Here Come The Sharks

Loved this picture so much, I had to put it up. I apologize for the absence, but life on The Pond has been insanely busy lately. I did have time to watch Game 7, and it was telling to say the least. The Sharks looked sloppy at times, and rely heavily on their goalie, sounds like last round. Except the Sharks are much bigger, and spread the scoring around.

My biggest fear for the Canucks is the size of the Sharks. I don't worry about Burrows, Kesler, Torres, or even Raymond for that matter, I worry about The Twins. With their lack luster effort, getting blasted by bigger forwards might just make them less noticeable. 

This is going to come down to Bobby Lu and the Defense. They have to stop those big bodies from getting to the net. I have a feeling Bobby is going to be seeing a lot of rubber in this series. Kesler and Burrows are going to be key for grit and scoring. However, if the Sedins would turn up their effort and passion even a little, this series would be no contest.

Well Hello Western Conference Finals, Its Been A Long Time

It was a roller coaster of a game, but they got the job done. The PK was the hero in this game and perhaps the series. Nashville takes advantage of mistakes and they just could not get their Power Play going enough to capitalize. Of course this is not a slight at Bobby Luo, who also played very well. 

There were two very positive things I took away from this series: 1) Defensive Play and 2) A glimpse of how good this team can be when their big names start to perform. The Defense didn't look phenomenal, but they looked very solid. They were clearing the shooting lanes and giving Luo clear views on shots, especially coming from the points. This was huge considering Suter and Weber were blasting them and that Duncan Keith almost eliminated them single-handedly in round one.

Ryan Kesler's emergence was nice, but for this team to advance another round they need the Twins to step-the-Hell-up! They can score, and score a lot, but they need to realize they have to amp their games up in the playoffs. They haven't been producing and its frustrating. This team's future in the playoffs depend on their play, and they haven't been cutting it.

As I discussed with my brother earlier tonight, I have no idea who I want to play more. San Jose seems like the more high-powered team, but if the Red Wings pull this off, that makes them pretty damn dangerous. A team like that on a hot-streak is scary. We shall see how it all plays out. 

The Hart Memorial, "Terrible" Ted Lindsay, and Trevor Linden Trophies

Since we have the same nominees, essentially for both award they are all getting thrown together. Official Hart Memorial Trophy nominees are: Daniel Sedin, Corey Perry and Martin St. Louis. The Ted Lindsay Trophy also has Sedin and Perry, but substituted St. Louis for his teammate Steven Stamkos. So the winner of this category will get both trophies, much like when Chris Jericho unified the WWF and WCW Titles. Yeah that reference just happened.

Anyway, this award is kind of a tough one. It is kind of surprising that two Tampa Bay Lightning players were nominated. Nothing against the players or the team, but they finished fifth in the Eastern Conference. Not exactly a top-ranked team. My opinion is Henrik Lundqvist should always be nominated because he seems to be the only reason the New York Rangers ever make the playoffs.

Another omission was Tim Thomas. Boston is still a good team without him, but no way they finish Top 3 in the Eastern Conference with Rask in net. This was a weird year though with no real players taking command. If you take Thornton or Heatley away from San Jose, do they really fall off that much? But dwelling on omissions is not what we are here for.  

I think this award has to go to the only 50 goal scorer in the NHL this year, Corey Perry. Not like he played on a team with scrubs, both Bobby Ryan and the ageless Teemu Selanne had plus 30 goals and plus 70 points, but where Anaheim finished and what his performance meant, you can't deny his importance.

As for the Trevor Linden Trophy this was a difficult choice. I mean who do you go with. Daniel Sedin is the obvious choice, but a case could also have been made for Henrik, Alexandre Burrows (PK and PP time taken into account), Christian Ehrhoff (for longevity on the Blueline), and Manny Malhotra (PK, Face-offs, and being the engine of the best third line in hockey). But I think a surprising break-out season takes the cake, and the trophy goes to Ryan Kesler.

He scored just over 40 goals, which I don't think anyone saw coming, and was a key component not only of the PK, but also the PP. He also had to step up his game once Malhotra went out, due to his face-off ability. He was a consistent performer, scoring timely goals, winning key face-offs, blocking shots, and using the body. Definitely the team MVP. 

Calder and Bure Trophies

All three nominees are very deserving this year. Jeff Skinner, Logan Couture, and Michael Grabner all played exceptional in their first full NHL seasons. First off is our former winger Michael Grabner. He was shipped out in the Ballard trade this past summer and played 0 games for the Florida Panthers because they decided to try to have him clear waivers. Great move there, as the New York Islanders scooped him up. He just went on to score 34 Goals, added 18 Assists and was a plus 13 for the Islanders. No that was not a type-o, there was an Islander that was a plus this year.

The second Calder finalist is Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks. Logan played a great season netting 32 Goals, 24 Assists and was an impressive plus 18. He also played for one of the most high-powered offenses in the NHL. An offense that over the past decade has produced scorers like Marco Sturm, Milan Michalek, and Jonathan Cheechoo. Guys who leave the Sharks and never return to that production level, not even close in Cheechoo's case.I am not saying Couture won't be a good NHL player, but when you are playing in that system, your stats are a bit padded.

The third finalist is Carolina's Jeff Skinner. This kid has been on this Earth less time than I have been a Canucks fan, pretty impressive considering I am from Michigan. He scored 31 Goals, had 32 Assists, and was a plus 18...for the Carolina Hurricanes. This kid was about as impressive as any rookie in the last 10 years. He made an appearance in the All-Star Game, which was good idea by the NHL to include rookies. Skinner was almost must-see TV. That and he is 18 years old. 

This was a no-brainer after reviewing the stats. Grabner is a pure scorer, and I think he will continue his success. Logan Couture is very talented, and has size, but plays on a high-powered offensively minded team. Jeff Skinner plays on a team where the other best player was a Center. He did play some wing, but he created plays and scored, and is the youngest by 4 years. No contest.

I chose to go with the aptly names Pavel Bure Trophy, because there may have been better Canucks rookies, but none were ever as exciting. This was a tough one for the this year. The main finalists are Chris Tanev, Cody Hodgson, and Lee Sweatt. Sweatt played well on that dinged up blueline, as well as Yan Suave. They were rushed up quickly, but answered the call. 

My preference toward everything Cody Hodgson is no secret. I love the guy. He has made great leaps this year, more so on the physical side. He finally looks like an NHL player and honestly has looked pretty damn good in the playoffs as well. However, this award is for the regular season and Chris Tanev was the man. 

He played in 29 games, which I am guessing is about 28 more than the Canucks had planned. Although he only had one assist in those 29 games, he also had an even rating. Not bad for a guy who probably didn't think he would play too many games this season. He was a pleasant surprise on the Blueline and I think he gained some invaluable experience.