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 NHL QUICK SHOTS By Josh Brewster
MARCH 8, 2007 -- LOS ANGELES -- Shots on goal is one of the most underrated stats in hockey. It is a fantastic barometer of effectiveness and desire, especially when shots are tracked over the course of a career. One of the most amazing things is the presence of NHLers who possess great skills but not the stomach for shooting the puck. Notable on this dishonor roll are two very talented, speedy players. One, the first overall pick in 1999, is Patrik Stefan, now with the Dallas Stars. Shudder to think of what he could have done with his career had he been willing to shoot. The other, Dmitry Afanasenkov, was a 3rd round pick of the Lightning, who finally waived the underachiever this season (he was picked up by Philly): Patrik Stefan: Drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1st round (1st overall) in 1999. TOTALS: This season, only 41 shots in 41 games. Career: Only 605 SOG in 455 games. 64 goals, 124 assists for 188 total career points. Way low for a number one pick. This season, outdid himself by failing to get a shot off just three feet from an empty net. Hilarious! Average: 1.32 shots and dropping. Dmitri Afanasenkov: Drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 3rd round (72nd overall) in 1998. This season, only 68 shots in 58 games. TOTAL: Only 253 SOG in 211 NHL games. Result - 24 goals, 25 assists for 49 total career points. Average: 1.19 shots per game, roughly 1.5-2 SOG less than a winger should produce, especially since Dmitry isn't much of a 4th line wing. Trade Deadline Quick Report: Some have great new linemates. Some just need a clue. Some needed a change of scenery. A quick peek at some recently traded players. Who's hot, who's not: Slow Starts: Dainus Zubrus, Buffalo: 0-0-0 in 3GP. (2-32-52 in 60 games [on Ovechkin's line] with Capitals) Bill Guerin, San Jose: 0-0-0 in 4GP. (28 goals and 47 points in 61 games with Blues) Ladislav Nagy, Dallas: 2-2-2 in 9GP. (41 pts in 55 games with Coyotes) Fast Starts: Marc-Andre Bergeron, New York Islanders: 2-6-8 in 7GP. (25 pts in 55 games with the Oilers) Kyle Calder, Detroit: 1-4-5 in 4GP (21 pts in 59 games with Blackhawks) Craig Conroy, Calgary (return to Iginla's line does the trick!): 5-9-14 in 16GP (16 pts in 52 games with Kings) Gary Roberts, Pittsburgh: 2-2-4 in 4GP. (29 pts in 50 games with Panthers) Scottie Upshall, Philadelphia: 4-3-7 in 9GP. (3 points in 14 games with Predators) Hats Off To Proteau Three years ago, former Avalanche player Steve Moore's neck was broken by then-Vancouver forward Todd Bertuzzi. To this day, Moore suffers from post-concussion syndrome. To this day, Todd Bertuzzi talks about how much he wishes folks would "move on." To this day, players done on about "respect" and how they have to "police themselves," or some other such nonsense. Have you ever heard of a sport that allows its players to "police themselves" whatever that means? Hats off to Adam Proteau of the Hockey News for addressing this in his March 8 column at the risk of being characterized as a wimp, or worse. The whole "should have kept his head up" crowd who cheers for players like Ottawa's Chris Neil are a blight on the sport. Example: No one ever dared tell the NFL's Darrell Stingley that he "should have had his head up" or "should have known who was on the field," after the Patriot was paralyzed by the Raiders' Jack Tatum in the late 1970s. No one would have had the audacity to lay blame on anyone but Jack Tatum, all those years ago. The NFL doesn't blame victims of late hits. Neither should the National Hockey League. Hockey's knee-jerk blame-the-victim response to recent hits on Frank Kaberle and Chris Drury continue a shameful hockey tradition, which makes the league appear to be the Neanderthal, rather than the National, hockey league. Fighting is one thing. Both players are willing participants. Late, cheap shots have gotta go.
Canadian
Kool-Aid February 24, 2007 -- If it was Daniel Alfredsson or Dany Heatley who took a late hit like the one that Buffalo's Chris Drury absorbed from Ottawa's resident idiot, Chris Neil, the whole country would acknowledge that it was a late hit. But no, this was just an American team, and an American player in Drury, Buffalo's leader. So, in the eyes of most of the Canadians who bothered to call various hockey talk shows since the hit, it was all just fine. Harsh? No. That's the way they seem to think up there, at least 90% of all Canadians who bothered to join the fray on XM and other outlets. Call me a xenophobe or whatever you want. It was a late hit, Bryan Murray knows it, and Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff was right to ask his players to "go out and run 'em." You want old time hockey? You might get some tonight, courtesy the Sabres. Buffalo coach Ruff was levied a 10,000 fine for putting Andrew Peters out on the ice, a fine which makes no sense. Hopefully, the Sabres will do their talking on the ice, but if someone were to injure Dany Heatley or the mouthy Jason Spezza, they'd just be "doing their job." Like Chris Neil, right?
Every
Team, Every Building, Every Year
February 4, 2007 -- Two things are clear regarding the debate over the NHL schedule. One, we’re now stuck with the current ridiculous schedule for at least another year. Secondly, In terms of proposals for future schedule configurations, all roads lead to only a one-game interconference guarantee per club. For example, the Pacific division may get to see Sid Crosby at one point in the season, but it would still only be a home game every other season. If you’ve heard the Hockeytalk Audio Feature with Jim Devellano, you’ll understand why I’m not excited about future changes to the schedule. The Wings exec is convinced that we’re not going back down the road to putting every team in every building each season, while he agrees that that a return to such would be desirable. Too bad. As an Oiler rep recently pointed out to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Michael Russo, when Wayne Gretzky was in the league, it was just great that he had to go to every building. Now, when the tables are turned and many other franchises need to see the league’s stars, the fans are disappointed with 32 games against the division, including 16 home of 41 home dates. It’s brutal on the fans, who always come in last, by the way. The assumption about the schedule debate needs to be changed to its former, “Every Building, Every Team, Every Year,” the way it was in earlier years. With 82 games on a seven-month regular season schedule, it’s appalling that 11 clubs can halt the progress (by one vote) of the other 19 clubs, desperate for star talent for its buildings. The Penguins’ Crosby and the Capitals’ Ovechkin are two of biggest road draws. Only one western division sees them every three years. Further examples are everywhere. We lost this one, fans. Ducks Have Size, Need Speed. Will Shannon Return? The center/left wing combo of Todd Marchant (47GP; 8-12-20) and Dustin Penner (53GP; 17-10-27) has suffered since rookie RW Ryan Shannon was reassigned to Portland of the AHL. I talked about this last night on Duck Calls. I'll throw some stats out there, even though I know I know I know the Ducks suffered an injury bug in January, and numbers aren't everything...but here they are: Marchant has 0-1-1 pts in his last 8 games. Penner has 2-1-3 in his last 14 games. And while I know that their former rookie linemate, Shannon, scored but 2-7-9pts in 38 GP, the simple fact is that in the eleven games since Shannon went to the AHL taking his speed and shiftiness with him, the line has been a dud with Shawn Thornton (1-7-8 in 30 games), who has but 1 assist in his last 16 games. Thornton saw some time with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, but usually it's with Marchant and Penner. On a team with so much size, it says here that the big Thornton is less valuable to the Ducks right now than the smaller Shannon was earlier this season. Don't discount this idea of mine, dear Duck fans...the Ducks did not have the wheels to skate with Nashville last night and I'm thinking that it's time to bring back Shannon's spark. Martin Erat Flies Under the Radar to Great Success Martin Erat (51GP; 12-35-47) of the Nashville Predators is impressing Hockeytalk. We liked the overtime play he created that killed the Ducks, 5-4 in overtime January 9th. In a key game Saturday, February 3, the 25 year-old Erat stood tough with linemates Paul Kariya and David Legwand against the Anaheim Ducks, vaulting the Preds to 77 points. Erat is overshadowed by Kariya, Vokoun, Arnott and a few others, but is one of the best development projects in franchise history (Drafted in the 7th round of the 1999 draft). Erat will soon eclipse his personal best 20 goals and 49 points last season. Tucker’s Rumored Departure Represents the Worst of the Leafs If the Leafs unload winger Darcy Tucker (39GP; 19-12-31; 110 SOG), they will be repeating a pattern that we thought had been reversed. The Leafs have, in recent seasons, shuffled a revolving door of veteran talent through their ranks. With the hiring of Coach Paul Maurice and the emergence of homegrown talent including LW Alex Ponikarovsky 13-14-27 and C Alex Steen (10-11-21), the Leafs were headed toward finally developing a homespun identity. Here’s hoping that the Leafs will hang on to Tucker, who brings real bite to their skilled lineup.Brodeur for Vezina No stretch here, but it’s looking like Martin Brodeur 2.08GAA; .926SV%, 9 SO; 51GP 32-14-5) will walk away with the Vezina, unless Dom Hasek and Roberto Luongo go on a shutout spree. Grizzled vets Brodeur and Hasek have been a great story throughout this season. New Jersey is nowhere without Marty, and the Wings are a mediocre club without Hasek’s stonewalling. A great race for Georges Vezina’s honor also includes Luongo’s emergence as a legitimate Hart Tropy (MVP) dark horse. Edge in the Northwest? Gaborik’s Return With 83 shots on goal in just 20 games, Marian Gaborik (20GP; 14-7-21) has ignited the Wild for the stretch run. He’s got ten goals in 13 games since returning January 6 to the lineup after a groin injury kept him out of action since October 20 (injured vs. Anaheim). The Wild are 8-5 since his return, and the Slovak star might push the club to the top of the super-tight Northwest division. Trade Deadline Rumors: Others do this much better than I, but here are some rumored trade bait players, just for kicks: BUF Ales Kotalik (CGY?) CGY Roman Hamrlik (BUF?) NYI Chris Simon (BUF?) NYR Peter Prucha (STL?) OTT Joe Corvo (EDM?) PHI Peter Forsberg (DET?) LAK Brent Sopel (OTT?) LAK Mattias Norstrom (EDM?) MTL Sergei Samsonov (ANA?) PHI Geoff Sanderson (BUF, ANA?) PHX Ladislav Nagy (NYR) STL Eric Brewer (EDM, CAR?) STL Bill Guerin (NJD?) STL Keith Tkachuk (NYR?) TBL Vinny Prospal (DET, EDM?) Random Predictions: Contenders: East: Buffalo Montreal “Dark Horse:” New Jersey Contenders West: Anaheim Nashville “Dark Horse:” Calgary Vezina: Brodeur Hart: Crosby Calder: Malkin Selke: Pahlsson
Scott
Nichol: Sucker.
Nichol will receive a suspension, most likely, and a long one if Spacek is seriously injured. "There is no need for it in our game," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.. That's putting it mildly. This was an incident that called for a bench-clearing ass-whuppin' if there ever was one, but that doesn't happen in the NHL any more. Nichol's gutless move should have earned him a beating. He certainly deserved it. Makes you pine for the days of Terry O'Reilly and Larry Playfair, guys who could bring some clarity to the ice when necessary. Nichol is a lucky man to be ushered off the ice so swiftly by the refs. His club went on to get a shellacking by the Sabres, who can at least take solace in the two points they earned on the road, winning 7-2. Makes you wonder what Nichol's Nashville teammate Paul Kariya must have been thinking when he saw the incident. Certainly, memories of Gary Suter's vicious, concussion-inducing stick to the head during the 1997-98 season (which limited Kariya to 22 games that season) must have rattled around his brain for a minute there. Jaroslav Spacek received a two-minute penalty for interference, and Nashville's Scott Nichol went crashing into the post. It's hockey, Scott, and those posts are tough. You might not want to skate that fast toward them. Nichol's response to Spacek's transgression? Unwarranted. "The referee punished him for it," Coach Barry Trotz said, uttering the typical party-line baloney that I assure you Trotz himself doesn't buy. Give the sucker, Nichol, his due: A 10-game suspension. Unpaid. FOLLOW UP: I was close. The NHL gave Nichol a 9 game suspension. SoCal TV Sportscasts Irresponsible, Not Objective Re Hockey In the interest of full disclosure, I speak for myself, not for the Ducks or their flagship station AM830, for whom I work. Much has been made of the Ducks' playing to a building that's maybe 1000 or 2000 short of a sellout this season, despite the fact that they are dominating the standings to this point, and are the best club in the West, for sure. However, to be fair, the Ducks have experienced an increase in season ticket holders (now over 12,000, which is good), and have sold out their recent home games. I've no doubt that they will catch on even more as the season goes on. I've no doubt that they will start to fill the building even more. But my question today is this: Do you think that the local newscasts are right to lead off the news damn near every night with the Lakers, or USC, UCLA, whatever...anything BUT hockey? Anything BUT the Ducks (and Kings)? I think that the local news is completely irresponsible on this one. Think about it: Never mind who's got the "most popular" club. Clearly the Lakers rule LA. But! Isn't objectivity a primary goal of all journalism? If objectivity is important, then clearly the lousy local sportscasts that avoid the Ducks despite their unbelievable success this season are being completely irresponsible. The number one story this year is the Ducks. And when the Kings do well, I'll tell you the same. What do you think? I believe that these so-called "sportscasts" should stop assuming that the Lakers and USC, etc, must come first. The story, more often than any other in SoCal this year, is the Ducks. I think that the TV sportscasts in this town are terrible, and their avoidance of hockey is totally ridiculous. The Ducks deserve better, in the name of objectivity. What do you think? EMAIL ME. More:
YouTube Deal Represents Bold Step Forward
We can only guess what the programming will offer,
but it's good to see a new avenue, be it for highlights, games, original feature
programming, or historical series.
In Brief: Calgary on the Way Back DOUG MACLEAN'S HOUSE OF HORRORS When Columbus GM Doug MacLean looks south, does he ask himself whether there's any way that Fred Modin (2-1-3) and Anson Carter (1-1-2) could transform into Jason Arnott (5-5-10) and JP Dumont (3-3-6)? This must be the question itching at MacLean (one of the hardest-working guys in hockey) as his Blue Jackets struggle at 3-5-1. SAW PART IV: GRETZKY TO GIVE SELF THE AXE? Despite his laughing it off a few weeks ago, will Gretzky fire himself? And if he does, how will he do it? Will he give himself the axe? Will Gretz erect a mirror in his office and rip himself a new one? Or will Mike Barnett be the sacrificial lamb in the desert sun...a desert...of doom for the 06-07 Coyotes? What horror looms in this dusty desert hockey oasis...an oasis run dry, with a 3-9-0 record, including a truly scary 2-4 home mark? When Barnett sleeps, does he have nightmares of an ancient Jeremy Roenick (1-2-3) occupying a roster spot that used to be home to Daniel Briere (3-12-15)? BUFFALO: INFIRMARY OF DOOM? Will the well run dry again for Buffalo's defense? When Henrik Tallinder broke his arm last week, Rochester's Nathan Paetsch was inserted into Buffalo's lineup for the first time since the Eastern Conference Final last spring. Much has been made of the Sabres' quick start (10 consecutive victories, tying the NHL record), but what of the defense's depth. The defensive crew has been excellent, but with the Sabres backed up close against the salary cap, they are left with AHLers Mike Funk (2nd round 2004) and Mike Card (8th round 2004). ATTACK OF THE KILLER PENGUINS When the Flyers were finally given a new coach, they responded with a victory, then...the woeful beasts they've become (this may be the worst Flyer team since the early years of expansion) reared their ugly heads, frightening paying customers in Philly as the frightening Pittsburgh Penguins mauled them Saturday night, 8-2. Even more frightening than Count Sidney Crosby counting his first three goal game was the very scary thought of Maxime Talbot scoring two goals. Talbot wasn't drafted in 2002 until 233 others had gone before. SAMSONOV SCREAMS: EXILED TO 4TH LINE PURGATORY "If I didn't say anything, I might not have gotten as much ice time as I did," Samsonov said after the Canadiens lost a 5-4 shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Samsonov joined Alex Kovalev on Saturday night and it paid dividends for the Canadiens, who at least got a point out of the Maple Leafs. Samsonov was exiled to the fourth line earlier in the week, and clawed out of it by sounding off to the media and making waves about a change of scenery. THE CREEPING HORROR OF BUDAJ Jose Theodore, 2-3-1 with a .877 save percentage, sat out the past two games in favor of Peter Budaj. Budaj will likely start again when the Avs visit the Wild today (Sunday). Pahlsson Ready to Contend for Selke?
Known as one of the better defensive forwards in the game, SAMUEL PAHLSSON (right), the Ducks' penalty-killing specialist and checking line center, now seems on the verge of consideration for the Selke trophy as the NHL's premier defensive forward.
After winning an Olympic gold medal with Sweden at the 2006 games, Pahlsson took his defensive game to new heights, and as Duck TV play-by-play man John Ahlers pointed out recently, the 29 year-old may have been the key reason that the Ducks defeated the Calgary Flames in seven tough games during last fall's first round playoff.
As it stands now, Pahlsson is shooting at a two shot-per-game pace, which would translate to 164 shots in an 82-game season. His previous shot bests are 134 (8 goals) in 03-04, and 116 last year (11 goals). It says here that if Pahlsson can manage to pull the trigger at two per, he'll likely approach 15-20 goals, and thus garner more attention, ironically, for what he does in the defensive end of the ice.
"Samuel Pahlsson has established himself as one of the best two-way centers in this league," said general manager Brian Burke. "We rely on him to kill penalties, win faceoffs and shut down opposing teams' top lines, and he does all those things well."
Keep an eye out for Pahlsson's numbers this year. He's winning at least as many one-on-one battles as ever, and if he stays healthy, could generate considerable Selke award interest later in the season.
Ovechkin's Scary Shot Totals
Alexander Ovechkin recorded 15 (count 'em!) shots on goal against Cup champion Carolina on Saturday. Phil Esposito holds the shots on goal record 550 during the 1970-71 season, when he scored 76 goals, an NHL record at the time (shattered by Wayne Gretzky vs. Buffalo's Don Edwards in February, 1982). Who knows where Ovechkin's numbers are headed this year? Could be that the sky's the limit.
Kyle Wellwood Proves Don Cherry Right
Canadians (and Americans with NHL Center Ice) love to love or love to hate Don Cherry, whose "Coaches Corner" segment on Hockey Night in Canada is the stuff of legend. Last weekend, Cherry was proven right about 23 year-old C/W KYLE WELLWOOD (4GP 1-5-6; 16 SOG). Wellwood was removed from Mats Sundin's line last season, despite Sundin's protests, but this year, the kid has 16 shots in four games, and may be a homegrown answer to Toronto's perpetual question, "Who's going to play with Mats?"
Also Notable:
Atlanta: Kari Lehtonen's two consecutive shutouts Columbus: 2-0-1 start, with Nik Zherdev scoring two goals vs. Phoenix; Rick Nash has three goals on nine shots (3GP). New Jersey: Zach Parise (2GP; 2-1-3) Tampa: Sophomore Ryan Craig has scored three of the Bolts' five goals Chicago: Power play starts season 4 of 9, near top of NHL
Photo of Samuel Pahlsson courtesy Anaheim Ducks
QUICK SHOTS ARCHIVE:
2012 Western Hockey Network |
email us! This Season:
Canadian Kool-Aid Every Team, Every Building, Every Year YouTube Deal Represents Bold Step Forward
More Quick Shots: Plus! What to do about Bill Wirtz? OCT 27, 2006 -- LOS ANGELES, CA – Okay hockey freaks, it’s been a bit hectic since I started hosting the Ducks’ postgame show on the radio for all the road games. Here are some quick shots. Thanks for the emails, keep ‘em coming! SABRES TIE RECORD; SPACEK HAS BEEN CLUTCH Aside from tying the NHL record for most consecutive wins to start a season (10) after shutting out the Islanders on the road, the Buffalo Sabres can also celebrate a roster change that has yielded tremendous results. Looks like the Sabres chose wisely when they chose Jaroslav Spacek, the puck-moving defenseman formerly of the Edmoton Oilers, to replace the departed Jay McKee. McKee, 28, played for Nickel City between 1995-2006. Unfortunately, McKee has undergone surgery on his finger, and has seen only a few minutes of action (game one) for the St. Louis Blues this season. Now, he’ll sit out for another four to six weeks after surgery. Spacek, however, has managed two game-winning goals, and as expected, has been a major contributor on the power play (10GP; 2-5-7; 15SOG). Throughout the course of his career, Spacek has managed two shots on goal per game, which is another upgrade from the injured McKee. So far this season, other Sabre defenders have picked up the shot-blocking slack (McKee was the NHL’s best shot-blocking defenseman last season). Coincidentally, McKee was injured on a shot by another dispatched Buffalo defenseman, Vancouver’s Rory Fitzpatrick. Hats off to GM Darcy Regeir for refusing to overpay for McKee, who signed for 4M/per with the Blues, while Spacek signed for one million less per annum. LA: BRENT SOPEL BREAKS THROUGH He’s averaging over 20 minutes per game with the LA Kings, and Brent Sopel ((11GP; 2-5-7) ranks 11th in scoring by defensemen. After a cup of coffee for the Islanders, Sopel has moved on to Dean Lombardi’s Kings and is getting every opportunity to make waves. Sopel has been rushing the net with great aplomb. DALLAS: NETS OFF AS A TACTIC? Anyone happen to notice how often the net comes off the moorings when Dallas plays? Seems to be a strategy when there’s a little too much heat circulating around Marty Turco. But maybe it’s just me. Email me and let Hockeytalk know whether you see the nets getting knocked off in the Dallas end as often as I seem to. CHICAGO: TIME FOR LEAGUE ACTION AGAINST WIRTZ? With attendance at the United Center (5GP; 12,226AV) remarkably low (an announced crowd of just over 8,000 was announced earlier this season), it’s time for the NHL to consider punitive measures against one of the league’s biggest ownership names: Bill Wirtz. Wirtz has famously kept the Blackhawks’ home games off of local television due to his thinking that the way to show loyalty to season ticket holders is to make the club invisible outside that dwindling group. This ridiculous strategy hasn’t enticed more folks to enjoy the game. It’s a dismal failure and an embarrassment. Worse, Chicago, the third-largest city in America—and a cold-weather market, too—is lost as a viable NHL market. It’s time for the league to force Dollar Bill Wirtz to open the doors to local television and return the club to the same level of importance it had in Chicagoland back in the 1960s. The NHL shouldn't tolerate this joke any longer. Chicago's a great sports town and the invisibility of this franchise is unacceptable. For an expert opinion on the effect of Wirtz’s policy, listen to the 2005 Hockeytalk Audio Feature with Jeremy Roenick. PITTSBURGH: JORDAN STAAL WILL STAY Despite the fact that he’ll become an unrestricted free agent when he turns twenty-five, 18 year-old Jordan Staal will likely remain with the Penguins. GM Ray Shero will have little choice but to keep Staal, who, with an appearance in a tenth NHL game, will be ineligible for a return to his junior club, Peterborough (OHL). But when you score four goals in eight games and three of those are shorthanded markers, well, Jordan, you can now buy a house in Pittsburgh. TAMPA: MARTIN ST. LOUIS – WHODDATHUNKIT? …finally got his third, fourth and fifth goals of the season with a hat trick Thursday night vs. Carolina in a big divisional home game in Tampa. Hard to believe that St. Louis, who won the last Hart trophy awarded in the “Old” NHL, has struggled so mightily in the “New” one. Seems that the small, swift St. Louis would tear the league apart… More to come, Hockey freaks! Stay tuned… --JB
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Two
Who Refuse to Shoot
October
10, 2006 -- They're asking him to shoot more often in Anaheim, and he has,
shooting 7 times in 3 games so far this season. He's centering one of the NHL's
better checking lines with Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen on his wings.
What's more, he's the Ducks' Iron Man, closing in on 200 consecutive games.
