“I took a week and a bit off after playing in the ‘A’ (AHL),” Ellis said this past May at the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Awards Ceremony. “Just kind of relaxed, went up to the cottage and I just started my training regimen in the summer and I’m looking forward to a little time off as well as off-season training.”

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The 2009 first-round draft choice reached new personal summits in 2010-11 with the Windsor Spitfires when he was named the OHL Mickey Renaud Captain’s Award winner, top defenceman in the OHL, CHL and World Junior Championship, player of the year in both the OHL and CHL, and an OHL and World Junior Championship All Star.  He finished with 313 career points, third highest among all OHL defencemen in history.  He also captained Team Canada at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, winning a second consecutive silver medal to go with the gold he won in 2009.

Ellis paused to consider his accomplishments and place in major junior history.

“I talked to my old coach Bob Boughner yesterday.  I think it’s just icing on the cake.   We had a great season this year and we went a lot further than a lot of people expected.   I think, just personally for myself, after four years in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires, these two awards are just something on the top and I’m very honoured to get them.”

He was humbled to have his name etched on the CHL Defenceman of the Year Award noting “the pretty big names on that list. I think to be in the company of not just those defencemen but the other players that have won it in previous years is very exciting.   I think going on to pro hockey next year, it’s kind of, like I said, just icing on the cake to sum it all up.”

Ellis gave credit to his first high school hockey coach, Paul Hanley, of the Waterdown District High School Warriors, for motivating him to always give his best effort.

“It’s to always care and to always have the drive to win.   Obviously high school hockey at the time was just kind of more fun for me than anything serious but he always promoted everyone coming with their ‘A’ game and wanting to win, no matter if it was high school, house league, OHL, NHL.  I think that was the biggest thing – always wanting to win, just having that drive at every aspect of any level is key.”

After Windsor’s drive for three straight Memorial Cups ended in the third round of the OHL playoffs in late April, Ellis signed an amateur try-out contract with the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s AHL affiliate.  In his first seven professional playoff games, Ellis scored a goal and an assist.

“It was a great experience.  I had a lot of fun there and I did pretty well for myself.  It was a different experience.  I wasn’t used to joining a team at the end of a year.  It was definitely a big step there.   I think going there in the thick of the playoffs and getting used to playoff speed was a great start for me in pro hockey,” Ellis reflected, reviewing his cup of coffee in Milwaukee.  ”Everyone treated me very well. I played a lot more than I expected to.   I played some key spots which I think was pretty exciting,” he continued, perhaps referring to his goal on the power play in Game 6 of the West Division Final against Houston.

Ellis stated that the biggest lesson he learned in Milwaukee was “just the fact that you must get bigger and stronger for the jump to the AHL or the NHL.”  Just 5’10″ and 179 lbs., scouts have often been skeptical about his viability as an NHL-calibre defenceman.  He chuckled when the topic of his small size came up again.  ”No, I think I’m over that.  I still get those questions once in a while but I’m so far past anything like that.  I’m more confident and things like that aren’t even in my rear view anymore.”

In his third pre-season camp with Nashville, Ellis has hopes of joining Shea Weber and Ryan Suter on the Preds’ blue line but remains even-keeled and would not view a return trip to Milwaukee as a disappointment.  ”I think the AHL is a great way to earn your way to an NHL team. I think if that’s in the cards for me, then I’ll relish in that role and go there, try to do my best and hopefully work my way to pro hockey.”

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At the 58th NHL All Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina yesterday afternoon, Team Lidstrom/Penguins’ starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was, as expected, abandoned by his defencemen and humiliated, giving up the first 4 goals of the game on the first 9 shots he faced.  Meanwhile Team Staal/Penguins’ defenceman Kris Letang flourished, scoring twice on 3 shots.  His first goal made the game 6-4 when he snapped the puck from the high slot over the blocker of Anaheim netminder Jonas Hiller to complete a great triangular passing play with Alex Ovechkin and Daniel Sedin.  His second goal gave Team Staal its last lead, 8-7, when he found the puck just above the crease and whipped it by Boston’s Tim Thomas.

Opportunities to cheer, indeed.

It struck me this afternoon that the All Star Game is really a vehicle for fans in every pocket of the continent to cheer for their favourite “home team” players, exhorting them to create one fleeting memorable moment on a nationally televised stage.  Quite likely, Shea Weber, Rick Nash, David Backes and Erik Karlsson will not be seen on national television again this season but for one afternoon, their fans in Nashville, Columbus, St. Louis and Ottawa cheered when these All Stars touched the puck.

In the same way that this writer applauded in Toronto concurrently with fans in Pittsburgh and wherever else Penguins’ fans are found when Letang scored his two goals, no one will forget the enthusiasm written on the faces of the Carolina crowd and their prolonged cheers when Hurricanes’ captain Eric Staal tied the score 7-7 on an early third period breakaway goal.  They roared again with 34 seconds left in the game when his second goal pulled Team Staal to within one of Team Lidstrom.

My version of Team Lidstrom went head-to-head against Team Staal, captained by fellow blogger Jana Kimmel. We drafted players on Saturday morning. Adrian won 25-14. Jana immediately called for a rematch in the 2012 All Star Game.

It is incidental that Staal’s second marker was the final goal of the game and his squad fell 11-10 to Team Lidstrom.  Rather, each hockey fan will remember one or more frozen moments likely related to a favourite player.  Nashville will remember Weber’s 4 assists, +6 and his mano-a-mano with Zdeno Chara in the Hardest Shot contest on Saturday.  Los Angeles will remember the slick stick-handling and moves of Anze Kopitar who scored twice.  Colorado will remember Matt Duchene’s game-tying breakaway goal in the first period and will hiss at the memory of Alex Ovechkin throwing his stick at Duchene’s stick in the third to avert another breakaway, producing the first-ever All Star Game penalty shot.

Dallas will remember Loui Eriksson scoring the winning goal into an empty net to complete a 2-goal, 2-assist performance though perhaps no one outside Texas noticed.  After all, Eriksson was named the “most underrated player” in an NHLPA poll disclosed on Sunday.  Still other fans will remember other moments.  Boston will remember the oddity and long odds of Tim Thomas becoming the first goaltender to win three straight All Star Games.  When Team Lidstrom scored its second goal, the puck went from Duncan Keith to Patrick Kane to Dustin Byfuglien – two Blackhawks to a Thrasher.  But while Atlanta was cheering for that goal, scored by its lone All Star, fans in Chicago were simultaneously smiling and saying to each other, “Remember last spring …”

Long after the All Star logos are removed from the RBC Center in Raleigh, these memories will remain.  Two decades from now, there will be a Carolina resident who will point to yesterday’s game as the day when a lifelong passion for hockey was ignited and will describe in great detail the play that created Staal’s breakaway goal.  The enthusiasm will be identical to the Pittsburgher who can recall Mario Lemieux’s four-goal game on home ice at the All Star Game in 1990 or an Edmontonian who can bittersweetly remember Wayne Gretzky returning to Northlands Coliseum in 1989 as an All Star, wearing a Los Angeles Kings’ sweater.

Further: Ray Bourque scoring in the final minute before his home Boston crowd to lift the Eastern All Stars over the West in 1996 and the following year, Shark Owen Nolan bringing the house down in San Jose when he pointed at the net before firing the puck past Dominik Hasek to complete a hat trick.  Dany Heatley scoring 5* goals in a losing cause in 2003 at Florida – a record-tying 4 goals in regulation then one more in the first-ever All-Star shootout.

Ultimately, the score of these Games are meaningless.  The All Star Game exists for one reason: to create moments that are memorable and indelible.

The Hawks are tied with the Thrashers with 53 third period goals against. Atlanta has played one extra game but neither club can be proud of their ominous distinction. 

Possibly it is a question of poor conditioning which causes errors late in the game by the Hawks. Tired players do make more mistakes. Or maybe there isn’t enough desire put forth throughout 60 minutes of play. Whatever the reason, a two goal third period lead can’t be squandered, especially against a team which has trouble scoring. The Hawks did some good things but bad the finishes must stop. 

The Nashville first goal came as a result of a weak effort from Jonathan Toews and others. But at least Toews was near the play although his late stick waving was futile. Patrick Kane appeared as if he was trying to tow a boat while skating behind the play. Mr. Kane was almost completely out of the picture when the Nashville goal went by Corey Crawford. Kane was only on the ice for 33 seconds but it looked as if he was out there for at least 1:33. 

Toews hasn’t looked very good since Chris Neil pounded him shortly after his return to action. Maybe Toews rushed back and still is nursing a sore shoulder.

Kane’s sluggish play at times??….You can draw your own conclusions.

The tying goal may have come about by a poor decision from a linesman. The preceding faceoff before the goal maybe should have been outside of the Hawks’ zone. But that wasn’t the real problem. 

Shea Weber accounts for much of the Predator offense and he scored on a set play which should have been better defended. 

The Preds notched their second tally because Toews didn’t cleanly win the faceoff, although that was not the biggest issue. Duncan Keith being outbattled for a 50-50 puck was a bigger problem. As a result the Preds were able to get the puck to the point and then the pass from Ryan Suter to Weber wasn’t sealed off. Troy Brouwer made a half hearted effort to block the Weber shot. That’s not a shock as Weber is an ankle breaker. Jake Dowell was caught flat footed as well, as the Hawks finish held true to form. 

There wasn’t enough determination and desperation shown on that play and throughout the third period. 

Nothing short of a regulation win tonight should be acceptable. Nashville will be playing their fourth game in six nights. The Predators have a weak offense when everyone is playing and now they have a depleted lineup. No excuses for the Blackhawks.

I’m not sure what Joel Quenneville will decide. My choice would be to come right back with Crawford. He was sharp again and gives the Hawks the best chance of winning.

We will find out soon if the Hawks can muster up a sufficient response. 

Al’s Shots 

Below is an audio link from a Blackhawk discussion with Jamie Shalley and Terry Mercury. Jack Skille and the Preds were discussed as well as other Hawk issues. Terry’ s concerns were similar to Hawk fans.

Cimaglia11-01-13 part 1

Cimaglia11-01-13 part 2

Predator fans should be pumped up with the come from behind shootout victory. I’m not sold on the Preds being a playoff team and my feelings are similar on the Hawks.

There is a lot of hockey left and it has been a strange season….Time will tell.

Nashville has shown more desire when facing the Blackhawks this season. The same can be said about other teams and that is a major concern for the Hawks.

One final note…

Viktor Stalberg made a couple of bad turnovers in the opening period.

Another repeat performance and Stalberg could be looking at some time off.

They say it’s best to go out on a high note. John Elway did it. Very few others have.

In my case, some probably think I should stay away from predictions from this point forward.

Prior to the puck dropping on last season, I perfectly called the Kings finishing in sixth place (link is here for you Doubting Thomases). Most thought I was crazy for even thinking that at the time, as the mainstream hockey media had the Kings sneaking in around 8th…if they even made the playoffs at all.

Boy have times changed. The Kings are one of the trendy picks coming into this season. It’s hard to believe, yet some even have them winning the Stanley Cup this year. Now, I’m not going to go that far (just yet).

However, after carefully reading the tea leaves, consulting with Sylvia Browne and having my palm read on Venice Beach yesterday, I’m ready. Below are my predictions for the 2010-11 season.

Western Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings

What if… they experience a rash of injuries again, like last season?  Will that be enough to finally clip the playoff wings of the infamous Detroit hockey club?  I doubt it.  They showed last year that you can basically run this team over with a Mac truck and they’ll still find a way to post 100 points.  Jimmy Howard is rock solid.  The defense is always strong.  They should be healthier than they were in the first half last year and they added Mike Modano.  He’s motivated to prove he wasn’t done yet.  I’d put him on my third line any day of the week and twice on Sunday gameday.

2.  Vancouver Canucks

What if… their new defense isn’t as strong as last year’s version?  It’s possible.  It’s also possible that Sedin #1 doesn’t play the same with Sedin #2 back in the line-up.  It’s also possible that Luongo spends the year looking more like the goalie he did in that 8-3 shellacking in LA last year than the goalie he was at the Olympics.  Any of those is certainly possible, but not probable.  If the Red Wings slide at all, the Canucks will be there to take the top spot in the West.

3.  San Jose Sharks

What if… they hadn’t signed Niemi?  Would they have still won the Pacific Division this year?  I’m not so sure about that.  That move (call it luck) gave them just a tiny advantage here.  I’m also not sure about Joe Thornton as the captain of this team.  Nearly everybody in that locker room likes to talk about there being a group of leaders on this team, not just a single person.  I’m not sure I buy it.  Yes, they win – a lot of regular season games.  But, who is the leader of this team?  Who is going to put the team on his back when they’re up against the wall?  Who knows, mark it down as TBA.

4.  Los Angeles Kings

What if… Dean Lombardi adds a high-end piece to the puzzle sometime between opening night and the trading deadline?  Well, last year I said they could finish higher than sixth place if he added such a player.  He didn’t and they finished right where I thought.  That’s not a criticism, just an observation.  Entering this year, I have a similar feeling.  Right now, they should finish in fourth.  If Lombardi tweaks the roster in a significant way, this group will challenge the Sharks…and probably overtake them for the Pacific Division.  Seeing the Kings finish the year in second place overall is not out of the question.

5.  Chicago Blackhawks

What if… there wasn’t a salary cap?  Well, then this team would be a one or two seed.  There is, so they aren’t.  I get that the core is still there.  But, I’m a high character guy.  They’ve lost their grit – or, I think we’re supposed to call it sandpaper these days.  The defense enters the year banged up too.  I’m high on Marty Turco too.  That will help.  However, can he get it done at this point in his career?  Overall, they enter the season with too many questions to slot in higher than fifth.  By March though, I expect this to be a completely different team than the one playing in October.

6.  Nashville Predators

What if… this team actually had money to spend?  From the goal out, they look solid…until you get up front.  Between the pipes, Pekka Rinne could be the most under appreciated goalie in the league.  If you want a young defensive pairing to rival the Kings’ Doughty and Johnson, look no further than Ryan Suter and Shea Weber (also a Can-Am duo).  It’s the scoring that worries me.  Last year they only had two players post more than 20 goals (Patrick Horqvist and Martin Erat) – both are right wingers.  Where is their big center?  Jason Arnott left and Matthew Lombardi came over from Phoenix.  That’s not enough to move them higher than sixth place.  They’ll still win plenty of games though due to their goaltending and defense.  They’re the tweener team in the West.  Not good enough to be part of the top five, clearly better than all the teams below them.

7.  St. Louis Blues

What if… Montreal didn’t trade Jaroslav Halak to the Blues?  Then St. Louis may be on the outside looking in this year.  Like nearly every year, seeds 7-10 are almost interchangeable.  The addition of Halak (Bernier’s former teammate in juniors) should be enough to help a Blues team poised for a bounce back year.  They’ve lost Kariya and Tkachuk, both veterans who were on the downside of their scoring peaks.  Their young talent continues to develop at a steady pace.  However, to make some noise in the second half of the season, they’ll need a breakout star.  Any team being led in points by Andy McDonald probably doesn’t strike fear in the teams listed above.

8.  Phoenix Coyotes

What if… GM Don Maloney was able shop at Saks, instead of KMart?  As has been written everywhere, the loss of Zbynek Michalek will hurt this team.  Losing Lombardi will also probably hurt the Coyotes more than it will help the Blues.  Adding Eric Belanger will help here more than most realize.  He is among the best face-off guys in the league, probably top three.  Even though he probably won’t score 30 goals, the ones he does put in the net are usually timely.  Finally, any team with Ilya Bryzgalov in net has a fighting chance each team they take the ice.  Here’s a what if… What if they never picked him up off waivers from the Ducks?

9.  Calgary Flames

What if… somebody could actually explain them bringing back Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay?  If so, it might be a little easier to get a read on this team.  Their goaltending is probably the only difference maker placing them a notch ahead of the next few teams to follow. Their offense is still highly questionable though.  Which is probably the difference maker when it comes to them not making the playoffs.

10.  Colorado Avalanche

What if… this team hadn’t gotten off to such a hot start last year?  People wouldn’t even be talking about this group as a playoff team this year.  Yes, Matt Duchene is an incredible young talent.  And sure, one of their executives wanted to bend my ear in Vegas last weekend about guys like Phillippe Dupuis and Brandon Yip.  However, they don’t have a true stud on defense and I’m not sold on Craig Anderson in net.  That said, it is a contract year for Anderson.  So, perhaps, he’ll perform better than projected.

11.  Anaheim Ducks

What if… they actually had some defense?  They might challenge for a playoff spot.  Maybe.  They gave up 243 goals last year, only one better than Dallas in the Pacific and only good enough for 22nd in a 30 team league.  I see nothing they’ve done in the off-season to make them significantly better.  If Cam Fowler is the second coming of Drew Doughty, maybe.  If Temmu or Koivu start to show their age, maybe not.

12.  Dallas Stars

What if… Brenden Morrow played on a more visible team?  He’d be one of the top-10 superstars in this league.  A pure warrior, similar to Jeremy Roenick of a generation earlier.  Steve Ott is highly underrated as well.  Brad Richards is playing for a huge contract next summer.  Those are the positives.  On the flip side, the goaltending is probably middle of the pack – much like this team.  Behind the bench they’re lead by Marc Crawford.  And that’s never a good thing.

13.  Edmonton Oilers

What if… this was the 2013-14 and not 2010-11 season?  Then, the Oilers would be solidly in the playoffs.  This is a team on the rise.  They have so much young talent it’s almost hard to keep track of it all.  If they had a goaltender in their system that was capable of rising up with a Calder-like season, then it wouldn’t be such a stretch to see them challenge for a playoff spot this year (that’s right, I said it).  However, they don’t have that player, nor the defensive depth just yet.  This may be one of the most exciting teams to watch this season.  But, the playoffs are not within their grasp.

14.  Minnesota Wild

What if… GM Chuck Fletcher was allowed to bring Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin over with him when he joined the Wild, after three years in Pittsburgh?  The answer is obvious, they’d be a much better team.  Neither happened, just like the Wild won’t even be close to the playoffs.  Like every team on the outside looking in, you can point to positives.  Here, it’s the goaltending.  Similarly, you can’t point out obvious holes.  The Wild have so many, they could be called the Minnesota Cheese.

15.  Columbus Blue Jackets

What if… Rick Nash took over and played like the true superstar he should be?  Well, it would be nice to finally see.  He has the potential to be a top-5 offensive threat in the National Hockey League.  However, it still wouldn’t be enough.  This team is in real bad shape.  And probably will be for several years to come.  If you can actually name more than five players on their roster, you need to get out of the house more.

There you have it.  Agree or disagree?

Just please bookmark for later.  There will be a review in six months.

What if… I’m right, again?

The Mayor
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The playoff battle which many thought would be over the quickest will go seven games. The Red Wings will look to regroup and win in Phoenix. It may take a bit more than regrouping as Jimmy Howard will have to be better and the Wings will have to limit their turnovers.

The San Jose Sharks are enjoying a break after disposing of the Avalanche in six games.

Tonight the Blackhawks will try to keep the momentum from Game 5 and jump on the Predators early and often.

Nashville loyalists aren’t happy with the final outcome from Saturday and are not thrilled with Marian Hossa avoiding suspension. It is easy to get emotional but the Predators have only their lack of effective play at the most crucial time in the game to blame.

If they lose the series Nashville will go down infamy.

They are the only team during the playoffs to allow an opponent to tie the score in the last minute of play while shorthanded. It was also interesting three of the same Predators were on the ice for the last two Chicago scores.

Shea Weber, Jason Arnott and Martin Erat will replay those costly moments over and over this summer if Nashville can’t rebound.

The Preds are looking for their boisterous fans to help make the difference tonight. The Bridgestone Arena was sold out (17,113) for Game 4, and should be packed tonight.

Simply put this contest will hinge upon which team can play the most consistent hockey.

The Hawks have to avoid penalties….Doesn’t Nashville have to score at least one power play goal in this series?

Not to put the cart before the horse but it is important for Chicago to close out the Predators tonight.

The Canucks high powered offense will be a problem to deal with and allowing them to rest longer probably won’t slow them down.

If the Hawks defensive zone coverage doesn’t improve tonight, and in the next series if they do advance they are on borrowed time most likely anyway.

The good news for Hawk fans is they haven’t seen the best from their favorite team.

Maybe, just maybe the best is yet to come.

Al’s Shots

In my Sirius/XM Ice Cap interview on Sunday, Patrik Hornqvist’s injury woes were discussed.

I said he is a big loss for Nashville because of his size and ability to play in high traffic areas.

A more accurate statement would have been Hornqvist plays bigger than his size. He is only about six feet tall.

Regardless he is the Predator player who does score on the power play and his loss has made a difference. We will see if he will return tonight.

On Saturday Corey Crawford was recalled from Rockford.

The Ice Hogs season ended Friday night and Stan Bowman wasted no time getting Crawford to Chicago.

If Antti Niemi would suffer an injury during a game, he would be replaced by Cristobal Huet.

But if the man from France was invisible as in his last start in Columbus, don’t think for a second Crawford wouldn’t be used if Niemi was seriously injured.

I would have thought Kyle Beach and a few others would have been called up from Rockford to serve as ‘black aces’, but not as of yet. The Hawks are probably going to do so if they advance.

Beach scored two goals in the Ice Hogs Friday night loss.

There are no lineup changes expected for tonight.

But Joel Quenneville will quickly change linemates if things aren’t going to plan.

Below is the Ice Cap audio link with Terry and Norm from last night.

We discussed the Hossa non-suspension, Game 5 and Game 6, and the high expectations for the Hawks.

Attachment: cimaglia 25th.mp3 (17873k bytes) Open

Double click on OPEN only.

Stream this audio by clicking on the blue play button below:

Regardless, today Chicago is a Blackhawk town. 

Bulls faithful may disagree but judging from attendance figures, TV ratings and retail shelf space the Hawks are strides ahead in popularity. The only way it would quickly change is if LeBron or Kobe suddenly made the United Center their home. 

This spring is also different for the Blackhawks. 

This time around Hawk players aren’t overjoyed by making the playoffs as expectations have been ramped up since they were eliminated from the post season by the Red Wings last May.  There is a feeling in Chicago this could be the start of a special playoff run, but caution is in the air. 

The previous time the NHL participated in the Olympics all top four seeds in the Western Conference were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs. That year the eighth seed, the Edmonton Oilers advanced only to lose in the Stanley Cup finals to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

It wouldn’t be impossible for the Blackhawks to be upset by the Nashville Predators, although it should be highly unlikely. As long as the Hawks pay attention to details it should only be a matter of when, not if they eliminate the Predators and advance. 

But if the Hawks are careless with the puck, take bad penalties, have poor line changes or get frustrated by the Predators tight checking they could lose the series. 

The Hawks are very good but there are no unbeatable teams. No one should be shocked by playoff upsets this season. 

As highlighted in a recent Chicago Tribune article by Chris Kuc, the Hawks are well aware of upset possibilities.

Hockey fans have already seen an abundance of road teams able to win the opening playoff game. 

On paper the Predators are not very impressive. 

They finished 24^th in power play effectiveness, 28^th in penalty killing and their goal differential is zero. Nashville’s strength is on defense as their top three defenders are among the best in the Conference. They have a great coach and a very good goalie. Beyond all else Nashville knows how to win. 

Rather than focus on Shea Weber, Ryan Suter or any other Nashville player the Blackhawks have to take care of their own business. 

If ever there was a time to start a goal keeper without post season experience this would be the year. About half of the playoff goal keepers have little if any post season experience. Both Antti Niemi and Pekka Rinne fall into that category. 

Niemi needs to be good and maybe even win a game on his own versus Nashville. But more than anything else he must not be the cause of a loss. The Blackhawks can’t use Niemi’s lack of playoff experience as a reason for losing to Nashville.  

Actually for this series there are no acceptable excuses for Chicago. 

Although the Predators are healthier than the Blackhawks it shouldn’t matter. Chicago is still the deeper, faster, more skillful team and as long as they play effective hockey they will advance. 

The same could be said for most of the higher seeds in the Western Conference and as we all know upsets routinely happen. The teams which will advance are those that can play consistently well and have the most will to win. 

In the playoffs, many times winning clubs are not the most talented on paper but those who pay the best attention to details. 

Al’s Shots

Hawk forwards can’t get frustrated by the officiating, Nashville will be hanging on. 

It took awhile but Jerry Reinsdorf finally negotiated a deal he couldn’t pass up. 

I’m not sure who said uncle the loudest, maybe it was the NHL or it could have been the city of Glendale. Not knowing ever detail of the transaction it appears Reinsdorf can’t lose and might be able to make a huge profit. 

The city of Glendale will cover his losses for the first five years and then they could take the team over if Reinsdorf wanted out. Glendale could then proceed to sell the franchise to the highest bidder. 

It appears if Reinsdorf stayed longer he would control any future sale of the team. 

In six or seven years the Coyotes could be worth a lot more than the $100 million Reinsdorf paid. By that time a new arena could be ready north of the border and the list of potential buyers could be a long one. 

Not knowing all the specifics of the sale, it does seem like the biggest loser could someday still be Coyote fans. 

Maybe the franchise can become profitable and stay in Arizona for an indefinite period of time. If not Coyote fans will probably not have a team to cheer for six or seven years from now. For now they will have to be content. 

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

Forwards

Patrice Bergeron, L’Ancienne-Lorette, Que. (Boston Bruins)
Sidney Crosby, Cole Harbour, N.S. (Pittsburgh Penguins) Alternate captain
Ryan Getzlaf, Regina, Sask. (Anaheim Ducks)
Dany Heatley, Calgary, Alta. (San Jose Sharks)
Jarome Iginla, St. Albert, Alta. (Calgary Flames) Alternate captain
Patrick Marleau, Aneroid Sask. (San Jose Sharks)
Brenden Morrow, Carlyle, Sask. (Dallas Stars)
Rick Nash, Brampton, Ont. (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Mike Richards, Kenora, Ont. (Philadelphia Flyers)
Corey Perry, Peterborough, Ont. (Anaheim Ducks)
Eric Staal, Thunder Bay, Ont. (Carolina Hurricanes)
Joe Thornton, St. Thomas, Ont. (San Jose Sharks)
Jonathan Toews, Winnipeg, Man. (Chicago Blackhawks)

Defence

Dan Boyle, Ottawa, Ont. (San Jose Sharks)
Drew Doughty, Ottawa, Ont. (LA Kings)
Duncan Keith, Penticton, B.C. (Chicago Blackhawks)
Scott Niedermayer, Cranbrook, B.C. (Anaheim Ducks) – Captain
Chris Pronger, Dryden, Ont. (Philadelphia Flyers) – Alternate captain
Brent Seabrook, Tsawwassen, B.C. (Chicago Blackhawks)
Shea Weber, Sicamous, B.C. (Nashville Predators)

Goalies

Roberto Luongo, Montreal, Que. (Vancouver Canucks)
Martin Brodeur, Montreal, Que. (New Jersey Devils)
Marc-Andre Fleury, Sorel, Que. (Pittsburgh Penguins)

- official roster posted HERE

While there were a few surprises when Steve Yzerman announced Team Canada’s 2010 entry into the Vancouver Olympics yesterday, the reality was that every single player selected to the roster was a viable candidate to represent Canada and while we can squabble over who was left off of the team, there’s no turning back now so we might as well get used to this lineup over the next 6 weeks as we get ready for the most anticipated Winter Games in history.

The deliberations were long and thought out and the group of men in charge of creating a winning team did their best to bring us, what they think, will be the best Hockey team in the world. Amen to that.

Canada is the money tree when it comes to hockey players and, although we lay claim to many records and winning teams, Canada always wins due to the strong work ethic that is instilled in young Canuck hockey players at the age of 3. Every single member of this Team Canada squad would hands down make any other roster submitted for the upcoming Olympic competition.

The reality is that Canada could very well have two elite squads participating in the Olympics. But that’s not how it works.

But if it did, this is how Pierre Lebrun of ESPN would have chosen Team Canada’s “B” Squad:

Forwards

Brad Richards
Ryan Smyth
Marc Savard
Vincent Lecavalier
Jeff Carter
Mike Cammalleri
Steven Stamkos
Martin St. Louis
Derek Roy
Jordan Staal
Dustin Penner
Mike Fisher
Patrick Sharp

Defensemen

Jay Bouwmeester
Mike Green
Dion Phaneuf
Stephane Robidas
Robyn Regehr
Dan Hamhuis
Francois Beauchemin

Goaltending

Cam Ward
Marty Turco
Carey Price

- For more of Pierre’s breakdown of Canada’s “Shadow Squad”, click here.

As interesting as it would be to see Mr. Lebrun’s team participate in the Games in Vancouver, that is obviously not a possibility.

What is certain is that with little to no practice time available for Team Canada, it is going to be up to the coaches and management to decipher which combinations will yield the greatest results.

So, with that in mind, let’s play the job of Mike Babcock and Steve Yzerman.

Below are my line combo’s as well as special team units, feel free to counter my lineup with one of your own.

Line 1:

Nash-Crosby-Iginla

- Crosby and Iginla…just seems right. Adding Rick Nash to Sid’s other wing could make this the most ferocious line in the tournament.

Line 2:

Staal-Getzlaf-Perry

- Eric Staal is a center, but he is also a left-handed shot and will provide an incredible compliment to one of the most solid duo’s in the NHL since the lockout. Staal will also compliment Getzlaf as a backup option at center, shoring up the line’s ability to win key face-offs. Oh yeah, and there’s all that offense…although Eric has had a slow start with a rocky Hurricanes team, his play of late has been nothing short of Olympian and it was clear to see why Stevie Y & co. chose the Thunder Bay native.

Line 3:

Marleau-Thornton-Heatley

- Yes, yes. This could very well be your first line, second line or the absolute best line in the tournament. They are, after all, the best line in the NHL this season. The versatility of this line will be in its ability to set the tone for Team Canada as well as provide them with 3 legitimate lines that could double as some of the strongest power play units ever assembled. Place this line wherever you want, the reality is that this is one combo that the coaches won’t have to worry about when it comes to chemistry.

Line 4:

Morrow-Richards-Bergeron/Toews

- Your ultimate checking line. Morrow is a solid two-way forward and may be the grittiest player on Team Canada. He will guide the trio of youngsters in Richards, Bergeron and Toews as they will combine to make Team Canada’s 4th line. With 3 centers on this line, it is plain to see that management focused on bringing in capable defensive minded forwards who can win key draws. Canada will not make the mistake of leaving their team vulnerable on the draw, so this 4th line will provide Coach Babcock with a tremendous arsenal of centermen.

Defense

1st Pairing:

Pronger-Boyle

- I personally would have loved to have seen a pairing of Pronger and Mike Green, but since Boyle proved the better offensive candidate to compliment Pronger(mainly because of his defensive awareness), it will be Danny boy skating with the nastiest defenseman in all of the tournament. The dynamic of the hard-hitting Pronger and smooth skating Boyle will force opponents to second guess their approach into Canada’s zone and will also force the opposition’s D-men to stay on their toes due to both Pronger and Boyle’s incredible ability to make brilliant stretch passes.

2nd Pairing:

Weber-Niedermayer

- Again, 1st or 2nd pairing, this combination of Shea Weber and Canada’s captain only makes sense. Weber is a younger version of Chris Pronger and given Chris and Scotty’s former chemistry with the Ducks, it’s a safe bet that if Neidermayer and Pronger do not end up as a regular combo that it will be Scott playing with Shea. Weber is an explosive hitter who possesses an incredible shot. Neidermayer, of course, is the ultimate defenseman, capable of performing every on-ice task that could be demanded from a premiere defender. Avoiding pairing Pronger and Neids together for awhile will help Canada have better balanced and quicker defensive pairings.

3rd Pairing:

Seabrook-Keith

- Although many people suggest that Seabrook got to ride Duncan Keith’s coat-tails onto Team Canada’s blue line, the truth is that the Tsawwasen, B.C. native is exactly what Babcock is looking for in a stable but dynamic 3rd pairing. Seabrook may lack in a few areas, but that can be made up by inserting Drew Doughty into the lineup occasionally.

Alternate:

Doughty

- Drew is the youngest member of Team Canada, but plays like a veteran. He, along with Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews will not necessarily be regular fixtures in Team Canada’s lineup in February, but they will play their fair share and will be relied upon to provide their team-mates with excellent play when they do get their shot. Doughty is phenomenal shooter and one of the most defensively aware D-men in the NHL. The scary part is that this is only Doughty’s second year as a Pro and yet, his play has not suffered one iota from a “sophomore slump”, but rather only improved. His selection basically to this team basically denotes how much the play of guys like Jay Bouwmeester and Dion Phaneuf has fallen off in the last 2 seasons. Both are still tremendously capable and would have made fine additions to Canada’s roster, but not compared to Doughty. Drew is likely being groomed to take on a “Scotty Neidermayer-like” role in the future for Team Canada which also makes his selection a logical move. He will learn and mature in leaps and bounds this February so LA Kings should be very grateful for what Steve Yzerman has done for their hope for the future!

Power Play:

Unit 1:

Nash-Getzlaf-Heatley

Pronger-Neidermayer

- This trio has been a lightning rod for success for Team Canada in the World Championships in the past and should/will scare the hell out of the opposition.

- As for your top PP duo, the logical choice would be to play it safe and go with the greatest chemistry offensive chemistry on your blue line.

Unit 2:

Staal-Crosby-Perry

Keith-Boyle

- Smooth skating and quick, this power play unit is chalked full of slick passing and sniper shooting. Many people may suggest that Corey Perry isn’t much of a sniper, but I beg to differ. Pairing Crosby with Perry will confuse opposing coaches as this unit will not be able to contained through physical play. Eric Staal is a sniper and a play-maker and would be the ultimate ‘front of the net’ player. Using his size and hands, Staal is magical in close and blocks a lot of the goaltender’s view. With Keith and Boyle manning the points, I expect the tic-tac-toes to fly.

Unit 3:

Marleau-Thornton-Iginla

Doughty-Weber

- Marleau and Thornton have a strong connection on the power play and Jarome Iginla is the most dominant power-forward on the roster. Capitalizing on Thornton’s incredible passing and Marleau’s pin point accuracy, it only makes sense to have someone like Jarome Iginla manning the high slot or causing absolute havoc in the crease. Doughty and Weber may be a bit ‘green’ for an Olympic power-play unit, but Weber is a rock on defense and Doughty’s blasts from the point make him an obvious candidate to see some power play time.

Ok, so the I mixed and matched a lot of the top lines to create some new(and old) PP combinations. One thing I tried to do was to stay away from repeating the same combinations as the regular lines. In order for Canada to keep their opposition on their toes at all times, I feel that it would only make sense to move players around based on their specialties.

Of course it is easy to start with this types of combinations because with so many dynamic pairings on the team already, the coaches can always revert back to the safety of some predetermined power play units. For example, playing the Marleau-Thornton-Heatley trio together would make tons of sense, if it didn’t already make a lot of sense to use them together as a regular line combination.

The same can be said for keeping Perry and Getzlaf together as well as using Nash-Crosby-Iginla as a power play unit, but, in the end, if my proposed mixed power play units didn’t work, they could always revert to that.

As for the D pairings, I feel that it would be wise to use Neidermayer and Pronger together on the top unit. They have the chemistry, leadership and responsibility to handle the load of playing on the top PP unit. Team Canada also boasts a secret weapon in terms of chemistry if they want to pair Getzlaf and Perry together with Neidermayer and Pronger as they won a Stanley Cup together.

Boyle and Keith offer a near complete contrast of what Pronger and Neidermayer bring to the table as they are all about puck control and management. Both are adept stick-handlers who boast a bag full of tricks. Both are spectacularly quick on their feet and can win almost any foot-race you could think of. They are accurate shooters, but most of all, they have incredible vision on the power play and will compliment a Power Play General like Sidney Crosby, perfectly.

Finally, pairing Doughty and Weber together is a way of including these two into the offensive mix. As I mentioned, Doughty is an up and coming offensive juggernaut. He has the shooting and passing instinct to make him a dangerous addition to a power play unit while Weber’s shot is even more powerful and frightening than Doughty’s. Both play large and do a great job of stepping up at their own line to shut a play down, something that is very condusive to helping the Team capitalize on turn-overs and their ability to create odd-man rushes.

Penalty Kill

Unit 1:

Morrow-Richards

Pronger-Neidermayer

- Morrow and Richards are perhaps the two best shutdown-power forwards in the game and will create an incredibly antagonistic combination. Richards and Pronger have chemistry playing in Philly together, while Neidermayer is just as impressive on the penalty kill as he is on the power play.

Unit 2:

Crosby-Bergeron

Keith-Seabrook

- Yes, Sidney is all about the offense, but he and Bergeron share a chemistry from back in their days of Gold Medals with Canada’s World Junior squad. Bergeron is a fierce defender and excellent face-off man so by playing two centermen together who boast prior chemistry simply shores up the PK. Keith and Seabrook share chemistry from their time in Chicago and, although Seabrook doesn’t necessarily figure into the power play plans, he will be key in helping keep the puck out of Canada’s net when they are down a man.

Unit 3:

Staal-Toews

Neidermayer-Weber

- These three youngsters all boast excellent defensive skills, so it would not surprise me to see Babcock give them the occasional chance to kill off penalties together under the careful watch of Team Canada captain Scott Neidermayer.

Expecting chemistry on the penalty kill is always the hardest thing to do as a coach and it always takes a fair bit of time to put together succinct units that can be relied upon, but with so much defensive aggression in the bottom half of the lineup, Canada will likely have no problem mixing and matching combinations as the tournament progresses.

Oh yeah! My goaltenders rank in this order:

1. Brodeur
2. Luongo
3. Fleury

That’s it.

Those are my proposed line combinations for Team Canada as we bid adieu to 2009.

Of course, many things can change between now and mid-February, so we will re-visit this issue as we sit and watch these recently named members of Team Canada battle it out in the NHL.

Have at it folks!

Create your Team Canada combo’s and we’ll see who makes the right call.

Have a very Happy New Year everyone! Be safe and enjoy yourselves.

I will be back with full Capitals coverage over the next couple of days. There is beyond plenty to talk about so we will be sure to dig deep into a bunch of issues that have reared their head over the last 2 weeks.

This article was originally posted on Hockeybuzz.com and can be found HERE.

Go Canada!!!!!
www.twitter.com/StevenHindle
steven.hindle@hotmail.com
Go Caps!!!!!

NASHVILLE DEFEATS OTTAWA

This time, the headline is accurate.  No really.  The six game losing streak is really over.

What a Jekyll and Hyde game tonight- especially so for Shea Weber and Ryan Suter.

First two periods, Nashville plays aggressive forechecking, forcing turnovers and putting pucks on net.  Tonight they made their own luck early on.

Then there was this thing called the third period.  They fell back into a trapping system and Ottawa capitalized by entering the zone with speed and capitalizing on defensive miscues.

The young’uns played a good game tonight.  Cody Franson had one miscue that Rinne stopped, but otherwise, they had a good game.  Franson with 1G and was +2 on the night.  Colin Wilson had 1A and was E.  Patric Hornqvist was +1 on the night.  O’Reilly was +3, Sulzer had 1A and was +2.

J.P. Dumont had a goal and four assists (+3).  In general, he played a controlled game and found the open players all night.

Shea Weber and Ryan Suter found the offense in a big way tonight.

Special mention must be made to Colin Wilson, Patric Hornqvist and Dave Scatchard.  They were a terror every time they hit the ice.  They had 7 shots on goal and 2A among them.

Nice to see the power play show some signs of life.  Erat needs to be taken off that power play unit for a time.

Resiliency.  That used to be a common trait for this team.  Hopefully that’s a good sign.  The scheme change allowed Ottawa to get back into the game, but the rebounded by continuing their offensive efforts by putting the puck on net.

What I Didn’t Like

Martin Erat somehow was second on the team in ice time.  He was constantly turning the puck over.  He was -3 on the night.  Erat had one of the worst games I’ve ever seen him play.

Steve Sullivan and J.P. Dumont both passed up multiple clear shots to the net only to turn the puck over making the extra pass.

Rare night where Suter and Weber might have been the worst defensemen at times in their own zone.

I detested Nashville changing their defensive system for the third period.  By dropping back into their trap (effectively a “prevent” defense), they essentially allowed Ottawa to gain momentum and force our defensive errors.  The coaches may say that they just didn’t execute the trap well in the third- and they would be correct.  However, I believe it was a much more grievous error to change how they had been playing.

Pekka Rinne’s third period left something to be desired.  He had an excellent first two periods.  While he didn’t get a lot of help in the third, he needed to step up and make one or two stops.

I didn’t like the lack of discipline in the third period.  Fortunately, Ottawa was even worse.

The Capitals have scored 26 goals in 7 games while the Nashville Predators have failed to hit the 10 goal mark through 6 games, with only 8. 

Considering that the Predators are barely averaging over 1 goal per game thus far, it’s safe to say that Nashville has some serious offensive issues to solve.

The worst part for Nashville is that they won’t be getting reinforcements tonight. J.P. Dumont has been skating, but is still suffering from post-concussion symptoms and is doubtful for tonight. Dan Hamhuis will also be absent from action tonight at the Verizon Center as he is listed as ‘day to day’ with an ‘upper body’ injury. Cody Franson will replace Hamhuis on the Preds blue line.

The Capitals, on the other hand, are relatively healthy. Washington has some minor injuries to players like Boyd Gordon and John Erskine, both of whom will not be playing tonight but should be ready for Thursday.

Jose Theodore, as most know by now, is ‘day to day’ with back spasms, but according to the coach, is healing nicely and should be good to go by mid-week. Of course back spasms are not the sort of injury that you want to force to heal, so the team will be allowing Jose all the time he needs to get back to 100%. In the meantime, the Caps have called up Braden Holtby from their ECHL affiliate to backup Semyon Varlamov. Varly is going to get whatever starts Jose will miss, likely not giving much ice-time to the Holtby, but I must say that I admire Washington’s plan of bringing up the Caps most recently drafted goaltender to get him more comfortable with the team’s system as well as to give him a taste of how things operate at the NHL level.

Washington, fresh off of laying a 4-1 beating on the reigning President’s Cup winners on Thursday, should have an interesting time with the Predators tonight. Nashville is not a team of big names and headliners, but rather a group of hard-working quality hockey players. They do not have the same flash and dash as the Sharks or the Blackhawks, but are successful due to their work ethic. It would be easy for the Caps to take their foot of the gas pedal tonight against a less intimidating opponent like the Preds, but if they do not follow the same game-plan which saw them handle the Sharks, Nashville could seriously surprise this high-flying Washington squad.

The major factor that will be holding the Preds back tonight has been their lack of offense. Missing Arnott and Dumont will seriously downgrade Nashville’s offense, but don’t expect that to make them any less of a trying opponent tonight.

Although I am unsure as to whether the Caps will be facing Dan Ellis or Pekka Rinne(check out Brandon Felder or Paul McCann’s blogs for updates to Nashville’s lineup), it should pose no problem to the Caps top 6, 3 of which are currently in the top 5 scorers in the league.

One thing to watch out for is Nashville’s stingy defense. Led by Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, the Capitals top line will be facing two of the very best young defenders in the game. Nashville’s saving grace against the Caps tonight may very well be that top pairing as both Weber and Suter will be extremely excited to shutdown Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin.

Despite having scored 26 goals through 7 games, the Capitals have also allowed 22 goals against. This has been Washington’s main issue as they have had trouble shutting down other teams once they gain the lead. With two rookies between the pipes(Varly starting, Holtby backing him up), the Caps should be more enthused to keep the Preds scorers to the outside and will likely play a stronger defensive game.

It is imperative for the Caps to start playing smarter with the lead so expect Boudreau to switch his game-plan up once the team has the lead. Considering offense isn’t something the Capitals worry about, expect the entire team to focus on their defensive systems tonight.

Lineups

Washington Capitals

 Ovechkin-Morrison-Knuble

Laich-Backstrom-Semin

Fehr-Steckel-Clark

Laing-Aucoin-Bradley

*Boyd Gordon did not skate at practice and should not be considered ready to play tonight.

Green-Morrisonn

Poti-Jurcina

Pothier-Sloan

*Erskine participated in practice and may be ready, but will likely sit one more game, just in case.

*Varlamov

Holtby

*Starter

*Holtby won’t see much ice-time as Theo is healing nicely and should be back by mid-week, but I really like how the Caps have handled this situation in bringing up the rookie to give him some exposure at the NHL level. Holtby has a lot going for him and could likely end up as the Caps backup in a season or two as it’s likely that Washington will one day have to make a decision between Varly and Neuvo.

Nashville Predators

Sullivan-Arnott-Hornqvist

Jones-Legwand-Santorelli/Dumont(?)

Erat-Wilson-Ward

Smithson-Goc-Belak

*Dumont remains sidelined with headaches and Jordin Tootoo is out with a Hip Flexor.

*Update: It appears that Ben Guite has been returned to the Preds AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. I am unsure who will replace Guite, but according to <a href= http://www.ontheforecheck.com/>Dirk Hoag of ontheforecheck.com</a>, there is a chance that Cal O’Reilly may get the call.

Weber-Suter

Franson-Klein

Bouillon-Laakso

*Ellis

Rinne

*Starter

To check out more of my breakdown on tonight’s Capitals game versus the Predators, including game notes and more, Click Here.  

Steven Hindle

StevenHindle@hotmail.com

First Look @ Gomez & Gionta on 1st Line

The Canadiens will play their 5th exhibition game in as many days this evening versus the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7pm at the Bell Center. Montreal, having opened their pre-season schedule with a couple wins, will be looking to snap a 2 game losing streak versus the Penguins, who have only played 2 pre-season matches thus far.

The Stanley Cup champions will be icing their two superstars together for the first time this September along with other qualtiy NHL’ers in Guerin, Kunitz, Orpik, Gonchar and Letang. The Habs, on the other hand, will be icing 4 of their top 6 forwards as well as 3 of their top 4 defenseman. It will be very interesting for Habs fans as it appears that Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta will lineup with Max Pacioretty on the first line this evening. This will be the first taste of the Gomez/Gionta duo in Montreal and I am sure that Jacques Martin is just as interested as everyone else to see how they perform in the debut of their reunion tour.

Here are is the Habs lineup(pairings are from this morning’s skate) as per Dave Stubbs of Habs Inside/Out, as well as the skaters for Pittsburgh:

Montreal Canadiens

Forwards

• Gomez-Gionta-Pacioretty
• Maxwell-Cammalleri-A. Kostitsyn
• Lapierre-Latendresse-D’Agostini
• Pyatt-Neilson-Stewart

Defense

•  Spacek, Gorges, Belle, Weber, Carle, Markov

Goal

• Price, Sanford

Pittsburgh Penguins

Forwards

• Dupuis, Guerin, Kunitz, Jeffrey, Wallace, Adams, Godard, Bayda, Caputi, Tangradi, Malkin, Crosby.

Defense

• Engelland, Lovejoy, Orpik, Gonchar, Letang, Despres

Goal

• Fleury, Curry

It will be very interesting to see how the speedy Pacioretty keeps up with Gomez and Gionta and also how the 2 former Devils do in their first outing on a line since 2006. Cammalleri playing with Akost will also be something to keep your eye on as, in my opinion, Cammy is going to replace Kovalev on the Canadiens 2nd line of Plekanec and Kostitsyn. Other than that, expect Price and Fleury to both play the entire game and a packed, noisy Bell Center.

Puck drop is @ 7:30pm at the Bell Center and the game will be broadcast on RDS and TSN2.

Stevenhindle@hotmail.com