The Hockey Stop

I know this is a hockey blog and I'm not supposed to be writing about college basketball. But as a George Mason University alumnus and longtime supporter of the Patriots men's basketball program, I felt compelled to write this tribute to one of the greatest coaches to ever step on the hardwood -- Jim Larranaga.

The sad news comes today that Larranaga is leaving Mason to take over the head coaching duties at the University of Miami. CAA for ACC. Northern Virginia traffic for hurricanes. Pine trees for palm trees. The Patriot mascot for Sebastian the Ibis mascot.

When I attended George Mason's suburban Fairfax campus from 1997 to 2002, it was very much a commuter school that was sorely lacking in any school spirit. I was one of the few students who lived on campus, and many nights I would walk around Patriot Circle to see the basketball team play at the Patriot Center. And on most nights it was me and a dozen foreign exchange students cheering on the home team. And that was it.

While I was an undergrad at Mason, we went to the NCAA tournament twice -- losing to the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first round in 1999 and losing by only three points to the Maryland Terrapins in the first round in 2001.

My friends and I had school spirit. We went down to Richmond both years to witness Larranaga and the team tear down the nets as Colonial Athletic Association champions. I'll never forget storming the Richmond Coliseum court both those years to celebrate.

We even went so far as to drive from Fairfax to College Park in the middle of the night to plaster Maryland's campus with Mason's colors -- Green and Gold. It was reported in the Washington Post that before the game against the Patriots, Terrapins player Juan Dixon found out that Maryland's campus was vandalized by Mason students and that he was pissed.

But our school spirit was the exception, not the rule. I graduated from Mason in 2002 and headed out to California. I was living in Los Angeles in 2006 when the Mason Miracle happened. Coach Larranaga did the improbable. He took a no-name, rinky-dink commuter school and made Mason a household name by leading the Patriots to the Final Four -- destroying powerhouses Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut before losing to eventual champion Florida.

I was doing cartwheels in my apartment in L.A. and then driving down Wilshire Boulevard honking and screaming about the Patriots going to the Final Four to anyone within earshot. It was a magical moment. And where else would I have rather been for a Hollywood ending then Hollywood itself?

Since that amazing run that shook the sports world, when I tell people in California or Canada or anywhere for that matter that I went to Mason, they immediately mention "oh yeah, that school that went to the Final Four!" So thanks, Jim Larranaga, for the 2006 Final Four run and for putting Mason on the map.

Since then Larranaga has been a tireless advocate for the school itself. He touts its construction boom and world-class faculty to anyone that will listen. And as a result the stories aren't just about the Patriot Center now being filled to the rafters with nearly 10,000 fans on a weekday night for a game, but also the spike in applications from across the country and the tougher admissions process to get into Mason. In short: George Mason is now not only a basketball powerhouse but an academic heavyweight as well. So thanks Jim Larranaga for being the best ambassador Mason has ever had.

And just this past March Madness, he made Mason Nation believe again in miracles when the Patriots beat Villanova at the buzzer for the school's first tourney win since 2006. Once again I was going crazy, but this time instead of lonely Los Angeles, I was at a downtown Washington, D.C. bar cheering on the team with my fellow Patriots.

This loss will sting for awhile. But I wish Larranaga nothing but the best at Miami. I've tried to describe some of Larranaga's enormous legacy he is leaving in Fairfax, but there is so much more he has done for this community that it is beyond words.

All I can say is thanks.

When the National Hockey League expanded to the southeastern United States, there were many skeptics in traditional northern cities. How can a sport played on a sheet of ice by Yankees, Canucks, Russkies and Nordic people possibly survive and thrive in a market more used to college football and NASCAR?

Well, this past weekend's NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina, showed the hockey world how far the sport has come in this very non-traditional market. Yes, professional ice hockey can succeed south of the Mason-Dixon line.

The Research Triangle and the Carolina Hurricanes organization put on a first-class event. The Caniacs (Carolina fans) were gracious hosts and incredibly respectful of the players gathered in their state. I didn't hear a single boo during the game, even for the players on rival teams like Washington, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Only loud, enthusiastic cheers for all the participants.

And, despite some awkward moments at Friday night's first ever fantasy draft (see my previous post), the new format gets an A+ overall. Saturday night's skills competition was one of the most entertaining ever, and Sunday's game had a competitive edge you don't normally see in the traditional East-West format. Team Lidstrom edged out Team Staal 11-10 in a back-and-forth barn burner.

Even though there have been recent financial struggles in Atlanta, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Nashville and South Florida, the action-packed weekend in Raleigh is an encouraging sign that being located in the South doesn't have to be an obstacle to building a successful franchise.

The NHL's Southeast Division until as recently as last season was considered the weakest division in hockey. Except for the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers were awful compared to the rest of the league.

But ten games into this young season there have been noticeable improvements in every team, most notably the Lightning, who as of October 31st have the second best record in the league at 7-2-1 for 15 points -- one point behind the Los Angeles Kings.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING:



New General Manager Steve Yzerman has brought his wealth of experience and winning ways from the Detroit Red Wings to this franchise and has started to put the pieces together to rebuild the Bolts into a championship-caliber team that will challenge the Caps for Southeast supremacy.

In the offseason, Yzerman resigned Martin St. Louis; signed defensemen Pavel Kubina, Brett Clark and goaltender Dan Ellis; and brought in Simon Gagne via trade. Those acquisitions added to an already potent lineup that includes Vincent Lecavalier and reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner and goal-scoring machine Steven Stamkos. Last season Stamkos finished with 51 goals and 44 assists for 91 points.

ATLANTA THRASHERS:



The Thrashers, or Chicago South, made a bunch of big moves in the offseason. It started with the organization deciding not to renew the contract of Head Coach Jon Anderson and his coaching staff. Former General Manager Don Waddell was promoted to President of Hockey Operations, Rick Dudley former Assistant GM was promoted to General Manager.

The first move was a major nine-player trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that brought Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel and Akim Aliu to Atlanta. Later the Thrashers also traded for Blackhawk Andrew Ladd. The next day the team named Craig Ramsay as the new head coach, along with new staff in other key positions within the organization.

The Thrashers currently sit in third place in the Southeast division with a record of 5-4-2 for 12 points.

CAROLINA HURRICANES:

After an atrocious start to last season, one in which they finished with only 35 wins, the Canes are rebuilding with a youth movement and a veteran goaltender to back them up. So far in this young season former Vezina Award winner Cam Ward has been playing brilliantly.

Carolina has a mix of proven veterans like Ward, Captain Eric Staal, Tuomo Ruttu and Erik Cole and young talent like Jeff Skinner, Brandon Sutter, and eventually, when they are called up, Jon Matsumoto and Bobby Sanguinetti.

The Canes are currently sitting at 5-5-0 with 10 points.

FLORIDA PANTHERS:



The Panthers still have a ways to go until they become an elite team in the NHL. But they are making progress. And they might just be able to avoid the distinction of being the first city with ten consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs, although they are probably too soon in their rebuild to make the postseason.

Like the Hurricanes, the Panthers at least have a rock-solid goaltender in Thomas Vokoun, who has the ability to keep them in every game. And new General Manager Dale Tallon is beginning to put his imprint upon the organization. Tallon built the Blackhawks to the current Stanley Cup championship team so the Panthers are in good hands.

Some of the players Tallon nabbed in the offseason were blueliner Dennis Wideman and forward Steve Bernier. Tallon also added Christopher Higgins, Marty Reasoner, Mike Santorelli and Mike Weaver.

The new-look Panthers are currently 4-5-0 with eight points.

A tougher Southeast Division is good for professional hockey because it makes more games competitive and means that there will be more of a fight for every playoff spot. Also, the Capitals are finding out that they won't be able to cruise through the regular season like they have in past years, and the rest of the league is starting to figure out that they can't take any Southeast Division opponent for granted.

(Picture credit: Lake Fong, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The temperature is dropping outside and that means it's heating up inside NHL arenas across North America.

On Thursday the 2010-2011 season kicks off with festivities at Yonge-Dundas Square -- Toronto's Times Square.

But before the NHL Network's live coverage from Dundas Square at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time there is the first game to be played in Helsinki, Finland at 12 p.m. EDT between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Minnesota Wild. The team from Minneapolis-St. Paul will hope to have better luck than the Twins did against the Yankees at Target Field last night. The game will be broadcast live on Versus.

The marquee matchups are later in the evening as the Pittsburgh Penguins play the first game at their new arena against Stanley Cup finalists and cross-state rivals the Philadelphia Flyers. The Consol Energy Center (pictured above) in downtown Pittsburgh is the first Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED) gold-certified facility in the NHL. We'll see if the new building can energize the Pens on to victory over the Flyers. The game starts at 7 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on Versus.

At 10 p.m. EDST Versus switches to Denver where the Colorado Avalanche will be hosting the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks as the rejiggered team -- no Dustin Byfuglen, Brent Sopel, Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg, Antti Niemi, John Madden, Ben Eager and Adam Burish -- begins its title defense against a tough Western Division opponent with one of the best goaltenders in Craig Anderson.

So get ready for what should be an exciting season.

The National Hockey League lags behind baseball, football and basketball when it comes to television ratings and national attention, however, when it comes to ESPN The Magazine's seventh annual Ultimate Standings, the fastest sport in the world simply dominates.

Many hockey fans will be pleasantly surprised as they read the latest issue of "The Mag," which hit newsstands on July 13. That's because five of the top 10 teams are from the NHL out of 122 professional franchises ranked from the NHL, MLB, NFL and NBA.

The teams are ranked based on eight major categories -- wins vs. ticket prices, fan relations, ownership, stadium experience, players, coaching and championships won or soon to be won.

The Carolina Hurricanes (2), Detroit Red Wings (4), Washington Capitals (6), Pittsburgh Penguins (8) and St. Louis Blues (10) are the five teams in the top 10. The Anaheim Ducks are ranked 11th.

There are only two NHL teams in the bottom 10 -- the New York Islanders (115) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (120).

The Islanders should be able to reverse their fortunes by recently signing No. 1 draft pick John Tavares to a 3-year deal and starting construction soon on their new arena, dubbed "The Lighthouse Project."

As for long-suffering Leafs fans? Maybe new president and GM Brian Burke can help bring the team back to its glory days just like he brought a Stanley Cup to Anaheim as GM of the Ducks.

Getting to the playoffs would be a nice start. While the Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup in 41 plus years, it's been four years since they skated into the postseason.