Thanks For Coming Out, 2013 Anaheim Ducks

While it looked like they were primed to be a contender out of the West, the Anaheim Ducks met with the stalwart of the Western Conference in their last hurrah, as the Red Wings took them out in the full seven making the Ducks wonder how a dream season turned into a nightmare at the end.

One of the interesting moves was the decision to play Jonas Hiller over the Viktor Fasth. While Fasth didn't have the experience Hiller had and may not have had the drive for it, there's no denying that Fasth was a hot hand most of the season. Their numbers were identical in most aspects, but since Bruce Boudreau wouldn't platoon the goalies in the playoffs-- we won't know what would happen if Fasth went in there.

An upside to it all was the emergence of guys like Kyle Palmieri, Nick Bonino, and Emerson Etem for the Ducks, even though they picked up the slack for Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne; both who didn't have the best playoffs in their careers. For Selanne, it could be his last playoffs as his future again hangs in the balance on what he may do with his career after this season. Fellow Finns Saku Koivu could be in the same situation, as his season wasn't overly memorable, but I doubt the two guys don't want to go out like they did.

Defensively, the core will be there for a while, with two veterans in Sheldon Souray and Francois Beauchemin to guide the likes of Cam Fowler and Luca Sbisa to lead the next direction of things. The tightness of the play will be definitely a question, as outside of Souray and Beauchemin, Ben Lovejoy (+4) and Bryan Allen (+1) were plus players of the regular defensemen. A cause for concern, but something that should come with time.

With Bruce Boudreau at the helm, the Ducks could very well be a force to be reckoned with, if they can actually play in the playoffs with the vigor they did in the regular season. Their main players are locked up for the long-haul and will be in Anaheim for a while, so they'll have time to work together and find their niche....or blow up entirely.

Can You Figure Him Out?? Fasth??

The legend of Viktor Fasth will start to grow more and more as people will get more exposed to him due to an injury to Jonas Hiller. However, people have started to talk about him enough thanks to his 5-0-0 start coupled with a 1.92 GAA and .932 save percentage.

More over, should we really be surprised by this??

Getting over the fact that he's 30 years old and has been in Sweden for his professional career leading into this season, Fasth is really not a unique case study for surprising goalies coming on to take the world by storm. Fasth just joins the group of Johan Hedberg, Patrick Lalime, and Jim Carey (to name a few) when it comes to rookie goalies coming into the landscape and dominating the goaltending stats.

While goaltending is often regarded as one of the toughest positions to mature and adjust to, it's also a position where teams can be tricked into a goalie is unbeatable. In a mental game, the goalie who comes into the league without many players knowing his scouting report-- they are often successful in their first long stretch. Lalime is the prime example, as he went unbeaten in his first 16 games (14-0-2), which is a NHL record to begin a career. Hedberg is a guy who got a late call-up in 2001 and went 7-1-1 before helping the Penguins get to the Eastern Conference finals that year, as well. And we all know about Jim Carey.

However, that doesn't mean that Fasth will fall into this mold, it's just a precautionary measure. While goalies are able to readapt their game, the use of video is much more prevalent in the game today than it was in the past, so teams will be able to pick up on the changes faster and faster.

The best thing working in the favor of Fasth is the fact that the other names I have mentioned came up from the minors leagues or college before actually getting into the NHL. Fasth's disadvantage could have been playing in Sweden on the bigger ice, thus the angles being different. Fasth has seemed to pick up on that quickly, which is working to his advantage. It's a matter of keeping that advantage which only time will tell.

Ducks Squeak By Stars

1st Star: Teemu Selanne, ANA: Game-winning goal
2nd Star: Ryan Getzlaf, ANA: 1 goal
3rd Star: Derek Roy, DAL: 1 goal

In the only game on the Sunday docket, the Anaheim Ducks got some heroics from Teemu Selanne, who notched the game winning goal in the third to secure the 2-1 victory. Ryan Getzlaf had the other goal for Anaheim while Derek Roy tallied for the Stars. Jonas Hiller stopped 28 shots in the victory for the Ducks.

Teemu Selanne, seconds before lighting the lamp for the winner

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So, that's going to be it for this side of the blog. Much like the Center Ice Package, this was merely a preview. If you want to follow the rest of this project, it'll be over at NHL 2012-13 Via NHL94 on the Tumblr. Follow, bookmark, whatever. Just get 'er done. Not as much in-depth stuff, but still good enough.

Goals Aplenty In Anaheim, Nash Crowns Kings

Pavelski with the game-winner

1st Star: Joe Pavelski, SJ: 2 goals

2nd Star: Saku Koivu, ANA: Hat trick

3rd Star: Logan Couture, SJ: Hat trick

In a non-defensive game, both Anaheim's Saku Koivu and San Jose's Logan Couture netted hat-tricks, but it was Logan Couture's two-goal game, his second the OT winner, that boosted the Sharks over the Ducks. Corey Perry netted the other goal for the Ducks. 

1st Star: Brad Richards, NYR: 2 goals

2nd Star: Rick Nash, NYR: 2 goals

3rd Star: Derek Stepan, NYR: 1 goal, 1 assist 

The banner raising night for the Los Angeles Kings were quickly dashed as the Rangers jumped on the Kings early and often, finishing the night with a 5-2 victory. Rick Nash's debut was effective with two goals and Brad Richards got a jump-start with two of his own. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Penner scored for the Kings. 

Rick Nash's first as a Ranger

On the Topic Of....Trade Talks

With the drama of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter now over and the free agency tank not on empty, but running on fumes-- it's now time to focus on who is going to be a tradeable asset. This summer seems to have quite the stock of assets that are just begging to be moved for one reason or another. However, the bigger names that could be traded could not be as desirable as the names who are just as comparable; but may have a little more overall upside than the names.

Case-in-point: Bobby Ryan and Rick Nash. These are two guys who many think will be moved this summer after turmoil with their current club, but which will be a better pick-up?? To be honest, when you look at the numbers-- both are comparable to each other and you'd probably get more out of them if they were surrounded with a better support team (though Ryan has it made with Perry and Getzlaf). But the bottom line coming down to it is whether or not a team has the assets and then want to depart with those assets in order to acquire one of the other. Of course, Ryan's asking price will probably be much lower than Nash and his salary hit will be much less and the contract is shorter. All of those will be a great selling feature with the two right wings pitted against each other.

Granted, Nash is the "sexy" name and will have fans bemoan the fact that they weren't able to get him. Nash, however, seems to be only the name. We haven't seen what he can do when playing with elite level players on the NHL stage, but one can assume that if Nash has a true #1 passing center, he'd reap the benefits. The San Jose Sharks name keep popping up from the attachment that Nash and Joe Thornton have-- but that was seven years ago and who knows if the the chemistry is still there.

Moving from the forwards, the name of Jay Bouwmeester is coming up, mostly because Jay Feaster gave Dennis Wideman an insane amount of money on an insane term; thus seemingly make Bouwmeester expendable. At two years left on his contract and a $6.68M cap hit, there's probably not going to be any teams burning up Feaster's phone lines. If anything, they'll make sure he stays hampered with that contract until the 2014 trade deadline. While Bouwmeester can be a great player when he applies himself, odds are teams wouldn't want to take on his streaky play, especially not in a contract year. Of course, should Feaster just give him away, that'd be attractive to some teams. Another option is for the Flames to bury him in the minors, as he only has a NTC, but very unlikely.

Yet, the biggest name, still, is Roberto Luongo. Since the Canucks playoff run ended, many were speculating on where his next destination would be because of his inability to get past Round One after being the Western Conference representative in the Stanley Cup Finals. Of course, that helped Cory Schneider break out and get a decent re-signing for his effort, but it also shows that the Canucks are willing to let go of Luongo, who has 10 years left on his contract and will have a cap hit of $5.33M for those seasons. Plus, considering he has a wacky NTC though it all-- it makes you wonder if any team would take the flier on him or not, especially when they know he can be great at times and horrible at times.

The biggest upside for Luongo is the lack of decent free agent goalies out there for a team that needs one. Rumor has it that Luongo only wants to go to the Panthers, but whether or not they are willing to give up on Jacob Markstrom just yet is another story. Of course, with the Panthers making the playoffs last year and coming within one goal of advancing to the second round-- Luongo could be the one thing that actually makes the Panthers true contenders in the Eastern Conference. That said-- both Jose Theodore and Scott Clemmensen are under contract next year-- Clemmensen for another year after next. It'd be a hard sell for the Panthers to get yet another goalie.

So, with the summer just starting/ending for free agency, you can bet that trade talks will be heating up sooner or later. Whether or not anyone gets moved is another story and whether it happens this month or closer to training camp is yet another story. At least we'll have something to talk about this summer....I think....other than that whole CBA crap.

What's Next 2011: Anaheim Ducks

After the ups and downs of this season, after some injuries and uncertainty, the Anaheim Ducks had their luck come to an end, but luckily for them-- plenty of positives came out of it, though they were the first team with home-ice advantage to go out in the playoffs; which could be a cause of concern-- but nothing needing drastic changing.

The one issue is what's going to happen in net and whether or not Jonas Hiller is going to be able to return to form. As you may remember, Hiller had vertigo-like symptoms after the All-Star Game due to getting hit in the mask with a puck, but luckily the unlikely duo of Dan Ellis and Ray Emery were able to carry the workload and be a solid tandem down the stretch, but it seemed to fall off when the playoffs came. While Ellis is signed next year, Emery is a free agent and has shown he could be a solid insurance policy, all dependent upon what's up with Hiller. Emery is probably groomed to be a 1b goalie, which he may not get in Anaheim; while this may be a mirage for Ellis.

Offensively, there's little doubt that Corey Perry is now a big star, especially this year being the only 50-goal scorer in the NHL. That whole top line of Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Bobby Ryan could be in the running for the best lines in the NHL, which works out well with them being signed for the next two years together; they'll have more time to prove how well they can grow. A big question mark is whether or not Teemu Selanne will come back, and after the season he had (31g, 49a) and playoffs he had (6g, 1a)-- he'd almost be a fool not to come back with how well he's played. Though, at the same time-- he may want to go out while the gettin' is good and not tarnish what he built up this past year. That will probably be the biggest issue this off-season, whether or not Teemu will not only sign-- but be able to repeat this year's astonishing performance.

Cam Fowler was a kid who had to grow up on the spot, and while he had a feeling out process and while he still has to work with his defensive game (minus-25 this season) he will get better and better as the season goes along. All the while, Lubomir Visnovsky of all people, had an amazing year with 18 goals and 50 assists, leading all defensemen in the NHL in assists and points, while being second in goals. Added to his plus-18, his all around game was something that will give the Ducks hope and maybe a mentor for Fowler in the absence of Scott Niedermayer on the ice. Also, good for Fowler, was Toni Lydman, who was plus-32 on the year and could give the youngster some pointers.

As a whole, it was a bumpy ride for the start of the season; but at the end of the day-- they rode out the rest of the year; albeit they only lasted a short while. Randy Carlyle may have to re-look at this playoffs as something of a failure, but the season they had and the comeback from a dismal start showed character in a young team.

Friday Five: Fools Akimbo

The work got started early last night, though it proved that people will do anything to nail people's gullibility. Even put a template up resembling a solid newspaper look and getting people to bite. There's not fooling in the F5, because it's always crap.

1. Many people bit on the April Fools' gag of Mario Lemieux saying Matt Cooke is gone from the Penguins. Does that mean it's not so far-fetched??

The gag was really perfectly done, as the template was done very professionally. Yet, the fact many people believed it and didn't see it coming (the joke or announcement) shows that it may not be as far-fetched as some people would believe. Granted, Cooke has two more years on his contract at $1.8M cap-hit and a buyout could be rough, while trying to get rid of him maybe difficult as well. At the same time, if Cooke cleaned up his act-- he could actually be a valuable trading chip; but unlikely we'll come down to that.

2. Staying on that-- how much are people making of the Sidney Crosby traveling with the team??

It's definitely a good step for people who think the NHL or Penguins can't survive without him; though both are pretty well-off since his injury. But it is a big step and since he's the biggest name to ever get a concussion in the NHL-- people will knit-pick every detail. Sure, he's looked good when he was on the ice by himself and in no-contact situations. It's one thing to be okay in a beer-league situation, but when he gets there in a game situation we'll see if he can have the same vision in traffic situations. There's a lot of news that's given and maybe too much-- but still, it should be given considering the plight and steps NHL and their member teams are taking to learn more about concussions.

3. More remarkable, though-- Daymond Langkow coming back after many thought he may have to retire. This may not help the Flames this year, but what about next year??

If Langkow can actually do something these last few games with the Flames, odds are he could be dangled out there to other teams to clear his $4.5M cap hit for next year. But, the story of Langkow is an interesting one, especially considering he had spinal cord damage after taking a shot to the back of the neck last March. Even with a set-back this summer, him coming back is a great story and up there with other guys who have suffered possible career-ending injuries.

4. The Canucks have won the President's Trophy, which many think is a curse. Are they right in saying that??

The thing that's working on the side of the Canucks is the fact the last four President's Trophy winners were out of the Western Conference. Of course, no team who had over 120 points when winning the President's Trophy has ever won the Cup and the Canucks can top out at 121, so there's that. Plus, the fact the there's already pressure for the Canucks past underachieving Playoff performances-- there's going to be a large microscope for the Canucks.

5. Flat out-- who wins the Hart Trophy??

It has to be either Corey Perry or Tim Thomas; my nod going to Perry. The Sedins kind of cancel each other out and Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos cancel each other out since they're on the same team and you can't have two guys valuable to their team and win the Hart. Perry I think gets it because of the fact he's a big part in the resurgence of the Ducks from the start to the finish. While I don't slight Thomas, my thought is that the Vezina is the MVP for goalies and may not get the nod for Hart consideration.

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That's another F-5 done. Great. Any topics or suggestions should be directed to Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com and if not-- you'll get my questions and my answers. Huzzah!!

Tale of Two Comebacks

Monday was the biggest day for players coming back to the NHL. First, it was the announcement of Peter Forsberg trying to do it all again with the Colorado Avalanche in a Brett Favre kind of fashion. The second was Ray Emery coming back after signing with the Anaheim Ducks. Both stories have to do with guys coming back from career-threatening injuries, but why does Emery's signing make people feel better than the Forsberg one??

The obvious answer is that Forsberg has done this before and will probably do it again until someone tells him....enough. But it's a story where there's a guy who is a champion and still wants to get out there and prove that he's got something left. The winning spirit is something to be admired, but if he flops again (not like diving) will even the Avalanche give him a chance again?? It's a matter of time before the teams just forget about the past accomplishments and have to cut anchor and go away.

With Emery, though-- it's a story of an up-and-down guy. He came through the ranks of the Ottawa Senators organization, he led them to a Cup Final. Then, once he got the extension from the team-- things went south and the team bought him out. He went to Russia, played decent-- but got into a trouble off the ice, which soured him in Russia. He was able to get back with the Flyers before he went down to a serious injury-- threatening his career....only at age 28.

When I look at it, the fact remains that we always feel bad for guy's who have their career's cut short by injury and not care about guys who are older coming back, mostly because they have actually achieved all they wanted. Granted, Forsberg has been through this rodeo before and he's someone who people are tired of hearing about because the prolonged process he has put everyone through; but it shouldn't discount his plight. He's Cinderella, trying to find the boot that fits him so he can play again. And if he can become effective again, I think it's a good story in the end and makes his plight all the better, because he could actually do what he set out to.

With Emery, it's a good story for him coming back from a serious injury, but at the same time...I don't know if I'm completely sold on it just yet. He'll definitely help the depth of the Ducks, but is there going to be a time where he blows up and becomes more a distraction than what's needed?? The Ducks are bouncing back nicely from early season struggles and if he were to disrupt something there-- is it really that good a story?? Maybe this injury has opened his eyes on dealing with difficult professional situations, but if not-- it could be interesting to see how it is.

In any case, Emery starts on his road back with the Ducks AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, while Forsberg seems to be plying his time and will return straight to the Avs line-up, seeing as he has a no-trade and no-movement clause in the pro-rated deal. Will either of these stories have a happy ending or will the script stay the same?? If nothing else, it'll be a fun sub-plot to look at as the season winds down.

Friday Five: Skating and Fighting are Two Things Goalies Do

It's been quite the odd week coming out of All-Star Weekend, which seemed to give a nice punch in the arms to the traditional ASG. Plus, we saw others going back onto the IR after another a poor decision-- which is something you could say throughout his career.

1. Rick DiPietro is back on the IR with facial fractures and knee swelling. How's that make everyone feel??

You have to feel bad for DiPietro, but when you see him make a poor decision like fighting with 17 second left in the game-- you kinda knew something like this would come from it. The knee swelling is nothing new, though and odds are he would probably be out a bit from that, but when he got lit up by Brent Johnson-- you knew it was just a matter of time before this news would come out. Worse off, Evgeni Nabokov still sits-- which maybe isn't a bad thing. As friend of FOHS, Anthony pointed out-- Nabby could ruin the Isles lottery chances if he played out of his mind and got the Isles on a little run-- which would make the Isles fans hate him more.

2. Which was more unlikely to see-- goalie race at the skills competition or the goalie fight??

Both are very rare and should be looked at in awe. However, it's more likely to get the goalie fight than to have a goalie race, that is only one race and happens once-a-year, if the Olympics to see. Even so, unless the games get out of hand-- we won't get a goalie fight in the NHL all that often, because we haven't seen one since 2007 in the regular season. Oddly enough, I liked both sides of things, but the race was more of a dance-off, where the fights are actually settling things once and for all. But the goalie race is all but a guarantee for ASG weekend now, but goalie fights are much more unlikely in the NHL.

3. After this All-Star Weekend, how much more of a change can we expect out of future events??

There will probably be some adjustments to some of the events during the Skills session, but in the end not much will be needed to be changed. The NHL did a lot of tinkering and it seemed to work on an idea that many hate because of the fact it's not real competition. When all is said and done-- the atmosphere was right, the festivities were great by all accounts, and things worked out well. To be honest, I believe you have to have the ASGs in places that are not hardcore hockey moments,

4. With the retirement of Craig Conroy, have we seen the last of the non-cliched players in the league??

I don't think we'll see one that was a good as Conroy. We have the Sean Avery and BizNasty types, but people hate him. It'll be a long time before we see a likable guy who doesn't throw out cliche lines again. With all the media training some people get in juniors and such-- a lot of guys lose their personality and only the muckers and grinders have personality-- but not many care for what they have to say because they're trying to put themselves over. Maybe PK Subban will carry the torch, but odds are he'll get roped in before he could actually make the dent Conroy did.

5. While the Bolts jerseys are getting pans and praised-- are there any jerseys that you hated or liked, then had a change of heart??

First and foremost, I hate the Caps new Edge jerseys when they first came out; as I mentioned when in Sombrero Guy's hotel room before we went to the Draft in Columbus. Yet, I love the Caps unis, especially the weagle patch. I think I finally came around to the Minnesota Wild's Christmas jerseys they use, as I did with the Atlanta Thrashers' baby-blue jerseys with the one-sleeve. At first I liked the Ducks' jerseys when they dropped the "mighty"-- but I turned on them when I thought there were really plain and then realized their alternates are what they should have done. Pretty sure that's all, but probably much more.

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And that's another week in the books. If you have questions or idea-- email me Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com and give me some ideas or whatever. If you don't-- same clap-trap you get every week.

Ducks Fly Together

The Anaheim Ducks unveiled their third jerseys today and I have to say, this is what their jerseys should have looked like from the name change, rather than the dull wordmark they have on their jerseys right now.

However, while it is a sharp looking design, and very orange, there's a couple things that bother me about the whole thing. First, it's the whole ordeal of the "alternate" jersey being the same color as the home jersey. Makes no sense in my eyes to do that; but whatever floats their boat. The second issue is the unnecessary piping, which is my biggest peeve, outside of the front numbers. The piping around the shoulder yoke and to outline the pattern on the sleeves and underneath the arms is not needed and the jersey would improve without it, I'm sure.

That said, I do like how much more orange it is (just look at the socks) rather than what they've had before. Also, the shoulder patch brings back the old Mighty Ducks logo; almost combining the two eras of the team like so much Jan Rubes from the movies. It's definitely passable in terms of enjoyability, but not without it's faults, that much I know.

Should They Stay or Should They Go??

While it's not time to panic about the season just yet, it is time to panic when it comes to what to do with some of the junior-eligible players. You see, the rule is that the junior eligible players can play up to ten games in the NHL without their contract going into effect. However, if they do play that 11th game, they will have their entry-level contract "activated," while after 40 games, the player will have one-season under their belt and be closer to UFA status down the road.

This isn't so much a question about Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin, both whom are pretty much guaranteed to stay up with their NHL club, it's more a question on whether guys like Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes, Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks and Nino Niederreiter of the New York Islanders will stay up with the club after that 11-game mark is achieved.

For a case like Niederreiter, I think it's a case of him being kept up because he does have the ability to stay with the club, he has the skill-set to stick in the NHL, plus-- injuries to many forwards on the team is something that helped rush his arrival in the NHL. While the Islanders seem to have the worst luck this year, you have to see the long-term goal of it all. If you keep a kid like that up for the entire year, can he contribute for the whole season or is the fact he's healthy and can play very well going to shade the fact he's still 18-years-old and may need time to season?? The Islanders are a wild-card team, so you never know what's going to happen over there.

When you talk about guys like Skinner and Fowler, it's definitely a different scenario. Reports on Skinner are that unless something goes horribly wrong, Skinner will stay in Carolina for the entire season.

With Fowler, he has been playing big minutes on a very thin Anaheim defense. If they continue to look as bad as they have been, do you want to keep a kid up on the roster, getting burned out on a team when he could be playing in juniors and keep getting better. Fowler is a case where the AHL age restriction is something that is idiocy for NHL teams. Fowler is too good, so to speak, to play in the OHL and it could be a hinderance than a help; but the NHL game could burn him out in his first season if the team around him continues to be craptastic and if he carries too much weigh on his shoulders in his rookie season. If he could get to the AHL, he may not get as burnt out on the workload, learn the system of the team more, and not be a big fish in a small pond. In the end, I think the Ducks will keep him around, but it may not be the ideal situation to be in.

This could be a class of junior players who could have a great output when the end happens. While you have the top two, the deeper picks could be the ones making the most noise and being closely looked at more than what Hall and Seguin are doing. The only way they should stick with the main club is when the development of the players is good enough and they're able to fit into the team dynamic without changing their style of game. If they can't do that now-- they shouldn't be up in the NHL and develop more elsewhere.

Chicken Littling the Winless

While we're just about three games into the season, it seems that some people have decided to inch closer to the panic button when it comes to their teams. Most of it has to do with teams like the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators, both are winless in their three games, both with craptastic goal differentials, and both in tough because of some kind of turnover that hasn't allowed the team to gel.

When it comes to the Ducks, they'll get better, but to adjust to losing someone like Scott Niedermayer is going to take any team who doesn't have the adequate replacement for a star like that. Nothing against Andy Sutton or Lubomir Visnovsky; but they aren't Niedermayer. Once they adjust to that, the whole team will get better-- but the confidence is still not there when they look down the bench and not see him around. Also, Jonas Hiller seems to have the post-big-contract-blues that haunt a lot of players in most cases. Once he shrugs that off, he should be able to regain the form that allowed the Ducks to move J-S Giguere. It's going to be a big overhaul for the Ducks and I have to agree with Jonathan Willis over at Houses of the Hockey in saying that Cam Fowler should be sent back to juniors to get more seasoning. However, I don't see them as being the worst in the West at the end of the year.

As far as the Senators go, it's rough being a fan of this team, I won't lie. A lot of blame is being put onto Pascal Leclaire not being as good as the Sens thought-- and that could be true, but the fact they aren't getting any pop from the rest of the team doesn't help too much. The Sens are 27th in the league in shots-for in the league and only the Ducks (29th) are worse and not registering a win, though the Oilers are the worst in the league-- but have two wins. In any case, the big guns aren't firing for the Sens, as Jason Spezza has been dealing with injuries, Daniel Alfredsson seems to have age catching up to him, while Jarkko Ruutu and Chris Neil are tied for the team scoring lead. Let that last part settle in a bit. Luckily for the Sens, they could turn it all around and maybe actually realize they're better than they are playing.

The Devils have to be a bit peeved too, but most of that has to deal with the fact they have run out of money. They're playing with nine forwards and pretty much trying to stay above the minimum roster in order to stay under the cap. Marty Brodeur seems to be a bit rattled and with the injuries mounting-- it's going to be a long year for the Devils if they can't figure out what they need to do in order to fill out a full roster and have some cash to be able to field a full squad night-in and night-out.

Luckily for the Sens and Devils, the East could very well be a clear-cut loss for the Florida Panthers, who are dealing with a lot of other issues-- including their lack of crowd support and trading one of their top players, Nathan Horton, during the summer. Plus, Tomas Vokoun hasn't been playing well at all and only three goals in their two games. This is a team that'll be struggling for goals and will be the worst team in hockey.

Like I said, we're not a week into it and there's a lot that could change. Hell, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are undefeated and they were the worse two teams in the league last year. Odds are, once we get out of October; then the panic can actually be legitimate. However-- it's just a bit of worry and just wondering when the entire team will get traded or the coaches, general manager, and owners all fired. Until then, it's just waiting out the rough waters until things actually get set straight.

Last Teams to Retire One

Since it's the dog days of summer and the announcement of Rod Brind'Amour's number 17 being retired by the Carolina Hurricanes, it made me get into The Hockey News' "Greatest Jersey of All Time" issue and look at the teams who don't have any numbers retired. Since all the teams have been in the league for 10 seasons, it's about time to look at who could be hanging from the rafters of the eight teams who don't have numbers retired.

ANAHEIM DUCKS: While the obvious guys like Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, and J-S Giguere will be seeing their numbers hanging from the Honda Center when their careers are done; the candidate now will probably be Guy Hebert, who was the first "face" of the organization. He may not have had the best stats, he was the guy who backstopped those expansion years and held down the fort for the most part.

ATLANTA THRASHERS: The odd part about the Thrashers is that all the big names are nowhere close to retirement and kind of left on shaky terms (read: Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk), so it's hard to figure out who could be next. While Dan Snyder's number was not officially retired, just taken out of circulation; maybe Ray Ferraro could be considered since he was one of the first bigger name players to start off the Thrashers' appeal. If not, Slava Kozlov may not be too far off from retiring and could be the first to have his number officially put up there.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: There's no question that David Vyborny should be the first guy have his number retired. Vyborny was on the original Blue Jackets roster and stayed there until he was done his NHL career and went home to his homeland in the Czech Republic. As it is right now, he's at the top of the Blue Jackets' all-time points, albeit they've only been around for ten seasons....still. If there's one guy who deserves to be there, it's the OG of the Jackets.

FLORIDA PANTHERS: While you have plenty of guys viable, mostly from the 1995-96 team (Scott Mellanby, Brian Skrudland), but there was no one more of a face to that team than John Vanbiesbrouck. He was a big reason the Panthers got to where they did in their Cup run and really one of the first names that came out of the expansion team and made them successful from the start of their organization.

MINNESOTA WILD: While they did the hack retirement of the #1 for the fans, Wes Walz should be the first official and proper number retired. Like Vyborny, Walz was with the Wild from the start and he was someone who encompassed the team by playing hard-nosed and being the little guy who clawed to get where he needed to be. He was much beloved, as well-- which should help the process along.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: When he retires, expect David Legwand to have his number retired, but beforehand, maybe look at Cliff Ronning for the first to go to the rafters or even the first captain Tom Fitzgerald. An dark horse could be Mike Dunham, but I don't think he left too much of a mark, but maybe more than Ronning and Fitzgerald.

SAN JOSE SHARKS: While Doug Wilson was the first captain, Arturs Irbe and Owen Nolan could be prime candidates as the first to be retired, Nolan having to wait until he's actually done with the game for it to happen. Maybe with Sandis Ozolinsh being an outside guy to steal the first Sharks being raised. You could make a point for Jeff Friesen for his time in the Shark Tank, but that would be a little odd considering what he did after he left the Sharks.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: The toss-up for the Bolts could be between Dave Andreychuk and Brian Bradley. Andreychuk was the guy who captained the Bolts to their only Cup championship to this point, but he wasn't the offensive force that Bradley was in his tenure with the Bolts. He turned it on when he got to Tampa and really showed what he had, albeit on a weak team. Even so, I think Bradley should get consideration first for overall achievements with the team.

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There could be a debate for the Ottawa Senators, who retired Frank Finnigan's #8 from the non-expansion days, but don't know how the people feel about that; so I didn't include them.

This is the time where you have to dig into the bag for things to ponder and during retirement season, it's a good choice to wonder about who could be the next going to the rafters. Especially when you have so many teams worrying about the "what have you done for me lately" ideal when it comes to retiring numbers rather than overall to the franchise.

First Round Friday: Shock and Dull

If there's nothing else to sum up the first round of the NHL Entry Draft this week, it was uneventful. For a lot of people, no one knew what was going to happen, which definitely showed in the selections after the first two picks. Even with a lack of trades, the almost four hour first round didn't provide too much electric in the crowd. If nothing else,the move of Keith Ballard to Vancouver for Steve Bernier and Michael Grabner was the highlight of an otherwise uneventful trade situation. Some bulletpoints to point out from the first day.

-The soundtrack for the Anaheim Ducks is probably going to be "Feel Good Inc." as they were able to steal not only Cam Fowler at the 12th pick, but traded for the 29th pick and took Long Beach native Emerson Etem, all of this with the haze of Scott Niedermayer's retirement still looming over-top of him. If nothing else, the Ducks should use their dropping stock for motivation in their development and maybe show some teams what they missed out on. Of course, you have to have the right players for that (read: not Angelo Esposito), but I think the mentality of these guy will fit perfectly for the vengeance angle.

-For a Draft that was suppose to be defense-heavy, only two were picked in the top-10 and eight in the first round overall. While it's a heavy debate that defensemen usually take more time to develop their game (always a case-by-case, see Doughty, Drew); the ability to have these players rights should hold more value than what some people think. If you could have someone like Cam Fowler in your system and then track his development, you have two years in order to decide if he was worth the high pick or not. Odds are, he is-- but still-- it's better to have them and not need them than to let them go by the wayside.

- If there was any doubt about hockey development in the US, the 11 players picked that were developed in the US really show how well the country is developing wanted players. Sure, the fact they haven't played a NHL game yet makes it a tad presumptuous in terms of saying that USA Hockey is getting better-- it's a good sign that they have brought them to this point and have been able to give them the chances to move onto the next level. Sure, there's some places that might not be as strong in others, but the US is a big country population-wise and you'll have a few misses here and there.

-You've got to love taking shots at an old team, especially after retirement. According to who you listen to and how you take things, that's what Mark Tinordi did when he questioned the Washington Capitals fanbase after his son Jerred was picked by the Montreal Canadiens 22nd overall. Elder Tinordi said that with them living in Millersville, Maryland (about 40minute from the old Capital Centre); Jerred didn't know about fan support and will learn it when he gets to Montreal. It's one thing to pump-up the fanbase in Montreal (like they need it), but it's another thing to knock down an organization that actually enjoyed your play during your tenure there. To each their own though and Mark will think what he thinks, but it's in bad taste to take a shot like that during the best time in your kins life.

-To say the crowd in LA was somewhat dormant would be an understatement. While some of the picks got more fanfare than others; the overall feeling of the Los Angeles crowd was stagnant. Granted, the crowds was very mixed between every kind of support, mostly with Edmonton supports, who came down in droves to see the Taylor Hall pick. Granted, the Kings pick and the selections of hometown boys Beau Bennett (20th, Pittsburgh) and Etem (29th, Anaheim) got the loudest roar; the fans were very reserved and underwhelming coming off the energy of Montreal a year prior. Granted, there's probably nothing that would match the Montreal electricity, but you'd hoped they try. Minnesota should be interesting, mostly because it'll be the US equivalent of Montreal for support.

That's all I have, because I've got nothing. In any case, we'll be doing our show, which will be coming to a YouTube near you-- probably before any shows get updated prior to that. We know, we know-- got it loud and clear.

Spakle and Fade

While the Everclear Draft Weekend doesn't start until Thursday for the FOHS fateful, that's what June 22, 2010 was for most people. Probably the most exciting non-game/event day in the recent memory of the NHL; thanks to all the news made. It had everything, but when it came to the main cog-- it fell a little short.

-First, it's started with the NHL schedule being released, the earliest in a while. While I personally didn't care, most NHL road-trippers did. I just wondered the start time of the Heritage Classic and to see if I can weasel my way into the event in some way, shape, or form. Other than that-- check out the Sensational Sean Leahy's write-up about anticipated games.

-Then, we had the trade that had the Boston Bruins picking up Nathan Horton and Greg Campbell from the Florida Panthers for Dennis Wideman, the 15th overall pick in the Draft, and a third-rounder in 2011. For the Bruins, the acquisition of Horton is an improvement, considering he has five straight seasons of 20 goals or more, something the Bruins have missed-- although the injuries issues is something that the Bruins could and should be concerned about. At least they also got the disciplinarians son in the deal as well. Wideman had a season to wipe-away, though he will be the cornerstone in the Panthers rebuilding defense. If he can improve his +/-, the Panthers may have something.

-At the same time, the Edmonton Oilers announced that Pat Quinn had stepped down as head coach and moved to Senior Adviser to the GM, making way for co-coach Tom Renney to take over. Renney was going to get this job eventually, but the fact the rebuild is in full swing, it's better they did this sooner than later. Renney's last job was with the New York Rangers and replaced Quinn once before in Vancouver. While his style isn't exciting, it's often successful for Renney. Whether it will work with the new look Oilers will remain to be seen.

-After that, the NHL said good-bye to Scott Niedermayer; as the defenseman called it a career after 18 years and leaves on 42 players left from NHL '94. Niedermayer won wherever he went and really shouldn't be waiting long after the waiting period to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. I mean, four Stanley Cups, two Olympic Gold, World Juniors Gold, Memorial Cup Champion, World Championship Gold, and he ate the bowl. Not much else you can say, because it says it all in his stats and what he did when he was there. Sadly, we'll miss one of the best playoff beards ever because of this retirement.

-Then the main event-- the Hockey Hall of Fame nominees. This year, it was an allotment for four players, two women's players, and some builders. There was a lot of ruckus around who was going in, who wasn't-- but it created for great off-season debate.....but seemed to be a huge letdown in the end.

Though it is fitting, the first year that the women are introduced, they will be the majority as Angela James-- the Gretzky of women's hockey to start off with; and Cammi Granato will be going to the Hall. James was an innovator in the women's game for Canada, where she was a big fish in a developing small pond and really gave something younger girls could aspire to in Canada. Same goes with Granato, who was basically the USA version of James, only on a smaller scale. Granato did a lot for the women's game in the US and really helped pass along the torch in these new times.

That being done, only ONE spot was filled in the male side, that being Dino Ciccarelli. For a long time, many have wondered when he would get his chance. 600+ goals, 1200 points on the nose; but for some reason-- mostly media unfriendly and a bad rap from the ice-- Dino was always overlooked and pretty much pushed aside. However, in a seemingly weak class; they couldn't avoid him or the outcry of some fans now. Even though he never won a Cup, he did well on so-so teams at the start of his career, but couldn't be a hanger-on in his later years. He did enough to be the Hall of Famer he is now.

It's sad that there's only one. The debate about Adam Oates, Joe Nieuwendyk, Pavel Bure, hell-- even Eric Lindros being on the dias this year, and nothing came of it. Is it something where it was a wide-open field and other votes canceled out others?? Was the hype about this year's class something that was overdone and they weren't the spectacular to begin with?? Maybe we'll find out soon, but it seems like that many could have been looking too deep into the whole thing and overestimated the voters of the Hockey Hall, per usual.

Another thing I'm ticked about is the exclusion of Pat Burns in the Builder's category. We all know that Burns is dealing with Cancer and it would have been the best time to put the great coach into the Hall, but the voters did not. Sure, we shouldn't dismiss the fact of Jim Devellano of the Red Wings and the late Daryl Seaman of the Flames should be there-- but you would have hoped that the voters in the Hall had some kind of heart to include Burns....but....here we are.

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That was the day it was. A lot of opening acts and a somewhat disappointing headlining gig. In the end, it'll only create for more of a debate in next year's Hall of Fame-- but that's what the off-season is for. We saw new beginnings, transitions, endings, and the map for next season. It was every possible emotion fans could have in one day and not have any games played. Hope fans savored it, because it could mean we're in for a long off-season if this is the most exciting day.

30 and 30

Today, two new AHL affiliations with NHL clubs were announced. The announcing of these affiliations give the NHL and AHL 30 teams in the leagues, with every team having a direct affiliate without having to split-off of another team.

First, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced they wouldn't be with the Syracuse Crunch any longer and move their affiliation to Springfield and the Falcons. The deal is for one year with a one-year option following it. The Falcons were abandoned by the Edmonton Oilers after the Oilers announced they would be moving their affiliate to Oklahoma City. The Jackets will be responsible for all hockey operations, which means coaching, front office, the whole shebang. Of course, the one-year deal could mean that the Springfield team could be relocated after one or two years-- but it remains to be seen.

So, with the Syracuse Crunch not having a NHL team and the Anaheim Ducks not having an AHL affiliate; it was a match made in heaven. The Ducks announced a multi-year deal in affiliation with the Crunch. The Ducks will just have to stock the Crunch with players, as the Crunch are an independently owned franchise, the longest in the AHL.

What was one thought as far-fetched is now reality with every NHL team having an AHL affiliate and don't have to worry about the whole split affiliation and players not getting the time they should or what-have-you. It also gives me a chance to update my list on distance of affiliation.

And that's what's up with that. This all starts in 2010-11.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Brian Hayward

While most of the AGMs have been known for their play in juniors or college, then into the minors-- this inductee was pretty much known for his one unique mask and his work in the broadcast booth more often than not. We now turn to look at the career of Brian Hayward.

Growing up in Canada, junior hockey is the big thing. However, Hayward saw the bigger picture and wanted to get an education to further it if hockey didn't pan out. Being past on the junior draft after playing in midgets and Junior "A" helped his cause as well, but to get into an Ivy League School shows how smart he was, which showed why he went the education route as well.

Hayward jumped right into the the Cornell Big Red line-up as the starter for the team in 1978-79 and did very impressive with a 18-6-0 record in his 25 appearances, which got a bit of buzz on him. His sophomore season, Hayward felt the heat from a young Darren Eliot and got his starter's role usurped from him, only making 12 appearances and going 2-7-0 and having an inflated 6.02 GAA. During his junior season in 1980-81, Hayward got split duties with Eliot. Hayward got 19 games in and had a 11-4-1 record and got his GAA down to 3.54. In his senior season, Hayward got the majority of the starts, but his record was a little sloppier, going 11-10-1, even though he had a 3.17 GAA for the year; which got him a First-Team ECAC All-Star and NCAA All-American for his troubles. After his tenure at Cornell, Hayward left with those individual awards, as well as a degree in business management.

However, even with this business management degree; it couldn't get Hayward selected in the NHL Draft, which made him a free agent. The Winnipeg Jets saw something in him and signed him to a contract. In his rookie year during the 1982-83 season, Hayward split time between the Winnipeg Jets and Sherbrooke Jets of the AHL. In Winnipeg, Hayward got 22 appearances and went 10-12-2, while in Sherbrooke he went 6-13-3. The 1983-84 season was the same, but spent a lot of the time in Winnipeg with 28 appearances (7-18-2) and only 15 showings in Sherbrooke (4-8-0). Hayward would take over the reigns of the starter's role when the incumbent starter for Winnipeg, Doug Soetaert, was traded to Montreal. The 1984-85 season saw Hayward got 61 games for the season; recording an impressive 33-17-7 record with a 3.84 GAA, getting the Jets into the playoffs, but losing in the first round. The 1985-86 season was a slumping year for Hayward, going 13-28-5 and having a stint in the AHL with Sherbrooke (2-0-1); who had renamed themselves the Canadiens. It would be a foreshadowing of things to come.

Foreshadowing because Hayward was dealt in November of 1986 to the Montreal Canadiens for Steve Penney and the right to Jan Ingman. The Canadiens were coming off a Stanley Cup and Hayward would once again take over for Soetaert, who bolted for the Rangers that off-season. Hayward had great stats over his Canadiens years, thanks to not only backing up Patrick Roy, but for having a great team defensively in front of him. The 1986-87 season saw Hayward get 37 games in with a 19-13-1 record and a stellar GAA of 2.81. The next season, more of the same-- playing 39 games and putting up a 22-10-4 with another sub-three GAA of 2.86. Finally, in the 1988-89 season, Hayward got into 37 games and went 20-13-3 with a GAA of 2.90. All three of those seasons, Hayward won the William Jennings Trophy with Roy for fewest combined goals against for the season. However, it wasn't too last, as the wheels fell off of sorts for Hayward in the 1989-90 season, going 10-12-6 in only 29 games with a 3.37 GAA. His time in "La belle province" would reach its end.

After not being used by the Canadiens for the start of the season, Hayward was dealt to the Minnesota North Stars in November of 1990 for Jayson More. Hayward would take over the task as back-up as the Finn tandem of Kari Takko and Jarmo Myllys couldn't get the job done. Though Hayward wouldn't fair much better, he was plenty consistent, going 6-15-3, but with a 3.14 GAA. Hayward was sent down early to the IHL and the Kalamazoo Wings, going 2-0-0 in his two appearances. It was a short lived stay in Minnesota, however.

Hayward was put into the dispersal draft for the newly formed San Jose Sharks and was promptly picked up second behind Shane Churla. Hayward was thought be a great addition (and not just for his bitching mask), being deemed the starter and got off quick on a horrific Sharks team, winning the franchise's first game in October of 1991, but it would be his last as a back injury put him out for the season just 7 games in, with Hayward going 1-4-0 with a 4.92 GAA on the season. It wasn't much better for Hayward or the Sharks the next season. For Hayward, he got more games thanks to coming back, but went only 2-14-1 with a 5.55 GAA; while the Sharks came close to becoming the worst team in NHL history, but luckily went 11-71-2 with only 24 points on the season; behind the 1974-75 Washington Capitals and tied with 1992-93 Ottawa Senators, points wise.

During January of 1993, Hayward underwent season and career-ending back surgery. During his recovery time, Hayward would occasionally do color commentary for the Sharks. When realizing he wouldn't be playing any longer-- Hayward picked it up and would go on to have an impressive display. Hayward worked that season with the Sharks and would go on to work with ESPN (and ESPN 2), ABC, CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, as well as working the 2006 Olympics for NBC. Currently, Hayward is the color commentator for the Anaheim Ducks.

Hayward made a conscious decision to get into a good school and learn more about life after hockey, which seemed to help him. Hayward has been on the best of the best, the worst of the worst, and the middle of the middle. He's had his ups, downs, but came out with a solid career, some memories, as well as some hardware. Also, yet another goalie to be a color commentator for television, which would go on become a big trend once he started.

Bubble Boys-- Pacific Division

It's time to end this bit and we'll end it with the otherside of the continent. Huzzah.

ANAHEIM DUCKS: With the addition of Saku Koivu, it will be between Ryan Carter, Petteri Nokelainen and Andrew Ebbett for the final center spot. Ebbett seems to be the long-shot in this. Defensively, Luca Sbisa, Brett Festerling, and Brendan Mikkelson will be fighting for the sixth spot, though Sbisa could go back as an overager to the Junior ranks to get more seasoning.

DALLAS STARS: It was a rough season last year, but the Stars got a lot of new stars to fill the void, including one Jamie Benn. However, the battle will be on the blue line with Karlis Skrastins, Mark Fistric, Jeff Woywitka, and Ivan Vishnevskiy for the fifth and sixth defensemen on the team. Though, the defense could be the biggest question mark in the whole line-up, as everything is set for the most part.

LOS ANGELES KINGS: On the right hand side, Teddy Purcell will be in rough with John Zeiler on his heels, as Marc-Andre Cliche and Brayden Schenn will battle for a center spot, especially with Oscar Moller being sent down to the minors. Trevor Lewis will need a good camp in order to get Raitis Ivanans off of the roster. Of course, the battle in net will be something between the three goalies there, though Jon Quick seems to have the edge over Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier.

PHOENIX COYOTES: Wow....what is there to say about this club that hasn't been debated in court already. The battle of the back-ups will be between Jason Labarbera and Al Montoya to see who will catch Ilya Bryzgalov when he falters. Daniel Winnik and Viktor Tikhonov will be fighting for the right wing spot since Radim Vrbata was added back to the roster. With the addtion of Vernon Fiddler, Kyle Turris could be pushed back to the minors unless he surprises people in camp.

SAN JOSE SHARKS: With the addition of Dany Heatley, the pressure will be on. However, that helped clear up the left wing spot. Up the middle, Scott Nichol will be fighting Logan Couture for the last center spot and both could battle Torrey Mitchell for the third line slot.

That's it. Thanks for imploring me through this gimmick and here's hoping for better things ahead on this blog. And for imploring me, I give you this:

Death of Creativity

If the above image is what the CCSLC and Adrian Dater are claiming to be the new third for the Colorado Avalanche....this could be the deathblow to the ideal of creativity of jerseys in the NHL and we shouldn't look forward to seeing any new, creative designs.

While I know that the "college" style of jersey and use of nickname/city name is in vogue for the NHL teams, I hate it. To me, it shows a bit of laziness on the part of the people who are putting together the jersey itself. I mean, not only is this lazy in terms of using a city name, but it's basically the Avalanche's old third jersey , but with color changes here and there. I loathe the Dallas Stars identity with "Dallas" on their jerseys; the Atlanta Thrashers atrocity speaks for itself, and while the Lightning and Senators hit it on the head in terms of jersey design, the use of nicknames when they could have done so much more with it makes me shake my head.

It just makes me wish for happier time where people were somewhat excited to see what a new third jersey could be. Recently, the use of nick/city name for the third jersey or a retro design shows that people within the organizations making up these third jerseys are just phoning it in and not really caring about what actually looks good, because they know it will sell. Once a third is on the market, regardless of how it looks, it will often sell hot when they reveal it and sell better than some other jerseys in the cartel. That's why we saw a lot of third jerseys become the regular jerseys in the pre-Edge NHL; like the Capitals black and coppers, the Senators reds, and the Stars star jersey to name a few.

Even the logos and jerseys that fail should be given credit for effort to think outside the box rather than be a cookie-cutter design or style. I mean, the Kings third jersey had a great logo for the Burger King, but the fact of the matter was that they were utilized horribly with the logo being on the top left hand side of the jersey. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks had Wild Wing bust out of the ice on the jersey and while it was campy and totally for kids-- it was something unique. In the same era, the Lightning's first attempt was something unique with rain and raging seas on their jersey. The Buffaslug was even something of a risk, which didn't pay off, but it tried to combine the era of the Buffalo Sabres to a hybrid, which has fallen short. While these jerseys aren't looked at highly in the court of public opinion, they took a risk and should be commended for trying something different and thinking outside the box. Hell, even the Blues un-used jersey was different, but horrendous at the same time.

While the marketing and creation (if they exist) departments of each teams should be definitely question in terms of decision making when making the final approval, you have to wonder how much input Reebok has on this whole process. It could be a long shot, but you have to wonder why we have gone from one extreme of teams taking a risk on something to just minimalist approach where it's just like creativity has gone out the door while we have much more technology and design tools than we did back then. It seems savvy to hate on Reebok for the Edge jersey and Nike for the Swift design.....but it could be a smoking gun.

I've spoke the praises of the CCSLC on FOHS and maybe on here, I can't remember-- but there are so many great designers with great ideas, why aren't their stuff picked up and ran with by the teams?? It's something that they may need to look into if things like this fail again. Especially with the notion that the Ottawa Senators may be changing their thirds to something that has been presented online from a designer making a mock-up.

If push came to shove-- I'd love to have 30 risks on the third jerseys and have all of them fail than one use of a wordmark if there's something that could be done. There's so much out there for some teams with their identity that they can create something spectacular, but more often than not they will play it much too safe and end up ruining something that could have been so great. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I'm getting tired of the laziness that recently has come about when it comes to third jerseys.

Summer Musings: The Expansion Draft

Call it the lull of the summer, call it the throngs of ideas of Jim Balsillie or some one else not being able to buy a team and the NHL going the expansion route.....call it playing too much NHL '94 with the expansion rosters-- but the Expansion Draft has been going through my head. In order to get this silliness out of my skull, I figure I'll write about it. It may be exciting, it may be crap-- but it's something.

Of course, the Expansion Draft is used for teams to assemble a team of players that are the cast-offs of their teams, for the most part. This, of course, has allowed the league to see it's fair share of horrible teams, like the 1974 through 1976 Washington Capitals, the 1991 through 1993 San Jose Sharks, as well as the 1992 through 1996 Ottawa Senators. Yet, it allowed those teams prime draft position to built their team the way they want to and develop players through their own systems. It's may be because some of the players are awful, but some guys step up and actually show their true worth.

It seems that most of the success stories that happen in the net. Of all players selected, it seems that goalie come out smelling like roses. It started with Glenn Hall being left unprotected and helping the St. Louis Blues get to the Stanley Cup finals in his first year and second years there. Then you have guys like Billy Smith and Arturs Irbe, both who got selected and had to go through a couple years of hardships before fully flourishing. The two goalies of the 1993 Expansion Draft, John Vanbiesbrouck and Guy Hebert, both immediate became the face of their teams. Beezer was pushed out of Broadway by the Rangers with Mike Richter coming of age, yet make a mark in Miami, while Hebert was stuck behind Curtis Joseph in St. Louis before getting his shot in Anaheim. Meanwhile, Tomas Vokoun had to wait for Mike Dunham to move aside to show his way in Nashville.

While not all success stories are goalies, not many skaters seemed to be the big names from Expansion Drafts. To an extent, Pat Quinn played a big role in both building the Vancouver Canucks and Atlanta Flames, as he brought his hardnose game and a little bit of passing touch to those teams. Scott Mellanby seemed to get new life when picked by the Panthers, being a leader on and off the ice, while Scott Walker found a sort of scoring touch to his physical game while in Nashville. Those are the guys who jump out in a good way.

For the downside of things, Bill Mikkelson had the worse luck with the Expansion Draft. Mikkelson was drafted twice, first in 1972 by the New York Islanders and then two year later by the Washington Capitals. Prior to these, Mikkelson played 15 games for the Los Angeles Kings and had an assist and was a minus-11. Mikkelson played two more years, in '72-'73 and '74-'75, to which he compiled four goals, 18 assist and a whopping minus-136 (minus-54 and minus-82 respectively) in those two seasons. Wow....is pretty much all you can say.

But, Mikkelson was one of the few who was drafted through the Expansion Draft more than once. Quinn was taken twice in 1970 and 1972. Ron Low was picked by the Capitals in '74, while being picked in '79 by the Quebec Nordiques when they moved from the WHA. The most intreging Expansion Draftees was Frederic Chabot was picked three times, first by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992, then by the Nashville Predators in 1998, and finally by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2000. However, a misconception is Andrew Brunette, who was selected by the Predators in the '98 E-Draft, but signed with the Thrashers in their first year even though he wasn't picked in 1999's E-Draft.

Again-- those are the names that jump out, while I think in the earlier days they had plenty of guys jumping to and fro. If I was a real journalist and/or researcher, I'd take time to do all the leg work.....but here we are.

As an aside, the 1991 Expansion Draft had a Disperal Draft as well. It had to do with the owners of the Minnesota North Stars wanting to move the team to the California Bay Area, but was rebuffed by the NHL. To compromise, the NHL gave the owners of the North Stars an expansion team in San Jose, but a condition of the owners selling the team; the Sharks would have a first shot at some North Stars players before taking the league pool of players.

This is just boredom taking over, I'm sure-- but it would be interesting to see what guys would be left unprotected nowadays. Right now, the talent pool for every team is very deep and the skill level of kids is spectacular, that you may not have the hiccups that these first expansions or middle of the road expansion teams would have had. We have seen that with the recent expansions teams, aside from the Atlanta Thrashers first season, the teams have been somewhat competitive and not as awful as some people would have thought. With the talent, the management, the style of play nowadays-- the next expansion draft could be the most exciting one to date.