The Evolution Of Carey Price

During last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, Carey Price played only one game throughout the Montreal Canadiens' remarkable run. The hockey world was in shock when the team traded off their playoff star Jaroslav Halak and named Price their starting goaltender. And it seems like it was just yesterday when, during the 2010-2011 preseason, the crowd at the Bell Center in Montreal emphatically booed him as he skated on and off the ice.

After the notorious booing incident, Price issued a statement to Habs fans via the media: "Chill."
For the passionate hockey fans in Montreal, this was a bold, almost insolent statement. After all, they live and breathe hockey over there, and no self-respecting Canadiens fan is willing to sit back and "chill" when the playoff future of their beloved age-old franchise is at stake.
But things have certainly changed for the small-town British Columbia native. Since then, it seems Price has taken his own advice and has become more calm, more steady, and more confident in net as the Habs' starting goaltender. In the span of 82 games we have watched the young goalie grow into a player who could very well be the reason the Habs repeat last year's extrordinary post-season story.

He's a candidate for the Vezina Trophy, though that honor is sure to go to veteran Tim Thomas and his incredible comeback. Price was a few games short of reaching and breaking several franchise records, needing only 9 more wins in the regular season to catch up to the legendary Jacques Plante for most victories in a season at 42. He played more minutes than any other goaltender in the league during the 2010-2011 season. Not to mention that his shutout total for the season is double the amount of shutouts he's had in his previous 3 years in the NHL combined.

12 months ago, Price was merely the backup netminder for his surging Habs, sitting meekly on the bench, while all eyes (including his own) were on Halak. But through the course of the year, he has stepped up to the plate and assumed the responsibility given to him of being the starting goalie for a team that represents the very essence of Canadian hockey. It's a lot of pressure, but somehow he's done it.

Price is almost a completely different person on the ice nowadays, known for his acrobatic saves, humorous gestures and memorable celebrations. Forget the captain Gionta, the cocky but dynamic rookie Subban or the learned veteran Gill. Carey Price runs the show on the Canadiens roster. And if he continues to play the way he did in the first game of the 2011 NHL Playoffs, it won't be long until he's running the entire province of Quebec.

A Hero On And Off The Ice

April 3, 1994
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins




Though still listed as day-to-day because of his recent bout with cancer, Mario Lemieux decided to get on the ice to play against the Boston Bruins. Despite the fact that he had just received a radiation treatment less than 24 hours before the game, Lemieux managed to score a goal and add an assist, helping his team defeat the Bruins 6-2. It may not have been his most spectacular goal, but as a cancer survivor, it can be counted as one of Lemieux's most significant performances to date.

Click HERE to see the video

The Skinny On Skinner: Why Jeff Skinner Deserves To Be Rookie Of The Year

Selected 7th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, you hardly heard a thing about Markham, Ontario's Jeff Skinner. With all the attention going to Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin, Skinner's drafting by the Carolina Hurricanes went by quickly and without fuss.
But if you were to compare the three rookies now, with only a few games left in the 2010-2011 regular season, it's Skinner's name that stands out amongst the rest.

One of the youngest active players in the NHL (he turns 19 in May), Jeff Skinner has become a veritable rock star in Carolina in the span of 6 months. And why wouldn't he? In his rookie season, Skinner has 29 goals under his belt, along with 29 assists and 58 points. To put things in perspective, he is now tied with Jordan Staal for goals in a rookie season (Staal achieved this in 2006-2007) and is 10 goals short of reaching Sidney Crosby's record of 39 goals in 2005-2006.

He was the most celebrated rookie at the 2011 NHL All-Star game, where the crowd roared and chanted his name every second he was out on the ice. Playing on fellow Hurricane Eric Staal's team, Skinner became the first 18-year old since Steve Yzerman to participate in the All-Star game.

His stats are impressive, no doubt. But probably what elevates his achievements to an even higher point is the fact that even though he is technically an adult, Skinner looks like a baby. It's hard to ignore his presence on the ice; most spectators are in awe of what appears to be a 16-year old playing full-contact hockey with the likes of the NHL's greatest. But then again, some of that awe could spawn from the fact that Skinner is one of the most energetic and hard-working players on the Hurricanes roster. His playing style has even been compared to Philadelphia Flyers' captain Mike Richards.

To date, Skinner sits just under captain Eric Staal in goals on the Hurricanes' roster.

In the race for the title of Rookie of the Year, Skinner is in tight competition with New York Islanders' Michael Grabner (31 goals, 48 points) and San Jose Sharks' Logan Couture (30 goals, 53 points).

Why do I think that between these three Skinner deserves the honour? As a whole, Skinner is more dynamic on the ice than his counterparts. Couture, who is part of a team that has been consistently good for so many years, is often overshadowed by his veteran teammates and doesn't appear to be as big of a difference-maker on the team as Skinner is. And though Grabner is currently leading the running for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the fact that the Islanders are not heading into the playoffs and the Hurricanes still have a chance, impacts the decision. If the Canes are able to battle their way into 8th place for the post-season, no doubt Skinner's talents will be among the factors of their success, only helping his case for the Calder.

Calder Trophy or no Calder Trophy, Jeff Skinner is going to come out of the 2010-2011 season as one of the most outstanding rookies the NHL has seen in the last few years. He flew into the league relatively under the rader and is going to come out soaring high above the rest.

No Stars On Ice?

It's the question on everyone's minds: Can the Pittsburgh Penguins be successful in the playoffs without their star players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?

Three months ago the Penguins were cruising; they had just ridden a 13-game winning streak and their captain Sidney Crosby was on pace for a 60+ goal season. In the east they chewed on the heels of the Philadelphia Flyers for top spot.

But injuries forced Crosby and his right-hand man Evgeni Malkin off the ice for the majority of February and suddenly doubts arose as to whether the Penguins would be the tour de force in the playoffs as previously expected. Without the 2 superstars, the team has dropped 7 of their last 10 games. Players who were expected to carry the weight of the team, Jordan Staal and Kris Letang, haven't been as outstanding as fans hoped.
A usually composed team, they let frustration get the best of them when, trailing by several goals to the New York Islanders, both teams erupted in a BRAWL. The game resulted in over 200 penalty minutes and several suspensions and fines, most significantly Eric Godard's 10-game suspension for leaving the bench to defend goalie Brent Johnson.

In the midst of the losses and meltdowns, Tyler Kennedy and Mark Letestu stepped up to give the Penguins' waning offence a spark, and they did it well. Unfortunately both had to miss several games due to minor injuries.

The good news for Penguins fans: Kennedy and Letestu are expected to be back in the lineup within the next few games, and newly acquired players James Neal, Matt Niskanen and Alex Kovalev have helped to inject some new energy and boost morale into the team.

While Crosby and Malkin are not expected back anytime soon (Crosby's lingering concussion symptoms suggest he won't be back at all this season), the 4th ranked Penguins are still guaranteed to make it into the playoffs. The only question is how far will they get in the post-season?

The fact is, despite the absence of their 2 most enigmatic players, the team still has reliable goalie Marc-Andre Fleury minding the net and a roster full of weathered veterans who have made Cup runs or had the pleasure of lifting Lord Stanley.

Most likely, the Penguins will make it past the first or second round of the playoffs, but if they want to get any further than that the team will need to learn how to step up their game without relying solely on their superstars.

Head-ing In The Wrong Direction

Do you remember when you were a kid and someone told you not to do something, and you did it anyways just to spite them? Seems like that attitude is showing up tenfold this season in the NHL when it comes to headshots and illegal hits.

In the 2009-2010 season, 2 fines and 3 suspensions were doled out for headshots. In March, Matt Cooke's concussion-inducing hit on Marc Savard forced the NHL to take a closer look at blindside hits, and what is and is not acceptable. The severity of Savard's concussion prompted the league to implement Rule 48, which banished blindside hits.

With these stricter guidelines in effect going into the 2010-2011 season, you would think that the number of injuries caused by illegal hits would decrease. But instead, they multiplied. So far, 8 suspensions have been handed out and 4 players have been heftily fined. The Calgary Flames' Tom Kostopolous received the harshest punishment, a 6-game suspension for his hit on Brad Stuart.

The league has been riddled with headshot-related injuries of late, and perhaps the most significant of the concussion victims is the NHL's poster boy Sidney Crosby. An unintentional hit by the Washington Capitals' David Steckel during the 2011 Winter Classic visibly shook Crosby up. A few days later against the Tampa Bay Lightning, another hit by Victor Hedman aggravated the injury and took him out of the game. Crosby, who had just come off of a 25-game point streak, has been out due to concussion since January 5th.

The only good thing to come out of Crosby's injury was the fact that the NHL once again was forced to re-examine the rules of the game. Since then, illegal hits have gone down in number, with only one instance (Danny Paille's hit on Raymond Sawada) in the past 2 months.

The halfway mark to the season has come and gone, and while dirty hockey seems to be on its way out, it is far from being gone completely. Here's to hoping the trend of increased illegal hits doesn't follow the game into the next season.

Stubborn As A Mule

February 2, 2011
Detroit Red Wings vs Ottawa Senators

The unsuspected "mule" Johan Franzen nets 5 goals in the span of 2 periods, giving the Detroit Red Wings a 7-5 victory over the struggling Ottawa Senators. Franzen's five goals notches the first natural hat trick since Marian Gaborik's in 2007.

Click HERE to see the video

Fire On Ice

Over 40,000 hockey fans braved the bitter cold on Sunday, February 2oth, to watch the much-hyped Heritage Classic. Old rivals met again as the Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadiens squared off to play outdoors in Calgary's McMahon Stadium.
The 2 most prominent meetings between these clubs happened in 1986 and 1989, both of which were Stanley Cup Finals. The Habs won the '86 Championship, while the Flames were the very first team to hoist Lord Stanley in Montreal's Bell Center in '89.

Despite the -15 degree weather, McMahon Stadium was filled from end to end in jerseys of red, with a surprising amount of blue and white as well. At least the sun was shining and the beer and hot chocolate flowed freely.
Opening ceremonies included a quick aerial show of 5 jets above the stadium, performances by Tokyo Police Club, Paul Brandt singing the national anthem, and the ceremonial puck drop that saw legends Bob Gainey and Lanny McDonald on the ice with Jarome Iginla and Brian Gionta.

It was an exciting game, with both teams playing well but there were 2 key factors that determined the outcome.

1. Calgary's offence was just too much for Carey Price. Rene Borque's two goals and Anton Babchuk's slick move boosted the Flames to a 4 goal lead over the Habs.

2. Kiprusoff was a door. Despite windy conditions going against him, Kipper denied any chance of a Habs goal and earned his 41st career shutout.

In NHL outdoor game history, the visiting team was usually the one to skate away with a victory, but the Flames, who have been very hot of late, picked up the two points this time around. A home win over a storied rival helped add to the electric "C of Red" atmosphere.

It had been 8 years since the last outdoor NHL game was played in Canada, but it seemed to be well worth the wait. Overall, the Heritage Classic weekend was a success, and it became clear early on that hockey fans are unlike any other; willing to sit for hours in weather well below freezing, all for the love of the game.






Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens, February 20th, 2011