Not only do I enjoy watching the NHL, I’m a fan of international hockey and I love seeing the best taking on the best.  As a puckhead, I’ve gone to see the games in the Canada Cup and the World Cup of Hockey. Not only do you get to see the best players represent their country, but watching the fans soak it all in is just as special.

Over the next few days, the city of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, along with neighboring cities Lasalle and Tecumseh, are hosts to the World U-17 Hockey Challenge.  For those who are not familiar with this event, it is a 10-team round-robin tournament that features the best hockey players under the age of 17 displaying their talents on an international stage. Next to the World Junior Championships, this is second biggest international tournament. These kids are two to three years from being drafted by NHL clubs.

Players from the United States, Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden, and Germany take part, along with five regional Canadian teams, which are Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic (the provinces east of Quebec), West (New Brunswick and Manitoba) and Pacific (Alberta and British Columbia).

The game that I went to today was between Team Germany and Team Ontario and the Canadian colors of red and white were well represented.   Here’s how I can tell: A few rows in front of me, there was a family of seven wearing Team Canada #87 Sidney Crosby jerseys. How’s that for commitment?

Team Ontario has won three of the last four gold medals and they pretty much have the home-ice advantage. I wanted to see Team Ontario play just because of the fact that I’m an OHL fan and I wanted to see these future OHL stars. They are to the U-17 Tournament what Team Canada is to the World Junior Championships. They are a well-oiled machine and they are an example of why the OHL are the best at producing young talent.

Here’s a small sample size of the future Hall-of-Famers who have taken part in this tournament: Joe Sakic (Pacific) and Brendan Shanahan (Ontario) took the first step to Canada’s Program of Excellence by playing in what was formally known as the Quebec Esso Cup.

The NHL stars of today who have participated in the World U-17 include Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Vincent Lecavalier.

The stars of tomorrow took part in this tournament not too long ago.  The “Young Guns” such as Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, Ryan Strome, John Tavares (all have represented Ontario) and Jonathan Heberdeau (Quebec) got their feet wet before representing Canada in the World Junior Championship.  Being among the best players in this tournament doesn’t mean that they can cut it in the next level of international play—Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Pacific) excelled in the U-17, but didn’t make the cut for Team Canada in the 2011 WJC.

There some NHL bloodlines involved in the tournament, especially coming from the Canadian teams. Max Domi, who is currently on loan from the London Knights (OHL), is the son of former NHLer Tie, but they are complete opposites.  While Tie was known for being an agitator and for his fights with Bob Probert, Max is a player that’s gifted offensively and has a burst of speed that reminds me of Pavel Bure.  While PK Subban currently stars for the Montreal Canadiens, his younger brother, Jordan is on leave from the Belleville Bulls to help shore up the defense for Ontario.  Cole Cassels was taken in the first round of the OHL draft by the Oshawa Generals and is the son of former NHLer, Andrew.

Bo Horvat and Aaron Ekblad are two that you’ve probably never heard of before, but you probably will very soon.  Ekblad was the first overall pick of the Barrie Colts this summer.  The kid is a 6 foot 3 inch defenseman and, just like any teenager, is still growing. He reminds me a lot of a young Chris Pronger.  Horvat, who is property of the Knights, scored one of the goals in Ontario’s 5-0 shutout of Germany. He, like his teammate Max Domi, is another offensively-gifted player, but he looks like the type of player who will do whatever it takes to win.  Maybe he can bring back the phrase “Bo Knows Hockey,” but time will tell.

Going to an event like this was neat.  I was surrounded by mostly Canadian fans and they were really into it. Being at an international sporting event doesn’t happen that often and I wanted to take advantage of it. I’ll be going to another U-17 game tomorrow as Russia will take on USA in another matinee affair.  Who knows if I’ll see the next Alex Ovechkin or the next Phil Kessel, but it will be exciting to watch.

It was the lead story in the local news and there were Red Wing ties to Locomotiv.  Ruslan Salei, who left the Red Wings to sign with the KHL club, was in the plane, as was former Red Wing goalie prospect Stefan Liv.  Among the players on Locomotiv were those who went to the KHL as a possible springboard for an NHL comeback, and those who went for the tax-free money or just to play the sport that they love.

While those dreams were snatched away, there was one person in particular who will never see his dream of becoming an NHL coach.  Brad McCrimmon left the Detroit Red Wings organization this past May to become head coach of Locomotiv Yaroslavl.  Coaching the KHL club is the equivalent to being a head coach of the Montreal Canadiens or Detroit Red Wings.  It’s a high profile job and would have been excellent on his resume.

When he left for Russia, it was the last time he saw his wife Maureen, son Liam and daughter Carlin.  By leaving, he and his family sacrificed a lot.  He accepted a job thousands of miles and time zones away so he could create a better life for him and the people he loved most.

I thought he would have been a great head coach, whether it was in the KHL or in the NHL.  He had a wealth of knowledge.  He spent 18 seasons as a defenseman in the NHL, won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989, and was an assistant coach for 4 NHL teams over 12 seasons (including the Red Wings).  In the middle of his assistant head coaching jobs, he was the head coach of the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League for parts of two seasons.

McCrimmon wasn’t a nominee for a Norris Trophy, but he was a steady blueliner and held his own against NHL competition. Over his career, he played with some great blueliners such as Ray Bourque, Mark Howe, Paul Coffey and Chris Pronger.  He also was instrumental on the development of  a Red Wing prospect from Vasteras, Sweden named Nicklas Lidstrom.  When Lidstrom first came to Detroit in 1991 as a rookie, his defense partner was McCrimmon and they became a solid duo on the blueline in the ’91-’92 season.

During the last three years of his life, McCrimmon was a member of Mike Babcock’s coaching staff.  It would have been safe to say that McCrimmon took mental notes from the best head coach in the NHL.

On September 7, McCrimmon and the rest of the Locomotiv Yaroslavl club lifted off on a flight to Minsk, Belarus to play the Dynamo Minsk. This was supposed to be officially the next step for McCrimmon to become an NHL coach, but he would never even get to coach his first KHL game.  His dream ended just like the others that perished on the Yak 42 flight.

Before I get started here, I would like to ask that you all keep the families, friends and teammates of all those lost in the terrible tragedy in Russia yesterday morning, in your thoughts and prayers.  The plane crash that took down the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL team is perhaps the biggest tragedy in sports, of the decade.  It has truly shown us the real danger that professional athletes face, world-wide as they constantly travel from city to city. Unfortunately, yesterday was simply another solemn day in what has become a terribly somber summer for the NHL, and the sport of hockey as a whole.

RIP Team Lokomotiv

Coming off the franchise’s first Stanley Cup victory since 1972, the Boston Bruins appear to be in good shape, depth-wise entering the 2011-12 season. With all but two of the players on their Stanley-Cup winning roster set to return to the Hub, when training camp starts in just over a week, as well as a plethora of  other options, if they choose to go in that direction.

1st Line

With Welland, Ontario native Nathan Horton set to return from injury, at the start of the 2011 season, it seems likely that Boston’s 1st line from 2010-11 will stay intact as we enter 2011-12. Fresh off a league leading 23-point playoff performance , expect David Krecji to have a stellar breakout season in 2011-12. I would not be in the least bit surprised if Krecji puts up 80 points over the course of the year. However, if Lucic or Horton encounter any struggles, Claude Julien will not be hesitant to switch things up, and perhaps use young Tyler Seguin or veteran Rich Peverley on Boston’s top offensive unit.

Predictions– (Goals-Assists-Points)

David Krecji– 21-60-82

Nathan Horton– 31-28-59

Milan Lucic– 27-31-58

2nd Line

Anchored by long-time Bruin center Patrice Bergeron, the B’s second line should again prove to be once of the league’s most defensively capable trios, even despite the loss of future-Hall of Famer Mark Recchi. Coming off another 50-plus point season, Bergeron will look to surpass those totals, and become even more of an offensive force, in this Boston lineup.  While the contract situation of Brad Marchand remains unsolved, it is likely that Marchand will indeed sign a new contract with the B’s sooner rather than later. Mainly because, without being eligible for salary arbitration, Marchand really has no leverage against the club. When Marchand does arrive in camp, expect him to be reunited with Bergeron on Boston’s 2nd unit. Also, expect the highly durable Rich Peverley to slot in, on the opposite wing, at least to begin the season. However, if 2nd-year phenom Tyler Seguin develops in the way the Bruins’ brass believe he will, it won’t be long before #19  is moved up, alongside Bergeron and Marchand.

Predictions–

Patrice Bergeron–23-40-63

Brad Marchand– 24-22-46

Rich Peverley– 17-28-45

3rd Line

The third line, is really where it gets tricky, in making predictions, this early in the year. Defensive stalwart Chris Kelly, and 2nd-year playmaker Tyler Seguin are presumably earmarked for 3rd line duty, in 2011-12. However, beyond those 2, it is unclear on who exactly fills the other wing position, opposite Seguin. It could be the young Jordan Caron, who spent 23 games with Boston in 2010-11, tallying 3 goals and 7 points. It could be either one of Boston’s two 19-year-old stud prospects, Ryan Spooner, or Jared Knight. It could be former Montreal Canadien, and 4th overall draft choice in the 2005 NHL Draft, Benoit Pouliot. It also could be 12-year NHL veteran, and former captain of the Washington Capitals, Chris Clark, who was recently signed to a Pro Tryout Agreement (PTO) by Boston GM Peter Chiarelli. For the sake of this article, I will assume it is Jordan Caron who is given the 3rd spot on the B’s 3rd line, due to his strong 2-way play, and penalty-killing capabilities.

Predictions–

Chris Kelly– 16-15-31

Tyler Seguin– 25-23-48

Jordan Caron– 18-23-41

4th Line

Perhaps the easiest combination to predict, is Boston’s 4th line. Led by spark-plug, and  2-time Stanley Cup Champion Shawn Thornton, the B’s 4th line will hope to regain the same success it enjoyed in 2010-11, when it was arguably the best 4th line, in the NHL. Shut-down pivot Gregory Campbell , and penalty-killing fiend Daniel Paille will also be returning to Boston, to play alongside Thornton.

Predictions–

Gregory Campbell– 12-15-27

Shawn Thornton– 8-10-18

Daniel Paille– 10-9-19

Thanks for Reading!

Be sure to follow me on Twitter at: @BruinsHockey365

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Forty-three human beings perished yesterday in a plane crash moments after takeoff from Yaroslavl, Russia. Seven were crew members of the airplane.  The remaining thirty-six were hockey players and coaches constituting almost the entire roster of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) club that reached the semifinals last season.  The team was destined for the capital city of Belarus where they were scheduled to play Dinamo Minsk in the 2011-12 season opening game for both clubs.  That game will now be indefinitely postponed because of this unspeakable tragedy in what must surely be hockey’s darkest year ever in North America and now Russia.

The death of New York Rangers’ enforcer Derek Boogaard from overdosing on painkillers in May … The reprehensible conduct of depraved, heart-hardened inciters and opportunists, rioting and looting in Vancouver hours after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in June … The premature death of Winnipeg Jet scrapper Rick Rypien who suffered from depression in mid-August followed just two weeks later by the death of enforcer Wade Belak who also suffered from depression.

Now this.

Now another cold, cruel slash through the soul of the global hockey community.

“A catastrophic loss to the hockey world.” – NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

“The darkest day in the history of our sport.” – IIHF President Rene Fasel

There have been and will be more retrospectives on those who died in Yaroslavl.  Most will recount the statistical record and notable accomplishments of certain players.  For NHL followers, some names on the list of people lost in the plane crash are familiar: New Lokomotiv head coach Brad McCrimmon and assistants Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev.  Players Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins, Josef Vasicek and Pavol Demitra.

We remember Salei representing Belarus in three Winter Olympics including 2002 when his country stunningly upset Sweden in a quarterfinal game.

We remember the dazzlingly consistent Demitra who once scored 20+ goals in nine straight NHL seasons, mostly with St. Louis.  As late as last year in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Demitra led all players with 10 points in 7 games in what would be his swan song season as an NHL player with the city’s Canucks.

Yet in the context of this horrible event, the real tragedy is not that Salei, Demitra and their teammates will never again skate for Lokomotiv or any other club, but that simply, their lives have been lost and those closest to the 36 hockey team members and 7 air crew have lost a grandson, granddaughter, son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister, cousin, uncle, aunt, husband, wife, teammate or close friend.  Hockey in Yaroslavl may one day rise again, but in the present moment, it is a time of sheer agony for mourning lives lost.  It will be doubly agonizing for Yaroslavl citizens to know that Lokomotiv members who passed away yesterday will never again grace their community.

We try to cope or console at these times by offering kind, sincere words but often, only platitudes emerge from our lips.  Therefore, this post will be brief.  The accompanying photograph of mourners in Minsk speaks more powerfully than any further extraneous words.  May God, with His sovereign power to bestow common grace on all peoples, grant wisdom and comfort to Russia, especially Yaroslavl, as they mourn and rebuild.

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What if the NHL, NHLPA, KHL and other European leagues negotiated a compensation fee scale that resembles fair market value for talented prospects?  Like the salary cap, the midpoint between the minimum and maximum level of this compensation range should be at the level that would allow all NHL teams to make an affordable offer.  Each subsequent season, the range, minimum and maximum would be adjusted based on statistics such as operating income of the NHL, KHL and other European leagues plus general economic conditions, much like the determination of the salary cap and floor.

Then, to prevent large market NHL clubs from always offering compensation fees at the maximum level, how about implementing a “luxury tax” threshold at, for example, 65% of the compensation fee range, beyond which the excess would be subject to a luxury tax tacked on to the NHL club’s salary cap in the player’s first season.

Example: Compensation minimum and maximum are $250,000 and $2-million, respectively.  65% level = $1.3875-million. Luxury tax set at 130% of excess compensation over the 65% level. Drafting NHL club negotiates $1.8-million compensation fee to KHL club for immensely-talented Russian player ‘X’.  The excess of $412,500 would result in a $536,250 luxury tax (130% x $412,500) added into the NHL club’s total salaries for salary cap purposes in the year that player ‘X’ debuts.

That hypothetical $536,250 may not seem like much but it would be the equivalent of a replacement level player – an enforcer, a journeyman checking line forward or a frequently recalled injury fill-in from the AHL – that most teams need to have on standby to fill out a roster.  From another perspective, that $536,250 might be the pro-rated salary of a potential trade deadline acquisition.

Thus a lot of the decision-making on whether to draft Russian and other European prospects would have to be done well before the actual Entry Draft.  Capologists on each NHL team would have to reason not only if their club should draft a certain player based on scouting reports and projecting his skills to the NHL but they would have to analyse affordability.  If player ‘X’ is drafted, can the club reasonably go all out and pay what the KHL or European club is demanding for compensation given the maximum limit on compensation and the possible luxury tax penalty against a future season’s salary cap?

Nashville right wing Alexander Radulov abruptly signed a contract with Russian KHL club Salavat Yulayev Ufa in the summer of 2008 even though he had one year remaining on his entry-level NHL deal.

Note that presently, many consistent contenders have already tied up some franchise players to long-term contracts and attempts to stockpile more talent via drafting Europeans and paying compensation fees would be a more difficult task if the excess of the compensation fee affects future cap hits.  Therefore, this would allow rebuliding or small market teams with fewer long-term contracts to have a more fair chance at European talent in the Entry Draft.  Since inferior teams tend to draft earlier in the first round, they could select boldly knowing they might be able to offer maximum compensation fee money and not worry about future cap hits as they may presently be near the salary floor and thus could go “all-in” when negotiating with the European or KHL club.

Natural factors would discourage KHL or European clubs from being overly demanding or staunchly asking for the upper limit of the compensation scale.  If the drafting NHL club refuses to meet the asking price and the player returns to play in the KHL or other European league, there is a risk to his incumbent club that his skills will decline or he will suffer a serious injury, thus decreasing the potential compensation fee his club could reasonably expect during a second round of post-Entry Draft negotiations.

Clearly, this modest proposal is a very, very basic framework that seeks to introduce fairness to the currently flawed system. It would give European clubs currently bound by Player Transfer Agreements a shot at receiving more than a flat amount of $225,000 while acknowledging the correct logic of the KHL that obvious budding superstars should yield their clubs a fair market price, unlike the mere $150,000 that brought the exceptionally-gifted Russian centre Pavel Datsyuk to Detroit.

For the NHL, teams would have to continue to be prudent and mindful of the salary cap from the implications of offering compensation fees that would trigger luxury tax in future years.  Small market clubs would have a reasonable chance at garnering top European talent in such a system that would simply not be there in a totally open market.

Ultimately, any player transfer agreement in the future between the NHL, Russia and other European nations must specify fair compensation for selling clubs while giving all NHL teams, regardless of market size, an even shot at acquiring these players.  By doing so, hockey’s leaders will be able to reduce the international turf wars, multiple contracts and mistrust that damage worldwide promotion of the sport.

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Thus player transfer agreements help to reduce or eliminate trans-Atlantic contract disputes, threats of legal action, strained international hockey relations and anxiety for players.  Compensation funds have the effect of softening the blow to the club losing a player, allowing it to recoup and reinvest money into training new players (assuming the selling club is the original team who trained the departing player).

Yet controversy exists in this area because Russia has continued to refuse to enter into a player transfer agreement with the NHL arguing that flat fees grossly undervalue potential superstars,.  With no formal framework for compensation amounts, it is unsurprising that Russia and the NHL have wrangled over contracts and rights to several high-profile players.  Pittsburgh centre Evgeni Malkin joined the Penguins five summers ago only after weeks of brinksmanship which saw him sign a contract extension with Russian Super League club Metallurg Magnitogorsk under pressure, file for annulment of the contract under Russian labour law before fleeing to the United States via Finland.  The enraged Magnitogorsk owners sued the Penguins and the NHL on the grounds that Malkin was already under contract but the lawsuit was eventually dismissed.  Significantly, the Magnitogorsk club received no compensation after originally demanding $2-million for Malkin’s rights.

The chronology of star centre Evgeni Malkin's departure from Russia and arrival in the United States in 2006 to play in the NHL was filled with acrimony partly due to the lack of a binding Player Transfer Agreement between the NHL and the Russian Hockey Federation.

The man who was drafted thirteen spots after Malkin, right wing Alexander Radulov, played two seasons for Nashville before abruptly signing a second contract with Salavat Yulayev Ufa of the new Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2008 despite one year remaining on his NHL entry-level deal.  Days later, with rumours swirling that some KHL teams were looking to lure Malkin back to Russia, the NHL and KHL came to a loose agreement on “respecting everyone’s contracts” – not a formal player transfer agreement, but an informal burying of the poaching hatchet.

But despite this “Respect Accord”, the May 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the updated MOU enacted this July which calls for mutual recognition of contracts, contract information sharing, exchange of free agent lists and conflict resolution procedures, there is still no comprehensive NHL – KHL Player Transfer Agreement on monetary compensation.  What will happen when the next Evgeni Malkin, under contract to a KHL team, wishes to join the NHL team who drafts him?

The relatively low compensation amounts typically paid by NHL clubs to European teams has always puzzled me.  Does it really make sense that first-round calibre players trained in Europe can be purchased for $225,000 when the annual compensation on an NHL entry-level deal is $925,000?  It begs the question: isn’t Russia correct in advocating for a full free market system with compensation based on supply and demand?  Perhaps Sweden and other countries bound by player transfer agreements are being swindled by arbitrary fixed compensation fees.

Unfortunately, if a truly unrestricted open market existed, in other words, if Russian and other European players were no longer subject to the annual NHL Entry Draft, then bidding for services of these players would become like the posting system in Major League Baseball (MLB) where teams must pay ”negotiating” fees to Japanese clubs to earn the right to talk to a player.  In the non-salary capped world of MLB, wealthy teams always win out or dissuade small-market teams from even bidding on Japanese players.  Similarly, rich MLB teams generally have the inside track on signing young Latin American stars who like the Japanese, are also not subject to the MLB Draft.

Applied to the salary-capped NHL, tiny Winnipeg, Minnesota or Carolina for example, would not even bother drafting a talented Russian or European as they know they would not be able to afford an exorbitant posting fee.

In part 2 of this article, a new Player Transfer Agreement between the NHL and KHL and all European leagues is proposed to promote fairness for all parties and international hockey peace.

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One topic debated at the Summit that continues to be a polarizing subject within North America and Europe is the future of NHL player participation in Winter Olympic hockey.  The dream of most fans and players became reality in February, 1998 when the NHL took a scheduled two-week break while many of its members wore national colours to compete for Olympic medals in the Nagano, Japan Winter Olympics. Anyone who watched that tournament and the subsequent three Olympics likely witnessed some of the highest quality hockey played in the last quarter-century.

Yet there is another side to the Olympic coin.  While the IIHF, most of Europe and most NHL players are in favour of further participation in the Olympics, Toronto Maple Leafs’ and Team U.S. GM Brian Burke noted at the Summit that many NHL teams are uneasy about shutting down for two weeks in the middle of the season every four years.  Burke cited the Anaheim Ducks as a club that suffered lost momentum and a decrease in ticket sales after the Olympic break.  He also did not like the cramped schedule that gave national clubs virtually no preparation time between the end of pre-Olympic NHL games and the start of the tournament.

“We played games in the NHL on Sunday afternoon, 5 o’clock or 3 o’clock at the latest, then had to fly to Vancouver, practice Monday and play Tuesday … it wasn’t ideal, so let’s do it right …  Let’s have a training camp; let’s get the team together, work on special teams and put the best product on the ice,” Burke said, suggesting the resurrection of the summertime quadrennial Canada/World Cup to replace NHL participation in the Olympics if a week of preparatory training is not feasible in February.

There is also the real risk to NHL clubs that participating players could suffer serious injuries that could have considerable impact on a team’s playoff chances.  In 2002, centres Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman won gold for Canada then missed almost all of the second half of the NHL schedule due to injuries suffered during, or exacerbated by the Olympic tournament (though Yzerman did return for the playoffs before undergoing off-season knee surgery). In the Torino Games of 2006, Czech Republic goalie Dominik Hasek hurt his legs just nine minutes into his first Olympic game and was unable to play for Ottawa for the remainder of the season including the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Senators were forced to use rookie Ray Emery in goal and the team lost in the second round.

The famous 1987 Canada Cup winning goal scored by Mario Lemieux, assisted by Wayne Gretzky, occurred late in the summer. Future best-on-best hockey tournaments should be held at a similar time, perhaps during the Summer Olympics, to preserve NHL player participation, negating the schedule interruption, while giving players adequate time to recover.

Detroit GM Ken Holland also chimed in on the risks and benefits. “As a fan, I want to go back to the Olympics … I think the Vancouver Olympics were an incredible display of what’s good about our sport.  The games were played with incredible speed, incredible skill.  It was exciting … [However] there are major issues that need to be taken care of,” Holland continued, citing Red Wing forward Tomas Holmstrom’s difficult decision to sit out the 2010 Olympics due to injury concerns.

Since participation in the Sochi, Russia Winter Olympics of 2014 and beyond must be collectively bargained into a new agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, what can be done to maintain the status quo?

One idea from the Summit suggested by Burke at first sounds absurd, but actually is sensible on further review: hold the hockey tournament in the Summer Olympics.  Preposterous?  Not really; it’s been done before.  At the 1920 Summer Games in Belgium, seven countries competed in the first Olympic ice hockey tournament.  True, the NHL was only in its third season at the time and the gold medal winners, Canada, were represented by non-NHL players from the Winnipeg Falcons, the national senior men’s amateur champions.  Clearly, as odd as it seems, there is precedent for Summer Olympic hockey and it would preserve NHL players’ participation, negate the densely packed NHL regular season schedule in Winter Olympic years and diminish the fatigue factor of players, many of them of all-star calibre, returning for the playoff push.

Don’t forget that the best-on-best Canada Cup and World Cup tournaments were typically contested late in the summer.  Like Burke, I believe the greatest display of international hockey ever played was at the 1987 Canada Cup, capped by the famous Gretzky to Lemieux winning goal that gave Canada the championship over the Soviet Union.  Burke recalled that players from most competing nations assembled in the summer for proper orientation, training camps and full practices.  That tournament began in late August and concluded in mid-September giving players a head start on conditioning for the NHL regular season and time to recuperate before the start of league games in October.

The Canada Cups of 1976, 1981, 1984, 1991 and the 1996 World Cup of Hockey followed a similar August – September schedule.  It can be done.  Fans and players certainly want to see NHL stars continue to shine for their countries at the Olympics while many owners and clubs have legitimate reservations about interruptions in the schedule, financial losses and injury risks.  A summer of hockey may not be a perfect solution but it may be the best way to satisfy all parties.

Recently Dmitry Chesnokov of Puck Daddy’s Yahoo Sports translated a Russian interview Kovalev had with Pavel Lysenkov of Sovetsky Sports. Alexei Kovalev was pretty clear for his dislike of Ottawa during his 2 year deal.

Kovalev is an interesting character. He has the skill set of some of the best hockey players in the National Hockey League but has an overblown case of narcissism.

Drafted by the New York Rangers in 1991(15th overall), Kovalev has had a turbulent career. Nights of wonderful skill and amazement dazzling the highlights. Other nights he’d disappear leaving people to question if he was really on the ice at all.

If you look in the dictionary for enigmatic you’ll see a picture of Alexei Kovalev. What’s Kovalev’s response to his enigmatic career you say? Well Kovalev had this to say  ” One journalist wrote it when I was still playing in New York, and then it all started. There are such reporters, who don’t watch hockey, don’t understand it — but they will still say that Kovalev doesn’t give his all. That he plays whenever he wants. They are short on their own opinion.” True media does overblow things but he’s not taking any responsibility for nights being benched or called out for his play.

Hmmmm…. ok so what else is the media’s fault? “The fact that I am criticized” says Kovalev (note: if you have a violin play something sad right now) My understanding in a cap salary league you are going to take some heat. Especially if you make $5 milion+. So Kovalev knew(hopefully knew) the risk of signing with a smaller market team in a city where their hockey is the only professional team. So haters going to hate!

What I love about Kovalev’s interview is his comments about former coach Cory Clouston and the Ottawa Media. Well we all know Clouston’s inability to communicate and have nice suits. So Kovalev’s comments about Clouston is understandable ”In two seasons I still couldn’t understand the ideas of our coach Cory Clouston. It seemed that he scoffed at some players.” Is this why Heatley left?… probably. ”You have to treat players kindly. If you leave someone on the bench you should explain why it happened. This is coach’s job. But when a player is benched and doesn’t understand what is happening, he becomes lost.” Kovalev isn’t a little kid anymore he should have understood why he was being benched without the coach telling him. Oh wait I forgot you have a bit of narcissism.

Well then Mr Kovalev I suggest you read the paper?  Oh wait Kovalev’s opinion of Ottawa journalists is that they don’t watch hockey.”When they fly with the team and go through the [metal detector] at an airport, their bags are filled with beer. You realize right away what these people do when they write about the NHL”. Well I’ve gotta say those journalists might be in the wrong line of work and might want to check out the movie “Layer Cake” for some ideas.

I just don’t understand why he can’t take the blame. Even with his brief stint in Pittsburgh ”Everything was fine. I had played for Pittsburgh before. The atmosphere doesn’t change there. But my style didn’t fit with the game coach Dan Byslma was implementing. There is nothing else to explain it with.” Oh well that’s life! By the way here’s great song about Kovalev’s return to Pittsburgh 

Kovalev is still a great player not many have scored 1000 points and played in 1302 games. But do I think he’s a hall of famer? Not at all. But I’ll remember him for this 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Enjoy the KHL Alex Kovalev! I really hope that he complains about the ice size adjustment or the journalists bring suitcases full of vodka on flights haha.

Thanks for reading

jamezfraser

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While Jagr completed the final year of his contract with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, there is no indication that any NHL club is interested in signing the Czech star.  Jagr speculated with hyperbole on his own as to where he might play next season.  “Maybe Pittsburgh … Maybe Montreal. Maybe New York. Pittsburgh, I played there for a long time. Mario is the owner. It’s better to play with great centres like Crosby and Malkin, (then) this game is a little bit easier and I’m not young anymore. I would like to score some goals, empty-netters with those guys and it’s a lot easier.”

After experiencing a turbulent end to the KHL post-season, it would be understandable if Jagr intends to return to North America.  Avangard Omsk finished first overall in the 23-team KHL regular season but reportedly, after Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Avangard head coach Raimo Summanen challenged Jagr to a fistfight. Several teammates later came forward anonymously to say that Jagr was being made a “scapegoat” as Avangard bowed out in Game 7.  Summanen has since been let go by Avangard Omsk and the team’s general manager Anatoli Bardin will tender a new contract offer on Tuesday.

Would a new bench boss make Jagr more likely to stay in Russia?  A contract much richer than what he could command under the salary cap system of the NHL?  Or perhaps the fact that the KHL regular-season schedule is just 54 games long and less physically punishing?  On the other hand, perhaps Jagr will consider the substantial salary decrease he was forced to accept last off-season and think about the type of work environment he wants to ply his trade in at this point in his career.

Yet it would still take a formal offer, likely in July during the free agent signing period when teams know what the 2011-12 salary cap will be and what positions need to be improved.  For the Penguins, a proven scorer would be a welcome addition.  Since the early part of 2011 when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were sidelined indefinitely and the dearth of reliable scoring depth revealed itself, Shero subsequently added James Neal and Alexei Kovalev at the trade deadline.  While Neal figures in the Penguins’ long-term plans, Kovalev will not be back and should provide a useful illustration for nostalgic Pittsburgh fans clamouring for the repatriation of another favourite former son.

The Penguins took a no-risk flyer on Kovalev, dealing a late-round draft choice to Ottawa hoping that the veteran Russian sniper could find one last reserve of fuel to help the Pens make a deep playoff run.  It was a longshot at best but many still were sorely disappointed when Kovalev provided just one measly playoff goal against Tampa Bay.

Quite possibly, the same sequence of emotions could play out if the Penguins were to make actual rumblings about signing Jagr.  Already, some fans have drawn up possible forward line combinations, inserting Jagr on Malkin’s right wing or dreaming of a first power play unit that starts with Crosby, Malkin, Neal and Jagr.  It is critical to remind ourselves that it is 2011, not 2001 when Jagr won his fourth straight scoring title.  2011, not 1991 when a 19-year old Jagr scored 69 regular season points and 24 more in the playoffs, carrying the Penguins during Mario Lemieux’s absence in the Patrick Division Final.

Yes, as late as 2005-06, Jagr played the entire 82 game schedule with New York and scored 54 goals and 123 points earning 1st team All Star honours and the players’ choice as MVP.  But after leaving North America in 2008 and having played three KHL seasons averaging just 52 regular season games and 8 post-season games, how fit would Jagr be for NHL hockey in 2011-12 entering a season in which he would be 40 by the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Sure, his minutes could be tightly controlled in the regular season to give him extra rest and to optimize his skill and talent by deploying him solely on the power play but when the post-season rolls around, should a roster spot really be occupied by a one-dimensional player with low endurance?

Instead of yearning for the magical past and hoping against all logic that it can be immaculately resurrected, it might be better just to remember Jagr as he actually was and be content to leave the epitaph on his NHL career alone: 7-time 1st team All-Star, 5-time scoring champion, Hart Trophy winner, 3-time Ted Lindsay Award winner, countless regular-season and playoff memories, one of the best stickhandlers of all time, the greatest European scorer of all-time, 2-time Stanley Cup champion and unquestionably, the second greatest Penguin ever.

Sorry to all for not posting sooner, but, when you’re not a full-time TSN analyst/writer; some things have to take precedent over writing for the readers.

The WHC, although amusing to watch (in my mind anyway), is usually completely disregarded due to the much more attention grabbing playoff action of the NHL. No excuses needed. But the tournament itself is beginning to evolve and really play a significant role on the world stage. What I am referring to and I hope some of you have noticed is the substantial amount of upsets occurring in the tournament.

Now give me a list of excuses to why teams may not be performing to their usual level, the main being not all NHL players are overseas playing for their respective countries, and I will gladly agree with you. But I still think merit needs to be given to what is happening.

About two years ago to this day I watched a documentary featuring countries such as Switzerland, Germany and even Norway and their respective developing hockey programs. Some of which even led by amateur to semi-pro coaches from my own Canada. The documentary really hit home the message that countries, previously regarded as no-name hockey countries, will be quickly developing into 5^th, 6^th, maybe even a medal finish or two. No more 9-1 games. Even though it’s not the Olympics I believe it’s evident that we are seeing this trend.

Interesting games thus far;

Germany over Russia: 2-0

Norway over Sweden: 5-4 (SO)

Germany over Slovakia: 4-3

Latvia almost beating Finland: 2-3 (SO)

Norway blanks Austria: 5-0

Denmark holding their own against Russia: 3-4

Canada & USA only beating Norway & France: 3-2

Switzerland over USA: 5-3

Saying it one more time, I am well aware that not all the players are overseas representing their respective countries but it’s more than just an evolution of the final scores. Watching games where France, a former non-qualifier, is not only barely losing but actually controlling the hockey game at times and executing successful plays and strategies. The intensity level from both sides of the hockey game is incredible and it makes for much closer games.

In retrospect, past games would feature (no offense meant to anyone) Belarus v. Canada, if the score only came out 4-0 it was usually because the Belarussian goalie stood on his head or Canada just missed a lot of shots, it was never because Belarus dominated the second period only anything along those lines. With more funding to minor hockey, development programs in these countries and some ‘damn’ fine coaching, these teams are starting to become a proverbial thorn in the top Countries side.

It all begins at the WHC, teams gain confidence playing against ‘weakened’ top teams and see what it takes to beat these teams. Confidence on top of all of the previous mentioned developments and you’re looking at a round robin where Sweden, among other top teams, has to play full force to beat teams like France, Norway & Denmark. Although I love to see Canada dominating on the world stage I am really excited, I think it is fantastic for the sport of hockey and the competition on the world stage. It could potentially make for some interesting Olympic matches in 2014 & 2018…

Of course this is all providing the NHL plays in the Olympics in the future, but that of course is an entirely other article for another day.

Very easily.  Hockey is in our blood; in our marrow, as Canadians.

In that inimitable way that hockey behaves, it can go from providing pure, unadulterated bliss to a cold, swift stab in the back in the blink of an eye.  Not forty-eight hours after crossing back into the home country, riding a crest of elation at Canada’s pwning – as the kids say – of the host United States in the second semifinal, it seemed like a mere formality that Canada’s momentum would carry them past the game Russians in the Championship Final on Wednesday night.

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Canada jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two periods and skated back onto the ice after the second intermission twenty minutes away from gold.  Even when Russia scored two quick goals to cut the lead down to one, they were up against the clock as well as the Canadians and still as time continued to countdown, Canada moved within twelve and a half minutes away from the title.

Twelve and a half minutes.

But when a pair of first-round NHL draft picks connected on the game-tying goal – Evgeny Kuznetsov to Vladimir Tarasenko, it is not a stretch to imagine that households across Canada, boisterous with excitement mere seconds before, fell as quiet as the stunned pro-Canadian crowd inside HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

Suddenly, the bleeding that every Canadian thought would be stopped by a player stepping up to cauterize this national wound, only flowed with more rage.  Artemi Panarin’s go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal with 4:38 left was like a bullet that opened another wound, irreparable, unstoppable.  By the time Nikita Dvurechensky iced the championship with a breakaway goal, sprung into the Canadian zone on the third assist of the game from Kuznetsov, the Canadian pulse had figuratively already flatlined.

In the sombre, devastated post-game atmosphere, coach Dave Cameron noted that his team seemed to get back on their heels even as the second period wound down – an omnious sign.  Forward Zack Kassian denied that Canada ran out of energy but said, “Hockey is a weird sport.  Sometimes you have momentum swings and you just can’t stop it.  They just kept coming and coming and we stopped getting the bounces and it made us look like we were standing still.”

Kassian was right.  The Russians seemed to repeat wave after wave of attacks in the offensive zone, playing with nothing to lose and an air of confidence.  Their confidence was buoyed by a late game comeback against Finland, powered by Kuznetsov, to win their quarterfinal.  Subsequently, these eyes watched live in Buffalo as Russia stunned Sweden in the semifinal in the final minutes of regulation to tie the game, then won in a shootout, despite being outplayed for most of the game by the Tre Kronor.

Did Russia pull the wool over everyone’s eyes this year?  Did they play coy like the Soviet team in the 1972 Summit Series, spotting Canada a lead in the opening game before blitzing the hosts into stunned submission?  Nobody really knows.  What every Canadian does know, however, is that they will be haunted for a second consecutive year by a World Junior gold-medal game loss.  The sound of Kuznetsov’s jubilant screams in the deathly silent arena as the final seconds ticked down will be in our ears until Christmas when the top under-20 squads reconvene in Calgary and Edmonton.

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While partisans on both sides of the border wished for the Canada v. U.S. game to take place in the gold medal game to set up an exact rematch of last year’s World Junior Championship final, the anticipation surrounding this year’s semifinal proved to be just as intense.  Canadians stewed over the crushing of their dashed dreams of an unprecedented sixth straight IIHF U20 title ending on home ice in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan last January when current Washington defenceman John Carlson scored in overtime giving the Americans a stunning victory.

The U.S. entered the 2011 tournament as the consensus choice to repeat as champions as eight players from last year’s champions returned to the roster.  Meanwhile, Canada stereotypically played the humility card, stating that this year’s squad would be a mixture of good old-fashioned grit, grease and size, a collection of four equal lines with no superstars that would have to grind out victories.  Moreover, neither of Canada’s two goaltenders, Olivier Roy and Mark Visentin, stood out like American Jack Campbell a returnee from last year.

And the preliminary games followed the script.  The U.S. went undefeated and Canada dropped their last game to Sweden forcing them into a quarterfinal which they won 4-1 over Switzerland.  On Monday, this writer made the trek across the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge not far from the area where British General Isaac Brock was slain during the War of 1812.  Arriving at HSBC Arena two hours before the Sweden vs. Russia semifinal began, an obligatory inspection of the nearby beer tent, ominously quiet, was made and a thick roast beef sandwich with a side of pickles and chips was quickly devoured.

If there’s one thing to take away from the first semifinal, it is this: Has Russia been playing coy the whole tournament?  They needed a final day victory over the Czech Republic to even guarantee themselves a spot in the playoff round then fell behind 3-1 to Finland on Sunday night before Yevgeni Kuznetsov, a first-round pick of the Capitals, took over.  He scored with under four minutes left then set up the game-tying goal with under two minutes left then scored in overtime to stun the Finns.

On Monday, Russia took a 2-0 lead until Sweden scored a late second period power play goal and an early third period even strength goal to tie up the game.  With 3:52 remaining in regulation, Dmitri Orlov of Russia took a costly slashing penalty and Patrick Cehlin made him pay by scoring 33 seconds later.  But once again, Russia refused to go quietly and Sergei Kalinin made a diving stab at the puck in the goal crease with 1:27 left to tie matters once more.  I looked over at a yellow-clad section of Swedish fans who watched the play right in front of them …. stunned.

Despite being outshot badly by Sweden 49-32 and 5-1 in overtime, Russian goaltender Dmitri Shikin shone in the shootout, keeping out all three Swedish attempts (with a little help from the post on the last shot) as Russia prevailed.

In the evening, well, it was like night and day.  The previously quiet beer tent was literally bursting with fans, virtually all red-garbed Canadians.  Foolishly, I found myself embedded in the centre of the area and it took me nearly ten minutes to even elbow my way back out.  From there, the ticket lines and concourses were also a Red Sea of Canadians, drowning out every “U-S-A! U-S-A!” chant with an emphatic ”Let’s go Canada!” rebuttal.  And in the stands, there was no question this was a “home” game for Canada.  Thunderous cheers greeted Team Canada as they took the ice for the pre-game skate and once again when they lined up for the opening faceoff.

Feeding off the crowd’s energy, Canada opened the game by swarming the Americans, denying them room to set up plays or skate and hitting every white jersey in sight.  Canada was rewarded for its hard work when Curtis Hamilton deftly picked up his own rebound and rammed it in the net at 2:38 of the first period.  Then, at 13:54, Brett Connolly sent a shot towards the net that was neatly tipped over Campbell’s right shoulder by a streaking Quinton Howden to give the Canadians a 2-0 lead, sending the crowd into another explosion of joy.

In the middle frame, Canada kept the pedal down, building on their 12-5 first period shot advantage with a volley of 16 more shots.  Two quick penalties committed by Charlie Coyle and Patrick Wey put the U.S. shorthanded by two men and Ryan Johansen made the Americans pay 1:01 into the 5-on-3 by netting his third goal of the tournament.

Early in the third period, Zack Kassian, a Sabres’ prospect who may one day call HSBC Arena his home, sealed the game when eight seconds after Canada killed off a minor penalty, he took a head-man pass from Calvin de Haan alone on Campbell and buried it to give the red and white a 4-0 lead.  Canadian netminder Mark Visentin lost his shutout bid with 10:23 remaining when Chris Brown scored on a power play but otherwise, the game was pure mastery by Canada.

The atmosphere from a fan’s perspective was simply electric.  Every time a Canadian delivered a crushing hit, the crowd roared with approval; every time Visentin gloved down a puck, the crowd roared with approval.  Every time Canada rushed into the U.S. zone, every fan behind the net would rise with anticipation.  Fortuitously, our seats were one section to the right of the Canadian players’ family area and like every other Canadian in the crowd, they cheered just as loudly.  Finally, in true fan fashion, there was nothing quite like exchanging high-fives after each goal and after the game with strangers around us, united by our common Canadian bond.

Tonight however, one final task must be accomplished or the euphoria from Monday will be moot.  Since the World Juniors became an official international championship in 1977, Russia has won 12 titles (as Russia/CIS/USSR) while Canada has won 15.  Under the current playoff format, the two titans opposed each other in 2002 and 2003 and from 2005 to 2007 with Russia winning the first two matches and Canada the latter three.

GARY BETTMAN 10 mins 56 sec NHL commissioner answers media questions following Q and A session.

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Timo Lumme, managing director of the International Olympic Committee’s TV and marketing services, presented some encouraging viewership statistics which showed the impact that NHL players participating at the Olympics had around the world.  He noted that the men’s gold medal game was the most watched hockey game of all-time worldwide, seen by 114-million people.  In Canada, that game averaged 16.6-million viewers and in the United States, 27.6-million viewers tuned in, a figure almost equal to the 28-million who watched Game 7 of this year’s NBA Finals.

Hockey historian and researcher Igor Kuperman chimed in and refuted several misconceptions about risks to NHL owners.  He noted that a drop in ticket revenue during a two-week Olympic break is generally negligible as most teams already have completed the majority of their ticket sales through a core of about 14,000 season-ticket holders.  He also commented that his investigation into injury risk showed that pre-season injuries have been greater than injuries sustained by players during the Olympics and found that through his association with the Phoenix Coyotes, players on the club from varying nations including Keith Tkachuk (U.S.), Nikolai Khabibulin (Russia) and Teemu Selanne (Finland) all showed up to NHL training camp in Olympic years, already brimming with enthusiasm about the Winter Games.

Detroit GM Ken Holland presented two perspectives, from the angle of a fan and in his role as a club manager.  “As a fan, I want to go back to the Olympics.  I’m like everyone up here.  I think the Vancouver Olympics were an incredible display of what’s good about our sport.  The games were played with incredible speed, incredible skill.  It was exciting.”  However, he also took time to illustrate the real risks and reservations NHL teams have about continuing Olympic participation citing the injuries to Steve Yzerman in 2002 and Tomas Holmstrom in 2010.

“There are major issues that need to be taken care of … In 2002, when the Olympics were in Salt Lake City, a week or two before the Olympics, Steve Yzerman was selected for the Canadian team and he was having problems with his knee.  He didn’t know if he shouldn’t go or should go and ultimately, Steve made a decision to go represent his country at Salt Lake City and half way through the Olympic Games, Steve told me that his knee was bothering him and he probably needed to take a rest.  He kept pushing on and helped Canada win gold.  When he came back from the Olympics, he never played one regular season game for us for the rest of the year.  He played in the playoffs and was on painkillers and ultimately he had knee surgery.”

“In 2010, I sat in the locker room with Tomas Holmstrom, who was having the same bone-on-bone issues with his knee as Yzerman in 2002 and it was an emotional hour and I said to Homer (Holmstrom) make the decision tomorrow morning.  Tomas Holmstrom ultimately decided not to go.  When the Olympics were over, he was healthy, he played and he’s feeling good.”  Holland also cautioned that some contracts are not totally covered by insurance and noted the fatigue factor that many NHL teams with a large contingent of Olympic players tend to suffer in the immediate days and weeks after the Olympics end.

NHL players Daniel Alfredsson and Jamie Langenbrunner, like all the other speakers, were in agreement that the NHL should participate in the next Winter Games but Alfredsson acknowledged that, “there are hurdles that we need to get by, but I believe the Olympics are bigger than that.  You need to find a way to get everyone on the same page.”

JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER 10 mins 08 sec New Jersey forward talks about NHL players at the Olympics and answers inevitable questions about the Ilya Kovalchuk contract situation. (This writer’s suggestion that the NHL season should start earlier in Olympic years to give more rest to players, occurs at 3:36).

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Fasel strongly expressed his displeasure at any possible merger arrangements that would see European clubs become part of the NHL.  ”I will fight like hell and not allow anybody to come from abroad,” but he was open to an idea proposed during one of last night’s Hot Stove Sessions where a European champion would play the Stanley Cup winner.

Fasel praised the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics as a model for growing the game among the next generation of fans.  ”Vancouver was the best example.  The product was so good.  For a young boy interested in hockey, watching, he will play hockey.”  Fasel also approved of the smaller NHL-sized ice surface.  “I like the small rink very much.  I like the small ice.  This is a very political question in Europe.  I was sceptical in the beginning [but] what I saw in Vancouver, the intensity was great, unbelievable and the women’s game was much better on small ice than big ice.”

Fasel closed by exhorting both North America and Europe to work together in a spirit of cooperation to overcome current difficulties whether they are political or financial, to promote and strengthen hockey.  ”We need to work together, the NHL, the clubs, the leagues, the federations.  It’s not a money thing,” he said, as he paused and tapped his heart, “it’s here.”

The afternoon topic-area session, Junior Development in the World, was opened by Murray Costello, a former president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (the forerunner to the CHL) and a veteran observer of Canadian and international hockey.  Costello explained the differences in on-ice styles of European countries, then strongly advocated for letting European teenagers remain in their home countries to develop their skills and a distinct style rather than prematurely bringing them to North America to play in the CHL.  He reasoned that taking European players out of their countries as teenagers destroys the investment and work of European hockey volunteers who will never get to see the finished product of their efforts in their home country.

Co-speaker Slavomir Lener, a Czech native, who has coached in four different countries, concurred with Costello.  While recognizing the mutually beneficial relationship between the NHL and Europe, Lener sombrely presented chart after chart showing the rapid drain of junior talent, especially from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, to the CHL.  Unfortunately, many of those players have simply not honed their skills to a high-quality level to compete in the CHL and wash out.

“We don’t want to prevent players from leaving, but we want to inform them of their percentage chance of making it to the NHL.  We also like to say that the NHL is important for Europeans and European hockey.  It’s so crucial for our sport.  On the other side, European hockey is very, very important for the NHL.  All these players bring different styles, different flavours, different moves.  Obviously they bring a different quality to the NHL.”

“Why are they leaving?  Talking about the agents, a lot of the time they misinform players and parents.  They somehow withhold numbers of success rates of Europeans playing in the CHL … Some agents back in Europe don’t care.  They just blindly send the players over to the CHL.”

At the World U-20 Championship, the Czech Republic won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001, but since then have claimed just one bronze medal and fell to 7th place this past winter.  Slovakia won bronze in 2000 but fell to 8th place this year.  Players who leave, “lose their national characteristics [and become] “hybrids”.  They aren’t great players.  They didn’t master their skills.  They come here at 16 to 17 years old and want to be NHLers, are “half” Czech or Slovak and “half” North American and they’re nothing special,” Lener added, recommending that European players play in their home nations until they are at least 19 to 21 years old.

One of the final panellists who spoke was Jim Johansson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey.  He described the system the Americans have put in place to promote elite hockey development.  Through high school, collegiate, and a three-tiered junior system as well as the respected National Team Development Program, the U.S. is ensuring its most talented youngsters are challenged at every age, often playing against players older than them.  In the off-season, NTDP members will undergo skills training, working on passing, shooting and conditioning.

JIM JOHANSSON 2 mins 35 sec USA Hockey’s Jim Johansson answers three questions from this writer about youth hockey in California, the financial model for funding the NTDP and whether the U.S. is entering a golden age in hockey.

Tomorrow, the scene shifts to the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto for the third day of the World Hockey Summit.  The much anticipated Q and A session with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will take place at 1pm while Vancouver 2010 Evaluation and Establishing a Long-term Global Event Agenda will be the topic areas for the panels to discuss.

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From the NHL, commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly, GMs Brian Burke, Darcy Regier, Ken Holland, Steve Yzerman, coaches Peter Laviolette, Bob Boughner and players Jamie Langenbrunner and Daniel Alfredsson, are all scheduled to attend.  KHL president Alexander Medvedev, KHL chairman of the board Vyacheslav Fetisov and IIHF president Rene Fasel headline the list of panellists from Europe, a group that will also include representatives of Swedish, Finnish, Czech and Slovakian national hockey associations.  Members of USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, the CHL and NHLPA will also be among the featured speakers and panellists.

On Monday evening, the World Hockey Summit will open at the Hockey Hall of Fame with four “Hot Stove Sessions” tackling some of the challenges facing the business of hockey.  The first topic, Contracts and Transfers, will examine contentious issues surrounding contracts and player movement, especially between the NHL and KHL.  Second, Agents’ Role in Working with Young Players will focus on the reservations and perception that European hockey associations have about their junior players being transferred to the CHL through the work of agents.  Third, State of the Game will look at whether the time is right for hockey to be introduced to non-traditional countries.  Finally, the fourth session, Comparison of the North American and International Game, plans to study the differences between the NHL-sized rink and international-sized rink and whether one size emphasizes certain skills or promotes a more exciting game.

From Tuesday through Thursday, in-depth presentations and discussions will focus on six key topics: player skill development, junior development, an evaluation of hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, establishment of a long-term global event agenda, women’s hockey and growing participation in hockey.

For cerebral hockey fans, this event will surely be considered a potential landmark, and a great lead-in to the upcoming hockey season.  Just last week, the NHL held the Research, Development and Orientation camp in Toronto to brainstorm and test proposed rule changes that may make the game more exciting and enjoyable for players and fans.  Likewise, by bringing the most influential decision-makers in hockey from around the globe to Toronto for the World Hockey Summit, one hopes that this week, they will establish a foundation for new protocols, innovations and improved communication within countries and across borders, to enhance the excitement of hockey for all stakeholders for many years to come.

While it was the Karate Kid receiving the remake treatment this summer, it will probably be another Ralph Macchio flick, The Outsiders, that will have more staying power as the calendar flips to the winter months.

Earlier today the the Los Angeles Kings announced the signing of unrestricted free agent Alexei Ponikarovsky. And although he was formerly known as “The Poni Express”, out in Hollywood…er, Hockeywood…he’ll simply be Poni Boy.

Here are 10 Tidbits to get you primed and ready to go on the Kings newest left wing…with a special twitter twist:

* First question out of the gate, does Ponikarovsky have the longest last name of any player in Kings history?  No.  Well, he’s tied.  There’s the popular Mike Krushelnyski from the end of the 80s.  Then, according to several alert tweeters – including @KingsKoolAid, @kevinsyoung and @LHHockey – you also have Sheldon Kannegiesser (’73-77) and Steve Clippingdale (16 games in ’76-77) checking in with 12 letters.  @SoundFlyer14 thinks Frank St. Marseille tops them all with 13 “units” (including the period and space).  But, I don’t count that way.  That’s just me.

* The comparisons to Alexander Frolov are almost too easy – both could be classified as “classic underachievers”.  They’ve even played for the same teams back in Russia, just not concurrently.  Frolov spent time with Krylja Sovetov in ’01-02 (just before joining the Kings), while Poni played there three seasons prior.  During the NHL lockout in ’04, Frolov spent some time at home playing for Moscow Dynamo.  Poni was there from ’98-00 (ironically, just before he came over to play for the Maple Leafs).

* Similar to Ilya Kovalchuck’s apparent obsession with the number 17, Poni has one he favors too.  Supposedly, he’s been wearing 23 to honor his grandparents and wife, who were all born that day.  He’ll need a new number in LA though.  Dustin Brown isn’t trading that for a trip to Hawaii or a year’s membership at a nice country club.

* The 6’4″ 220 pound winger was born in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and received his Canadian citizenship in 2007.  In between, he spent most of his teenage years playing for various teams in Russia, where he left on a high note - winning the Russian Superleague Championship as a member of Dynamo Moscow in 2000.  He’ll be at least the third Kiev-born player to suit up for the Kings, the others being Alexei Zhitnik (’92-95)and Dmitri Khristich (’95-97).

* @yeah_eric wrote ”I feel really bad for all of the #lakings fans out there today. Poni will have you all ripping your hair out by Thanksgiving. Sorry guys.” Apparently Eric isn’t familiar with the work of Frolov.

* Poni was originally drafted in the fourth round of the ’98 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.  The round prior saw the Kings take a Russian goaltender, Alexei Volkov.  If you’re ever heard of him, give yourself a super high-five.  He never touched NHL ice and played just five games in the AHL.

* On March 2nd of this year the Leafs had seen enough.  Although Poni had averaged 21 goals over the previous four seasons, they felt he was coasting a bit by not putting up the 30+ goals they envisioned for him.  He was traded to the Penguins and rewarded them by scoring a goal in his debut game against the Dallas Stars.

* @Jay_Gold_ wrote ”IMO #LAKings are better off with Alexei Ponikarovsky than Alex Frolov. Both get $3M. Frolov struggles in D-Zone. Poni flourishes there.” Scott Laughlin, long time host of the Power Play on NHL radio, somewhat agrees, saying “He has a good shot and is very responsible in his own end.” Poni’s teammate in Pittsburgh, Ruslan Fedotenko, told TSN “He’s a good, hardworking winger who drives to the net hard, he has good size, he’s a good player.” Feds and Poni also played together as part of the Ukrainian team at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

* The Kings gave him a one year, $3 million contract.  According to @capgeek, the team still has $13mil in cap space available.

* It’s a depth signing folks.  This isn’t “the move” or even “a move” to put the Kings over the top.  They were thin at left wing.  Poni replaces Frolov.  Nothing more, nothing less.  It’s a one year deal.  No big thang.

There’s a scene in The Outsiders where Ponyboy quotes poet Robert Frost, saying “Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower, but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down to day, nothing gold can stay.”

When Johnny asks him about the meaning or the origin, Ponyboy replies “I always remembered it because I never quite knew what he meant.”

Kings fans will probably always remember Frolov…because they never quite knew what he was doing out there.

The Mayor

NOTE:  The Mayor appears courtesy of www.MayorsManor.com – where you can find lots of Kings related news, views and interviews.  Follow him on twitter: www.twitter.com/Mayor119 or facebook too: www.facebook.com/MayorsManor.

You can also check out some of The Mayor’s related articles over at MayorsManor:

10 Free Agent Tidbits – more notes on Frolov and Poni Boy, plus thoughts on Kariya

10 Tidbits on Alexander Frolov

10 Tidbits on Wayne Simmonds

10 Tidbits on Dustin Brown

10 Tidbits on Drew Doughty

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Let it be said rather plainly. I think Alexander Ovechkin is the best NHL player bar none right now.

But, his behavior from dodging the sports press in Vancouver, to pushing a fan…has been poor sportsmanship no matter what pressure, excuse or Milbury-insult launched from a host’s seat.

Well, sadly it has continued as per a RIA Novosti correspondent who taped Ovechkin until he finally came up to the camera guy and added another situation to his personal Vancouver resume.

Per the story:

When Evgeny Fatkin asked Ovechkin for an interview, the hockey star answered by saying “Do you want me to break your camera?”

He did not wait for an answer and broke the camera display.

“I was holding the camera in my right hand,” Fatkin said. “When Ovechkin approached, I put it [my arm] down, and he broke the digital display with his right hand,” he said.

Following the incident, Ovechkin reportedly smiled, left the bar and disappeared.

There has been criticism from this season that Ovechkin has been reckless in his play, even causing Washington owner Ted Leonsis to take him aside to ask him about it. But many have come to his aid and side that he is “just having fun”. However, if you tie all these things together this season….under the white hot light of the Olympics and a season of some questions, might that image be cracking just a bit? Is something up with Ovechkin beyond just the loss, or just now being reckless now with his own image and how he handles paparazzi and fans?

There might be more to all of this, or maybe not. But for a guy who is a vibrant personality and marketed face to a game, something is crumbling a bit.

“I was shocked that it was this one-sided. And I was really disappointed that these guys came with their euro-trash game. It was just. No heart, no guts, no nothing there to back it up. I mean Alex Ovechkin was an average player tonight. I know they’re going to bounce back, but to be that poor and to be that intimidated physically by the Canadians, that really shocked me.”

- Mike Milbury, last night after the Canada win over the Russian Olympic hockey team

EUROTRASH (meaning)

Encarta: an offensive term for wealthy or fashionable European people ( slang )

Milbury is making a thinly veiled attempt to channel Hockey Night in Canada's firebrand Don Cherry

Anticipation of a rematch with Russia who eliminated Canada 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the last Olympics.  Hope that the somewhat willy-nilly changes to line combinations by the Canadian coaching staff would finally produce a consistently cohesive, winning combination against a competitive opponent.  Hope that Canada’s best hockey was still ahead and all the self-loathing that some Canadian fans put themselves through after last Sunday’s loss to the U.S. would be rendered groundless.  Hatred, definitely for Alexander “Drago” Ovechkin, and for one day, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, normally viewed as beloved members of the Penguins by this writer, but today, enemies.  Love, for country, and love for Canadian hockey, the common lifeblood that courses through the nation.

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Would Sidney Crosby and/or Ovechkin raise their game to even higher heights on the highest of all stages??  Would the bold decision by Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock to reinstate Roberto Luongo as the starting goaltender be the right move?  Would a lesser light like Patrice Bergeron or Danis Zaripov emerge as a difference-maker?  Would a late tie-breaking goal by a latter-day Paul Henderson or Mario Lemieux move this game into the pantheon of classic Canada - Russia contests?

As it turned out, the game was anticlimactic: Canada surprisingly blew away Russia 7-3, advancing to the semifinals on Friday night at 9:30 pm EST / 6:30 pm PST to face either Sweden or Slovakia.  The win ended an eight-game Olympic losing streak by Canada to Russia/Unified Team/U.S.S.R. that began at the 1964 Games in Innsbruck, Austria.  Canada came out guns blazing, opening the scoring at 2:21 of the first period courtesy of Ryan Getzlaf converting a quick centering feed from a pinching Dan Boyle.  In classic Canadian style, the hosts aggressively bodychecked and fired shot after shot on goal to test Evgeni Nabokov and soon discovered little resistance in Russia’s defence and neutral zone puck control.  In the first period alone, Canada recorded a whopping 21 shots on goal and a game total of 42, pumping their tournament lead in that category to 215.

Boyle on a power play, and Rick Nash scored 46 seconds apart mid-way through the opening frame to suddenly give Canada an unexpected 3-0 lead.  Nash’s goal came on a 2-on-1 that was simply the result of outhustling the Russian defence.  Mike Richards made an outlet pass to Jonathan Toews and skated hard in tandem with Nash who finished the play by firing the puck over a sprawling Nabokov.  After Dmitri Kalinin cut the lead to 3-1 with a shot from the top of the left circle, Brenden Morrow took the wind out of the Russian sails with a late goal on a backhander that he somehow stuffed past Nabokov, who appeared to have the area inside the left post sealed off.

Early in the second period, Corey Perry found a wide-open net off a rebound for his third goal of the tournament and 57 seconds later, the rout was on.  As two Russians were preoccupied with pinning Jarome Iginla to the boards by the benches, Jonathan Toews picked out the puck from their skates and headed into the offensive zone.  He found Shea Weber with a pass and the Nashville defenceman pounded the puck by Nabokov.  6-1 Canada.  Nabokov, out; Ilya Bryzgalov, in.

Though Maxim Afinogenov and Sergei Gonchar later scored, sandwiched around a second goal by Corey Perry, it was far too little too late.  In a microcosm of the tough night he would experience, Ovechkin was checked hard into the half-boards and knocked off the puck by young Canadian defenceman Drew Doughty about eight and a half minutes into the first period.  Neither Ovechkin nor Crosby recorded a point on the night.  Even though Crosby was held off the scoresheet, he was, as always, an influential presence on the ice.  His speed drew a holding call against Anton Volchenkov in the first period giving Canada its first power play, a man advantage situation in which he had a scoring chance.

Crosby nearly set up Jarome Iginla for yet another goal in the third period when his pass from the far circle was deflected by his fellow assistant captain off the left post.  As for Luongo, the “hometown” goalie vindicated his coach’s choice by turing aside 26 of 28 shots against the first upper-tier opponent he has faced at the Olympics.  Luongo has quietly posted a 1.67 GAA, fourth-best among goaltenders with at least three games played.  He induced the loudest “Luuuuuuuu!” cheer from the Canada Hockey Place crowd with under five minutes left in the game when he stoned Evgeni Malkin on a breakaway.

After a triumph like this, is the proper emotion pure joy?  Or is it relief?  Probably a bit of both.

Canada’s reward is just one full day of rest before the battle begins again on Friday night.

Going into yesterday’s set of games in Vancouver, not many people expected Norway, Belarus, Germany or Latvia to beat their opponents and advance to the quarterfinal round of the tournament. Canada, Switzerland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are simply way too good for those other four growing hockey nations.

Surely enough, we sit here on the day of the Quarters and the four teams expected to advance are lining up to face the teams that received qualification byes after the group stage. But other than Canada’s 8-2 romping of the Germans, the other match-ups left us guessing until the very end.

With the matches below done and in the books, we’re all set for four incredible matches to decide who goes to the medal round, and who plays in the loser games.

Who will make it to the Semi finals? Who will go home? Leave your predicitons in the comment section below!

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SWITZERLAND 3 – BELARUS 2 (SHOOTOUT)
Quarterfinal Matchup: Switzerland vs. USA, 3PM Eastern

The first game of the day was the closest, both before and after the game was completed. While Switzerland isn’t exactly a hockey powerhouse, they’ve made great strides in the past decade. With the emergence of Mark Streit as an elite defenseman, Jonas Hiller as a #1 goaltender, this team isn’t exactly full of NHL names, but definitely poses a risk to any team they face. As for the Belorussians, with two of their best players (Grabovski and Andrei Kostitsyn) out with injuries and with Sergei Kostitsyn their only notable player in North America, things were looking pretty grim.

And despite Swiss dominance in the shot department (42-22), the game went back and forth, first with Belarus going up 1-0, then with the Swiss rallying and taking a 2-1 lead, and finally with Belarus tying it back up and battling their way to a shootout. Two goals from Switzerland in the shootout and a miss by 3rd shooter Sergei Kostitsyn means that Hiller, Streit and the rest of this underrated Swiss group will play the Americans today and look for revenge after team USA beat them 3-1 in the group stage.

The game is set for 12PM Vancouver time, 3PM Eastern time.

Links:

- CTV game recap
- Game Box Score

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CZECH REPUBLIC 3 – LATVIA 2 (OVERTIME)
Quarterfinal Matchup: Czech Republic vs. Finland, 10PM Eastern

The Czechs’ road to their quarterfinal game against the Finns was supposed to be an easy one. The Latvians were arguably the worst team of the group stage, going 0-3 and surrendering 19 goals, while scoring only 4. In fact, the last time the Czechs faced Latvia, they beat them 5-2.

This time, it wouldn’t be so easy, as the Latvians brought in the game that really counted, taking the Czechs to the brink of elimination in a nail biting 3-2 overtime Czech victory. With Jaromir Jagr leaving the game in the 2nd period with a shoulder injury, and the Latvians rallying from a 2-0 deficit, it took a David Krejci overtime goal to advance the Czechs. Latvian goaltender Masalskis made 47 saves to Tomas Vokoun’s 24 in the game.

What’s next is a Finland-Czech Republic game set up for tonight at 10PM Eastern time at the UBC Thunderbird Arena, in what should be an equally thrilling game.

Links:

- CTV Game Story
- Box Score

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SLOVAKIA 4 – NORWAY 3
Quarterfinal Matchup: Slovakia vs. Sweden, 12AM Eastern

In as big a surprise as the Czech game, the seemingly lowly Norwegians managed to beat Jaroslav Halak 3 times and take the Slovaks to the brink of elimination in a 4-3 game. Norway, who was paired up with the Swiss, Canadians and Americans in the group stage, gave up 19 goals in that round while only scoring 4, and despite managing to take the Swiss to overtime, finished with only 1 point and a 0-1-1 record.

In this game, however, they brought everything they had against the Slovaks, rallying from a 2 goal deficit in the second period to tie the game 3-3. But one of their best players, Ole Kristian Tollefsen, destroyed Slovakia’s Lubos Bartecko in what can only be described as a “Dirty hit. Dirty hit” by Slovakian captain Zdeno Chara. Tollefsen was ejected from the game, leaving the Norwegians a man down. Bartecko, who left a pool of blood on the ice, left the game on a stretcher, and was diagnosed with a severe concussion, but is in stable condition.

Tollefsen is the only NHLer amongst the Norwegians. The loss of the Red Wings defenseman allowed the Slovaks to go up 3-1 in the first period. But the Norwegians used a partisan crowd to rally to a 3-3 tie, as mentioned above. Still, the Slovaks were too much for this underdog team, as Miro Satan scored in the 3rd period to put the Slovaks up 4-3 once and for all.

Despite going 0-4 in the tournament, the Norwegians had a fairly good showing in their Olympic debut, and “can go home with our heads high,” according to Tore Vikingstad, who had 4 of Norway’s 8 total goals.

What comes next for Slovakia is 2006 Olympic champs Sweden in the quarterfinals. If this now underdog team stands any chance of making the semis, Jaroslav Halak is going to have to be much better than the 3 goals on 19 shots he allowed last night against a team that shouldn’t be scoring any goals, and Zdeno Chara is going to have to play the game of his career to shut down a stacked Swedish group, which includes the Sedins, Henrik Zetterberg, and many others.

Links:

- CTV Game story
- Box Score.

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CANADA 8 – GERMANY 2
Quarterfinal Matchup: Canada vs. Russia, 7:30PM Eastern

Many expected Canada’s qualification match against the Germans to be a cakewalk, a gimme game, a glorified practice. And it was. Nevertheless, this blogger believed that Germany was one of the more underrated teams in the tournament, with 6 good NHLers on their team and a respectable showing in the group stage. Eight goals and complete domination told another story last night, as Canada lit the lamp.

Predators forward Marcel Goc and Manuel Klinge were the goalscorers for Germany, while Canada’s goalscorers included a two goal performance from Jarome Iginla (his 4th and 5th of the tournament), a rare Joe Thornton goal, a rare Scott Neidermayer breakaway goal, and a weird Shea Weber goal that went into the net and through the mesh. Rick Nash, Mike Richards, and Sidney Crosby also scored for Canada. Eric Staal had 3 assists and defenseman Duncan Keith had 2 in a team-leading 19 minutes of ice time.

Canada now puts Germany behind them and looks ahead to tonight’s primetime game against the Russians. This is the second Olympics in a row that Canada will face Russia in a non-medal round. Needless to say, many were hoping that these two teams would face off in the gold medal game. But we’ll get the most anticipated game of the tournament in the quarter finals this year. There is way too much to be said about this game than just a paragraph in a recap article, so I’ll leave the game previews to my colleagues .

Links:

- CTV Game story.
- Box Score.

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It’s a fun day of hockey ahead, and you can bet that at from 3PM to 3AM tonight, a lot of Canadians will be glued to their TV sets in what might be 4 of the best games to be televised in a long time.

Leave your predictions and thoughts below!

Jarome Iginla scored twice and new linemate Eric Staal picked up three assists to pace the Canadian attack.  Just like the opening game of the tournament, goaltender Roberto Luongo was hardly tested.  He faced 23 shots and made 21 saves.

Canada set the tone early, recording the first nine shots of the game, peppering German goaltender Thomas Greiss with pucks and wearing out his teammates by consistently cycling the puck in the offensive zone.  In the first period, Canadian defenceman Shea Weber fired several high-speed slap shots from the point, one of which broke a pane of glass above the end boards.  Canada created several scoring chances and was finally rewarded at 10:13 when Joe Thornton scored his first goal of the tournament.  Duncan Keith fired the puck along the left boards where it rolled to Dany Heatley behind the net.  He quickly passed to his fellow Shark in front, who one-timed it into the net for the opening goal.

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In the second period, Canada scored its second goal, but no one knew about it until the next stoppage of play thirty-eight seconds later.  Weber had fired a puck at the top-left corner of the German net that ripped through the mesh undetected.  Jarome Iginla scored Canada’s next two goals, the first on a power play when he literally crashed the net moments after tapping in a cross-crease pass from Staal and the second on a one-timer that shook Greiss’ water bottle, again on a pass from Staal.

After Marcel Goc’s wraparound goal cut Canada’s lead to 4-1 ending Luongo’s shutout streak at 96:34, Sidney Crosby restored Canada’s four-goal lead just seventy seconds into the third period with his third goal of the Olympics.  Crosby led Canada with five shots on goal tonight and he is now tied with Dany Heatley for the team lead with six points.  Mike Richards, Scott Niedermayer and Rick Nash finished the scoring for Canada.  Niedermayer’s goal came on a breakaway after he picked up a loose puck in neutral ice that deflected off German forward Travis Mulock’s stick.  Manuel Klinge earned the distinction of scoring Germany’s final goal of the 2010 Winter Games when he scored on a rebound of a breakaway shot by Marcel Muller with 1:02 left in the game.

Of note, Nash was hauled down by German defenceman Alexander Sulzer at 11:23 of the second period and immediately the referee signalled for a penalty shot.  Under Olympic rules, any player on Canada could take the shot and head coach Mike Babcock, like he did in the sudden-death shootout round last Thursday, did not hesitate to send Crosby over the boards.  Crosby tried a backhand flip but was stopped by Greiss.

There will be little time and little reason to celebrate this win as Canada will need to prepare for the coming clash with Russia tomorrow evening.  The context of the game will make it an exact rematch of the last time the two countries met.  At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, Russia eliminated Canada 2-0, also in the quarterfinals.  Alexander Ovechkin and Alexei Kovalev scored power play goals in the third period and Evgeni Nabokov made 27 saves for the shutout to give Russia a ticket to the semifinals.  Just eight of the Canadian players dressed for that game are on the 2010 roster while twelve Russians from the 2006 team will be on the ice tomorrow looking to repeat the triumph of four years ago.

Just 1:40 in the third period and Russia holding a minute 2-1 lead, Jagr entered the neutral zone with his speed and great stick-handling ability. No surprise there. But just as fast as it started, it ended. Jagr was stuck with his head down for a split second as he brought the puck to his back hand, and just like that, Ovechkin nailed him. No surprise to those of us who watch Ovechkin every night in the NHL. Having not played against Ovechkin in two-plus years, perhaps Jagr forgot exactly how predatory Ovechkin’s style of play is. Well, Ovechkin gave him the refresher course.

Ultimately what makes this hit even more remarkable was the subsequent goal that was scored because of hit. After the hit, Ovechkin’s Capitals teammate Alex Semin collected the puck down the left wing boards and made a tremendous cross-ice centering pass to Evegeni Malkin who beat Tomas Vokoun to give Russia a 3-1 lead. It was a demoralizing blow to the Czechs, who were riding some momentum after a goal by Plekanec. Ovechkin’s hit gave Russia the edge again and completely stole the game’s momentum from the Czechs.

Jagr said this of the hit, “Before you ask me the question, I know I made a mistake,” He continued “The hit doesn’t [really bother me]. The mistake, the turnover, they scored the goal, that hurts, that hurt me the most.”

Alex Ovechkin also contributed on the score sheet collecting two assists in the Russian victory. The victory gave Russia a first round bye into the quarterfinals where they will face either Canada or Germany. I suppose a Russia loss would’ve helped the dream matchup of Canada and Russia in the gold medal game. This won’t happen, but a winner take all matchup between Russia and Canada is still on the docket…..potentially.

It’s also great to see Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin on the same line together. Pavel Datsyuk had been centering the top line with Ovechkin and Semin, but was moved down in order to play with Kovalchuk and Afinogenov. Capitals and Penguin fans are so accustomed to seeing Malkin and Ovechkin at each other throats. It is really quite odd to see them playing together and showing such enthusiasm for each other. But country always comes first. I expect these Malkin, Ovechkin, and Semin to remain together has they contributed two even strength goals together, including the game winner.

Russia had their hiccup against Slovakia, but now look to be in complete control. The offense is clicking and the duo of Nabokov and Bryzgolov are playing great. This team continues to be dangerous and are hoping to live up to the hype. However nothing is a given as Russia will most likely have to go through host Canada if they wish to win Olympic Gold.

It seemed Jaroslav Halak and the Slovakians battled themselves over the course of the night with two too many men calls, and bouncing pucks that Halak had difficulty maintaining. One significant factor to the game was the poor ice surface that made the puck seem like a tennis ball on a rocky surface.

It was a game that saw some difficulties on Russia sorting out their specialty teams. With all of Semin, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Gonchar and Radulov on their top unit, none were willing to go to the net as they cluttered around each other looking to take the shot. Russia even had difficulty deciding who should be on the powerplay as a change on the fly left only three players on the ice waiting for others to step over the bench to join them.

Prior to one powerplay, Alexander Ovechkin stood from the side of the bench in order to decide which stick he’d like to use. After he couldn’t decide, he stepped onto the bench and looked for one himself. Content with his selection, he stepped back on the ice for the man advantage opportunity. Meanwhile, eleven other players and four officials waited for Alex the Gr8 to get settled for the powerplay opportunity. The wait lasted over a minute.

Russia opened the scoring with a goal by Aleksey Morozov and the KHL line five minutes into the second period. Russia then unleashed a flurry of shots as they attacked the Slovaks for the majority of the second period. Slovakia weathered the storm and regrouped for the third period.

Midway through the final frame, the Hossa brothers (Marian and Marcel) combined with Pavol Demitra to tie the game with a one-timer by Hossa from the slot. End to end pressure ensued for the remainder of the third period until both teams found themselves in sudden death overtime.

In the shootout, Jozef Stumpel opened the scoring with a sliding back hander on Bryzgalov. Ovechkin came back to tie it with a five hole goal on Halak. Three rounds and six shooters did not decide anything. It wasn’t until Pavol Demitra came in on his second attempt of the shootout and beat Bryzgalov short side on a toe drag flip shot in Round 8.

Slovakia earned the 2 points in the upset over Russia. Slovakia remains in the second seed in Group B, but it closes the gap on what many believed would be a runaway preliminary domination by Russia.

Halak made 36 saves and stopped 7 players in the shootout to earn the victory.

Micheal A. Aldred

1:52pm (all times EST) – Here is a look at what I’m watching today.  Now- Curling USA v Germany   3pm- USA v Switzerland  5:30pm-USA v Russia (Women’s)  7:30pm-Canada v Norway  10pm-Finland v China (Women’s)  midnight-Russia v Latvia

2:06pm – Germany beating the US 5 to 4 in the 8th end.  They should put more curling on TV, its one of those things that after you start you just can’t stop watching.

2:17pm – Germany picks up 2 and is leading 7 to 4 through 8.  Does not look good in game one for the American men.

2:44pm – 3 rocks left and the US is looking to tie it up.

2:46pm – US try to make a comeback but come up short and fall to Germany.  Hockey is up next!

2:50pm – My medal picks for men’s hockey; GOLD: Finland  SILVER: Russia  BRONZE: Canada

3:05pm – And we are on our way!  USA USA USA!

3:08pm – US looks good early.

3:14pm – I love the fact that there are no commercial breaks built into the games.

3:18pm – The Swiss men are playing a lot better then the Swiss women.

3:31pm – USA GOAL!!!!  Ryan puts the U.S. up 1-0.

3:41pm – Why does NBC think that I like Sidney Crosby or want to here anyone talk about him?

3:49pm – Just on our way in the second.

3:57pm – 2-0 USA!!!!!!!!

4:02pm – PP Goal for the United States!  3-0.  Swiss starting to show their holes.

4:18pm – Love to here the Windsor Spitfires talk.

4:25pm – The logo for these Olympics is Great.  The Canucks should uses it on a third jersey.

4:42pm – Pierre McGuire mentions Ryan Kesler is from Ohio State!

4:51pm – Swiss score and we have ourselves a game.  3-1 USA

5:04pm – USA wins 3-1 against the Swiss.  Overall, I thought America look good today.  To me they are a wild card team that could finish anywhere from first to sixth.  We really will not find out to much until Sunday vs. Canada.  Next up is USA vs. Russia on the women’s side.  That game can be seen over on MSNBC at 5:30.

5:20pm – In case you care it is still snowing in Columbus, OH.  And for some reason Sidney Crosby is on my TV.

5:30pm – Chris Matthews says this game is a big one.  USA vs. Russia is next!  Oh, and Hillary Clinton will not be moving to Canada.

5:39pm – USA up 1-0.  This game should not be close.

5:40pm – My medal picks for women’s hockey; GOLD: United States  SILVER: Canada  BRONZE: Sweden

5:46pm – GREAT goal by Potter for the United States! 2-0

5:49pm – Dinner time

6:28pm – I’m back and the US is rolling 6-0

6:39pm – USA ties Olympic record with 5th PP goal.  9-0 USA

7:00pm – USA up by 12 after two.  Russia may be good at men’s hockey but they are not good at women’s hockey.

7:10pm – Canada is warming up.  They’re game my overlap a little with the USA women’s game.  Canada’s game is on CNBC  MSNBC CNBC or you can watch Countdown next on MSNBC!

7:16pm – On our way in the third period and the US scores it’s 7th PP goal! (An Olympic record)

7:18pm – Before I forget Happy Fat Tuesday!

7:34pm – USA is winning 13-0 and it could be a LOT more.  I feel good about my Gold better pick.

7:36pm – The moment Canada has been waiting for has arrived.  Canada and Norway is on it’s way.  NO TV until curling ends on CNBC.  Just over 3min to play in the USA women’s game.

7:42pm – FINAL: USA 13 Russia 0  A great win for the American women.  Next up for them is a big game against Finland on Thursday.

7:46pm – Canada and Norway scoreless on MSNBC (Update: The game is now on CNBC).

8:08pm - Scoreless after one.  I am guessing that most Canadians thought Canada would have scored by now.  Maybe teams with maple leafs on the front of their jerseys just can’t win.

8:28pm – Canada can look now.  1-0 Great White North in the lead.

8:32pm – When it rains it pours 2-0 Canada

8:46pm – It must be nice for Rick Nash to be on a winning team.

8:58pm – The best part of NBC’s Olympic coverage is their music.

9:01pm – I love this Walmart commercial with the little girl who plays hockey.

9:28pm – Canada is looking great, up 6-0.

9:44pm – Hat Trick for Jerome Iginla.  Iginla may be my favorite player.

9:49pm – Canada wins.

10:05pm – Finland vs. China is next.  Go Finland!

10:33pm – China up 1-0.  Late in the first.  This would be a HUGE upset.

11:21pm – Finland leads China 2-1 after 2.  China is holding on and this has become a surprisingly good game.  Finland needs to start pulling away soon or China might pull the first upset of these games.

11:51pm – Finland is on the PP still up 1 mid way through the third.  This is impressive that China has kept it this close.

12:06am – Finland holds on to win it.  They are going to have to play a lot better then that against the US on Thursday.  But we a least had our fist close hockey game of these Olympics.  Well, that will do it for the live blog.  Enjoy the Russia-Latvia night cap and thanks for reading.