You Don't Have Enough Talent to Win on Talent Alone

Kings Gameday: MAPLE LEAFS MAPLE LEAFS MAPLE LEAFS MAPLE LEAFS MAP

LA Kings (10-9-3) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (8-9-3)

7:30 PST, Fox Sports West





Labarbera's in tonight, Boyle's out, hopefully Zeiler's on the bench. The Leafs score more than you'd think but also let in a lot of goals. I've actually liked the Leafs since they moved to the East and I think they'll become good faster than people think. But today I hope the Kings embarrass them in front of their new GM.

Prediction: Kings win, 5-4. Goals by Kopitar (x2), Moller, Frolov and Labarbera.

A Sharkspage films premiere

A Sharkspage films premiere. Highlights after 20 games to "I am the night, colour me black" by Priestess.

Move aside, and let the Jonathan Cheechoo go through

Video of every single one of Jonathan Cheechoo's NHL leading, Rocket Richard winning, 56 goals in 2005-06. Tape delayed play-by-play of the Sharks 3-0 win over Tampa Bay is up here. The Sharks recalled forward Jamie McGinn earlier today, head coach Todd McLellan is scheduled for a conference call today at 3:15PM.

George Parros fight collection 2007-08

Courtesy of the fine people at ducks-hockey.com, here is a video collection of 19 George Parros fights from the 2007-08 season. A little pre-game reseach prior to Thursday's ANA-SJ home opener.

Parros vs. Thornton 9/30/07
Parros vs. Boogaard 10/14/07
Parros vs. Fedoruk 10/20/07
Parros vs. King 10/23/07
Peters vs. Parros 12/05/07
Peters vs. Parros -Round 2- 12/05/07
Parros vs. Koci 12/07/07
Parros vs. Shelley 12/10/07
Parros vs. Davison 12/18/07
Parker vs. Parros 12/19/07
Belak vs. Parros 1/9/08
Parros vs. Ivanans 1/24/08
Parros vs. King 2/1/08
Parros vs. Cote 2/2/08
Parros vs. Orr 2/7/08
Parros vs. Downey 2/10/08
Godard vs. Parros 2/17/08
King vs. Parros 2/22/08
Parros vs. Shelley 3/21/08

Anze Kopitar: What Needs Work

As I covered yesterday, Anze Kopitar is a very good hockey player. No player is perfect, however, and there's a few things I think Kopitar could work on. They're just little things and I fully expect him to improve on them during the upcoming season.

If this could not happen that'd be great too.

The biggest thing Kopitar needs to do is cut down on his turnovers. Kopitar ended up 8th in the league in giveaways with 85. If you'll look at the list, you'll notice that all the people at the top are good players; after all, you can't give the puck away a lot unless you're the one driving the play. Still, giveaways put your defense out of position and are never a good thing.* Most of Kopitar's giveaways come when he's entering the zone as defenders stand him up. The easiest solution is mixing up who carries the puck in and dumping it in occasionally. One person who does this well is Ryan Getzlaf, who can either carry it in or throw the puck into the corner and punish the defender who corrals it. Having Kopitar dump it in and then letting Brown destroy whoever touches it first seems like a good idea.

*Lubomir Visnovsky, Kopitar, and Alex Frolov were all in the top 20 in turnovers. I wonder if that means something...


Secondly, Kopitar needs to work on his positional defense. He's pretty good at stripping the puck but his focus away from the play needs work. Look at this goal, for example:



Ales Hemsky breezes into the zone and gets a quality scoring opportunity against a terrible, terrible goaltender* because Kopitar didn't recognize the play until it was too late. (Also, poor Lubo. How many times did he look like a dick because of someone else last season?) He has to recognize that better if he's going to be an elite two-way center in the NHL. I'm of the opinion that defensive play by forwards is underrated, but there's no real way to quantify it. Still, I can quantify that play and say that Kopitar cost us a goal there. That can't happen if he's going to play 20 minutes a night.
*Terrible.

Finally, I'd like Kopitar to work on his faceoffs. He's not bad by any means (49.5%), but most of the elite centers in the league win around 52-55% of their faceoffs. All young centers need work on their faceoffs though, so this one isn't a biggie... I mean, not a big deal. No, I don't use the word "biggie" in casual conversation, fuck off.


Anze Kopitar is one of the best young players in the league, but we can't shower him with rose petals 100% of the time. He could improve on none of these things and still be one of the most talked about players in the league, but he wouldn't help us win as many games as he should. On a team like the Kings it's hard to find good things to talk about, so I get why everyone loves Kopitar so much. I do too. But he's not infallible. He's a soon-to-be 21 year-old kid and he needs to work on getting better. I'm confident he will, too, because he's that kind of guy. Kopitar's great, but he's not one of the 10 best centers in the NHL. Yet.

Kopitar Week: Kopitar's Greatest Moments

This Sunday, everyone's favorite Slovenian is turning 21 years old. To celebrate, we here at Battle of California are going to spend this week commemorating the lovable bastard, covering what he's improved upon since his first game, what he still needs to work on, and where he sits in the hierarchy of young stars. Today, however, we're going to kick things off with three of my favorite Kopitar moments. If you have one you'd like to share, feel free to leave them in the comments.

10/06/06- Chris Pronger Gets Burned


Why I Like it: As a Kings fan, you're used to hyped prospects that don't work out. Pavel Rosa, Jeff Tambellini, Denis Grebeshkov, and Jens Karlsson were all supposed to electrify the Kings, only to fall by the wayside once it was time to perform. Even Dustin Brown had seemed like a possible bust at that point. So I took the rumors from Kings training camp that there was a new superstar on hand with a grain of salt. But after that goal I became a believer. Kopitar swung around Chris Pronger and handcuffed JS Giguere and I was hooked. From the first game, Kopitar was a star. I was worried that Kopitar would eventually disappoint me but I think that fear has been assuaged now.

2/10/07- Kopitar Makes Nashville Look Ridiculous (Skip forward a minute)



Why I Like it: I like it for a couple of reasons. One, Kopitar took a pretty big hit from Martin Erat at the start of this game and rallied to score 2 goals. There aren't many opportunities for Kopitar to show that killer instinct that he possesses, but he did in this game. Two, Kopitar shows patience. A lot of players will take the first opportunity they have to try and score a goal. It makes sense, in a way; most defenses are so good that you never know when you'll get another chance. Kopitar, though, has an uncanny ability to wait, and wait, and then wait some more. He knows that he's good enough to create more opportunities and uses the defender's assumption that he'll take the shot when he has it against him to create a scoring opportunity. (Sorry, that's a lot of "he's." You can figure it out, you're smart people.) That patience was a hallmark of his first year and this goal is the greatest example of it.

10/16/07- Kopitarded


Why I Like it: I still believe that this goal is absolutely unstoppable. There is just no goaltender in the NHL that can move to one side and still outreach Kopitar while he's going the other way. Maybe if the goalie knows that Kopitar will pull it, but even then it's iffy. Kopitar pretty much cemented himself as the unquestioned star of the Kings with this goal.

Versus CamPain 08 - thirty two athletes battle for the title "Toughest Athlete of All-Time"

Not to be confused with Deadspin's Sports Human of the Year contest, shockingly won by Barbaro in a come from behind tour de force in 2006, Versus kicked off election season early launching CamPain 08. Thirty two athletes will battle amongst the viewing public in a virtual toughman contest to decide "which athlete best represents a lifetime of determination, competition, domination and tradition".

The initial list of nominees sans any write-in candidates is a little unusual. Recently "un-retired" Packers quarterback Brett Farve gets the nod over legendary players like Jack Lambert, Lawrence Taylor, or Dick Butkus. San Francisco 49'ers safety Ronnie Lott was righfully included in the top 32. Despite amputating part of his left pinky after it was crushed in a hit, Lott helped the Niners win four Superbowls and eight division titles. The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame inductee regularly used the crowd to gauge how big one of his pancake tackles was. If fans responded with a chorus of "ooooooh's", he knew it was a monster "oooh hit".

Looking past the base jumpers, rock climbers, bmx riders, Iditarod mushers, and free divers, boxing is well represented with Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, and Archie Moore. Good selections all, but the true ironmen of the sport heralded the transition between the no holds barred London Prize Ring rules to the modern day gloved Marquess of Queensberry rules. Several title fights edged into the 40-50 round category, where a fight was won only by a knockout or another fighter quitting on the stool. It gives "toughest athlete" a whole new meaning. Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson are two old school baseball nominees, and they are really the only baseball players you could include in a toughest athlete list. Modern baseball players are out for several weeks with finger sprains or sore abs. Old baseball players did not even have abs they had guts, and they were fueled with beer and hot dogs. Jack Hamilton is another ball player included on account of a fastball he took square in the face. Waking up in an ambulance en route to the hospital after taking a baseball to the head is never a fun experience, trust me.

The NHL is also well represented, with Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard and Bob Probert earning nominations. Versus notes Howe's unique double edged talent as one of the league's best scorers and most feared competitors. One ref described the sound of his 1959 pummeling of Rangers goon Lou Fontinato, "Never in my life have I heard anything like it, like the sound of chopping wood. Thwack! Then all of a sudden Louie’s breathing out of his cheekbone." Take a second to wipe that image from your memory. The Rocket Maurice Richard, namesake of the league's goal scoring trophy, also was described knocking out a Ranger goon twice, once after he regained conciousness. Toughness to Versus appears to be flattening New York Rangers, can't argue with that.

Far and away the leading favorite from the NHL, and possibly a leading favorite out of the initial 32 nominees, is former Detroit Red Wing and Chicago Blackhawk enforcer Bob Probert. The Windsor, Ontario native's career resume is littered with the remnants of the NHL's most intimidating and feared players. Probert engaged in several of the NHL's most classic fights with the likes of Tie Domi, Georges Laraque, Marty McSorley, Donald Brashear, Stu Grimson, Joey Kocur and Dave Semenko to name a few. He flattened Colorado's 6-foot-5 240-pound Scott Parker on home ice. He pummeled the "Grim Reaper" Stu Grimson 6 seconds into the Anaheim Ducks first game to introduce a new generation of fans riding the wave of interest in the Mighty Ducks film series. In addition to his enforcer skillset, Probert was far from a liability when on the ice. He provided a physical edge that opened up room for skilled players, while contributing 163 goals and 384 points in 935 games played.

Bob Probert entertains his fans, Probert laments NHL changes - London Free Press.

Probert also watches a lot of hockey and can only shake his head at how the game has changed. It's fast and exciting, but Probert thinks there are too few hits and too many penalties called. "Imagine a penalty call in overtime of the Stanley Cup. That was unheard of."

He also thinks the league still needs enforcers to protect their teammates. If he was playing, there'd be heck to pay for some of the cheap shots players are getting away with, Probert said. "I'd be out there fighting before those guys left the ice."

My dark horse pick for CamPain 08 is big wave surfer Laird Hamilton. Many only know of Hamilton from his AMEX commerical, his marriage to Gabrielle Reece, or some of his unusual expirimentations with kite boarding or paddle surfing. Hamilton is also one of the pioneers of modern big wave tow-in surfing. With many of the largest breaks traveling at speeds too fast for paddle in sufing, Hamilton has taken tow-in surfing to new levels and is widely regarded as the top big wave surfer in the world. On August 17, 2000 at the Teahupo'o Reef in Tahiti, Hamilton dropped into what many consider the world's thickest wave resulting in an iconic Surfer Magazine cover known around the world. Laird Hamilton has also surfed monster 50+ foot waves at the legendary Hawaiin break Pe'ahi (Jaws), which along with Half Moon Bay's Mavericks is considered one of the most dangerous surfing locations in the world.

It is one thing to engage in a 12 round title fight, to ride a bike over several mountain ranges or lineup against an NFL O-lineman for the better part of an afternoon. It is an entirely different thing to catch a wave the size of a 7-story or 8-story house moving at 30+ miles an hour, then trying to cut hard to avoid a mountain of whitewater that can make you a permanent part of the reef below. Auto racing talking head Jeremy Clarkson described Formula 1 racers as not having the part of the brain that registers fear when describing how modern race car drivers approach a difficult section of a course (such as the corkscrew at Laguna Seca). When a normal person would break, or fear for their life approaching a 300 foot elevation change and two quick turns at almost 200 mph, a race car driver does not.

Laird Hamilton has a similar brain abnormality. When riding waves the size of small office buildings, he genuinely looks like he is enjoying the moment. Other big wave surfers have said that Hamilton is capable of making adjustments on some of these gigantic waves that no other individual could. Each time he drops in on another wave he displays a "lifetime of determination, competition, domination and tradition" like no other athlete.

Make your selection for toughest athlete at Versus CamPain 2008 or make a write-in nomination here, or view the the original "campain ad" and listen to the debate here. Voting for Round 1 ends August 1st. No voting for yourself George Parros.

[Update] The Versus MMA youtube channel has this camPAIN08 video clip featuring several mixed martial arts athletes worthy of consideration. Rickson Gracie, Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture are not on the initial list of 32 Toughest Athlete nominees, but Sacramento's Urijah Faber is. Faber is the WEC's Featherweight Champion. What makes Faber worthy of consideration you say? This interview where he describes fighting off a large mob of Balinese criminals by himself. Why won't Faber win the Toughest Athlete title? Because he went to Davis. War Chico State!

[Update2] Trying to follow in Barbaro's footsteps, Bodacious has garnered .4% of the vote in the "Bull" category. For some reason I do not think there will be a new model of Lamborghini named after this entrant.

The 1,800lb horned beast was referred to as "The World's Most Dangerous Bull." His specialty was delivering life-threatening head butts to riders. After one unsuccessful ride, Tuff Hedeman's face needed reconstructive surgery. Later that year when Hedeman drew Bodacious again, he opted not to ride him.

World's Toughest Athlete, World's Most Dangerous Bull, that is just splitting hairs. Bodacious gets my vote. The last professional bull rider to try to ride Bodacious donned a hockey mask and had both of his eye sockets fractured. No one ever tried to ride him again. Bull 1, Pros 0.

Sharks 2008-09 schedule: Going Back to Philly

The NHL released the full 2008-09 schedule yesterday, and as Cheechew noted the Sharks will open the regular season at home against the Anaheim Ducks. In addition to return visits from Ron Wilson and Vesa Toskala as the Maple Leafs return to San Jose December 2nd, Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich's return visit to Tampa Bay October 25, and back-to-back games against Stanley Cup Finalists Pittsburgh and Detroit October 28th and 30th, the schedule also contains a rare home-at-home series with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Going back to Philly, I don't think so.

Preseason

September:
Sep. 24 at Anaheim, 7:00 p.m.
Sep. 26 Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.
Sep. 29 at Phoenix, 7:00 p.m.
Sep. 30 Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.

October:
Oct. 2 at Vancouver, 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 5 at Los Angeles, 5:00 p.m. (Salt Lake City)

Regular Season

October:
Oct. 9 Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 11 Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
Oct. 12 at Los Angeles, 6 p.m.
Oct. 14 Columbus, 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 17 at Anaheim, 7 p.m.
Oct. 18 Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 22 at Philadelphia, 4 p.m.
Oct. 24 at Florida, 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 25 at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 28 Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 30 Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

November:
Nov. 2 at Colorado, 6 p.m.
Nov. 4 Minnesota, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 6 St. Louis, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 8 Dallas, 7 p.m.
Nov. 9 at Phoenix, 5 p.m.
Nov. 11 Nashville, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 13 Calgary, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 16 at Chicago, 4 p.m.
Nov. 17 at Nashville, 5 p.m.
Nov. 22 Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 26 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 28 at Dallas, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 29 at Phoenix, 6 p.m.

December:
Dec. 2 Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 4 Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 6 Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Dec. 11 Anaheim, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 13 St. Louis, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 15 at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 17 at Columbus, 4 p.m.
Dec. 18 at Detroit, 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 20 N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 23 Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Dec. 27 at St. Louis, 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 29 at Dallas, 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 31 at Minnesota, 3 p.m.

January:
Jan. 3 N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 6 at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Jan. 9 at Edmonton, 6 p.m.
Jan. 10 at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Jan. 13 Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 15 Calgary, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 17 Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 24-25 (NHL Allstar Weekend in Montreal)
Jan. 27 at Colorado, 6 p.m.
Jan. 29 Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 31 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

February:
Feb. 5 Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 7 at Columbus, 4 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Boston, 4 p.m.
Feb. 11 at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 13 at Buffalo, 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 15 at New Jersey, 10 a.m.
Feb. 17 Edmonton, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 19 Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 21 Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Feb. 23 at Dallas, 5 p.m.
Feb. 25 at Detroit, 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 26 at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 28 at Montreal, 4 p.m.

March:
Mar. 3 Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 5 Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 7 at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Mar. 10 at Minnesota, 5 p.m.
Mar. 12 at St. Louis, 5:30 p.m.
Mar. 14 Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
Mar. 15 at Anaheim, 5 p.m.
Mar. 17 at Phoenix, 6 p.m.
Mar. 19 Nashville, 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 21 Dallas, 1 p.m.
Mar. 22 Colorado, 5 p.m.
Mar. 25 at Chicago, 5:30 p.m.
Mar. 26 at Nashville, 5 p.m.
Mar. 28 Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 30 at Calgary, 6 p.m.

April:
Apr. 2 at Edmonton, 6 p.m.
Apr. 4 Anaheim, 7 p.m.
Apr. 5 at Anaheim, 5 p.m.
Apr. 7 Colorado, 7:30 p.m.
Apr. 9 Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.
Apr. 11 at Los Angeles, 1 p.m.

[Update] Mike Rathje for president.

Cal Worthington and his dog Spot > Los Angeles Kings

D.C. may have Eastern Motors, but they got nothing on Cal Worthington and his dog spot. If you have lived anywhere in California over the last 20 years you have been bombarded by this random car salesman hawking the worst looking automobiles imaginable while riding everything from grizzly bears to a flock of penguins. The commercials usually aired in the coveted 1-4AM time slot, better to appeal to the less than sober consumer.

According to NHLscap.com, the Los Angeles Kings are sitting at a 2008-09 salary of $29.5M. A whopping $27M under the $56.7M salary cap and $11.2M under the $40.7 million salary cap floor. With 10 NHL forwards under contract and 4 NHL defenseman, a dip into free agency and the continuation of Dean Lombardi's rebuilding youth movement are definite possibilities. With the free agent ranks approaching Who's Left? territory, launching an offer sheet on restricted free agents becomes more attractive by the minute.

Before Barry Melrose accepted the head coaching job with Tampa Bay, he said that he thought the open San Jose Sharks position was the best one available in the NHL. New Kings head coach Terry Murray takes over a Los Angeles Kings team that tied Tampa with only 71 points, but based on win totals the Lightning (31-42-9) edge out the Kings (32-43-7) as the worst team in the NHL. While the Lightning have gone off the deep end signing almost 2 teams worth of NHL forwards, the Kings are another story. During the press conference today announcing Terry Murray's hiring, general manager Dean Lombardi said, "I think this is the toughest job in the National Hockey League right now". With an incomplete NHL roster, a hole in the crease and several young defenseman expected to fill significant roles on the blueline there are significant question marks for Los Angeles moving forward. Unless 2008-09 is going to be the season-long campaign to draft John Tavares first overall, Lombardi needs to identify targets, specifically a goaltender (Khabibulin?) and a veteran NHL defenseman who can absorb minutes like brawnee paper towels, then work the phones to make it happen.

If you need a better goaltender, go see Cal. For the best deals on defenseman, go see Cal. If you want your buyout payments low, if you want to save some dough, go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal. Any player, any team, go see Cal. If you want one who uses afrosheen, go see Cal. Its a giant supermart, save a bundle play it smart, go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal.

[Update] Murray to be introduced as the Kings' new coach, Flyers assistant will be the 22nd man to hold the top job for L.A., succeeding Crawford - Los Angeles Times.

Why the Kings are less popular than the rival Ducks

Besides the obvious winning aspect the Ducks have over the cross town Los Angles Kings, i feel that its more of advertising. The Kings have great young talent and once they solve a few minor issues in the line-up the team could be very dangerous in the Pacific division. So why are the celebrities going to Ducks games? It's not just the Ducks winning, its not that Orange County is more hockey friendly, if anything its not. The issue is poor Kings marketing, which even for a Ducks fan like me makes me sad.

Heres my evidence of poor Kings advertising:



Its a great thought, but i feel like the Kings organization hired the guys from South Park to do this. If the Kings chose to make a more flashy appeal to fans, maybe they would be able to build a great fan base for all the young talent they have.

I would even go as far as using the previous Kings video posted on here by another writer as a female advertisement to gain Kings fans. Call it Kings All access!

*Disclaimer*- This is purely a joke, and in no way do I mean any disrespect to Kings fans. I am in no way a Kings fan but would like to see them do well and I am excited for the future of Kings hockey with all the young talent. Anyway, enjoy the video. Its a little more G rated than some I've seen on here.

Among the things you’ll never be able to “un-see”

Rudy’s away on his “get pissed at nature” outing, so I guess it’s up to me to pass along this rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of some of the Kings’, uh, equipment.

Isn't Battle of California above this sort of junior-high-level immaturity? Not on Fridays!

Find more videos like this on !! omg blog !!

Way to go, Dustin.

A silly thanks to Alanah at Canucks and Beyond for sending over the link. Take it away, commenters!

Non-live Todd McLellan press conference coverage

New San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan answered questions 1-on-1 with reporters after the press conference earlier today. He spoke about taking advantage of the depth of talent in San Jose, that he has achieved about as much assistant coaching experience as you could possibly need before moving up to the head coaching position, that a number of factors have to fall into place to win a championship at any level, that a puck possession offense may be a little overstated, that he will try to establish more of a puck pursuit and puck recovery game, and that he would like to encorporate the defense into the offense more.

His opening statment from the press conference, will work on a full transcript on Sharkspage:

"This is a special opportunity, there are only 30 of these positions available in the world. I feel very fortunate to be involved with one of if not the top organizations in the National Hockey League. I am very excited about it. There are some very good things that have happened here in the San Jose Sharks organization. You don't win close to 50 games a year by accident. There is an incredible amount of skill on this hockey team. If you combine the skill with the will, good things can happen. We look forward to doing that."

"It is my job as the coach to push this team, push them hard. Push them outside their comfort zone, and get them doing things that they may not be comforable doing but while I am doing that make sure they enjoy the process. That is the only way championship teams evolve. I look forward to that opportunity and can not wait for it to start."

If anyone has a link to the full press conference video or audio, add it in the comments section. The AP's Greg Beacham, Tony Khing of the San Jose Sharks, and a KLIV reporter asked the questions in the above 1-on-1 clip.

- Martin Brodeur was awarded the Vezina Trophy earlier today. It is hard to overly debate the selection, but it appears as if many of the NHL general managers put their eggs in the reputation and save percentage basket. If you look at wins, goals against average, and strength of conference or even strength of division, then Nabokov should have been the clear winner. There should be no debate that three of the best four NHL teams reside in the Pacific Division, and the fourth won the Stanley Cup. It was a brief aside on the blog at the time, but the start of the Sharks monster February road trip began with rocky losses to the Rangers, Islanders, and New Jersey. Dropping three games on the big east coast stage probably solidified Brodeur's dominance among a few general managers.

Zdeno Chara, sports' best-ever freak?

Really, who doesn't want to hear about Zdeno Chara (except Mike Milbury, heh)? And since there's been a few Battle of California + plus Boston! jokes floating around, I figured this would be the best time to relate a Chara story that might put him in the Gary Roberts - Bill Bradzke*-Chuck Norris league of Guys Whose Toughness Eventually Spawn Urban Legends.

The guy wanted to be completely alert and aware during shoulder surgery!

This also brings into the question: is Chara the best borderline circus act success story in sports?



Shawn Bradley was like a nerdy mormon on stilts whose life was justified by athletic NBA players dunking mercilessly on him. George Mursean was as successful as someone who starred in a mediocre Billy Crystal movie can be.** And the jury's still out on Kimbo Slice.

(Let's not even touch the steep decline of Manute Bol.)

Being that I had a rough day at work, I assume I have to be missing a glaring example of circus act-turned sports great, so lay 'em on me.

P.S.: is Brian Burke the first "lame duck" GM in NHL History??

And, the obligatory Shawn Bradley embed, because I'm a dick...(but not as much of a dick as the folks at Sportscenter, apparently)



* Is that how you'd spell that semi-beloved SNL "character?"

** I call "My Giant" mediocre because I haven't seen it. Which might, nonetheless, make my "critique" one of the gentlest the movie ever received...

More on Patrick Marleau to Columbus for Nikolai Zherdev trade rumor

Two thumbs down on both trade suggestions proffered from the Columbus media so far. No to the initial suggestion of Patrick Marleau and a player to be named later for Nikolai Zherdev and the #6 overall draft pick in 2008. Also, no to any combination of Nikolai Zherdev, Dan Fritsche or Stefan Legein and the #19 pick coming to San Jose for Patrick Marleau.

Rumors are starting to spread throughout the NHL now about a possible Blue Jackets trade with the Sharks. The rumor over the weekend was Nikolai Zherdev, Dan Fritsche or Stefan Legein and the No. 19 pick to San Jose for Patrick Marleau. I spent most of Saturday pursuing this and was told by a handful of close-to-the-situation sources that there's no truth to it, that the two clubs have not put together the framework of any specific trade as of yet. No names have been mentioned.

More detailed thoughts on the trade rumors are up on Sharkspage. Other free agent defenseman on the market if Brian Campbell can not be re-signed: Montreal's Mark Streit, Blue Jackets defenseman Ron Hainsey, Ottawa's Wade Redden, and even former Shark Brad Stuart.

You might not want to walk a mile in those shoes...

Aaron Rogers: tragically unlucky or a hero to lazy men across the nation?

Every once and a while, I try to imagine what it would be like to be a professional athlete.

It's pretty run of the mill to dream of having the goal scoring ability of Mario Lemieux or being infinitely clutch like Michael Jordan, but a lot of times it goes a little deeper than that for me. Walking a day in the shoes of a hamandegger seems way more interesting.

Imagine what it felt like to be Darryl Sydor, watching helplessly in street clothes for most of the playoffs, but at the same time being very well compensated (if you ignore the fact that, at least literally, players "aren't paid" in the playoffs).

One name that will always stand out is Aaron Rogers of the Green Bay Packers. I can't help but wonder: is this guy cursed or subtly lucky? After sitting in the NFL Draft Day green room for what must have felt like an eternity, Rogers basically became a verb (example: Angelo Esposito got Aaron Rogers-ed in the 2007 Entry Draft, when he fell all the way to the Pittsburgh Penguins). Then, he got the extra bad luck of having Brett Favre stay in the league a year or two longer than expected.

Falling so far in the draft and getting barely a whiff of football outside of the preseason would make you think that some spurned high school cheerleader ex-girlfriend must have placed some kind of voodoo curse on the guy. But then again, the guy is collecting 1st round draft pick money...but instead of getting squashed by 300 lbs. defensive linemen, all he has to do is hold a clipboard.

Anyway, this kind of sidetracked from what I originally planned on writing about:

I wonder what it must feel like to be a crappy athlete. Sure, when a guy makes millions, he basically becomes a public figure and if we couldn't lampoon professional athletes...what would be the point of following sports?

Hey, look on the bright side Dan: some of us also remember you beating the life out of Salo...

Ryan Leaf, Dan Cloutier, Alexander Daigle, Tommy Salo and a litany of other jersey wearing punchlines take a lot of (mostly lighthearted) abuse. But I wonder if these guys just outright avoid sports web sites. Seriously, if I were Leaf I would bug Ted Leonsis to develop a special snarky 1st round draft bust article blocker, so that I could safely surf the Al Gore without stumbling on a site that would make me want to hang myself.

Seriously, if you were Leaf, wouldn't you hate stumbling on things like this from ESPN Page 2:

"Before the introduction of passing windows in the very first "Madden" for the Sega Genesis, playing virtual quarterback was about as intuitive as stepping under center for an actual team while wearing a LEAF #16 jersey. Point-and-pass systems were crude and inaccurate."

It just goes to show you that as much as many of us envy sports athletes, there are times when they wish they would blend in to the crowd. Imagine having your worst moments at work frozen in time on YouTube and constantly cited by TV shows and smartass sports blogs.

Exhibit A



Exhibit B



And, because I'm a dick

Return of the Son of the Illustrious Glowpuck, NBC Sports puck tracker

Have a problem finding the puck when watching an NHL game? Don't have HD and you have had three too many Bigfoot Ales from Northern California's finest? Don't understand technical hockey terms like: puck, pass, shoot, and goal? Fan of the Anaheim Ducks?

Then NBC's newly developed puck tracker technology is for you. Created by German engineers, a handy red circle magically follows the puck around the ice and holds your hand during the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins quest for Lord Stanley's Cup.

Condescending, arrogant sarcasm not included.

Stay classy San Diego

Is that Lee Worley or Dan Cloutier?

Inside the NHL video feature with Anze Kopitar

Inside the NHL's Dan Moriarty chats with Anze Kopitar earlier this season prior to a game with the San Jose Sharks. Not a huge amount of substance, but Anze does talk about having enforcer George Parros as a landlord. Video via NHL Network Online.

Breaking down the Stars - Wings Part 1: the next round of Goalie H-O-R-S-E

Before I get into any of my pre-series buffoonery, the YouTube Gods demand that I embed the two jaw dropping saves of that epic 4 OT game:

OK, now that I've got that out of my system, lemme do my best to breakdown the Stars-Wings series. Since there's an agonizingly long break (Thursday? RAAUGH I can't wait that long!!!) between games, I figure I might as well breakdown the bejesus out of this series. So I'll chop it up into a few digestible chunks, starting with the netminders:

Marty Turco vs. Chris Osgood/the rotting corpse of Dominik Hasek

If this were just NHL '08 (why can't everything in life be NHL '08, honestly?) then it would be an easy call to choose Marty Turco. And although Turco has had his catcallers and doubters when it comes to big game performances, few goalies in the history of the NHL have received more semi-unfair abuse than Chris Osgood.

Note: I know that Osgood let up an infamous goal back in the mid-90s, one of those career-defining gaffes. But I cannot remember what team it was against and YouTube seems to only have positive Osgood clips. But then I realized that Osgood would live on in YouTube immortality for the Roy fight, not that gaffe:

*Sigh* Simpler times. Scott Burnside did a solid little breakdown of the series on ESPN:

"Osgood leads the league with a 1.52 goals-against average and a third-best .937 save percentage. Turco has a 1.73 GAA and .929 save percentage."

But there are some disturbing statistics that Burnside overlooked, and they paint an interesting picture that makes you wonder if the Red Wings are in Turco's head. Stars fans might want to burn their eyes or at least look away from the screen at these disturbing statistics:

"The former University of Michigan star is 2-10-5 lifetime against the Red Wings, which includes an 0-7-2 record in Detroit, where he has posted a 3.38 goals-against average and awful .882 save percentage."

Yikes. Still, there's no doubt that Turco is on Old Man Momentum's speed dial this year. Breaking the Stars' single playoff game record with 61 saves is the icing on his playoff redemption sundae.

No doubt about it, Chris Osgood has been putting up bananas numbers all year. But it's difficult to tell how much of that is chalked up to the luxury that is roving supercomputer on skates Nicklas Lidstrom making the right play basically every moment he's on the ice (not to mention the benefits of playing behind Mike Babbock's brilliant puck possession system). Still, Osgood is an experienced, solid goalie who won't lose the game/pull a Carey Price for his typically superior team.

Check out Osgood's scouting report (which includes an uncalled for potshot "has always had trouble with long shots") and see his expansive playoff experience. And you never know when the man with the Slinky Spine might come back from the dead again.

It's difficult to hate Osgood, especially considering the abuse he's faced over the years, but Turco has to be the pick as the top goalie in this series. Turco's world-class ability to play the puck gives a lot of teams fits and it might just be a skill that grants the Stars an occasional reprieve from the Red Wings collective hockey IQ.

It also doesn't hurt that he's had two tough series to really get his swagger back, while the Wings absolutely annihilated an Avalanche team that, let's face it, probably didn't deserve to be in the second round. Sometimes an easy series can be poison for a great team's rhythm.

There's basically two ways this goalie matchup can go: either both guys will have zero margin of error (good) or Turco will have to conjure the ghost of 2003 J.S. Giguere simply to keep the Stars from getting destroyed (bad). If it's more of the coin-flip-it's-anybody's-game variety, the Stars just might have a chance to make a few octopus-chucking hands clammy.

But this is the scariest, smartest Red Wings team since well before the lockout.

Goaltending Advantage: Stars.