by Ryan Dixon - February 5, 2009 11:55 AM EST
Mortgaging the future to sneak into the playoffs can set your franchise back; just look at the Thrashers.
A tale of caution for any GM contemplating selling the farm to bust a slump: Beware the Don Waddell curse.
This year’s NHL playoff picture contains some pixels that haven’t flashed much muscle in a while.
by Ryan Dixon - January 29, 2009 1:35 PM EST
Former players and coaches turned media members have unparalleled insight into the game - as long as they're willing to share it.
These days, very few things in the world are just one thing.
Phones take pictures; cars are part movie theatre; Pavel Datsyuk wins the Selke Trophy.
by Ryan Dixon - January 22, 2009 11:04 AM EST
Boston's backup has been on the verge of a starter's role a couple of times over his career, but injuries have held him back.
There’s an amazing movie out right now starring Mickey Rourke called The Wrestler.
It’s about a broken-down old wrestler coming to grips with his waning years in the sun and trying to repair some old emotional wounds, while still re-opening some physical ones in the ring.
by Ryan Dixon - January 15, 2009 11:31 AM EST
The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't exactly looking at a playoff spot this year, but maybe if Mike Van Ryn was healthy, they would be.
Ask about who might be the NHL’s MVP at the halfway point and you’ll invariably hear names like Ovechkin, Malkin and, these days, Steve Mason.
by Ryan Dixon - January 8, 2009 12:28 PM EST
Despite continuing to battle for the lead in the Atlantic, the Blueshirts will have to fix some problems in the second half.
The events of Act 1 have me very curious as to how Act 2 will turn out on Broadway.
And I’m not the only one.
Larry Brooks, a highly astute hockey writer and correspondent for The Hockey News, sent us this take on the team he sees almost every day:
"One of the most confounding NHL clubs in memory, the New York Rangers, a) completed the first half of their season with a negative goal-differential of minus-four, excluding shootouts; b) were 26th in the NHL with a power play operating at 14.
by Ryan Dixon - January 1, 2009 9:43 AM EST
The Original Six are all playing good hockey and headed in the right direction for the first time since the early 1990s.
There is typically very little talking done before noon on Jan. 1, but once people emerge from the haze created by a rambunctious Dec. 31, conversations tend to hold a common theme.
by Ryan Dixon - December 18, 2008 12:45 PM EST
They've been hit with injuries, relying on their backup and led in scoring by a defenseman, but look out for Florida.
Before we start building the Florida Panther bandwagon, let’s get a few things out of the way.
The Panthers’ top scorer is a defenseman who is not in the top 16 point-getters among blueliners league wide.
by Ryan Dixon - December 11, 2008 1:22 PM EST
With the talk of the town all about the league's new stars, a few older ones are showing they still have what it takes.
It’s a young man’s world, they say – especially when ‘they’ are young.
But no matter what your vantage point, there’s no denying youth rules the NHL these days.
by Ryan Dixon - December 4, 2008 11:05 AM EST
After a solid rookie campaign two years ago, the 21-year-old has regressed to the point where his future with the team is in question.
If things don’t change soon for Guillaume Latendresse, he’ll continue to hear, “Guillaume, don’t dress.”
Goals have been a little harder to come by for the Montreal Canadiens than originally anticipated.
by Ryan Dixon - November 27, 2008 12:02 PM EST
Thought to never amount to more than a checking role, the 24-year-old Leafs center has emerged with a nose for the net.
I thought Matt Stajan could fill a beneficial role on an NHL team, but I never guessed it would be the one he’s currently performing.
After years of producing fewer points than fans and management of the Toronto Maple Leafs expected him to, I figured Stajan was about to settle into a nice niche as a quality third-liner.
by Ryan Dixon - November 20, 2008 1:38 PM EST
Two teams are leading the Northwest most didn't expect would and it's because of how predictable they are... and the the Original Six are back.
Two teams with the fewest number of star skaters in their division are currently battling it out for a Northwest crown.
Note the careful inclusion of the word ‘skater’ in the previous sentence, because the Vancouver Canucks get the best goaltending in the league and the vast majority of NHL teams would trade puckstoppers with the Minnesota Wild, too.
by Ryan Dixon - November 13, 2008 11:56 AM EST
With a new James Bond flick hitting theatres on the weekend, here are a few players who fit the 007 mold.
It’s amazing to think there is a level of cool out there even professional athletes can’t hope to achieve.
Of course, the standard is set by a fictional character, but that’s nonetheless saying something.
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"Probably not. Their depth and our play right now...it doesn't look too good."
- Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, when asked if his team could come back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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