, they had the advantage.

Fast-forward to last night in Chinatown. Again, the announced crowd was 18,277. Everything else was different — most importantly, the result.”

‘Dialed in for the Long Stretch,’ by Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post

“What Capitals’ fans have been watching since November, and especially in the last three amazing weeks, is the genuine article, the completely deserved and totally-real happy ending . . . After years of taking it, the Capitals may finally be ready to start dishing it out.”

Filed in Blogs, Corey Masisak, Dan Daly, Hockey Reading, Internet, Media, Print, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Tarik El-Bashir, The Hockey News, Thomas Boswell, Washington Capitals, Washington Post, Washington Times| Permalink| Comments (3)

Misguided Mike Strikes Again

By DC Sports Chick
Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Another day, another post about who should win the Hart. Mike Brophy, THN columnist, treated us to his completely original ruminations that featured suggestions like this:

I will say, though, I have narrowed it down to four candidates — goalies Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils and Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, left winger Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and right winger Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames.

All fair choices. However, he follows up with this:

I firmly believe, had Sidney Crosby not missed so much action with that high ankle sprain, he would have repeated as the Hart winner. Oh well.

It’s the Sidney Crosby machine at its finest. Any shred of credibility that Brophy may have had went out the window with that statement. Does he understand the whole point of the Hart trophy? Yes, Crosby is an asset to his team. However, it’s not like the team fell apart in Crosby’s absence; if anything, they improved and now sit fourth in the Eastern Conference. Brophy does make this concession in regards to Ovechkin:Hart Trophy- NHL.com

And if the award were for the best player this season, he’d win it hands-down. Voters are supposed to reward “The player adjudged to be most valuable to his team.” Has anybody been more valuable to his team than Ovechkin?

No argument there. But that’s not good enough for Brophy. He proceeds to throw out Iginla’s statistics; while impressive, they don’t match Ovechkin’s. Then he puts down the Canucks and the Devils’ defense in order to make his point for Luongo and Brodeur. No one is suggesting that those players aren’t worthy of consideration, but shouldn’t the candidates be presented in a more positive fashion than “without them, the team would be gunning for a lottery draft pick and not a playoff spot?”

But that’s all right. Brophy is still looking for a winner:

With a few weeks to go, the Hart Trophy is still wide open from my perspective. So wide open, in fact, Daniel Alfredsson might sneak into the pack with a strong finish.

Alfie definitely is valuable to his team, but this suggestion goes against his logic for the other candidates (except for Brodeur and possibly Iginla). Ottawa is a team who went through much of the season in the number one spot in the conference, but they’re now in a bit of a decline. Yet, according to Brophy’s logic, because the Sens are going to the playoffs, a player like Alfredsson would be a good candidate.

I’m not the only one who feels this way about him- other bloggers don’t quite worship at the Church of Brophy. The Battle of Alberta said this about him last year:

Note to print, television and internet editors everywhere: hire about five to ten of us, give us some money and support, and we’ll put out a product a hundred times greater than the boring, illogical and demeaning junk being put out by Mike Brophy and others of his ilk.

DMG of Caps Blue Line felt similarly about Brophy:

Mike Brophy is becoming my favorite hockey writer. Because he’s so damn easy to mock.

The compliments go on and on. You also have to wonder about a guy who allegedly champions convicted child molesters, but that’s neither here nor there. That’s Mike Brophy, mental genius.

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Calgary Flames, Media, New Jersey Devils, Sidney Crosby, The Hockey News, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (15)

Cover Boy (Again), and Farber Favorite

By The OFB Team
Wednesday, February 20, 2008

THN Ovechkin cover (click for larger image)

MediaLove for Ovie, as hinted at earlier, from both THN and SI. Speaking of SI, Eric McErlain over at the Fanhouse today picks up on that magazine’s Swimsuit theme this month with his coverage of AO’s new off-ice inspiration. Michael Farber, though, keeps his eye on the ice: 

“After signing the contract Ovechkin scored in 11 of his next 15 games as Washington battled for the Southeast Division lead. The left wing had his second four-goal game of the season, on Jan. 31 against Montreal, assisting on the Capitals’ other goal in a 5-4 overtime victory. (His highlight was not the winning goal but number 3, a wicked snap shot through the legs of defenseman Mark Streit that beat goalie Cristobal Huet high to the glove side from 42 feet.) In addition to the five points, Ovechkin sustained the fifth broken nose of his career, from a Francis Bouillon shoulder; recorded five hits; and took a couple stitches in his mouth after he was hit by a puck in the first minute. As pure hockey theater, his virtuoso performance might have been the greatest one-man show in the regular season in a decade.

- Michael Farber, SI.com

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Media, Print, Sports Illustrated, The Hockey News, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (0)

Success with the Press, Too

By pucksandbooks
Thursday, February 7, 2008

The Hockey NewsThe Capitals are expecting some prominent media coverage of the team’s winning ways next week. Alexander Ovechkin and the team will be the feature cover story for next week’s Hockey News. Also likely next week, a Michael Farber feature on AO and the team in Sports Illustrated.   

More immediately, Coach Boudreau chatted with Washington Post Online readers this afternoon. A transcript of it can be found here.

The THN cover will be Alex’s fifth on a standard issue, the sixth if you count an “All-Access Pass” special edition THN put out last year.

Update: Let’s toss an ESPN Boudreau Revival story from Scott Burnside into the mix.

Filed in ESPN, Hockey Reading, Media, Print, Scott Burnside, Sports Illustrated, The Hockey News, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (1)

A Tale of Two Western Canadian Gunslingers

By pucksandbooks
Sunday, January 20, 2008

There were two legitmate, impact no.1 defensemen on the ice at Verizon Center last night, one playing for Florida and one for the Caps: Jay Bouwmeester and Mike Green. Can you imagine suggesting that that would have been the case just three months ago? Next, imagine having suggested this back in October: between the two, Mike Green, 22, would early in 2008 be the greater impact no.1, and that going forward one could rationally suggest he’ll tally more points, more All Star game selections, and perhaps even more Norris Trophies than Big Bouw over the course of their respective NHL careers.

Or am I being irrational? 

BigBouw.jpgIt’s perhaps impossible to overstate the impact that the arrival of Bruce Boudreau has had on the Caps, and it’s true that Alexander Ovechkin’s third season in the NHL has been his best – positively Hart Trophy candidate worthy and a catalyst for the team’s playoff contention. But winning hockey can’t be a one-man show, even double-shifted, and if you really want to know why the Caps are as dangerous as they are these days, consider that their attack is double-barreled, launched from the back end by the 22-year-old Calgary native who, at the other end of the ice, slings heavy lead with his point blasts and pinched-in pulverizers.   

To truly appreciate Mike Green’s meteoric rise this season and its impact on the Caps — now and going forward – I think you have to consider his standing versus a prized young talent leading the blueline of a division foe, one who was a lottery pick, and one whose pedigree and early aura rivaled those of any blueline prospect to enter the league in the last 20 years. 

I perused my copy of THN’s 2002 NHL Entry Draft preview issue this weekend — Bouwmeester was selected third overall in Toronto that summer — and was reminded of the outsized accolades that accompanied the Medicine Hat, Alta., native. Page 7: “He is a Paul Coffey-esque glider in the body of Paul Bunyan, an intuitively gifted 6-foot-3, 206-pound defenseman who can control the tempo of a game with exceptional stamina, poise and hockey sense.”

Paul Bunyan? Iconic Canadian media in the business of assessing high-end, home-grown hockey talent at times get carried away, no?

If you altered the physical dimensions downward a bit in Bouwmeester’s profile, and replaced the Bunyan allusion with say a punked up version of Steve McQueen, you’d actually have the letter-perfect description of third-year pro Mike Green, selected 29th overall two years after Bouwmeester. 

Mike GreenThe stats back it up. Both players have enjoyed perfect health this season, playing in all of their team’s games. Through 49 games Bouwmeester has 8 goals and 10 assists while skating a -3. Reasonably nice numbers on a mediocre hockey club. In 47 games with the Caps Green has accumulated 14 goals and 16 assists, skating a -2, and garnered the attention of the entire hockey world, splashy U.S. sports press like SI and ESPN, and caused a lot of indigestion and heartache among nearly 30 general managers who passed on him in 2004.  

But it isn’t just the pure tally of superior numbers that suggests that Green may already be the better no. 1 gun. It’s how he acquires them. Not since Sergei Gonchar have the Caps possessed so dynamic a presence from the point. And while both possess distinctive mobility and elite offensive hockey sense, that comparison doesn’t do justice to Green’s revolutionizing the blueline QB position as he has this season. Gonchar never possessed Green’s wrist-shot-bomb that has him and his Gang Green mates in the stands celebrating before the opposing netminder realizes he’s been beaten. Green’s gone Cloverfield in the opponents’ zone this season.

Big numbers in hockey are at times put up by one-season wonders. But what’s in Green’s toolbox hardly suggests flash-in-the-pan. His skating is sublime — his puck-cradling crossover footwork while QB-ing worth the price of admission alone. He has a howitzer. His pinching knack is here to stay — or improve. The fun has just begun.     

What did the 2004 THN Draft Guide have to say about Green? He is widely believed to have been available to the Caps so late in 2004’s first round because he played on a notoriously bad Saskatoon Blades team. As in, 7-52-11-2 bad. The profile overall was positive if understated:

 ”Green is small for a defenseman, but he never gives an inch. He’s a tenacious battler who can quarterback a power play.” [You think?]

“Good shot, good vision and just a wasted year,” is how one scout put it.

“There are an awful lot of positives considering he has a bad year on a bad team,” said a scout. “He showed a lot of character on a team that lacked leadership.”

Make no mistake, Bouwmeester is a terrific defenseman, and perhaps 25 teams would like to have him as their no. 1. I just don’t think the Caps would part with theirs to get him.

Filed in CHL, Florida Panthers, Mike Green, Players, Sergei Gonchar, The Hockey News, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (4)

Players’ Union Boss: It’s Too Warm in the Phone Booth

By The OFB Team
Thursday, January 3, 2008

The Hockey NewsKnow who’s the latest to take notice of Verizon Center’s poor ice quality? No less than the new Executive Director of the NHLPA, Paul Kelly. In particular, he mentioned the building temperature to The Hockey News:

“I think frankly that there’s been an unfortunate deterioration of the ice condition in certain arenas, because they load the arenas with multiple events.

“For example, having watched the Capitals/Rangers game (recently) in Washington, it was too warm in that building. It was simply too warm, and it had to affect the ice surface.”

Filed in NHLPA, National Hockey League, Paul Kelly, The Hockey News, Verizon Center, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (13)

Leonsis on Bloggers: “They’ve Become a Legitimate Media Outlet”

By pucksandbooks
Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Cup'pa JoeWhen it comes to new media and its coverage of the NHL, Ted Leonsis is both visionary and trailblazer, and so it should come as no surprise that his thinking on the matter is anything but static. When “Hockey Night in Canada” came to D.C. a couple of weeks back and profiled the Caps and the team’s bloggers, television viewers caught some snippets of the owner’s new age rationale for embracing the blogosphere. Now there is available the full 18-plus minutes of Ted’s exchange with HNIC’s Elliotte Friedman. [Follow the link to "Hockey Night in Canada," then "Interview," then "Ted Leonsis"] His sentiments are sprawling and savvy and at times startling, and once again, the owner is looking forward:

“We have to be the most new media savvy league and go to where the puck is going to be. I’m not interested in being where the puck is — it’s not that impressive.”

He sets the sporting scene in D.C. in appropriately daunting fashion: “We all live under the spectre of the NFL and the Washington Redskins. We have to find our place. We have one reporter that follows us from the Washington Post. He does magnificent work. I wish there were ten of them, but he’s the only guy.”

“[Tarik] can cover the news, but now having this network of blogs, all of them coming from a different perspective, it helps us sell the game.”

The NHL, with its numerous and ill-fated experiments at improving the televised experience with hockey, must embrace new technology. “Television was our concern 20 years ago,” and it still is today, Leonsis noted. “We’re not going to make it on television.”

Friedman’s piece was well researched. He surveyed all 30 NHL clubs for their respective policies on bloggers. Turns out five or so have blogger friendly policies in place. Three more are considering them. But 17 to 20, Friedman reported, have reviewed the issue and for now have said “no way.”

Leonsis isn’t concerned about the editorial liberties bloggers enjoy or their presumed “lack of accountability.”

“I’m concerned about being ignored,” he told Friedman. “We worked with Off Wing Opinion to craft a Blogger’s Bill of Rights. I take exception [that] there aren’t any standards.”

“I keep hearing we’re going to get burned by a blogger. Oh, like we haven’t been burned by the Washington Post!”

“[Blogs] have become a legitimate media outlet.”

Leonsis emphasized that embracing new media is for the league merely an extension of the relationship its fans have already cultivated, passionately. “All of our fans are wired. They spend most of their time on broadband. They have their mobile devices.”

“People have underestimated the importance of search. They’ve underestimated the influence of Facebook. Facebook has a $15 billion valuation — more than every NHL and NBA team combined. What did they do? They brought a big audience of young Web-savvy customers. We have to look at our business in the same vein.”

So what’s ahead? For starters, the owner contends, increasing acceptance of bloggers and the blogosphere. Additionally, individual blogs that are likely to surpass The Hockey News in popularity and influence. Their quality, he said, “is better than the copy you see in the newspaper.” Then next up comes a very new age role for NHL players.

“Players actually own more of the NHL than the owners do — they get fifty five percent of the revenues. We need to turn players into their own media brands.”

He envisions an NHL with every player on Facebook and Myspace and operating “homesteads” from which they actually sell tickets to the game!

What, you prefer TicketMaster?

Filed in Blogs, Hockey Night in Canada, Internet, Media, OFB, Print, Tarik El-Bashir, Ted Leonsis, The Hockey News, Washington Capitals, Washington Post| Permalink| Comments (6)

The Week That Was

By The OFB Team
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Caps Coach Boudreau - Photo by Jim McIsaac - Getty Images

Many, including our own pucksandbooks, were out of town and away from their computers during the holiday when the big news hit. To help catch you up on the week’s events, we’ve compiled some links to a number of articles. We’re bound to have missed some, so feel free to leave us a comment with a link to the missing article.

Filed in Blogs, Bruce Boudreau, Corey Masisak, Internet, Media, Mike Vogel, Tarik El-Bashir, The Hockey News, Washington Capitals, Washington Post, Washington Times| Permalink| Comments (5)

THN’s Top Ten

By DC Sports Chick
Monday, November 19, 2007

In celebration of their 60th anniversary, The Hockey News took a look at the top ten players for each team over the past sixty years.

Here is how THN contributer Peter Kerzel (who also wrote this year’s Caps’ preview for the THN Annual Yearbook) saw Washington’s Top Ten:

The Hockey News logo

  1. Peter Bondra
  2. Rod Langway
  3. Olaf Kolzig
  4. Mike Gartner
  5. Dale Hunter
  6. Kevin Hatcher
  7. Calle Johansson
  8. Bengt Gustafsson
  9. Scott Stevens
  10. Alex Ovechkin

Our own Gustafsson, who initially alerted us to the list, noted that Montreal’s top ten didn’t include Patrick Roy. (As Gustafsson said, it’s hard to move past Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden on that list.) Then he read on and discovered that Roy is #3 on the Colorado Avalanche’s top ten. Apparently the rank is, among other factors, based on a player’s time in each particular sweater, so there were a number of athletes who were listed more than once. These players included the following:

  • Dave Andreychuk (BUF, TB)
  • Rob Blake (COL, LA)
  • Andrew Brunette (ATL, MIN)
  • Pavel Bure (FLA, VAN)
  • Dany Heatley (ATL, OTT)
  • Sergei Fedorov (CLM, DET)
  • Ron Francis (CAR, PIT)
  • Wayne Gretzky (EDM, LA)
  • Glenn Hall (CHI, STL)
  • Arturs Irbe (CAR, SJ)
  • Ed Jovanoski (FLA, VAN)
  • Paul Kariya (ANA, NSH)
  • Pat LaFontaine (BUF, NYI)
  • Roberto Luongo (FLA, VAN)
  • Ziggy Palffy (LA NYI)
  • Jeremy Roenick (CHI, PHO)
  • Mark Messier (EDM, NYR)
  • Scott Niedermayer (ANA, NJ)
  • Scott Stevens (NJ, WAS)

So what do you think? Did The Hockey News miss anyone or include someone they shouldn’t have?

Thanks to Gustafsson for so diligently reading The Hockey News and passing along the information.

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Olaf Kolzig, Peter Bondra, The Hockey News, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (9)

The Primitive Timing of Season Previews

By pucksandbooks
Friday, October 12, 2007

I received helpful feedback recently from Associated Press reporter Peter Kerzel, who penned the Caps’ preview for this season’s THN Annual Yearbook. You may recall my suggesting that Kerzel’s file, which featured curious forecasted line combinations among other personnel considerations, delivered the impression of being a bit outdated for this reader. Turns out, Kerzel had to have his forecast submitted to THN editors in the second week of July — “barely enough time for free agents to get signed,” Kerzel told me.

“We were allowed to make some changes the beginning of the following week,” Kerzel pointed out, “but at that point, everything was formatted and the books sent to press so they could be in stores by mid- to late August.”

Here’s how early in the summer this preview was penned: Kerzel collaborated on the project with the Washington Times’ Dave Fay.

“Dave thought he had a pretty good handle on personnel,” Kerzel said. “Of course, that was before Fleischmann’s ascension, Kozlov’s move to center, Backstrom’s move to wing, [and] Clark’s move to the third line.”

“I’ve run into this same issue before, when covering the Caps and putting together a preview for The Sporting News. The year Washington acquired Jagr, the trade was consummated literally at the deadline for copy to be finalized.”

“If not for a really good editor, a guy named Ray Slover, who helped me turn around a rewrite on a dime – while still keeping the same amount of space that had already been allocated – the whole preview could have been out of date almost immediately. It’s just an inherently troublesome part of the process.”

In his preview Kerzel picked the Caps to finish 10th in the East this season. “I still think the Caps are on the bubble as far as playoffs go,” he told me, right before the season opener. 

Kerzel’s THN preview this summer also offered some conspicuously kind words for the team’s bloggers.

“The whole notion of blogging has really caught fire. One of my baseball  pals, Roch Kubatko of The [Baltimore] Sun, was given blog duty a couple of years ago and wasn’t sure what to make of it – demotion? Lack of interest from the bosses? Two years later, his baseball ruminations are the most well-read blog on any of the company’s newspaper’s blogs. He’s developed a cult following.

“And I can say for sure that blogging has changed the way most media outlets approach their jobs. I know with my work for the AP, the fact that someone can blog it right away on a daily paper site means we’ve got our feet to the fire to turn around the news much quicker these days.”

Filed in Dave Fay, Hockey Reading, Media, National Hockey League, Print, The Hockey News, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (1)

More Blog Love from THN

By pucksandbooks
Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Pete Kerzel’s preview of the Caps for the Hockey News’ 2007-08 Yearbook is rather dour — he sees them on the outside of the Eastern conference playoffs looking in, and emphasizes instead “incremental improvement is much more likely.” His file also has a ring of outdated-ness to it; he identified the Caps’ Tomas Fleischmann as fifth on the Caps’ depth chart of left wings, among other personnel oddities. And he claimed that the team’s third and fourth lines were weak points, when in fact, early this autumn, they appear to be pgraded over recent seasons (as in adding a 30-goal scorer to one of them).

But Kerzel’s concluding paragraph caught my eye in a more positive light:

“Majority owner Ted Leonsis, an AOL executive, gave players laptops upon taking over the team in 1999 and the coaching staff is among the most tech-savvy in the league, using specifically constructed computer programs for in-game strategizing. Leonsis blogs regularly on the team website, and his ruminations have spawned several dedicated fan blogs. They’re smart, sassy, irreverent must-reads, mainly because they keep the team honest and in touch with fans.”

     

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Caps Picked 1st in SE

By Gustafsson
Friday, September 28, 2007

The Hockey News web columnist Adam Proteau has been offering a breakdown of each division with his predicted order of finish. Today, he breaks down the Southeast Division, where he picks the Caps 1st.

Why 1st? Because dammit, what would a pre-season NHL prediction series be without at least one shocker pick for a new, worst-to-first division champ?

The thing is, on paper, the Capitals are far from the basement dwellers they were last year. The sense some NHL observers have about the Caps is, while they’re not yet genuine Stanley Cup contenders, they’ve got the components to mirror Atlanta’s 2006-07 campaign (i.e. road warriors in the regular season, roadkill in the playoffs).

Read the rest here.

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OFB Gets a THN Callout

By The OFB Team
Thursday, September 13, 2007

Yes, the THN OFB mention this week is pretty cool, and yes, we’ll tip back a few self-congratulatory cold ones out at Bailey’s in Ballston this weekend, but training camp starts tomorrow! Moscow was a blast, but we’re thinking about the promise of the present this week.

With his feature on the dramatic impact that bloggers have had in altering coverage of hockey in this town, James Mirtle has given bloggers a nice bit of PR but more importantly done hockey a terrific and important service. James is a blogger himself; it’s clear that like Ted Leonsis he recognizes and champions the role that new media already is playing in the NHL and will continue to play in the years ahead.

The Hockey News - 18 September, 2007
OFB in The Hockey News - 18 September, 2007
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Future Watch Rewind — 1997

By The OFB Team
Tuesday, March 13, 2007

The Hockey News - Future Watch 2007One of the more intriguing issues of The Hockey News is its “Future Watch“ edition, now on newsstands. The issue details the progress of recently drafted, expected future stars of the NHL. Like vintage years for wine, there are vintage ones for 18-year-old hockey prospects. But THN also took a look back 10 years to the players that were ranked as the top 50 prospects in 1997. We were struck by how many of the top 25 have passed through Washington. Some stayed longer than others. Some Alexanders are not as great as others.

Players are listed with their current team and NHL games played as of 1 February 2007.

The Hockey News 1997 “Future Watch”
Rank Player Team NHL GP
6 Yogi Svejkosky retired 113
10 Jan Bulis Vancouver 524
11 Brendan Witt NY Islanders 693
12 Alexander Volchkov retired 3
19 Nolan Baumgartner Philadephia Phantoms (AHL) 124
24 Jason Doig Chelyabinsk (Russia) 158

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The Hockey News Team Prospect Rankings

By The OFB Team
Thursday, March 8, 2007

The latest issue of The Hockey News has ranked all 30 NHL team’s prospect systems. They have defined prospects as players under 22 years of age as of January 31, 2007. This ranking does not take into account any movement of players at the trade deadline. Note that three of the Caps’ Southeast Division rivals bring up the bottom-5 rear.

  1. Pittsburgh [Last Year's Ranking - 1]
  2. Washington [7]
  3. Nashville [6]
  4. Los Angeles [10]
  5. Chicago [8]
  6. Boston [12]
  7. Anaheim [2]
  8. St. Louis [28]
  9. Montreal [17]
  10. N.Y. Rangers [19]

Continue reading ›

Filed in Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Prospects, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, The Hockey News, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (6)

The Hockey News‘ Superman

By Gustafsson
Sunday, December 31, 2006

I’m looking forward to my next copy of The Hockey News.

Ovechkin - Superman - The Hockey News

Thanks to JP and hockey nut for finding the image.

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The Hockey News Mention

By Gustafsson
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

We were recently mentioned in Adam Proteau’s Blog on The Hockey News website.

The Hockey News - Proteau's Blog
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All-Access Pass

By Gustafsson
Saturday, October 21, 2006

The Hockey News - All Access - Ovechkin

From the Washington Capitals Official Web Site:

Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin graces the cover of a special edition of The Hockey News released this week, entitled “All-Access Pass.” The magazine — which takes a behind-the-scenes look at the sport — includes an extensive feature on the photo shoot for the cover, which was done in Toronto in August. Readers also have the opportunity to enter to win the jersey Ovechkin wore for the shoot. The issue is available on newsstands and online orders at thehockeynews.com will be accepted soon. This marks Ovechkin’s fourth appearance on the cover of The Hockey News in less than one year.

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