Hart Trophy
Sidney Crosby (PIT)
Martin Brodeur (NJ)
Jaromir Jagr (NYR)

Calder Trophy
Dustin Penner (ANA)
Evgeni Malkin (PIT)
Matt Carle (SJ)

Norris Trophy
Scott Niedermayer (ANA)
Chris Pronger (ANA)
Dion Phaneuf (CGY)

Vezina Trophy
Martin Brodeur (NJ)
Mikka Kiprusoff (CGY)
Dominik Hasek (DET)

Selke Trophy
Mark Mowers (BOS)
Jere Lehtinen (DAL)
John Madden (NJ)

Jack Adams Award
Denis Savard (CHI)
Randy Carlyle (ANA)
Ken Hitchcock (CLB)

The BoNY world will have it’s eyes turned to Isles-Sens (7:30 PM, FSN NY, WBBR 1330) as the Icelanders have a chance to tie NJ for the Atlantic Division lead.

For our Canadian friends, TSN (HD) has a doubleheader, starting with Montreal-Washington at 7:30, and Calgary-Vancouver at 10:00.

Atlanta visits Pittsburgh, as the Pens look to rebound.

Philly looks to return to at least mediocrity against the 14th place Panthers.

Both Comcast.net and Yahoo.com have live streaming of Avs-Stars at 9pm.

Enjoy!

Scoring Summary
1st Period - Nothing
2nd Period
Devils - Travis Zajac - 8th of the Season, from Langenbrunner and Parise, at 1:23.
3rd Period
Devils - Jay Pandolfo - 5th of the Season, from Brylin and Madden, at 15:58
Devils - Brian Gionta - 15th of the Season, from Elias and Martin, at 17:58

In front of the Devils’ largest home crowd yet this year (16,156), they had one of those games that they’ve had over the years where, they have to show the league that they are the New Jersey Devils. I call this an NFA game, or No F***ing Around. It’s pretty much any game where Marty has a shutout and score 3 or fewer goals. This was tonight.

After a scorless first, early in the second, the line of Langenbrunner, Parise, and Zajac got caught up in a broken play, not far off from last week’s Atlanta home game, and it was one of those cases where Zajac found the puck on his stick and just shot it, and it went past Marc-Andre Fleury.

It should be noted right now that Sidney Crosby is a little bitch. After a perfectly legal Janssening of Brooks Orpik, Crosby comes in and suckers Cam once. Crosby should’ve been given 4, and it wasn’t the last time these Penguins played dirty tonight, but we’ll get to that later.

As the game moved on, it became very apparent, as it tends to happen in an NFA game, that the Penguins would not win, and very likely not score. Not a boring game by any stretch, the Devils just continued to shut down Pittsburgh, and Malkin and Crosby at every turn.

Late in the third, Jay Pandolfo scored on a pretty pass from Sarge at 15:58. Then, Brian Gionta showed that he’s ready to get hott again, taking a nice backhand feed from THE CAPTAIN and rifling a backhander to the shelf. It was one of the nicer goals you’ll see all year, and it stayed 3-0.

Toward the end of the game, Jordan Staal came in on a forechecking assignment and stuck his leg out and tripped Marty Brodeur. A melee ensued, and Staal should be fined for intent to injure. I know Marty embellishes sometimes, but this was a clear and direct attempt to take Brodeur out.

Marty’s OK, Devils win it 3-0.

I assume Derek’s gone and killed himself, I know I would if I were him.

It’s sad to admit but the Islanders are just better than the Rangers. In many ways, it reminds me of last year’s Blueshirts who silenced critics which picked them near the bottom by working hard and coming together for a cause. That’s the Ted Nolan Isles. Nolan who hadn’t coached in nine years due to a well documented battle in Buffalo hasn’t lost his touch and already should be the leading Jack Adams candidate. Btw…he won it once coaching those pesky Sabres.

Entering the season, everyone poked fun of the Islanders due to zany owner Charles Wang. Wang hired and then fired ex-Ranger architecht Neil Smith this past summer and replaced him with former backup Garth Snow. Then he gave former top overall pick Rick DiPietro a 15-year contract. It read like a circus. Naturally, the Fishsticks were treated like last year’s Rangers with hardly anyone respecting them due to Wang. I guess people including myself forgot that sometimes, all it takes to motivate a team is all those doubters plus the best coach in the Atlantic by a mile.

The fiery Nolan who finally got his second chance gets results. Captain Alexei Yashin works his butt off every shift. So does Devil castoff Viktor Kozlov. Players such as Chris Simon, Mike Sillinger, Brendan Witt and even Tom Poti fit in. If this sounds like a nightmare, it isn’t. It’s really true. Go up and down the Islander roster and you’ll be hardpressed to name a more balanced team in the division. They get contributions from everyone by outworking opponents. The grit and physicality was obvious tonight when they once again made misplace Ranger captain Jaromir Jagr look invisible.

You want to know the difference between the bitter rivals. Just look at the stat sheet from tonight’s Isles 2-0 win:

Jagr was held to no shots through two periods and finished with five even though none were of the quality variety due to solid checking from Witt and underrated defense partner Radek Martinek. While No.68 sulked throughout and did little, the Isles’ dynamic duo of Yashin (6 SOG, 1 assist) and energizer Jason Blake (21st goal and 10 SOG) were everywhere. It was a sharp contrast in what was a tightly contested game.

Remember when Yashin had that “lifetime contract” and no coach could get anything out of the quiet but friendly Russian? Not anymore. He now wins every battle including in the defensive end. It’s no wonder he’s now up to a +17 rating. Think the coach hasn’t had an impact? Think again. Nolan knows how to motivate his players. Kozlov, who was an afterthought on the Devils (even scratched for fourth liner Cam Janssen in the playoffs) already has as many goals (13) as he had all last season along with 24 points. He is playing much harder and using his size to create problems for opponents.

Aside from the fact that the Rangers don’t have the necessary grit or physicality in the corners to deal with the improved Islanders, they also are now coming up short in goal. Go figure. Remember when DiPietro sucked and was a laughingstock? Not anymore. In tonight’s game, it was the moody Isles’ goalie who made every big save and recorded his second straight shutout (28 saves) and fourth of the season. Meanwhile, Henrik Lundqvist who was brilliant at times let in a questionable goal to one of those Isles’ role players Arron Asham on a slapper late in the second. That was all it took. Sure, the Asham shot came through Ranger defenseman Karel Rachunek but it also was one Lundqvist needed to stop. Instead, he suffered a concentration lapse and let it go through him. So while he did make 36 saves and played well, it wasn’t enough because the Isles played the kind of overall game the Devils are known for. That’s how much they’re on the same page. They’re a confident bunch unlike the Blueshirts who are seemingly lost and “Falling To Pieces” much like a Velvet Revolver song.

Late in the second top pivot Michael Nylander took a careless high sticking double minor after getting his stick up on Martinek and drawing blood. It gave the Islanders a 4:00 power play which spanned the second and third periods. Though they didn’t connect on it, they continually recovered the puck and got chances (another contrast between the two teams where as the Ranger PP was so predictable the Isles defensed it perfectly) forcing Lundqvist to make some tough stops. And because unlike their opponents who got to pucks and cleared them out, the Rangers couldn’t do that and ultimately paid the price when ex-Ranger whipping boy Poti setup Blake, who ripped a perfect slapper into the far corner as time expired. Right there, you knew the game was over. The Rangers hadn’t shown an ability to penetrate the Isles’ D and get the kind of sustained attack needed to beat a sharp DiPietro.

So with his club struggling to find offense, Coach Tom Renney decided to make an example of Nylander and not give him a shift in the final period. Look. I am all for benching players. But what was more vital? Sitting his top playmaking center or getting a win? He always could’ve sent the message by healthy scratching Nylander the next game at Ottawa Friday night. Hey. It worked last year. Nylander took some bad penalties last December and sat out before returning and picking up his game. What’s Jagr’s excuse though? If he were anymore invisible, I would’ve thought he was in street clothes.

It just seems like the magic which Renney had last year is gone. The one good thing he did was give rookie Jarkko Immonen and slumping sophomore Petr Prucha ice-time with Jagr. Of the three, Immonen was the one in the middle creating stuff. There’s really not much else to say about this game.

Maybe the coach will say his guys tried harder and played smarter which is true. But the bottom line is they lost once again and couldn’t get anything going. This club is very fragile to begin with.

I am going to make one comment regarding the coaching changes in Columbus and St. Louis plus Chicago. Look at how those teams have responded since. They’re all competing better and winning more. The Hawks suddenly could make the postseason while the Blue Jackets and Blues are playing much harder under no-nonsense style coaches in Ken Hitchcock and Andy Murray. Now I like Renney and will always respect him. He’s genuine. But he isn’t tough enough for this club to go anywhere. They need a different voice. Someone who will not be afraid to ruffle feathers. I can’t believe it but I am advocating the return of Mike Keenan to Broadway. This team isn’t built to miss the playoffs. When you have as many vets as they do plus superstars such as Jagr and Shanahan, you are expecting to contend. Right now, this club is lost under Renney.

There might be a lot of time left in the season but it’s slipping already and is eerily similar to how last Spring ended. For all his theatrics, Keenan has won here and usually can get the most out of a team that’s build the way these Rangers are. It’s time for Glen Sather to stop smoking his 1,000,000th cigar and make the move. Keep Renney in the organization. Bring back Iron Mike!

With only a few minutes from game time, I’ll make this brief as I have been busy taking care of some other holiday stuff.

To say this is a must-win game would be an understatement for a struggling Ranger club which has dropped five straight in awful fashion including blowing two consecutive second period leads in Southern Florida.

Aside from that, the improved archrival Islanders have taken the first two games (7-4 and 4-3 at MSG) in strong fashion. So there should be plenty of motivation. It’s worth noting that recently the Rangers have played extremely well at Nassau Coliseum. So can they summon up the demons and take a step to getting back on track? We’ll see.

Coach Tom Renney has shaken up the lines. Here are the Ranger lines for the start:

Ward-Nylander-Jagr
Cullen-Straka-Shanahan
Hollweg-Betts-Hall
Hossa-Immonen-Prucha

Renney likes the hardworking Ward and is rewarding the gritty winger by playing him on the top line. Ward has had some chemistry with Jagr (especially when Nylander was out). So this just might work. I like the second line idea of utilizing Straka’s speed to help Shanahan out. Cullen also has good speed and should mesh well. The real questions as usual are the third and fourth lines. Can they step up and contribute? That remains to be seen. Will Renney have enough faith in the young fourth line comprised of a trio all 25-and-younger? He has never shown confidence in rolling four lines this season. It would be a refreshing change if he gave them at least enough shifts to make an impact. They need about 11-12 shifts IMO.

Henrik Lundqvist will get the start. He’ll look to bounceback as will the team. If the Blueshirts are to have success, they must shutdown Alexei Yashin (33 pts in 26 GP) and Jason Blake (20 goals). If they don’t, it will be another tough night.

New Jersey (19-13-3, 41 PTS, 1st Atlantic Divsion, 3rd Eastern Conference) vs. Pittsburgh (15-13-6, 36 PTS, 4th Atlantic Dvision, 12th Eastern Conference)
7:30 PM
The Swamp
TV: FSN NY 2
Radio: WFAN660/NHL.com/WFAN.com

Last We Met:

1st of December, after an early Eric Christensen goal, Devils take control and win it 5-2. Malkin scores as well, but Patrik Elias is the story with a goal and 2 assists, and is finally looking to get out of big slump.

Season Series: 2-1 Devils.

Next Meeting: February 16th at The Swamp.

Leading Scorers:
New Jersey
#26 Patrik Elias 13-19-32
#9 Zach Parise 14-14-28
#15 Jamie Langenbrunner 14-13-27
#14 Brian Gionta 14-13-27
#23 Scott Gomez 4-20-24

Pittsburgh
#87 Sidney Crosby 17-38*-55*
#71 Evgeni Malkin 17-16-33
#8 Mark Recchi 9-21-30
#55 Sergei Gonchar 5-22-27
#19 Ryan Whitney 4-16-20

Goaltenders
New Jersey
#30 Martin Brodeur 19-12-2, 2.21, .920%
#40 Scott Clemmensen 0-1-1, 3.60, .878%

Pittsburgh
#29 Marc-Andre Fleury 14-9-4, 3.14, .897%
#41 Jocelyn Thibault 1-4-2, 3.24, .898

*-League Leader

Game Analysis:

It really shows how much parity there is in hockey when a team like Pittsburgh is still contending hear at Christmas. Sad fact is, they are a pretty decent hockey club, you can’t not be with Crosby and Malkin, but other then that magic duo, they are either not fully developed (Whitney, Welch, etc.) or way past their prime (Recchi, Gonchar) and that’s not something a hockey team should feel pressured to win with every night. The Devils are fully capable of dominating Pittsburgh if Michel Terrien is dumb enough to put Crosby and Malkin together on a line, because Madden and Pandolfo would take care of them. However, Malkin doesn’t do very well individually, so if they’re on two seprate lines, it might not be too much of a worry for NJ. Otherwise, they just need to get balanced scoring and they’ll be fine.

Prediction: Devils 4, Pittsburgh 2.

We left off with our top three Hart hopefuls at this juncture of the holiday season. So let’s see who are the leading candidates thus far for three other significant awards:

Vezina:

1.Martin Brodeur- Take the two-time Vezina winner and all everything goalie away from an offensively challenged Devils team and they would stink. How does a team which has scored only three more goals than they’ve allowed (92 GF, 89 GA) have 19 wins and sit in first? The answer is Brodeur, who has accounted for all 19 victories (2nd in NHL) while posting a respectable 2.21 GAA, .920 save percentage and is tied for second with four shutouts.

2.Miikka Kiprusoff- The rating Vezina champ once again is the key to any chance the Flames have making the postseason and going far. He’s kind of similar to Brodeur in that he plays on a team which doesn’t score much (95 GF) but given up even less (82 GA). Kipper has 16 of their 17 wins and as usual is right up there in GAA (2.17 ranks 5th), save percentage (.926 tied for 3rd) and shutouts (4 ties him for 2nd).

3.Jean-Sebastien Giguere- We’re giving the former 2003 Conn Smythe winner the nod over The Dominator for now because he plays on the best team. Many questioned whether Giggy could recapture that special form. Especially after he looked pretty ordinary the last couple of seasons. But this year, the magic has returned. Entering a season uncertain to beat out Ilya Bryzgalov for the No.1 job, Giguere has been splendid thus far. He leads the league with 23 wins while posting a 2.12 GAA (tied 3rd), .926 save percentage (T 3rd) and has a share for second with four blankings. It’s hard to ignore.

Norris:

1.Chris Pronger- Okay, so he plays for the best team and has freaking Scott Niedermayer helping out on another No. 1 pair. But how do you ignore what the former 2000 Hart/Norris winner has done thus far. He paces all blueliners in assists (31), points (38) and his +20 rating ranks third among D. All this while playing more disciplined (28 PIM).

2.Nicklas Lidstrom- Year after year, few players are better at the position than the four-time Norris winner. The 36 year-old Swedish legend is one of the most consistent players of his time. Even age can’t seem to get in the way of the type of impact player No.5 continues to be anchoring the Red Wing blueline. His 31 points (9-22-31) rank fourth among D while placing second behind Tom Preissing with a +22 rating. Lidstrom also has seven power play goals and once again has been very disciplined (26 PIM). Can he tie Orr?

3.Scott Niedermayer- I really wanted to put Dion Phaneuf here and maybe by the end of the year, the super second-year soph will be because he means a lot to Calgary. But it’s hard to ignore what Niedermayer (6-24-30, +8, 3 PP, 1 GW) continues to bring to Anaheim. He’s such a presence on the ice. One of the smoothest skaters, the former 2004 Norris winner just glides out there and can be used so many ways. Defensively he’s solid. Offensively he is like an extra attacker roaming whereever he wants. How Randy Carlyle uses him on the power play is terrific. It kind of reminds me of how the Rangers utilized Brian Leetch. The best part about the Ducks’ captain is he can get back in an instant. It’s really fun to watch.

Calder:

1.Evgeni Malkin- Everyone knew how much a special talent he was before he came over finally to team up with Sidney Crosby and talented rookie Jordan Staal in Pittsburgh. The size and hands are one thing but the speed in which this talented Russian can make plays in any zone is worth the price of admission. The former ‘04 second overall pick is special and hasn’t disappointed thus far- leading all rookies in goals (17), points (32) and PPG (7) while tying for first with Paul Stastny in game winners (3).

2.Anze Kopitar- While most know who Malkin is, not everyone is aware of how gifted this kid is. The first Slovenian to make the NHL has turned into a steal for the Kings. Somehow 10 GMs passed him up in 2005. Want to know why? Cause his home country had never produced an NHLer. Pretty crappy reasoning. If a player has his talent, it shouldn’t matter where they’re from. Watching the way this crafty pivot can skate is a thing of art. He’s got all the moves and the presence to go with it. It’s no wonder he’s first among freshmen in helpers (21) and right behind Malkin in scoring (32 points). Kopitar is a top talent who should be marketed playing in LA. But will he?

3.Paul Stastny- I remember watching him play a little in college and leading Denver University to the NCAA championship. I knew he would be a very good player and couldn’t understand why the Rangers and a bunch of other teams passed on him in the first round and watched the Avalanche get a steal with the 44th overall pick in 2005. And thus far, Peter Stastny’s son hasn’t disappointed. Centering the Avs’ second line, his 26 points (9-17-26) tie him for third with John-Michael Liles in team scoring. Those 26 points place the smart playmaking center third among rookies. He definitely has a lot of upside.

With the Christmas rankings out of the way, I’m left wondering if Ranger Coach Tom Renney had too much spiked egg nogg for Christmas. Apparently, Renney is not troubled at all by his team’s alarming play of late which has resulted in a five-game slide including back-to-back blown third period lead of two-or-more to Florida and Tampa Bay. He still has “faith” and even mentioned the Cup. Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt. Make no mistake about it. Renney’s Blueshirts have issues. They have an inconsistent second-year goalie who’s struggling to match last year’s amazing season. They have a moody superstar who’s not playing like a captain. They have a schizo team D which panics once the opposition scores. They also have zero physicality and no scoring from the third or fourth lines. How can Renney be confident right now? Sure. He doesn’t want to say he doesn’t have faith because it might make things worse. But come on. If the Rangers don’t put out the effort tonight at Nassau Coliseum and come out with a much needed victory, what will the coach say next? That they tried and are on the verge of coming out of this funk? Unless he’s applying for a star role in a Dumb and Dumber sequel, Renney needs to right the ship quickly before this morphs into another Ranger debacle from 1997-04.

Hope everyone out there had a very Merry Christmas and got what they wanted. Just a heads up for the diehard puck fans. Center Ice will be airing the Team USA-Germany WJC game at 9 ET/6 PT today. If you want to check out some of the best prospects, it’s worth tuning in for.

Couldn’t the NHL take advantage of everybody’s feelings of cool weather and do a doubleheader on NBC X-mas day? Or even better: How about a game airing right before football. You wanna attract a crowd? Have a doubleheader beginning at 12, do 15 minutes of pre-game for football, and then get to the game. Boom, as John Madden would say, you’ve just promoted hockey more than any amount of commercials could ever do. First, show a big market game (Wings and Rags for example) at noon to garantee a respectable audience for game 1. Then, at 2:30, showcase Crosby and the Pens vs. the fun to watch Dallas Stars, and you get a great transition into the Cowboys game.

12:00 NY Rangers vs. Detroit
2:30 Dallas vs. Pittsburgh
5:00 FOOTBALL Pregame
5:15 NFL On NBC

I think we’d all enjoy that.

Okay…I want to wish everyone who celebrates a Merry Christmas. Hope ya’ll get what your heart’s desire and enjoy what’s always a very special day along with a great time of year!

That out of the way, I thought it would be a nice idea to do our own Christmas elite lists. In no particular order:

Christmas Elite Top Five Teams:

1.Anaheim- Possessing the league’s best record (27-5-6, 60 pts), the Ducks have it all including two future Hall of Famer Norris winners on the blueline in captain Scott Niedermayer and former Blue Chris Pronger. One of the best netminders in J.S. Giguere and a well balanced attack up front which features Hart candidate (not a misprint) Teemu Selanne along with young risers Andy McDonald, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Just wait till top prospect Bobby Ryan gets there!

2.Buffalo (25-7-3, 53 pts)- Despite injuries, the 2006 Eastern Conference Finalist Sabres have continue to play well and stay ahead of the pack in an ultracompetitive conference. After dropping two straight for the first time all season, Lindy Ruff’s boys sent a message to the rest of the league by dismantling the Predators in Music City 7-2. They can beat you with speed, speed and more speed. Probably the best countering team, the Sabres feature the NHL’s most underrated star Daniel Briere along with Maxim Afinogenov, Chris Drury and super soph Thomas Vanek. With Ryan Miller rocksolid in net and Brian Campbell and Henrik Tallinder teaming again on the blueline, this team looks extremely tough.

3.San Jose (25-11-0, 50 pts)- Flying under the radar, the Sharks are playing some good hockey. Featuring rating Hart winner Joe Thornton and emerging leader Patrick Marleau, San Jose can come at you with a lot of speed and skill. If Jonathan Cheechoo gets going, watch out. They also have an underrated blueline which includes Christian Ehrhoff, Scott Hannan and Kyle McLaren which make them tough to score against (77 GA). With Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala playing lights out in net, Ron Wilson’s bunch is a serious contender.

4.Nashville (24-9-3, 51 pts)- Despite the loss of No.1 goalie Tomas Vokoun, Barry Trotz’ rising club continues to play well thanks to some solid backstopping from Chris Mason along with a balanced attack up front (Sullivan, Kariya, Erat, Legwand, Arnott) which includes rookie Alexander Radulov. Where this team could be superior is on D where they boast some great talent. Aside from vets Marek Zidlicky and Kimmo Timonen, youngsters such as Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are emerging as threats. If Vokoun returns healthy and they continue to get balanced scoring, this could be the year the Preds break through.

5.Montreal (21-9-5, 47 pts)- They don’t score a lot of goals (112 GF) but then again they don’t have to because of their goaltending (97 GA). Cristobal Huet is proving last season wasn’t a fluke while backup David Aebischer has been okay. While the offense is limited up front (Koivu, Ryder, Kovalev, Samsonov), they are getting support from Sheldon Souray and Andrei Markov on defense which takes some pressure off. Toss in emerging Long Island product Chris Higgins up front along with Alexandre Perezhogin and promising rookies Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre (3 goals in 4 games since recall) and things are looking up for Guy Carbonneau’s Habs.

Hart Race:

1.Marian Hossa- The second-year Thrasher has always been one of the NHL’s best kept secrets. The ex-Senator was always a star but nobody ever put him in the MVP category until now. He’s been Atlanta’s best player and currently is tied with Alexander Ovechkin for first in goals (24) and ranks only behind Crosby and Jagr in scoring with 48 points. Not just a threat on the power play (13), the dangerous Hossa recently burned the Devils for two shorthanded goals. He’s a complete player on a division-leading team that’s looking to make the playoffs for the first time.

2.Teemu Selanne- What is it about teal which brings out the best in The Finnish Flash? For the second straight season, he’s been brilliant. Clearly the offensive leader of a talented Anaheim club, Selanne leads the team in scoring with 45 points (19-26-45) and is tied among Duck forwards with a +17 rating. While 11 of his 19 goals have come on the PP, a majority have been clutch as his six game-winners pace the league. He’s been a real leader on a young rising club.

3.Dominik Hasek- Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Why nominate the moody Dominator when he’s taken home this award in his illustrious past with Buffalo and dominated the Vezina? The Red Wings’ goal differential (99 GF, 77 GA) is a huge factor here. The Wings are not as good as Anaheim, San Jose or Nashville but every night that Hasek plays, he gives them a chance to win. There’s a reason they’ve got 47 points and won 21 games and it’s in net with what was supposed to be a washed up 41 year-old goalie. For those who point out that the D is very good, while that is true, Hasek still has to be on his toes and stay focused eerily similar to Brodeur in New Jersey. In a recent win there, Hasek was brilliant. He currently leads the league with five shutouts, a 1.85 GAA and his 18 wins tie him for third with Marty Turco. Not bad for a guy who was on the way out before Ken Holland gave his agent a call.

Coming later today: The Norris, Vezina and Calder races all heat up!

With Christmas a couple of days away, I thought I’d post some holiday wishes for my pathetic hockey team and some other hockey ones as well:

1.A 60 minute effort at the Island Tuesday resulting in a Ranger win finally ending this five-game skid from Hell. I know it’s not realistic but please!

2.Ryan Hollweg to score a goal. I love the effort this kid puts out. It would just be nice to see him get rewarded. In order for this to happen, he needs new hands for Christmas. Hahaha.

3.MSG to stop airing those idiotic Bobby Granger commercials. Enough already! In case the clueless management hasn’t noticed, this isn’t last year! So stop shoving it down our throat! Sometimes, I really do wish I could see Dolan face to face and give him a piece of my mind.

4.A Time Machine. Pretty self explanatory if you’re a Blueshirt fan. Inspired from one of my favorite 80’s movies Back To The Future, could we please find one and set it back to before last year’s Olympic Break. I know Henrik Lundqvist needs it. And god forbid Glen Sather does for trading Ville Nieminen and destroying our third line.

5.A physical defenseman. Enough said.

6.For NHL commish Gary Bettman to stop screwing around with the game. How much more is this nimrod going to sabotage it and turn off more diehards? If you’re going to realign the divisions, have enough sense to stick every team where they belong and change the divisions back to the traditional names instead of the adopted NBA geographical ones.

7.For the league to actually promote the sport so that even the average viewer knows where a Crosby-Ovechkin showdown is being aired. The ratings are a flat out embarrassment. All the league ever focuses on is the positives. What positives?!?!?!?!?!?! The tons of empties in most arenas. The ratings which are even more down the toilet than they were under the old rules? Sometimes, it’s like they don’t see it. Is Dolan running the NHL too? Just checking.

8.For some of the dangerous hits which don’t always result in penalties while every soft tug does to be watched a lot more closely. The borderline hits are the ones where players get hurt. There needs to be a reemphasis on this. Clean up the game!

9.For every fan who knows Crosby, Ovechkin and Malkin so well to finally know the supreme talent and skill of Anze Kopitar playing out in Los Angeles.

10.For the game to give us the kind of finish it needs to garner more attention.