Random Thoughts

November 5, 2008   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

While it’s been a rough go trying to sleep and get this bug out of my system, I still have some stuff floating around my brain which pertains to hockey. So, before I forget, let’s get cooking. Not literally of course:

-First want to give kudos to Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski for linking up our piece on Martin Brodeur. Greg’s been a close friend of ours in the business who knows his stuff and has done extremely well. I highly recommend his daily column which can be found at Yahoo in the NHL section folks. Today, the Devil worshipper examined a Forbes best bang for their buck NHL fighters which ironically enough cited Ranger enforcer Colton Orr as No.1 overall on their top 15 extensive list.

While I definitely agree that Colton is one of the best heavies out there, I’m not certain I’d put him first cause he doesn’t put up points. However, he has worked very hard on his skating and deserves a few off the shin.

It’s hard to argue with the rest of the list but as Greg pointed out, players such as Riley Cote and David Clarkson were omitted as was Daniel Carcillo who I’m an avid fan of. In assessing the top 10, I’d put Jordin Tootoo in. Andrew Peters is a good scrapper but might be tad too high at five. Also of note, no Eric Boulton or Cam Janssen.

-It was also a week prior that Wyshynski posted about a late Chris Pronger high blow to Red Wing star center Pavel Datsyuk with the puck nowhere in the vicinity. It’s little secret that the former Hart/Norris winner has a history of cheap hits which must be watched closely. You be the judge:

There wasn’t even a penalty. Exactly the kind of dangerous hits the league must put an end to. Especially when it involves one of our brightest offensive stars. Pronger’s still one of the top defenders in the game who plays on the edge. Sometimes, he takes it too far. Just ask Tomas Holmstrom.

When is enough enough? Pronger shouldn’t get a free pass given his reputation. Elite status or not.

-Overheard during a recent Pens game from play-by-play man Mike Lange who pointed out that Sidney Crosby is “arguably the best two-way player in the game.”

There’s no doubting that Sid The Kid’s a very complete player but I’m hesitant to put him at the top overall. Fact is Datsyuk and rating Conn Smythe winner Henrik Zetterberg don’t receive enough credit for how special they really are in every sense. When Crosby becomes a dangerous shorthanded threat on every shift, then he can be put in that category. For now, I’m going with the Detroit super Euro duo along with Jarome Iginla.

Heck. Mike Richards has to be included for how smart he is on the PK at reading and reacting creating the shorthanded opportunity.

-Also stumbled upon this unbelievable comical interview between promising Blackhawks rookie Kris Versteeg and Sarah Spain where he recites Ludacris’ lines from Fergie hit, “Glamorous.” Watch the reaction of a couple of teammates at 32 in the room. It’s comical. Credit again to Puck Daddy for discovering this. It so reminded me of some of my time spent covering the Staten Island Yankees.

-In case you missed it, Isles’ new enforcer Mitch Fritz had a memorable debut scrap getting the better of resident NHL tough guy Georges Laraque over the weekend. In watching the 6-7, 242-pound monster skate around the ice last night, the man is a beast next to Laraque. We’ll be hearing more from him in the future.

-Calder Race:

1.Luke Schenn, Tor (13 GP, 2 A, 17 PIM, -3 rating)

2.Kris Versteeg, Chi (12 GP, 2-8-10, 6 PIM, +6)

3.Derick Brassard, CBJ (11 GP, 4-7-11, 2 PIM, +4)

-He deservedly took plenty of heat for his brutal giveaways which led to two Islanders shorthanded goals but at least Michal Rozsival took full responsibility following last night’s dreadful 2-1 showing on Garden ice following a closed door 10-minute meeting with a furious Tom Renney:

“I will take responsibility for this game, for sure. I made two poor decisions on the power play that cost us the game. There’s no excuse for that.”

To the naked eye, he just seems tight. His body language gives off a not so confident vibe which is usually when mistakes happen. Looks like he’s thinking too much out there. Simplifying things will work better. As for MIA 6.5 million Wade Redden, we still can’t figure out what Glen Sather in the former Senator to bid against himself kinda like how the Yankees reversed course and anted up retaining A-Rod. Only difference is at least that’s one of the most productive baseball players. Redden’s not even a top player at his position. What gives?

Just think. Sather could’ve saved a lot of bucks by going for cheaper alternatives giving him more space to address the lack of finishers on the roster. Unless Nigel Dawes snaps out of it and Petr Prucha remembers where the back of the net is, this group will be hard pressed to score a ton.

-One other thought. Enough with playing Nikolai Zherdev with Brandon Dubinsky. He should be on Scott Gomez’ line. Poor Gomer looks lost because he has no one to pass to. He tried to do too much last night. Best passer and best finisher belong together. Right? Aaron Voros has stone hands. The five goals he got were mostly off deflections with his back in front of the goalie. He can’t be relied on for big offense.

-Former Islander Mark Parrish gets one more shot with the Stars. At this point, considering how bad things are going for them, why not take a chance? He always had decent hands around the net. Kudos to Garth Snow for giving him a professional tryout with Bridgeport so he could be looked at. He went 1-1-2 in three games before the Stars signed him. Funny but don’t you think a guy like that could’ve worked with say the struggling Chris Drury here? But hey. They’d rather tie up extra money on an overrated defenseman who has a “nice first pass.” How could you argue with such logic?

-I saw Devil blogger Hasan reference it the other night and I’ve gotta second what he said regarding the little ice-time former top picks Petr Vrana and Nicklas Bergfors got from Brent Sutter. What? Are they too allergic to actually giving skilled young forwards enough shifts to maybe at least help Zach Parise a little? What’s the worst that can happen? That extra shift from Mike Rupp isn’t winning you many games. They’ve already lost their franchise goalie. It’s time for a change!

-Now that Barack Obama’s been elected President, does this mean no more special visits to NHL Arenas for “hockey Mom” Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin? I highly doubt Manny Legace or any Philadelphia sportsfan will be shedding a tear. Do you?

-And finally, with all the rumors about Brendan Shanahan possibly winding up on Broad Street and Ottawa actually considering making Mats Sundin a turncoat, isn’t it about time the NHL makes a rule not allowing this stuff to go on. How much time do these guys need? Comebacks like the one Peter Forsberg attempted with Colorado last year shouldn’t be allowed. There needs to be a deadline which all teams and free agents must agree to. This is just a crack showing.

Bending the rules isn’t fair. If a player can’t make up their mind by Dec.1, then good riddance. That should be the cutoff. End of discussion!

And with that, I’m out a whole lot quicker than Chinese Democracy.