Abdelkader

Over the course of last night’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, a number of Detroit Red Wings players lost their helmets during the action. And that got me thinking that the only way Pittsburgh might be able to slow down the well-oiled Red Wings machine is by tampering with their opponents’ equipment.

Detroit just seemed unstoppable in its 3-1 victory, regardless of which line or D pair was on the ice. Even the Wings’ fourth line got in on the action with a big goal by Justin Abdelkader, the former Michigan State championship team hero. The Wings just played their game to perfection, by maintaining possession of the puck and getting the occasional crucial save from Chris Osgood. (more…)

You should have a little sympathy for Michel Therrien, who was fired as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins back in February and now has to watch the Pens play for the Stanley Cup against the Detroit Red Wings from a couch like the rest of us.

But don’t feel too bad, because Therrien is still getting paid by Pittsburgh and, oh yeah, he gets to watch the Pens-Wings final like the rest of us. This is by far the best matchup the NHL could’ve gotten for its marquee event of the year. And with the time to whine about scheduling finally over, we can finally focus on the hockey. (more…)

Yelle

The Boston Bruins easily could’ve entered this season without Stephane Yelle and instead filled his lineup spot with a rookie or a borderline veteran NHLer, but boy would they have missed the two-time Stanley Cup-winning center.

Boston needed Yelle in all three zones, they needed him at the faceoff dots and, oh yeah, they really got the most benefit from his presence on the penalty kill. The Bruins’ penalty kill was one of the worst in the league without Yelle in 2007-08, but moved to 12th this season. While that can’t all be credited to one guy, it was obvious to all observers that his savvy and positioning instantly made the Bruins’ penalty kill miles better. (more…)

The progression of Dennis Wideman from mistake-prone, risk-taking “offenseman” into a legit No. 2 defenseman on a contending club continued this season, Wideman’s first as a multi-millionaire who was expected to serve as a two-way force for the Boston Bruins.

Healthy for most of the year, Wideman was able to find a level of consistency that made him not only a threat to score and make big defensive plays, but also earned him enough average ice time to finish second to Zdeno Chara on the Bruins’ roster in both the regular season and playoffs. (more…)

Wheeler

For the first half of the season, it was Blake Wheeler — not Michael Ryder – that looked like the Boston Bruins’ top free-agent addition from last summer.

But as the season wore on, the rookie wall kept keeping Wheeler from flaunting the scoring skills he’d shown in his first three months as a pro. And as his offensive game went, his game in the other two zones and without the puck followed. Wheeler never did add the physicality required for a player his size and he made plenty of rookie mistakes with the puck.

Wheeler’s struggles, of course, caused head coach Claude Julien to scratch the 6-foot-5 forward for the last three games of the season. (more…)

So let me get this straight. It’s OK to play back-to-back games throughout the regular season and the first three rounds of playoffs. But when it comes to the Stanley Cup final, playing two games in two nights is an invitation for players to get seriously injured and the quality of play to sink faster than Barry Melrose’s coaching career.

I don’t get it. The fact that Game 1 and Game 2 are being playing this Saturday and Sunday — weekend nights in prime time — is the perfect opportunity for the NHL to flaunt its much-improved, high-speed, entertaining game. And yet players and media (who shouldn’t ever complain about spending less time in Detroit) are beefing over the schedule. (more…)

Every superhero needs a sidekick, and for Boston Bruins star defenseman Zdeno Chara that partner in crime for most of this season was Aaron Ward.

The veteran defenseman’s instincts and abilities in the defensive zone allowed Boston’s captain and Norris Trophy finalist to play a more aggressive game at both ends. Even while playing on Boston’s top pair, Ward was still his rugged self. Only injuries that cost him 17 games kept him from leading the team in blocked shots again (he was second with 124) and he was third (second among defensemen) in hits with 151.

A warrior night in and night out, Ward continued to personify what it means to play the “Bruins way” in his second full season in black and gold. (more…)

Thornton

The Boston Bruins’ leader in fighting majors with 17, Shawn Thornton proved to be so much more than a banger with steel knuckles this season. It seemed like the veteran winger’s work ethic never took a night off, as he skated in 79 games and made sure that calling his line the fourth line was a bit of a misnomer.

Thornton set career bests in goals and points and jelled with center Stephane Yelle, and the pair and whichever winger that joined them always kept the heat on opposing defenses and made sure that head coach Claude Julien could roll four lines and not wear out any of his skill guys. (more…)

They say hard work pays off. Well, in Tim Thomas’ case tons of hard work paid off big time this spring when the Boston Bruins rewarded him with a four-year contract extension that will pay him $5 million per season — a far cry from the $1.1 million he’d been paid since his 2006 extension.

Thomas’ large payday was recognition for his efforts leading up to and during his Vezina Trophy-worthy 2008-09, plus the prime-time play the Bruins’ brass thinks Thomas can continue to produce as we head toward a new decade. Thomas’ refined mechanics blended with his relentless competitiveness made him the league leader in goals-against average and save percentage. But more important, he continued to prove he’s a winner. (more…)

The Detroit Red Wings notched an impressive overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks last night in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals to set up a Stanley Cup final rematch with the Pittsburgh Penguins starting Saturday.

Detroit continued to flaunt its amazing depth, as rookie forward Darren Helm scored the goal that lifted the Wings to a 2-1 triumph. So just to recap, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Jonathan Ericsson, Kris Draper and Tomas Kopecky remained out, Helm scored the game-winner and the Wings will now defend their Stanley Cup titles. The Wings never fail to amaze. (more…)

Like the Boston Bruins, the Carolina Hurricanes are facing some tough offseason decisions now that they’ve been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But, first things first: don’t worry, Scott Walker is under contract with the ‘Canes for $2.5 million in ’09-10. So unless Carolina decides to move him, and can find a taker at that price, the deliverer of the playoffs’ most blatant sucker punch will be available for retribution when the Bruins and ‘Canes meet for the first time next season. (more…)

With all the personal offensive records that fell or were challenged during the Boston Bruins’ march to the 2008-09 regular-season Eastern Conference title, this might’ve been the year Marco Sturm finally reached 30 goals. Three shy in his previous two seasons in black and gold, Sturm was just starting to get on pace when he suffered his first injury of the season.

That neck ailment, and then a serious knee injury that required Jan. 13 surgery, conspired to prevent Sturm from reaching his magic number or joining his teammates during most of their magical moments. Sturm’s speed and finishing ability — not to mention his crazy goal-celebration faces — were sorely missed despite Boston’s league-leading goals total. (more…)

Stuart

Sometimes it’s difficult to measure the value of a stay-at-home defenseman who plays on his club’s third pair.

But in the case of Boston Bruins backliner Mark Stuart, the plus/minus rating — as much as I abhor that statistic — tells a pretty accurate story of the second-year standouts 2008-09 season. In his sophomore season with the Boston varsity, Stuart posted a plus-20 rating playing just a little more than 15 minutes per contest.

That’s a tidy little number from a big-time body-checker and zone-protector. He finished 10th in hits (95) and fourth in blocked shots (105) while playing less minutes than his closest competitors on the Boston roster. And he continued to develop into a perennial menacing presence on the Bruins’ blue line. (more…)

Yesterday I expressed my excitement at the notion of Patrick Roy re-joining the NHL as a head coach, possibly even with the Montreal Canadiens, to amuse us with his temper and his tantrums.

Well today Adrian Dater of the Denver Post reported that Roy has turned down the Colorado Avalanche’s offer to be their head coach. Roy wants to stay close to his home base in Quebec to be with his wife and kids.

So while that initially means he’s going to stick with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, I’m holding out hope that the Canadiens’ bench will be his next residence. As amusing as it would’ve been watching Roy try to coach Peter Budaj and possibly Andrew Raycroft, seeing him mentor enigmatic Carey Price could be next fall’s hit TV show. Come on, Habs — hire Patrick.