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Andrew Raycroft, The Fatalist Goalie

I must admit that I have not had the opportunity to catch a lot of Leafs games this season, but I have witnessed the aftermath each night when the Buds players are interviewed on the sports news.

After seeing several interviews with Andrew Raycroft, I started to notice a trend in his responses. It seemed to me that Raycroft is very fatalist in his reponses, ie. whatever happens, happens, and he refuses to take personal responsibility for his own success and that of his team.

After the Leafs were roundly booed during and after their loss to the depleted Buffalo Sabres last night (who had six AHL players in their line up) when asked about the booing, Raycroft said, "What am I going to do about it? There's nothing I'm going to do, unless I try and buy 20,000 seats and fill them with my family and friends."

Well, how about prepare yourself a little better and steal a win for your team?

Concussion "Expert" Steps Down

From the Baltimore Sun:

Dr. Elliot Pellman, who directed the NFL's concussion committee since its inception in 1994, has stepped down in the wake of mounting criticism from experts in the field of brain injury. 

Sources indicate that Pellman is also a medical advisor to the New York Islanders.  In the past Pellman has been accused of exaggerating "his educational and professional credentials."

A lengthy comment on an earlier HockeyDirt article by a representative of Mahercor Laboratories (a company that developed and manufactures a mouthguard designed to reduce/eliminate concussions), included harsh criticism's of Pellman's approach to concussion diagnosis & management.   

Numbering Saprykin

The Ottawa Senator's have obtained Oleg Saprykin from the Phoenix Coyotes.  In Phoenix Saprykin wore number 91. 

It will be interesting to see if he sticks with this number, which was previously worn by one of the most "famous" of all Senators - Alexander Daigle. 

Daigle, now a member of HC Davos in the Swiss league, is  remembered for his quote about the 1993 entry draft, "I'm glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers number two."  Number two - in case you forgot - was some guy named Chris Pronger.

Update:  Saprykin turned the 9 upside down and has opted to wear number 61 in Ottawa.  Ironically, when asked about Daigle, Saprykin said "I never heard of him."

Wanna bet he knows who Pronger is?

Parsing Golisano: Sabres Owner Misses the Mark

In the wake of Thursday's Chris Neil hit on Chris Drury, Sabres owner Tom Golisano has waded into the debate with an open letter to Commissioner Gary Bettman calling for a review of the league's rules surrounding hits to the head. 

Much of what Golisano writes is simply not true, and the solutions he hints at are at best impractical and in many cases non-sensical - but he does raise an important issue.  The text of the letter & HockeyDirt's analysis follow:

Dear Gary,

I am deeply concerned with the standard the NHL has adopted that seems to allow violent hits to the head.

In light of the most recent injury to our captain Chris Drury, I am calling on you to address this issue immediately before another player is seriously injured or worse.

In our recent game with the Ottawa Senators, an opposing player skated half the width of the ice surface, approached Chris Drury from his blind side, and delivered a blow to his head which dislodged his helmet, severely lacerating the area around his eye causing a concussion. Chris Drury did not have the puck, he was not able to see the player coming from behind, and had relaxed his guard. The player in question was aware his presence was undetected but chose to deliver a vicious blow, which can only be construed as intent to injure.

Hitting is a very important part of our game. You hit to break up a shot, you hit to disrupt a pass, you hit to battle for the puck and you hit to gain position for a defensive or offensive play. There are many times a player is vulnerable. And there are many times when a player can make a hit on a vulnerable player but chooses not to for fear of injuring an opponent for no practical advantage. It's called respect.

What we cannot allow are hits that are designed to injure and maim. The hit delivered to Chris Drury the other night was a hit to injure. In my view there is no other way to view that play.

As you know, we have been on the other end of hits which cause injury to the head. Tim Connolly, our star offensive player was knocked out of the Stanley Cup by this same team. Although I didn't like it, Tim's situation is very different. He had the puck; he was making a play and could have reasonably seen the approaching player. I never complained.

This situation is very different.

Your office informed our team today that the hit on Chris Drury was a legal hit and that it fit within the standard of play acceptable to the NHL. We do not think this should be the standard and we do not think it helps our game or the league. There is nothing manly about hitting a player that can't see you. There is nothing entertaining about a big man hitting a smaller man in the head. There is nothing good to come of a policy that allows exciting skilled players to be targets for what I believe to be predatory play.

I strongly urge you to convene the appropriate forum to immediately review this policy.

Sincerely,

B. Thomas Golisano,

Governor

Heating Up the Ottawa-Buffalo Rivalry

Despite the fact that 8 games went to overtime or a shootout last night, the NHL story of the day is the Chris Neil hit on Chris Drury (watch it here) and the theatrics that followed. 

Listening to Buffalo sports radio (WGR 550) it sounds like most locals think the hit was "unfair" (unlike last year's Brian Campbell hit on RJ Umberger? watch it here) because Drury was in a "vulnerable" spot on the ice.  Since when were NHLers supposed to avoid hitting opponents because they have their head down? 

Meanwhile, Buffalo's WGR Radio has released a goofy (but fun) song about the Ottawa-Buffalo rivaly and last night's game. 

Senators Load Up

The Ottawa Senators unveiled their latest acquisition today - Billy "Golden" Gates.  The Senators are hoping Gates, a feisty player known for his aggressive approach to the game, will be the final piece of the puzzle in their drive for playoff success. 

"This is a huge deal for our franchise," said Ottawa GM John Muckler.  "Gates is a gritty, hard-nosed player, a kid who's demonstrated that he will do anything to win.  He brings us a ton of leadership and he will be great in the room." 

Few expect that Gates will be anything more than a high-priced rental player for the Senators.  With net worth estimated at $53 billion, it is anticipated that Gates will be looking to return to his Northwest home.

Remembering Bobby Baun

Much of the buzz surrounding Saturday's ceremonies focused on the end to the nearly 40 year hate-affair between Dave Keon and the Leaf organization, but I tuned in hoping to catch a glimpse of my boyhood favorite - Bobby Baun. 

Growing up in Toronto in the sixties & seventies (I was 9 when the Leafs won in '67) most kids followed the likes of Keon, Mahovlich and then Sittler & Henderson, but my preference was for the diminutive defencemen known as "The Boomer." 

Such was my admiration for Baun that my Mom knitted me a beautiful pair of mittens with Baun's number "21" stitched on the back.  I proudly wore those mitts while playing endless games of ball hockey - and whenever games started and we were calling out the names of the players we were going to "be" for the game, I was always Number 21 - Bobby Baun. 

I was not drawn to Baun because of his goal scoring prowess - Baun scored a mere 37 goals in close to 1,000 NHL games.  Despite standing only 5'9" Baun played like a giant and was one of the game's great hitters - known for delivering thundering (and clean) open ice hits. (He once shattered Serge Savard's leg with a hip check.) 

Who needs snow? Sun Belt teams demanding respect

In the not too distant past, many in hockey circles decried the expansion of NHL hockey into southern climes....the move of the Minnesota North Stars to Dallas, Hartford moving to Carolina, and expansion franchises being awarded to the likes of San Jose, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Miami, Atlanta and Nashville.

Oh how times change.

Starting with Dallas' Stanley Cup win in the late nineties, the southernmost NHL teams have, on average, grown steadily into some of the leagues top contenders. So, who says you need snow to have a successful NHL team?

Stanley Cups have now been won by Dallas, Tampa Bay and Carolina. And among the frontrunners for the trophy this year are Anaheim, Nashville, and San Jose. Not too shabby.

So maybe the southern teams have become the most competitive in the league (with the exception of the Panthers.) Don't believe it? Well, Peter Forsberg obviously does, or he wouldn't have waived his no-trade clause for a trade to Nashville.

In addition, consider this: As of February 15, four of the top six scoring leaders (Lacavalier, St. Louis, Thornton and Hossa) and five of the top seven goal scorers (Lacavalier, St. Louis, Hossa, Selanne and Kovalchuk) in the league play for sun belt teams. 

I never thought I'd see it happen either, but the facts don't lie.

Marketing Ontario's Team?

The Ottawa Citizen's Mark Anderson on how marketers are alienating fans of the Ottawa Senators & other teams by shoving the Maple Leafs in their face at every opportunity. 

"So, I'm walking into the Beer Store to return my wine bottles, and what's the first thing I see? Mats Sundin, arms upraised in a moment of jubilation, grinning broadly from the cover of Chill magazine, the Beer Store's glossy publication devoted to relaxation, fun, humour "and what it means to be Canadian."

Shorties Matter

In a previous post HockeyDirt presented stats on combined power play & penalty killing efficiency.  An astute reader noted that out that these calculations fail to take into account shorties - short-handed goals for & against.

The table below shows what we're calling "adjusted power play & penalty killing efficiencies.  The adjusted power play percentage reflects a team's net PP performance ("power play goals for" - "short handed goals against") and the adjusted penalty killing percentage reflects a team's net PK performance ("short-handed goals against" - "short-handed goals for").