Western Conference Pick

Ok, readers. It's up to you once again. I'm an unabashed Pittsburgh Penguins fan. I have been since 1984, and there's no swaying me to another team under any circumstance. I was, and still am, a huge Mario Lemieux fan, and nearly suffered a stroke when the Penguins pulled off the greatest robbery in history in getting Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson from the Hartford Whalers. However, I live nowhere near Pittsburgh, and I routinely find myself looking for a team to cheer for once the Eastern Conference games are over for the night. Because I have no strong affinity to any Western Conference team, I need help in picking a team to follow this season. That's where you come in.

I have several jerseys from Western Conference teams due to players I like on those teams. However, that doesn't quite seal the deal for me when it comes to following a team all season long. I'll run down a few teams who I will never cheer for, but I want serious reasons to cheer for the team you select.

Here are the teams that are already ruled out:

• Detroit Red Wings: I love their talent, but they are the most dangerous team in the West. I refuse to cheer for Detroit simply due to having four friends in high school who used to think that the Red Wings could do no wrong ever. That experience alone has me off the Red Wings for any considerable period of time.
• Calgary Flames: I have never liked the Flames. Ever. I think Jarome Iginla is an amazing talent, but I hated their black jerseys, I hated Gary Suter, I hated the flaming horse, and I still don't like Olli Jokinen.
• Vancouver Canucks: This is a team with no identity aside from Luongo. I refuse to cheer for the Sedins mainly because they play soft. This is also a team that is still interested in Mats Sundin, and any team that likes to waste money is off the list.

With those three teams out of the way, I've worked to narrow down my selection to five choices of which I feel would be good teams to follow this off-season. Your job is to suggest a team with a short reason as to why it would be in my best interest to follow said team. The five teams, in no particular order, are:

1. Los Angeles Kings: Love the youthful talent. Love the rebuilding from the ground up that Lombardi is doing. Love the draft picks made by Lombardi. The one negative might be the lack of playoffs again this spring. With all that youth, it may be tough to crack the Top-8 in the Western Conference.
2. Columbus Blue Jackets: Again, another great team that is young and exciting. Sure, they make mistakes and play in one of the toughest divisions in hockey, but the Jackets have speed, scoring, and goaltending to make the playoffs again this season.
3. Dallas Stars: Mike Modano is still one of the all-time greats in the NHL. I absolutely loved watching James Neal and Marc Fistric with the Manitoba Moose last year, and both players will fit in nicely with the Stars this season. While Marty Turco killed my fantasy pool last season with his abysmal play, he's still world-class if he's on. But it's a big IF.
4. Nashville Predators: I am a huge Shea Weber fan, and loved his work at the World Championships last season. Steve Sullivan has been a favorite player of mine since his time in Toronto. While there is some dislike for the way that Jordan Tootoo plays the game, the rest of the team, in its youthful approach to the game, make the Predators appealing.
5. Anaheim Ducks: As soon as they got rid of Pronger, they became a much easier team to like. Getzlaf is a thoroughbred, Perry is a lights-out scoring machine, and Bobby Ryan looks like he's the real deal. While I'll miss Beauchemin on the back-end for the Ducks, this team should be alright for the coming season.

Of course, I am open to suggestions for other teams as well, so don't think that I'm limiting your choices. Let me know what team you think I should follow from the Western Conference, and I'll take your suggestions under advisement before making a decision. Hit me up in the comments with your team!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Lady Byng: The Lady Loves Hockey

In continuing with our look at how NHL trophies came to be, we need to examine the origins of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, perhaps the only trophy opposite of what we think hockey players should be when on the ice. The Lady Byng Trophy is awarded annually to "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability" in the NHL. While sportsmanship is highly encouraged, the trophy annually goes to a player with an amazingly low total of penalty minutes - opposite of the tough hombres that generate headlines and highlights with their aggressive play. So how did such a trophy come about? Who is Lady Byng? What is interesting about this trophy?

The trophy itself is named after Marie Evelyn Moreton, known as Lady Byng, who was the wife of the 12th Governor General of Canada, Lord Julian Hedworth George Byng. Lady Byng was born on August 11, 1870 in London, England to parents Sir Richard Charles Reynolds-Moreton and Janie Ralli. Sir Richard Charles Reynolds-Moreton was comptroller at Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General in Canada.

In 1897, Miss Moreton met Major The Honourable Julian Byng who, in Moreton's words, seemed to have different depending on the day,

"When we met of a morning out riding, if he was free, the fun began – though it wasn't always fun for me because I was bewildered, as he was never the same two days running. Talk of women being mutable – he could have given points and a beating to any one of them! On Monday he would be in his most enchanting mood; Tuesday he would treat me as a pal and a man; Wednesday he would hardly remember that I existed; Thursday he would be icily polite; Friday he would thaw a little and by Saturday be back in Monday's delightful mood! What could anybody make of such vagaries?"

The Byngs would travel extensively due to Major The Honourable Byng's military service, spending periods of time in places such as South Africa, India, England, Egypt, and France - the latter where he led the Canadian forces in battle to victory at Vimy Ridge.

On August 2, 1921, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George appointed then-retired General Byng (official title of General The Right Honourable The Lord Byng of Vimy) as his representative in Canada, thus making him the Governor General of Canada. Byng's position allowed he and Lady Byng the privilege to travel across Canada, meeting the people and immersing themselves in the culture of the country. It was here where the Byngs developed a passion for the game of hockey, particularly for the hometown Ottawa Senators. It is said that the Byngs never missed a Senators game, enjoying the fast-paced action of the early NHL.

After falling in love with the game in the early years of their living in Canada, Lady Byng donated a trophy in 1925 to the NHL which would be called the Lady Byng Trophy in her honour. She awarded the first Lady Byng Trophy to Ottawa Senator Frank Nighbor at Rideau Hall where she presented him the newest trophy in the NHL's collection for being the NHL's most gentlemanly player. Nighbor accepted, and the tradition of awarding it annually began.

The original Lady Byng Trophy was given to Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers by Lady Byng after she was inpressed with him winning it seven times in eight years from 1928-35. The only year he lost it in that span was in 1931-32 when Joe Primeau of the Toronto Maple Leafs won the trophy. Because Boucher was given the trophy, Lady Byng donated another trophy to replace the first one. Lady Byng continued to award the trophy to NHL players annually until she passed away on June 20, 1949.

With Lady Byng passing, the NHL created another trophy and began awarding the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - the trophy that the players receive today. The original trophy given to Frank Boucher was lost in a fire at Boucher's home in 1962. The second trophy now resides in the vault at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Now that you know how the trophy came to be, let's take a look at some of the interesting facts about the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The winners are determined through voting by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA):

• The Lady Byng Trophy has been awarded 84 times to 50 different players since 1925.
• Frank Boucher of the Rangers has won the most times, with seven wins under his belt. Wayne Gretzky won five times, and Red Kelly and Pavel Datsyuk have won four times each.
• The New York Rangers, paced by Boucher, have won the award 15 times, the most in NHL history. The Detroit Red Wings have 14 Lady Byng Trophy winners, and Toronto sits third all-time with nine Lady Byng Trophy winners.
• Only two defencemen have ever won the Lady Byng Trophy, and both players played for the Detroit Red Wings. Defenceman Bill Quackenbush (1948-49) was the first blueliner to earn the trophy, and Red Kelly was the other. Kelly won the Lady Byng Trophy three times - 1950-51, 1952-53, and 1953-54.
• No goaltender has ever won the Lady Byng Trophy in NHL history.
• Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators was the first centerman to win the Lady Byng Trophy in 1924-25, the first time it was ever awarded.
• Gordie Drillon of the Toronto Maple Leafs was the first right winger to win the award. He earned the trophy in 1937-38.
• Toe Blake of the Montreal Canadiens was the first left winger to win the award. He earned his trophy in 1945-46.
• Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and New York's Frank Boucher share the record for most consecutive Lady Byng Trophy wins with four wins each.
• Only five players have won the Hart Trophy and the Lady Byng Trophy in the same season - New York Ranger Buddy O'Connor ('47-48), Chicago's Bobby Hull ('64-65), Chicago's Stan Mikita ('66-67 and '67-68), Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky ('79-80), and Colorado's Joe Sakic (2000-01).
• Wayne Gretzky is the only player in history to have won the award with three different teams - Edmonton, Los Angeles, and the New York Rangers.
• Billy Burch was the first American-born player to win the Lady Byng Trophy. The New York Americans centerman did so in 1926-27.
• Stan Mikita, despite having Canadian citizenship and having trained in Canada, was the first non-North American player to win the Lady Byng Trophy. The Slovakian-born centerman won his first Lady Byng Trophy in 1966-67.
• The first European-born and European-trained player to win the Lady Byng Trophy was Montreal's Mats Naslund. Naslund, born and trained in Sweden, earned his award in 1987-88.
• Bobby and Brett Hull are the only father-son tandem to win the Lady Byng Trophy. Bobby won his in 1964-65, while Brett picked his up in 1989-90.
• The highest total of penalty minutes for any winner was 40 PIMs. This total was reached by two winners - Ottawa's Frank Nighbor in 1925-26, and New York Americans' Billy Burch in 1926-27.

Now that you know how the Lady Byng Trophy came about, along with some interesting facts about the winners, you can see why gentlemanly play is encouraged by coaches. While we look for tough hockey players, these men who have won the Lady Byng Trophy also score points at an extremely high rate. By not spending a lot of time in the penalty box, this allows them to score more often.

And isn't that what all coaches preach?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

My Thoughts On Sakic

Ok, so I'm a day late to the tribute party for retiring NHL legend Joe Sakic, but I wanted to be sure that I didn't miss anything when writing this piece. After all, no one wants to offend greatness by omitting achievements, especially when that greatness lasted for two decades in one of the most grueling sports on the planet. Much like Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic was the face of the Quebec Nordiques-Colorado Avalanche franchise, and he should be remembered as one of the greatest NHL players of all-time.

• CHL Player of the Year in 1987 with the WHL's Swift Current Broncos.
• World Junior Champion with Team Canada in 1988.
• Selected 15th overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques.
• Wore #88 during his rookie season in 1988-89 as Alain Cote wore #19.
• Switched to #19 in 1989-90.
• Became captain of the Quebec Nordiques in 1992.
• Won a gold medal at the IIHF World Championships in 1994.
  
• 1995-96, as a member of the Avalanche, saw Sakic score his highest single-season point total with 120.
• Led all playoff scorers in 1995-96 with 18 goals and 34 points.
• Led the Colorado Avalanche to their first Stanley Cup.
• Won the 1995-96 Conn Smythe Trophy.
• Broke Peter Stastny's franchise scoring mark on March 23, 2000 of 1049 points.
• Led the Colorado Avalanche to the 2000-01 Stanley Cup.
• Won the 2000-01 Hart Trophy.
• Won the 2000-01 Lady Byng Trophy.
• Won the 2000-01 Lester B. Pearson Trophy.
• Won an Olympic Gold Medal with Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
• Named Tournament MVP at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
• Won a gold medal at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
• Was the NHL All-Star Game MVP in 2004 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
• Finished 14th overall all-time in goals with 625.
• Finished 11th overall all-time in assists with 1016.
• Finished 8th overall all-time in points with 1641.
• Played in NHL All-Star 12 times, but named to 13 NHL All-Star teams.
• Has the most assists all-time in All-Star Games with 16.
• Is third all-time in NHL All-Star Game scoring with 22 points.
  
• Scored 84 NHL playoff goals, including 18 game-winning goals.
  
• Scored 8 overtime goals in the playoffs - the most by any player.
• Recorded 188 career NHL Playoff points.

Clearly, "Burnaby Joe" was a magical player and a marvelous scorer. However, there have been too many memorable goals to describe, particularly due to his laser-like wrist shot with his amazingly quick release. Here are Joe Sakic's Top Ten moments, according to TSN's SportsCentre:

My thoughts? Hall-of-Fame numbers plus success at every level of hockey he played. A genuinely great guy off the ice with his charitable efforts and community initiatives, he was an incredible leader on the ice as well, most often leading by example rather than by words. Joe Sakic is one of the best all-time, and I wish him well in his life after hockey. He may not have been the best sound byte for reporters, but he always gave them something to talk about with his play.

And isn't that the definition of "greatness" in hockey?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Masterton: Gone Too Soon

Hockey Blog In Canada continues its look at the major awards given out by the NHL today by examining the history and interesting facts surrounding the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey". The definition is open to many interpretations of what "perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication" is, but, since 1991, the award has annually gone to a player who has overcome a major, career-threatening injury or defeated a disease that may have shortened his career. The major fact about this trophy is that a player can only win it once during his career, ensuring that there will be no repeat or multiple Masterton Memorial Trophy winners. So had did the NHL create this trophy? Who was Bill Masterton? Are there any interesting facts?

William "Bill" John Masterton was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on August 16, 1938. He took to hockey as a young boy on the prairies while attending Miles MacDonell Collegiate and eventually was good enough to join the St. Boniface Canadiens in 1956-57, part of the sprawling junior system that NHL teams had created before expansion to twelve teams. He wasn't signed by the Canadiens at that point, so he was off to play NCAA hockey with the University of Denver in 1957.

It was at the University of Denver that the young man became a hockey player. He won three NCAA Championships with Denver in 1958, 1960, and 1961. He earned All-American status in both 1960 and 1961, grabbing the attention of the Montreal Canadiens after scoring 24 goals and 56 assists in being named NCAA Tournament MVP and leading the Pioneers to the 1961 NCAA Championship. Montreal signed Masterton after he graduated from Denver, and he was assigned to the minor-leagues by the Canadiens.

His first assignment took him to the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens for the 1961-62 season in the Eastern Professional Hockey League. In 65 games there, he recorded 31 goals and 35 assists, prompting him to be promoted to the AHL's Cleveland Barons for the 1962-63 season. In 72 games with the Barons, Masterton showed off his scoring talents by netting 27 goals and 55 assists. However, with the Montreal Canadiens loaded in talent, Masterton's efforts with the AHL squad wouldn't garner him another promotion. Rather than traveling the countryside by bus, Masterton retired from hockey, disappointed in the roadblock standing in his path to the NHL. He went back to the University of Denver where he obtained his Masters Degree in Finance by 1964.

This led Masterton to a job with the Honeywell Corporation in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the 1963-64 season. He couldn't shake the hockey bug, however, and joined the St. Paul Steers of the USHL for the 1964-65 season. In his first season with the Steers, he scored 23 goals and added 23 assists. The 1965-66 season saw Masterton notch 27 goals and 40 assists in only 28 games - a torrid scoring pace. Masterton applied for American citizenship and was made an American citizen early into 1967. Being an American citizen with no international hockey experience allowed him the opportunity to join the US National Team. In his only season with Team USA, Masterton scored a respectable 10 goals and 29 assists in 23 games with the US Nationals, the USHL team run by Team USA.

With the announcement that the NHL was expanding from six to twelve teams for the 1967-68 season, there were hundreds of new jobs opening up for players. Masterton, having scored at a high rate in the minor-leagues since 1961, was on the radar for a few teams, especially the hometown Minnesota North Stars. He was signed by the North Stars at the age of 28 before the start of the 1967 season, and his dream of one day playing in the NHL had come true.

Unfortunately, Masterton's season, and ultimately his life, would be cut short due to an on-ice incident. In his 38th game of the season against the Oakland Seals at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 13, 1968, Masterton suffered a horrific injury four minutes into the game that would cause his passing. While reports vary as to how the injury occurred, this account from the Dallas News gives a brief overview:

"He liked to carry the puck through the middle of the neutral zone, then veer left or right after crossing the opponent's blue line. He would then wait for his wingers and feed one as they came speeding into the offensive zone.

"Masterton made his typical play, but Seals defensemen Larry Cahan and Ron Harris read Masterton and tried to force him to give up the puck. Masterton fell backward, and the back of his bare head struck the ice."

Again, there is some debate as to how he was injured. Some have suggested that he was tripped. Others have suggested that he was pushed backwards by the two Seals defencemen. There is no known video of what may have occurred, so there is room for speculation.

Where there is no room for speculation is what happened to Masterton after his head struck the ice. As he lay upon the ice, he was bleeding from his mouth and nose. He was unconscious, and the trainers immediately called for the paramedics. He was wheeled off the ice on a stretcher, and taken to a nearby hospital. Doctors worked to fix the massive brain hemorrhage that had occurred in the pons - the area that relays sensory info between the cerebellum and cerebrum and controls respiration.

On January 15, 1968, the 29 year-old Masterton was pronounced dead by doctors. He had not regained consciousness in the 30 hours he had been in the hospital. It was only the second death related to an on-ice injury that the NHL had seen in its history after Howie Morenz succumbed to his injury nearly 50 years earlier. Because of his death, there was an intense effort by players and fans to make helmets mandatory in order to avoid a tragedy like Masterton's. By 1979, the NHL made helmets mandatory for all players who were entering the NHL from that point forward. His NHL career ended with four goals and eight assists to his name in 38 games.

Masterton's #19 was not worn by another Minnesota North Stars player after his passing, and it was officially retired by the team in 1987. Upon their move to Dallas, the North Stars franchise chose to take the banner with them, and it now hangs above the ice in the American Airlines Arena in Dallas.

In order to honour the fallen Masterton, the NHL created the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in order to honour his perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game of hockey. It was first awarded after the 1967-68 season to Claude Provost of the Montreal Canadiens as he "embodied the definition of perseverance and dedication to hockey" over his 15-year career.

Here are some interesting facts about the winners of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. This award is voted upon by the members of the Professional Hockey Writer' Association (PHWA):

• The Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers have had four winners each for the Masterton Trophy. The Los Angeles Kings are second with three winners.
• Philadelphia's Bobby Clarke won the 1971-72 Masterton trophy for overcoming difficulties involved with diabetes. Clarke is a Type-1 diabetic.
• Montreal's Henri Richard won in 1973-74 for his dedication to hockey after winning eleven Stanley Cups. Serge Savard also won for the same reason in 1978-79 after winning his eighth Stanley Cup.
  
• Al MacAdam of the Minnesota North Stars won in 1979-80, the first and only player from the North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise to win the award. He received the honour after posting a career-high 42 goals and 51 assists.
• Montreal's Doug Jarvis won the Masterton Trophy in 1986-87 after he eclipsed Gary Unger's record for consecutive games player by appearing in his 914th straight game.
• There have been a number of players who have received the award after battling cancer. Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux defeated non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1992-93; Tampa Bay's John Cullen defeated non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1998-99; Montreal's Saku Koivu defeated non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2001-02; Boston's Phil Kessel returned to the NHL after battling testicular cancer in 2006-07; and Toronto's Jason Blake was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in 2007-08 and played all 82 games.
• New Jersey's Ken Daneyko received his Masterton Trophy after overcoming an addiction to alcohol in 1999-2000.

Clearly, the NHL lost Bill Masterton far too soon. His legacy lives on, however, and the perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey that he showed is memorialized by this award. In 1997, Bill Masterton was named to the NCAA All-Time Team - an honour bestowed only on those who have accomplished greatness in the collegiate game.

There's a little history on who Mr. Masterton was, what happened in his unfortunate story, and the legacy he has left on the NHL. Rest eternally in peace, Mr. Masterton. Your accident in the game of hockey made the game safer, but you were gone far too soon.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Freebies and Contests

The old inbox connected to this blog has been overflowing with mail, and it's high time that I go through and clear some of it out. I've been lucky enough to receive some very good email with interesting articles and comments, and I'm grateful to have these people emailing me. After all, this blog would be nothing without its readers, so thank you to all those who emailed over the past few weeks. Today is all about recognizing those who sent me stuff, and for those who want me to chat up some stuff. Basically, I'm turning this blog over to the readers today.

I received an email from a lady by the name of Lyndsey. Lyndsey works for a public relations firm in New York City, New York, and she wanted to know if I smelled. Ok, she really didn't ask that, but she wanted to know if my hockey gear does. Being that I wear it regularly over the winter, it normally spends some time in the spring airing out in the backyard.

Thankfully, she offered me a test sample of a new product called WIN High Performance Detergent. According to WIN's website, the science is oxygen: "Win Detergent's scientifically designed super oxygenated system directly targets offensive odors and stains. This powerful oxy cleaning technology eliminates the embedded sweat molecules and odors that overwhelm the fabric".

I'm all about finding products that can kill my offensive odors after sports. I won't lie - sometimes, I stink after a long, hard game of hockey. Thanks to Lyndsey, however, I'll be test-driving this product in the near future, and you'll get a full review on WIN High Performance Detergent. If you're interested in the product, you can find it in Canada exclusively at Shopper’s Drug Mart, and it retails for $7.99 for a 32 oz. bottle. It comes in normal WIN formula, and an eco-friendly formula entitled WIN Green. Look for this review in the coming weeks!

I also received an email from Jeff. Jeff is the promotional manager for Wholesalekeychain.com, an officially-licensed business that sells keychains in a variety of styles and themes. One is NHL-themed keychains, and I was kind of interested in seeing what Jeff had to offer after he had contacted me.

Granted, there isn't a lot of explanation needed when it comes to keychains, they have a fairly decent selection of NHL-themed keychains. These Colorado Avalanche keychains are pretty decent, and it appears that all the styles of keychain are available in all 30 NHL teams.

However, if you're a fan of the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, or the Washington Capitals, you may have to be content with the old logo. It could be that the website simply hasn't been updated, but it appears that the old logos are all that are available for those teams.

Not to worry, though, because I've requested a sample, and I will be offering up these NHL-themed keychains in my next contest. You, the readers, will have the opportunity to win a keychain along with other prizes in the next contest, compliments of Jeff and the good people at Wholesalekeychain.com.

In a third email, I received a message from Sean McDonald who wanted to know if I was remarkable. I can tell you that I am not remarkable in any way. In all seriousness, though, Sean wanted me to know that Guinness Canada was celebrating its 250th Anniversary, and they are running a remarkable contest!

The "Be Remarkable" contest essentially lets you do what you've always dreamed of: go into space, visit the Guinness brewery in Ireland, help out a charity of choice by providing them with some much needed time and money... literally, anything you can dream of is the grand prize in this contest.

So how does Guinness determine a winner? According to their rules and information, "[e]ntries will be judged and fulfilled based on the levels of inspiration, dedication, ingenuity and effort. All of which are characteristics of Guinness and its founder, Arthur Guinness". Click on the "Enter Now" option, and get your dream filfilled!

After all, watching an exciting hockey game works up my thirst, and I appreciate a sophisticated beverage to quench that thirst. And maybe Guinness isn't your beverage of choice. That's ok, too. You can still have your dream fulfilled simply by entering! And just to keep you entertained, here are a pile of Guinness advertisements (each word is a different advertisement). Because good advertising isn't lost on this writer. And I always love the old-time feel in those first five ads. Very pub-like.

I would like to thank Lyndsey, Jeff, and Sean for providing me these opportunities and samples. As stated, you, the reader, will get a full review of both samples being sent, and I will offer up the keychains as prizes in the next contest. That's my "thank you" to you for stopping by and checking out this blog on a daily/weekly/monthly/whenever-you-have-time basis.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!