Ovechkin wins Hart & Pearson - NHL Award Results

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin made the NHL Awards night all about him today, capturing both the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the players’ choice for the most outstanding player.

The complete list of awards and their winners:

Art Ross Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin
Calder Trophy: Patrick Kane
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Detroit Red Wings
Conn Smythe Trophy: Henrik Zetterberg
Frank Selke Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk
Jack Adams Award: Bruce Boudreau
Lady Byng Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk
Lester B. Pearson: Alexander Ovechkin
Masterton Trophy: Jason Blake
Maurice Richard Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin
Norris Trophy: Nick Lidstrom
Prince of Wales Trophy: Pittsburgh Penguins
Vezina Trophy (leagues top netminder): Marin Brodeur
William J Jennings Trophy: Chris Osgood / Dominik Hasek

To be awarded:

Lester Patrick Trophy (outstanding service to hockey)

Information Source: NHL.com - Trophies | NHL - Yahoo! Sports

Tags: Adams, Ales, alexander, alexander ovechkin, amp, Blake, blog, bruce boudreau, Calder Trophy, cam, Camp, Campbell, cap, Capitals, Chris Osgood, com, Conn, D, day, Detroit, detroit red wings, Domi, dominik hasek, Henrik Zetterberg, hockey, Ice, image, Images, Jason Blake, key, league, Les, Lidstrom, list, Mar, min, mind, MVP, Net, netminder, New, news, NHL, Nick, Nick Lidstrom, night, Norris Trophy, OUT, Ovechkin, Patric, Patrick Kane, Pavel, pavel datsyuk, Penguins, Pittsburgh, pittsburgh penguins, play, player, rd, Red, red wings, result, right, ross, row, size, Smythe, source, Sport, Sports, Star, style, Super, superstar, th, Title, today, Trick, Trophy, type, Ward, Washington, washington capitals, win, Wings, winner, www, yahoo, Zetterberg

Red Wings’ Henrik Zetterberg wins Conn Smythe - NHL - Yahoo! Sports

Henrik Zetterberg has been awared the Conn Smythe trophy as the Playoff MVP.   There was little doubt after the final horn blew that Zetterberg would be the one to take home the award.  His solid 2-way play and never-say-die attitide has made hime one of the best players to play with, and one of the worse players to play against.

Zetterberg was quick to give the honor to the guys he players with.

From the Pittsburgh Penguins,

Zetterberg is also the favorite to win the Selke Trophy for the leagues best defensive forward.

Tags: amp, blog, cap, coach, com, Conn, cup, D, Defensive, des, doubt, Favorite, Great, group, guy, hat, Henrik Zetterberg, home, horn, important, league, man, Mar, MVP, New, news, NHL, Nick, no doubt, NY, one, Penguins, Photo, Pittsburgh, pittsburgh penguins, play, player, playoff, rd, Red, red wings, right, RIT, row, say, size, Smythe, special, Sport, Sports, Stanley, style, th, Title, Trophy, type, Ward, way, win, Wings, www, yahoo, Zetterberg

Contenders Not Pretenders

After 3 disappointing first round playoff exits, the Stars have finally found their game.

For the first time in two years, the Dallas Stars won a game in which Marty Turco did not shut out the opposition.  In doing so they served notice to the league that they are indisputable contenders, not pretenders.
- Bleacher Report

Contenders, not pretenders.  That’s exactly the message the Dallas Stars are sending to the rest of the league right now.

The Stars are leading the Anaheim Ducks 2-0 in their first round series.  2 straight wins against the Ducks is impressive, no doubt.  What makes this extra special is the Stars did it on the road, without their top playmaking defenseman Sergei Zubov, who is out due to Hernia surgery.

The key to Dallas success so far has been team-play.  The entire team has played well, and the chemistry issues that plagued the team going down the last stretch toward the playoffs appears to be a thing of the past.  Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow are dominating plays.  Mike Modano is showing he still has what it takes to be a top player in this league and newcomer Brad Richards is shining whenever his skates touch.  Richards appears to have gelled with young winger Loui Eriksson, who has a goal in each of the 2 games played in this series.  Jere Lehtinen and Steve Ott have also played a role in the scoring.

The Ducks travel to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX this Tuesday for game 3.

Image source: Yahoo Images 

Tags: American, Anaheim, Bleacher, Brad Richards, Brenden, Center, chemistry, Contenders, Dallas, defenseman, doubt, Eriksson, Game, goal, Hernia, hockey, image, Images, league, Lehtinen, Loui, marty turco, message, Mike Ribeiro, Morrow, notice, opposition, past, player, playoff, Pretenders, report, rest, road, role, Round, Sergei Zubov, Series, source, special, Stars, Steve Ott, stretch, surgery, Team, time, Tuesday, yahoo

McKeon on Richards and the Stars

Todays article by Ross McKeon of Yahoo! Sports is all about the Brad Richards trade to the Dallas Stars, and talks about how Richards shines during the post season.  Richards fit into the Dallas system didn’t come easy however.  After a career best 5pt game in his first appearance for the Stars, the star forward went the next 11 games with only a handful of points.

“It was a lot tougher than I ever imagined,” Richards said in preparation for Saturday’s Game 2 of a best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series the Stars lead over the Anaheim Ducks. “The last couple of weeks I wasn’t doing anything wrong but I wasn’t doing anything right either. I had clogged my head with too many things. It’s tough when you get traded and your new team loses. It’s a new experience for me.”
- Yahoo! Sports

And then there was 2 days ago in Anaheim, in the Dallas Stars post season opener against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Anaheim Ducks.  A game that saw the Stars, with Richards assistance win by a convincing 4-0 shutout.

…Tippett said it was Richards’ best game as a member of the team, and that includes the Feb. 28 score-a-thon against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“It’s like when a traded player finishes up and comes back the next season. Everything comes easier, and that’s what we’re looking for right now,” Tippett said. “And (Game 1) was a byproduct of that transition from one phase to another.”
- Yahoo! Sports

Anaheim Ducks players and coaches alike had nothing but praise for Richards after his impact on Game 1 of the series.

“You’re talking about an MVP of the playoffs, we’re not talking about a player who doesn’t know how to get around the rink,” Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said.

“He’s one of those guys who can cause everyone a lot of headaches when they’re on the ice because it’s up to everybody to play smart and be in position to protect breakout passes and stuff like that,” Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer added.
- Yahoo! Sports

Game 2 between the 2 clubs starts this evening, and the Stars can be sure to see a much more physical and determined Ducks team than they did in game 1.

Tags: Anaheim, anything, appearance, article, assistance, Blackhawks, Brad Richards, byproduct, Chicago, coach, couple, Dallas, doesn, everybody, everyone, Everything, experience, Feb, Game, handful, head, Ice, impact, lead, lot, member, MVP, nothing, opener, player, post, praise, preparation, right, rink, Ross McKeon, Saturday, Scott Niedermayer, season, Series, shutout, Stanley Cup, Star, Stars, system, Team, Tippett, Todays, trade, transition, wasn, Western Conference, win

8 Games Suspension Not Enough For Pronger

NHL Disciplinarian Colin Campbell announced today that Chris Pronger of the Anaheim Ducks will receive an 8 game suspension after stomping on the calf of Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler.

“In attempting to free himself, Pronger carelessly and recklessly brought his foot down,” Campbell said in a statement.
- Yahoo! Sport

The suspension has raised an outcry among the public who are shocked to yet again see a double standard from the NHL when it comes to handing out discipline to players.

Earlier this season the NHL suspended Chris Simon for 30 games after he was found guilty of stomping on the ankle of Pittsburgh Penguin Jarkko Ruutu.  Does it not seem odd then that Chris Pronger would only receive 8 games?

The Chris Simon suspension was long because Simon was considered a “repeat offender”, and someone that needed to learn the hard way.

What does that make Pronger, who now has been suspended 8 times in his career.   Surely we don’t need to remind you of last season where he received 2 suspensions during the playoffs for rough / dirty play, including that elbow to the head of Dean McAmmond in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The answer is there, if you look hard enough.  Chris Simon is not an all star player, nor a big point scorer, or a crowd drawing player.  Chris Pronger is.  Chris Simon is not a Norris quality player.  Chris Pronger is.

Is the NHL too scared, maybe even gutless to come down hard on an all star player?   Chris Pronger has shown that these stupidly small suspensions do nothing to encourage him to clean up his game, so why don’t Gary Bettman and the NHL do something about him?

Something to think about.

Pronger will be able to play again on the last day of the regular season, meaning he will be free to throw his weight around in the playoffs. Let’s hope, for the sake of the opposition players that he learns to control himself before then.

Tags: Anaheim, ankle, cam, Camp, Campbell, Care, career, Chris Pronger, chris simon, com, D, Dean, ducks, elbow, end, Finals, foot, Free, Game, games, Gary Bettman, hand, hat, jarkko ruutu, line, look, man, May, NHL, one, opposition, Peat, Pens, Pittsburgh, play, player, playoff, playoffs, point, rd, Red, Round, row, Ruutu, Ryan Kesler, score, scorer, season, something, Sport, Stanley Cup, Star, statement, suspension, th, THIS, Tim, time, today, Vancouver, yahoo

Brad Richards Seeing Stars

When the Dallas Stars traded for Brad Richards on the day of the trade deadline, they knew they were getting a top playmaker and setup guy.  They never expected however the impact he would have on the team in his first outing as a Star.

Richards led the Stars to a decisive 7-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, setting up 5 of the 7 goals.

The team seems very happy with Richards;

“We brought in an elite player and he is going to make us better around him,” said Modano, who had a goal and an assist. “I think talent and skill guys never have a hard time adjusting and coming in and fitting in on a team. If anything, they raise their level and everybody raises theirs right with them. Those type of players are few and far between that can make an impact like that.”
- Yahoo Sport

The Stars next play the Nashville Predators on March 1 at the American Airlines Center.

Tags: adjusting, American, anything, Blackhawks, Brad Richards, Center, Chicago, Dallas, day, Deadline, elite, everybody, goal, guy, impact, level, March, Modano, nashville, play, player, playmaker, predators, right, Seeing, setup, Skill, Sport, Star, Stars, talent, Team, time, trade, type, victory

McKeon Grades the Trades

Ross McKeon of Yahoo! Sports has been busy today, grading all 30 teams of the NHL according to how they did with the Trade Deadline.

It may come as a suprise to some that Dallas and Pittsburgh, the 2 teams who made the blockbuster trades yesterday are graded so differently.

McKeon grades the Dallas Stars at #1, citing their trade as “the big strike”.

1. Dallas Stars – Grade: A+: The Stars made the big strike by acquiring arguably the best player available for now and moving forward. Center Brad Richards was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner when Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup in 2004. He’s 27, skilled and durable – just a perfect fit for any team. Never mind that $7.8 million owed for each of the next three years. The Stars parted with backup goalie Mike Smith, who may emerge as a No. 1 with the Lightning, Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern and a fourth-round pick. Dallas did not have to surrender any of its young defense, another key. That deal makes a lot more sense than what Pittsburgh gave up to Atlanta in the day’s other blockbuster.

The Pittsburgh Penguins however, failed to gain such a high ranking, coming in at #22 with a D+ grade.

22. Pittsburgh Penguins – Grade: D+: No one can accuse the Penguins of being shy at the deadline. Pittsburgh changed more than any team by adding three players and deleting two from the roster and one from the pipeline and parting with three draft picks in two separate deals. Pittsburgh got rental Marian Hossa to play alongside either Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby. They got versatile and dependable Pascal Dupuis in the same deal with Atlanta but surrendered young, popular teammates Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen and prospect Angelo Esposito. You have to wonder what team chemistry will form out of all these moves. In addition, Hal Gill comes aboard to add size and a physical element on defense. First-, second- and fifth-round picks were dealt away.

Filling out the top 10 are:

2. Atlanta Thrashers – Grade: A

3. Washington Capitals – Grade: A-

4. Colorado Avalanche – Grade: B+

5. San Jose Sharks – Grade: B

6. Columbus Blue Jackets – Grade: B

7. Carolina Hurricanes – Grade: B

8. Chicago Blackhawks – Grade: B

9. New York Rangers – Grade: B-

10. Buffalo Sabres – Grade: B-

Tags: addition, Angelo Esposito, Atlanta, backup, Blockbuster, Brad Richards, Buffalo, carolina hurricanes, Center, chemistry, Chicago, Colby Armstrong, Colorado, Columbus, Conn, Dallas, Deadline, deal, defense, Draft, element, Erik Christensen, Evgeni, First, fit, goal, Goalie, Grade, Hal Gill, Jeff Halpern, Jokinen, Jussi, key, lightning, lot, malkin, Marian Hossa, Mike Smith, New York, NHL, one, parting, Pascal Dupuis, Penguins, pick, pipeline, Pittsburgh, player, prospect, ranking, Ross McKeon, roster, second, sense, sidney crosby, size, Smythe, Stanley Cup, Stars, strike, suprise, Tampa Bay, Team, thrashers, today, trade, Trophy, versatile, Washington, winner, yahoo, yesterday

List of NHL Trades

2 Blockbuster trades highlighted todays Trade Deadline, with Tampa Bay moving Brad Richards to the Dallas Stars in a 5 player deal and also Atlanta Thrashers doing a 5 player deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here is a full list of todays known trades.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING traded Brad Richards & Johan Holmqvist
to the
DALLAS STARS in exchange for Mike Smith, Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen & a 4th round draft pick

ATLANTA THRASHERS traded Marian Hossa & Pascal Dupuis
to the
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS in exchange for Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito & a 1st round draft pick

LOS ANGELES KINGS traded Jean-Sebastien Aubin
to the
ANAHEIM DUCKS in exchange for a 7th round draft pick

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS traded Chad Kilger
to the
FLORIDA PANTHERS in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick

NEW YORK RANGERS traded Al Montoya & Marcell Hossa
to the
PHOENIX COYOTES in exchange for David LeNeveu, Fredrik Sjostrom, Josh Gratton & a Conditional Pick

NEW YORK ISLANDERS traded Marc-Andre Bergeron
to the
ANAHEIM DUCKS in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick

NEW YORK ISLANDERS traded Chris Simon
to the
MINNESOTA WILD in exchange for a 6th round draft pick

LOS ANGELES KINGS traded Brad Stuart
to the
DETROIT RED WINGS in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick and a 4th round draft pick

ST LOUIS BLUES traded Christian Backman
to the
NEW YORK RANGERS in exchange for a 4th round draft pick

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS traded Hal Gill
to the
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick and a 5th round draft pick

VANCOUVER CANUCKS traded Matt Cooke
to the
WASHINGTON CAPITALS in exchange for Matt Pettinger

SAN JOSE SHARKS traded Rob Davidson
to the
NEW YORK ISLANDERS in exchange for a 7th round draft pick

WASHINGTON CAPITALS traded Ted Ruth
to the
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS in exchange for Sergei Fedorov

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS traded Adam Foote
to the
COLORADO AVALANCHE in exchange for a 1st round draft pick

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS traded Martin Lapointe
to the
OTTAWA SENATORS in exchange for a 6th round draft pick

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS traded Tuomo Ruutu
to the
CAROLINE HURRICANES in exchange for Andrew Ladd

FLORIDA PANTHERS traded Ruslin Salei
to the
COLORADO AVALANCHE in exchange for Karlis Skrastins & a 3rd round draft pick

MONTREAL CANADIENS traded Cristobal Huet
to the
WASHINGTON CAPITALS in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick

SAN JOSE SHARKS traded Steve Bernier & a 1st round draft pick
to the
BUFFALO SABRES in exchange for Brian Campbell & a 7th round draft pick

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS traded Wade Belak
to the
FLORIDA PANTHERS in exchange for a 2008 5th found draft pick

ST LOUIS BLUES traded Byrce Salvador
to the
NEW JERSEY DEVILS in exchange for Cam Janssen

Tags: Adam Foote, Al Montoya, amp, Anaheim, Andrew Ladd FLORIDA, Angelo Esposito, Atlanta, BAY, Blackhawks, Blockbuster, BLUE, Brad Richards, Brad Stuart, Brian Campbell, Buffalo, Canucks, Capitals, CAROLINE HURRICANES, Chad, Chicago, chris simon, Christian Backman, Colby Armstrong, Columbus, Conditional, coyotes, Cristobal, Dallas, David LeNeveu, Deadline, deal, Detroit, Draft, ducks, Erik Christensen, exchange, Fredrik Sjostrom, goal, Hal Gill, hockey, islanders, JACKETS, Jean, Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Jeff Halpern, JERSEY, Johan Holmqvist, Jokinen, Josh Gratton, Jussi, Kilger, kings, Leafs, lightning, list, Los Angeles, Maple, marc, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Marcell, Marian Hossa, Matt Cooke, Matt Pettinger, Mike Smith, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Pascal Dupuis, Penguins, Phoenix, pick, Pittsburgh, player, rangers, Red, Rob Davidson, Round, Ruslin, Salei, Salvador, San Jose, senators, Sergei Fedorov, Sharks, St. Louis, Stars, Steve Bernier, TAMPA, Tampa Bay, Ted Ruth, thrashers, Toronto, trade, Vancouver, Wade Belak, Wild, Wings

Richards to Dallas, Hossa to Montreal

According to an NHL Executive, a multi-player trade has been made between Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars.

The trade is rumoured to have Center Brad Richards move to Dallas in exchange for Center Jeff Halpern, Goalie Mike Smith and rookie Defenseman Mark Fistric.

“The Stars have looked to make a splash since Les Jackson and Brett Hull took over in the co-general manager role for the fired Doug Armstrong earlier this season. The source said Dallas is expected to package veteran checking center Jeff Halpern, backup goalie Mike Smith and young defenseman Mark Fistric to the Lightning, who needed to move Richards after signing defenseman Dan Boyle to a six-year, $40 million contract extension late Monday.”

…

By landing the 6-foot, 198-pound Richards, the Stars are set to receive a player who can handle loads of ice time, has a Stanley Cup on his resumé and is a centerpiece to build around as Mike Modano and Zubov look to pass the torch.

Richards has 18 goals and 51 points in 62 games, 228 shots and has averaged 24:17 of ice time. He’s durable as well. Richards has appeared in 552 of a possible 554 games since breaking into the league in 2000-01. The pivot is signed for $7.8 million each of the next three seasons.
- NHL @ Yahoo

It was also announced that the Atlanta Thrashers would ship Marian Hossa to the Montreal Canadiens.  Details of the trade have not been released at this time.

Expect the Canadiens to send at least a forward (Michael Ryder?) to Atlanta, which insisted it would only trade the 29-year-old Hossa if it could get a current NHL player in return. Hossa is the Thrashers’ second-leading scorer with 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists and a team-high 229 shots). Hossa is a minus-14 averaging 21:55 of ice time in 60 games.
- NHL @ Yahoo

Details of these trades are yet to be confirmed by their respective teams.

Tags: Atlanta, backup, Brad Richards, Brett, canadiens, Center, centerpiece, checking, contract, Dallas, Dan Boyle, defenseman, doug armstrong, exchange, Executive, extension, foot, goal, Goalie, Hull, Ice, Jackson, Jeff Halpern, league, Les, lightning, manager, Marian Hossa, Mark Fistric, Michael Ryder, mike modano, Mike Smith, minus, Monday, Montreal, move, NHL, player, pound, resumé, return, role, Rookie, scorer, season, source, splash, Stanley Cup, Stars, Tampa Bay, thrashers, time, torch, trade, veteran, yahoo, zubov

Sundin Refuses To Trade

Those who had hopes of their NHL team picking up veteran scorer, Mats Sundin will have to wait til possibly next year after the Maple Leaf Forward today refused to waive his no trade clause.

Sundin, a Maple Leaf all his professional hockey career does not want to leave the team he has dedicated his life to for the last 13 seasons.

“I have always believed I would finish my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf so the actual request was still a very difficult one for me to contemplate,” Sundin said in a statement released by his agent J.P. Barry on Sunday night. “I have spoken to and listened to my family and those closest to me about this issue. In the end, there is no right decision in a situation like this one.”
- NHL @ Yahoo

The Toronto media has not been easy on Sundin over recent weeks, with some sources claiming his refusal to waive his no trade clause will damage the team in the future.  The fact is, while the media and fans may complain about his refusal to be traded, they are forgetting that Mats Sundin IS the face of that franchise, and he has more than earned his right to stay in Toronto.

Due to his age, a trade would have put Sundin as a rental player, something Sundin himself completely disagrees with.

“I have never believed in the concept of a rental player. It is my belief that winning the Stanley Cup is the greatest thing you can achieve in hockey but for me, in order to appreciate it you have to have been part of the entire journey and that means October through June. I hope everyone will understand and respect my decision.”
- NHL @ Yahoo

The club now faces a major decision to make during the upcoming off-season.  Do they opt to re-sign Sundin, or let him go into the Free agent market?  Realistically, the best option for the Leafs would be to sign him for another year and let him finish out his career with the team he knows and loves.

Tags: career, com, D, ease, end, fact, franchise, free agent, hat, hockey, issue, J.P. Barry, Leaf, Leaf Forward, Leafs, Maple, market, Mats Sundin, media, NHL, off-season, Other, OUT, part, player, Realistically, refusal, score, season, situation, something, Stanley Cup, statement, Sunday, Team, th, today, Toronto, trade, Ward, way, Wee, yahoo, year