Success vs. Failure
Event #1 – Fastest Skater
Round 1 -Having guys skate backwards is a true test of skill, speed, balance and endurance. Success
Rounds 2, 4–6 - Traditional “who’s faster” event, with head to head competition.
Round 3 – Goalies…. Yeah, not for nothing but there’s a reason why these guys never have to skate too much other than to the bench on delayed penalties or for the extra attacker at the end of the game, Tim Thomas proved why this heat received a FAIL
Overall - Fastest Skater is a tried, but true event for the skills competition, needs to stay and deserves to, just take out the goalie heats, could be a disaster. PASS
Winner: Michael Grabner, NYI
Event #2 – Breakway Challenge
Yeah, its really cool to get the fans a part of the event and allow them a chance to decide something other than the starters. But this is not the NBA, and we should be proud of that. During this competition, the announcers were wondering who was going to break out “props” to help their style score. It was a cool idea when it first came out, but [someone correct me if I am wrong] the winner should at least net one goal during his routine.
Overall: Some creative stunts [Subban switching uniforms with Skinner to try and get some support from Skinner’s home fans, Perry with the lacrosse moves, Ovechki’s cue-ball attempt], otherwise, not really thrilling and uneventful. FAIL
Winner: Alex Ovechkin, WAS
Event #3 – Accuracy Shooting
This was another event which has been around forever and deservedly so. Watching players go head to head was awesome. Biggest issue were the mistakes by the organizers in allowing the referees decide when to start. The beginning of the event [i.e. when the players begin shooting at the targets] should be signaled by the arena horn sounding after both refs make sure the shooters are ready. Had this actually decided something critical, I’m sure more attention would be paid, but they’re lucky Toews was looking up when the whistle went off, otherwise he could have easily taken his first feed and hit the crew member fixing his target.
Overall: another event which deserves to stay thanks to the head to head modification as well as the overall tradition and excitement surrounding it. Work out the kinks for next year. PASS
Winner: Daniel Sedin, VAN
Event #4 – Skills Challenge Relay
I personally felt this was the best event of the competition. Cross ice one-timers were awesome to watch, from all three angles. The passing accuracy was also a very well thought out part of the event. Stick handling around the Gatorade Bottles was also a traditional exercise typically done during practice, but tonight put 4 players in showcase (Tyler Ennis dominated, IMO). The only part I wasn’t too interested in was the weaving between the red pucks, seemed to be more of a recycled idea from the stick handling, finally they closed out with the accuracy drill.
Overall: Resounding success
Winner: Team Lidstrom 2 [Nicklas Lidstrom DET, Brad Richards DAL, Loui Eriksson DAL, Oliver Ekman-Larsson PHX, Henrik Sedin VAN, Martin St. Louis TBL, Matt Duchene COL, Jonathan Toews CHI]
Event #5 – Hardest Shot
This event has been a success for the past two All Star Weekends due simply to the fact that one participant has come close, and then broke, a record which had at the time stood for over a decade. Zdeno Chara has proven to have the hardest shot in the league, and ever for that matter. His record shot of 105.6 MPH two years ago broke Al Iafrate’s record which he set at Madison Square Garden in 1994. Two years ago, Shea Webber emerged as Chara’s biggest threat to his repeat run as Hardest Shooter in the NHL. Last night, going into the final shot, Webber had a 2 MPH advantage until Big Z unleashed a slap shot that not only topped Webber’s mark, but his own mark set in Montreal with 105.9 MPH.
Surprises of the night were Dustin Byfuglien’s 102.4 and Steven Stamkos breaking the century mark as well with a 101.8 blast of his own.
Overall: Success all around except for Ovechkin’s CCM sticks failing, switching to Easton and the radar gun failing not once, but twice on only his shots.
Winner: Chara, BOS with 105.9
Event #6 – Elimination Shootout
A glorified shootout closed out the evening. Some players seemed to approach it as “oh my god just get me out of here” while others seemed to genuinely try to score and give the crowd a rise. In the end, Corey Perry outlasted Martin St. Louis for the overall title, connecting on all three of his attempts.
Overall: A good way to close out the night, but again some players seemed disinterested. Still a success though.
Winner: Corey Perry, ANH
Overall Winner: Team Staal (33) over Team Lidstrom (22)
We Cover Hockey the Best We Can...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
The Individual vs The Team Player
Maybe a better title would be “The Individualistic Person versus the Athlete Who Actually Cares About Their Sport,” but let’s be honest, that just doesn’t flow as easily as the current one.
When you look at nearly every All Star Competition out there, there is an overwhelming focus on the individual to perform better than his peers. In baseball, you have the Home Run Derby, basketball you have the slam dunk contest, 3 point contest, and a handful of other drills which are combined for an overall team score, yet it is all where the focus is on the individual.
Even outside of the so called All Star “Game,” watching any highlight show, you see the most mundane of accomplishments being glorified. In the day and age of preaching “teamwork” and “being team players,” people are flooded with images of individual achievements and plays.
As hockey blogger, Eklund pointed out “ESPN Sportscenter isn't about sports teams, it's about athletes. There may be no "I" in team, but if you watch ESPN you quickly realize you can't spell team without "ME." From Barry Bonds, to Alex Rodrigez...Peyton Manning to Tiger Woods...ESPN covers individuals and their respective, corresponding soap operas.”
How long did the nation get wrapped up in the Tiger Woods scandal? Weeks, months? I’m sure we all know more about his former wife, Elin, swinging a 9 iron at the rear windshield and his infidelities which led to that memorable event.
How about the Lebron James embarrassment? For a month, Sportscenter not only covered, but GLORIFIED his gold digging and attention seeking. Then, to top it all off, they devoted an hour, yes, the most boring hour in sports history, to give him the national spotlight in which to further prove he never cared about any team as much as the money.
For you James defenders, if it was only about winning, why did he need a max contract in order to sign in South Beach? He never was about the team nor loyalty, otherwise he would have stayed in Cleveland, close to the town that supported him throughout his rise to fame and continued to support him even when the team struggled, even after they barely showed up in the finals the one time they made it.
Hockey is not exempt from lengthy contract disputes, as we saw last summer with the Ilya Kovalchuk saga. Yet, when he did sign his deals, there were no hour long specials devoted to just him, there were no high-school esc pep rallies at the Prudential Center to “introduce” him the fans. He signed on the dotted line, held a press conference [just like EVERY sport] then walked around some landmarks in Newark for photos to promote the team.
Even after their respective games, hockey players’ true colors come out continuously. Win or lose, players will make an effort to not only meet their fans, but to communicate with them and even sign autographs. Not every player stops outside the arena after games, but at some point during the year, they do. They appreciate the fans and their commitment and it shows. Through the autographs, public appearances, and even through social media outlets such as Twitter, players try to reach out to their fans. They seldom utilize the players only parking areas which are completely separated from any fan contact, and rarely ignore those who are appreciative of them, like other athletes.
Sportcenter continuously shows athletes and their individual accomplishments throughout their “Top 10” segment. Plays which require team efforts (deep touchdown passes, blocks which spring their running backs for touchdowns, alley-oops, 6-4-3 double plays) rarely beat out breakaway slam dunks or dunks in which another player is embarrassed. Individual over the team is in the forefront time and time again.
Hockey is barely shown on the network or its highlight shows. Why bother cover a sport in which its players, let’s face it, are pretty normal. Out of all the “major sports” the players are most like their fans. Even when certain players seem to break away from the pack, nights like last night show them in a different light, the same light they once stood. Even with larger salaries, nearly every player still holds that same energy, that same attitude, they love their jobs, they love their sport, they love simply being a hockey player.
Rarely do you see such jubilation in other leagues when their players get selected for their respective games, let alone at the events themselves. In other sports, the players weigh collecting their bonuses versus having time off. Understandable considering how much time they spend away from their families, but rather than fulfill their obligations to the fans who voted them in, they’d put themselves before the league and bail out.
In hockey, the players who did not attend the weekend have legitimate concerns. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are out with significant injuries, while Jarome Iginla requested to be given leave from the events to be with an ailing family member. You don’t hear anyone worrying about getting hurt, even though it’s a prominent risk [see: Mike Richter and his knees]. Veterans and rookies alike are excited to not only have the chance to play against their idols, but to be a part of something so unique.
The fantasy draft saw rivals selecting one another, families literally split up, everyone having a phenomenal time. Patrik Elias and Henrik Lundqvist were seen multiple times talking and kidding around, Nicklas Lidstrom selected Duncan Keith, the Sedin twins [Henrik and Daniel] were split up for the first time probably ever. From Cam War to the last Phil Kessel, everyone had a smile on their face and were excited to be there.
Hopefully, this trend will find its way into other sports, but with so many conflicting personalities and various egos to play down to, I highly doubt it will.
So tonight if you have a chance, hockey fan or not, tune to Versus, TSN, CBC or whatever your preferred hockey network is to just watch a group of grown men reminding us all that some players care more about the love of the game than their own paycheck.
When you look at nearly every All Star Competition out there, there is an overwhelming focus on the individual to perform better than his peers. In baseball, you have the Home Run Derby, basketball you have the slam dunk contest, 3 point contest, and a handful of other drills which are combined for an overall team score, yet it is all where the focus is on the individual.
Even outside of the so called All Star “Game,” watching any highlight show, you see the most mundane of accomplishments being glorified. In the day and age of preaching “teamwork” and “being team players,” people are flooded with images of individual achievements and plays.
As hockey blogger, Eklund pointed out “ESPN Sportscenter isn't about sports teams, it's about athletes. There may be no "I" in team, but if you watch ESPN you quickly realize you can't spell team without "ME." From Barry Bonds, to Alex Rodrigez...Peyton Manning to Tiger Woods...ESPN covers individuals and their respective, corresponding soap operas.”
How long did the nation get wrapped up in the Tiger Woods scandal? Weeks, months? I’m sure we all know more about his former wife, Elin, swinging a 9 iron at the rear windshield and his infidelities which led to that memorable event.
How about the Lebron James embarrassment? For a month, Sportscenter not only covered, but GLORIFIED his gold digging and attention seeking. Then, to top it all off, they devoted an hour, yes, the most boring hour in sports history, to give him the national spotlight in which to further prove he never cared about any team as much as the money.
For you James defenders, if it was only about winning, why did he need a max contract in order to sign in South Beach? He never was about the team nor loyalty, otherwise he would have stayed in Cleveland, close to the town that supported him throughout his rise to fame and continued to support him even when the team struggled, even after they barely showed up in the finals the one time they made it.
Hockey is not exempt from lengthy contract disputes, as we saw last summer with the Ilya Kovalchuk saga. Yet, when he did sign his deals, there were no hour long specials devoted to just him, there were no high-school esc pep rallies at the Prudential Center to “introduce” him the fans. He signed on the dotted line, held a press conference [just like EVERY sport] then walked around some landmarks in Newark for photos to promote the team.
Even after their respective games, hockey players’ true colors come out continuously. Win or lose, players will make an effort to not only meet their fans, but to communicate with them and even sign autographs. Not every player stops outside the arena after games, but at some point during the year, they do. They appreciate the fans and their commitment and it shows. Through the autographs, public appearances, and even through social media outlets such as Twitter, players try to reach out to their fans. They seldom utilize the players only parking areas which are completely separated from any fan contact, and rarely ignore those who are appreciative of them, like other athletes.
Sportcenter continuously shows athletes and their individual accomplishments throughout their “Top 10” segment. Plays which require team efforts (deep touchdown passes, blocks which spring their running backs for touchdowns, alley-oops, 6-4-3 double plays) rarely beat out breakaway slam dunks or dunks in which another player is embarrassed. Individual over the team is in the forefront time and time again.
Hockey is barely shown on the network or its highlight shows. Why bother cover a sport in which its players, let’s face it, are pretty normal. Out of all the “major sports” the players are most like their fans. Even when certain players seem to break away from the pack, nights like last night show them in a different light, the same light they once stood. Even with larger salaries, nearly every player still holds that same energy, that same attitude, they love their jobs, they love their sport, they love simply being a hockey player.
Rarely do you see such jubilation in other leagues when their players get selected for their respective games, let alone at the events themselves. In other sports, the players weigh collecting their bonuses versus having time off. Understandable considering how much time they spend away from their families, but rather than fulfill their obligations to the fans who voted them in, they’d put themselves before the league and bail out.
In hockey, the players who did not attend the weekend have legitimate concerns. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are out with significant injuries, while Jarome Iginla requested to be given leave from the events to be with an ailing family member. You don’t hear anyone worrying about getting hurt, even though it’s a prominent risk [see: Mike Richter and his knees]. Veterans and rookies alike are excited to not only have the chance to play against their idols, but to be a part of something so unique.
The fantasy draft saw rivals selecting one another, families literally split up, everyone having a phenomenal time. Patrik Elias and Henrik Lundqvist were seen multiple times talking and kidding around, Nicklas Lidstrom selected Duncan Keith, the Sedin twins [Henrik and Daniel] were split up for the first time probably ever. From Cam War to the last Phil Kessel, everyone had a smile on their face and were excited to be there.
Hopefully, this trend will find its way into other sports, but with so many conflicting personalities and various egos to play down to, I highly doubt it will.
So tonight if you have a chance, hockey fan or not, tune to Versus, TSN, CBC or whatever your preferred hockey network is to just watch a group of grown men reminding us all that some players care more about the love of the game than their own paycheck.
Friday, January 28, 2011
A Blessing or a Plague
For the first time all season, he New Jersey Devils showed some sustained life. Six wins in their last eight games, four of which coming in a row, pulled the Devils to within two points of climbing out of the cellar of the NHL standings.
On Wednesday, the Devils traveled to Detroit to try and extend both their winning streak to five, and heir points streak to eight.
They failed, however, to do either. In a very disorganized effort, the Devils fell behind early, but quickly responded with an equalizer. Plagued by a handful of bad calls, including an obscenely late high sticking penalty on Brian Rolston which was called well after the Devils not only carried the puck out of their own end, but nearly notched a goal on the scoring attempt. They also had another equalizer called back due to what the referees had deemed as Ilya Kovalchuk pushing Jimmy Howard's pad into he net and the puck as well. Yet, if the puck was covered, why had there not been a whistle to signify a frozen puck?
Officiating inconsistency killed a lot of the Devils' hope on Wednesday, but their young players made their fair share of costly poor plays. Mark Fraser, for example, tried to play a loose puck across the rink at center ice rather than looping back toward the boards and dumping the puck back into the offensive zone. The play resulted in Daryon Helm stealing the horrendously slow pass from Fraser, breaking in on Martin Brodeur uncontested and beating him high glove side for the firs goal of the night.
The question now has become will the Devils be able to pick up their winning ways from before the Detroit game, or will they come out of the All Star Break just as flat, disorganized and unmotivated as they have been for nearly the entire season.
With just over 30 games to play in the regular season, the Devils have a steep uphill climb ahead of them to not only try and make the playoffs, but simply break even on the year. With a record of 16-30-3, the Devils need to go 23-9-1 just to avoid a losing record for the first time in nearly 20 years. They sit 11 wins away from a playoff berth (22 points) with no games in hand on current eight seeded Atlanta.
If they pick up from where they left off, even counting the Detroit game, they would finish 25-4-4. That record would give the 54 points for a total of 89 on the year.
What will they do, how will they come out of the nearly week long hiatus, and where will they finish? Only time will tell, but this particular fan thinks they will find their way into the post season party...
On Wednesday, the Devils traveled to Detroit to try and extend both their winning streak to five, and heir points streak to eight.
They failed, however, to do either. In a very disorganized effort, the Devils fell behind early, but quickly responded with an equalizer. Plagued by a handful of bad calls, including an obscenely late high sticking penalty on Brian Rolston which was called well after the Devils not only carried the puck out of their own end, but nearly notched a goal on the scoring attempt. They also had another equalizer called back due to what the referees had deemed as Ilya Kovalchuk pushing Jimmy Howard's pad into he net and the puck as well. Yet, if the puck was covered, why had there not been a whistle to signify a frozen puck?
Officiating inconsistency killed a lot of the Devils' hope on Wednesday, but their young players made their fair share of costly poor plays. Mark Fraser, for example, tried to play a loose puck across the rink at center ice rather than looping back toward the boards and dumping the puck back into the offensive zone. The play resulted in Daryon Helm stealing the horrendously slow pass from Fraser, breaking in on Martin Brodeur uncontested and beating him high glove side for the firs goal of the night.
The question now has become will the Devils be able to pick up their winning ways from before the Detroit game, or will they come out of the All Star Break just as flat, disorganized and unmotivated as they have been for nearly the entire season.
With just over 30 games to play in the regular season, the Devils have a steep uphill climb ahead of them to not only try and make the playoffs, but simply break even on the year. With a record of 16-30-3, the Devils need to go 23-9-1 just to avoid a losing record for the first time in nearly 20 years. They sit 11 wins away from a playoff berth (22 points) with no games in hand on current eight seeded Atlanta.
If they pick up from where they left off, even counting the Detroit game, they would finish 25-4-4. That record would give the 54 points for a total of 89 on the year.
What will they do, how will they come out of the nearly week long hiatus, and where will they finish? Only time will tell, but this particular fan thinks they will find their way into the post season party...
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Turning the Corner(?)
Is for real, or is it just a tease of what could, and all honestly should, have been?
Have the New Jersey Devils finally turned the proverbial corner or are they simply exploiting midseason lulls by 5 different teams?
5-0-1 over their past six games have put the Devils in position to pull themselves out of last place, or at least have some company should they win their 4th game in a row this afternoon when they face the Florida Panthers.
Florida, who just last week, thwarted the Devils' chance to notch their first three game winning streak in over a calendar year, comes into NJ following a Friday night loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With a win today, as already stated, the Devils will pull the Edmonton Oilers into a tie for last in the NHL, if only for a few hours. The Oilers take to the ice tonight at 8 pm and with a win or an overtime loss of their own, would avoid falling back to the basement where they t have in recent seasons staked a VIP seat. From there, the Islanders are the next threat to join the bottom feeder party as their glimmers of hope from December have been torn apart just like the always questionable health of poster child for the IR list, goaltender Rick DiPietro.
Just over 2 weeks ago, the Devils did what they've done only a few times this season, score more than two goals in a game. Not only did they notch 5 goals, but they pulled out a second multi-goal night just a few days later against the same lightning they dominated that Monday. Bookended week victories (Monday and Friday) gave fans a familiar glimmer of hope.
Could this FINALLY be the time they turn it around? Could they finally string together a winning streak, or would this be just like the few other times this season (or the year for that matter) when they put together back to back wins only to squander it the next game in embarrassing fashion.
Let’s see which Devils show up tonight, the new and improved one’s who have been showing a ton of energy and heart, or the one’s just have been all over the map, defying all logic.
Have the New Jersey Devils finally turned the proverbial corner or are they simply exploiting midseason lulls by 5 different teams?
5-0-1 over their past six games have put the Devils in position to pull themselves out of last place, or at least have some company should they win their 4th game in a row this afternoon when they face the Florida Panthers.
Florida, who just last week, thwarted the Devils' chance to notch their first three game winning streak in over a calendar year, comes into NJ following a Friday night loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With a win today, as already stated, the Devils will pull the Edmonton Oilers into a tie for last in the NHL, if only for a few hours. The Oilers take to the ice tonight at 8 pm and with a win or an overtime loss of their own, would avoid falling back to the basement where they t have in recent seasons staked a VIP seat. From there, the Islanders are the next threat to join the bottom feeder party as their glimmers of hope from December have been torn apart just like the always questionable health of poster child for the IR list, goaltender Rick DiPietro.
Just over 2 weeks ago, the Devils did what they've done only a few times this season, score more than two goals in a game. Not only did they notch 5 goals, but they pulled out a second multi-goal night just a few days later against the same lightning they dominated that Monday. Bookended week victories (Monday and Friday) gave fans a familiar glimmer of hope.
Could this FINALLY be the time they turn it around? Could they finally string together a winning streak, or would this be just like the few other times this season (or the year for that matter) when they put together back to back wins only to squander it the next game in embarrassing fashion.
Let’s see which Devils show up tonight, the new and improved one’s who have been showing a ton of energy and heart, or the one’s just have been all over the map, defying all logic.
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