Scattered Thoughts for A Monday Morning

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Martin Brodeur tied the NHL wins record on Saturday.

When it comes to Martin Brodeur, one can only wonder what might have been and marvel at what is.

If Brodeur had entered the NHL 17 years ago as a member of an Original Six team or even one of the NHL's more high profile franchises, his reputation and profile would have been that much larger even if he hadn't accomplished that much.

He almost certainly would be better paid.

As it is, Brodeur, tied today as the winningest goalie in NHL history with Patrick Roy, wakes up today as the 60th highest paid player in the NHL. Nine goalies - Evgeny Nabokov, Cristobal Huet, Tomas Vokoun, Marty Turco, Miikka Kiprussof, J.S. Giguere, Nikolai Khabibulin, Roberto Luongo and Henrik Lundqvist - earn a higher salary than Brodeur, a near laughable reality.

Choosing to be a Devil for so long, and choosing to take less to leave more for teammates in the salary cap era, has created this unusual economic story, unusual in that none of the netminders listed above have accomplished anything close to that which Brodeur has accomplished.

CHERRY BOMBS

Interesting on Saturday night to hear and see Don Cherry rail against those who spent the week providing coverage of the fighting issue off the GMs meetings in Florida rather than focusing on the playoff races.

So the guy who talks fighting every single week, rain or shine, whether there's a reason at hand or not, is suddenly cheesed off that fighting it being discussed.

Okay, sure.

It's right up there with Cherry professing to be upset because somebody else - Alex Ovechkin - is behaving too flamboyantly.

Or holding up Bob Probert - major drug and alcohol problems, frequent run-ins with police - as a model of what a Detroit Red Wing should be while at the same time professing to lecture to kids.

Ahh, nothing like a whiff of hypocrisy.

FAMILIAR PHANEUF

Don't know about you, but watching Dion Phaneuf play on Saturday night against the Maple Leafs sure reminded me a lot of the type of game Bryan McCabe used to deliver regularly at the ACC.

Those who watch the Calgary Flames play regularly would tell you that's Phaneuf's game, all over the map and with constant improvisations, particularly in his own end. Can't see him on the Canadian Olympic team at this point.

RULE BOOKED

Interesting to see that the instigator rule is already being called more aggressively. In Sunday's tilt between the Rangers and Flyers in Manhattan, Philly captain Mike Richards levelled Nikolai Zherdev with a fierce but clean hit. Dan Girardi of the Rangers jumped in to fight Richards, and was subsequently assessed 2, 5 and 10 for instigating.

That's exactly the way in which that penalty needs to be used. What's interesting still, however, is that Richards is forced to go to the box for five minutes simply for protecting himself when all he did was deliver a legal check.

For doing so, he gets pummelled and penalized, which still makes it a good trade-off for the Rangers, right?

The correct penalty would be a game misconduct for Girardi. That would be fair.

HEAD GAMES

In the Saturday game between the same two teams, meanwhile, Richards was given an elbowing penalty when New York forward Brandon Dubinsky faked as though he'd been hit in the head in the open ice when the contact had really been shoulder-to-shoulder. Despicable, really.

If the NHL wants to head such soccer-style shenanigans off at the pass, they'd suspend Dubinsky for a game.

HAVE MERCY

A mercy rule in a major international tournament featuring professionals?

Sorry, but that makes the World Baseball Classic a write-off for me.

WALKS LIKE A DUCK

Brian Burke could never have imagined that he'd have left Anaheim for Toronto and ended up with the more successful team.

But that could end up being the case. As of today, the Ducks have 70 points in the NHL standings, just one more than the Maple Leafs. Playing in the tougher Western Conference, of course, has something to do with it, but it sure is evidence of how the 2007 Stanley Cup champions have fallen.

Moreover, with Burke gone, the Ducks are rarely newsworthy any more. It was largely because of him that a team in Orange County, California somehow became one of the most talked about clubs in the NHL.

DESERT STAR?

Just as Sidney Crosby was a big part of the reason the Penguins stayed in Pittsburgh, its worth wondering if John Tavares could ending up meaning the same. . . to the Phoenix Coyotes.

Don't look now, but a Phoenix team that was in striking distance of a playoff berth at the all-star break has crashed to earth and is now in striking distance of the Islanders for dead-last overall in the NHL.

Tavares, quite obviously, would give the Coyotes a true marquee name in the desert for the first time since they moved there from Manitoba. Having Wayne Gretzky coach hasn't sold tickets, but a player with star quality might.

And if he goes to Long Island? Quite frankly, at this point I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

GENERALS NEVER SURRENDER

Tavares' former junior team, the Oshawa Generals, ended up missing the OHL playoffs by a single point, an impressive showing, really, by a team that gave up the present for the future in dealing Tavares to London.

Kudos to GM/head coach Chris DiPiero for keeping the Gens competitive.

Comments

[Guido]

On the Richards/Girardi/Instigator rule how about this.

In these obvious cases of a clean hit = a fight.
Give Girardi 5 min major and Richards nothing no matter how much he fights.

That would stop it 100% of the time.

[Cherry Is a Joke]

Thank You Damien once again for pointing out how much of a joke Don Cherry is/has become. Although I don't always agree with your hockey analysis I give you a credit for being one of the few (media and players) who will stand up to Cherry and intelligently critique him for the horrible analyst/sideshow that Cherry is.

[pvh]

Re Tavares
Sorry Damien but I can't get all excited at the prospect of yet another potential superstar being used to prop up a floundering expansion team. The real shame is that it will probably happen and we here in Leaf-land will continue to be ignored by NHL brass. Apparently our mission as fans is to support a mediocre team ad infinitum while Bettman's dopey expansion teams get all the gravy.

[Steve]

3 things:
1. I seem to remember a quote from Brodeur when he signed the extension that was along the lines of, "Sure I am underpaid now, but the contract takes me to age 40 and at that point I will probably be overpaid." I think there was a lot of modesty there.

2. Totally agree with Cherry. I wonder if he even really agrees with everything he says or if it is a public persona to get ratings and keep people talking about him? If he was just a solid analyst would anyone really listen?

3. Is the Ducks fall from grace any indication on Burke's management skills since it has only been a few months since he left. The team was managed by him heading into this season. That said, would I trade a cup win for the same fall? Yes.

[rb]

Yes, Mr. Cox, why would John Taveras want to play in the biggest market in North America - the New York metropolitan area where the Islanders play - as opposed to being shipped out to obscurity in the desert to play for a team that can't make payroll without the NHL's assistance? In addition, we all know that unlike the Islanders, the Jets/Coyotes have a long history of Stanley Cup success. I mean the Islanders were only guilty of winning 4 Stanley Cups in a row and 19 straight playoff series.

[John]

as a taxpayer, do i pay don's salary? i know cbc likes the money he brings in , but at some point isn't it necessary to take a stand against bigotry, racism, intimidation tactics and hypocrisy? For the kids? For a higher standard of programming? Because its the right thing to do? Oh, but then there's blowhards like milbury waiting in the wings. Wake up, CBC

[Matt B]

I don't know why HNIC insists on keeping Cherry for analysis. He lost touch with the game by the mid-90s and has been a joke since. Have him do specials -- send him to military bases, Afghanistan, wherever. But keep him away from commenting on hockey. He has no understanding of hypocrisy or irony.

[Al]

Remember Alexander Daigle...did you think he lived up to expectations?

[Arthur Bailey]

I don't know if it's just the market he plays in, but I have never really been that impressed by Brodeur. In fact, I always root for the other goalies. When it was between him and Kiprusoff for the Vezina, I wanted it to go to Kipper. If it had been between him and Artus Irbe, I would have wanted it to go to Irbe. I'm not entirely sure why.

I think alot of it is from years past, when the Devils won a couple of cups with the trap. That has always tainted the Brodeur legend for me, justified or not.

But it is good, perhaps admirable, to see players who are loyal to a team/city and will take a pay cut, or accept less than inflated market value, in order to make the team more competitive, and clearly you like this trait of Brodeur's as well. At the same time, you defend players who refuse to do the same, because it's understandable that they try to get as much as they can. Well, I think you are wrong in the second case. Fans deserve more from their athletes.

[Bob Holden]

With respect to the Girardi situation: How about a game misconduct for the first offence, a one game suspension for the second offence and double the suspension for each subsequent expense and have the team dress a man short for the suspension games. Shortening the bench might make the reams accountable and influence the culture.

[Tree]

Interesting thoughts ... I especially agree with your idea re: Girardi-Richards. When I heard the rule, which I like, I immediately thought of some team sending a goon to instigate a fight with a star player - just to see that player miss 5 mins (while the other team really only needs to kill a 2 minute minor).

On the Burke note, though, I think it's worth noting that he's very much responsible for the sorry state of the team and gets a little too much credit as some sort of genuis. This is the same guy that has mangled the Ducks' cap so badly they had to give a top prospect like Andy MacDonald away for pennies on the dollar. He inherited a team on the precipe of a championship and lucked into Pronger's demanding out of Edmonton. Since that Cup, he's managed the team into a complete financial mess (cap-wise). Pretty convenient timing for him to move on when he did. It seems to me as though he saw the writing on the wall and took off before he could be exposed for making some terrible decisions.

[wall©rawler™]

Mostly I believe its just a sad commentary of the GM's out there at the time of and after, when Marty signed his contract. Did these other GM's really think they had a better goalie than Marty? Sure he signed for less to give his team a better chance to win, and from the looks of it, they might this year. Anyways, Go Marty Go.

[nugentmania]

rb....I'll assume you're an Isles fan. You'd have to be with that logic. Their history as an early 80's powerhouse makes what has happened to that franchise all the more maddening. That HNIC forces me to listen to Mike Milbury as someone who can inform me about anything is offensive. This was a team that had every opportunity to build another powerhouse through the draft, but seemingly blew it on purpose. This doesn't even include who they should have or could have taken, since other teams pass on the same guys (Heatley the exception, since Dipietro was 1st overall)

Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt for Mike Peca 2001
Roberto Luongo/Oli Jokinen for Mark Parrish/Oleg Kvasha 2000
Eric Brewer/Josh Green/2nd for Roman Hamrlik (2000)
J.P Dumont/5th rounder for Dmitri Nabokov 1998
Zdeno Chara/1st(Jason Spezza)/Bill Muckalt for Alexi Yashin 2001
Todd Bertuzzi/Bryan McCabe for Trevor Linden 1998

This team will pay for this period in perpituity.

[Mike]

2 points:

1. Damien, I totally agree about Phaneuf, he's a good scorer but has been overrrated for a couple of years now. He's constantly out of position and big skilled European players like Sundin and his teammate Joikinen would eat him alive in the Olympics. I'd take Chris Phillips over him in a heartbeat - now THERE's a shutdown defender that Luke Schenn most reminds me of. Forget the Adam Foote comparisons.

2. nugentmania, I agree, but you have to admit that Milbury was a pretty good drafter. I know he usually picked pretty high in the draft but he usally got it right. His problem was trading. So he was really like the Isiah Thomas of the NHL...

[Mark Hillard]

Damien, you refer to "soccer style shenanigans" in reference to a player simulating a hit to the head. The main reason why so many professional soccer players engage in this behaviour is that physical contact is heavily regulated in the sport, and a significant adavantage can be gained by fooling the officials. While I am not a fan of fighting in hockey, I note that most proponents of a ban suggest that regulation of physical contact and stiffer penalties for transgression, is the solution to making fighting an unnecessary response for players trying to self police. Do you recognise that "soccer style shenanigans" might, therefore, become a greater part of hockey, as an unhappy by-product of a fighting ban?

[Tabber]

There's no value to a misconduct to a goon, unless it's to the goon's team in that he won't be on the ice and a more skilled player will be. The misconduct should cause the goon's team to be short-handed for the 10 minutes, thereby reducing the inclination of teams to have gons on their rosters. Same should apply to the head hits. Then coaches and managers would think twice about hiring these culprits. Thoughts?

[Larry Willman]

Don Cherry...wow!! Do boneheads come any more flamboyant than this? Do you really think that a rookie player is going to have his feelings hurt by being scored on by arguably the best player in the NHL today? In fact, he may have even had a laugh over the 'magic stick' incident if not for guys like you making it a huge tragedy on national TV.
The 'self proclaimed' tough guy all concerned that Ovechkin is hurting McKenna's feelings. All concerned that Ovechkin's flamboyance is hurting the game. Ok to deliver a concussion causing punch to the head of your opponent...because that's hockey. Ok to whack your sidekick and supreme gentleman, Ron McLean in the head with an elbow pad while millions watch on national TV. Ron hardly batted an eye when you did that to him. Now there's a gentleman!
But to celebrate a goal, as did Ovechkin and as many have done before him, in hockey and many other sports.....now that's an insult to your opponents sensibilities and to the game itself.
Cherry's stance on this is only for self promotion and to feed his narcissism. I guess the clown suites and comments about European players aren’t getting the traction they once did.
Cherry - walk down to the ROM and check yourself in as the oldest living fossil. If you're at all interested in keeping hockey the truly great sport that it is, especially for the kids, use that overinflated ego and bully tactics to get the violence out of the game. Use your energy on ridding the game of 'enforcers'. Kids need you, the great players of the NHL need you and you've been AWOL for the best fight in hockey. Now you're taking on great players like Ovechkin – in a public forum. Another brilliant career move!!
You're in real danger of losing your credibility with these young players Cherry. No one can challenge your passion for hockey or your knowledge of the game. The same can also be said of Ovechkin! While you condone fighting in hockey, you, of all people, can't teach much to Ovechkin about gentlemanly play!
Ovechkin, I hope, is bringing a new excitement to the game that's long overdue. Something with a little more colour than punching the careers out of great hockey players. I for one hope he sees through your little act and continues to celebrate his goals. If players and coaches have so much ego that they’re offended by the spirit of Ovechkin, someone needs therapy….and it’s not him.
Don, afraid of offending someone……if that wasn’t so ridiculous it would be laughable.

[John]

Brodeur opting to not lose any of his paycheck to an agent also contributes to his lower salary.

And can you imagine if Dominic Hasek had been North American born and did what he did for the Sabres in a major market? It would make this Brodeur-Roy talk moot. Brodeur-Hasek is the true argument.

[James Carr]

The rules in hockey are under attack, why is it that rules to a game that is over 100 years old are treated with such dishonor? I've played three sports to a semi high level. baseball, football, and hockey and for some reason hockey maybe because of the speed I don't know why but your thought process is completely different, the game lends itself to a more belligerent attitude or mindset to remove it from hockey by banning fighting will cut the heart right out of our great game. Has anyone seen a European hockey tournament? I've watched many, and its like watching paint dry, it's like two fighters both using the old Muhammad Ali rope a dope method at the same time. If you take fighting out of the game it will KILL hockey!!