The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

May 16, 2011

The Hockey News - May-16-11

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021701/9767722-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="594" height="785"><figcaption class="caption-body">(ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>I started playing road hockey when I was eight back in Prince Albert, Sask. It would have been the early-&rsquo;30s. It was so cold. It got to be about 45 below. We had earmuffs on, but we froze our ears, we froze our feet, we froze our toes; we froze everything you can think of.We played on the street a lot. I can still remember some of the boys I played with &ndash; Joe Nishnick and Joe Doolan. Oh boy, am I going back. Once we started playing, kids would come from all over to join. I lived on 16th street and we&rsquo;d have boys come all the way from 14th street to play. It might not sound that far, but it was quite a hike.Nobody wanted to play goal because we had no equipment, but I learned to love it. We used a puck for a while, but that was too hard so we got tennis balls. One time, this chap&rsquo;s mother threw a baby crib away. We cut the mattress in half and made our own pads. We put elastic around our legs to hold them on. Before that, I used Eaton&rsquo;s catalogues. That&rsquo;s how I learned to play. And I didn&rsquo;t have any catching gloves. I had ordinary winter mitts. I put some padding inside them so I wouldn&rsquo;t hurt my fingers. That&rsquo;s all we had.I&rsquo;d listen to Foster Hewitt on the radio in those days and one of my favorite players was Frankie Brimsek of Boston. He was a pretty good player. I&rsquo;ll tell you why &ndash; they called him &lsquo;Mr. Zero.&rsquo; &ldquo;Some day,&rdquo; I would say to myself, &ldquo;some day, I want to be like him.&rdquo; He was my hockey hero.When I was asked to be part of Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer, I said I would help. Anything to help get rid of that disease. I&rsquo;ve lost a lot of friends to cancer. And it&rsquo;ll make me think back to those days playing road hockey in Prince Albert. Those are some good memories.For more information on the event, visit <a href="http://TEAMUPTOCONQUERCANCER.CA">TeamUpToConquerCancer.ca</a> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Bower Back On The Road

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02423/9769574-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="991" height="1389"><figcaption class="caption-body">(HHOF IMAGES)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Blast from the Past from The Hockey Hall of Fame

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02591/9769429-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JUSTIN TIMEJustin Faulk added a national title to his world junior bronze in a banner season. (FAULK: ELSA/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01919/9769436-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div>Winning a school&rsquo;s first men&rsquo;s hockey title in its 67-year history naturally bumps the team into local celebrity status, though the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs weren&rsquo;t hard to miss. &ldquo;People seem to know us,&rdquo; said freshman defenseman Justin Faulk.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03458/9769422-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="159" height="158"></div>&ldquo;They probably recognize us from our blonde hair.&rdquo;And while the dye jobs will most likely be gone by the time classes are back in the fall, Faulk&rsquo;s play on the blueline made him a good candidate to be one-and-done.Along with the national championship he helped UMD earn at the Frozen Four in Minnesota, Faulk was part of Team USA&rsquo;s bronze-medal entry at the world juniors in Buffalo. That squad gave the Americans their first back-to-back podium finishes at the event ever. Faulk, 19, was named to the Frozen Four&rsquo;s All-Tournament team and had a goal and four points in six games at the world juniors, putting him among Team USA&rsquo;s leaders. So you&rsquo;ll forgive his UMD coach for being a little wistful just days after the Dogs won the title game. &ldquo;The bad thing is it probably means Carolina signs him,&rdquo; said Scott Sandelin. &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s what happens with good players. It would be a bonus if he came back.&rdquo;Sandelin proved prophetic, as the Hurricanes inked Faulk to an entry-level deal (complete with $270,000 signing bonus) two days after the interview. The blueliner was dispatched to Hershey, where he would meet his new American League teammates on the Charlotte Checkers, who had just taken Game 1 of their opening-round series with the Bears. Faulk was expected to get some practices in with the Checkers before suiting up in the middle of the best-of-seven showdown.In his first season with Duluth, Faulk was a machine on the back end, pumping in eight goals and 33 points in 39 games. He was named third team all-WCHA and garnered a spot on the conference&rsquo;s all-rookie team.Coming from the U.S. national team development program, the Minnesota native believes he had a leg up on other teens entering college hockey thanks to the competition he faced last season &ndash; which included games against NCAA teams. &ldquo;It helped being able to play in Ann Arbor and getting a little taste of the Div. 1 schedule,&rdquo; Faulk said. &ldquo;I definitely thinkI handled the transition here well.&rdquo;Getting to pull on the Team USA jersey at the world juniors also prepared Faulk for the big stage he would face with the Bulldogs. The international tourney was held at HSBC Arena, home of the Buffalo Sabres, while the Frozen Four took place at the Minnesota Wild&rsquo;s Xcel Center in St. Paul. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re playing in a big building in front of 20,000 fans,&rdquo; Faulk said. &ldquo;So I wasn&rsquo;t too shocked.&rdquo;And while it may have shocked Duluth fans to see Faulk leaving so soon, the offer had been mulled for a while. &ldquo;To be honest, we started talking about it as an organization after the world juniors,&rdquo; said Carolina assistant GM Jason Karmanos. &ldquo;That opened eyes early.&rdquo;The scouting community has noticed as well. Faulk ranked No. 33 among top prospects in Future Watch 2011. In doing so, he passed a multitude of prospects selected ahead of his No. 37 spot in the 2010 draft.Karmanos noted Faulk&rsquo;s strength was a big factor in the Canes believing he could step into a role in the pros and that the teen&rsquo;s complete game and power play acumen makes him special. &ldquo;He projects to be a player who doesn&rsquo;t spend a lot of time in the minors,&rdquo; Karmanos said.The future is bright for the burly blueliner. Consideringthe Canes&rsquo; first pick in the draft was rookie phenom Jeff Skinner, it&rsquo;s already looking like a great haul for GM Jim Rutherford. Internally, the Canes had Skinner ranked third overall and were thrilled to get him with the seventh pick. As for Faulk? &ldquo;Justin was very high on our list, too,&rdquo; Karmanos said. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s put it this way; one of our scouts did a fist-pump at the table when we got him.&rdquo;<blockquote class="pullQuote">6 Faulk&rsquo;s power play goals this season, good for three-quarters of his eight total scores</blockquote>The fact Faulk came into Duluth and hit the ground running made his freshman season exciting. &ldquo;His first half was dominant,&rdquo; Sandelin said. &ldquo;I hadn&rsquo;t seen anything like that in a long, long time.&rdquo;Strong and stocky at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, Faulk is solid in all areas of the rink, though he is known for one skill more than others. &ldquo;I think I&rsquo;m a good puck-mover,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;With my skating ability and vision, I&rsquo;m able to make the simple play, get the puck out of the zone and find the open man.&rdquo;Which is something he did with aplomb this year. Coach Sandelin believes the WJC may have sapped some energy out of his blueliner, but the positive trade-off was that the experience boosted Faulk&rsquo;s confidence.By the time the Bulldogs had knocked off No. 1 Yale in the regional final of the Frozen Four, the whole team was already feeling pretty good about its chances. &ldquo;The first game against Union, we were facing the No. 1 power play in the nation,&rdquo; Faulk said. &ldquo;They had nine power plays and we stopped all of them. That gave us a ton of confidence.&rdquo;As a pro, Faulk is being thrust into another playoff run, but he&rsquo;ll do so with the knowledge his organization thinks highly of him and credits the work he&rsquo;s already done in Duluth. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great for Justin,&rdquo; Karmanos said. &ldquo;He gets to leave after one year having accomplished something most players don&rsquo;t do in four years and that&rsquo;s win a national championship.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Every Dog Has His Day

<div class="byline">BY RISTO PAKARINEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021538/9768030-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(THORSTEN WAGNER/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-012010/9768037-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="175" height="261"></div>About a million Finns found themselves in front of the TV during the Swedish Royal Wedding last summer, when Crown Princess Victoria married her Daniel, making it the 10th most-watched broadcast in Finland last year. Exactly a month earlier, though, 1.2 million Finns were spilling their chip dips all over their Team Finland replica sweaters as their beloved &ldquo;Lions&rdquo; were trying to stop the Russians at the World Championship.Three World Championship games had better ratings than the Royal Wedding. Two had better ratings than the World Cup soccer final between Holland and Spain. Five of Team Finland&rsquo;s games had more than 950,000 viewers &ndash; which is a good share in a country of 5.2 million.In Sweden, where the tourney was shown on cable, nine of its top 10 shows in 2010 were World Championship games.The two weeks in May are a hockeyfest wherever the game is played in Europe. The host city gets taken over by colorful hockey fans and that&rsquo;s in more ways than one. With the long, dark winter behind them, they greet the spring dressed in their team&rsquo;s colors; the Danes with their horned Viking helmets, the Latvians banging their drums and the Swedes in their orange Pippi Longstocking wigs.The World Championship is still where national heroes are made. Sure, Antti Niemi made a lot of Finns proud in the Stanley Cup final last year, but that&rsquo;s not a name my grandfather would come up with if asked to name a few Finnish goalies. Niklas Hjalmarsson had a nice turnout at his tiny village in Sweden lastAugust when the Cup came for a visit, but he got the biggest applause of the day when he listed playing for Sweden in the World Championship as a career goal. The biggest save Tomas Vokoun made last season came in the third period in the World Championship final when he stopped a Russian 2-on-1 rush and sent parade organizers in Prague to work.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031118/9768023-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="1148" height="781"><figcaption class="caption-body">EURO FLAREAlex Ovechkin loves to rep the Russian sweater, while Finnish fans wig out for their boys. (HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>The worlds is when nations get behind their heroes and forget everything else that happened during the season.For a European hockey fan, the few weeks before the World Championship are just as exciting as the days and weeks before trade deadline day are for a North American hockey fan. &ldquo;Who&rsquo;s coming? Who&rsquo;s named? Who&rsquo;s injured?&rdquo; There are rumors and speculations, there are whispers and false prophets. There are fantasy lineups.Oh, and then there&rsquo;s the money.While the tournament is surely an important source of income for the International Ice Hockey Federation, it&rsquo;s even more important for the organizing country&rsquo;s federation, which can then finance its operations and support its grassroots programs for a few years after the tournament.In Finland, the host of the 2012 tournament, the organizing committee is keeping its fingers crossed that the IIHF ranking would put Finland and Russia in the same group for next year&rsquo;s tournament, guaranteeing that thousands of Russian hockey fans will make the trek to Helsinki, together with their credit cards.The next two tournaments are a jackpot for the Finnish and Swedish federations, which will co-host the 2012 and 2013 tournaments, with the final played in Finland in 2012 and in Sweden the year after.With both Finland and Sweden playing their preliminary round games on home ice, there will be no secondary venue to drag down the attendance &ndash; or the profits.Finally, of course, the hockey is great. It&rsquo;s a rare treat for any hockey fan to see Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, and Sergei Gonchar work the Russian power play. It&rsquo;s also heartwarming to see a young Danish goalie play the game of his life, like Frederik Andersen did against Finland last May, and a year later, see him sign with a big Swedish club and take the next step in his career.Only in the World Championship. &#9632;

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Something Special

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTIAN PETERSEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012189/9767432-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>Dog Days Over?</h2>Phoenix fans bid captain Shane Doan farewell, possibly forever, after the Yotes are eliminated from the playoffs. &#9632;

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THEBIGPICTURE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021888/9767477-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="991" height="630"></div>With apologies to Christmas tree huggers, the two months when the weather and hockey heat up simultaneously is the most wonderful time of the year. For all the fun we have, however, it&rsquo;s also the most challenging period for the editors at The Hockey News. Storylines are frenetic and fleeting, changing daily. How do we remain relevant with our long shelf life?This week, we&rsquo;ve opted to go with our Awards Issue, presenting pointed arguments for the players we&rsquo;ve selected as hardware winners. That package, in all its contentious glory, begins on pg. 20, followed by our team-by-team honorees.For a moment, we thought about getting all boastful by presenting ourselves with our own award for being so smrt. Er, smart. We correctly predicted five of this season&rsquo;s six division winners and 13 of the 16 playoff teams. Upon further review, though, it was all so predictable. Parity apparently has taken a vacation.Consider the data: In the first three seasons following the lockout, there were 15 different division winners in the 18 races. That&rsquo;s half the league. The past three seasons, only nine have claimed crowns. At the same time, non-playoff clubs are having an increasingly difficult time reversing their fortunes. Six of 14 sides that failed to make the post-season in 2006 turned it around quickly and qualified in 2007. Each subsequent season, that number has declined or stayed flat; this year only three of 14 broke through to the playoff side. So much for our genius.More importantly for the NHL is the dip in parity and what it means. First the why: Very succinctly, there&rsquo;s less player movement. Teams are locking in key guys for long terms, making it tough for the Original 30 to upgrade via free agency. This summer, for example, not including Teemu Selanne or Nick Lidstrom who if they don&rsquo;t retire will stay put in Anaheim and Detroit, there&rsquo;ll be at most only two 60-point scorers on the UFA market &ndash; Brad Richards and Alex Tanguay. And cap/budget restrictions further hamstring GMs. Even if the UFA talent pool was larger, not everyone would be in position to go for a dip.Assuming the parity curve is a trend and not an aberration, it could be problematic for the NHL during the next round of CBA talks. Competitive balance was a primary platform for the league in the war of 2005. If that plank doesn&rsquo;t exist, it&rsquo;ll have some serious &lsquo;splaining and strategizing to do the next time around.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031524/9767470-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="456" height="245"></div>NEXT&nbsp;ISSUE MAY 30, 2011CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE: <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a>CONTACT US: <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012232/9767463-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="434" height="698"></div><h2>NHL PLAYOFFS</h2>CLICK ON<a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a>TO GET OUR INSTANT TAKE ON EACH AND EVERY GAME &#9632;

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Where Has Parity Gone?

<div class="byline">Harry R. Hertel, Eau Claire, Wisc.</div>Your cover story on Jake Dowell (May 2) was a true pleasure to read. During his University of Wisconsin years, coaches and teammates would travel here for an annual golf outing to raise money for Jake&rsquo;s family and Huntington&rsquo;s disease research; the turnout was always huge. When asked to serve as a speaker for our Girls and Boys Club, Jake didn&rsquo;t hesitate, focusing on the benefits of sports. My office features his autographed stick as proudly as any hockey memorabilia I am fortunate to possess. Thanks for letting others know what we in his hometown have known for years about his courage.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012461/9767546-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="948" height="1179"><figcaption class="caption-body">(FRANCOIS LAPLANTE/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY)</figcaption></div><h2>What&rsquo;s A Winner?</h2>At season&rsquo;s end, 22 teams out of 30 had a &ldquo;.500&rdquo; or better record. You should have to win half of your games or more to be a true .500 team.Dave MacNeil, Vancouver<h2>Future Save</h2>After reading about Mandi Schwartz, I was inspired to register as a bone marrow donor because of her remarkable battle. I was devastated to hear about her passing, but her legacy will live on.Michelle Methot, Mississauga, Ont.<h2>Safe Up and Down</h2>If the NHL wants to get really serious about safety, it should again look at putting in a no-touch icing rule. Why is it only two minutes in the box when one player takes out another player&rsquo;s skates right out from under him? I guess it&rsquo;s OK as long as you only injure a guy&rsquo;s knees or legs &ndash; like what happened with Kurtis Foster when he snapped his femur in 2008 when a member of the Wild &ndash; and not his head.Rusty Foust, Kernersville, N.C.<h2>Soup&rsquo;s On</h2>In your April 18 Playoff Preview issue, you rated Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell a two-star fantasy player. Sure he&rsquo;s has hard time living up to the expectations of his cap hit, but he led all Blackhawks with a plus-28 this season and when he was out of the lineup to start the 2010 playoffs against Nashville, the Hawks sputtered and almost blew the series. No Campbell, no Stanley Cup.Jeff Tucholski, Chicago<h2>Musical Stares</h2>For shootouts next season, each player on the home team should choose a song that gets played in the arena every time they take to the ice for their turn. I think most fans (and some players, too) would really enjoy that because it adds a personal touch to the game. You can probably learn a lot about your favorite player based on his choice of &ldquo;theme&rdquo; song. Who&rsquo;s a little bit country and who&rsquo;s a little bit rock &lsquo;n&rsquo; roll?&nbsp;Barbara Zee, Dumont, N.J.<h2>Saving SP</h2>It makes it difficult to decide who&rsquo;s a better goalie when save percentage isn&rsquo;t an apples-to-apples comparison. What would give a better picture is factoring in how many goals against were even strength and how many were on the power play. Baseball uses the earned run average that takes bad defense out of the equation to show a pitcher&rsquo;s effectiveness. There should be some kind of formula to better compare goalies. C&rsquo;mon statisticians, see what you can come up with.Robert Legge, Etlan, Va.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021485/9767539-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="321" height="219"></div>The top 10 save percentages only accounting for shots and saves when a goalie&rsquo;s team is at even strength or on the PP. In parentheses is each goalie&rsquo;s NHL rank for standard SP.PLAYER ADJ. SPTim Thomas, Bos (1) .947Roberto Luongo, Van (4) .935Cory Schneider, Van (3) .934Pekka Rinne, Nsh (2) .933Carey Price, Mtl (8) .932Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (7) .932Jonas Hiller, Ana (5) .931James Reimer, Tor (12) .931Ilya Bryzgalov, Phx (11) .930Semyon Varlamov, Wsh (6) .930Submit your letter at: <a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">thn.com/letters</a><h3>WRITE TO WIN!</h3>The author of our lead letter for the next three issues receives a Garnier prize pack<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021676/9767532-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="111" height="311"></div> &#9632;</div>

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HOMETOWN PRIDE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012176/9767577-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAROME IGINLA (GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>Hey Adam, as a Blues fan, I&rsquo;m curious where you think David Backes belongs in the Selke Trophy debate. His faceoff percentage is lacking, but he had more than 200 hits, was second in the league in plus-minus and was a 30-goal, 30-assist man this year. He&rsquo;s not there yet, but do you think Backes will be a Selke contender in the next few years?Tom Manion, St. LouisHey Tom: I think Backes is a ways off from being considered a frontrunner for the Selke.For one thing, he&rsquo;ll have to unseat perennial candidate Pavel Datsyuk, as well as top-shelf, two-way Canucks center Ryan Kesler (my pick for this year&rsquo;s award) to win it anytime soon.At the relatively young age of 27, Backes still is honing his skills. And when you realize Datsyuk didn&rsquo;t win his first Selke until 29, you can see the maturation process takes a good deal of time.Hey Adam, what do you think the Flames will do in the off-season? Will they start over and trade most of their veteran players and get some good young guys or leave the roster the same and try again?Brandon Pederson, Strathmore, Alta.Hey Brandon: My guess is the Flames are going to stick with the same group. The team&rsquo;s impressive-but-ultimately-in-vain playoff run in the second half gave ownership and acting GM Jay Feaster enough reasons to do so.That said, I still believe Calgary should trade captain Jarome Iginla, and other veterans, before his stock plummets. The window to win with this aging group was small enough this season and will only get smaller. With the Flames&rsquo; limited cap space, even bringing back UFA winger Alex Tanguay will be tough. The better (albeit more painful in the short term) solution is to rebuild with a younger core.Read more &lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo; every Friday at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> &#9632;

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ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012352/9767629-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="269" height="303"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JIM EGAN)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04729/9767622-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="1071" height="693"><figcaption class="caption-body">KIMMO TIMONEN (ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>In a league where copycatting strategy is common, it&rsquo;s no surprise to see players from every NHL team throwing themselves in front of pucks as if their contracts depended on it. And nowhere is that more prevalent than in the playoffs, where shot-blocking is up 10.6percent. So if all the cool kids are shotblocking, does that make it a passing fad or a staple of the game for decades to come? At least a couple veteran NHL coaches see it as the latter: a product of evolution that can&rsquo;t be stemmed or reversed.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021797/9767615-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="122" height="139"></div>Nowadays, because there&rsquo;s less fear of being interfered with than before the lockout, just about every team gives opposing pointmen more room to shoot by employing a &ldquo;collapse low, chase high&rdquo; system that is dependent on skaters, especially forwards, sacrificing their bodies. &ldquo;Before, you used to play much tighter to the &lsquo;D&rsquo; on the point, but now you don&rsquo;t,&rdquo; said Cup-winning coach Ken Hitchcock. &ldquo;Asking the defensemen to block is now more difficult than before, so forwards blocking shots become more critical.&rdquo;Critical, too, is technique. Other than Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi, who had 236 blocked shots, no NHLer was better at it this season than Minnesota&rsquo;s Greg Zanon, who had 212 blocks and an NHL high 645 the past three seasons. But Zanon&rsquo;s expertise didn&rsquo;t come right away, nor without some painful lessons for his 30-year-old body after a broken hand, foot and ankle during his five NHL seasons. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got the spots where I get hit covered up with a little extra protection now,&rdquo; Zanon said. &ldquo;But it took a couple of years to figure those spots out. The pain is always worse at the beginning of the year than it is at the end.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031277/9767608-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="1127" height="1010"><figcaption class="caption-body">WILD FOR BLOCKSMinnesota D-man Greg Zanon has paid the price for being a top NHL shot-blocker. (BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Zanon can&rsquo;t afford to full-body sellout type of shot-blocker. Instead, he drops down to one knee and approaches the shooter sideways. But he understands why a much bigger teammate such as Brent Burns prefers the straight-on block. The 6-foot-5 Burns would have far more difficulty getting up from a one-knee down position without sliding out of position and even creating another screen for the goalie. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to pretty much figure out your own style,&rdquo; Zanon said. &ldquo;You just try and not take yourself out of the play and create another screen for your goalie.&rdquo;Some believe the Rangers, who were fourth in blocks during the season and third early in the playoffs, are the best: &ldquo;The Rangers play like five goalies,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough enough to get the puck past (Henrik) Lundqvist and they make it even harder on you.&rdquo;The Blueshirts got a taste of their own medicine early in the playoffs, however. In Game 1 against Washington, Caps blueliner Karl Alzner had eight blocks alone, while across the continent Ducks D-man Francois Beauchemin had seven in his opener against Nashville. Those were the top single-game totals until Girardi blocked nine in Game 4 against the Caps.In the past as well as today, some have bemoaned the rise in shot-blocking as another example of a defense-first hockey philosophy that robs the game of displays of talent. In 2008, former Canadiens GM Bob Gainey proposed penalizing players who leave their feet to shot-block. But Zanon and Carolina Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice see the physical sacrifices in a more positive light. &ldquo;If your team is blocking shots, I think it means the guys in the room are really coming together for one another,&rdquo; Maurice said.Adds Zanon: &ldquo;Shot-blocking is one of those last arts that, if the league takes it away, pretty soon we&rsquo;ll be playing shinny out there and guys will be floating around.&rdquo;25 Age of Kyle Dubas, new GM of the OHL&rsquo;s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, second youngest in league history next to 23-year-old Gary Green, coach-GM of the &rsquo;77-78 Peterborough Petes. &#9632;

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Rubber Road Blocks

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012325/9767660-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0010-01

The Instigator

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031098/9767691-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="502" height="525"><figcaption class="caption-body">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>+PLUS</h2><h3>ANOTHER FINE FRENZY</h3>Nothing like the first round of the post-season to remind us all why hockey is more fun than any other sport.<h2>&ndash;MINUS</h2><h3>HEADACHES PERSIST</h3>Headshots continue to be a problem in the playoffs and the NHL didn&rsquo;t exactly take a hard-line approach when handing out suspensions.<h2>+PLUS</h2><h3>PAVEL PERFECTION</h3>&nbsp;Two-way wonder Pavel Datsyuk once again proves his playoff worth with his dazzling skill and unrelenting drive.<h2>&ndash;MINUS</h2><h3>EDMONTON EMBARRASSED</h3>Picking first overall in consecutive years might help the&nbsp;Oilers&nbsp;long term, but it&rsquo;s a pretty huge comment on the team&rsquo;s performance recently. &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012267/9767753-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">FAST TIMESDon Mills Flyers center Max Domi is highly coveted by the OHL and the NCAA. (BRODY HAMILTON/OHL IMAGES)</figcaption></div>For an event featuring some of the best players available for this year&rsquo;s Ontario League draft, there wasn&rsquo;t much fanfare around the Toronto-area arena on a Monday night in April.In fact, the marquee outside the rink made no mention of the event and a lot of that was by design. The invite-only showcase was put on by College Hockey Inc., a sort of lobby group for the NCAA and a brisk competitor of the OHL. And though the parent Canadian Hockey League was aware the group was coming to town, OHL scouts were not the intended audience.College Hockey Inc. executive director Paul Kelly was pragmatic about the situation. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s an inherent tension, but we&rsquo;re not trying to be unprofessional here,&rdquo; said the former head of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association. &ldquo;We expect in Toronto, we&rsquo;ll have people listening in.&rdquo;The showcase, which moved on to Edmonton, Vancouver and Montreal after, was aimed at the 30-odd college coaches who made the trek across the border, representing schools from Ohio State to Merrimack College and every size in between. The prospects, almost all of them born in 1995, were divided into four squads and each team played two short games, coached by former collegians and current prep school bench bosses. Several of the players have the talent to be high first round picks in the upcoming OHL draft, though NCAA leanings (or perceived leanings) can play havoc with their final slotting.Max Domi, a dynamic, highscoring center with the Don Mills Flyers and son of former NHL pugilist Tie Domi, was one of the biggest names in the building and had attended another College Hockey Inc. event in September. He was leaning towards attending the University of Michigan, though he admitted major junior was also a tempting next step. &ldquo;Especially in my case, because of my dad playing in the OHL,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The fall showcase was a huge eye-opener for me.&rdquo;Which is exactly the attitude Kelly and Co. are hoping to foster. Not only does the OHL have the advantage of local TV in Ontario and all the press that surrounds the Memorial Cup, but the NCAA&rsquo;s labyrinthine restrictions can be confusing. As part of Kelly&rsquo;s mandate, he helps explain the subtleties of the college game, such as why interested players should call NCAA coaches, versus waiting for recruiters to contact them (according to the rules, coaches can&rsquo;t contact a player until after June 15th of his sophomore year of high school, but families and players can call them.)And playing even one game for a major junior team nullifies a player&rsquo;s eligibility for that college season, so kids have to be careful when deciding. &ldquo;The only real travesty is if kids are making decisions without knowing what&rsquo;s out there,&rdquo; said Harvard coach and ex-NHLer Ted Donato. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s be honest: There&rsquo;s a lot of pressure up here. Junior hockey is a way of life.&rdquo;And no matter how good the college life may be, there have been several high-profile cases of players backing out of NCAA commitments to suit up in major junior. Cam Fowler (Notre Dame), Jack Campbell (Michigan) and Kenny Ryan (Boston College) all jumped to the Windsor Spitfires in the past two seasons and though it would be easy to gloat, coach Bob Jones was diplomatic in his assessment of the rivalry. &ldquo;Our organization does a fantastic job recruiting players,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a competitive business and we do our best to get top-end talent.&rdquo;For the college coaches, it can be frustrating. They believe in their product, but are often hamstrung by NCAA rules aimed primarily at basketball and football. Getting kids to visit can often be the difference. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a neat life experience,&rdquo; said Western Michigan&rsquo;s Jeff Blashill. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to relate until you&rsquo;ve been there.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0012-01

Friendly Competition?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012244/9767798-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="922" height="880"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAVEL DATSYUK (DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>What if&hellip; the plane had taken off?</h2>It was 1998 when Detroit scout Hakan Andersson made a trip to Yekaterinburg, Russia to catch a game between the home team and Chelyabinsk Traktor. Andersson was interested in a blueline prospect from Traktor named Dmitri Kalinin.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031145/9767791-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="122" height="137"></div>But it wasn&rsquo;t long before a player on the home team caught the scout&rsquo;s eye. He was small, but very skilled and thoroughly dominated the game from start to finish. By the end of the contest Kalinin was no longer the focal point of the trip &ndash; it had instead turned to this unheard-of forward.Even though it was late in the season, word got out about this shifty little Russian. But while there had been a little talk about him, he was still considered undersized and not an important, must-see prospect.A few scouts decided to make a late-season trip in February to catch a glimpse of the prospect while they still could. Among the teams represented were the St. Louis Blues.As the scouts loaded a Moscow plane bound for Yekaterinburg to the East, the weather was starting to turn and snow started to fall. As the intensity of the weather grew, the plane&rsquo;s passengers sat waiting for a few hours, anxious to leave, but unconvinced their flight was going to actually take off.Then, shortly after 4:00 in the afternoon, an announcement was made that the plane was grounded and other travel arrangements would have to be made.Being so late in the season, with schedules already decided and with the player in question so far off the radar, the scouting world moved on to the players they wanted to get one last peak at to adjust their final draft rankings accordingly.As a result, the gathering of scouts on that fateful day missed out on an opportunity to watch Pavel Datsyuk.The Red Wings selected the ultra-skilled center 171st overall that summer, one pick after St. Louis went with Kazakh pivot Andrei Troschinsky, who never played a game in the NHL.But what if that plane had taken off? What if the gaggle of scouts were able to see Datsyuk first-hand? Electric and instantly noticeable on the ice, he would have been hard to pass over. And with the Blues picking before their division rivals from Detroit, knowing Red Wings scouts had seen Datsyuk, the three-time Selke Trophy winner could have instead arrived in North America with St. Louis.When Datsyuk made the move in 2001, it was at the height of the Blues&rsquo; success, as they had a number of strong teams that never quite got over the postseason hump. Adding a developing Datsyuk to the mix would have done wonders for both playoff and overall sustained success.And while Datsyuk wasn&rsquo;t an impact player for the Wings in his first post-season, he scored two goals in Detroit&rsquo;s 4-1 series win over St. Louis &ndash; including the winner in Game 1. What if he had been on the other side of the red line?</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021688/9767784-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="234" height="235"></div><h2>AHL AWARDS</h2>MVPCorey Locke, BinghamtonMost PointsCorey Locke, BinghamtonMost Goals Colin McDonald, Okla. CityOutstanding RookieLuke Adam, Portland&nbsp;Best DefensemanM-A Gragnani, PortlandBest Goaltender Brad Thiessen, Wilkes-BarreCoach of the Year John Hynes, Wilkes-Barre<h2>CHAMPIONS</h2>Kontinental LeagueSalavat YulaevCdn. Women&rsquo;s LeagueMontreal Hockey ClubNCAA MenMinnesota&ndash;Duluth BulldogsNCAA WomenWisconsin BadgersCIS MenUNB Varsity Reds&nbsp;CIS WomenMcGill MartletsAllan CupClarenville Caribous &#9632;

f0014-01

Snowed Over

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011944/9767829-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="440" height="411"></div>1. Edmonton2. Colorado3. Florida4. New Jersey5. N.Y. Islanders6. Ottawa7. Atlanta8. Columbus9. Boston (FROM TOR)10. Minnesota11. Colorado (FROM STL)12. Carolina13. Calgary14. Dallas*15. N.Y. Rangers*16. Buffalo*17. Montreal*18. Chicago*19. Edmonton (FROM LA) *20. Phoenix*21. Ottawa (FROM NSH) *22. Anaheim*23. Tampa Bay*24. Pittsburgh*25. Toronto (FROM BOS) *26. Detroit*27. San Jose*28. Toronto (FROM PHI) *29. Washington*30. Vancouver &#9632;

f0015-01

2011 DRAFT ORDER

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021377/9767930-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="471" height="643"></div><h2>ISS Rankings</h2>1. Ryan Nugent-HopkinsC, Red Deer, WHL<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04715/9767923-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="113" height="75"></div>2. Adam LarssonD, Skelleftea, Sweden</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-05500/9767916-1-eng-US/f0015-052.jpg" title="f0015-05" width="113" height="75"></div>3. Sean Couturier C, Drummondville, QMJHL</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-06401/9767909-1-eng-US/f0015-062.jpg" title="f0015-06" width="113" height="75"></div>4. Gabriel LandeskogLW, Kitchener, OHL</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-07339/9767902-1-eng-US/f0015-072.jpg" title="f0015-07" width="113" height="74"></div>5. Dougie HamiltonD, Niagara, OHL</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-08294/9767895-1-eng-US/f0015-082.jpg" title="f0015-08" width="113" height="75"></div>6. Ryan MurphyD, Kitchener, OHL</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-09257/9767888-1-eng-US/f0015-092.jpg" title="f0015-09" width="113" height="75"></div>7. Ryan StromeC, Niagara, OHL</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-10228/9767881-1-eng-US/f0015-102.jpg" title="f0015-10" width="113" height="75"></div>8. Jonathan HuberdeauC, Saint John, QMJHL</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-11203/9767874-1-eng-US/f0015-112.jpg" title="f0015-11" width="113" height="74"></div>9. Mika ZibanejadC, Djurgarden, Sweden</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-12168/9767867-1-eng-US/f0015-122.jpg" title="f0015-12" width="113" height="75"></div>10. Joel ArmiaRW, Assat, Finland</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-13148/9767860-1-eng-US/f0015-132.jpg" title="f0015-13" width="113" height="74"></div> &#9632;</div>

f0015-02

2011 DRAFT PREVIEW

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03956/9767961-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="634" height="205"></div>Apparently, times are good for the NHL. After projecting a best-ever $2.9 billion in revenue this season, the NHL announced a 10-year TV and media rights deal with NBC Sports Group, which after the Comcast/NBCUniversal merger now includes Versus.The deal is reportedly worth nearly $200 million per season, up from the $75 million Versus had been paying and the NHL-NBC revenue-sharing arrangement.The deal gives the NHL access to 20 TV networks and more than 40 digital platforms. &#9632;

f0015-03

Signed, Sealed And Delivered

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JEFF BLAY</div>Any&nbsp;guilt Canadiens fans had over watching their team play the Bruins from a Boston Pizza eatery was eased this post-season. The Canadian-based chain temporarily re-branded its 27 Quebec locations Montreal Pizza. &ldquo;I think like most Canadians, we want a Montreal-Vancouver final,&rdquo; said executive VP of marketing, Steve Silverstone.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-14133/9767992-1-eng-US/f0015-142.jpg" title="f0015-14" width="657" height="231"></div>The idea was hatched in 2010, but a Habs-Bruins series never materialized. After the hullabaloo between the two this season, it was a no-brainer. When asked about a Zdeno Chara-inspired &ldquo;meathead&rdquo; meal, Silverstone was a good sport, but said &ldquo;non.&rdquo; No word on suburban Boston&rsquo;s Bostonville Grille changing the name of its &ldquo;Hungry Hal Gill&rsquo;s Ribs&rdquo; special. &#9632;

f0015-14

CheekyADVERTISING

<div class="byline">BY LASSI JYRKKI&#xD6;</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011734/9768068-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MINSK-ARENA (VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/GETTY IMAGESL)</figcaption></div>Long&nbsp;gone is the 1972 Summit Series and the 1980 Miracle on Ice. World politics and hockey have not collided much since the Cold War ended 20 years ago.One of the new countries emerging at that time was Belarus. Often dubbed as the &ldquo;last dictatorship in Europe,&rdquo; it has been ruled throughout its 20-year independence by one man, President Alexander Lukashenko.Fast forward to the summer of 2009 when the IIHF awarded, for the first time, the World Championship to Belarus for 2014. The decision stirred little controversy at the time, but that changed in December during the country&rsquo;s presidential elections.Officially, Lukashenko received a whopping 79 percent of the vote. Some observers claimed the vote count was suspicious (though most agree Lukashenko would have won, anyway), triggering large protests. The regime responded with a harsh crackdown: hundreds of protesters were jailed, including most of the other nine presidential candidates.An international outcry ensued and both the U.S. Senate and European Parliament passed resolutions that called for the suspension of the tournament. Recently, assistant U.S. Senate majority leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and congressman Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) as well as NHL Hall of Famer and current member of the European Parliament, Peter Stastny, sent letters to the IIHF urging it to suspend the 2014 worlds until all political prisoners are freed or move the tournament to another location.Politics and hockey have once again intersected and few are familiar with both roads as intimately as Stastny, who famously defected from Czechoslovakia to Canada in the late 1970s and represented three countries in international play. Stastny has been vocal in his opposition to the event being held in Belarus, saying relocation &ndash; not a boycott or cancellation, which would hurt the game &ndash; is &ldquo;an inexpensive means with a potentially big impact.&ldquo;The only victim would be the Lukashenko regime,&rdquo; Stastny said of a move. &ldquo;Integrity of the game and the event would remain intact.&rdquo;The IIHF isn&rsquo;t about to make a hasty turnabout, however. In a statement, the federation pointed to a section of its statute that states: &ldquo;The IIHF observes strict political, racial and religious neutrality. No discrimination is permitted against a member national association or person on political, racial or religious grounds.&rdquo;The 2014 tournament is sure to be a hot topic during the next IIHF congress, held during this year&rsquo;s championship, where any member will have an opportunity to raise the issue. Afterward, it will be up to the congress to make a decision.Politics aside, Belarus provides an indisputably hockey-friendly zone. Lukashenko, a player himself, is puck-obsessed and, as a result, facilities in Minsk are first-class. The state-owned and state-of-the-art Minsk-Arena saw its inaugural puck drop performed by Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier last year. The complex, which fits 15,000, is the home of the Kontinental League&rsquo;s Dinamo Minsk.Recent demands to have the worlds suspended or moved have stirred a passionate discussion on the website of Charter 97, a prominent anti-Lukashenko organization. The majority of the commentators, despite some being passionate hockey fans, are delighted about a relocation scenario. One opposition leader has prepared a template letter to enable individual Belarusians to easily convey their thoughts to the IIHF.We will soon know whether the public and political pressure has any impact. &#9632;

f0017-01

Belarus Under Fire

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021403/9768099-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MOST OUTSTANDINGRegardless of the caliber of his teammates, Daniel Sedin is the Hart Trophy favorite. (JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011889/9768106-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="206" height="245"></div>For my money, the NHL awards are the most glorious in all of sport. But even the best have room for improvement. And when it comes to certain trophies, I think we&rsquo;ve arrived at that point.I&rsquo;m not going to argue the league ought to rename its awards or add new ones (although in certain cases, I think both ideas are worthwhile). Instead, I&rsquo;m suggesting the definitions of two trophies need to change.The first is the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL&rsquo;s best rookie. The qualifications for being a rookie leave something to be desired. Right now, any player 25 years old or younger who has not played in 26 or more games in any NHL seasons prior &ndash; or who hasn&rsquo;t played in six or more games in each of the two prior seasons &ndash; is eligible for Calder consideration.This season, that meant Logan Couture, a 22-year-old who played 25 games for San Jose in 2009-10, was a rookie, but that St. Louis blueliner Alex Pietrangelo, a 21-year-old who played eight games for the Blues in 2008-09 and nine for them last season, was not.The different thresholds don&rsquo;t sit right with a number of members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association who vote on the Calder. Why not keep only the first part of the current rule and allow any less-than-26-year-old player who has appeared in a total of 25 or fewer games in any amount of years to be considered? Makes it a whole lot less complicated.That said, the bigger issue I&rsquo;ve got is with the Hart Trophy. The Hart currently is directed to go &ldquo;to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.&rdquo; Well, I&rsquo;m fine with adjudging many things, including adjudging that this explanation is needlessly complex and diverts the attention of voters from what most people adjudge the award to represent.By which I mean this: When you think of the Hart, you think of the league&rsquo;s most outstanding player. Or at least, you should. The Norris doesn&rsquo;t go to the defenseman most valuable to his team, just as the Selke isn&rsquo;t bestowed upon the defensive forward most valuable to his team. They are given to the best individuals in their particular fields.But the Hart is different. It is the most prestigious of the NHL&rsquo;s awards, yet its impact is mitigated by the words that define it. And the PHWA voters don&rsquo;t all agree on what it means, so the voting process is less effective.<blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;My voting philosophy on the Hart has changed</blockquote>Some writers take the words &ldquo;most valuable to his team&rdquo; quite literally when filling out their ballot. Others see the Hart more as an award for most outstanding player and vote with that in mind.My philosophy on the Hart has flip-flopped since last season. Last year, I was one of those sticklers for direction, so I gave my first-place Hart vote to Buffalo&rsquo;s Ryan Miller. In my mind, there was no clearer case of a player&rsquo;s value to his team. In 2008-09, he was injured for part of the year and Buffalo missed the playoffs; in 2009-10, he returned and led them to a Northeast Division title.But this year, I realized choosing a Hart winner that way made the choice as much about the team surrounding the player as it was about the player himself. In other words, the less talent a highperforming player had around him, the more valuable he was to his team. That&rsquo;s no way to award an award.So this year, I gave my first-place vote to Vancouver&rsquo;s Daniel Sedin. He&rsquo;s the best player in the league this year, regardless of fantastic teammates.Making the Hart Trophy the most outstanding NHLer award isn&rsquo;t a drastic change. Nobody will be drawing up protest placards with the words WHAT ABOUT THE GUY MOST VALUABLE TO HIS TEAM?!?!? No, they&rsquo;ll see the winner and think &ldquo;Oh, that&rsquo;s the best player in the NHL,&rdquo; as they should.WANT MORE PROTEAU? READ ADAM&rsquo;S BLOG ONLY ON <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a> &#9632;

f0018-02

Calling It Like I See It

<div class="byline">Most Valuable Player / Wayne Gretzky Award </div><div class="byline">Best Player / Mario Lemieux Award</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-07184/9768165-1-eng-US/f0021-072.jpg" title="f0021-07" width="714" height="227"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021180/9768158-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="2128" height="2926"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02855/9768151-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="1104" height="1260"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANIEL SEDIN / VAN (JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03548/9768144-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="328" height="152"></div>Daniel Sedin winning the Hart Trophy this season does make for a wonderful yarn, doesn&rsquo;t it? Having Henrik and Daniel named most valuable players in the NHL in consecutive years would rank them right behind Serena and Venus, just ahead of Apollo and Artemis.A Vancouver radio station recently asked your trusty correspondent whether that good story angle might work in Daniel&rsquo;s favor when it comes to voting for the Hart Trophy. The answer was a resounding no because the members of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association who select the Hart winner don&rsquo;t vote for great stories. And while we&rsquo;re at it, the notion there&rsquo;s a regional bias because people in the east often don&rsquo;t stay up to watch the late games is completely without merit as well.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04419/9768137-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="257" height="321"><figcaption class="caption-body">KEN CAMPBELL</figcaption></div>No, Daniel Sedin wins THN&rsquo;s 2010-11 Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux Awards because he was the most valuable and the best player on the best team in the NHL. It&rsquo;s really as simple as that. Daniel Sedin wins hands-down on both counts.Let&rsquo;s deal with the best player debate first.Sedin was a beast from start to finish. It took 10 games for him to be held pointless and only once this season did he go three games without recording a point. And those who suggest that Sedin benefitted from playing for the league&rsquo;s best team (like that should make a difference) must also consider that playing for the Canucks deprived Sedin the opportunity to be on the ice as much as most other stars.In fact, nobody did more with less than Sedin did this season. Because Canucks coach Alain Vigneault has the luxury of being able to roll four lines, Sedin averaged just 18:33 in ice time per game, 71st among forwards, and just 3:36 per game on the power play, 23rd among forwards who played more than seven games.But the factor that clinches it for Sedin is nobody in the league made more timely and important contributions to his team&rsquo;s fortunes, which takes care of the most valuable debate. When the Canucks needed a goal at a crucial time, more often than not, Sedin was there to provide it for them.Everyone knows how important the first goal of the game is to a team&rsquo;s prospects. Sedin had 12 of them for the Canucks this season, two more than the next highest player, New Jersey&rsquo;s Ilya Kovalchuk. Sedin&rsquo;s 15 assists on first goals gave him 27 points in that department, also highest in the league.He also led the NHL with 18 goals that put his team ahead in a game, while his 43 total points on those kinds of goals was by far the mostin the league, six ahead of Henrik. He also had two goals and six points on goals that helped the Canucks overcome a deficit of two or more scores, which tied him with Calgary&rsquo;s Jarome Iginla (4-2-6) and Carolina&rsquo;s Eric Staal (0-6-6).There seems to be some sentiment out there that if you removed Sedin from the Vancouver Canucks, they would still be a great team and, thus, that should be taken into account when it comes to individual awards. The only evidence we have is last season when he missed 19 games and the Canucks were good, but not great, without him.By any measure, Daniel Sedin was the best and most valuable player in the NHL this season, meaning he should also win the Hart Trophy. That will make him and Henrik the only redheaded identical twins from northern Sweden to win in consecutive seasons in NHL history.Now, how&rsquo;s that for a story angle? &#9632;

f0021-07

TWIN AWARD WIN FORFAMOUSTWIN

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN GRIGG</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-05297/9768203-1-eng-US/f0021-052.jpg" title="f0021-05" width="492" height="680"><figcaption class="caption-body">COREY PERRY / ANA (JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-06227/9768196-1-eng-US/f0021-062.jpg" title="f0021-06" width="276" height="122"></div>NO OTHER NHLER did for his team what Corey Perry did for Anaheim this season &ndash; and he didn&rsquo;t have the reigning scoring champ and MVP riding shotgun, nor was he on the NHL&rsquo;s top team.With 15 games to play, Anaheim sat 10th in the West. Then Perry took over, willing the Ducks to 11 wins and all the No. 4 seed. He averaged 24-plus minutes a game, topping out at 29:27 the final night of the season, and his 17 goals (including five of his league-leading 11 game-winners) and 27 points in those 15 contests made Perry the only NHLer to reach 50 goals and got him to 98 points, just six fewer than Daniel Sedin.Perry is also a physical force who mucks it up with the best of them, as his 104 PIM attest. You have to go all the way to No. 40 on the NHL scoring chart to find someone with as may sin bin mins. He plays hard in all three zones and leads by example. Corey Perry is the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player. &#9632;

f0021-05

REALLY, DUDE? IT SHOULD BE…

<div class="byline">Best Defenseman / Bobby Orr Award</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011527/9768255-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03829/9768248-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="1105" height="1078"><figcaption class="caption-body">NICKLAS LIDSTROM / DET (JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021123/9768241-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="327" height="151"></div>I write not to bury Nicklas Lidstrom, but to praise him. To praise the daylights out of him, in fact. To explain why he is worthy of being acknowledged as the league&rsquo;s best defenseman this season.Sure, there will be those who say another star D-man is more deserving of being recognized as the NHL&rsquo;s best blueliner, thatthe first minus rating of Lidstrom&rsquo;s 19-year career (a whopping minus-2) indicates his game is slipping as he prepares to celebrate his 41st birthday on April 28.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-06375/9768234-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="257" height="322"><figcaption class="caption-body">ADAM PROTEAU</figcaption></div>Rubbish. Arguing that Lidstrom has slipped a little is like arguing supermodel Gisele Bundchen has an eyelash slightly askew: If you want to get all nitpicky about it, go ahead. But nobody with a functioning brain is going to complain about the &ldquo;damage.&rdquo;Are Lidstrom&rsquo;s minutes down this season? Sure. He averaged 23:28 of ice time (still good for 28th-best in the game), which was down from 25:25 average (good for 11th in the NHL) last year. But that&rsquo;s a coaching/organizational choice. And if you&rsquo;re dumb enough to start putting the pedal to the metal on your vintage Jaguar Mark 2 car 40 years after you bought it and kept it in vintage condition, you won&rsquo;t be driving it for long.Besides, if it&rsquo;s true the game&rsquo;s elite players benefit from the presence of great teammates, it is no wonder Lidstrom&rsquo;s plusminus numbers slipped. Elite two-way center Pavel Datsyuk missed 26 games this season for Detroit; I&rsquo;m pretty sure his efforts on the ice would have led to fewer goals-against and a better plus-minus rating for Lidstrom.Fact is, there has been no discernible drop-off in Lidstrom&rsquo;s play. Forget his reduced minutes and plus-minus drop this year and think of the numbers he has improved this season: he scored 16 times, putting him right back where he was in his best years during the mid-to-late-90s. And he did it via 68 fewer shots than when he scored 16 in 2005-06.In mid-December, Lidstrom scored the first hat trick of his career. Two days after Christmas, he tied a career-high with four points in a single game. Most impressively, he finished the 2010-11 campaign with 62 points to become the oldest defenseman in league history to score 60 or more points.But the aspect of Lidstrom&rsquo;s game I admire most is the same one that applies to all the all-time greats: he performs highly and consistently against the very best the opposition has to offer.Moreover, he is able to play at an unsurpassed level while keeping as cool a head on the ice as any player before him.What, you don&rsquo;t think the NHL Union of Super-Pests haven&rsquo;t convened fruitless meeting after fruitless meeting trying to figure out how to get under Lidstrom&rsquo;s skin? You don&rsquo;t think Steve Ott hasn&rsquo;t run him and butt-ended him and swore at him in Swedish and tried every trick in the book to goad Lidstrom into a retaliatory penalty?Of course they have. Yet Lidstrom never reacts. It&rsquo;s as if Scandinavian scientists removed the anger-generating part of his brain and replaced it with more hockey smarts.Finally, think of what Chris Chelios was doing at Lidstrom&rsquo;s current age. Yes, he was a far more physical NHLer, but Lidstrom&rsquo;s former partner was a six-goal, 39-point player as a 40-year-old with Detroit in 2001-02.Being the best isn&rsquo;t all about the numbers. Lidstrom&rsquo;s accumulated experience counts for more than a little something. All NHL coaches would want him on the ice in all situations. Dude is cold-blooded, creative and analytical, a Swedish Jason Bourne who never required a conspiracy to establish his identity and supremacy.And he&rsquo;s still the best. &#9632;

f0022-01

LIDSTROM STILL THE BEST AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; EDWARD FRASER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05465/9768293-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">SHEA WEBER / NSH (FREDERICK BREEDON/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04611/9768286-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="276" height="121"></div>SHEA WEBER is a man caught underneath a large shadow looking in from the NHL&rsquo;s hinterland. With no disrespect to Lidstrom, still one of the game&rsquo;s best and the top Euro of all-time, it&rsquo;s the sixtime Norris-winner&rsquo;s reputation as much as his play this season that has pundits pinning him at the top. That and the fact the smooth Swede plays in big-market Detroit while Weber plies his trade in Nashville. Think Broadway vs. Off-Off-Off-Off-Broadway.Weber, only 25, is the perfect mix of power and production. He&rsquo;s top 10 in the NHL in time on ice and D-man hits, points, goals and power play goals. He led the pop-gun Preds in scoring for most of the year. All of this while playing all 82 games.Lidstrom&rsquo;s superior offensive numbers jump out, but that doesn&rsquo;t tell the whole story. Weber was in on 22.5 percent of all Nashville&rsquo;s tallies, not far behind Lidstrom&rsquo;s 24.1. &#9632;

f0022-05

REALLY, DUDE? SHOULD BE…

<div class="byline">Best Goalie / Patrick Roy Award</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011318/9768345-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="714" height="227"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03712/9768338-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="692" height="895"><figcaption class="caption-body">TIM THOMAS / BOS (STEVE BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02951/9768331-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="327" height="151"></div>When determining the best goalie was in the NHL this season, you&rsquo;re taking too much time if you look beyond Boston&rsquo;s Tim Thomas.Let&rsquo;s start from the most obvious place: his .938 save percentage. The American netminder set a record in the category, overtaking one of the all-time greats at the position, Dominik Hasek. Now, Thomas won&rsquo;t be as celebrated or remembered as Hasek, but to break an NHL record here is an incredible feat.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06310/9768324-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="257" height="322"><figcaption class="caption-body">RORY BOYLEN</figcaption></div>The best stat you can use to compare goalies is save percentage. Not wins, not goals-against average, not even total saves; all those things are influenced by the team in front of you and the coach behind your bench. Save percentage, however, is a clear-cut definition of how often a goalie came through.One knock against Thomas in this debate is his lack of games played (57), but we&rsquo;re not talking about MVP here, we&rsquo;re talking about the best goalie. To eliminate Thomas from the discussion because of that number penalizes him for having a great, young No. 2 behind him who became Boston&rsquo;s No. 1 last year; the Bruins weren&rsquo;t about to letTuukka Rask sit for 70 games. The other knock, of course, is Thomas seemingly had the benefit of a strong team in front of him. While you can&rsquo;t argue against the depth and skill of Boston&rsquo;s forwards, who considers Dennis Seidenberg a toppair defenseman?Outside of the substantial presence of Zdeno Chara, the Bruins defense isn&rsquo;t exactly brimming with talent. In fact, the Bruins allowed 32.7 shots against per game, which was second-worst in the league. How exactly did Thomas benefit from having a strong team in front of him if he had that much work to do on a nightly basis? Thomas had nine shutouts; he only achieved three of them making fewer than 29 saves.When I hear disputes against Thomas as the best goalie in 2010-11, I liken the discussion to ones that arise around potential No. 1 draft picks. In John Tavares&rsquo; draft class of 2009, he was considered the top talent for more than a year, but as the day got closer, arguments were being made for Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene. When a guy has been lauded for so long we start to magnify his weaknesses.From Day 1 this season when Thomas shutout the Phoenix Coyotes in a 29-save effort, he has been the guy. He won the Vezina Trophy two years ago and his numbers are even better this time around, so how can you deny him that title again?For as long as we&rsquo;re talking about the best goalie this season, Tim Thomas is a no-brainer. &#9632;

f0023-01

ODDS STACKED FOR THOMAS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; EF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05385/9768383-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="358" height="420"><figcaption class="caption-body">PEKKA RINNE / NSH (JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04528/9768376-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="277" height="121"></div>MR. BOYLEN asks how Tim Thomas can be denied the title of best goalie if his stats were better than they were when he won the Vezina in 2009. Easy. You look beyond the basic numbers.Pekka Rinne has consistently kept his team in games when they struggled to score, which they did far more often than the B&rsquo;s. On a less-talented team, he faced more quality chances than Thomas and performed better against them. Where do quality chances occur? On the penalty kill. Rinne&rsquo;s short-handed save percentage &ndash; .912; Thomas&rsquo; &ndash; .889. &#9632;

f0023-05

<div class="byline">Comeback Player / Saku Koivu Award </div><div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011468/9768428-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03736/9768421-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="798" height="789"><figcaption class="caption-body">CAREY PRICE / MTL (GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021054/9768414-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="327" height="151"></div>The passion of Montreal Canadiens fans doesn&rsquo;t always surface in sensible ways. One such instance occurred when a portion of Bell Centre patrons took it upon themselves to heckle the home team&rsquo;s goalie after he allowed a soft goal on the first shot he saw in the pre-season.A lot of NHLers enter the season with pressure on their shoulders, but Carey Price was the only guy in hockey who faced the prospect of hearing jeers before the final few bodies had filed into the arena for the first exhibition game of the year.Price used words to deliver his &ldquo;chill out&rdquo; message to fans after that game, but it was his actions this year that won over critics and the Habs faithful. For three years, the perception was Price hadn&rsquo;t done enough to merit the organization consistently clearing a path to the No. 1 job for him, the most recent and shocking example being last summer&rsquo;s trade of Jaroslav Halak to the Blues. As such, Price began the year with no margin for error in the court of public opinion or the crease itself.Playing for an offensively challenged team that averaged fewer goals-per-game than every playoff club except the Kings, Price managed to tie Vancouver&rsquo;s Roberto Luongo for league lead in wins with 38. That total represented the most victories by a Canadiens goalie since Ken Dryden in 1971-72. The 23-year-old also set new career marks across the board with a .923 save percentage, 2.35 goals-against average and eight shutouts in 72 games. The more Montreal asked of the B.C. boy, the more he delivered. Price posted an 11-4-2 mark in games where he faced 35-plus shots, including two shutouts. &#9632;

f0024-01

MAKING UP LOST TIME

<div class="byline">Toughest Player / John Ferguson Award </div><div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05388/9768550-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg" title="f0024-05" width="943" height="761"><figcaption class="caption-body">MILAN LUCIC / BOS (JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04530/9768543-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="327" height="151"></div>Measuring&nbsp;toughness is less of a linear science than goals and assists. Is it shot-blocking, is it hits, is it fights? There certainly needs to be an element of either fear or respect involved (preferably both) and when Milan Lucic is on the ice, opponents are well aware.What made Lucic so much more dangerous this season is he prowled the ice more than ever. A combination of health and increased responsibilities in Boston saw &lsquo;Looch&rsquo; intimidating foes for more than 1,300 minutes, nearly twice as much time as he did during an injury-riddled 2009-10. And though his actual fight totals were down, it goes without saying there&rsquo;s a long list of NHLers who would prefer not to drop the gloves at all with the burly 22-year-old left winger.Between fisticuffs and big hits (he led the Bruins in the latter category with 167), Lucic also found time to carve out a new niche in Beantown: leading scorer. Yes, it was Lucic who, in the absence of Marc Savard, tied for the team lead in points with 62 (linemate David Krejci was right there) and took the Boston scoring crown outright with 30 goals. Perhaps he realized that all the intimidation he has unleashed in the league could be cashed in and exchanged for more space and time on the ice.Not that clearing the track has ever been a problem for Lucic. When an opposing defenseman stands in his way &ndash; as Ottawa&rsquo;s Sergei Gonchar found out in November &ndash; Lucic prefers to propel his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame throughsaid opponent, rather than around him. And for that lovely lack of tact, Lucic has become a true force in the NHL this season.Best Defensive Defenseman / Rod Langway Award<h2>TONI LYDMAN</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02907/9768536-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="149" height="88"></div>Call up the defensive stats this season and you&rsquo;ll find Lydman&rsquo;s name all over the top-10s. The veteran was sixth in blocked shots (178), first in total shorthanded TOI (3:43 per game) and tied for second in plus-minus (plus-32). His play helped partner Lubomir Visnovsky excel.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03629/9768529-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="423" height="366"></div>Top Penalty Killer / Guy Carbonneau Award<h2>ZBYNEK MICHALEK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04435/9768522-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="150" height="88"></div>The Penguins had to rely on deft penalty killing this season, since their top guns were ailing and the power play was downright sad. Michalek gamely led the charge, playing an average 3:46 per game on the league&rsquo;s No. 1 PK and forming an intimidating duo with Brooks Orpik.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05323/9768515-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="423" height="365"></div>Breakout Player / Cam Neely Award<h2>KEITH YANDLE</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06262/9768508-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="149" height="88"></div>For much of the season, Yandle actually led the Coyotes in scoring and while there is a comment about Phoenix&rsquo;s forwards in there, let&rsquo;s instead focus on the positives of Yandle. The 24-year-old&rsquo;s 59 points was an 18-point improvement on last year, ranking him third in &lsquo;D&rsquo; scoring.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-07213/9768501-1-eng-US/f0025-072.jpg" title="f0025-07" width="423" height="366"></div>Best Fighter / Bob Probert Award<h2>DERYK ENGELLAND</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-08177/9768494-1-eng-US/f0025-082.jpg" title="f0025-08" width="150" height="88"></div>He may not have been the most prolific, but he was the most potent. Log on to <a href="http://hockeyfights.com">hockeyfights.com</a> and you&rsquo;ll find that the 6-foot-2, 202-pound Engelland was judged the winner in 10 of his 13 tussles this year, whereas most heavyweights hover around the 50-percent win rate.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-09146/9768487-1-eng-US/f0025-092.jpg" title="f0025-09" width="423" height="366"></div>Best Shootout Shooter / Pavel Bure Award<h2>JARRET STOLL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-10116/9768480-1-eng-US/f0025-102.jpg" title="f0025-10" width="150" height="88"></div> You&rsquo;d think netminders would catch on, but there&rsquo;s something about Stoll&rsquo;s wrist shot that mesmerizes as it hits the top corner in the NHL&rsquo;s 1-on-1 game-deciding format. Clearly the scouting report didn&rsquo;t catch on because the veteran center potted nine of 10 attempts this year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1190/9768473-1-eng-US/f0025-112.jpg" title="f0025-11" width="423" height="365"></div>Best Shootout Goalie / Gilles Villemure Award<h2>JONATHAN QUICK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1272/9768466-1-eng-US/f0025-122.jpg" title="f0025-12" width="150" height="88"></div>It always helps to have an ace like Stoll on your side, but Quick was equally game when it came to the shootout. Under his watch, the Kings were a perfect 10-0 on the season and Quick&rsquo;s .818 save percentage was an admirable statistic in the category.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1359/9768459-1-eng-US/f0025-132.jpg" title="f0025-13" width="423" height="366"><figcaption class="caption-body">(ALL: GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0024-05

UNSTOPPABLE FORCE

<div class="byline">Best First-Year Player / Teemu Selanne Award</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011477/9768602-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03832/9768595-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="1104" height="1078"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEFF SKINNER / CAR (CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-021062/9768588-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="327" height="151"></div>Was there a better feel-good story this season than that of Jeff Skinner? The fresh-faced frosh and youngest player in the NHL endeared himself to fans, teammates and opponents with an enthusiasm bested only by his play.But to be named The Hockey News&rsquo; top rookie, you can&rsquo;t just carry yourself like a wide-eyed kid having the time of his life. You&rsquo;ve got to perform. Two prerequisites must be met: sick numbers and an extremely impressive overall performance. Skinner met both. We begin with the numbers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06399/9768581-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="257" height="322"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOHN GRIGG</figcaption></div>The Carolina left winger led all rookie forwards in points (63) and assists (32). His 31 goals were third among first-year players and he became the seventh-youngest ever to score 30 or more. Skinner did all that after being shifted from his natural center position.After wowing as an unheralded rookie the first couple months, everyone (including Carolina) waited to see when he&rsquo;d wear out. But he only got better, settling in as pro when it mattered most. In his first 22 games Skinner had 19 points. When the Hurricanes were pushing for the playoffs down the stretch, he had 17 points in the final 20 contests.Was he a defensive wizard? No, but Skinner had twice as many takeaways as giveaways and was a plus player. And his coach didn&rsquo;t ask him to play shutdown hockey. Only 20 men scored more goals and Skinner was 38th overall in points. Hismark of 63 ended a five-year trend of declining totals for the rookie leader. You don&rsquo;t stifle talent like that. Paul Maurice is no Claude Julien.So the numbers are worthy to be sure. But the impressiveness factor clinches his ROTY resume.Skinner progressed quickly during his two years as a Kitchener Ranger in the Ontario League, scoring 50 goals and 20 more in 20 playoff games last season. But with all the hullabaloo surrounding Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin, Skinner was lost in the draft day hype last June.NHL Central Scouting had him ranked as North America&rsquo;s 34th-best skater, but the Canes had Skinner slotted him third and nabbed him at No. 7. But to say anyone expected him to break camp with the team is crazy.A sturdy 5-foot-11 and 193 pounds aside, he was 18 and fourth or fifth among Canes forward prospects on the depth chart entering training camp. Yet there he was in Finland as Carolina&rsquo;s real season began, smiling and soaking everything in like a kid at camp off the ice, but all business on it.In January, Skinner was the youngest player in the All-Star Game &ndash; not just for the skills contest, the big game itself &ndash; as the only rookie participating. And while he might have been an easy injury replacement, Skinner drew adoring crowds that had pundits drawing comparisons to Justin Bieber.Skinner took it all in stride, playing like a veteran years his senior.Which kind of sums up his relation to the competition for NHL&rsquo;s Calder Trophy. Of the other two nominees, one, Michael Grabner, is five years older and already had 241 pro games under his belt, including 20 regular season and nine playoff games in the NHL. The other, Logan Couture, is three years older and was approaching 100 pro games, including 40 in the NHL (regular and postseason). Skinner was coming off his second year of junior. Three years ago he was playing midget hockey. Now he&rsquo;s the highest-scoring rookie in the world&rsquo;s top league.It&rsquo;s the age factor that is most impressive and puts Skinner over the edge, making him the NHL&rsquo;s top rookie. Although I get the feeling he&rsquo;ll be smiling either way. &#9632;

f0026-01

THE HAPPIEST HURRICANE IS STILL A DEADLY ONE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05477/9768640-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="622" height="647"><figcaption class="caption-body">LOGAN COUTURE / SJ</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04623/9768633-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="276" height="121"></div>LOGAN COUTURE ISN&rsquo;T THE class of the freshmen because of how many points he got, but because of how and when he got them. Specifically, on the road, when his club needed them most.The Sharks were teetering on oblivion in late January, in danger of falling completely out of the playoff picture. One of the things that keyed their turnaround was the play of Couture, a rookie who helped pick up the team by its bootstraps by scoring 16 points during a 15-game stretch from Jan. 17 to Feb. 25. Couture&rsquo;s crunch-time production helped the Sharks go 12-2-1 during that span, which was comprised of 13 road games and just three at home.Want more evidence Couture, a 22-year-old center, was a vital player on a very good team? His eight game-winning goals led all rookies and ranked second on the Sharks and his plus-18 rating was also second-best on San Jose, as were his 32 goals. Couture&rsquo;s 10 power play tallies topped all freshmen. &#9632;

f0026-05

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011456/9768692-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(RICK STEWART/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>- BUFFALO&nbsp;BY THE TIME THE PUCK DROPS, the crowd outside the HSBC Arena will be somewhere in the 5,000 range. More than an hour before game time, it&rsquo;s probably about half that, with almost every one of them gripping a $6 can of beer and freezing in the cold and wet conditions that are well below seasonal for mid-April, even in Buffalo. They come bearing signs that say things like, Forget about Disneyland, I&rsquo;m going to Pegulaville, and Terry and Kim Pegula &ndash; the proud new parents of Stanley. Born 2011.Buffalo Sabres team president Ted Black likes to quote a pas-sage from Proverbs that says, &ldquo;Where there is no vision, the people perish.&rdquo; It seems a little extreme to be quoting the Bible when talking about a hockey team, but this is Buffalo, where you see a sign that reads, Terry Pegula is the St. Peter of Hockey Heaven.&ldquo;The sports fans here have suffered for a very, very long time,&rdquo; Black says, &ldquo;and now we have somebody with vision.&rdquo;On the other side of the glass door Terry Pegula is about to give his people an audience. He presses the Ignore button on his cell phone before looking to see who called him. &ldquo;Hmm, Gary Bettman,&rdquo; he says. He can afford to put the commissioner on hold. His net worth is somewhere in the $3-billion range and he&rsquo;d obviously rather spend his money on hockey teams than designer suits. On this night, he&rsquo;s wearing a pair of Reebok Zigs, black slacks and a Sabres windbreaker. Somebody in the crowd comments on the shoes and asks if they came with the team. Pegula says they did and they were the most expensive pair of shoes he has ever bought. He brings the house down with that one.By this time you get the impression that Pegula could tell the assembled masses that there is no Santa Claus, the Nazis should be commended for keeping the trains running on time and Elvis Presley was a talentless hack who couldn&rsquo;t hold a tune and they&rsquo;d still chant &ldquo;Terry! Terry! Terry!&rdquo; That&rsquo;s because in Buffalo Pegula is a savior, someone who emerged from the ether to buy a downtrodden team from an absentee owner and, in doing so, gave people reason to hope, really hope, for the first time in years.After Pegula held his first news conference as Sabres owner on Feb. 22, the team went on a 16-4-4 run to salvage a playoff spot. Regardless of how the playoffs turned out, there is an undeniably new and positive vibe around this team and all of it has to do with Pegula, who&rsquo;s intent on spending as much as necessary to deliver a Stanley Cup to Western New York. When Tom Golisano bought the Sabres out of bankruptcy in 2003, people were just happy their new owner wasn&rsquo;t wearing an ankle bracelet tracking device. Golisano, who always seemed keener on being New York governor and dating Monica Seles than winning a Stanley Cup, was a custodial owner. He should be lauded for saving hockey in Buffalo, but he&rsquo;d never be confused with Mark Cuban or George Steinbrenner when it came to a commitment to winning.Pegula, on the other hand, isn&rsquo;t simply here to save the Sabres. Their future, as long as Pegula is at the helm, is secure. The bar has been raised and the culture surrounding the team has already been changed. In reality, anything achieved this season is gravy. One sentence from Pegula&rsquo;s first news conference will ring in the ears of Sabres fans until the stated goal is realized: &ldquo;Starting today,&rdquo; Pegula said the day he took over, &ldquo;the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; reason for existence will be to win the Stanley Cup.&rdquo;He might as well have told a 400-pound spinster he&rsquo;d find someone to marry her. The Sabres and their fans have taken those words and used them to elevate Pegula to the status of rock star. In fact, after the rally prior to Game 3 of the playoffs, his 11-year-old son, Matthew, was signing autographs. When Pegula went to a late-season game in Carolina, he could hear Buffalo fans chanting his name as he made his way up to his seat. Pegula had prepared a speech for that watershed press conference, but says the line about the Cup simply came spilling out.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011283/9768685-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="1127" height="972"><figcaption class="caption-body">TERRY PEGULA (BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I looked into Lindy&rsquo;s (coach Ruff) eyes and Darcy (GM Regier) and the players and I just felt it come over me and I said it,&rdquo; Pegula says over the telephone while driving his SUV from Penn State University to Buffalo for Game 4 of the Flyers series. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m the one who gave them the hope. I think the whole organization is feeling good and we&rsquo;re either going to (win a Stanley Cup) or we&rsquo;re going to die trying.&rdquo;When Pegula bought the Sabres, he instantly became the individual owner with the second-highest net worth in the league after Los Angeles&rsquo; Philip Anschutz. In 1983, Pegula founded East Resources, a natural gas drilling company, and built it into one of the largest independent oil and gas producers in the Appalachians. In 2009, he sold a third of the company for $350 million, which put the total value of the company at about $1 billion. The next year, when he got an offer from Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 billion, he figured it might be a good time to sell. Pegula netted $3 billion and had a lot more time on his hands.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011464/9768678-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="1130" height="743"></div>About the same time, he read Bob Buford&rsquo;s book Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance, which urges middle-aged business leaders to think seriously about their contributions to society. Buford&rsquo;s philosophy is certainly more altruistic and spiritual than, say, buying a professional sports team for $165 million, but it got Pegula thinking. The book argues that the first half of a person&rsquo;s life is consumed with the quest for success. Clearly, Pegula had that one covered. The second is a quest for significance.The idea prompted Pegula to donate $88 million to his alma mater, Penn State, to build a new rink and establish a Div. I hockey program. Then he set his sites on the Sabres, a team for which he was a season-ticket holder for 18 years. Section 115, Row 12, Seats 1 to 4 were his from the time the HSBC Arena opened until the 1998-99 season, the year the Sabres made a run to the Stanley Cup final that was ended by Brett Hull&rsquo;s controversial Game 6 triple-overtime goal. Perhaps you&rsquo;ve heard about it.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t making it to many games,&rdquo; Pegula says. &ldquo;It might have been a mistake on my part, but it was done.&rdquo;What Pegula and the Sabres want to do is make Buffalo another version of Detroit. And there are an astonishing number of parallels there. Both are border cities with depressed economies where it&rsquo;s difficult to find many people downtown, even during what is supposed to be rush hour. They also have deeply committed fan bases and a long and rich hockey history. So if Detroit can become the destination of choice for players, why not the Buffalo?Now that Pegula is signing the checks and the Sabres have committed to being a cap team, money is not a problem. But players, especially the great ones, know they&rsquo;re going to get their money no matter where they sign. After that it becomes about an organization&rsquo;s vision and not only its desire to win, but its willingness to do whatever it takes to win.So when the Sabres left for their first extended road trip after Pegula took over, the players walked out of the dressing room and a work crew walked in. At a cost of $20,000, they replaced the old carpets with new ones bearing a Sabres logo, put in new television monitors and gave the place a fresh coat of paint. For the recent 40th anniversary celebrations, Buffalo invited every player who had played one game for the organization and ended up with 85 alumni at the event, on two weeks notice. This summer, a major reconstruction of the dressing room and training facility will put them on par with the top three in the league.<blockquote class="pullQuote">He&rsquo;s as happy driving his SUV chewing on a cigar and eating beef jerky driving from Lake Placid to Buffalo as flying on a private jet &ndash; Cliff Benson</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-021010/9768671-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="1129" height="743"><figcaption class="caption-body">(BOTH: BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I was in the oil and gas business and people didn&rsquo;t want to leave our company,&rdquo; Pegula says. &ldquo;When we were hiring, people wanted to come work for us and with us. Once word gets out that you&rsquo;re a franchise that treats coaches and players the way you want to be treated, it&rsquo;s definitely effective.&rdquo;So that means the days of losing stars because Buffalo can&rsquo;t afford to pay them are over. If they leave now it will be because the Sabres can&rsquo;t fit them under the salary cap, not because they can&rsquo;t compete financially. But the Sabres should be careful what they wish for. Having unlimited resources is not a cure-all panacea and can often lead to expensive mistakes instead of wise spending.Though Buffalo should catch a break there, too, since Pegula has no intention of replacing either Regier or Ruff anytime soon. For all the maligning the Sabres have taken over the cuts to their scouting staff in recent years, developing good young players has not been a problem. Defenseman Tyler Myers was NHL rookie of the year in 2010 and the past three American League rookies of the year &ndash; Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis and Luke Adam &ndash; are all Sabres.Pegula pledges to put &ldquo;more boots on the ground,&rdquo; when it comes to beefing up the scouting staff and hiring development coaches. When you have billions of dollars, money doesn&rsquo;t appear to be an object. But the Sabres have a long way to go before they become profitable again. Buffalo reportedly lost about $17 million in 2008-09 when it failed to make the playoffs and with declining corporate support, turning a buck will be a long-term project.Pegula says that if he wanted to make money, he&rsquo;d go and drill another oil well. He has more money than he and his family could ever possibly spend and he&rsquo;s not looking at the Sabres as a profit center. Profits will take a backseat to the Stanley Cup. Pegula&rsquo;s friend and lawyer Cliff Benson, who put the Sabres deal together and is a senior advisor in the new regime, says Pegula is a typical western Pennsylvania guy whose outlook on life and unlimited resources are the perfect match for the city of Buffalo.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s as happy driving his SUV chewing on a cigar and eating beef jerky driving from Lake Placid to Buffalo as flying on a private jet,&rdquo; Benson says.Team president Black, who was brought in by Pegula, says his boss could have bought any team in any league in any city and he chose this one. While the owner of the Buffalo Bills shops home games to Toronto and leaves an uncertainty hanging over the city like the Sword of Damocles, Pegula has made a firm commitment to doing more than just survive. And if he can do what he has set out to accomplish, it will deliver unprecedented joy to legions of fans who&rsquo;ve endured more than their share of kicks in the teeth.&ldquo;Sometimes things are too good to be true,&rdquo; Black says. &ldquo;But in this instance, it&rsquo;s too good and it&rsquo;s true.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0028-01

THE WIND BENEATH BUFFALO’S WINGS

<div class="byline">BY ERIC STEPHENS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03712/9768730-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="482" height="185"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011442/9768737-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02976/9768723-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="1296" height="1202"><figcaption class="caption-body">COREY PERRY (DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>Just call Corey Perry the reluctant superstar.The 25-year-old right winger from Peterborough, Ont., certainly doesn&rsquo;t crave the spotlight, but his upward career arc is making it impossible for the Anaheim Duck to avoid it.Perry has increased his offensive numbers in each of his first six NHL seasons, but entered rarefied air in 2010-11. The breakout season earned him a trip to Las Vegas for the league&rsquo;s season-ending awards show, where he could be in store for more hardware than just the Rocket Richard Trophy his 50 goals earned him. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s not kid ourselves,&rdquo; said Teemu Selanne, a three-time 50-goal scorer. &ldquo;If this guy doesn&rsquo;t win the MVP, it&rsquo;s a crime. This guy has been so rock solid the whole season.&rdquo;Perry carried the Ducks to the Stanley Cup playoffs with a remarkable stretch run that saw him score 19 goals and rack up 29 points over 14 games in March, culminating with a hat trick on April 6 against San Jose.His third goal in a 6-2 victory over the Sharks was his 50th, the only player to reach that mark this season. It was also Perry&rsquo;s third career hat trick &ndash; all in 2010-11.A tenacious competitor on the ice, the always cooperative Perry is just as quiet off it, but has slowly become more media savvy and accepting of the spotlight trained on him. &ldquo;You want to be the best player in the league,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;To be voted as the most valuable would be something special,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;d be a lot of fun and something big in my career.&rdquo;What is clear now is Perry is no longer seen as Ryan Getzlaf&rsquo;s running mate. He displayed that during a stretch in January when he took his game to another level while Getzlaf missed 14 games due to facial and nasal fractures. He didn&rsquo;t necessarily do that last season when Getzlaf was dealing with a lingering ankle injury. &ldquo;I think last year he was a little bit in Getzlaf&rsquo;s shadow,&rdquo; Selanne said. &ldquo;And especially when &lsquo;Getzy&rsquo; got hurt, he kind of disappeared a little bit. At least he was not the same player as when Getzy played.&ldquo;But this year, he has been so solid. The great thing about him is you see the fire, you see the hunger that he&rsquo;s had. That&rsquo;s the greatness that I see.&rdquo;The Ducks invested five years and more than $26 million in Perry following a 2007-08 season shortened to 70 games due to a quadriceps injury. It is looking like a bargain at this point.Getzlaf has been there every step of the way as the two were taken by the Ducks in the first round of the celebrated 2003 draft and came up together for good in 2005-06 after a dominant stint with the American League&rsquo;s Portland Pirates. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s come a long way,&rdquo; Getzlaf said. &ldquo;The first training camp, he had trouble staying on his feet for most of it. I think that his game has kind of developed over the years and people put more trust in him.&rdquo;As he came up first as a star in junior hockey and then in the minors, Perry said he imagined what kind of player he could be when he got to the NHL. But a 50-goal season and possible Hart Trophy wasn&rsquo;t what he imagined. &ldquo;You always hope to be the best player that you can possibly be,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just this year, everything went well, I guess.&rdquo;An understatement befitting the low-key star.Over the following six pages&nbsp;you&rsquo;ll find THN&rsquo;s selections for awards in each of the NHL&rsquo;s 30 markets. And the winners are&hellip; &#9632;

f0032-03

Demure Perry’s Star On Rise

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04539/9768768-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="242" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEX OVECHKIN (MITCHELL LAYTON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>Corey Perry2010-11 &ndash; 50Sidney Crosby2009-10 &ndash; 51Steven Stamkos2009-10 &ndash; 51&nbsp;Alex Ovechkin2009-10 &ndash; 512008-09 &ndash; 562007-08 &ndash; 652005-06 &ndash; 52Ilya Kovalchuk2007-08 &ndash; 522005-06 &ndash; 52Jarome Iginla2007-08 &ndash; 50Vincent Lecavalier&nbsp;2006-07 &ndash; 52Dany Heatley2006-07 &ndash; 502005-06 &ndash; 50Jonathan Cheechoo2005-06 &ndash; 56Jaromir Jagr2005-06 &ndash; 54<blockquote class="pullQuote">0.74 Perry&rsquo;s PPG prior to this season, when it was 1.20</blockquote> &#9632;

f0032-04

SUPER Snipers

<div class="byline">&#x2013;STEVE ZIPAY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011284/9768848-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-08282/9768841-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02883/9768834-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="657" height="789"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRIAN BOYLE BEST BARGAIN (SCOTT LEVY/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>On his nationally televised late night show, Conan O&rsquo;Brien recently aired a clip of a Brian Boyle post-game one-liner, but the Rangers center had already gone to bed and missed his brief, but humorous hockey moment.In a career season, however, Boyle hasn&rsquo;t missed many nightly opportunities. The RFA-to-be&rsquo;s $550,000 salary was an exceptional bargain and, expected raise aside, there is little doubt he and the Rangers will be seeing more of each other. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s opened a lot of eyes and earned his time,&rdquo; said coach John Tortorella. &ldquo;Now he has to keep it up.&rdquo;Boyle, 26, who scored 21 goals and 34 points, led the team in shots (218) and hits (240) and played all 82 games, said he doesn&rsquo;t want to go anywhere: &ldquo;I want to be here as long as I can,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been given a good chance. I&rsquo;ve been pushed, I&rsquo;ve made some great friendships and it&rsquo;s a great city to live in and play in.&rdquo;After scoring just twice in the final 20 games, the 6-foot-7 Boyle stepped up physically in the playoffs. &ldquo;I liked my start, but I wasn&rsquo;t necessarily happy with my finish,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was an adjustment playing more minutes and that was great, being more part of the game, but I&rsquo;ve got to keep it sustained through 82 games and the playoffs.&rdquo;Boyle&rsquo;s dramatic improvement, credited to an oft-chronicled summer of skating drills and conditioning and strength training, will continue. &ldquo;Will I be better next season?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I want to. I expect to.&rdquo;<h2>AND THN&rsquo;s AWARDS GO TO&hellip;</h2>MVPIlya Kovalchuk, LW: 31 G, 9 PPG, 9 GWGTOP ROOKIEMattias Tedenby, RW: 22 pts. in 58 GPTOUGHEST PLAYER David Clarkson, RW: Team-best 170 hitsCOMEBACK PLAYERBrian Rolston, LW: 6 PPG, 4 GWGBEST BARGAINAndy Greene, D: $738K, 157 BkS&nbsp;MOST OVERPAIDDainius Zubrus, C: $3.4M, 30 pts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03690/9768827-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>NEW JERSEY DEVILS</h3>On a team that was defensively suspect, Andy Greene was one of the few bright spots. The 28-year-old led New Jersey in blocked shots (157), was their highest-scoring D-man (23 points) and was third in average time on ice (22:21). He&rsquo;s an unrestricted free agent this summer; will the cap-strapped Devils be able to afford him?MVPMichael Grabner, RW: 3 GWG, 52 pts.TOP ROOKIEMichael Grabner, RW: 34 G, plus-13TOUGHEST PLAYER Zenon Konopka, C: 307 PIM, 110 hitsCOMEBACK PLAYERAl Montoya, G: 9-5-5, 1 SO, 7 home winsBEST BARGAINFrans Nielsen, C: $525K, 7 SHG&nbsp;MOST OVERPAIDRick DiPietro, G: $4.5M, .886 SP<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04564/9768820-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</h3>A Calder Trophy finalist, Michael Grabner led all rookies with 34 goals (eighth overall in the NHL), was third among freshmen with 52 points and was second in the NHL in shorthanded goals with six (one behind teammate Frans Nielsen). Almost as impressive: The Austrian native was an Islanders-best plus-13.MVPHenrik Lundqvist, G: 36-27-5, 11 SOTOP ROOKIEDerek Stepan, C: 21 G, 45 P, plus-8TOUGHEST PLAYERDan Girardi, D: NHL-best 236 BkS&nbsp;COMEBACK PLAYERBrian Boyle, C: 21 G, 35 pts., 2 GWGBEST BARGAINBrian Boyle, C: $525K, 240 hitsMOST OVERPAIDChris Drury, C: $7M, 5 pts. in 24 GP<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05477/9768813-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="327" height="551"></div><h3>NEW YORK RANGERS</h3>Nobody on the Rangers or any other NHL team blocked more shots this season than Dan Girardi. The four-year veteran was third on the Blueshirts in hits (195) and second to blueline partner Marc Staal in time on ice (24:34) and average shifts per game (28.8). He established career highs in assists (27) and points (31).MVPMike Richards, C: 23 G, 66 pts.&nbsp;TOP ROOKIESergei Bobrovsky, G: 28-13-8, 2.59 GAATOUGHEST PLAYERChris Pronger, D: 114 BkS in 50 GPCOMEBACK PLAYERAndrej Meszaros, D: Team-best plus-30BEST BARGAIN Ville Leino, RW: $800K, 19 G, 53 pts.MOST OVERPAIDNikolay Zherdev, RW: $2M, 22 pts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06417/9768806-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="327" height="551"></div><h3>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</h3>Last season with Tampa Bay, Andrej Meszaros was an unqualified disaster, finishing with 17 points and a minus-14 rating. He came back with a bang this year in Philly, amassing 32 points and a stunning plus-30 that was tops on the team and fifth in the NHL. No wonder the Flyers named him their best D-man this year.MVPM-A Fleury, G: 36 W, 2.32 GAA, .918 SPTOP ROOKIEMark Letestu, C: 14 G, 27 pts. in 64 GP&nbsp;TOUGHEST PLAYER Brooks Orpik, D: 194 hits, 94 BkSCOMEBACK PLAYERJordan Staal, C: 11 G, 30 pts. in 42 GPBEST BARGAINTyler Kennedy, RW: $725K, 21 G, 45 pts.&nbsp;MOST OVERPAIDAlex Kovalev, RW: $5M, 34 pts. in 74 GP<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-07349/9768799-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS</h3>Sure, he played just 20 games after arriving in a trade deadline deal with the Senators, but Alex Kovalev&rsquo;s second stint in Pittsburgh was as underwhelming as his time in Ottawa. The 38-year-old had just two goals and seven points for the Penguins &ndash; not at all what you&rsquo;d expect from a player making $5 million per season. &#9632;

f0033-01

Big Bri, Budget Guy

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-021021/9768921-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-08353/9768928-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011463/9768914-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="658" height="818"><figcaption class="caption-body">SCOTT GOMEZ MOST OVERPAID (FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>Scott Gomez is nothing if not self-aware.As the end of a season in which he established new career lows in goals (seven), assists (31) and points (38) in 80 games, the straight-shooting Alaskan offered a frank take on his play: &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s face it, a lot of us, it was a year that was like, &lsquo;What the (expletive)?&rsquo;&rdquo; Gomez said. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;d put myself at the top of that list,&rdquo;The same F-word-based question Gomez rhetorically posed to himself could actually be directed at former Habs GM Bob Gainey when trying to sort out the issue of why, in June of 2009, he traded for Gomez and his inflated contract to begin with. The Habs not only agreed to take the now 31-year-old and his average salary of $7.4 million through 2013-14, but they returned the New York Rangers a package that included 2007 first-rounder Ryan McDonagh, who&rsquo;s developing nicely as a strong, sensible defenseman.In addition to Gomez&rsquo;s low offensive watermarks, he was a teamworst minus-15 and won just 48 percent of his faceoffs. He registered just 20 even-strength points, five less than Jeff Halpern and nine fewer than Benoit Pouliot, who earned less than $2 million combined.Gomez has a limited no-trade clause, which allows him to provide a list of three teams he would not accept a deal to, but there&rsquo;s nothing preventing Montreal from following the trend of burying a big salary in the AHL if they want him off the books this summer.<h2>AND THN&rsquo;s AWARDS GO TO&hellip;</h2>MVPTim Thomas, G:. 938 SP, NHL recordTOP ROOKIE Brad Marchand, LW: 21 goals, plus-25TOUGHEST PLAYER Milan Lucic, LW: 30 goals, 121 PIMCOMEBACK PLAYERTim Thomas, G: 2.00 GAA, tops in NHLBEST BARGAINMark Recchi, RW: 48 pts., age 43, $2MMOST OVERPAIDMichael Ryder, RW: 41 pts., $4M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03807/9768907-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>BOSTON BRUINS</h3>Just when everybody thought Tuukka Rask&rsquo;s time had arrived, Tim Thomas reclaimed his No. 1 role and then some. The 2009 Vezina winner was the subject of trade rumors in the off-season, but, with a surgically repaired hip, stormed back to show his unorthodox style could still stifle even the best NHL shooters.MVPThomas Vanek, LW: 32 goals, 73 pointsTOP ROOKIETyler Ennis, LW: 20 goals, 157 poundsTOUGHEST PLAYERCody McCormick, RW: 16 majors, 20 pts.COMEBACK PLAYERJordan Leopold, D: Career-high 35 pointsBEST BARGAINDrew Stafford, RW: 40-goal pace, $1.9MMOST OVERPAID Tim Connolly, C: 42 points, $4.5M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04658/9768900-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>BUFFALO SABRES</h3>Now that he&rsquo;s finding the net more often, the challenge for pending RFA Drew Stafford is to smooth out the scoring. Stafford struck for 31 goals in 62 contests, but 18 were crammed into seven games, including four hat tricks. To take the next sniper step, the 25-year-old must be more consistent.MVPCarey Price, G: 38 wins, tied 1st in NHLTOP ROOKIEP.K. Subban, D: Team-best nine PPGTOUGHEST PLAYERRyan White, RW: 38 PIM, 27 GPCOMEBACK PLAYERCarey Price, G: 72 GP, .923 SP&nbsp;BEST BARGAINMathieu Darche, LW: 500K, 12 goalsMOST OVERPAIDScott Gomez, C: $8M; just 7 G, 38 pts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05532/9768893-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(PAUL BERESWILL/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>MONTREAL CANADIENS</h3>Ryan White was cut after a good training camp, but kept plugging away with Hamilton in the AHL and was called up for good in late January. White carved out a niche for himself by being an aggressive forechecker willing to throw his weight around and occasionally drop the gloves on a team in need of jam.MVPJason Spezza, C: Ott. .500 when he playedTOP ROOKIEColin Greening, LW: 24 GP, 13 pts., plus-2TOUGHEST PLAYERChris Neil, RW: 210 penalty minutesCOMEBACK PLAYERCraig Anderson, G: .939 SP with SensBEST BARGAINRyan Shannon, LW: 625K, plus playerMOST OVERPAIDSergei Gonchar, D: $5.5M, minus-15<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06477/9768886-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>OTTAWA SENATORS</h3>Colin Greening didn&rsquo;t do any one thing exceptionally, but proved capable in a number of capacities. The 6-foot-3, 211-pound left winger saw action on the power play and penalty kill. His two-way awareness is emphasized by the fact he was a plus player on the Sens, averaging about 15 minutes per game.MVPMikhail Grabovski, C: Team-best plus-14TOP ROOKIE James Reimer, G: 20-10-5 recordTOUGHEST PLAYER Luke Schenn, D: Team leader in hits, BkSCOMEBACK PLAYERClarke MacArthur, RW: 62 pts. 2nd on Tor.BEST BARGAINNikolai Kulemin, LW: 30 goals, $2.4MMOST OVERPAIDMike Komisarek, D: $4.5M, minus-8<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07410/9768879-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</h3>The Leafs signed Clarke MacArthur after Atlanta walked away from an arbitration hearing last summer. He found a home with Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin, firing career highs in goals (21), assists (41) and points (62). MacArthur was also a respected and forceful voice in the Leafs room. &#9632;

f0034-02

Hardly Scott Free

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011357/9769008-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08375/9769001-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02964/9768994-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="657" height="808"><figcaption class="caption-body">ADAM HALL COMEBACK PLAYER & BEST BARGAIN (ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>It would have been easy for Lightning right winger Adam Hall to be bitter about the 2009-10 season. An established NHLer, Hall was demoted to AHL Norfolk by then-GM Brian Lawton. But instead of sulking, Hall embraced his circumstances and became a team leader.A year later, Hall was an indispensable part of Tampa Bay&rsquo;s resurgence, a third-and fourth-line grinder, a tireless penalty-killer and eternal optimist. &ldquo;You always have a certain perspective on things and after my eighth year pro, spending it all in the NHL, and then being in the American League last year, you can&rsquo;t help but have an extra appreciation for being able to come back and the hunger that it takes,&rdquo; Hall said. &ldquo;It certainly goes a long way to preparing yourself and knowing what it takes to be at this level and stay at this level.&rdquo;Listening to that, it&rsquo;s no surprise Hall was Tampa&rsquo;s nominee for the Masterton Trophy, given for perseverance and dedication to hockey.But Hall, 30, originally had to sell himself to new coach Guy Boucher, who believed Hall was too slow for his quick-transition system. &ldquo;But he&rsquo;s one of those guys that is straight in everything he does,&rdquo; Boucher said. &ldquo;He never waivers, whether it&rsquo;s a good game, bad game, he just always, always has the right attitude.&rdquo;Hall was just thankful to get the chance: &ldquo;You try to work that much harder in the gym, off the ice and even on the ice to try to give that back to your coaches for believing in you,&rdquo; he said.<h2>AND THN&rsquo;s AWARDS GO TO&hellip;</h2>MVPDustin Byfuglien, D: 20 G; in Norris debate&nbsp;TOP ROOKIEAlexander Burmistrov, C: 20 pts. in 74 games&nbsp;TOUGHEST PLAYERChris Thorburn, RW: 71 BkS, 7 fightsCOMEBACK PLAYERA. Stewart, RW: Career goal total up 350%BEST BARGAINAnthony Stewart, RW: $633K, 14-25-39MOST OVERPAIDNik Antropov, C: $4M, 41 points<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03800/9768987-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>ATLANTA THRASHERS</h3>No Thrasher created more buzz this year than hulking D-man Dustin Byfuglien. He set career highs in goals, assists and points, earning a five-year, $26-million extension. No other NHL blueliner reached the 20-goal plateau or did as much to promote the game in his market, something desperately lacking in Atlanta.MVPCam Ward, G: 74 GP, 4th-most saves everTOP ROOKIEJeff Skinner, LW: 63 pts. led NHL rookiesTOUGHEST PLAYERTuomo Ruutu, RW: 309 hits 2nd in NHLCOMEBACK PLAYERErik Cole, RW: 82 GP, only 40 in &rsquo;09-10BEST BARGAINTim Gleason, D: $2.8M, 225 hits, 141 BkSMOST OVERPAIDBryan Allen, D: $2.9M, 15:50 TOI<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04661/9768980-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JANA CHYTILOVA/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>CAROLINA HURRICANES</h3>Few players have had harder luck recently than Erik Cole. Outside of the usual bumps and bruises players sustain, Cole has missed long stretches due to a broken vertebrate and hip ailment. Last season, he missed 42 contests with various injuries, but this year played all 82 games and scored 26 goals and 52 points.MVPTomas Vokoun, G: 31 shots/game, .922 SPTOP ROOKIEKeaton Ellerby, D: 54 GP, 16:05 TOI&nbsp;TOUGHEST PLAYERJason Garrison, D: No. 1 hits, No. 2 BkSCOMEBACK PLAYERDavid Booth, RW: 82 GP, 129 hitsBEST BARGAINJason Garrison, D: $675K, 22:17, 3 GWGMOST OVERPAIDRostislav Olesz, LW: $3.1M, 17 points<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05563/9768973-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="327" height="551"></div><h3>FLORIDA PANTHERS</h3>No skater meant more to the Cats than Jason Garrison. The 26-year-old sophomore led the team in grit quotient and all-around ice time. He was No. 1 in even-strength TOI, was on the top penalty-kill unit and averaged about a minute and a half of power play time by season&rsquo;s end. Sixty percent of his five goals were winners.MVPMartin St-Louis, RW: Led in total TOI, pts.&nbsp;TOP ROOKIEDana Tyrell, C: 78 GP, trusted penalty killer&nbsp;TOUGHEST PLAYER Mattias Ohlund, D: 2nd on TB in hits, BkS&nbsp;COMEBACK PLAYERAdam Hall, RW: No. 1 in FO%, PK TOIBEST BARGAINAdam Hall, RW: $600K, cheapest forwardMOST OVERPAIDVincent Lecavalier, C: $7.7M, 54 pts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06508/9768966-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING</h3>Sliding steadily since his Rocket Richard-winning season, Vincent Lecavalier earned $10 million in salary this year and cost $7.7 million on the cap. He finished strong with 17 points in the final 15 games, but can&rsquo;t stay healthy and had just a 70-point pace. The Lecavalier deal is a millstone that runs through 2019-20.MVPAlex Ovechkin, LW: Led in G, A, hitsTOP ROOKIEJohn Carlson, D: Plus-21, No. 1 TOI, BkSTOUGHEST PLAYER John Erskine, D: 3rd in hits, fights; 4th BkSCOMEBACK PLAYERMatt Hendricks, C: 14 fights, 2nd in hitsBEST BARGAINBrooks Laich, C: $2.1M for Mr. EverythingMOST OVERPAID Scott Hannan, D: $4.5M a lot for a No. 4/5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07435/9768959-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(MITCHELL LAYTON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>WASHINGTON CAPITALS</h3>John Carlson won&rsquo;t garner a lot of Calder consideration, but he should. Carlson, 21, basically usurped every other Cap to become the team&rsquo;s most consistent all-around blueliner. He played both special teams and on the No. 1 pairing, led the back end in scoring and plus-minus and showed grit hitting and blocking shots. &#9632;

f0035-01

Putting Hall Pass in Past

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BOB DUFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011364/9769081-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08329/9769088-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02928/9769074-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="657" height="801"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOMAS HOLMSTROM TOUGHEST GUY (DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>You wouldn&rsquo;t want to work where Tomas Holmstrom does.You wouldn&rsquo;t want to live where Holmstrom has lived.The Detroit Red Wings left winger, who grew up in Pitea, Sweden, near the Arctic Circle, makes a living on the edge of the goal crease, paying a punishing price for his efforts.Holmstrom&rsquo;s work is especially valuable during the playoffs, when goals are much harder to come by. &ldquo;During the season, you have those bang-bang plays,&rdquo; said Holmstrom, a four-time Stanley Cup winner. &ldquo;In the playoffs, everyone is more careful with the puck, playing more defensively, making good decisions. You usually see a bunch of goals from around the net.&rdquo;Right from the start of his career, Holmstrom gravitated to the slot. &ldquo;It never really bothered me to go in front of the net,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t even think about it. That&rsquo;s where I go.&rdquo;No matter the pummeling. &ldquo;Rob Blake punished me for many years in front of the net,&rdquo; Holmstrom said. &ldquo;Al MacInnis, he got me good too, with a two-hander in the neck.&rdquo;It doesn&rsquo;t compare to the pain Holmstrom brings to opposition goalies. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very challenging player to go against,&rdquo; said Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo. &ldquo;He just screens you and makes your vision hard.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s always in line with the puck and yourself, so you&rsquo;re always having to fight through him to see it. Also, he&rsquo;s got a great stick for redirecting the puck.&rdquo;<h2>AND THN&rsquo;s AWARDS GO TO&hellip;</h2>MVPJonathan Toews, C: 8 GWG, 7th in NHLTOP ROOKIECorey Crawford, G: 33 wins led rookiesTOUGHEST PLAYERBrent Seabrook, D: 227 hits, 154 BkSCOMEBACK PLAYER Ryan Johnson, C: 63.1 FO%, top HawkBEST BARGAINBryan Bickell, LW: 17 goals, $542KMOST OVERPAIDBrian Campbell, D: Only 5 G for $7.1M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03766/9769067-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="327" height="551"></div><h3>CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS</h3>When the Hawks were foundering at mid-season, captain Jonathan Toews stepped up and his teammates followed. He rallied them with a memorable &ldquo;pep&rdquo; talk and backed up his words by recording 37 points in a 24-game stretch. He also led the club&rsquo;s forwards in points, minutes, winners and faceoff percentage.MVPR.J. Umberger, LW: Led forwards in TOITOP ROOKIEGrant Clitsome, D: 10 PP points in 31 GPTOUGHEST PLAYERJared Boll, RW: 23 fights, 3rd in NHLCOMEBACK PLAYERJan Hejda, D: 77 GP; missed 20 in &rsquo;09-10BEST BARGAINDerek Dorsett, RW: 195 hits, $526KMOST OVERPAIDMike Commodore, D: 20 GP, $3.75M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04611/9769060-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS</h3>A 2004 ninth round draft pick, Grant Clitsome finally got his opportunity to stick in the NHL when Mike Commodore was banished. Clitsome made the most of it. Until getting hurt towards season&rsquo;s end, he breathed a modicum of life in Columbus&rsquo; power play, finishing tied for second among Jackets defensemen in PP points.MVPPavel Datsyuk, C: With/without, .679/.538TOP ROOKIEJakub Kindl, D: Plus-5 in 28 road GPTOUGHEST PLAYER Tomas Holmstrom, RW: 6 goalie int. PIMCOMEBACK PLAYERJohan Franzen, LW: 28 goals led Wings&nbsp;BEST BARGAIN Jimmy Howard, G: 37 wins, $717K&nbsp;MOST OVERPAIDJiri Hudler, LW: 10 goals in 73 GP, $2.9M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05515/9769053-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>DETROIT RED WINGS</h3>The playoffs are typically Johan Franzen&rsquo;s time to shine, but the Wings will take his mostly solid 2001-11 campaign. Coming off a 2009-10 season in which he&rsquo;d missed 55 games with a torn ACL, there were questions whether &lsquo;The Mule&rsquo; would return to form. His teambest 28 goals in 76 games provided an affirmative answer.MVPPekka Rinne, G: .930 SP, second in NHLTOP ROOKIEAnders Lindback, G: 11 wins in 18 startsTOUGHEST PLAYERShea Weber, D: Led team with 211 hitsCOMEBACK PLAYERSergei Kostitsyn, LW: 18 pts. in &rsquo;09-10BEST BARGAINSergei Kostitsyn, LW: 50 pts., $550KMOST OVERPAIDJ-P Dumont, LW: 10 goals, $4.0M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06456/9769046-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>NASHVILLE PREDATORS</h3>Sergei Kostitsyn ended the regular season dynamically, collecting seven goals and 15 points in the final dozen games, while helping carry the Preds to a playoff spot. His hot streak made him the team leader in goals and points &ndash; not bad for a guy who earned $550,000, the lowest salary among the club&rsquo;s regulars.MVPDavid Backes, C: 31 goals, plus-32&nbsp;TOP ROOKIEKevin Shattenkirk, D: 17 pts. in 26 GPTOUGHEST PLAYERB.J. Crombeen, RW: 17 fights, 6th in NHL&nbsp;COMEBACK PLAYERPatrik Berglund, C: Doubled pts., 26/52BEST BARGAIN Matt D&rsquo;Agostini, LW: 21 goals, $550KMOST OVERPAIDJaroslav Halak, G: .910 SP, $3.7M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07386/9769039-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>ST. LOUIS BLUES</h3>Expectations were sky-high for goaltender Jaroslav Halak following his inspired playoff run for Montreal in 2010. But injuries and inconsistent performances made Halak&rsquo;s new long-term contract look imposing. St. Louis will need much more out of him to justify the $3.75 million annual cap hit through 2014. &#9632;

f0036-01

Hard To Miss Holmstrom

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011216/9769168-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08318/9769161-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02855/9769154-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="657" height="818"><figcaption class="caption-body">MATT DUCHENE MVP (MICHAEL MARTIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>Two years after the fact, we&rsquo;re no closer to determining which team got the better player in the 2009 draft. The New York Islanders took John Tavares No. 1 and the Colorado Avalanche selected Matt Duchene with the next pick.And the gap between the two has been just as razor-thin when it comes to their NHL production. Both players have played 161 career games. Duchene has scored 51 goals and 122 points, while Tavares has 53 goals and 121 points.Both players have also established themselves as the face of their franchises and the most valuable player on their rosters. For Duchene, the future includes the possibility of being the next captain of the Avalanche and a contract extension.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking for great things from him in the future,&rdquo; said Avalanche GM Greg Sherman. &ldquo;With guys like Erik (Johnson) and Matt and Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly, these are guys we&rsquo;re looking for in the future to continue to put this franchise on track.&rdquo;The Avs do have some decisions to make when it comes to Duchene. With the retirement of captain Adam Foote, Duchene would be a perfect candidate to replace him. And after July 1, the Avalanche will be in a position to negotiate an extension on Duchene&rsquo;s entry-level deal.Duchene has made $6.4 million in the first two years of the deal, which will likely be about what his yearly salary will be if 2011-12 is as much of an individual success as this year was for the youngster.<h2>AND THN&rsquo;s AWARDS GO TO&hellip;</h2>MVPJarome Iginla, RW: 43 G, 3rd in NHLTOP ROOKIEMikael Backlund, C: 25 pts., lone froshTOUGHEST PLAYER Robyn Regehr, D: Top 3 in fights, hits, BkSCOMEBACK PLAYERAlex Tanguay, LW: 69 pts.; 37 in 2009-10BEST BARGAINMark Giordano, D: 43 pts., $892K cap hitMOST OVERPAIDMatt Stajan, C: 6 G, 14:13 TOI for $3.5M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03688/9769147-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>CALGARY FLAMES</h3>The bargain days are officially over for Mark Giordano, Calgary&rsquo;s top defenseman each of the past two seasons. He made a $1.1 million salary this year, but signed a five-year extension worth $20 million, starting in October. The two-way performer was among the NHL&rsquo;s top 20 scoring rearguards and third in blocked shots.MVPMatt Duchene, C: 27-40-67, all team No. 1TOP ROOKIEPhilippe Dupuis, C: 74 GP, 17 pts.TOUGHEST PLAYERCody McLeod, LW: 189 PIM easily topsCOMEBACK PLAYERJ-M Liles, D: 46 pts. a five-year highBEST BARGAIN David Jones, LW: 27 goals for $838KMOST OVERPAID Paul Stastny, C: 22 pt. drop-off for $6.6M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04590/9769140-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="327" height="551"></div><h3>COLORADO AVALANCHE</h3>Blueliner John-Michael Liles had such a strong, consistent season for the Avalanche, it&rsquo;s easy to forget he was coming off a forgettable 2009-10. Liles had a career low 31 points last season and was a healthy scratch 10 times. He remedied that quickly in October by recording a point in each of his first nine games (11 points).MVPTaylor Hall, LW: Only Oil 20-goal man (22)TOP ROOKIETaylor Hall, LW: .65 PPG vs. Eberle&rsquo;s .62TOUGHEST PLAYERTheo Peckham, D: 198 PIM, 3rd in NHLCOMEBACK PLAYER Kurtis Foster, D: Season 2 after injuryBEST BARGAINTheo Peckham, D: 18:35 TOI for $550KMOST OVERPAIDShawn Horcoff, C: $5.5M owns title<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05533/9769133-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="327" height="551"></div><h3>EDMONTON OILERS</h3>Expectations were high when Shawn Horcoff signed a sixyear, $33-million deal in 2008. The Oilers didn&rsquo;t want to lose a key performer from their 2006 Stanley Cup run and overpaid for what they expected would be a top-flight No. 1 center. Horcoff&rsquo;s goal totals and time on ice have diminished each of the past four seasons.MVPBrent Burns, D: 17 G, 8 PPG, 25:02 TOITOP ROOKIEClayton Stoner, D: Plus-5 tops on teamTOUGHEST PLAYER Cal Clutterbuck, RW: 1,010 hits in 3 yearsCOMEBACK PLAYERP-M Bouchard, LW: 59 GP after year offBEST BARGAIN Kyle Brodziak, C: Versatile, reliable; $1.1MMOST OVERPAIDCam Barker, D: Frequent scratch at $3.1M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06473/9769126-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>MINNESOTA WILD</h3>An inch short of six-foot, but weighing a stocky 213 pounds, Cal Clutterbuck is the NHL&rsquo;s most consistent wrecking ball. No player throws his weight around more than the 23-year-old winger who has led the league in hits each of his three seasons, including 336 this year. Clutterbuck also scored 19 goals, second on the Wild.MVPDaniel Sedin, LW: 104 pts. led leagueTOP ROOKIECory Schneider, G: 16-4-2 in 25 gamesTOUGHEST PLAYERKevin Bieksa, D: Rugged, scrappy; 93 BkSCOMEBACK PLAYERDan Hamhuis, D: 64 GP; 2 concussionsBEST BARGAIN Alex Burrows, LW: 26 G for $2MMOST OVERPAIDKeith Ballard, D: $4.2M, 7th in &lsquo;D&rsquo; TOI<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07406/9769119-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</h3>If all goes well for the Canucks this spring, their top rookie, goalie Cory Schneider won&rsquo;t play a single playoff game. The 25-year-old had a fabulous season starting 22 games and ranking among NHL leaders in save percentage (.929). More importantly, his play gave the Canucks a chance to spell starter Roberto Luongo. &#9632;

f0037-01

Following Foote’s Steps

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JONATHAN DAVIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03742/9769241-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011324/9769248-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02920/9769234-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="658" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body">KYLE CLIFFORD TOP ROOKIE (JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>Like many Canadian kids, Kyle Clifford grew up imagining himself an NHLer. In training camp this season, it became reality. &ldquo;I am definitely living the dream,&rdquo; said 20-year-old, THN&rsquo;s choice as L.A&rsquo;s top rookie and toughest player.Clifford was a healthy scratch in four of the Kings&rsquo; first seven games and went pointless in 19 contests. Gradually, he carved a niche and finished with seven goals and 14 points in 76 games, while establishing himself as a grit guy willing to drop the gloves.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s has earned everybody&rsquo;s respect in this room,&rdquo; said Wayne Simmonds. &ldquo;Fighting 33-year-old heavy weights like (Shawn) Thornton and (George) Parros.&rdquo;Clifford led the Kings with 141 penalty minutes, including 18 fighting majors and a 9-3-6 record according to <a href="http://hockeyfights.com">hockeyfights.com</a>. But it&rsquo;s his all-around game that excites the Kings. &ldquo;His growth over the year, I don&rsquo;t want to say it&rsquo;s what we expected, but it was what we needed,&rdquo; said coach Terry Murray.Last season, Clifford played for the Ontario League&rsquo;s Barrie Colts and the Kings worried about his ability to go up against men nightly. Any fears were quickly dispelled. &ldquo;The first time I saw Clifford&hellip;he blew guys away with his off-ice conditioning,&rdquo; said Murray, who envisions the youngster a top-six winger clearing space for snipers. &ldquo;I had Scott Stevens as an 18-year-old and just like Stevens, Clifford is a young man in a man&rsquo;s body.&rdquo;<h2>AND THN&rsquo;s AWARDS GO TO&hellip;</h2>MVPCorey Perry, RW: 50 G, 1st in NHLTOP ROOKIE Cam Fowler, D: 40 pts., 22:07 TOITOUGHEST PLAYER George Parros, RW: 27 fighting majorsCOMEBACK PLAYERRay Emery, G: 405 days between starts&nbsp;BEST BARGAINRay Emery, G: 2.28 GAA, $500K tabMOST OVERPAIDJason Blake, LW: $4M cap hit, 32 pts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04603/9769227-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>ANAHEIM DUCKS</h3>Though his minus-25 was a tough stat, Cam Fowler was an integral part of the Ducks&rsquo; defense, particularly early when injuries beset the corps. Overall, the puck-moving ace proved more than capable of putting up numbers in the NHL, coming in second among frosh blueliners with 40 points and logging a ton of ice time.MVPBrad Richards, C: Team-high 77 pts.TOP ROOKIETomas Vincour, C: 36 hits in 24 GPTOUGHEST PLAYER Stephane Robidas, D: 216 hits, 135 BkSCOMEBACK PLAYERJeff Woywitka, D: 63 GP vs. 36 in &rsquo;09-10BEST BARGAIN Alex Goligoski, D: 43 pts. with $1.8M hit&nbsp;MOST OVERPAIDJamie Langenbrunner, RW: 32 pts., $2.8M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05484/9769220-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="327" height="551"></div><h3>DALLAS STARS</h3>His name was in the Dallas papers all year and though a lot of it involved his pending free agency status, Brad Richards also made news with his stick, leading the team with 77 points despite missing time in late February/early March with a concussion. During that stretch, the Stars lost their first four games.MVPAnze Kopitar, C: Team-high 73 pts.TOP ROOKIEKyle Clifford, LW: 138 hits in 9:30 TOITOUGHEST PLAYER Kyle Clifford, LW: 19 fighting majorsCOMEBACK PLAYER Justin Williams, RW: 57 pts.; 29 in &rsquo;09-10BEST BARGAINJonathan Quick, G: 35 W for $1.8M hitMOST OVERPAID Alexei Ponikarovsky, LW: 5 G for $3.2M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06414/9769213-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>LOS ANGELES KINGS</h3>At 6-foot-4, 229 pounds, Alex Ponikarovsky is a tantalizing winger. Unfortunately, those were his best numbers this season. With just five goals and 15 points in 61 games, he was shuffled down to the fourth line at times and even a healthy scratch periodically. His totals were by far the worst of his otherwise decent NHL career.MVPKeith Yandle, D: 59 pts. on &lsquo;D&rsquo; 3rd in NHLTOP ROOKIE Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D: 11 pts. in 48 GPTOUGHEST PLAYER Shane Doan, RW: 172 hits tops on teamCOMEBACK PLAYERKyle Turris, C: 25 pts. after year in AHL&nbsp;BEST BARGAINEric Belanger, C: 40 pts. for $750K&nbsp;MOST OVERPAIDMichal Rozsival, D: 6 pts., 33 GP, $5M<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-07348/9769206-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>PHOENIX COYOTES</h3>After being rebuffed by the Capitals in free agency, Eric Belanger scrambled for a job and landed in Phoenix. And though the Yotes are a frugal team to begin with, they got a great deal in the veteran pivot. Belanger brought solid offense, a 55.3 winning percentage in the faceoff circle and a plus-11 rating overall.MVPLogan Couture, C: 8 GWG, plus-18TOP ROOKIE Logan Couture, C: 56 pts., 2nd in NHLTOUGHEST PLAYERDouglas Murray, D: 203 hits, 140 BkSCOMEBACK PLAYER Kyle Wellwood, C: 13 pts. since returnBEST BARGAINKyle Wellwood, C: Waiver gem at $650KMOST OVERPAID Dany Heatley, RW: Off year for $7.5M hit<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-08285/9769199-1-eng-US/f0038-082.jpg" title="f0038-08" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body">(RICH LAM/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h3>SAN JOSE SHARKS</h3>He called himself stupid for not wearing a visor (he has since seen the light), but Douglas Murray is wise in other ways of keepin&rsquo; it real. The Swedish blueliner doles out stiff hits, lays down in lanes to block shots and has engaged in epic turf wars with some of the best and biggest forwards around, even fighting on occasion. &#9632;

f0038-03

King Of The Ring

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011212/9769391-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="491" height="185"></div>2011 UFA | RFA<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02813/9769384-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="753" height="522"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03641/9769377-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="753" height="523"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04539/9769370-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="753" height="525"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05456/9769363-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="753" height="528"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06379/9769356-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="753" height="523"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07330/9769349-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="753" height="522"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08280/9769342-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="752" height="522"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-09228/9769335-1-eng-US/f0039-092.jpg" title="f0039-09" width="752" height="523"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-10197/9769328-1-eng-US/f0039-102.jpg" title="f0039-10" width="752" height="523"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-11173/9769321-1-eng-US/f0039-112.jpg" title="f0039-11" width="752" height="523"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-12157/9769314-1-eng-US/f0039-122.jpg" title="f0039-12" width="752" height="525"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-13133/9769307-1-eng-US/f0039-132.jpg" title="f0039-13" width="753" height="523"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-14116/9769300-1-eng-US/f0039-142.jpg" title="f0039-14" width="753" height="522"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-15105/9769293-1-eng-US/f0039-152.jpg" title="f0039-15" width="753" height="523"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-1690/9769286-1-eng-US/f0039-162.jpg" title="f0039-16" width="753" height="522"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-1786/9769279-1-eng-US/f0039-172.jpg" title="f0039-17" width="753" height="523"></div> &#9632;

f0039-01

2011 ROUND1 DEPTHCHARTS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANDY BAGGOT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01797/9769474-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">BIG JUMPMatt Fattin went from North Dakota to the NHL Maple Leafs. (FRATTIN: UND ATHLETICS/KORY WALLEN)</figcaption></div>When Minnesota-Duluth outlasted Michigan 3-2 in overtime to win the NCAA title April 9 in St. Paul, Minn., it was more than just the ultimate validation for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association program that was missing one jewel from its crown. Duluth has produced four Hobey Baker Award winners &ndash; tied for the most in history &ndash; and won the MacNaughton Cup (WCHA regular season champion) and Broadmoor Trophy (WCHA playoff winner) three times since the mid-1980s. But three previous trips to the Frozen Four had been fruitless, including a 5-4 loss to Bowling Green in the 1984 title game that spanned four overtimes and still ranks as the longest championship match in history.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02521/9769467-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="251" height="149"></div>That changed when senior left winger Kyle Schmidt converted a goal-mouth feed from junior center Oleksuk three minutes and 22 seconds into the extra session. The score not only gave the Bulldogs their first national title, but they became the first school in the state other than the University of Minnesota to claim an NCAA championship.Top-ranked North Dakota was favored, but suffered a 2-0 loss to Michigan in the semifinal. Duluth, meanwhile, advanced with a 4-3 win over Notre Dame and became the first breakthrough NCAA champion since Maine in 1993. &ldquo;This is not just for these players,&rdquo; said UMD coach Scott Sandelin. &ldquo;It is for our alumni, the program, the city. I&rsquo;m just so excited for these players to have this experience.&rdquo;The Frozen Four at the Xcel Energy Center will be remembered as a headline moment for two Duluth freshmen: right winger J.T. Brown and defenseman Justin Faulk.Brown, a 20-year-old undrafted NHL free agent and the son of former Minnesota Vikings running back Ted Brown, was the most outstanding player after a dominating all-around performance. He scored a goal in the win over Notre Dame, assisted on another in the championship game and used his terrific instincts and speed to draw a critical penalty that negated a Michigan power play. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been a player for us all year,&rdquo; said senior Justin Fontaine. &ldquo;He stepped his game up and when the team needed a boost he&rsquo;s been there moving his feet, winning battles. He&rsquo;s just been a big key to our team all year.&rdquo;Brown finished with 16 goals Schmidt. They were overshadowed mainly on a line with Oleksuk and season by the highest-scoring sists and 171 points) in left winger Mike Connolly, center Jack Connolly (unrelated) and right winger Brown told College Hockey News. can score.&rdquo;Faulk, meanwhile, was so effective, creative and poised for a 19-year-old that Carolina signed its second round pick from 2010 shortly after the Frozen Four. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t seen a freshman come in and do the things he&rsquo;s done,&rdquo; Sandelin said of Faulk, an all-tournament selection who finished the season as the highest-scoring rookie D-man in the nation with 33 points in 39 games.Mike Connolly, a junior, joined Faulk as an early departure, signing a free agent deal with San Jose, while North Dakota senior right winger Matt Frattin, the top goal-scorer in the nation with 36, signed with Toronto and immediately made his NHL debut.Notre Dame center T.J. Tynan, a 19-year-old freshman eligible for the 2011 draft, had a goal in the semifinal to finish off a brilliant debut year in which he led rookies with 54 points in 44 games. &#9632;

f0041-01

Bulldogs Bonanza

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01847/9769512-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">FLYING MONKTenzing Coburn was born in the mountains of Nepal, but now he&rsquo;s tearing it up in Wyoming. (PHOTOS COURTESY OF COBURN FAMILY)</figcaption></div>The way Sean Hannafin talks about his best player, you&rsquo;d think he&rsquo;s about to go all Sidd Finch on you. Then you look at the calendar and realize April Fool&rsquo;s Day was weeks ago.According to Hannafin, 14-year-old Tenzing Coburn, &ldquo;hits like a bus.&rdquo; He has the kind of shot 25-year-olds would envy. His stick skills are sublime, he&rsquo;s near impossible to knock off the puck and possesses a &ldquo;crazy, out of his mind,&rdquo; singular drive and dedication to hockey. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s so much better than everyone else, it&rsquo;s ridiculous,&rdquo; said Hannafin, Coburn&rsquo;s youth hockey coach. &ldquo;When he plays, it&rsquo;s not even fair to the other kids.&rdquo;Not exactly a unique story. In fact, you&rsquo;d likely encounter a kid like that within minutes of passing the sign that says, &ldquo;Welcome to Moose Jaw.&rdquo; But did we mention that Tenzing Coburn was born a Nepali-Tibetan Buddhist in a subsistence farm village at 12,000 feet in an alpine valley high in the Himalayas and played his minor hockey in, get this, Wyoming?Back in 1985, legendary sportswriter George Plimpton wrote a story for Sports Illustrated titled, &ldquo;The Curious Case of Sidd Finch,&rdquo; about a rookie phenom with the New York Mets who could throw 168 miles per hour. The story was that Finch grew up in an English orphanage and was adopted by an archeologist who later died in a plane crash in Nepal. After attending Harvard, Finch went to Tibet to master yoga, which was the source of is pitching prowess.The story, which appeared in the April 1 edition, turned out to be one of the most famous hoaxes in sportswriting history. And although there are some eerie parallels between Tenzing Coburn and Sidd Finch, the Coburn story is 100 percent true. Seriously, this kid really did play all his youth hockey in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. &ldquo;But as we say,&rdquo; said Broughton Coburn, Tenzing&rsquo;s adopted father and a Harvard-educated author of six books on the Himalayas, &ldquo;being really good at hockey in Wyoming is like being the fastest kid at fat camp.&rdquo;Tenzing will find out just how good he is next season when he starts playing at Northfield Mount Hermon, a Massachusetts high school team that competes in Division I of the New England prep league against such hockey powers as Avon Old Farms, Andover, Choate, Cushing Academy and Tabor Academy. Whether he can ultimately parlay that into a pro career is a long way off, but Hannafin believes he has the potential. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt in my mind he&rsquo;s going to be a Division I college player,&rdquo; said Hannafin, who played two years in the defunct United League and now plays for the Jackson Hole Moose, the local senior team.Tenzing&rsquo;s odyssey to America is a fascinating one. Broughton Coburn joined the Peace Corps after graduating from Harvard in 1973 and turned that into a career in environmental conservation and basic-needs rural development. He also helped establish the national parks system in Nepal. In 2007, a team led by Broughton discovered a treasure trove of Tibetan art and 15th-century religious texts along with ancient Tibetan Buddhist shrines in Himalayan caves. A year later, his team discovered 600-year-old human skeletons.In 1997, he and his wife, Didi, adopted Tenzing from a family that lived on the north side of Mount Manaslu, which is the eighth-highest mountain in the world. Tenzing&rsquo;s birth mother had died shortly after childbirth. They adopted Tenzing when he was one and returned to the U.S. a year later, where his hockey career began.Had Tenzing remained in Nepal, he likely would have become a subsistence farmer, tending to yak-cow crossbreeds along with goats and sheep. Or it&rsquo;s possible he would have been sent to a village monastery to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk.His biological brother, who is known as Nuptul Rinpoche, is the reincarnation of a highly respected Tibetan Lama and is studying under the guidance of the Dalai Lama. &ldquo;To some degree, he has his feet in both worlds, but when he&rsquo;s in America, he downplays his cultural heritage because, like any teenager,he wants to fit in,&rdquo; Broughton said. &ldquo;If I gave him the choice of visiting monasteries in Nepal or playing hockey, he&rsquo;d say, &lsquo;What are you, nuts?&rsquo;&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01825/9769505-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="1032" height="884"><figcaption class="caption-body">OUTDOOR EXPERTEndless hours on the pond have helped Coburn organically refine his on-ice skills.</figcaption></div>Broughton believes part of the reason why Tenzing has such strength and stamina could come from the higher hematocrit, the red blood cell count for which Tibetans and Sherpas and other Himalayan peoples are known. Those with higher hematocrit levels have a higher capacity to store oxygen in theirred blood cells, making them genetically predisposed to being stronger and more fit.Another reason is that in addition to organized hockey, Tenzing spends a ton of time in the winter playing on an outdoor rink or the frozen lakes at the foot of the Teton Mountain Range.Rather than get caught up in too many systems, Tenzing has been able to develop his skills through unstructured practice and shinny. &ldquo;Our point of view, and I think this is paying off in terms of his skill development,&rdquo; Broughton said, &ldquo;is rather than sit in a car and drive nine hours so you can do an hour-and-a-half practice or sit on the bench as part of a game, they can play hockey on our local rink all day long.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0042-01

Himalayan Hotshot

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01637/9769543-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg"></div>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a><h2>ACROSS</h2>1 Phil ___ was selected last at the 2011 All-Star Game4 Engages in a stick battle9 Promotes from the minors: two words10 Chris ___ helped the Avs to a Cup11 Former Penguin coach ___ Johnston12 Begin again13 A major sports network15 Hall of Famer ___ Bathgate18 State that got NHL hockey in 199621 A Stastny23 Admit: two words24 Home of the WHL&rsquo;s Chiefs25 Get on the board fast, ___ early26 Mike ___ is GM in Vancouver<h2>DOWN</h2>1 Made a leg save, ___ out a shot2 Reliable3 An NHL conference5 Slackens, ___ up6 The first player picked at the 2011 All-Star Game7 Frank Mahovlich now has a seat in it8 Fight14 Teen Jeff ___ also suited up at the All-Star Game15 Soviet great ___ Firsov16 Mississauga St. Michael&rsquo;s ___17 Ex-Islander ___ Kallur19 Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Brooks ___, pictured20 Non-contender, ___-ran22 Be behindLAST&nbsp;WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS 1. CROSBY, 4. THOMAS, 9. SITS OUT, 10. TERRY, 11. ISSUE, 12. RALEIGH, 13. SKIP, 15. ALSO, 18. TIPPETT, 21. LUPUL, 23. ANTON, 24. SAN JOSE, 25. STREET, 26. PARENT DOWN 1. CASSIE, 2. OATES, 3. BROKE UP, 5. HOTEL, 6. MARLIES, 7. SMYTHE, 8. STIR, 14. KOPITAR, 15. ATLANTA, 16. STAALS, 17. ALBERT, 19. ERNIE, 20. TOSS, 22. PRONE &#9632;

f0045-01

CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03358/9769605-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="647" height="683"><figcaption class="caption-body">(STU OXENHORN)</figcaption></div>Not to be confused with the NHLers, the &ldquo;old&rdquo; Jersey Devils played in the Eastern League from 1964 through 1973 and featured future NHL minds Larry Pleau and John Brophy. The Jersey Devil is actually a big part of state lore and is said to stalk the New Jersey Pinelands. It has the head of a horse, wings and a long neck.On the sweater, the creature is clutching the state itself and for such an old logo, there are some very good details in the design. Later on, the logo was swapped to an old English &lsquo;D,&rsquo; much like a Red Wings throwback. &#9632;

f0045-03

JerseyHound

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01641/9769643-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="310" height="545"></div>Paul Holmgren has the crew cut of a drill sergeant, the lantern jaw of a guy who looks like he works out a lot and the raspy voice of somebody who has probably taken more than a couple of serious punches to the throat in his day.And when he made a rare appearance in the Philadelphia Flyers dressing room as the team was stumbling down the stretch, let&rsquo;s just say it took some of the players out of their comfort zone. &ldquo;Paul Holmgren can be a scary guy,&rdquo; Flyers winger Scott Hartnell said at the time.Holmgren can be scary, indeed, and it has nothing to do with the roughly 1,800 penalty minutes he piled up during just a 10-year playing career in the NHL and the World Hockey Association. In fact, Holmgren has been scary good as the head man in Philly&rsquo;s hockey department, getting the Flyers back on the rails in record time and eschewing the notion that a rebuild requires a long, drawn out process of being bad to be good.If Holmgren isn&rsquo;t still dining out on the work he did for the team in 2007, he certainly should. Because in the space of about five months that year, he displayed enormous managerial stones and a sense of decisiveness that has made Philadelphia a long-term contender and a destination of choice for star players.When you look at the Flyers as presently constituted, you can trace them directly back to the moves Holmgren made at the moment in time when things looked most bleak. The2006-07 Flyers were a complete mess, a team that ultimately finished last overall with 56 points months after the firing of coach Ken Hitchcock and the resignation of GM Bob Clarke. How bad were things? Well, despite the fact they possessed the overwhelming probability of getting the first pick overall, they lost the draft lottery to Chicago and ended up drafting James van Riemsdyk second after Patrick Kane.But it was amid that scorched earth that Holmgren did his finest work. And it all started with his decision to trade a Hall of Fame player who was a point-a-game guy with a proclivity for missing about half his team&rsquo;s games. Rather than cross his fingers and hope Peter Forsberg could recapture his form, Holmgren sent him to Nashville for Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent and first and third round picks. But it was what Holmgren did with the assets in that trade that made it so successful. Two weeks before free agent season, hedealt that first-rounder back to Nashville for the rights to exclusively negotiate with pending UFAs Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen, then promptly signed Hartnell to a six-year, $25.2-million deal and Timonen to a six-year, $38-million contract. Two years later, he turned Upshall into Dan Carcillo and while it ultimately didn&rsquo;t work, he traded Parent back to Nashville last summer for the rights to negotiate with pending UFA Dan Hamhuis.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02418/9769636-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="707" height="812"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAUL HOLMGREN (HOLMGREN: LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">Holmgren made the right moves when things looked most bleak</blockquote>Nine days after the Forsberg deal, he traded veteran Alexei Zhitnik for Braydon Coburn in a move that tells you everything about why the Thrashers are still wandering around in hockey&rsquo;s hinterland. Coburn hasn&rsquo;t come close to being the two-way force many thought he&rsquo;d be, but his shutdown and penalty-killing prowess is something to behold. Holmgren kept moving in the off-season, acquiring Joffrey Lupul and Jason Smith from the Edmonton Oilers &ndash; and two years later dealt an ineffective Lupul to Anaheim as part of a package to acquire Chris Pronger. By the time the UFA market opened in &rsquo;07, he had improved the Flyers enough to convince Danny Briere that they had turned the corner, then signed him to an eightyear $52-million contract that doesn&rsquo;t look so great during the regular season, but looks like gold in the playoffs.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much money out there, it wasn&rsquo;t about money anymore,&rdquo; Briere said. &ldquo;I knew I was going to get more money than I ever dreamed of no matter where I signed. So you start looking at the look of the teams and all of a sudden this team that had just finished last had a future that looked very promising.&rdquo;Granted, Holmgren had a ton of cap space and two future stars in Mike Richards and Jeff Carter in his lineup already, but it wasn&rsquo;t as though all of that was handed to Philly. After all, a lot of teams could have had Carter and Richards at the 2003 draft, where they went 11th and 24th overall.What Holmgren did with the Flyers in 2007 basically refutes the notion espoused by a good number of teams that suggests the only way to contend is to bottom out for a couple of years and stockpile high-end young talent. Usually, it&rsquo;s simply a sham to convince a gullible fan base there&rsquo;s a plan, when in reality it&rsquo;s the kind of scheme a third-grader could devise. Just check with the Florida Panthers to see how well that strategy is working out.All you really need sometimes is a heady GM who isn&rsquo;t afraid to make some bold and decisive moves.CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL? CLICK ON <a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a> FOR KEN&rsquo;S EXCLUSIVE BLOG &#9632;

f0046-01

Building On The Fly

<div class="byline">BY JORDAN ALLARD</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="C0004-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-01332/9769674-1-eng-US/c0004-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">TANGLED WEBBSteve Webb was an agitator who connected with fans through his hard-nosed style of play. (IAN TOMLINSON / ALLSPORT)</figcaption></div>Former&nbsp;tough-guy Steve Webb made a living out of being a good, albeit tough, teammate. And now, even though his professional hockey days are behind him, Webb still looks out for other people &ndash; he&rsquo;s just not using his fists now.Webb was drafted 176th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1994 and spent three seasons in the Ontario League with the Windsor Spitfires and his hometown Peterborough Petes. He broke into the NHL in 1996-97 with the New York Islanders and spent the majority of his 321-game career with them. From a young age, Webb knew he&rsquo;d have to play the enforcer role if he wanted to make a career out of the game he loved.&ldquo;When you have limited ability at the age of 16, you&rsquo;re a little bit behind the eight-ball with how far you can progress in your skill level,&rdquo; said Webb, who had 532 career penalty minutes. &ldquo;I started to inherit the physical role on the team and that naturally involved sticking up for my teammates.&rdquo;<blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;Hearing my name chanted was special &ndash; Steve Webb</blockquote>Webb carried what he learned as a young player with him to the NHL and used it to help bang out a spot on the Islanders. Known as a player who threw himself around the ice like a fireball, he even caught the eye of Don Cherry during the 2002 playoffs, drawing both praise and ire from Cherry for his play.Islanders fans hadn&rsquo;t had much to cheer about in a long time before the 2001-02 season. The team had gone through a tumultuous run that included an ownership change, questionable trades by then-GM Mike Milbury and seven straight seasons out of the playoffs. But they matched up against Toronto in the second round of the 2002 post-season.That series was Webb&rsquo;s crowning NHL achievement. He was lauded by Islanders fans and jeered by Toronto supporters for his involvement in numerous skirmishes. At one point in Game 6, he even had a packed Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum crowd chanting his name after a huge hit on Toronto&rsquo;s Darcy Tucker (whose earlier hit on Michael Peca in Game 5 knocked the Isles captain out for the rest of the series). However, the Islanders went on to lose the series in seven games. &ldquo;That series with the Leafs was very, very intense,&rdquo; Webb said. &ldquo;Hearing my name chanted like it was a couple times was real special. The fans here really like good, blue-collar work so it was awesome to hear the effort I was putting in wasn&rsquo;t going unnoticed.&rdquo;The physical style Webb played finally caught up with him in 2004 when he was forced to retire due to what he described as &ldquo;persistent aches and pains.&rdquo;He was working for the NHLPA as a divisional representative when former Islander great Pat LaFontaine approached him about helping a local family send their daughter away to school. Webb found getting involved when help was needed came as second nature to him. &ldquo;Pat came to me about five years ago asking if I could help,&rdquo; said Webb, now 36. &ldquo;We were able to throw some fundraisers and raised enough money for their daughter to go where she wanted. Right now, she&rsquo;s actually playing university hockey for them.&rdquo;Those events inspired Webb to work with other families around the Long Island area to send their sons or daughters to the college or university of their choice. In May of 2007, the W20 Foundation (W for Webb&rsquo;s last name and 20 for the number he wore the majority of his career) was launched with the intent to help young hockey players, who otherwise couldn&rsquo;t afford it, pay for post-secondary fees. (<a href="http://W20foundation.org">W20foundation.org</a>.)Webb, credits the NHL for getting players involved in charity work in the cities in which they play. &ldquo;They have really embraced us,&rdquo; he said of Islanders fans. &ldquo;There are more than seven million people here so it&rsquo;s not easy for a smaller foundation like ours to get noticed, but the community has been really supportive. People here appreciate hard work.&rdquo;FOR MORE TALES OF PAST HOCKEY GREATS, CLICK ON <a href="http://THN.COM/BACKCHECKING">THN.COM/BACKCHECKING</a> &#9632;

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May 16, 2011

Bower Back On The Road

Blast from the Past from The Hockey Hall of Fame

Every Dog Has His Day

Something Special