The Hockey Stop

YZERMAN SNUBS GREEN



Calgary native Mike Green was left off Team Canada's Olympics roster. What a shame. I don't know what executive director Steve Yzerman was thinking when he left the Washington Capitals' Norris-nominated defenseman off the team. What I do know is that it was a mistake.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, all of 20 years, made the cut over Green? Come on. The National Post quoted Yzerman as saying he picked players who "will you to a win." And what does Green do then?

In the 2007-2008 season Caps commentator Joe Beninati nicknamed Green "Game Over" because he finished the season with 4 game-winning goals along with a league-leading 18 goals by a defenseman for 56 points. Last season Green set an NHL record by scoring in eight consecutive games. As of Dec. 13 he led all defensemen with 32 points (6 goals and 26 assists) in 32 games.

I just don't understand this decision, other than a bias against offensive-minded defensemen. Green should be skating in Vancouver in February. Oh well, I guess this is more ammunition for Green to prove the critics wrong. Expect a big second half of the season for the All-Star blue-liner.

SUN-TIMES: BLACKHAWKS ONE OF DECADE'S BIGGEST LOCAL STORIES



The rise of the Chicago Blackhawks is No. 6 on the Chicago Sun-Times' top ten biggest local stories of the decade. No. 1? The White Sox winning the World Series of course! Here is the 'Hawks entry from the Sun-Times website:

"6. Rocky Wirtz takes over the Blackhawks

When longtime Blackhawks chairman Bill Wirtz passed away in September 2007, he left behind a crumbling organization, a lousy hockey team and an embittered fan base. Enter son Rocky Wirtz. Within days, he vowed to put fans first and to restore the franchise to its glory days of the past. And he has delivered on his promises, rapidly transforming the organization into one of the best in the NHL. Hawks games, long an afterthought in this city, have become exciting, must-see events. And the team has become a Stanley Cup contender."

BIG TRADE: CHIMERA FOR CLARK, JURCINA



The Caps and Jackets made a big mid-season trade, with gritty, hard-charging forward Jason Chimera going to the Caps for veteran forward and captain Chris Clark and defenseman Milan Jurcina. I got a taste of Chimera's fearless net-crashing turbo boosters while watching last night's 5-2 loss at San Jose on NHL GameCenter Live. At one point late in the game Chimera skated full speed towards Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabakov. He nearly scored, but instead flew into and over Nabakov. Chimera should be a valuable irritant to opposing goalies.

IMPACT! MAGAZINE MAKING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?



The December 2009 issue of NHL.com's Impact! Magazine is available online. The cover story is about the rise of Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin. The web-only edition looks great and is easy to read online by flipping the virtual pages the same way you would read a print magazine. But if the point of providing the magazine online instead of print is to save paper and the environment, then NHL.com probably shouldn't lead off with this:

"The best part: print out the entire magazine and take it with you!"

DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN, I MEAN KINGS DEFEAT FLAMES



As an online news editor myself I can certainly sympathize with late-night errors when your eyes and mind are a bit foggy. But still, this is really bad. On the top of NHL.com the final score is 2-1 Flames over Kings, but the headline (which was up for a good 45 minutes) says "Kings edge Flames." Somebody was asleep at the Zamboni!

Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch and Brett Hull are headed to Toronto on Nov. 9 to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Here is the AP story:

The selection committee announced on a conference call Tuesday it had elected the maximum four players this year. All were eligible for the first time.

Yzerman retired in the summer of 2006 with the sixth-highest point total in NHL history. The longtime Detroit Red Wings captain won the Stanley Cup three times and a gold medal with Canada in the 2002 Olympics.

Hull's 741 goals rank third all-time, Robitaille's 668 are the most by a left wing and Leetch is one of just five defensemen to have a 100-point season.

A player must be retired for three seasons before becoming eligible to enter the Hall. The induction ceremony will be Nov. 9.

New Jersey Devils president Lou Lamoriello was also elected in the builder category.

Yzerman, Hull and Robitaille won a Stanley Cup together with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. Hull retired in 2005 after a 19-year career with the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, Red Wings and Phoenix Coyotes. He scored 86 goals in 1991 and received the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

His 741 goals trail only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe. His 24 career playoff game-winning goals are tied with Gretzky for the most in NHL history. He scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Stars in the third overtime of Game 6 of the 1999 finals.

He's now the Stars' executive vice president.

Leetch became the first American-born player to earn the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup in 1994. He also twice won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman.

Robitaille received the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 1987.

At least 14 of the Hall's 18-member selection committee must vote for a player for him to be elected.

The Hall of Fame's 18-member selection committee will announce the class of 2009 on Tuesday and with only four openings out of 30 viable candidates who meet the minimum three years of retirement, the decisions are sure to be tough.

So which four players have the best chance to step up to the podium at the induction ceremony on Nov. 9 to join the other 240 Hall of Famers?

The first-time eligible favorites appear to be Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman, Brian Leetch and Luc Robitaille. All four have sipped champagne out of Lord Stanley's Cup -- Hull, Yzerman and Robitaille won together with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002; Brian Leetch hoisted the Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994. Not to mention the personal achievements (they've all won at least one major individual award) such as Brett Hull's 86 goals and a Hart trophy in 1991.

But what about the other candidates? An argument could certainly be made for Alexander Mogilny. The Russian sharp-shooter was known as "Alexander the Great" when Alex Ovechkin was still learning to skate in Moscow. His career year was the 1992-93 season in which he racked up 76 goals in 77 games for the Buffalo Sabres. He won a Stanley Cup in 2000 with the New Jersey Devils. Other notables from Wikipedia:

Alexander Mogilny was the first European to lead the league in goals scored (along with Teemu Selänne from Finland), first European to be named a Captain of an NHL team (Sabres), first Russian to be named to the NHL all-star team, and is (as of the end of the 2005–06 season) the second all-time Russian scorer in the NHL. Mogilny would have also been the first Russian player to scored 1000 points in the NHL but several injuries have delayed him from reaching that goal until finally fellow Russian star Sergei Fedorov reached the mark just a few games before Mogilny.}

And don't forget that workhorse Dave Andreychuk. The left winger won a Cup 22 years into his career with the Lightning in 2004, holds the record for most power play goals with 270 and played in 1639 games.

And how can the selection committee overlook "The Russian Rocket" Pavel Bure? The Calder trophy winner for best rookie also nabbed two Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophies as the top goal scorer before his early retirement in 2005 because of a chronically injured knee.

But the real question no one is asking relates to the potential North American bias amongst the 18 voting members. With the addition recently of Canadians David Branch, president of the Canadian Hockey League, and former player and Hall of Famer Mike Gartner, could there be a prejudice against international players or is the committee objective? If you just go by the names on the committee they align more closely with Yzerman, Hull, Leetch and Robitaille then Mogilny or Bure.

The selection committee members are: James M. Gregory, Pat Quinn, Scotty Bowman, David Branch, Colin Campbell, John Davidson, Eric Duhatschek, Jan-Ake Edvinsson, Mike Emrick, Michael Farber, Mike Gartner, Dick Irvin, Jr., Lanny McDonald, Yvon Pedneault, Serge Savard, Harry Sinden, Peter Stastny and Bill Torrey.

I certainly hope these members don't listen to Don Cherry and instead vote for the most deserving players, regardless if they come from Saint John or Saint Petersburg.