Sports Logic

written by Shaun Deering

As the trade deadline nears, the NHL media always divides the league into two groups; the buyers and the sellers. The goal of the buyers is obvious; bolster their roster in hopes of winning the Stanley Cup. The sellers have a different goal however. Their goal is to acquire assets to help the team in the future.

Determining if the buyers ever achieve their goals is easy to do. You have to look at the names engraved on the Stanley Cup and that should be a pretty good starting point. What is harder to do is determine whether the sellers achieve their ultimate goal of getting better.

With talks of Florida trading Jay Bouwmeester in hopes of piling assets for him, the question was asked, “Do sellers ever really get a bounty for their star players at the deadline?” In the cap era, this has obviously become tougher. So since the 2005-06 season, here are some of the key players who have been traded at deadline time:

During the 2005-06 season, the key players available were Sergei Samsonov, Doug Weight and Mark Recchi. Oddly enough, all three of these players were traded to teams who made the Cup Finals, but what about the sellers?

The Boston Bruins traded Sergei Samsonov to the Edmonton Oilers for Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny and a 2nd round pick in 2006. Reasoner and Stastny were basically fillers until the end of the season, but that 2nd round pick turned into Milan Lucic. Some are comparing Lucic to Cam Neely, and has been a key cog in Boston becoming the best team in the Eastern Conference.

The St. Louis Blues traded Doug Weight to the Carolina Hurricanes for Jesse Boulerice, Mike Zigomanis, Magnus Kahnberg, a 1st round pick in 2006 (Patrick Berglund), a 4th round pick in 2006 (Reto Berra) and a 4th round pick in 2007 (Cade Fairchild). This trade is less effective in the turnaround of a franchise, but Berglund seems to be a decent NHL player, so all is not lost, unlike the next trade.

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded Mark Recchi to the Carolina Hurricanes for Niklas Nordgren, Krys Kolanos and a 2nd round pick in 2007. At the time, the deal made sense, since Recchi and Crosby weren’t exactly seeing eye to eye, according to reports. Also Krys Kolanos wasn’t a total bust by this point. Nordgren has played 58 NHL games for 6 points, Kolanos is a journeyman, and that 2nd round pick was traded away for more picks.

The 2006-07 trade deadline has been the most plentiful for sellers in the post lockout era. With names like Peter Forsberg, Keith Tkachuk and Ryan Smyth available, prices were at an all time high.

The Philadelphia Flyers traded Peter Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent, a 1st round pick in 2007 (Jonathon Blum) and a 3rd round pick in 2007. Upshall and Parent are NHL calibre players, albeit not top flight. Jonathon Blum was a member of the US team at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships, and the 3rd round pick was traded away in another deal. The deal helped the Flyers go from the worst overall team in 2006-07 to a Conference finalist in 2007-08.

The St. Louis Blues traded Keith Tkachuk to the Atlanta Thrashers for Glen
Metropolit, a 1st round pick in 2007 (Ian Cole), a 3rd round pick in 2007 (Brett Sonne), and a 2nd round pick in 2008 (Phil McRae). This trade was a move of desperation by the Thrashers, and I’m confident that if GM Don Waddell had his time back, this is one he wouldn’t have made. While it’s too early to tell if Cole, Sonne and McRae will become full time NHLers, it looks like 2 of the 3 are headed in the right direction. Cole and Sonne were members of the USA and Canada respectively in the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships.

The Edmonton Oilers traded Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders for Robert Nilsson, Ryan O’Marra and a 1st round pick in 2007 (Alex Plante). I wasn’t a fan of this move at the time, and felt it was a poor return for the heart and soul of the Oilers. My opinion hasn’t softened on that, but Robert Nilsson has become a top 6 forward in Edmonton. O’Marra may never be more than a minor league call-up and the jury is still out on Alex Plante.

In 2007-08, there was a definite shift in the mentality of the General Managers. Players last year weren’t being traded for just role players and picks. This was probably due to salary cap considerations, but sellers were now getting bonafide roster players for their assets.

The Buffalo Sabres traded Brian Campbell to the San Jose Sharks for Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick in 2008 (Tyler Ennis). The Sabres felt the need to get something for a pending unrestricted free agent after losing Daniel Briere and Chris Drury the previous year for nothing. So they picked up Steve Bernier, who suffered an injury early, and has since been dealt and Tyler Ennis, who seems to be well on his way into a Sabres jersey next season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist for Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern, and a 4th round pick in 2009. So, here’s a perfect case of a trade where both teams can get better instantly. Essentially this was a Richards for Smith deal since Holmqvist is out of the league, and Jokinen and Halpern have been placed on waivers. Smith however may be one of the top 5 goalies in the league, and Tampa should build around him, if their owners could stop meddling in the team.

The Atlanta Thrashers traded Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a 1st round pick in 2008 (Daultan Leveille). I’d like to tell you that the Thrashers improved their team with this trade, but any NHL fan knows that the Thrashers just can’t do anything to improve.

Written by Wayne Coristine

Professional sports are a bizarre animal. They create an incredible source of pride and ownership for the millions of fans around the world. When you break it down to individual teams, there are all sorts of fans: the casual fan, the bandwagon jumper, the hardcore fan, the incredibly knowledgeable fan and the complete homer.

The homer is the most recognizable of all fans. He tends to be the loudest; the kind who throws unbridled support behind anything and everything the team does or says in the media. They can also give a team or a city a bad rap. The homer is well-known for clinging to any-and-all past success the team had, and use them as their trump card in any argument…even though those successes generally have little or nothing to do with the current edition of their teams.

Another problem with homerism is how much these fans value and devalue certain players on their team, often based solely on what the local broadcasts, papers and even the team makes public. The homer fan is generally quick to jump all over any player that spends any time in the coach’s doghouse and cries for that player to be sent out of town; often offering up trade scenarios that border on ridiculous.

If the homers get their wish, the team trades the scapegoat player, and he immediately plays better with his new team, homers are quick to denounce how bad that deal was and how the team never should have moved that player. The homer fan is a strange breed…they want it both ways and never acknowledge any of their hypocrisies.

I’m not saying loyalty to your favourite team is wrong, far from it. But there is a fine line between being a loyal fan and complete and utter bias. The best sports conversations are between people who have a balanced view on most of the teams in the league. With the bevy or sports channels and nationally broadcast games available, plus websites that allow you to watch virtually any game imaginable, more sports fans should take the opportunity and watch out of market teams. Watching the out-of-market teams not only allows you to see how good players throughout the game are, it’s actually a great barometer of what your team has to offer.

No matter who you cheer for, watching other teams a game or two before they play your team let’s you understand what your team is in for, who to watch and who to exploit. It gets you more into the game and makes you feel almost like an armchair scout.

Sports fans are nothing if they’re not entertaining. I’m not against cheering for your favourite team; everyone does it. It just makes for better conversation and debate when fans are able to criticize their favourite team and players positively and negatively. A more balanced view of the game makes for a more knowledgeable – and tolerable – sports fan.

written by Shaun Deering

The Olympics are only one year away. With every Tom, Dick, and Jane giving their picks for who should be on the Men’s Hockey team, I figured I would throw my hat into the ring. So far I have seen Mike Brophy leave Joe Thornton off the team, and I have seen Sportsnet somehow omit Shea Weber. So if the Canadian Olympic Committee had accepted my application for GM, here’s what the team would look like.

Forward Line 1

Rick Nash – Joe Thornton – Jarome Iginla
I don’t know if there is a better pure passer in the NHL than Joe Thornton, and with a sniper on either side the goals could be plenty for this line. That is provided Iginla remembers how to bury the puck into an open net, which he forgot last night.

Forward Line 2

Dany Heatley – Sidney Crosby – Vincent Lecavalier
This is not so much a 2nd line as it is a 1A. Getzlaf is playing out of position, but with the quality of centers on this team, moving him to the wing is out of necessity. As with line 1, Crosby has a weapon on either side, and again, it’s provided Heatley gets his game back.

Forward Line 3

Simon Gagne – Marc Savard – Ryan Getzlaf
Getzlaf may be playing on a “lower” line, but it’s a line that can work at both ends of the ice. All 3 guys are responsible enough on the defensive side to play against the other skilled lines, but still have the potential to put the puck in the net. In an ideal situation, they could control the puck and wear the skilled lines down.

Forward Line 4

Derek Roy – Mike Richards – Shane Doan
Roy is a bit of a dark horse here, but of the remaining guys on my list, he is probably best suited for a 4th line checking role. Doan was one of the few guys who showed up to play four years ago in Turin and he deserves this spot based on his play in Phoenix this season.

13th Forward

Jonathan Toews
Sadly there is no room at the inn for JT on this team. He’s a center, and a responsible defender, so I think sending him as a “just in case” is not a bad move. Plus it grooms the next generation, hopefully for 2014 in Russia.

Defensive Pair 1

Chris Pronger – Mike Green
Mike Green will never be mistaken for a shut down defenseman. He is a PP specialist and a goal scoring machine. While his skating is well above average, if he gets caught pinching, Canada will need a smart defenseman to back him up. Insert Chris Pronger.

Defensive Pair 2

Shea Weber – Dion Phaneuf
Pierre Maguire will be in hockey heaven if this pairing actually happens. And if they find themselves on the ice with Mike Richards at any point, he may go into cardiac arrest. The reason for this pairing is obvious; their chemistry during the 2003 and 2004 World Junior Hockey Championships was unmatched. Oh, and they both could have been Calgary Flames, but Darryl Sutter drafted Tim Ramholt ahead of Weber in round 2 in the 2003 draft.

Defensive Pair 3

Duncan Keith – Robyn Regehr
As with all good teams, there needs to be a shutdown pair, and here they are. Regehr is probably the best shutdown defensemen in the league, but he has absolutely no offensive upside, so he tends to get overlooked. Duncan Keith is a plus/minus machine. Even on a horrible Blackhawks team in 2007-08, Keith was a +30. The combination of Keith’s skating and Regehr’s ability to cut down angles will be a tough nut to crack for any skilled lines they may face.

7th Defenseman

Scott Niedermayer
Admittedly I flip-flopped on this pick. Jay Bouwmeester is the sexy pick right now because he is the darling of the trade deadline, but realistically Niedermayer is better suited for this role. Niedermayer could be plugged into any of the 6 spots above and be effective, which is why I chose him. Plus, the way he has been playing the last six weeks cannot be overlooked. He looks like himself for the first time since he hoisted the Cup in 2007.

Goaltending

Roberto Luongo
Let’s not kid ourselves; the starting job is Luongo’s to lose. The Olympics are in Vancouver, and people actually expect Brodeur to start? Luongo will start, and barring the unforeseen, finish the Olympics in net.

Martin Brodeur
This will be Brodeur’s last kick at the can, and he will do it while wearing a ball cap. He will probably get 1, maybe 2 games in this Olympics. Again, barring an injury, or poor play, Brodeur is the backup.

Steve Mason
Just like Toews, the new breed needs to be brought along, and Mason is the most likely candidate to be the next great Canadian goalie. I’d almost be tempted to put him in the net for a game against Norway or something, just to get his feet wet.

written by Shaun Deering

All day yesterday I had been researching the New York Rangers for a blog about why they are struggling. So what do the Rangers do last night? They win and take the wind out of those sails. But when one door closes, a new, some would say more interesting door opens.

As I was watching the Montreal vs. Edmonton game last night, struggling to find an answer to what’s wrong with the Canadiens, a thought came into my head. On a whim, I checked the history of teams who finish first overall in the Eastern Conference, and also the history of teams who represent the East in the Stanley Cup Finals. The results were a little surprising.

Let’s go on a journey back to a time when teams could spend freely, 35 year olds were prime free agents, and a young Darren Dreger wasn’t a mindless robot on TSN.

In 2000-01 the New Jersey Devils finished first overall and also represented the East in the Cup Finals. The following season they did so well, they fired their coach half way through the year and finished 6th in the East. You want to know the scary part? With the exception of one team, 6th place is the best any team has placed when finishing first overall or winning the East the following season.

In 2001-02, Boston finished first overall and Carolina represented the East in the Finals. The following season, Boston finished 7th, and were ousted in the first round. The same could not be said for the Hurricanes however. They finished a respectable 15th in the East, which some people call “last place.”

In 2002-03, the Senators were first overall, and the Devils represented the East in the Finals. The Devils actually won the Cup that year, and both teams went onto decent seasons the year after. Ottawa finished 5th in the East and New Jersey finished 6th, but both were ousted in the first round of the playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning dominated the East in the 2003-04 season on their way to a first overall finish, and a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. The following season, which was 2 years later (thanks Gary) they scraped into 8th place in the East and were golfing 6 games later.
Carolina won the Cup in 05-06 and promptly missed the playoffs the following season. Buffalo missed the playoffs in 07-08 after finishing first overall the year before

written by Shaun Deering


It has become a trend in the sports media in the past few years to stand on their soapbox and preach to the masses. I'm all for a guy voicing his opinion, which would probably explain why I am writing a sports blog, but what I really have a problem with is when people tell me what my opinion should be.


This has never been more the case than it is in 2009. I'd never really paid much attention to Bob McKenzie during my younger years, so I can't speak to whether he was preachy then, or if this is a new, far more annoying version. His mantra over the past couple of seasons has been the elimination of "head shots" in the NHL, and has spoke so often on the topic that I almost had to grab a bucket when I typed it. But Bob McKenzie is far from the lone offender on this topic.


The main offender, or should I say offenders are a couple of gentlemen, who appear on the Fan590 radio station in Toronto and simulcast on Rogers Sportsnet. I speak of Bob McCown and Jim Kelley. It's been about 4 years since I discovered Prime Time Sports, and admittedly I do like the show. My problem is that McCown, who admittedly hates the game of hockey, yet wrote a book devoted to the topic, will not turn down the opportunity to knock the game. He has a know it all approach, even while interviewing people who have spent their lives in the game, and refuses to listen to anything they have to say unless it is in agreement with his opinion. As I said above, I can still tolerate McCown, but his refusal to listen to anything but the sound of his own voice is grating, and has me reaching for the mute button. His sidekick however, has me reaching for a keyboard to put him in his place.


Jim Kelley is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the writers' wing. That fact alone makes me wonder if I can get in the HHoF by filling out an application form with my $50 admission fee. He also moonlights as a writer for sportsnet.ca, and his articles vary in tone from critical to straight up morbid. Here's a guy who has made his living on the sweat and broken bones of hockey players, and he never has a good word to say about anybody. I have frequented the comments section of his articles, but what I really want to say would never make it by the sportsnet.ca censors. But I don't see any censors around here, so even though he will never read it, here's what I want to say to Jim Kelley, Hall of Fame writer.


Dear Jim,


Do you go to bed every night and thank the players who have given you a career in print media? I've read your articles and it's obvious to me that you didn't get this far on your talent alone. There's some sort of irony involved in the fact that you find it sick when a player gets hurt in a fight, but you have no qualms about exploiting the death of a human being to further your own crusade. I've listened to you ramble and stammer over your words for months on end now about how the NHL needs to clean up their game, yet the product on the ice has never been better. Why would the league tamper with a formula that works to appease a guy whose claim to fame is getting bitchslapped by Dominik Hasek? On behalf of myself and the 75% of hockey fans who want to keep fighting in the game, shut your mouth and go cover competitive knitting.


Sincerely,

Shaun Deering