Ice Dance

It’s been awhile since I’ve done what my staff profile says I do: “Barney turns to his bank of knowledge about the NHL to fill up cyberspace and add some ice to the drink that is the Bleacher Creatures.” In fact, I can’t remember the last time I have written a substantial article on the NHL. This is largely due to the quiet postseason my beloved Rangers had, but those times have come and gone. After a thrilling Stanley Cup finals, this offseason was expected to be filled with just as much excitement. With names like Jaromir Jagr, Mats Sundin, and Brian Campbell on the market, surely any fan of the NHL was constantly checking ESPN or NHL.com to see who ended up where. But in case you haven’t, or if you have been living in a cave for the past 2 or 3 months, let me recap for you what has been a hectic offseason in the NHL.

First off, let’s recap the awards. Obviously, ESPN will dedicate an entire cover story or a breaking news flash announcement to the winner of the NBA or NFL MVP. Unfortunately, they do not oblige to do the same for the NHL. Another reason why the Worldwide Leader is so biased. Anyways, moving on. Alexander Ovechkin was most definitely rewarded for his remarkable 65 goal, 112 point season. Alexander the Great hauled home the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the players’ choice for the most outstanding player. Furthermore, he was awarded the Rocket Richard Trophy (most goals) and the Art Ross Trophy (most points). Ovechkin, who was the first player to score 60 goals in a season since Lemieux did it in 1996, earned 128 of 134 first-place Hart Trophy votes from the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. Pretty damn impressive for a 22 year old. Capitals bench boss Bruce Boudreau, who took over the team after a terrible start and lead them to the playoffs (having Ovechkin certainly helped) earned the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach. Washington went 37-17-7 after the 53 year-old was hired on Nov. 22. Chicago Blackhawks rookie Patrick Kane took home the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie. Kane led all rookies with 72 points (21 goals, 51 assists) in 82 games and is the first Blackhawks player to win the Calder since goalie Ed Belfour in 1990-91. Red Wings captain and Stanley Cup winner Nicklas Lidstrom captured his sixth Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman. Lidstrom, 38, led defenseman in scoring with 70 points (10-60) in 76 games. Devils puck stopper Marty Broduer won his fourth Vezina Trophy in five years. Moving on now.

This year’s free agent pool was loaded with talent and teams moved in quickly to secure the best of the bunch. While last year the market was dominated by forwards (such as Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, both of whom signed mega-contracts with the Rangers), this year there seemed to be more quality defensemen looking for new homes. The most notable of them was Sharks point man Brian Campbell. Campbell, who played with both the Sharks and Sabres in the 2007-2008 season, signed an 8-year, $56.8 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Campbell, who posted 8 goals and 54 assists, for 62 points, in the 07-08 season, is a huge acquisition for the up and coming ‘Hawks. With young, offensive talent like Patrick Kane and recently-named captain Jonathan Toews, the ‘Hawks needed a solid defender to man the blueline. In addition to Campbell, the Hawks picked up Washington puck stopper Cristobal Huet, signing him to a 4 year, $22 million deal. Look for the ‘Hawks to make it to the playoffs this upcoming season as the years of rebuilding seem to be finally coming to a close. A new era is in place for the Blackhawks.

The other defenseman who many teams were going after this offseason was Ottawa point man Wade Redden. Redden had 6 goals and 32 assists on the season, totaling 38 points. Redden was courted by a few teams, but ended up choosing the Rangers, who gave him $39 million over 6 years. The Rangers needed to add another defenseman to their roster, and were reported to be going after Campbell and Redden. They couldn’t pull off a Drury-Gomez type deal like they did last year, but they will settle for Redden, a smart, physical, and offensive-oriented defenseman. This is a big acquisition for the Blueshirts, especially after losing Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman in a trade with Columbus. The Rangers also resigned Michael Rozsival and Paul Mara, and signed Sabres D-man Dmitri Kalinin, which further bolsters their blueline depth. The Rangers did suffer a few losses though. Renowned agitator Sean Avery left for Dallas, and captain and leading scorer Jaromir Jagr will be playing in Russia for the next two years, which will most likely be his last. The Rangers tried to add some offensive firepower in order to cancel out the effects of Jagr’s departure, but I just can’t see Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev making up for Jagr’s departure. It is truly sad to see Jagr leave and I know I speak for almost every Ranger fan in saying that he will be missed and that we wish him the best of luck in his future hockey endeavors.

Other big free agent signings include the Devils nabbing forward Brian Rolston. Rolston, who scored 31 goals last year and registered 28 assists, signed a 4-year, $20 million deal with New Jersey. He had been in Minnesota for the past three seasons. Rolston played six seasons with the Devils before being traded to Colorado in 2000. The Red Wings grabbed forward Marian Hossa from the Penguins, singing him to a one-year, $7.45 million deal. Ironically, Hossa played against the Wings in the Stanley Cup while a member of the Penguins. The two teams will play against each other Tuesday, Nov. 11 in Detroit. The only big name left on the market as of today is Mats Sundin. Sundin has yet to decide where he will be playing hockey next year. The Swede had 32 goals and 46 assists last season, totaling 76 points in 74 games. Sundin was offered a monster, 2-year, $10 million deal by the Vancouver Canucks but as yet to decide on his hockey future. Sundin has said he will not make his decision until early August, but insider sources tell the Creatures the he will most likely be back in Toronto for next season. Sundin has played 13 seasons as a Maple Leaf, and is the leading scorer in team history. He has accumulated over $50 million during his playing career, and money doesn’t seem to be the deciding factor. As he said, “If it was all about the money, I would have signed with Vancouver.” But he didn’t, and he as always said he would like to finish his career in Toronto. Bank on that happening.

In other news, Barry Melrose was chosen to replace John Tortorella as the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach. Melrose played 300 games in the NHL, before becoming the head coach for the L.A. Kings in 1992. He led the Kings to the Stanley Cup in ’93, losing to the Canadiens. Melrose coached them for two more seasons before leaving to become a hockey analyst at ESPN. He worked there for 13 years before being named the Lightning head coach on June 24th. Chicago will play host to the 2009 Winter Classic. Last year’s Winter Classic was played before 71,217 at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Penguins beat the Sabres in a shootout. On New Years Day 2009, the Blackhawks will battle the Red Wings at famous Wrigley Field. The rink will be set up in the middle of the playing field and seats are expected to be added to bring fans closer to the action. Wrigley Field’s capacity is only 41,118, so no attendance records will be shattered this time.

Also, a special Bleacher Creatures shout-out to Choate’s own Mark Goggin. Goggin was drafted by the Boston Bruins in this year’s NHL entry draft. The forward had 15 goals and 21 assists in 21 games for the Wild Boars and was the team’s leading scorer. He has committed to play college hockey at Dartmouth following his senior year at Choate.

That’s all we have time for, please join me for the next edition of Ice Dance. Whenever the will be.