Pucks On The 'Net

With apologies to Marty McSorley, when was the last time you saw an illegal stick measurement in the NHL?

Here's some more ice thoughts for today:

• Why is it a Honda dealership in Vancouver can't put up a Go Canucks Go sign, but Predator Ridge golf resort can temporarily change its name to Canuck Ridge?
• Ben Ferriero is the first player to score an overtime goal in his playoff debut since another Shark, Niko Dimitrakos, against St. Louis on April 8, 2004.
  
• Ferriero scored on his birthday. According to the amazing Elias Sports Bureau, Ferriero became the first NHL player ever to score a playoff overtime goal on his birthday.
• The goaltending match up between Washington and Tampa Bay is interesting in that the Caps' Michal Neuvirth just turned 23, while the Lightning's Dwayne Roloson is more than half way to 42! Again according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only larger difference was the 20 years, 304 days gap between Toronto's Johnny Bower (age 42) and Montreal's Rogie Vachon (age 21) in Games 2 and 3 of the 1967 Stanley Cup Final.
• I've said it before and I'll say it again, Eric Duhatschek is the best in the business. Here's a good read on goaltender superstitions and confidence.
• I'm always fascinated by the different strategies franchise employ when it comes to short term and long term roster architecture. The Montreal Gazette is already speculating about Scott Gomez's future in Montreal. I can't imagine any other team would want that contract, so Montreal could be handcuffed all summer until they can demote him to the AHL.
• Meanwhile the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at the importance of specialty coaches. The key to being a good head coach in the NHL is no different than anything in life - surround yourself with good people.

As always, join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for more hockey talk.

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This Date In Stanley Cup History

April 30, 1972 • The New York Rangers made their first appearance in a Stanley Cup Final series game since 1950, losing to the Boston Bruins 6-5 in the opening contest. The 1972 championship clash between New York and Boston marked the first time in 43 years that the two had met in the Final. Boston won the best-of-seven series in six games.

Boston vs. Philadelphia Series Preview

Here we go again - Boston vs. Philadelphia. Boston fans do not need to be reminded what happened last year - the Bruins inexplicably blew a 3-0 series lead to fall to the Flyers in game 7.

Here's the statistical breakdown from the regular season. (click to enlarge)

This is another series that is real tough to call. Given the past, you hate to put money down on the Bruins. But they have a huge goaltending advantage and for that reason alone I'm picking Boston to win. They should also be fired up for revenge from last year.

The big X factor will be veteran Chris Pronger. If healthy he is a rare player who controls games by himself. It is unlikely he will be 100% healthy as he tries playing through the last stage of recovery from wrist surgery. Advantage Boston.

Like I said, I am leery to pick Boston. I really like Philadelphia's forward depth and Timmonen and Pronger on defense. But with Pronger hurt and Philadelphia's goaltending struggling, I have to think Boston will get the job done this year.

San Jose vs Detroit Series Preview

Here's the regular season statistical breakdown between San Jose and Detroit: (click to enlarge)

As you can see San Jose had the edge over Detroit in the regular season, with Antti Niemi shutting the mighty Wings down. And the Sharks dusted off an injured Wings team in 5 games last year.

Flip a coin on this one. I think at some point this playoffs Detroit will bow out. For whatever reason I just think this will not be their year. Will it be against San Jose, who have long been overdue for a long playoff run? Very possibly.

Detroit's power play may be their secret weapon. That and their speed could expose San Jose's slower D.

My gut is telling me San Jose. My brain is telling me a rested Detroit. Go with the gut - San Jose to win.

Washington vs Tampa Bay Series Preview

Here is the statistical breakdown of the regular season head to head match up between the Washington Capitals. (click to enlarge)

As you can see, Washington seemed to have their way with Tampa Bay in the regular season, at least until Dwayne Roloson arrived from Long Island. Roli the goalie needs to steal this series for the Bolts, but I do not see this happening. Washington should win this series.

Should Washington be able to finish off the Lightning quickly (let's say in 5 games), the Caps will be even stronger Stanley Cup threats than at the beginning of the playoffs simply because of their path. The Rangers rolled over and died and allowed the Caps to recover and relax before round two. That rest will become increasingly valuable as the playoffs continue.

Meanwhile in the West, the favorites keep colliding in epic battles. By the time someone wins the west, will they have anything left?

This Date In Stanley Cup History

April 29, 1973 • Tony Esposito of the Chicago Black Hawks and Ken Dryden of the Montreal Canadiens, who had been Team Canada’s goaltending duo in the 1972 Summit Series versus the Soviet Union, faced each other on opposite sides of the ice in Game One of the 1973 Final. Dryden and the Canadiens won the contest 8-3 and went on to win the series in six games. Montreal’s Henri Richard tied brother Maurice and Red Kelly for the all-time record for Final appearances with the 12th of his career.

Niftier Than Kate Middleton

Somewhere in the neighborhood of two billion people will be tuning in on April 29th, 2011 to watch Kate Middleton marry Prince William. Friday is definitely her day.

That makes today's Greatest Hockey Legend pretty obvious. Rick Middleton (no relation) was one of the most "nifty" players in hockey history.



You can read the full Rick Middleton biography here. For the record, Rick may be nifty, but he was never as hot as Kate.

Hockey History In Nashville

This is Florent Pilote, a star player with the Nashville Dixie Flyers in the 1960s.

On Twitter Trivia today we were going over the history of names of the pro hockey teams in Nashville and in Vancouver. Here's a recap:

Nashville:

• Dixie Flyers (1962-71) EHL
• Southern Stars (1981-83) CPHL/ACHL
• Knights (1989-96) ECHL
• Knighthawks/Ice Flyers (1996-98) CHL

Vancouver

• Millionaires (1911-22) PCHA
• Maroons (renamed from Millionaires) (1922-26) PCHA/WCHL
• Lions (1928-31) PCHL
• Maroons (1932-33) WCHL
• Canucks (1945-70) WHL
• Griffins (2000-03) Women's hockey.

Join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for random and sporadic hockey trivia and other talk.

By the way, hockey has long been played in Tennessee's other major city, Memphis. Here's a cover image of a Memphis South Stars program:

Vancouver vs Nashville Western Conference Semi-Final Series Preview

Vancouver and Nashville open their Western Conference Semi-Final tonight.

British Columbia fans would be foolish to think this will be a cake walk. The Predators have one of the best coaches (Barry Trotz), one of the best defensemen (Norris Trophy finalist Shea Weber), and one of the best goaltenders (Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne) in the game. (Not to mention the hottest wife in all of hockey in Carrie Underwood.)

The Preds are a speedy team that are built to fit Trotz's desired style. They may lack offensive stars up front, but they can roll 3 or even 4 lines that are all alike in mindset. It's like a constant wave of more of the same - stifling, tough hockey.

Scoring goals will not be easy. No team won a head-to-head regular season game while scoring more than 3 goals. Speaking of the head to head regular season match ups, let's take a look. Click on the image to enlarge it.

I picked Nashville to beat Anaheim based on superior goaltending and team speed. Nashville does not have either advantage over Vancouver. I will pick the Canucks to win in 6.

If Nashville is going to win this series, they need to strike quick. They can catch Vancouver in game one, as the Canucks may struggle to find their rhythm coming off of such a high in beating Chicago as dramatically as they did. If the Preds can subsequently stifle Vancouver in game 2 as well, look out.

Pucks On The 'Net

• Nathan Horton scored his second overtime goal of the series to clinch game 7 and the series for the Bruins against the Canadiens. Horton became only the second player in Bruins history to score more than one overtime goal in a playoff series. Mel "Sudden Death" Hill scored three OT goals in Boston's 1939 semi-final against the New York Rangers. Hill is the only NHL player to ever to score three overtime goals in one playoff series.
• Mark Recchi also scored for the Bruins in that game, making him the oldest playing in NHL history to score in a game 7, surpassing Nicklas Lidstrom by approximately a full calendar year.
• Tampa Bay's 1-0 win over Pittsburgh in that series' game 7 marked the 6th time in NHL history that game 7 was won by a score of 1-0.

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Hart Trophy Trivia

Corey Perry, Daniel Sedin, and, in a bit of a surprise, Martin St. Louis have been named as finalists for the 2011 Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player. Daniel Sedin hopes to join current league MVP and twin brother Henrik as the first brother act to each have won the Hart Trophy.

The Hart Memorial Trophy is named in honor of Canadian Dr. David Hart. Dr. Hart, who donated the original trophy to the NHL, was the father of Cecil Hart, a former Coach and General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens hockey club. The Hart Trophy was first awarded at the conclusion of the 1923–24 NHL season.

The original trophy, which looked quite a bit differently than today, was retired in 1960 after Hart's death. The Hart Memorial Trophy replaced it and is still used today.

Here is some Hart Trophy Trivia

1. Wayne Gretzky won the league's MVP award a record 9 times, 8 of them consecutively. That is a record for MVP awards in all of professional sports in North America. Who has the second most MVP awards? (looking at NHL, MLB, NBA and NFL). Answer - This will probably be controversial. Barry Bonds of baseball won 7 MVP awards, although 4 of them may have been with the help of steroids. Until they take the awards away from him, he will rank behind Gretzky for the most. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (NBA) and Gordie Howe have 6 MVP awards
2. Of all eligible players (excluding active players) who have won the Hart Trophy, only three have not been included in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Can you name them? Cowboy Tom Anderson (1942), Al Rollins (1954) and Eric Lindros (1995). Lindros has only be eligible for one season and may yet make the Hall of Fame.  
3. Gordie Howe won the Hart Trophy 6 times in his career. How many times did Rocket Richard win the Hart Trophy? Answer - Just once, in 1947. That was Gordie Howe's rookie season.
4. 1990 saw the closest Hart Trophy balloting ever. Mark Messier beat Ray Bourque by how many votes? Answer - 2 votes
5. In saying "the league's MVP," the Hart Trophy more specifically is supposed to go the player deemed most valuable to his own team. Name the only player who won the award despite being traded mid-season and playing on two teams. Answer: Joe Thornton, who was traded from Boston to San Jose in 2006.

Join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for more hockey trivia and puck talk.

This Date In Stanley Cup History

April 28, 1996 • A sold-out crowd at the Winnipeg Arena said good-bye to the Winnipeg Jets following a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings in Game Six of their Western Conference Quarter-final series. It marked the final game for the Jets before moving to Phoenix and becoming the Coyotes.

This whole Coyotes back to Winnipeg story has drawn out so long that I'm just waiting for some real news to come. It sounds like that might happen soon, only it might not be the Coyotes moving to Winnipeg, but rather the Atlanta Thrashers.

Montreal, Boston Game 7 Tonight

For the eighth time in their 33 Stanley Cup playoff matchups, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens will face off in a winner-take-all Game 7 tonight. No clubs in major pro sports have met in as many Game 7s as the Bruins and Canadiens. Other longtime "Original Six" rivals, the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, have squared off six times in a Game 7, as have the NBA's Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

The Canadiens have won five of the previous seven Game 7s with Boston, most recently a 5-0 victory at Montreal on April 21, 2008. Overall the Canadiens have won their past four Game 7s since 2004, while the Bruins have dropped their past four over the same span.

Adding an extra wrinkle tonight is the back-to-back games with travel. The Bruins-Canadiens series will be the ninth in NHL history to feature Games 6 and 7 played on consecutive days. There appears to be no advantage in that home teams and road teams have split the eight previous games (4-4), as have teams winning/losing Game 6 (4-4).

Update: Boston wins this one, thanks to Nathan Horton's overtime heroics and some non-calls. It was a tough loss for Montreal, who fought valiantly. The team overcame the loss of arguably their top two defensemen this season. Carey Price put together one of the more impressive individual seasons in team history, earning everyone's respect under immense pressure.

This Date In Stanley Cup History

On this date in Stanley Cup history

April 27, 1994 • Buffalo Sabres center Dave Hannan (pictured) scored at 5:43 of the fourth overtime period in a 1-0 home win over the New Jersey Devils in Game Six of their Eastern Conference Quarter-final series. This game was the sixth (now ninth) longest in NHL history, beginning at 7:39 p.m. and concluding at 1:51 a.m.—six hours and 12 minutes later. Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek turned aside all 70 of the shots he faced, while New Jersey netminder Martin Brodeur made 49 saves on 50 shots.

April 27, 1998 • The St. Louis Blues tallied four power-play goals in a span of 3:07 during the third period of a 4-3 win over Los Angeles in Game Three of their Western Conference Quarter-final. The four fastest power-play goals by one team in NHL history were scored by Pascal Rheaume (9:59), Brett Hull (11:03), Pierre Turgeon (11:59) and Terry Yake (13:06).

Hockey Gods Smile Upon Vancouver

"Canucks win the cup! Canucks win the cup! Canucks win the... wait, what? Oh."

- @AndrewStoeten 

First round victories are not supposed to mean this much.

Roberto Luongo, deep in the heat of the moment, admitted this might be better than the Olympic gold medal. I compared it loosely to the 1972 Summit Series - a dramatic victory that really should almost be looked at as a loss, saving tremendous face and to be celebrated for a long, long time.

Fans from other teams may not understand what was at stake in game 7. This was not just about advancing to the next round. It was not about keeping the Stanley Cup dream alive. It was not even about exorcising the Blackhawks.

This particular match was a watershed game for a franchise, a defining moment for its players and coaches. To blow a 3-0 series lead, embarrassing themselves in the process by not showing up in games 4 or 5, was throwing away the greatest regular season in franchise history. The team had provided so much promise and hope to a long suffering fan base that badly needs to believe. But to lose again in the playoffs, to lose in such fashion, would have been beyond devastating.

In many ways, this was the greatest win in franchise history. That may seem silly to say, I know. A loss would have defined the players and the coaches for years to come. The long term implications of losing game 7 would have been immense. Fascinating maybe, but earth shaking. The defining moment of this generation would have been utter collapse.

Yet somehow they found a way to win. Barely. They were, somewhat marginally, the better team in game 6 and deserved a better fate then. But the hockey gods - the only ones who could dream up such an impossible series' script - allowed for a game 7.

Vancouver was increasingly dominant in game 7, deserving of victory far earlier than the hockey gods allowed. They shone their light down on young Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford, who was as good as any goalie in hockey history on that night. He should have been arrested for robbery. How he stopped Ryan Kesler, the Canucks best player on this night, late in the third, we will never know.

His counterpart at the other end of the ice - the much more decorated Luongo who was desperately clawing and fighting from being the latest dragged into Vancouver's infamous goalie graveyard - was solid, but, yet again, let in a devastating goal in the final moments, forcing overtime. Yet again, it wasn't really his fault. But yet again, he let it in. At the worst possible time.

Head to the drama of overtime and cue Alex Burrows, who, as Justin Bourne wrote on Twitter, "had goat written all over him." In the third period he missed on a penalty shot. Then he missed, quite remarkably, on a breakaway. He takes an penalty in the opening minute of overtime, giving the Hawks rested superstars a clean sheet of ice to work with. Had it not been for an amazing Luongo save on Patrick Sharp, Alex Burrows may still be sitting in the penalty box, wondering what if.

Not on this night. I was almost unable to watch that power play. But after that Luongo save, after the successful penalty kill, I almost allowed myself to believe the hockey gods were finally going to relent and reward the Vancouver Canucks. They did, at 5:22 of overtime. Alex Burrows may have scored the most important goal in franchise history, with an assist from the hockey gods.

 "Somewhere, Luc Bourdon is smiling down at his pal Alex Burrows"

- @TSNBobMcKenzie

Selke Trophy Trivia

Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Kesler and Jonathan Toews have been recognized as finalists for the Selke Trophy, given annually to the NHL's best defensive forward.

The cumbersome-looking Selke Trophy is named after Frank J. Selke, former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. It was introduced in 1978, making it the youngest of the 5 major NHL awards.

The award may have come to creation only because of Bob Gainey's prominence. He won the first four Selke awards, and probably would have won a couple more had the award existed prior to 1979.

Here's some Selke Trophy trivia. As per usual, we went over this on Twitter @HockeyLegends. For those who missed that, here are the questions now with the answers.

1. While Bob Gainey won the first 4 Selke awards, this man finished runner up three of the four times. Who is he? Answer: Buffalo's Craig Ramsay. Rammer finally won the Selke in 1985. Don Marcotte of the Bruins was the only other run up during Gainey's reign.
2. Which of these players never won the Selke Trophy? Troy Murray? Esa Tikkanen? Rick Meagher? Kris Draper? Answer - Esa Tikkanen had a great reputation as a defensive forward, shutting down his old pal Wayne Gretzky. He finished as runner up 3 times, but never won the Selke. 
3. Name the only player to win the Hart Trophy as MVP and the Selke Trophy. Answer - In 1994 Sergei Fedorov won both the Hart and the Selke. Joe Sakic came close in 2001, winning the Hart and runner up for the Selke.
4. Between Gainey and Guy Carbonneau, Montreal has won the Selke Trophy 7 times. Interestingly, only one of Canadian team has ever had a player win the award? Who is the player and what team did he play for? Answer - Toronto's Doug Gilmour in 1993. 
5. Which of these players did not finish as Selke Trophy runners-up? Doug Jarvis? Bobby Clarke? Ron Sutter? Jari Kurri? Answer - Jarvis, Sutter and Kurri all finished as runners up. Bobby Clarke never did. But he did win the award in 1983.

Join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for more hockey talk.

By the way, based on reputation I suspect Ryan Kesler, a three time finalist, will get the award in 2011. Which is funny, because most of this past regular season (remember, this is a regular season award specifically for the 2010-11 season) most of the Canucks defensive assignments were handled by the now-injured Manny Malhotra. Kesler is undoubtedly a top defensive forward in the NHL, although this would be a bit of an ironic year for him to win it. 

Pucks On The 'Net: The Morning After

A few sober second thoughts:

• The Chicago Blackhawks sure went down fighting like the Stanley Cup champions the are. Lookout next year. If they can free up just a bit more cap room, acquire a couple of depth pieces and have their young talent continue to grow, the Blackhawks might very well be the team to beat.
• The talking heads at TSN were debating if this was the greatest series ever? Based on story lines and drama, I can understand where they are coming from and have to place it high on my personal list. Based on quality of play, this series does not quite measure up. My personal list still has VAN/NYR 1994 and EDM/PHI 1987 at the top. I would place this victory not too far behind, but when all is said and done, VAN/CGY 1994 may still top this. I suppose it depends a bit on what Vancouver does going forward in 2011.
• At the beginning of the series I stated that Vancouver needed post-season improvement from four key people if they are to come close to achieving their promise - Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Roberto Luongo and coach Alain Vigneaut. The results are mixed over the course of the series, but kudos to all four for a strong game 7. Burrows is obvious with both goals, but I thought it was Ryan Kesler who took control last night. I suggested on Twitter that his play would define the Canucks success in game 7, and he owned it. We may have seen this team's failing torch ripped out of the hands of the Sedins by Kesler himself.
• Now it is the Sedins who must up their game. Outside of game 2, they were largely non-factors in the series. Lack of secondary scoring hurts them, as the checkers can fully concentrate on them. But your best players need to be your best players - and the Canucks best players could be a whole lot better.
• That being said, Nashville historically does a pretty good job against the Sedins. This season Daniel had 1 goal and 3 assists in 4 games. Henrik had 3 assists. They were better in Nashville than in Vancouver.
• I fully expect Nashville to win game one of this series on Thursday night. The Canucks are going to come out flat. That usually happens after experiencing such incredible highs. Nashville is a dangerous team with speed, team defense, and great goaltending and better coaching. Vancouver would be best advised to not dig themselves into a hole.
• The scary thing for opponents now is Chicago pushed Vancouver - the class of the league in the regular season - to another level. Now that they've experienced that level, can they get to it again? Will it raise their normal game? Or will they struggle to regain that high against a suffocating Predators team?
• I really should take more time congratulate Philadelphia and Montreal with big wins on Tuesday. Montreal vs Boston game 7 should be another beauty. Pittsburgh and Tampa are also facing off in game 7. It's too bad both games are on at the same time.
• It should be no surprise that Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta scored the two goals for Montreal. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, "Cammalleri (16) and Gionta (12) have scored 28 goals for the Canadiens over the last two playoff years, only four fewer than all other Montreal players combined (32, with no other teammate having scored more than five goals)."
• Also, nice win for Flyers goalie Brian Boucher. That was his first game 7 played in 11 years. He finally gained a measure of redemption from a 2-1 game 7 loss to New Jersey in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals.

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Pucks On The 'Net: Scared

I can say without certainty I scared my family on Tuesday night.

I buried myself in the basement, grunting and brooding, gasping with every ebb and flow in the great game that was Canucks vs Hawks, game 7. Late in the game I let out three uncontrollable yells - once when Chicago tied it up, once when Alex Burrows took the early overtime penalty, and once, turning my voice raspy for the rest of the night, when Burrows scored the game winning.

I do not usually watch hockey games of such magnitude with other people. Almost never if I am emotionally involved in the outcome. I need space. I need solitude. Others do not need to know how scary I can get. But on Tuesday I watched what I consider in many ways to be defining game in franchise history at my girlfriend's house. And I can say without a shadow of doubt that I, with a couple of blood curdling screams, scared her, her three kids, and most definitely her dog. Probably the neighbors, too.

Now they know. Good thing for them the Canucks did not lose. I can say with no uncertainty that under those circumstances I would have scared myself.


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Stanley Cup Playoff Legends: John Druce

The playoffs is the time of the year when people start to wonder whether another John Druce will emerge from the shadows to become the talk of the hockey world.

Druce wasn't exactly as household name in NHL circles back in the early 1990s when he played for the Washington Capitals. He was a fourth-line fixture known more for his guts than glory. He was a part time winger with back to back 8 goal campaigns to begin a NHL career that appeared to be going nowhere fast.

But when sharp shooter Dino Ciccarelli became sidelined with a bad knee in the 1990 playoffs, Druce found himself on the Capitals' top line with Dale Hunter and Geoff Courtnall. The line clicked instantly and played like they had been playing together for years.

Druce stunned the hockey world when he netted 14 playoff goals in 15 games as the Capitals advanced to the conference finals. Druce became the unsung hero of the '91 post season. 8 of those goals came on the power play, and another shorthanded. 4 of his goals were game winners.


Read the full John Druce biography.

Masterton Trophy Trivia

This is the Bill Masterton Trophy, given annually to "he player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."

On January 15th, 1968, the NHL had a participant die as of the result of an on-ice play.

Two days earlier the Minnesota North Stars were playing the Oakland Seals. Early in the game Bill Masterton, a highly educated fellow with an interesting story to tell, led a solo rush into Oakland territory where he was greeted unceremoniously by Seals' defensemen Larry Cahan and Ron Harris. Both defenders nailed the smaller Masterton with very hard though clean body check. Masterton fell to the ice, hitting his helmetless head on the ice, instantly knocking him out cold.

Masterton never regained consciousness. For more than 30 hours doctors managed to keep him alive using respirators but the massive internal brain injuries were too immense. Early in the morning of January 15th, 1968, Masterton died.

In his honour the NHL awards the Masterton Trophy, usually given to a player who has overcome a significant hardship. 2011's finalists are Ray Emery, who overcame career threatening hip surgery, Ian Laperierre, whose career is all but officially over after suffering a severe concussion, and, Daymond Langkow, who miss a full calendar year with a neck injury.

Here's some Masterton Trophy Trivia, complete with answers. Here's the name of some winners, and why they won:

1. John Cullen - Non-Hodgkin's Lymphona
2. Jason Blake -never missed a game despite being diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia
3. Mario Lemieux - Led the league in scoring despite missing 24 games with Hodgkin's Lymphona.
4. Tim Kerr - battled knee and shoulder injuries relentlessly, also had meningitis. Scored 48 goals.
5. Jose Theodore - played valiantly despite dealing with the death of his infant son. 

For a complete list of winners and the reasons for winning can be found on Wikipedia.

Join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends

Pucks On The 'Net

Some Tuesday Thoughts:

• Ironic, isn't it? On the 36th anniversary of the New York Islanders overcoming a 3-0 series deficit to beat Pittsburgh 4 games to 3, the Chicago Blackhawks hope to become just the 4th team in NHL history to do just that.
• The Hawks are the 7th team that have overcome a 3-0 deficit to force a game 7. Obviously, the record in games 7 so far is 3 and 3.
• All season long the Canucks have preached about positive affirmations, enjoying the process, playing for each other, competing 100%, etc, etc, say your prayers, take your vitamins and believe in yourself, brother. Okay, that last part was Hulk Hogan, but my point being all of this psychology sounds very much like the area of expertise of one Ryan Walter. That makes the former assistant coach's dismissal all that more odd.
• From the Elias Sports Bureau " Dwayne Roloson is 5-0 with a 1.80 goals-against average and ..939 save percentage in five career starts in which his team faced playoff elimination. Only four other goaltenders in NHL history won their first five such starts: Chico Resch (first seven), Ken Dryden (five), Jaroslav Halak (five) and Cam Ward (five)."

This Date In Stanley Cup History

April 26, 1975 • Goaltender Glenn Resch and the New York Islanders blanked the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0 to win Game Seven and capture their 1975 Quarter-final series. The Islanders became just the second team in NHL history to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games, joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. The Islanders nearly repeated the feat in the Semifinal against Philadelphia. The Islanders again lost the first three games of the series only to bounce back and win the next three. Their bid for an unprecedented second straight 0-3 comeback was stopped as they lost Game Seven, 4-1.

Norris Trophy Trivia

Zdeno Chara, Nicklas Lidstrom and Shea Weber have been named finalists for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman. For the record, if I had a vote would have gone with Weber this season. I'm not sure he'll get enough support out of the East to win, however.

The trophy is named in honour of James E. Norris, owner of the Detroit Red Wings from 1932 to 1952. The trophy was first awarded in the 1953–54 NHL season, with Red Kelly winning the first award.

Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins won the award for a record eight consecutive seasons (1968–75). Doug Harvey won the award seven times (in an 8 year span). Nicklas Lidstrom has won it six times in his career, two more than the comparable Ray Bourque won it five times during his career.

Here's some Norris Trophy Trivia.

1. Nicklas Lidstrom has been nominated for the Norris Trophy how many times? Answer: Lidstrom, a 19 year veteran, has been nominated for the Norris trophy 11 times in the last 13 years. Raymond Bourque had 15 nominations in his career (5 wins). Another 4 times he finished 4th in voting, just out of official finalist status. Bourque played 23 seasons.
2. Which of these great defensemen did not win a Norris Trophy: Al MacInnis? Randy Carlyle? Brad Park? Rob Blake? Answer: Brad Park, who had the unfortunate status as being the second best defenseman in the Bobby Orr era.
3. Doug Harvey won 7 Norris Trophies in an 8 year span. Who interrupted his amazing run in 1959?
4. Name the only two defensemen to win both the Norris Trophy and Hart Trophy as league MVP in the same season. Answer: Harvey's teammate, Tom Johnson, who spent much of his career as Harvey's defense partner. Harvey was hurt much of this particular season.
5. How many Norris Trophy winners have not been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (excluding active players Lidstrom, Chara, Duncan Keith and Chris Pronger, as well as Scott Niedermayer and Rob Blake, who are not yet eligible for HHOF voting). Only two - Randy Carlyle and Doug Wilson.

Follow me on Twitter @HockeyLegends

This Date In Stanley Cup History

April 25, 1964 • Toronto goalie Johnny Bower blanked the Detroit Red Wings 4-0 to propel the Maple Leafs to their third straight Stanley Cup title.

GreatestHockeyLegends.com Easter Egg Hunt

It is time for the annual Easter Egg Hunt here at GreatestHockeyLegends.com.

I have hidden hockey themed Easter Eggs in profiles of selected goaltenders. The Easter Eggs look like this picture to the right, and they can be found at the very bottom of the page of the selected goalies. Using the alphabetical listing at the top of this page, search the goalie profiles for the eggs and email me the names of the goalies with the Easter Eggs.

The person who finds the most eggs will win an autographed copy of my book, The Legends of Team Canada.

Contest closes at 9pm PST on Easter Monday - April 25th, 2011. Good luck and have a great long weekend!

Update: Congratulations goes out to Tammy Underwood for winning the 2011 GreatestHockeyLegends.com Easter Egg Hunt!

This Date In Stanley Cup History

April 24, 1994 • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Gary Suter tallied three goals in a 4-3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Four of their Western Conference Quarter-final series. Suter became the eighth defenseman in Stanley Cup playoffs history to post a hat trick, joining Bobby Orr, Dick Redmond, Denis Potvin, Doug Halward, Paul Reinhart (twice), Al Iafrate and Eric Desjardins.

April 24, 1996 • Petr Nedved of the Penguins scored at the 19:15 mark of the fourth overtime period to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 win over Washington in the third-longest (now fifth longest) game in NHL history. Washington’s Joe Juneau was stopped by Ken Wregget on the first penalty shot ever taken in overtime of an NHL playoff game.

April 24, 1999 • Colorado Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy, the NHL’s all-time leader for post season victories, earned his 100th career playoff win as the Avalanche defeated San Jose 3–1 to take a 1-0 lead in their Conference Quarter-final series.

April 24, 2003 • After having upset the Detroit Red Wings in four straight games, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim took the first game of their Western Conference Semifinal from the Dallas Stars with a 4–3 overtime victory. Petr Sykora scored the winning goal 48 seconds into the fifth overtime period. The 80:48 of overtime made it the fourth longest game in NHL history.

April 24, 2006 • Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic set an NHL playoff record by scoring his seventh career overtime goal in a 5-4 victory at Dallas in Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal. Sakic passed the legendary Maurice Richard, who notched six playoff overtime goals in his 18-year Hall of Fame career. Richard had held or shared the League record since March 29, 1951, when he scored his third career playoff OT goal to tie Boston's Mel Hill.

Stanley Cup Legends: Pete Babando

Long forgotten and very underrated, Detroit's Pete Babando scored the very first Stanley Cup winning goal in an overtime period of game 7 on this date in 1950.

Detroit's impromptu celebration that night started one of the greatest images in all of sport:

This Date In Stanley Cup History

April 23, 1950 • In the first Game Seven overtime in Final history, left winger Pete Babando, assisted by center George Gee at 8:31 of the second overtime period, gave the Detroit Red Wings a 4-3 win and the 1950 Stanley Cup title. Four years later, another Detroit left winger, Tony Leswick, repeated Babando’s overtime feat in Game Seven of the 1954 Final. Since then, no player has scored the Cup-winning goal in overtime in the seventh and deciding game of the Final.

April 23, 1996 • The Tampa Bay Lightning established an all-time NHL playoff attendance record as 28,183 fans filled the ThunderDome for Game Four of Tampa Bay’s Eastern Conference Quarter-final series with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers won 4-1, tying the series at two wins apiece. They went on to win the series in six.

April 23, 1997 • Wayne Gretzky scored a natural hat trick in the second period to lead the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden, opening up a 3-1 series lead. Gretzky scored three goals in a 6:23 span to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead. The hat trick was his ninth in the post-season, extending his playoff record.

Another 4th Generation NHLer On The Way?

One of the neat stories of the 2010-11 season was the arrival of Blake "Boomer" Geoffrion as the NHL's first 4th general NHL player.

Geoffrion's is the great grandson of none other than Howie Morenz, and the grandson of Boom Boom Geoffrion, both Hockey Hall of Famers. His father Danny Geoffrion also played in the NHL.

But might Geoffrion one day faceoff against another 4th generation NHLer?

On Friday the Phoenix Coyotes signed 2008 6th round draft pick Brett Hextall to an entry level contract.

Brett, who is giving up his last year of college at the University of North Dakota to turn pro, is the son of Flyers fiery goaltender Ron Hextall. Brett's great grandfather, Hall of Famer Bryan Hextall, and grandfather Bryan Hextall Jr., also enjoyed lengthy NHL careers. Great uncle Dennis Hextall is also counted in the hockey lineage.

Connor, Bonhomme On Wipeout Canada

Last week it was Shane Doan taking on Mantracker. Now it is former NHLer Cam Connor and Team Canada women's team player Tessa Bonhomme are among 20 celebrities competing on Wipeout Canada this Sunday night.

Other celebrities include former CFL linebacker Kelly Lochbaum, biathlete Robin Clegg, and triple jumper Oral Ogilvie.

Good luck to all of you, and Big Balls!

Pucks On The 'Net

Here's a couple of interesting stories you may not know about:

• Donald Brashear is looking for a fight - Martial Arts style.
• Former NHL referee Ron Asselstine is helping make kids' dreams come true. - Heart warming story

Join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for more interesting links and hockey talk.

Vezina Trophy Trivia

Tim Thomas, Pekka Rinne and Roberto Luongo have been named as Vezina Trophy finalists for 2011.

The Vezina Trophy was named in honor of Georges Vézina, an early great goaltender with the Montreal Canadiens. Vezina collapsed during a game in 1925. Diagnosed with tuberculosis and died in 1926. The Montreal Canadiens honoured Vezina's memory by donating the trophy.

The trophy was originally awarded to the most valuable goalie each season. But in 1946 the trophy was automatically given to the goaltender or goaltending tandem of the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season. The criteria  changed again for the 1980–81 season through now, where general managers voted as to who was the best goaltender in the league each season.

Time for  some Vezina Trophy Trivia.

1. Who was the very first Vezina Trophy winner? Answer - Georges Hainsworth, Georges Vezina's successor in Montreal, actually won the first 3 Vezina Trophies.
2. Which goaltender has the most Vezina Trophy wins? - Answer - Jacques Plante leads the way with 7. All of those wins came in the years when the trophy was given to the goalie on the team with the fewest goals against. In the voting era, Dominik Hasek leads the way with 6 wins.
3. Have goaltenders from different teams ever shared a Vezina Trophy? Answer - In the 1973-74 season, when the Trophy was still given to the goalie on the team with the fewest goals against, Philadelphia's Bernie Parent and Chicago's Tony Esposito actually finished tied for the Vezina Trophy, the only such time in history the award has been shared.
4. Can you name the three goaltenders that have won both the Vezina Trophy and the Hart Trophy in the same season? Answer - Jacques Plante in 1961/62, Dominik Hasek back to back in 1996/97 and 1997/98 and Jose Theodore in 2001/02.
5. Who is the only unanimous Vezina trophy winner in NHL history? Answer - Pete Peeters of Boston in 1982-83. Peeters posted amazing record of 40-11-9 with 8 shutouts and a NHL best-of-the-decade 2.36 GAA. He also had a 31 games undefeated streak.

Join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for more trivia and hockey talk.

This Date In Stanley Cup History

April 22, 1945 • At 12:14 of the third period, Maple Leafs defenseman Walter “Babe” Pratt scored the Cup-winning goal to give Toronto a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game Seven of the Final. Leafs rookie goaltender Frank McCool, who allowed only nine goals in seven starts, limited the Wings to one goal or less for the fifth time in the series.

April 22, 1962 • Toronto’s Bob Nevin and Dick Duff notched third-period goals to defeat the Chicago
Black Hawks 2-1 in Game Six of the 1962 Final. The win propelled the Maple Leafs to their first of three straight Stanley Cup championships.

April 22, 1976 • Toronto center Darryl Sittler equalled Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s 32-year-old record for most goals in one playoff game by scoring five goals in the Maple Leafs’ 8-5 Quarter-final series win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach joined Richard and Sittler just days later, as Leach scored five of his playoff-record 19 goals on May 6, 1976, in a 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins.

April 22, 1988 • Patrik Sundstrom set an NHL record by recording eight points (3-5-8) in New Jersey’s 10-4 win over Washington in Game Three of the Patrick Division Final.

Pucks On The 'Net

As a Vancouver Canucks fan all of my life, I have endured awful teams, terrible years and, when hope allowed, great heartbreak.. But I don't know that I've ever been more disappointed in the Canucks than right now.

The outcome of game 4 I was fine with - those things happen. I was far more concerned with the team's response in game 5. Obviously their response is now very concerning.

The Canucks can still win this series. It remains important to remember to not get too low in times like this. But even if they do, the hope they provided with us all season has quickly evaporated.

Here's an interesting note from the Elias Sports Bureau: Chicago has become the second team in NHL history to win two straight playoff games, each by a margin of five or more goals and each while facing elimination. The only other team to do so was the Canucks, who came from behind to win their first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets after trailing three games to one. Vancouver won the last three games of that series by scores of 8-2, 8-3 and 5-0

Stanley Cup Legends: Brad May

Lady Byng Trivia

Congratulations to Martin St. Louis, Nicklas Lidstrom and Loui Eriksson who were announced as finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly play.

In a recent Twitter conversation, Hockey Night In Canada's Jeff Marek and The Hockey News' Adam Proteau were debating how to revamp the Lady Byng Trophy in order to restore prestige and pride in the award. I suggested that if fans had a better idea of winners like Frank Nighbor, Frank Boucher, Red Kelly, Dave Keon and Mike Bossy, there would be no lack of pride in winning the award.

With that in mind, here are a few Lady Byng trivia questions for you. I'll be answering these questions in real time on Twitter (so follow me @HockeyLegends). Otherwise I will update this post during the Boston/Montreal game with the answers.

1. Who is Marie Evelyn Moreton? Answer - She is Lady Byng. That's her real name, while Lady Byng was her official title. She was the wife of Viscount Byng of Vimy, a Vimy Ridge war hero who was Governor General of Canada from 1921 to 1926.
2. Lady Byng awarded the trophy for Sportsmanship and Gentlemanly play because she was so enamored with which player? Answer - Frank Nighbor aka The Pembroke Peach.  He was a brilliant two-way player with Ottawa in the 1920s, one of the most underrated superstars in history's eyes.
3. This player won the award 7 times in an 8 year span. Who is he? Answer - Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers won the trophy every year except one between 1928 through 1935. Lady Byng was so happy with his performance she gave him the original trophy to keep at his home. The trophy was later destroyed in a house fire in 1962.
4. This player interrupted the impressive trophy reign of the player in the previous question. Who is he? Answer - In 1932 Gentleman Joe Primeau won the Lady Byng. Leafs have won the Byng Trophy nine times - Gordie Drillon, Syl Apps, Sid Smith twice, Red Kelly, Dave Keon twice and Alexander Mogilny.
5. Only two defensemen in history have ever won the Lady Byng. Can you name them? Answer - Detroit's Bill Quackenbush won the trophy in 1949, after a penalty free season which saw him on the NHL's First All Star Team. Detroit's Red Kelly won the trophy in 1951, 1953 and 1954, taking a combined 50 minutes in penalties over those three seasons. He was a First Team All Star in each of those seasons. Kelly won a 4th Byng trophy in 1961 with Leafs, but he played as a center that season.
6. How many goalies have won the Lady Byng? Answer - zero!
7. This player changed his style from one of the league's top penalty minute leaders to win back-to-back Lady Byng trophies. Who is he? Answer - Stan Mikita was one of the dirtiest players in the game, using his stick for far more than scoring goals. But one night his young daughter asked him why he was sent to the penalty box so much, Mikita could not give her an appropriate answer. He changed his style dramatically, winning the Byng Trophy in 1967 and 1968. Amazingly, in each of those years he also won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring leader and the Hart Trophy as Most Valuable Player - the only player to capture all three awards in the same season.
8. Wayne Gretzky won the Lady Byng how many times? Answer - Five times. Only Boucher has more Byng Trophy wins than The Great One. 

Bonus Question: Chris Mizzoni of Nitzy's Hockey Den and I worked on this question together on Twitter. Which Lady Byng Trophy winner had the most penalty minutes in that winning season. The answer - Frank Nighbor (1925) and Billy Burch (1927) both had 40 PIMs. The modern record? Wayne Gretzky had 34 PIMs in 1992.

Join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for more trivia!

This Date In Stanley Cup History

April 21, 1951 • Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bill Barilko scored the Cup-winning goal at 2:53 of overtime to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in Game Five of the 1951 Final. It was the only Stanley Cup series in which every game had ended in overtime. Toronto’s Sid Smith, Ted Kennedy, Harry Watson, Barilko and Montreal’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard each netted overtime winners during the five-game matchup.

Barilko died in an off-season plane crash in the summer of 1951, though his remains would not be discovered until 1962.

Pucks On The 'Net: First Period Oddity

News and notes:

• Through the first four games of their playoff series, the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals have both failed to get a goal in the first period. It is only the third time in NHL playoffs history that teams have failed to score at least one goal in the first period through the first four games. The others? New York Rangers vs. Montreal Maroons in 1928 and New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2003.
• Congratulations to Pittsburgh's James Neal for scoring his first career playoff goal last night. He becomes the fourth Pittsburgh Penguin in history to score his first post-season marker in overtime. The others? Michel Briere, Jaromir Jagr and Kris Letang.
• The Washington Capitals stunning come-from-3-goals-behind-after-2-periods win was the first such win in the playoffs since 2002 when Carolina caught up with the Montreal Canadiens. 
• Buffalo's 1-0 win over Philly on Wednesday night was the second such victory of the series. That is the first time a playoff series has featured 2 1-0 wins by the same team since 2004 when Calgary did that to Detroit. Calgary did it in consecutive games!
• After two seasons playing in the KHL, former NHL standout Sergei Zubov has announced his retirement.
• Over at HockeyBookReviews.com I take a look at the newly released Extraordinary Canadians: Maurice Richard by Charles Foran.

For more such news and notes, be sure to follow me on Twitter @HockeyLegends

Milt Schmidt Remembers Good 'Ol Days of Bruins/Habs Rivalry

From The Waterloo Record:

"Old No. 15 was as high on Montreal’s most-detested list from 1936 to 1955.

“I remember one night up there, I got into a little mix-up,” Schmidt recalled. “The fans took the rubbers off their shoes and started throwing them at me.”

So Schmidt hugged the boards and ducked for cover."

Here's the full story. Schmidt shares stories on Bill Durnan, concussions in hockey, and, of course, Rocket Richard.

The Finnish Flash's Swedish Flag Tattoo

I love this story from Sweden's English language news source, The Local:

"Teemu Selanne is the all-time points leader in men's Olympic hockey with 37 points in 31 games and has scored more than 600 career goals. Selänne's prowess on the ice has elevated him to icon status in the hockey crazy Nordic country.

He is no less of a star in his adopted home of the Anaheim Ducks and the 40-year-old continues to impress - scoring two goals in a 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Sunday in the NHL playoffs - in what many believe to be his last games for California outfit.

Speaking to the Orange County Register daily last week Selänne confirmed the widely circulating rumour that he has a tattoo of the Swedish "blue-yellow" flag adorning his right ankle."

Read on to find out the story behind the tattoo.