PLAYER OF THE DECADE: Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings He's a man for his era, a defenseman who is practically perfect in every way. With post-lockout rule changes making the off-the-glass, crease-clearing blueline behemoth practically obsolete, the ability to play positional hockey and move the puck became paramount. Lidstrom, a Swede, was the most accomplished at the refined art, winning six Norris Trophies in the decade and becoming the first European to captain a Stanley Cup champion.
Watching the Game of The Season on television Saturday night -- that playoff-quality Chicago overtime win over Pittsburgh -- On the Fly felt twinges of nostalgia for the good old days of, say, 2004.
With almost a quarter of the regular-season schedule in the books, I would go as far to say that the Buffalo Sabres' sizzling 12-4-1 start isn't really out of the ordinary. They were well on their way to being a playoff team last season prior to goaltender Ryan Miller getting hurt down the stretch. Miller (12-2-1, leading-leading 1.77 goals-against average, .939 save percentage, two shutouts) has been a difference-maker again thus far, with no signs of slowing down. Given his fine play -- he was the league's Third Star for last week -- and the slippage of the Boston Bruins to date, the Sabres sitting atop the Northeast Division is at least explainable, if not entirely predictable coming out of training camp.
If it seems like the average NHL player is getting younger, that may be because it's true. At 27.4, the league's average age last season was the lowest it's been since 2000-01, according to quanthockey.com, an independent website that offers statistical analysis by age and nationality. The average age of forwards, when weighted to account for their number of games played, dropped by more than a year after the 2004-05 lockout, a sign that younger players were being given more opportunities.
I sat in on a presentation this past weekend in Nashville by Tampa Bay Lightning Assistant General Manager Claude Loiselle that was very interesting. He was part of a program that addresses the entire Thunder Hockey AAA organization: coaches, parents and players aged 11-18 on teams comprised of some of the best youth in the southeast region.
The sign on Interstate 76 East on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on a dim Monday morning reads "You Are On The Road To The Stanley Cup." After two games of the 2009 final, evidence suggests the road is right but the direction is wrong.
PITTSBURGH -- In their pivotal game of their playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the battle of wounded knee.
The déjà vu Stanley Cup final is now a must-see.
The seventh game of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final has already been played in the recesses of minds and in recreation rooms and on driveways and rutted roads and in the temporary rinks that sprout in city parks during the northern winters.
The Penguins have completed the hotel hat trick in Detroit, staying in their third auberge in three trips during the final. For those keeping score at home, they started at the Westin for Games 1 and 2, moved out to the suburbs to a Ritz-Carlton for Game 5 and, after going 0-3, are now ensconced at the MGM Grand.
PLAYER OF THE DECADE: Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings He's a man for his era, a defenseman who is practically perfect in every way. With post-lockout rule changes making the off-the-glass, crease-clearing blueline behemoth practically obsolete, the ability to play positional hockey and move the puck became paramount. Lidstrom, a Swede, was the most accomplished at the refined art, winning six Norris Trophies in the decade and becoming the first European to captain a Stanley Cup champion.
Watching the Game of The Season on television Saturday night -- that playoff-quality Chicago overtime win over Pittsburgh -- On the Fly felt twinges of nostalgia for the good old days of, say, 2004.
With almost a quarter of the regular-season schedule in the books, I would go as far to say that the Buffalo Sabres' sizzling 12-4-1 start isn't really out of the ordinary. They were well on their way to being a playoff team last season prior to goaltender Ryan Miller getting hurt down the stretch. Miller (12-2-1, leading-leading 1.77 goals-against average, .939 save percentage, two shutouts) has been a difference-maker again thus far, with no signs of slowing down. Given his fine play -- he was the league's Third Star for last week -- and the slippage of the Boston Bruins to date, the Sabres sitting atop the Northeast Division is at least explainable, if not entirely predictable coming out of training camp.
If it seems like the average NHL player is getting younger, that may be because it's true. At 27.4, the league's average age last season was the lowest it's been since 2000-01, according to quanthockey.com, an independent website that offers statistical analysis by age and nationality. The average age of forwards, when weighted to account for their number of games played, dropped by more than a year after the 2004-05 lockout, a sign that younger players were being given more opportunities.
I sat in on a presentation this past weekend in Nashville by Tampa Bay Lightning Assistant General Manager Claude Loiselle that was very interesting. He was part of a program that addresses the entire Thunder Hockey AAA organization: coaches, parents and players aged 11-18 on teams comprised of some of the best youth in the southeast region.
The sign on Interstate 76 East on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on a dim Monday morning reads "You Are On The Road To The Stanley Cup." After two games of the 2009 final, evidence suggests the road is right but the direction is wrong.
PITTSBURGH -- In their pivotal game of their playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the battle of wounded knee.
The déjà vu Stanley Cup final is now a must-see.
The seventh game of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final has already been played in the recesses of minds and in recreation rooms and on driveways and rutted roads and in the temporary rinks that sprout in city parks during the northern winters.
The Penguins have completed the hotel hat trick in Detroit, staying in their third auberge in three trips during the final. For those keeping score at home, they started at the Westin for Games 1 and 2, moved out to the suburbs to a Ritz-Carlton for Game 5 and, after going 0-3, are now ensconced at the MGM Grand.
Turns out more than one player is willing to take a hometown discount to stay with the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
The NHL -- for reasons inexplicable to anyone who doesn't understand that it is always sniffing for potential expansion cities -- convened in Las Vegas to hand out its rotating collection of silver not named Stanley. All and all, a slick affair worthy of a watch.
Just call it the city of champions.
And so it goes, on and on and on.
DETROIT -- On the night of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the hands of Max Talbot are just fine. Nine days after his linemate Evgeni Malkin jokingly remarked about him, "Yeah, little bit bad hands," Talbot scored twice in the second period, as the Penguins won the deciding game, 2-1 (RECAP | BOX), at Joe Louis Arena Friday night. "[But] he's still right about that," Talbot said, chuckling.
The Pittsburgh Penguins proved their mettle in prevailing in Game 7 in Detroit over the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings. They played better. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury came up with his best effort at Joe Louis Arena when it mattered most, saving the celebration with his left-shoulder lunge save on Nick Lidstrom with one second remaining. Role player Max Talbot stepped into the spotlight and took a star turn with two goals. And the team overcame a mid-game injury to Captain Sidney Crosby to carry on and finish its comeback from a 0-2 series deficit.
DETROIT -- Here are the Three Stars from the Penguins' 2-1 victory in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup:
DETROIT -- On the night of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the hands of Max Talbot are alright. Nine days after his linemate Evgeni Malkin jokingly remarked, "Yeah, little bit bad hands," Talbot scored twice in the second period, as the Penguins won the deciding game of the Stanley Cup finals, 2-1, at Joe Louis Arena Friday night. Winning the championship for the first time since 1992 against the team that defeated them just a year ago, the Penguins defied history, becoming the first team to win Game 7 on the road since the 1971 Montreal Canadiens.
History is supposed to teach us lessons and give us insight into the future. When it comes to tonight's Game 7 in Detroit between the Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, what view is pertinent -- the overall history or recent recall?
Among the memories that Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma has tucked away from his playing days in Anaheim is the anguish of losing a Game 7. It was six years ago -- on June 9, 2003 -- that he picked up a copy of USA Today only to see his likeness splashed on the front page of the sports section. He had become the illustrative example of the Ducks being denied by New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.
PITTSBURGH -- On the 25th anniversary of the drafting of Mario Lemieux -- the nicest thing that has happened to this city since Mr. Rogers pulled on his first cardigan -- the Pittsburgh Penguins were silver if not exactly golden.
1. Jordan Staal, Penguins: Centering probably the best line of the night for Pittsburgh, Staal broke the scoreless game with a goal in the first minute of the second period. And when it became pretty clear that Pittsburgh was going to win on defense, he is one of the guys they call to shut the other team down. He played 19:31, more than he's played all series and more time than star Sidney Crosby saw on the ice. "Jordan Staal can, with his skating ability and his size, he can be a force in the defensive zone, he can be a force with his speed through the neutral zone. He can be a force in the offensive zone," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "He was a force in whatever zone he was in [tonight]."
A straw poll for the players of the NHL: How many of you would like spend the next few years tapping home laser beam passes from Sidney Crosby?
We can imagine how the late Bob Johnson might have consoled his troops after the Penguins were humiliated 5-0 by the Red Wings in Game 5. "You can lose three games and still win the series," he'd have reminded them.
In a welcome change of pace from the seemingly endless saga of Will He Or Won't He Play Tonight, Pavel Datsyuk is finally making news for something other than his bum foot. The Red Wings center, who hadn't played since Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, had two assists in Detroit's commanding 5-0 win over the Penguins in Game 5 at Joe Louis Arena (RECAP | BOX) and are now within one win of hoisting the Stanley Cup for the 12th time.
Well, maybe Pavel Datsyuk is finally ready to make his debut in the 2009 Stanley Cup finals.
In last year's Stanley Cup Final between the Red Wings and Penguins, it was easy to see the series as a battle of the young and the ageless. Pittsburgh, led by its star 20-somethings, challenged an experienced Detroit team for the championship, but just couldn't get past the old standard.
Here are the Three Stars from the Penguins' 4-2 victory in Game 4:
The official word is that Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk will be a game-time decision tonight. Head coach Mike Babcock says it's up to the Hart Trophy finalist to decide if he's ready to roll in Game 4 at Mellon Arena, where the Pittsburgh Penguins will try to tie up the series.
At least no one can blame the springy boards tonight.
Too much déjà vu, it's getting creepy. Two years in a row, same teams in the Stanley Cup Final, same pattern. Detroit wins two at home, the series moves to Pittsburgh, and the Penguins take a nailbiter.
1. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins -- Now this was the big horse that everyone's been waiting to see in the Final. Playing to the full potential of his size and skill, Malkin backed off Detroit's defense and carved out huge hunks of space along the boards. That gave him the time to issue the primary assist on the first three Pittsburgh goals, including Sergei Gonchar's winner midway through the third. He now has 11 multi-point games this spring.
The deficit was the same as after last year's Stanley Cup Final opener, but the Pittsburgh Penguins skated off the ice with something they didn't have 12 months ago.
Overall, the Pittsburgh Penguins played a strong road game. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were in fine form. The rest of the team was stout defensively and looked sharp offensively. So, why then, are they down 1-0 in the series?
The Skinny: You know that old saying about defense winning championships? Forget it. This is the New NHL, and these days it's all about the O. Little wonder then that the league's two most lethal sides are back to test their marksmanship on one another for the second year in a row.
As the Red Wings and Penguins meet for an encore of last year's Stanley Cup finals, story lines abound. Here's a grab bag of things to watch as the series unfolds.
A stroll down memory lane . . .
These are surely metaphysical times in the wonderful world of sports, and the chattering of many frightened teeth concerns whether Sidney Crosby has consigned the Pittsburgh Penguins to certain defeat in the Stanley Cup Final. Crosby, you see, was brassy -- or dumb -- enough to actually touch the Prince of Wales Trophy after the Pens won the Eastern Conference title on Tuesday night.
Carolina coach Paul Maurice said he wasn't worried about winning four straight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He just needed his Hurricanes to win one game.
At this point, the outcome of the Pittsburgh-Carolina series is no longer in question. It's just a matter of when the Penguins can drop the polite "we're not looking ahead" mantra and officially start talking about the Detroit Red Wings.
Call it a moment of foreshadowing.
I'm not sure who controls the music in the Hurricanes' dressing room, but if they're looking to make a point before tonight's Eastern Conference final game, might I suggest a mash-up of Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero and Olivia Newton-John's Let's Get Physical?
Playoff comebacks have been commonplace for Carolina, and for the Hurricanes to make the Eastern Conference finals a series again, they'll need their biggest one yet.
"It's called The Geno for a reason," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said of the eponymous play on which center Evgeni Malkin finished his hat trick.
A surprising number of Buffalo folk and ex-Sabres are making good and bad in these playoffs.
Some thoughts and observations from the day off before Game 2 of the Hurricanes-Penguins series...
The Cardiac Canes have the Pittsburgh Penguins right where they want them.
1. Marc-Andre Fleury, Penguins - With his teammates tossing away pucks like they were beads at Mardi Gras, Fleury was forced to come up with one of his best performances of the spring. He made 23 saves on the night and looked particularly sharp on a glove save on Tuomo Ruutu midway through the first. In the dying moments he stymied Eric Staal in his attempt to bury what could have been the tying goal.
Eastern Conference Finals: (4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (6) Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes aren't about to be daunted by anything when these Eastern Conference Finals begin, not by the Penguins, not one bit.
Earlier this season, Washington winger Alexander Semin raised eyebrows when he posed a question to a Russian reporter. What's so special about Sidney Crosby?
1. Sidney Crosby, Penguins: Crosby answered the bell in the first Game 7 of his career, netting the critical opening goal with a power play tap in before writing a dramatic denouement. He closed out the scoring by stealing the puck from his rival Alexander Ovechkin at the Pittsburgh blueline then racing alone through three zones before snapping it through the legs of Jose Theodore. In the battle of the game's two marquee stars, Crosby is the one who moves on to the next round . . . and based on his two-way play, he was the more deserving.
If the NHL was in the habit of taking requests, the phones would have been ringing off the hook this season for a Washington-Pittsburgh series that went seven games. Now that it's about to happen, the only people unhappy that this wildly entertaining struggle is going the distance may be the Penguins themselves.
After his team's Game 5 loss (RECAP | BOX) to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Alexander Ovechkin stuck his neck -- and his words -- into the public firing line by warning the Penguins: "Next game is going to be different. It's not over yet. If somebody thinks it's over, it's not over. We're going to come back here again. Game 7."
Random observations after Pittsburgh's thrilling 4-3 overtime win over Washington in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series... It might seem odd to say that a game characterized by thrilling bursts of run-and-gun hockey was decided by defense, but that's exactly what happened. And that's the critical take-home for the Capitals if they hope to bring the series back to Washington for Game 7. Despite the odd breakdown, Pittsburgh has turned around a series it once trailed two games to none by committing to the belief that defense is the responsibility of all five skaters on the ice. The 42 shots allowed by Washington shows how far removed it is from buying into that concept.
It's no surprise that Washington superstar Alex Ovechkin was in the middle of the highlight of the night. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of play that could help his Capitals tilt the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their favor.
Yanni is forcing the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins to play two playoff games in as many nights, and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis doesn't like it.
Challenge issued. Challenge answered.
It was a game that brought to mind that classic scene from Spinal Tap. On a night when Sidney Crosby turned his amp up to 10, Alexander Ovechkin cranked his to 11.
With Sunday's road wins, the Hurricanes and Ducks tied their respective series at one apiece. The Blackhawks earned their split in Vancouver against the Canucks on Saturday night. Will the Penguins follow suit in Washington and head home with the series tied?
Regular season series: Boston won 4-0-0
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- When Dan Bylsma took over as interim coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins in mid-February, they were barely over .500 and nearly out of the playoff race.
The Pittsburgh Penguins showed what last year's trip to the Stanley Cup final taught them -- patience. Theirs was a measured first-period effort -- the first scoreless period of the series -- always a good way to approach a road game after a loss. For their part, the Philadelphia Flyers pressured effectively in the opening 20 minutes, only to be rebuffed by Pens goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. And as good as he was in the first, the Flyers hadn't seen anything yet.
Regular season series: Pittsburgh won 4-2
My Three Stars from opening night of the playoffs:
SI.com writers look to the 2009 playoffs by addressing four key questions.
Longtime NHL forward Miroslav Satan has cleared waivers and been recalled by Pittsburgh as the Penguins end the regular season and head to the playoffs.
The natives are restless in Colorado. Avalanche coach Tony Granato, Take 2, appears to be on the hot seat. The team is foundering. Pepsi Center sellouts in what had been one of the most robust American markets are ancient history. So where can a suddenly struggling franchise turn?
The patron saint of the NHL trading deadline is a smallish former player with thinning hair who was renowned for staying out of the penalty box, a dubious fashion sense, and a helmet so battered it looked like troops had spooned soup from it at the Battle of the Somme.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- This is becoming a recurring theme: The Pittsburgh Penguins, badly in need of a linemate for Sidney Crosby, add one of the best forwards available at the trading deadline.
The Pittsburgh Penguins traded defenseman Ryan Whitney to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Chris Kunitz and a junior prospect, less than two seasons into a six-year, $24 million contract that was supposed to make Whitney a key part of the Penguins' future.
Late last Friday afternoon, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero told On The Fly that his coach, Michel Therrien, deserved a chance to work through his team's problems -- just like he successfully had in the past.
New Jersey Devils right wing Jamie Langenbrunner, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green have been named the NHL's Three Stars for the week ending Feb. 1.
With the All-Star break behind us, the next segment of the season is of vital importance for most teams. That is especially true in the case of two teams that have underachieved thus far: the 2008 Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Dallas Stars, who lost in the Western Conference Final to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.
SI.com's NHL writers analyze four hot topics surrounding All-Star Weekend as well as the upcoming trade deadline and playoff stretch drive.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby ruled himself out of Friday night's game against Anaheim because of an apparent left knee injury.
There are 1,230 games on the 2008-09 NHL regular season schedule. There are fewer than a dozen that really get the blood racing, that pique interest beyond the immediate marketplace.
If nothing else, the World Junior Hockey Championship proved again that Pat Quinn really can coach kids.
Tuesday night features the return engagement between last spring's Stanley Cup finalists as the Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Detroit to tangle with Red Wings (7 p.m. Eastern time on Versus). Both teams sport spiffy records heading into the match-up -- the Pens at 8-4-2 with identical 4-2-1 home and road marks; the Wings at 9-2-2 despite already having played eight road games.
The National Hockey League' 2008-09 pre-season schedule runs from Saturday, Sept. 20 through Monday, Oct. 6. The 110-game slate features the four NHL clubs who will open the 2008-09 regular season in Europe -- the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning -- playing five games in four European cities.
We'll skip the marriage made in hell jokes.
Kris Beech, a forward acquired by Pittsburgh in a trade for Jaromir Jagr, was among 13 players sent down by the Penguins to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL on Tuesday.
After fighting through a series of last-minute decisions (the Dallas Stars vs. the Dallas Cowboys? Wrigley or U.S. Cellular?), the NHL finally released its 2008-09 schedule on Thursday, officially starting the countdown to Opening Night on Oct. 4.
For what it's worth, you can't call Marian Hossa a liar. He is a man of his word. When he said that he would take less money for a chance to be a champion last month, the 29-year-old winger wasn't being disingenuous. It's just that he wasn't talking exclusively about the Pittsburgh Penguins either.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Evgeni Malkin is staying in Pittsburgh for quite some time.
On the afternoon of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals, during a teleconference beamed to sylvan Oakland Hills Country Club in suburban Detroit, Tiger Woods was asked whom he liked that night, the Red Wings or the Pittsburgh Penguins. This was the kind of warmup question that Woods could have knocked 300 yards off the 1st tee with some generous platitude, but instead he grinned and said, "I don't really care.... I don't think anybody really watches hockey anymore."
The handshake line at the conclusion of Game 6 had barely dispersed into exhausted pools of the joyous and the inconsolable when the rumors regarding the job security of Penguins coach Michel Therrien began to fly: The players are on the verge of revolt, Brooks Orpik won't re-sign if Therrien stays, Jordan Staal is no fan of the man behind the bench.
Give 'em credit. The Red Wings know how to keep things interesting.
With their Stanley Cup chances on life support and goaltender Marc-André Fleury on his way to the bench for an extra attacker, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therrien surveyed his team for the right player to send out in the final minute of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were never opposed to the idea of the Stanley Cup being presented in Detroit. They just preferred that it would be after Game 7.
The glass ceiling was about to be shattered. With the Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom ready to lift the world's most elegant and imposing 35-pound weight -- Detroit led the Stanley Cup finals three games to two after losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in triple overtime of Game 5 on Monday night -- the team captain was poised to break the last barrier to making the NHL a truly global game.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be battling on several fronts as the Stanley Cup Final enters Game 5 in Detroit.
Red Wings forward Mikael Samuelsson intercepted a pass near center ice in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, blew past some Pittsburgh Penguins going off on a line change and hurtled through the neutral zone with the puck on his backhand. As a junior partner on Team Puck Possession, the 31-year-old Swede knew he would be expected to make a play. His choices were limited as he barrelled down the left wing. Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi was in front of him. There was no option to Samuelsson's right because throwing the puck into the middle of the ice and hoping to find a teammate's stick is not the prescribed method in Detroit, where the puck, like a cherished family heirloom is not given away lightly. Samuelsson thought of cutting to the middle, saw the space close and then went into overdrive to the outside, circling the net and scoring the first goal of the game on a wraparound before goalie Marc-André Fleury could cover his far post.
Maybe 20-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was simply waiting until the Stanley Cup finals jumped from cable to an over-the-air network to play a game for the ages Wednesday, one of the matches that will be lauded today and savored when his fabulous career is over.
The calendar read Memorial Day on Monday, but damn if this weren't Groundhog's Day.
Memo to the hockey world, especially to those members who are looking or considering looking for a new general manager:
Game 2 is obviously of great import for the Pittsburgh Penguins. So much so that Michel Therrien is transplanting heart and soul veteran Gary Roberts (shouldn't there be an "extreme veteran" category for competitors beyond the age of 40?) and juggling his lines. Those are the obvious adjustments, but a whole lot more has to change if the Pens are to avoid a two-game deficit in the series.
Stop us if you've read this before: MARCH OF THE PENGUINS. While the inevitable headline neatly summarizes Pittsburgh's bold trek to the Stanley Cup finals in a mere 14 postseason games, march implies military precision or at least some semblance of order, which, in the larger context of this oft-troubled franchise, is a hilarious conceit. The saga of Pittsburgh's return to the finals for the first time since 1992, when it won its second straight Cup, has been more LURCH OF THE PENGUINS.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Gary Roberts sat out Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night because he was sick.
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