Posts Tagged ‘nicklas lidstrom’
Monday, December 19th, 2011
Nicklas Lidstrom (James Teterenko, Wikimedia Commons)
The Edmonton Oilers fell to two games below .500 following a 3-2 loss to one of the elite teams in the National Hockey League on Monday night at Rexall Place.
Let’s face it folks. The Red Wings had one key element that the Oilers lacked on Monday– that was simply a key ingredient of an experience to win, an intangible the Oilers significantly lack.
One could argue that finding the right ingredients to beat the big boys in the West (Chicago, Vancouver, Detroit) will take time. But I don’t blame Oilers fans for their lack of patience.
Monday night with the game tied at 2, Red Wings defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom used his experience and got the puck to the net from the point. This time his shot was extremely accurate, was tipped by Drew Miller and put the Red Wings up for good.
One could argue that the Oilers had a great chance to tie the game at 3 when Niklas Kronwall shot the puck over the glass with 3:02 left, but it was the Red Wings that showed significant more poise than the Oilers as Edmonton’s power play was extremely disorganized in the final minutes.
With the loss, Edmonton falls to 14-16-3, and are six points back of the San Jose Sharks for a playoff spot. They next play Minnesota on Thursday.
Tags: detroit red wings, drew miller, Edmonton Oilers, minnesota wild, nicklas lidstrom, San Jose Sharks
Posted in NHL |
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
Kris Draper (James Teterenko, Wikimedia Commons)
One of the best checking line forwards over the last two decades in the National Hockey League has decided to retire.
On Tuesday, Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings announced the timing is now for him to hang up the skates.
Draper, the 2004 Selke Winner for best defensive forward, had 161 goals and 203 assists in 1157 games with the Winnipeg Jets and Red Wings from 1990-2011.
A three-time Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008, Draper scored 21 shorthanded goals in his career. A center, Draper was Winnipeg’s fourth choice, 62nd overall, before being traded to the Red Wings for a dollar on June 30, 1993. He was one of Red Wings to win four Stanley Cups with Detroit since 1997, joining Tomas Holmstrom, Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom and Kirk Maltby.
Draper, a native of Toronto, Ontario, also answered the call to play for Team Canada on numerous occasions. In 1990 and 1991, he won back-to-back World Junior Hockey Championships with Team Canada, joining goaltender Trevor Kidd, defenceman Patrice Brisebois, and forwards Kent Manderville, Mike Craig, Steven Rice and Eric Lindros, as the first Canadians to accomplish the feat.
Draper also won a Gold Medal with Team Canada at the 2003 World Hockey Championships in Helsinki, Finland and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Tags: detroit red wings, Eric Lindros, kent manderville, kirk maltby, kris draper, mike craig, nicklas lidstrom, patrice brisebois, steven rice, tomas holmstrom, trevor kidd, winnipeg jets
Posted in NHL |
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
Chris Osgood (Dan Nicholas, Wikimedia Commons)
NHL veteran goaltender Chris Osgood has decided to retire at the age of 38.
Osgood spent 17 seasons in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, and Saint Louis Blues.
His career record was 401-266-95. He also posted 50 career shutouts. Other accolades for Osgood, were winning the Stanley Cup three times with the Red Wings in 1997, 1998 and 2008, a two-time winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy and being named to three NHL All-Star Games.
The native of Peace River, Alberta also posted a career goals against average of 2.49 and a career save percentage of .905.
Osgood might not have been as stellar as other more glamorous goaltenders in the last twenty years, but the bottom line is that he got the job done. In 2010, Osgood became the tenth goaltender in National Hockey League history to record 400 wins in a career. Benefiting from a strong defense up front led by Nicklas Lidstrom, Osgood had the opportunity to play for an exceptional team in the Detroit Red Wings for the majority of his playing days. But the bottom line is Osgood, got victories, and was good enough to be in the NHL for 17 years.
Tags: chris osgood, detroit red wings, new york islanders, nicklas lidstrom, saint louis blues
Posted in NHL |
Friday, June 24th, 2011
Adam Larsson (Wikimedia Commons)
A year ago my very first blog for anysportanytime.ca was why I felt the Edmonton Oilers needed to draft Cam Fowler over Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall.
It was plain and simple, the need to increase their overall team defense.
A year later, and that is still in my opinion, the club’s number one concern on draft day. Other than Ryan Whitney, who had an excellent 2010-11 NHL season by recording 27 points in 35 games, and was a very respectable +13 on a team that had the fewest points in the league, the Oilers’ blueline was extremely thin to say the least.Kurtis Foster was a -12. Ladislav Smid was a -10. Jason Strudwick was a -16. Jeff Petry was a -12 in only 35 games. Jim Vandermeer was a -15. Tom Gilbert was a -14.
So, instead of drafting the forward with the best offensive potential (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins), the Oilers need to draft Sweden’s Adam Larsson, the top defenceman on the board, and a player TSN’s Pierre McGuire has compared to Nicklas Lidstrom. Larsson may not be the best available, but is the Oilers’ most important need.
Tags: Adam Larsson, cam fowler, Edmonton Oilers, nicklas lidstrom, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, ryan whitney
Posted in NHL |
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
Nicklas Lidstrom (James Teterenko, Wikimedia Commons)
Not a bad evening for me in predicting the NHL Awards.
I got five of the seven right, with the only two incorrect, the Hart Trophy and Norris Trophy.
I still completely disagree with awarding Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings with the Norris Trophy for best defenceman of the year. It should be a non-starter to award a Norris Trophy to a minus-player, regardless of your outstanding hockey resume. Lidstrom has now won his seventh Norris Trophy. Only Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins has more with eight. I feel Lidstrom won the award based more on his reputation for his outstanding performances over the last decade rather than this season, which should have come into the equation significantly more.
Regarding the Hart, the voters went with Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks over Daniel Sedin (my choice) of the Vancouver Canucks. They decided to focus more on the word “valuable” in deciding the winner this year than the word “best”. I have no problem with that, because if it wasn’t for Perry’s outstanding last two months in the regular season, the Ducks don’t even make the playoffs.
But, I was right with Jeff Skinner (Calder), Tim Thomas (Vezina), Dan Bylsma (Art Ross), Martin St. Louis (Lady Byng) and Ryan Kesler (Selke).
Tags: anaheim ducks, corey perry, dan bylsma, detroit red wings, Jeff Skinner, martin st. louis, nicklas lidstrom, ryan kesler, tim thomas
Posted in NHL |
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
Brian Rafalski (Wikimedia Commons)
According to the Associated Press, Detroit Red Wing defenceman Brian Rafalski announced his retirement today.
Rafalski, 37, had experienced some back issues that limited him only to 63 games this season.
The news was somewhat of a surprise because Rafalski had one year left on his contract worth six million, and there has been significant speculation lately that fellow Red Wing defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom would retire.
Despite only scoring four goals for Detroit this year, Rafalski was still playing at a very high caliber. He had 44 assists, and 48 points, fifth in scoring for a Red Wings team that qualified for the Western Conference Semi-Finals before losing in seven games to the San Jose Sharks.
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Tags: brian rafalski, detroit red wings, new jersey devils, nicklas lidstrom
Posted in NHL |
Friday, May 6th, 2011
Nicklas Lidstrom (James Teterenko, Wikimedia Commons)
The Detroit Red Wings are still alive in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Nicklas Lidstrom made history Friday.
Lidstrom moved into second place all-time in playoff points by a defenceman as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3. Detroit still trails San Jose 3-1 in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
Lidstrom scored two goals Friday night and now has 182 career playoff points. He passed Ray Bourque of the Boston Bruins/Colorado Avalanche who has a career total of 180 playoff points.
Paul Coffey leads all defencemen with 196 career playoff points.
Who do you think is the best playoff defenceman of all-time? Would you take Coffey, Bourque or Lidstrom to anchor your defense during the postseason?
Meanwhile in Boston Friday night, Milan Lucic scored twice and Nathan Horton had two assists as the Boston Bruins pounded the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 to sweep the Eastern Conference Semi-Final. Boston will now play Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Final.
Tags: boston bruins, detroit red wings, milan lucic, nathan horton, nicklas lidstrom, Paul Coffey, Philadelphia Flyers, Ray Bourque, San Jose Sharks, tampa bay lightning
Posted in NHL |
Thursday, April 28th, 2011
Daniel Sedin (Harry How, Getty Images)
After the first round where I was red hot at 7-1, let’s see how things transpire in the Conference Semi-Finals.
WEST
(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (5) Nashville Predators–The Vancouver Canucks are coming off an emotionally draining series where they knocked off their top nemesis, the Chicago Blackhawks. Will they have enough in the tank? I’m saying yes. But only if the Sedins show up. Daniel and Henrik Sedin were basically absent in the final four games in the Western Conference Quarterfinal, and will need a much better showing in round two. The issue with Nashville is they have an outstanding defense corps led by Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, but do they have a forward that can play the shut down defensive role like Dave Bolland did so effectively with the Blackhawks? I don’t think so, therefore Vancouver has the edge. On offense, the Canucks are also at an advantage. Don’t forget Nashville’s top scorer was Sergei Kostitsyn with 50 points. That’s right, the same Sergei Kostitsyn who lost his way, and could not get out of his brother’s shadow in Montreal. The Canucks take this one in five.
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Tags: alexander ovechkin, alexander semin, andrej meszaros, antero niittymaki, boston bruins, brian rafalski, chris kelly, daniel sedin, Dany Heatley, detroit red wings, dwayne roloson, henrik sedin, henrik zetterberg, jeff carter, jimmy howard, joe pavelski, Joe Thornton, kris versteeg, logan couture, martin st. louis, mike green, nashville predators, nathan horton, nicklas lidstrom, nikolay zherdev, Patrick Marleau, Philadelphia Flyers, rich peverley, ryan clowe, ryan suter, San Jose Sharks, shea weber, steven stamkos, tampa bay lightning, tim thomas, todd mclellan, tomas kaberle, Vancouver Canucks, vincent lecavalier, washington capitals, Zdeno Chara
Posted in NHL |
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Corey Perry (Bridget Samuels, Wikimedia Commons)
The Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings are in an excellent position to breeze through the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
I’m projecting both teams to win in five games.
Over the last twenty games, the Ducks were sizzling. Since February 27, the Ducks went 15-4-1. Three major reasons were because of the play of Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne and Ray Emery. Perry won the Rocket Richard Trophy this season as he was the only player in the National Hockey League to record 50 goals. Selanne, at age 40, found youth in his legs and notched 80 points. Emery, meanwhile, came in for Jonas Hiller late in the season and posted a 7-2 record. A lower body injury Emery suffered late in the year however against San Jose means that Dan Ellis is likely to start against Nashville in Game One.
The Predators have the edge over the Ducks in goaltending with Pekka Rinne, but I just can’t see Rinne stealing many games for Nashville over the next ten days.
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Tags: anaheim ducks, brad stuart, brian rafalski, corey perry, dan cleary, dan ellis, darren helm, detroit red wings, henrik zetterberg, jiri hudler, johan franzen, kris draper, nashville predators, nicklas lidstrom, niklas kronwall, Pavel Datsyuk, pekka rinne, phoenix coyotes, Ray Emery, teemu selanne, tomas holmstrom, valtteri filppula
Posted in NHL |
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
And the first overall pick in the 2011 National Hockey League draft goes to – The Edmonton Oilers.
Now that we’re done with that, the questions begin. Do you remember the Taylor vs Tyler debate of the 2010 NHL draft? I remember a feverish, life-or-death set of debates on the Internet, near the water cooler at work, on my Facebook wall and in the newspaper.
Will we see the same type of debate in the next few months between the two top-touted players Adam Larsson and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? Likely so, but the biggest difference between this year and last year is that Taylor and Tyler both play forward. Either of those players could have made an impact in the same type of way on the Oilers lineup.
Going into the 2011 draft, the Oilers will have to choose based on position. Do they need a big, powerful defender who can run a power play and has been compared to Kerrzy-favourite Nicklas Lidstrom? Or do they need a potential first-line centreman who might not be ready for the NHL right now but has a huge upside.
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Tags: 1st overall pick, Adam Larsson, ales hemsky, Canada, dustin penner, Edmonton Oilers, entry draft, hockey, NHL, nhl entry draft, nicklas lidstrom, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Steve Tambellini, Sweden, Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin
Posted in NHL |
Friday, January 28th, 2011
Eric Staal (Bridget Samuels, Wikimedia Commons)
This is an interesting part of the sports calendar– when two leagues have their all-star festivities on the same weekend.
The NHL are taking a break from their schedule to have the All-Star Game in Carolina, while the NFL’s timing for the Pro Bowl seems a little bit strange–the weekend between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl. Oh yeah, and don’t expect to see any Steelers or Packers in Honolulu, because they’re simply preparing for the biggest game of their lives.
I still don’t know what to think about the NHL All-Star Game. The teams will be decided this evening by captains Eric Staal and Nicklas Lidstrom. The game loses its luster for me a bit because there’s no Sidney Crosby and no Oilers or Flames in the game itself.
The NHL All-Star Game goes Sunday at 2pm on CBC while the Pro Bowl goes Sunday night at 5pm on FOX.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching this weekend:
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Tags: andy murray, chris paul, david ferrer, david west, eric staal, glenn howard, jeff stoughton, kevin koe, kevin martin, kim clijsters, li na, mike mcewen, nicklas lidstrom, novak djokovic, pat simmons, Steve Nash
Posted in ATP World Tour, More, NBA, NFL, NHL |
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