In Lou We Trust

I think this warrants a separate mention. The big story coming out of overtime, other than Jeff Carter's deflection going into the net, was that someone from the crowd threw a flare/smokebomb onto the rink after Martin Brodeur made a ridiculous save on Mike Knuble in overtime. Incidentally, this occurred before the Flyers scored their game-winner (and I do mean incidentally, there is no reason to believe the Devils lost because of it) The flare landed a few yards in front of the Devils' bench and all the players moved into the locker room hallway to get away from the smoke and the smell. Nearby fans covered up their faces; and Flyers defenseman Ossi Vaananen bravely picked up the flare to move it towards the other end of the rink.

Someone on YouTube had the clip of this, but they don't have it anymore; so unfortunately I can't point those of you who didn't see it on TV in the direction of what it looked like. Imagine a flare on the ice with a whole lot of yellowish smoke coming out of it. (UPDATE: Leave it to me to not search hard enough: Puck Daddy has it. Here's the direct link of what the viewers saw on TV.)

This is clearly an inexcusable act and I should certainly hope no one gets the idea to do this at any other hockey game. I know some supporters groups in soccer do this, but it's really stupid and dangerous be it in a crowd full of people or onto the actual field/rink of play. Hopefully we learn who actually committed the act as opposed to relying on conjecture and when we do learn it, Gulitti/Chere/et al will report it as such.

The Devils, since Friday, have increased the number of players with their own personal websites to three. Martin Brodeur's site and Patrik Elias' site (in Czech only) both went live this recent Friday and both are pretty filled with content. That's right, I said three - Kevin Weekes' site is still up and has a brand new look to it too. No, it doesn't have that 70s throwback music that welcomes you to his front page. But it does give you a direct link to Kevin's cameo on Everyone Hates Chris from this past (television) season. It's not bad, you should watch it and wonder who spells it "Gritzky." I think if all three sites are regularly updated and provide some good content - and there already is on Brodeur's and Elias' sites, I don't see how this can be bad.

A quick recap of the first two games by Richard Adragna summarizes that it's been a rather eventful first two games. So much for the Devils being boring. Adragna comes through in this summary with video of the Green Man. He's dancing with a shirtless fat guy in what appears to be Secton 232. I remember this guy appearing on a Devils "Flex Cam" during a stoppage in play during a preseason game. Namely because the crowd collectively went "Ugggggh." upon appearing on the big screen. Anyway, the video is...well, it's a thing. I'm not sure what, but it's a thing. If you haven't seen the Green Man, this is a good introduction to what it looks like as any. Good job to the cameraman./?

From Tibbs, there's an article in the Ottawa Citizen where former Devil Mike Jefferson/Danton is pleading to Ken Dryden to get transferred to Canada. I'm not really going to speculate over the legal reasons here or why the Canadian government hasn't approved it whereas the American government has. What worries me is that he intends to find a job in the NHL. Any team in the league thinking about it should talk to Lou first. He's had to deal with him twice. While I understand (and sympathize) that some of it was at the behest of the deplorable David Frost, we're talking about the guy who gave the world the following quote: "I'm not drinking Lou's Kool-Aid anymore."

While some have taken that line and ran with it (which I endorse), it definitely reflected poorly on Danton. He was assigned to the minor league (which is, I think, when Danton made the statement) and suspended for the whole season for not reporting. He was eventually traded for little to St. Louis and didn't do anything of note there in terms of hockey. If he's grown up quite a bit and sorted out a lot of his personal problems such that he won't be an issue in the locker room, maybe. But I have my doubts. The tribulations of Mike Danton have been well examined in depth by the CBC, and summarized well by Buffalo weekly Artvoice (from 2006) if you want to read more about this mess of a situation. According to Mirtle, Frost is going to on trial soon under sexual explotation charges. Expect more of his saga to come out and expect it to be more messed up than it already is.

To end this on a much lighter note, check out this post at the Slap Shot blog at the NY Times of which I must disagree with. Consider Jeff Hale's post about Roberto Luongo being named captain of the Canucks. He mentions calls the lack of a "C" on Luongo's jersey to be silly - I don't see how as he can't be the captain on the ice - and brings up an example of a referee conferinng with him about a call. Of course he went to Luongo in that case, the call involved him. The reason why the rules are what they are because goaltenders who had the C would go to great lengths to talk things out with the referee and therefore delay the game and give their team an extra break. Bill Durnan did this with Montreal in the 1940s and it's what drove this change. If Hale's idea of "common sense and imagination" to allow goalies to be captains is for refs to go to the goalie, it will only serve to delay the game with longer stoppages in play. I don't see why the NHL would go for this just for Luongo.

That he brings up Martin Brodeur is interesting, as he's an example of being a leader without being denoted as such. You don't need a C to lead. And even if the Canucks find success with this, I don't see a reason to anticipate an increase in goaltenders who are captains. Durnan was one of only 7 goalies who were captain back when it was allowed, and who else other than Brodeur can be considered a leader on their team? Just because a goalie may be the best player or the foundation of the team's roster doesn't necessarily make them worthy of a "C." Do they motivate the team? Do they relate well between the rest of the players and the coach? How do they handle the locker room? Captains have to deal with these things as well. As it stands, if the Canucks feel Luongo is a leader, he can certainly be one without a "C." I don't see a reason for the NHL to change their rules.

According to Rich Chere of the Star Ledger, Jamie Langenbrunner is healthy and will captain the New Jersey Devils in the 2008-2009 season. Brent Sutter even said it himself:

One the consistent features going throughout the summer is Greg Wyshynski's 5 Ways I'd Change the NHL at Puck Daddy (link goes to Greg's list). It's been a big hit throughout the world of hockey blogging. Some, like Greg's list, gave some offbeat ideas. Others have called for a change to the past. (ASIDE: Seriously, the division names? How do division names teach history; especially when the Lester Patrick, Jack Adams, James Norris, and Conn Smythe trophies are handed out regularly? But I guess a "tradition" since 1974 and ended in 1994 is more important?) And some have been particularly controversial - resulting in a passionate response by a team owner, no less. It's been a consistently interesting to see what the various people in and out of the hockey world think the NHL needs to do. Whether or not NHL will (or should) do them is another matter.

However, I don't so much want to offer any changes to the NHL as much as I want to state the obvious. Above all what the league and each franchise must do is to never stop looking to expand the scope of the game. And what better way to illustrate that than a famous passage from the Gospel of Matthew: the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9)

Cautionary Note: I understand that some/many of you would rather I not mention anything resembling religion. Don't worry, I'm not planning to make it a feature of the blog nor am I asking you to believe in any particular religion nor am I planning to transform In Lou We Trust into the Lou-theran (Note within a Note: If you want to start a Christian Devils blog, feel free to take that name!) . I'm just using this passage from the Bible to make a point. All I ask is that you bear with me:

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear."

As I read this, there are two major points in here. The first point is that the seed isn't growing everywhere. Some seeds grow but they don't last as they did not develop roots. Some seeds grow but their growth was cut off by outside factors (thorns). Some don't even grow at all - the birds eat them up before they get a chance. But the seed that has landed, developed roots, and did not have anything else to stunt its growth grew to form crops.

This can be applied to hockey's fanbase (or the fanbase of a lot of other things - other leagues, genres of music/art/books/movies, etc.). Before you write "See! That must mean we must relocate/contract team X!" I'm specifically referring to the fanbase itself. Besides, the worst draw last season was the Islanders at an average of 15,643 people over all 82 games. No one's calling for them to be moved or killed off. Anyway, I'm specifically talking about the root of the fanbase itself - the fan. Basically, when it comes to our hockey fandom, we all start as seeds. The growth process begins when we have our first point of contact with hockey - like seeing a game for the first time (on TV or live), or the first time we hear about hockey (word of mouth, ads, news articles, the Internet, etc.).

However, not everything goes to plan. Maybe we don't like hockey. Maybe we're into other things and can't/won't like hockey as much. Maybe the team has a short existence and goes away. That's similar to the bird eating the seed - not even letting the chance to grow. Then there are the fans that don't develop the roots. The bandwagon fans. The fans that only like hockey for a little bit, but then later realize they don't like it as much as they once did. The ones who are only in it for the fighting. The fans whose team gets contracted/relocated such that the franchise doesn't develop that root - those fans no longer being fans afterward. As time goes on, they won't remain. The fans that would grow to be die-hard, hockey-forever fans but get stunted by outside factors would be like the seeds among the thorns. The analogue would be a team that has been abjectly bad and mismanaged to the point where the fan just says "forget this noise" and leaves. Or the team that literally can't run anymore as is and has to move or fold to stay in business undercuts their fanbase. Or the fan finds his or her self having to make serious choices about their life and, unfortunately, hockey can't be a big part of their lives anymore. Or the other fans - the ones who are already grown - aren't accepting of newer fans and expect them to assimilate into their view of what hockey/the team should be or essentially alienate them.

The seed that fully grows would be your full-on, die-hard hockey fan - those who go out and buy season tickets/packs of tickets, those who are always finding ways to follow their team, those spend lots of their time talking, discussing, arguing, writing and thinking about the team, and so on and so forth. All of these kinds of fans are different (hence, the different yielding of crops, the implication of different plants, etc.), but the common point is that they are serious in their fandom. However, as much as we all like to talk about how the league has to cater to the die-hards; it would behoove us all to remember that we were all casual and new fans to the game of hockey at one point. No one is born a hockey fan. We are all seeds at one point - and it takes time for seeds to grow. No one goes from a baby right to an adult in the blink of an eye (though I'm sure some parents may feel that way sometime); plants don't immediately grow from buds to full-on germination; and we do not become significant fans right away.

And that leads me to the second major point. Just because nothing seems to be growing or the fanbase is not growing as fast as we'd like it to be or the fanbase is not as large as we'd like to be doesn't mean we stop planting seeds. The farmer doesn't get discouraged when the birds eat his seeds. He doesn't weep over shallow soil. He doesn't get give up because there are thorns in the way of the plants. And he doesn't just expect the seeds to grow over time. He accepts that these things could happen. He accepts that time is necessary and he keeps planting seeds.

This is the major point that every team in every league in the world of hockey should understand. This notion that hockey can't grow everywhere is stupid - even stupider when you consider that we think hockey is a great game. My fellow Devils fans, do we not consider our favorite team to be worth following? Why should we keep this knowledge, these feelings to ourselves? And if we want the Devils to change and actually market themselves more aggressively, why should we expect changes overnight?

To the teams in the South, to the teams that are struggling in attendance like the Devils and the Islanders, to the teams who are already drawing sell-out crowds, to the teams that have big, marketable super-stars, to the leagues outside of the NHL who have to deal with their players going abroad, to the leagues who have to deal with the reality that hockey isn't the country's top sport, and to the leagues in places many wouldn't expect, I say this. Don't ever stop trying to expand the game. With patience and a continued effort, the game will grow. The league will grow. And the team and its fanbase will also grow. The whole point of marketing a team, I think, is essentially to keep planting the seeds. To keep getting the team/league/sport out there and see who will become a fan out of it all. Considering this, the thought process of only throwing seeds at already grown crops or to not throw many seeds out there or to deride all growing plants only serves to be net negative in the long run.

Will everyone be a hockey fan? No. Will everyone in New Jersey be a Devils fan? No. But should that stop the NHL from increasing their exposure or for the Devils to promote themselves? No.

2 Man Advantage has a new post - huzzah! - and it's Joe Betchel getting angry over something from a Rangers blog. As it's the offseason, it's generally time to look at what could be happening next season. At Outside the Garden, Michael Ramos had this little preview of the Rangers' Atlantic Division foes. Needless to say, Ramos doesn't think highly, or much at all, of the glorious New Jersey Devils Hockey Club. Normally, I wouldn't be linking to Rangers-based previews; but I'll make an exception. Go ahead and read it. I'll wait by listening to this:

I got to find that CD somewhere. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes. Ramos' preview. Joe has plenty to rant about; but I'd like to pile on from a different direction. First off, in what universe are the Islanders a better team now than New Jersey? The team is in another rebuilding mode whereas New Jersey remains as a consistently strong team. The last time the Devils didn't finish with 90 points (and less than 55% winning percentage, for that matter) was in 1995-1996 (Proof: HockeyDB) - 12 seasons ago. The only way for the Devils to reach the depths of lower half of the conference is for Martin Brodeur to get injured for much of the season, the core skaters of the team to play absolutely terrible and/or get injured, and Brent Sutter deciding to coach all the time with a blindfold.

Second, it makes sense that Ramos brings up the Greztky quote from the early-to-mid 1980s and some other non-hockey related stories that happened years ago. He is a Rangers fan. Living in the past is what they do. It's their thing.

Third, and I'm being serious here, but if the Devils are really falling behind in the league and the Rangers are so much better off as Ramos postulates in the "NEW NHL" (it's been 3 season already, it ain't new anymore, Mr. Ramos); then I'd like to know where he's coming from. Otherwise, I assume it's from that one village that just so happens to be missing it's idiot. Again, let's look at the team's records. The last time the Rangers finished ahead of the Devils was in 1995-1996. Here are the Rangers' records at HockeyDB - the comparison is clear. Funny how that a team that's supposedly on the way down, with their terrible signings, their coaching changes, and their system is in "shambles," still finishes ahead of the "NEW NHL"-ready Rangers. Will you consider that the Rangers beat the Devils 7 times this past season and they still cannot finish ahead of the Devils? I think you should because that's hilarious.

Keep telling yourself that it makes sense, Mr. Ramos. We'll remind you should history and current trends repeat.

Here are something things going about that I'd like to touch on, before we take a look at the defense.

First, Jared Ramsden has a review of the Devils draft from this past year at Hockey's Future. As a rule of thumb, you really can't judge drafts until at least 3 years. Which is partially why Petr Vrana and Nicklas Bergfors are in such crucial situations for their careers. Nevertheless, Ramsden is pretty pleased with Mattias Tedenby being selected in the first round. The rest of them he's currently projecting to be mid-pairing defensemen, checking forwards, and depth players. Also, as indicated by the introduction, he's surprised that no goaltenders were drafted. Well, I don't know if it's good to put the goaltending future in the hands of a young prospect unless he's the right guy. Besides, Brodeur is likely to play into 40 anyway, assuming he stays healthy and in shape.

Second, Slap Shot at the NY Times is reporting that Sergei Brylin is looking to sign with SKA St. Petersburg. Brylin is looking for a three to four year deal and SKA St. Petersburg wants to give it to him. As much as I appreciate what Brylin has done for the team, he started regressing this season. If he honestly was looking for a similar length with New Jersey, I'm glad the organization and Brylin mutally agreed to part ways. If/When the deal gets signed, best of luck to Sarge in the future. If you want to learn about the team, the Wikipedia entry for SKA St. Peterburg is a good place to start. You'll learn that ex-Devil Ray Giroux played for them recently! Hey, Andrei Zyuzin is also now a part of them, apparently. Oh, the things you learn when you search international hockey.

Third, from HF Boards, the Tennessean has a big report about potential Nashville Predators owner William Del Biaggio wanting to seize and move the franchise. Take some time to delve into the matter and among the many linked articles. (As an aside, this is some excellent journalism by the Tennessean.) This is fascinating and at the same time shocking. Yes, I'm not a Predators fan, but I sympathize with their fans all the same. It's a terrible feeling not knowing whether your favorite team will be around next season. Don't forget that it nearly happened to New Jersey, as they danger of moving to Nashville (of all places) after their first Stanley Cup in 1995. Thankfully, the Devils remain and hopefully the Predators will too. A good sign is that the local owners will look to replace Del Biaggio's $9.8 million stake.

Fourth, Ted Nolan has been fired by the New York Islanders according to Newsday. Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy thinks this is an excellent move for the struggling franchise. I'm not so sure. I can understand the general manager and the coach not seeing eye to eye is definitely not good for the team. I can fathom that a poor season after making the playoffs is definitely cause for concern. These, in conjunction, can be considered good reasons to fire someone. However, it puts a lot of pressure on the Islanders organization to find the right head coach to replace Nolan. Basically, the team is looking to build their franchise as Wyshynski rightfully points out, they need a coach who shares management's vision. Greg suggests Mr. John Tortorella. Not bad, but I wonder if he's the best option. Torts will definitely get people in line and he has experience turning around a team. But the Lightning are in a similar position (to a point) and Tortorella got dumped because the players seemingly stopped listening to him. Should Garth Snow hire Tortorella, will history repeat itself - what will they do to prevent the same situation again?

As a Devils fan, I wouldn't mind Mike Milbury getting back behind that bench. If only for the hilarity. (I'm sorry for bringing up his name, Islanders readers.)

Fifth, Scott Clemmensen is in the Devils organization again according to Gulitti of Fire & Ice. 2 Man Advantage is pumped about this development. I am officially indifferent. Also, Vrana is a Devil, Matt Halischuk can go to Lowell, and Rod Pelley is still not yet signed. I'm pretty sure Pelley was qualified, so I think it should be a matter of time.

Lastly, IPB has discovered Brian Gionta in their today's edition of the creatively-written Project Bicycle Spoke. They list a number of trade proposals they'd make with Gionta. Also, they hint with subtlety wanting Devils games to start at 7:30 PM next season.

One of the few free agent forwards under 30 was just locked up to a ridiculous 7 year, $31.5 million deal today. Ryan Malone will be making an average of $4.5 million per year for Tampa Bay. It's front-loaded too, as TSN reports, with an amazing $7-8 million in his first two years of the contract. I'd like to emphasize that Malone's career highs came in this past season, a whopping 27 goals and 51 points. Brian Gionta's big contract yields a smaller cap hit than that, and he was way more productive in getting that contract. I fear this contract will inflate many of the other on-going deals that will be finalized tomorrow. That's not good for anyone, except for the guys (player, agent, his "bros," etc.) getting the money.

Tampa Bay continued the moves by resigning Vaclav Prospal again, giving Gary Roberts one more year (mentioned in the Malone article), and trading a conditional draft pick to Minnesota for the rights to Brian Rolston.

Now, if I'm a Tampa Bay fan, I'd feel mixed about these moves. Sure, Malone is a big forward who can score somewhat well; but that cap hit isn't going to look pretty unless Malone raises his game. Even if he's constantly lined up with Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier (which he likely won't now that Prospal's back), I don't see Malone putting up 70 points short of displaying some amazing chemistry and/or developing some amazing talent. This guy's been on Evgeni Malkin's wing for most of last season, if I'm not mistaken, and he only put up that much? What's he going to do on the second line behind Prospal? Production-wise, he could end up like, well, Brian Gionta.

Bringing Prospal back is a much better move, considering his past production with the team last season (29 goals and 28 assists in 62 games). He's not getting younger and his defense leaves a lot to be desired; but he shoots, he can make plays (as recently seen from the Flyers' playoff run), and he's got proven chemistry to Tampa Bay's top forwards. Melrose would be foolish not to have Prospal make a return to that top unit. While it's good for the team, it could make the Malone deal more of an albatross should Prospal continue putting up points with Vincent and Martin. Don't get me wrong, Ralston is a good center.

The decision to get Brian Rolston is more intriguing. Should they sign him - and I think that's likely, otherwise I don't understand the trade at all, he will provide experience (and a lot of lessons to Steve Stamkos) and still perform as a capable center. He did put up 34, 31, and 31 goals in each of his last three seasons in Minnesota while playing 20 minutes a night for the Wild. He could easily find himself on the second line. Perhaps Malone can feed off that; though it begs the question as to where Stamkos will end up. Maybe at wing? Maybe Rolston will move to wing? Who knows, but Rolston can help at both ends of the rink and if he pots in 25-30 goals doing it, it'll be all for the better. I'm not sure why Gary Roberts is still playing, and I'm not sure what he could add other than veteran presence.

Despite my distate for the Malone signing, the Lightning may have gotten better just by bringing back a former Lightning left-winger (Prospal) and obtaining a solid center who doesn't have to be the #1 center (Rolston). For a Devils perspective, there's something to be learned here. Both of these two signings that I like are over 33. Most of the better forwards in free agency this summer are veterans and despite the usual emphasis on youth; many are definitely able to significantly help out teams in someway or form. Should the Devils also sign a forward this summer, he'll likely be a veteran. While it won't be any of these guys, I urge you to look past their age and look more towards what they can do. Mats Sundin, for example, has plenty to offer. And I think much more than Sergei Brylin, who may or may not be back at this point. It'll be exciting tomorrow, that's for sure.

Well, it's been a week of talking, speculation, and so forth. It's also been a week where I haven't had much to say. Basically, if you've been reading Tom Gulitti - and you should - then you know the score. With the July 1st Free Agency Extravaganza™ beginning in less 3 days, let's consider what we actually do know. The funny thing about trades and free agency is that even if Lou didn't get anyone, it doesn't mean he wasn't trying. I'm confident that he's most definitely trying to make some moves based on his recent appearance on XM's NHL Live. The Devils official website has direct links to this must-hear interview.

Here's what we know:

• The Devils are interested in Bryce Salvador. This makes sense despite his past injury problems, his lack of speed, and his age (34). Salvador is a stay-at-home defenseman who can hit hard, and his experience shows in his positioning. The only other defenseman of that type that the Devils have is Colin White. So he would fill in a need of sorts. I wouldn't give him a no-movement clause; but he's still talking with Lou and it seems it should be going well.
• Sergei Brylin still has his $1.52 million option - which he will decide to use on Monday. I think if the Devils would like to have him back. Honestly, if Brylin doesn't and goes elsewhere, I don't think it'll be the end of the world. Of the UFAs, he's the most replaceable, I think. Especially with Petr Vrana in the wings.
• While he's primarily a defensive forward, Jay Pandolfo will command likely somewhere around $1.5 million. Of all three Devils UFAs, his loss would hurt the Devils the most as he's been a shutdown forward along with John Madden for much of this decade with New Jersey. While his replacement would almost likely be more of a two-way player, his defensive coverages could be missed against the opposition's top line. I do not know where the Devils are with Pandolfo. They've talked to him, but from this Gulitti post, it looks like he'll test the market.
  
• From the NHL Live broadcast - the Devils are interested in Matthew Corrente and Tyler Eckford. Lou said they'll be pushing people for spots, so the organization is clearly high on them. For forwards, Lou states that now is the time for Barry Tallackson, Petr Vrana, and Nicklas Bergfors to see whether they can play at this level. Expect all 5 to get long looks in camp. Personally, I think this will be Vrana's time to shine depending on what Brylin wants to do.
  
• Also from the broadcast, Lou admits that a number of their players underachieved last season and they'll be looking to get some back to form. Specifically, he mentions Gionta and Elias - he hasn't lost confidence in them, but it's good that he wants to improve the offense from within.
  
• From Gulitti's post and comments: The cap ceiling is $56.7 million and the Devils have $37.7 tied up right now. Should the Devils keep Pandolfo, Salvador, and Brylin along with their qualifying offers for RFA's David Clarkson and Rod Pelley remaining as is, the Devils should have about $9-11 million in space. They can afford to be big players in free agency this summer.
  
• The Devils' top need, I think, is another top 6 forward. Jamie Langenbrunner didn't cut this season, Travis Zajac's sophmore slump didn't help at all last season, the constant movement of Dainus Zubrus in the lineup didn't establish anything, and Brian Gionta's slump hurt as well. While I know the Devils want to see what Nicklas Bergfors can do and I know there will try to end various slumps; if the Devils can obtain a scoring forward, that would help out the offense quite a bit.
  
• The Devils will sign players that would fit the team and won't cause any problems in the locker room or on and off the ice. So, I wouldn't expect Todd Bertuzzi in Devils red.
  

While the market is loaded of veterans (e.g. Pavol Demitra) and guys who will get larger contracts then they'll deserve (e.g. Marian Hossa - even though he'd be a good fit and the Devils have the cap space about 29 other teams will be looking at him too), I think the best option is to "rent" a player for a year. There aren't too many in-their-prime-sign-them-now scoring forwards - and no, Vincent Lecavalier won't be one of them next year, sorry IPB and, uh, Montreal. So, someone like Mats Sundin would be excellent. Despite his age, Sundin has been a consistent scorer throughout his career, mostly in spite of the players around him in Toronto. If Sundin wants to go to a contender, New Jersey can fit that role. Believe it or not, the Devils did finish last season with the league's 6th best record - at the least, Sundin will taste the playoffs again in Newark. Plus, if Sundin is signed, Elias can return to the wing and the Devils wouldn't need to mix up their forwards as much with a proven #1 center in Sundin. At worst, Sundin would be like Joe Nieuwendyk in 2002-2003 - which wasn't a bad acquisition (edit: I thought he was signed, but he was in the Arnott trade - thanks Anonymous).

As far as defense goes, while offensive defensemen are available, the Devils will probably not sign a big name defensemen if they get Salvador. The emergence of Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya helped, the return of Colin White helped, and the fact that the defense only allowed 2,257 shots on net - the 8th lowest in the league - is proof that they played much better than they looked on paper. While a point-man with a great shot would be great for a power play that sorely needs one, if you can't play defense, you're not going to be a Devil. Given that Lou wants to see what Corrente and Eckford to do and the Devils have 7 defensemen on the roster already, someone is getting traded or demoted if anyone is signed. As much as I'd like to see Wade Redden here, I doubt it at this point.

One thing I know for sure will happen on July 1. Lou will do something. On that broadcast, he (and later the host) reiterated the Devils committment to winning and he will look to do something about that. I don't think anything drastic is necessary - while the losses to the Rangers hurt, at least half the league would love to have a season like the Devils did. That said, if anyone truly knows what is best for the team, it's the guy who built them to win in the first place.

No, really. It'll be on Versus and CBC Sports. It completely sneaked up on me, too. Best of luck to Martin Brodeur and John Madden, who are up for the Vezina and Selke Trophies, respectively. Links from NHL.com.

In the world of hockey, the Los Angeles Kings have fired Marc Crawford according to TSN. It's easy to say that he was fired because he didn't turn around the Kings from their status of Western Conference doormats. It's also true to a point, though he did only have two seasons to work with the team. Anyway, hopefully the general manager and his scouting team has a plan for their sixteen picks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. For a Kings fan's take, check out Rudy Kelly's at Battle of California. Stating that your teams' first poor game in a while at the end of a 10 game losing streak? I'm starting to think that was a clue, of some sort.

Coaching news is everywhere in the league. San Jose is announcing tomorrow Detroit assistant Todd McLellan as their head coach. Mike Babcock gets a well-earned 3 year extension from Detroit. Ex-Sharks head coach Ron Wilson gets to try his hand at salvaging the Toronto Maple Leafs as now he is the new head coach. Funnily enough, the Maple Leafs are looking to stick with their interim general manager, Cliff Fletcher, which I'm sure has all the Leafs fans happy about that. Lastly, Ottawa is still looking for a head coach. All of this news is from TSN.

In player news, Vancouver Canucks legend Trevor Linden has retired from hockey (link goes to announcement on the official Canucks site). James Mirtle has a bit on his legacy. Surprisingly, I found out that the NHL and NHLPA met on goaltender equipment issues today when reading through TSN. The theme of this report is that we should expect changes soon. The only specific changes are the elimination of extra padding that isn't necessary for protection and a common measurement system will be applied to all goaltenders to regulate padding sizes. These seem like sensible changes and the meeting wasn't devoid of goaltenders - Martin Brodeur, Rick DiPietro and Ryan Miller were all present. This won't affect some goaltenders like Brodeur, who never had to rely on that extra padding. It should affect others notorious for this sort of behavior, such as Jean-Sebastian Giguere. I'm a bit skeptical to be honest, having heard all throughout the late 1990s that obstruction would be eliminated - and it took until after the second lockout to come close to enforcing that. And even this season some of those little hooks and slashes are returning to the game. My point is that I've heard pronouncements to change the rules before, I want to see it actually happen this time.

Tom Gulitti has announced that the Record has a new forum for Devils fans to talk hockey. The link to the forum is right here and it's brand new. Join up soon to be one of the first of many.

A few days ago, In Lou We Trust reader Don had a question for me:

Well, according to NHLSCAP's salary cap FAQ, the short answer is that performance bonuses do count against the salary cap. However, they only count for one season and while the contract bargaining agreement allows for up to a 7.5% increase in the cap for bonuses, that amount is reduced from the cap for that team in the next season. So any bonuses for Brendan Shanahan counts and his $2.5 million cap hit according to NHLSCAP reflects that. I do not know what his bonuses are, so I don't know how much of an extra hit will that cost the Rangers - assuming they did go over with the bonuses to any players.

To be honest, I don't think Lou has forgotten about this clause. Should Lou go after a free agent like Mats Sundin - someone who would be a #1 center on the team, who is over 35, and is a viable target for the Devils - you can be sure this would into play when it comes to making him an offer. Don't scoff at me. He may be getting up there, but he still was a point per game player (78 in 74) and led a bad Toronto team in scoring by quite a bit (22 points more than Nik Antropov). With 32 goals and 46 assists, Sundin's still got "it." His salary for Toronto last season was $5.5 million. The Devils could get him for a similar price; but with performance bonuses, he could be had for a lower base salary. If he hits his bonuses, he's clearly benefiting the team. If not, the Devils save a little money. It's a good tactic, from a management standpoint, and you can expect Lou to utilize it should he make an offer to Sundin or someone like Sundin.

The United States lost to Finland 3-2 in the qualification round this evening. Here is a link to the IIHF article about the game, which ended in a mess. Take a note of this section:

There is something seriously wrong with this, but you wouldn't know it from the initial report. You see, Koistinen put it in through the side of the net. Not across the goal line; but through the outside bottom part of the net. A very odd play and even someone who doesn't know anything about hockey would say that's not a goal. Let Kevin Schulz of the NHL Fanhouse explain the stupidity of the IIHF officiating:

He's not making it up. It was reviewed and it still counted. Proof positive that IIHF referees are even worse than MLS referees and that guy who does your local competitive sport league. The IIHF article now has this note at the end:

That's nice that they are owning up to the error, too bad it completely changed the complexion of the game. Should it have been called right, the US may have come out of this with a win. Instead, it's a loss, Paul Martin got an assist, and Zach Parise only got a minor penalty. What about before then? Well, Paul Martin got two assists but he shouldn't be pleased with his defense nor would the team when USA Hockey beat Germany 6-4. Zach Parise has much to be pleased about, with 2 goals and an assist.

Patrik Elias has remained fairly productive with a goal and an assist in a 5-0 win over Switzerland. He didn't pick up any points in a 3-2 win over Belarus; but he responded with a goal and an assist in a 5-3 loss to Sweden. Elias and Tomas Kaberle have been making things happen for the Czech Republic, I must say. In that Sweden game, I notice he only got 1:31 of ice time in the third on the stat sheet. I hope that doesn't mean he was injured.

Want to see the 2008 IIHF World Championships in Quebec? You know, the only tournament that you can see your favorite Devils (and one soon-to-be-ex-Devil)? Well, it's not going to be on TV here in the US. But you can see it through the power of the Internet™. WCSN will air all 56 games of the tournament. It's not free, but it's worth it if you want to see some international hockey. There's plenty to be interested in. You can see how the youth will work out for USA Hockey, you can follow it to see if Canada will retain their title, you can view Alexander Ovechkin play his heart out to win something this year, and you can witness who will be the better team: Denmark or France.

There will be 5 Devils at the WCs: Karel Rachunek and Patrik Elias will suit up for the Czech Republic and Paul Martin, Zach Parise, and Kurt Kleinendorst (yes, the Lowell coach!) will represent the Red, White, & Blue.

Not familiar with how the tournament is set up? That's OK, here's a helpful format explanation as to everything will proceed at the IIHF. Groups A and C are, uh, interesting; but Group B has Canada versus the USA in Halifax. That should be an exciting one, even though Canada will probably win given their talent and the fact they have home ice. If anything, Canada should be the favorites to win the WC. However, Ovechkin and Russia could easily rise up to contend for the title as well. I don't think I'll pay for that WCSN

OTHER THINGS:
Tom Gulitti reported the other day that Martin Brodeur will be a part of the Goalie Equipment Working Group. The group will make decisions on the size and regulations of goaltender equipment. With Brodeur on the panel, you can be sure he will make a big point of making changes while not putting his fellow goalies at risk. I'm happy to see that the other goalies named to the list are Rick DiPietro and Ryan Miller. All three goalies don't have particularly large pieces of equipment. Unlike, say, Jean-Sebastian Giguere.

James Mirtle runs some numbers and notes that the playoffs this season has had the same rate of goal scoring as the regular season. That's pretty impressive since playoff hockey is all about the struggle, the raised play of goaltenders, and ruthless defending. I wonder how that will impact calls to reduce goaltender equipment to increase scoring? Well, no, I actually don't. The NHL Competition Committee will take a look at it anyway. Which is the league's right. The NFL changes all kinds of rules every year that affects the game - recent changes have benefitted the quarterback (e.g. roughing the passer is heavily cracked down upon) and the passing game (e.g. cornerbacks can't obstruct receivers beyond 5 yards). That said, I hope the NHL doesn't take it to a ridiculous extreme.

Speaking of Mirtle, I agree with him about the latest announced award finalists. Ovechkin is pretty much a lock to win the Hart (and Nicklas Lidstrom should have been a finalist). And the Pearson (the NHLPA's MVP). All three finalists have an argument to win the Jack Adams Trophy; but I think it's clear that Bruce Boudreau is the favorite. He took a team that is young, not particularly deep, and in dire straits when he went behind the bench and turned them into Southeast Division winners. The team's turnaround this past season can be directly attributed to Boudreau and if that isn't deserving of coach of the year honors, then I really don't know what is deserving. Fair play to Guy Carbonneau and Mike Babcock; but their teams weren't sitting at the bottom of the league in November where it was thought that the playoffs would be a mere dream by February.

Lastly: This weekend, I give out the final shooting stats of the Devils. As you would expect, there's room for improvement. I'm not including the playoffs in the overall numbers; but I will address them to a degree.

I don't think I need to emphasize the importance of today's game. I've explained what I want to see in yesterday's rant about Game 2. Patricia at 2 Man Advantage is pleading for this team to win. IPB has their new IPB Power Hour (that is not actually an hour). In today's Star Ledger, Rich Chere article reports that the Devils themselves understand the importance of today's game. Historically, the Devils only came back from a 2-0 series deficit once and that was way back in 1994. Regardless, tonight's game is crucial. Therefore, I'm going to point out a lot of different things:

First, congratulations to the Boston College Eagles for winning the 2008 Frozen Four championship. They defeated the Norte Dame Fighting Irish 4-1, capping off an excellent year for BC sports. Forward Nathan Gerbe was the man of the day for BC with a brace and two assists, as well as being named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Too bad his rights are owned by Buffalo.

In other college hockey news, the Alaska Nanooks have had their first player named to the RBK All-American first team. Who is it, you ask? Offensive defenseman and Devils prospect, Tyler Eckford. Congratulations to Alaska and Eckford for the honors. The link gives the full list of All-American teams for this recent college season. As you would expect, Gerbe is on the first team as well. The Hobey Baker Memorial Award was won by Michigan forward and Phoenix Coyotes prospect Kevin Porter (h/t Mirtle). He was captain of the Wolverines, finished second in scoring this season (33 G, 30 A), and is considered to be a two-way forward. Congratulations to him as well.

I found this at HFBoards, 2008 prospect Nikita Filatov has a blog running at Sports.ru. For all of you who can read Russian or know someone who can, this should be an interesting read. The CSKA forward has already revealed that he wants to play in North America after being drafted. Should the translation at HF be true, I don't blame him - such a small amount of playing time is, I would think, counter-intuitive for develeopment.

From the It Could Be Worse File: The defending Stanley Cup champions dropped another decisive game at Anaheim to Dallas by the score of 5-2 last night. The Ducks had the second best record at home this season with 28-9-4, making this turn of events even more surprising. Poor, poor J-S Giguere!

I missed this earlier Pt. 1: According to Mirtle, the Washington Capitals are asking their fans to...Rock the Red. I know, it's not the same as "Rock Your Red" as the Devils have been promoting; but the Capitals marketing staff could use some originality. Maybe a picture of the Flyers logo with the words EPIC FAIL underneath.

I missed this earlier Pt. 2: The NHL site has celebrities blogging about the playoffs. For the Devils, it's director, writer, and legit Devils supporter Kevin Smith. I know this is a few days old but you get to learn what is at the bottom of his toilet. No, it's not the cover of Magnolia.

And for no reason at all, a video of a car chase. (Warning: Dirty language, inexplicable explosions)

Tom Gulitti is reporting at Fire & Ice that Vitaly Vishnevski will play in tonight's game. Andy Greene will be scratched. It's clear that Sutter is looking for additional physical play and size on the blueline since that's what Vishnevksi does best.

Let's go Devils. Take the train to victory-ville and happy-town; it's too soon for the off-season to begin.

Since I didn't go into it in much detail, here's a summary of what I thought about yesterday's game. Great first period, not so great second period, a better yet unfortunate (especially for Zach Parise) third period, an alright overtime, and a sweet shootout. It was yet another close game in the Hudson Rivalry, but this time the good guys won.

Now, it's on to the playoffs. The Devils and Our Hated Rivals played eight games against each other this season. Five of these were one-goal games; four went beyond regulation, three went into the shootout, and none of the games were decided by anymore than two goals at most. Expect a close, defensive, low-scoring series. In a short analysis - maybe something I'll go into more depth, maybe not - the Devils have as good as chance as any to win this series. If there's any team in the league that is used to winning close, defensive, and low-scoring games; it's the Devils. Martin Brodeur alone gives them an advantage in that category, along with a defense that is greater than the sum of it's parts (seriously, look at the parts).

Interestingly enough, the Rangers have been successful season playing like...the Devils of old. A reliance on the trap, scoring coming off the transition, and riding Henrik Lundqvist if things get hairy. We are talking about a team that despite big names like Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Gomez, and Chris Drury, they only scored seven more goals - and gave up only two more - than the Devils this season. And all those seven wins against NJ and they still finish two points behind them. The teams are quite similar in terms of results and styles. Too bad that the Devils have been doing this for a while, the experience could see them through.

What else is going on? Well, David Clarkson has been highlighted at NHL.com with as a part of their Rookie Watch. They praise his work ethic and we learn that Clarkson digs Wendel Clark. In a second NHL.com article, Dan Rosen focuses on the Devils' cornerstone - Brodeur. If the Devils crash out of the first round, it's not going to be because of Brodeur. For a series preview, NHL.com even has that for you and it's pretty meaty. There are many other previews, such as ones at TSN and ESPN wherein we learn that Scott Burnside thinks Mike Mottau and Bryce Salvador are young. Well, in the long term, 30 years old isn't that old; but it's clear Burnside could have researched his preview a little better.

IPB also previews the playoffs as well. They start with the East and approach it in an interesting way. They base their preview on how the team does and does not deserve to win the Stanley Cup. Here's a snippet from their Devils preview:

Why They Don’t Deserve To Win:
There are no reasons why they don’t deserve to win. Please.

Well, I can't argue with that. I think most of the people at the now-live Devils Legion fan section of the official team website would agree with that.

Also, at NHL.com, the league pats themselves on the back for their highest average attendance ever. As they should. On the internet and in general sentiment, there's so many negative feelings about how the NHL is terrible, how Gary Bettman is horrible for the sport, how hockey will never be big here, and so on and so forth. Yet, here is a big stat - some would call it a "statbit" - that completely flies in the face of what some would call "tra-la-la feelings."

In international hockey news, Pat Burns has been named as an assistant to Team Canada according to Tom Gulitti. Awesome news. Good luck to Burns and Team Canada - except when they play the US, of course.

Lastly, the big winner of the Steve Stamkos sweepstakes? Tampa Bay. Good job to the Lightning for winning the lottery. Check out Steve at Kukla's Korner for full national coverage listings to get ready for the playoffs on TV. Gulitti reports that the TV for the Devils-Our Hated Rivals is going to be mostly local. The playoffs are here.

The Devils go to Minnesota to play the Wild tomorrow. Sure, NHL.com already has a preview of tomorrow's game, but let's take a closer look at Minnesota. The game tomorrow is New Jersey's next-to-last game against a Western Conference opponent during the regular season. Unless we're fortunate, and the last games come in June. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's focus on the opposition in standard, long-winded, overly detailed In Lou We Trust fashion.

The Wild are similar to the Devils in some ways. They're built around defense, patience, and a counter-attacking style of play. They have only have one player with over 30 goals so far this season like New Jersey. They're coached by a Lou-preferred man, former Devils coach Jacques Lemaire. They've been drafting fairly well in their short history. Would it be fair to say that Minnesota looks to New Jersey as an influence? I'd say so, and who can blame them? The Devils have been perennially good since 1994, it's not a bad model to follow.

However, the results have been much different. The Wild may be built similarly, but their defense in terms of skaters and goaltenders aren't nearly as effective. While New Jersey's defense is led by Paul Martin and Colin White; Minnesota's is led by Brent Burns and Kim Johnsson. Don't be fooled by the mix of veteran and youth. White is a much better defensemen on defense than Johnsson, and Martin has more experience than Burns despite Burns' production. The proof of difference is clear in the numbers: the Wild has conceded an average of 30.1 shots against per game (21st in the league) and 190 goals this season, a big reason why they're fighting for their playoff lives in a tight race instead of clamping down on the Northwest Division. Compare that to New Jersey's defense and their 27.7 shots against per game average and 163 goals against. It's clear while both teams have some unhearlded/inexperienced defensemen (e.g. Kurtis Foster, Nick Schultz), Sutter's gotten more out of his than Lemaire has gotten out of his own team's. Though, to be fair, goaltending has a part of goals against disparity as well. Don't get me wrong, Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding aren't bad; but they aren't goaltenders who can always keep a team in the game like a Martin Brodeur.

On offense, it looks even more similar to the Devils. As mentioned, the Wild has one player who stands out on offense and everyone else seemingly comes and goes in streaks. For New Jersey, that one player is Zach Parise and his 30 goals. For Minnesota, it's Marian Gaborik who has definitely found his scoring form again with 34 goals and 35 assists this season. Behind Gaborik, the biggest threats are dimunitive playmaker Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who has 12 goals and a team leading 45 assists, and ex-Devil turned #1 center Brian Rolston, who has 26 goals and 23 assists. Beyond that, you have Pavol Demitra, who is clearly on the downside of his career, and a number hard working skaters but are not scorers. Seriously, the Wild only have 4 players with more than 40 points this season and I just named them. In terms of skill, the Devils forwards have an edge; but in terms of actual results, the teams are very similar. Well, not quite, only 3 Devils have more than 40 points this season: Parise, Patrik Elias, and Brian Gionta. Though Jamie Langenbrunner and John Madden are very close with 39 and 38 points, respectively. Conclusion? A lot of scoring by committee for both squads.

There is one area where Minnesota is clearly the better team between the two: special teams. The Wild have the 10th most effective power play with a 18.3% effectiveness rate, and the 6th best penalty killing success rate with 84.1%. I don't even need to say with probability; when your special team units are doing this well, they can help you win games. This is also in sharp contrast, as the Devils have a much worse power play, with only a 16.3% effectiveness rate - good for 21st in the league. While that may not seem like much, it does matter in terms of actual goals. Minnesota has 53 power play goals, which is good for 12th in the league and the Devils have 46 power play goals, which is good for 27th in the league. With a season as tight as this one, 7 extra power play goals are crucial. The Devils' penalty killing unit is OK with a 82.9% success rate; but it hasn't been as good as Minnesota's. Even if the talent isn't the same; the Wild have the results that prove them to be the better squad. Clearly, the Devils need to keep this game at even strength as much as possible.

Regardless of some lackluster offense and a weaker defense, the Wild has had success. They have a record of 37-26-7 this season. Most seasons, that would be good. Except the Wild are in a tight division race with Calgary and Colorado sitting one point ahead and Vancouver sitting one point behind. What's more is that the Wild are not doing well as of late. The season isn't lost for them and the playoffs are well within reach, but this is the wrong time of the season to go 4 games without a win.

So for the Devils to succeed, they need to continue to pour on the misery. The Wild knows full well that continuing to falter could spell doom, and I'd expect them to feed off the crowd for additional motivation. The Devils are not a stranger to playing in front of hostile crowds; but they need to take them out of it early. That won't be easy; there's a reason why the Wild are called the Team of 18,000. But I think the method is the same to continuing to pour on the misery: take the game right to the Wild, dictate the tempo, and do whatever is necessary to get that first goal. I fear if they don't do that, we could see a repeat of what we saw last night in Montreal. Nobody wants that - except for the Wild. Overall, the goal should be to get 3 goals. Just look at the sidebar at Hitting the Post, a Wild blog; they have a fun stat showing that if the Wild let up three goals or more, their record sinks below .500. Get one first and then continue to attack.

So that's the Wild, as I understand it. Let's go Devils; let's get back on the winning side and make life difficult for Minnesota.

NOTE: Clarification added to difference in the Wild and Devils' power play; but my point remains the same, the Wild's power play is more effective.

A preview? This is something I haven't done in a while. In any case, it's a 1 PM afternoon matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes at The Rock. The last time the Canes came to Newark, a glorious display of offense occurred and the many, many Devils fans around the world were pleased by a 6-1 beatdown of Carolina. To use an Internet™ term, the ownage didn't begin there. Earlier in the year, the Devils went down to the RBC Center and decisively defeated the Canes with defiant defense and a dazzling display of offense by a score of 4-1.

It's because of those two games and the recent back-to-back-and-mostly-successful stretch by New Jersey, I'm a bit concerned about today's game. Yes, the Hurricanes are without Rod Brind'Amour, who is out for pretty much the rest of the season with a knee injury (TSN), so the Devils should have an easier time on faceoffs. However, the Canes most definitely remember the last two games against the Devils. They didn't just lose, they lost big. They lost in a bad way. They don't want to happen again a third time, and you can bet on head coach Peter Laviolette will use this as motivation. If only to convince his defenders to actually collapse in their zone. Collapsing was something they didn't do in either game against the Devils, forcing the Devils to go outside with more of their shots. Unfortunately for Carolina, the Devils accepted this challenge and excelled. The Canes won their last three games, so they also have momentum on their side.

The Devils will need to be careful. If I were Brent Sutter, I'd start Kevin Weekes. Yes, Martin Brodeur is the best goaltender and clearly gives the Devils the best chance to win; but he's been worked. He is coming off two straight games, facing a total of 71 shots and playing over 120 minutes against top offenses. Carolina's offense is not as threatening and Weekes should be able to handle the workload. Marty deserves a little rest and now is a good time to give it to him.

Regardless of who starts, I think the Devils need to score the first two goals of this game. They tend to drift in afternoon games and after a tough back-to-back series, the importance of getting the first few goals is key. Unlike the Atlanta and Ottawa games, the Devils scoring 1 or 2 early would really demoralize the Canes - likely forcing them to think back to those two bad losses they had earlier. The momentum would be in New Jersey's favor and that would make the game a bit easier on them. Why two? Because a one goal lead doesn't mean much, especially in today's NHL, and two is lot easier to hold onto and build upon than one.

Your NHL.com preview is here. For non-today's game news and analysis, Jeremy Kenter at Devils Daily has a ton of things to go through. The league's general managers are meeting in Naples (Florida, not Italy) to discuss rules and more trade proposals than a Hockey's Future sub-forum. Speaking of HF, Jared Ramsden has an update on the Devils' NCAA prospects that's worth your time as well. From Ramsden's writeup, I'm really impressed with Tyler Eckford's development. A late pick in 2004, Eckford becoming a top offensive threat on defense in all of college hockey is definitely worth some praise and what the cool kids (or Michael Wilbon) call "dap."

As far as preview goes, let me end with a vague note. I got some things going on in the background I can't reveal yet; but this place may get a little more popular soon. Nevertheless, this blog has just recently passed the 50,000 visitor mark, so some thanks are in order for you. Thank you all for reading In Lou We Trust. The e-mails and comments are always welcomed and I'm looking forward to pleasing even more people with my word-based blog. Give yourself a self-high five and GO DEVILS.

On the day of the NHL All Star Game, in yesterday's Star Ledger, Rich Chere wrote that the event should be scrapped in that A) no one cares and B) the star power isn't there.

Huh. I didn't know the All Star Game ever counted for something. I also didn't know I didn't care either. Granted, I didn't stay up late at night hoping the day would get there; but I watched it on TV. Given his article, I take it Chere didn't watch the game, which was too bad for him as it was a very exciting game. Here's what he missed:

So what if the game doesn't count or whether or not it's memorable? That's not the point. The point is to showcase the top players in the league and put on an exciting game for the fans. Not a life-changing event, not something that everyone just has to see, not an attempt at recreating a playoff game (or the fabled OLD TIME HOCKEY™ from an era that fewer and fewer have witnessed) - just a good game and make a lot of money and promotion for the league. Done and done, by my count. Why that is a bad thing, I truly do not know.

The stars of the NHL may not be as established as the stars in other sports; but the people know of Ovechkin, Staal, Nash, Kopitar, DiPietro, Lecavalier, Getzlaf, and many others. It's not their fault they aren't household names across the world - the NHL can do only so much as it is, what with hockey still remaining as a niche sport. Nevertheless, as James Mirtle points out, the game did sell out and got plenty of sponsorships out of it. Clearly, somebody recognizes the players as stars.

What if they get hurt? What, we're supposed to wrap up players in bubble wrap now and hold their hands as they could get hurt doing something as simple as going for a jog or driving a car? They enjoy it, the fans enjoy it, so what's the big deal? As far as I'm concerned James Mirtle summed it up perfectly as to why it's not going away: it makes the league money and gets them publicity. That's why it won't go away and that's why Chere is wrong to suggest scrapping the whole event entirely.

UPDATE: Of course, someone beats me to it and frames it in a much more complete way than I do. Well played, Schnookie, well played. But seriously, it's a good read - even though I disagree about the accuracy shootout being better than the standard one.

Earlier this week, the NHL Arena Program - a league-wide hockey blog whose content can be described as "beefy" - held their version of Around the Horn via e-mail. It featured Derek of Hitting Back, Doug Stolhand of Puck Podcast, Matt Bodenschatz of Faceoff Factor, and Tony Ferrante of the Conference of the Three Rivers. Also, myself. It was so big, it was broken into two parts: Part 1 and Part 2. I'm amazed that I even won. Regardless, it's a good read to hear plenty of different responses on issues of the NHL.

I'd like to thank Chris for putting it all together and forgiving my tardiness in my responses. I actually enjoyed answering all those questions as it gave me a chance to reflect on what's going on outside of the Devils in the world of the NHL. Granted, I completely punted on the NHL-IIHF transfer agreement question, but I still don't think the NHL's quality will suffer too badly. As evidenced with guys like Evgeni Malkin and Nikolai Zherdev, some players are willing to risk exile from their home nation to play in the NHL. Moreover, the United States are producing more and more players and of all types, as evidenced by their presence in the first round of the last few drafts. Will there be an impact? I'm sure, but I really couldn't tell you how big it would be.

Still, thanks to The NHL Arena Program for making this happen.

While I am a Devils fan and about 90% or more of my posts are all mostly Devils related (which makes sense given this is In Lou We Trust), the big story going on in the rest of the NHL is worth a comment.

I am, of course, talking about the Curtis Joseph sweepstakes. According to TSN, the front runners are San Jose and Calgary. Personally, I would expect San Jose to snag him as they need a back up goaltender in the worst way. Evgeni Nabokov is a very good goaltender, but even he needs rest.

OK, that's not the big story except for those related to Curtis Joseph. No, the big story is Alexander Ovechkin signing a 13 year, $124 million guaranteed contract extension with the Washington Capitals. It blows Rick DiPietro's contract out of the water as the biggest contract in NHL history and it pretty much guarantees Ovechkin wearing red, white, and blue for a long, long time. Now, this is a big deal. How big? I was watching NFL Total Access on the NFL Network earlier this evening and for those who have not seen the show, it's a daily show that covers everything that goes on in the NFL. This is a football program. At the end of each show, there is a segment called 4 Downs - 4 quick questions about, well, anything (e.g. greatest hitter, movies, who's going to win, etc.) that the co-hosts normally answer. Rich Eisen, the premier host on the NFL Network's main show, brought this up. Ovechkin's contract extension got attention even on the NFL Network. This is clearly huge.

Naturally, the big question that comes up whenever someone gets a long term deal is, "Is he worth the money?" Well, I'm not shy about my opinion as evidenced by the title. But reactions and thoughts have varied. On Total Access, Rod Woodson just asked whether it was guaranteed money (NFL contracts are not completely filled with guaranteed money) and was in awe when he learned it was. Pookie at Interchangeable Parts doesn't think anyone's worth that much. James Mirtle is amazed and concerned at the risk being taken of signing someone for so long. Eric McErlain looks at the Capitals' recent history to find a reasoning behind Ovechkin's contract at the Sporting News. Kevin Schultz points out at the NHL Fanhouse that Ovechkin's total contract length is worth significant portions of some NHL teams net worth. Ted Leonsis, owner of the Capitals, is obviously enthused and is linking to a hell of a lot associated with this story - just keep scrolling there. Greg Wyshynski dubs him AO-Rod and has a full set of thoughts ultimately ending with "hooray" at Deadspin. Rage at Japers' Rink - a Capitals blog - justifies the contract terms. Michael at Confessions of a Hockey Fanatic criticizes the deal as Ovechkin taking the money without making his team better. Getting back to NFL Total Access (and to stop inundating you with links), Marshall Faulk just chuckled said, "He better be scoring a lot of goals."

Funny that Marshall brought that up; it's the first justification of such a big deal. Alexander Ovechkin is a true point producing machine. Consider his rookie season in 2005-2006. In an NHL coming off a locked-out season with a whole bunch of new rules, Ovechkin came over from Dynamo Moscow (13 G, 13 A in 37 games) and made a big statement. 426 shots, an average of 21:37 of ice time a night, 172 hits, 69 takeaways, and finished third in the league in scoring with 52 goals and 54 assists. That's his rookie season not just in the NHL, but in North America! I mean, sure, Joe Juneau had a great first year; but Ovechkin showed he was a special player from the start - at his rawest in the NHL level. Scoring a ton of goals and putting up a lot of points for a team where the second best scorer was current Devil Dainus Zubrus, who had a mere 23 goals and 34 assists. Yes, Ovechkin as a rookie had 1.85 times the point as his closest teammate.

OK, I will concede he hit the sophomore slump in the next season. He only finished with 46 goals and 46 assists, good enough for only the thirteenth highest scorer in the league that season. He still led the team in goals, assists, shots (only 392), takeaways (only 67), and hits (only 187). His downturn of a performance is still a season that forwards would dream of having. That's only a sophomore slump for a player of Ovechkin's calibur.

Now look at what he's been doing this season. He's currently tied for second in the league with 32 goals and he's on pace for somewhere between 58-62 goals. He still currently leads his team with hits (116), takeaways (41), and shots (229). Ovechkin is no longer the leader in assists on his team and it's why he's only tied for ninth in scoring with 32 goals and 20 assists. Nevertheless, Ovechkin isn't regressing at any point. Aside from assists, he's on pace to break his career high in goals while getting more hits, takeaways, and shots on net. He's still going after the puck, skating really hard almost every shaft, and firing it in while lighting people up - there's no indication he's slowing down at all either. Ovechkin is proving not only to be a complete player but a complete player who is improving, if his stats are anything to go by. Statistically, one could say likely going to become a perennial 50+ goal, 100+ point scorer - except he's already done that once and he's going to do it again and likely many more times before he hits the end of this contract.

Given how scoring can be at a premium at times, especially for a team that hasn't had a true star in a long while, I can understand a 50-60 goalscorer who will compete like mad for the puck alone is close to being worth $9.5 million/year. Look at it from this angle, if the Rangers are going to hand Scott Gomez - a guy who had not and will not touch Ovechkin's numbers outside of assists - $10 million this year; I think the market clearly justifies Ovechkin's big payday.

Everyone in the NHL knows this and rather than rolling the dice and allowing other teams to throw an offer sheet his way, the Capitals threw a ton of money at him. And he's worth every cent because he's been spectacular, he's only going to get better, he's going to continue force scorekeepers writing in Ovechkin's name, and he's going to remain hungry. Don't think so? Before tonight's games, the Capitals are 18-20-5, sitting fourth in the Southeast division and 7 points behind the division leaders. It's only January, there's no reason the Capitals can't make some noise and make a push for one of the final playoff spots. Even if they come up short, they won't be doormats. I don't think for a second that Ovechkin doesn't know the situation, I fully expect him to do his damnedest to get them into the playoffs - extension or no extension. And once the Capitals become a regular playoff team - and they will - I don't think the contract will quell Ovechkin's desire to turn Washington into champions. It's been there from season 1, where he wanted to prove he's one of the best in the world and did just that.

Short of injuries, Ovechkin will continue being a fantastically special player and a goal/point machine. Faulk was right, he's going to be scoring a hell of a lot more goals.