LOOKING BACKWARD AND FORWARD AFTER A ZANY WEEKEND
1. INCOMPARABLE LINDY: Booed by fans in his first two home games, Lindy Ruff not only won his 800th career coaching game on Saturday night, but he has also crafted the NHL’s most exciting young team, the Dauntless Devils. For Lindy, this is not a comeback, it’s a COMEBACK!
2. OILING THE MACHINE: The Rusty Rangers proved that they head the league as “Slumpbusters.” Blowing a three-goal third-period lead to Edmonton as they did on Saturday was lockjaw inspiring. What the Benevolent Blueshirts also did for Edmonton is just what McDavid, Inc. needed to start playing up to its first-place expectations. (See stories below.)
3. FAITH WORKS FOR LOU: Impetuously – and wrongly – chided by skeptics for not splurging on free agents, Lou Lamoriello has been vindicated. He put his faith in vets, such as Zach Parise. With the Isles now 15-8-0, plenty of credit goes to the late J.P.’s son who kills penalties, works the PP and skates against the foe’s top lines. Oh, yeah, Zach also scores.
4. A JOB-SAVER? The Canucks in Vegas – of all places – slapped down the Knights on Saturday night, 5-1. That could be just what Cousin Bruce Boudreau needed to make his boss, Jim Rutherford, smile again.
5. ANOTHER RUSSIAN FOR VEZINA: Igor Shesterkin allowed four Oilers’ third-period goals on Saturday on only eight shots. Memo to Iggy: “Forget about another Vezina.” However, ‘Shesty,’ your next-county neighbor Ilya Sorokin is looking like a V candidate every night out.”
6. LIKE A FLAME GOING OUT IN THE RAIN: If I’m Brad Treliving, I’m looking at the 3-2 loss in Raleigh and wondering what the heck has gone wrong with my Calgary skaters. And, by the by, it isn’t all the fault of Milan Lucic.
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EDMONTON OILERS – A DISSENTING OPINION
Our Alan Greenberg believes we have been too critical of the Oilers, especially of the emperor, none other than Connor McDavid. Big Al recently observed Edmonton’s team during its three-game set in the New York area. Here’s his impassioned defense of a team just barely over the .500 mark.
Were it not for a dramatic third-period rally Saturday, the Oilers would have suffered a trifecta of losses in the New York area. The Devils, Islanders and Rangers held the Oilers to a combined two goals until the Oilers’ third-period four-goal explosion, ironically led by a couple of skaters, Dylan Holloway and Evan Bouchard, who had zero goals this season to date. Before assisting on Leon Draisaitl’s late game-winner, Connor McDavid had but one assist in the three contests.
Edmonton has underachieved this season, considering its star power. This may be a dissenting opinion, but the captain is not the cause of their woes, and the ‘McSelfish’ tag is grossly unfair. When a guy is the fastest skater in the league and has the shooting prowess of McDavid he should capitalize on the talent. If anything, he should shoot more rather than less. His spin-o-ramas and splits of the defense may look like showmanship and may not result in a score every time, but they result in enough scoring opportunities to keep doing it. His pinpoint passes are as good as they get.
McDavid leads the league in scoring, points per game and has three game-winning goals. He is third among forwards in time on ice per game. With these numbers, how can you blame him for the Oilers’ sluggish play?
A team with the offensive talent of the Oilers should be playing far better than .500 hockey.
The scoring problems are due to a lack of balance, not the style of any of its top scorers. As an example, of the team which lined up against the Islanders Wednesday, the bottom six had produced a total of five goals to that point in the season. Tyson Barrie and Darnell Nurse are the only defenders to show significant offense. Presumed No. 1 goaltender Jack Campbell has not produced commendable numbers. Stu Skinner, a minor league journeyman to date, may yet emerge as the undisputed No. 1.
The team misses Evander Kane and is 3-4-0 since his injury. Likewise, 20-goal scorer Kailer Yamamoto got off to a slow start and is now out injured. When Kane returns, GM Ken Holland will have to do some gyrations to keep under the cap, likely bringing the team down to a 20-man roster.
Following the victory in Manhattan, Draisaitl commented on the long-overdue secondary scoring.
“That’s what good teams do. That’s how they win. You’re not going to win with two or three guys scoring.”
This team should be far better than it is, given its roster, but don’t blame McDavid for the team’s troubles.
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THE RANGERS CONUNDRUM:
You look at the Blueshirts’ 10-8-4 record and have to think that this is not the team picked to finish second – behind Carolina – in the Metropolitan Division. Those Seventh Avenue skaters seem – or seemed – so well-balanced from goal on out. Frankly, it’s hard to figure out what’s wrong with them, especially after the third-period blowout loss to Edmonton on Saturday.
Before that disaster, I told my very wise Rangers seer, Sean McCaffrey, that his favorite team would win something like 4-2 or 5-2. With his usual keen insight, he assured me that I was wrong and, now, we all know who The Young Maven really is, and it ain’t me.
“I knew they’d lose,” McCaffrey told me, “but not like that. They’re in trouble. When you listen to Gerard Gallant – and his players – talk, they all seem to have no answers and sound dumbfounded.”
My other very smart Rangers-watcher, author and goalie guru George Grimm, makes a good point. “What Gallant needed to do in the third period was bang the Oilers around. Trouble is the guy who would do the banging, (Ryan) Reaves, isn’t around anymore.”
We’ll know whether the Oilers are on the right track Monday night when they host Florida.
Same for the Rangers when the sizzling Devils visit MSG. The way this full-of-surprises season is unfolding, the least-likely scenario is likely to prevail.
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IS THIS CAUSE FOR RANGERS RETALIATION? SOME SAY ‘YES!’
Immediately after Leon Draisaitl capped a third-period, four-goal Oilers rally last Saturday – with the game-winner – the Edmonton ace came up from behind Jacob Trouba and pulled the stick from the Rangers captain’s hands, sending it flying to the ice. Seemingly in Dreamland, Trouba stood his ice and did nada. Absolutely nada.
Leon continued to his bench without any reaction from any Ranger, let alone the Blueshirts’ normally tough captain. The fact that the Rangers failed to react to an insulting move stunned some New York fans who I immensely respect.
One is former THN editor-in-chief, Tom Murray. After watching Leon embarrass Jacob, Tom angrily dispatched this email to The Maven; “THIS IS THE RANGERS CAPTAIN. THEY NEED TO WAKE UP AND WAKE UP FAST!”
Sean McCaffrey, who writes BlueCollarBlueshirts.com, the best and most comprehensive Rangers website, was equally disappointed in the New Yorkers’ passive behavior. Mac put it this way:
“Whether it’s sports or ‘real life,’ we’re often judged by how we ‘act in the moment.’ In this particular instance, and especially now as the face of the club, Trouba took it on the chin for the whole league to see. He could’ve sent a message by dropping the gloves.
“Instead, his peaceful protest sent another. Let’s see what happens the next time an opponent tries to get a laugh at the Rangers’ expense. And there will be a next time, especially for teams looking to get an edge over the Blueshirts. Draisaitl just showed them the way.”
(Now you know why The Maven said they never should have dumped Ryan Reaves. And why Chris Kreider should have worn the ‘C.’)
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WHY THE THANKSGIVING PLAYOFF ‘RULE’ IS A COMPLETE PHONY
For years, the thinking has been that if a team is in a ‘playoff berth’ around America’s Thanksgiving weekend, it would make the post-season. The theory has made for good talk but absolutely no sense. Our Sean McCaffrey details why – right here and now:
At this time, the biggest NHL talking point goes like this. Since the 2005-06 season, 76.3 percent of teams in a playoff spot by U.S. Thanksgiving then would go on to qualify for the post-season.
Like any other statistic and/or trend – there are always exceptions. What about the other 23.7 percent of the teams which weren’t in playoff contention by American Thanksgiving (nearly a quarter of the league), only to later reach the post-season?
And yep, the St. Louis Blues are the most notable and greatest exception of the 23.7 percent. During the 2018-19 season, the team remained in last place at the turn of the calendar. Once Jordan Binnington took over their net – the Blues not only reached the playoffs – they won the Stanley Cup.
WARNING: Here’s what’s lost: The NHL began its 2022-23 season one week late, compared to years past. In other words, most teams around the league have played twenty games, rather than the usual sample size of twenty-five games.
Should you believe that this T-Day stat holds water? For example, if you root for, say, the Rangers, you have to be happy despite the team’s issues during the season’s first quarter.
Currently, the Rangers have 24 points, good for fourth-best in the division. They are also eight points out from the red-hot first-place New Jersey Devils. The fifth-place Pittsburgh Penguins, who have turned it around after a slow start, are one point shy of the Rangers – but they also have a game in hand.
If the season ended on Thanksgiving, the Rangers would finish as the first wild-card team of the Eastern Conference – and with a first-round match-up against the Devils.
Perhaps you figured this out by now – while the numbers/percentages do give weight to this matter – I just don’t buy it – especially not this season.
All across this “Any Given Sunday” league, you’re seeing upsets and tightly-contested games played every night.
And while you have some early Stanley Cup contenders (hot teams), such as the Bruins, Knights and Devils – there’s no way that either of these three teams will go wire-to-wire.
While the Bruins, Knights and Devils should reach the playoffs, conversely, the Blue Jackets, Coyotes, Blackhawks, Canucks, Sharks and Ducks will all have a watchful eye on ping-pong balls during the 2023 NHL draft lottery.
Of the league’s worst teams, only the Ottawa Senators have a chance of becoming one of the “23.7 percent,” just because they’ve been slammed with injuries. When it comes to picking the teams which will gain the 16 playoff spots, it’s anyone’s guess because there’s more parity than ever.
My message is clear – don’t let the numbers fool you. Then again, trade deadline action should change everything.
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WHY BRYAN TROTTIER WAS AFRAID THE ISLES WOULD DROP HIM
The Hall of Famer’s autobiography, All Roads Home, is in the bookstores, and it’s crammed full of fascinating facts. One tale goes back to his rookie year under Islanders coach Al Arbour. Our Glenn Dreyfuss tells us why he likes it.
Good thing Arbour had a forgiving side. Otherwise, Trottier’s career on the Island might have been over right after it began.
‘Trots,’ who won four Cups alongside Arbour in the 1980s, is currently promoting his new book, All Roads Home. On Hockey Time Machine, he told host Glenn Dreyfuss about a birthday prank on his coach early in Bryan’s career.
“They (veteran teammates) set me up with Al. They said it’s an annual tradition – the youngest rookie on the team has to hit the coach in the face with a cream pie.
“So they handed me a pie. Al was right behind me. I just turned around, smacked him in the face and broke his glasses. Al had pie all over his face. Of course, all the guys scattered. I had four games under my belt. I knew that Radar could have shipped me back to junior hockey, and I panicked that whole night.
“But Al was a pro. He came in the next day with his glasses taped back together. ‘Way to go kid,’ he said. ‘You showed a little guts there.’ The next year, I was still the youngest guy on the team, I hit him a little softer in the face with the pie. Al was a good guy. Again, he took it like a pro.”
There’s much more to enjoy within the pages of All Roads Home. You’ll learn about Bryan’s upbringing on a Saskatchewan ranch, how he almost quit hockey as a junior (but lifelong friend Tiger Williams wouldn’t let him), his seven Cup runs, a later bout with clinical depression and how in retirement, he’s making a difference in Canada’s Indigenous communities.
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I’M JUST SAYIN
* Although he’s no longer in Pittsburgh or New Jersey, Ray Shero’s fingerprints remain all over the Penguins and Devils. Our Irad Chen figures that Shero rates credit for the following:
* In Newark, first-rounders Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes are leading the Devils to new heights while later-rounders such as Jesper Bratt, Yegor Sharangovich and Fabian Zetterlund have been valuable assets.
* As for Pittsburgh, Tristan Jarry, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel have kept the Pens in contention.
* The Bolts don’t look bushed to me, but a Hall of Famer close to Tampa Bay says “The Lightning look tired.”
* There is some logic behind that when you consider they’ve played 75 more games in the last few years than anyone else.
* That’s almost a full season, and leaders such as Captain Stamkos are no longer spring chickens.
* By May, we should know what kind of toll attrition has taken on this amazingly likeable team – and coach – and GM – and owner.
* The campaign to have Brad Park’s No. 2 sweater retired and hung from the MSG rafters continues in this corner and others. It still could happen.
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HOWARD AND KAREN BALDWIN BRING THE WHA ALIVE AGAIN
This is a very personal piece because Howard and Karen Baldwin are good friends and have been for decades. I bring this up because Howard’s book – Slim and None – has been turned into a hit podcast. First, here’s a bit about how The Maven and The Mogul met. Then we’ll have information about where to find the Slim and None podcast.
When news of the World Hockey Association hit the papers in 1971, I asked NHL President Clarence Campbell what he thought of the new competitive league. Campbell rarely wasted words nor did he this time.
“It will never get off the ground,” he shot back with finality.
Not long after that, the WHA began moving along the runway and Baldwin was there, front and center. This was at the Americana Hotel, just off Times Square where the WHA founders were convening. It was a fascinating scene, especially since the newborn league had hired prominent press agent Joey Goldstein to be its press rep.
Joey cornered me a few times with tidbits about the NHL and other inside stuff that never made the papers. What mattered, in the end, is that the WHA did get off the ground, and Baldwin’s New England (then Boston) Whalers won the first title.
Howard was revolutionary from the get-go in a very positive way. He hired a husband-and-wife team – my wife, Shirley, and me – to do telecasts for the 1973-74 season. We were the first hubby-wifey duo to do hockey on television, a fact overlooked by every journalist in the business.
Eventually, Howard became WHA boss and helped negotiate the merger that included four teams – Hartford, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Quebec City being admitted to the staid NHL fraternity.
Defying the odds, Baldwin and pals moved on to bigger and better days. This brings me to Howard and Karen’s latest opus upon opus upon opus:
The NHL and Baldwin’s KEMB Productions have a distribution partnership for Season 1 of the podcast series, Slim and None, first published on TheHockeyNews.com and Bleav earlier this year.
In a story of perseverance, persistence and personal fulfillment, the 13-episode series details Howard’s adventures and his wild ride from the ticket office of the Philadelphia Flyers to the executive office of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and beyond.
Adapted from Howard’s often hilarious book, the podcast is exclusively scripted for hockey’s history buffs, with Baldwin telling his story from a first-person perspective. “Slim to None” was a Boston sportswriter’s assessment of the 28-year-old’s chances of success when Baldwin was first awarded the New England Whalers franchise in the 1970s.
The story recounts Howard’s improbable journey from an entry-level position in the ticket office of the Philadelphia Flyers, to the rebellious, upstart hockey league in the 1970s, to winning the World Hockey Association championship and becoming president of the WHA.
Baldwin also describes his foray into Hollywood before making his return to hockey’s main stage as owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won a Stanley Cup with the likes of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis.
Bottom Line: It’s another of Howard and Karen’s long line of hits.
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WHO SAID IT? “I don’t live in the fast lane. I live on the off ramp.” (ANSWER BELLOW)
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BIG QUESTION: How ‘clutch’ a big game player is Connor McDavid?
BIG ANSWER: Playing on the big Madison Square Garden stage on Saturday, he captained the inspiring four-goal third-period comeback win.
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THOUGHTS ABOUT THE WILD’S WILD SEASON SO FAR
Our roving puck professor, Gus Vic, makes a snap – but smart – judgement about Bill Guerin’s Minny sextet.
“Based on the Wild’s 4-3 loss to Toronto last Friday, some of Minnesota’s struggles can be attributed to what we thought might happen a season ago – the effect of the Parise/Suter buyouts in 2021.
“The team was fortunate Kevin Fiala had a breakout season offensively, and that covered up a lot of warts. But with those buyouts, not only was Guerin able to ante up the funds, but it also handcuffed him in the free-agent market this year.
“And then that Cam Talbot thing. Marc-Andre Fleury is not going to be the guy in spring. That is, assuming that the Wild even get there.”
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YAY AND BOOS
YAY TO AKIRA SCHMID who wasn’t even listed among New Jersey’s top three goalies at the season’s start. Now the backup to backup Vitek Vanecek is 4-0 while looking like he could be a No. 1.
BOO TO EVERY SINGLE GOALIE who gets caught automatically going down in the “Butterfly” and beaten by high shots over and over and over again.
YAY TO THE BRUINS, who were picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic and have turned Boston’s TD Garden into the new Fort Neverlose.
BOO TO MATT MURRAY if he was pushing the net off intentionally against Minnesota. It’s minor league and mighty bad, but it could’ve been some plastic pegs that deserve booing instead.
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DEAN PRENTICE – ANOTHER LOCKED-OUT HALL OF FAMER – BUT WHY?
During the 1954-55 season, Dean Prentice and The Maven worked side by side for the Rangers. Deano was on left wing and The Maven worked in publicity. We remained pals ever since. Although Andy Bathgate would hog the New Yorkers’ limelight, Prentice was the guy doing the digging for No. 9. There are those – Maven included – such as author George Grimm who make a case for Prentice as a Hall of Famer. Here’s Grimm’s reminder:
“It’s been said that Dean is one of the best players not in the Hall of Fame. It can also be said that he was one of the toughest to ever play the game considering that he once scored on a penalty shot after suffering what proved to be a broken back.
“The 5-foot-11, 180-pound native of Schumacher, Ont., came up through the Rangers organization and played 11 seasons on Broadway. He spent most of that time on left wing on the Blueshirts’ top line with Bathgate on the right side and Larry Popein in the middle. Traded to Boston in 1963, Dean went on to have four productive seasons in Beantown despite suffering a broken back in 1964.
“The injury occurred in Chicago Stadium on Dec. 27, 1964. Prentice had blocked a shot by Stan Mikita at the blueline and took off for the Black Hawks’ net. He was tripped from behind by Mikita and crashed heavily into the endboards. Referee Frank Udvari ruled that Dean had a clean breakaway when tripped and awarded him a penalty shot.
“However, the collision with the boards knocked Prentice unconscious. Through the pain and only slightly revived thanks to his trainer waving a vial of ammonia under his nose, Prentice heard the laughs and taunts of the Black Hawk’s Bobby Hull: ‘Come on Dean, you’re not going to let one of your dummy teammates take the penalty shot for you, are you?’
“Hull’s words struck a nerve, and despite the pain and grogginess, Prentice got to his feet and grabbed the puck at center ice, sped in on the goal, made a move and tucked the disc behind goalie Denis DeJordy.
“However, minutes later, while back on the bench, Prentice found that he couldn’t move and had to be carried off on a stretcher. X-rays later revealed that he had suffered a broken back, and he spent the next six months in a body cast.
“Prentice made a full recovery and returned to the Bruins the next season scoring 44 points in 69 games.
“Overall, in 22 seasons with New York, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Minnesota, the five-time All-Star scored 391 goals with 469 assists for 860 points in 1,378 games and added 13 goals with 17 assists in 54 playoff games. Those are Hall of Fame stats, and add them to the fact the ‘Deano’ scored a goal with a broken back.”
So, why is Prentice not in hockey’s Pantheon? Answer: The Selection Committee just doesn’t get it.
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ANSWER TO WHO SAID IT? Fred (The Fog) Shero when he coached the Flyers.
