Search for your favorite player or team
© The Hockey News. All rights reserved. Any and all material on this website cannot be used, reproduced, or distributed without prior written permission from Roustan Media Ltd. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
June 13, 2013
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.
THE SECRETS OF MINUTE MUNCHING
WHEN THE POST-SEASON appeared on the horizon, it came time for Ryan Suter to offer some advice on the art of minute munching to Jonas Brodin, his rookie defense partner with the Minnesota Wild. Suter sought to emphasize that to keep the minutes up, one should never undervalue the importance of actual munching. “I told him before the playoffs, ‘Eat well, drink a lot of water,’” Suter said. “After the game, he’s a pretty shy guy, so he’ll wait to get his food until after the older guys. “I just told him, ‘Get in there, nobody cares anymore. It’s all about being ready to play.’” Midway through the opening round, Suter led all players in ice time per game, logging 32:07 between the boards through Minnesota’s first four games against the Presidents’…
WAYNE GRETZKY AWARD
THERE WAS ONE PLAYER IN THE NHL THIS SEASON WHOSE performance was the embodiment of what a most valuable player should be. That person is Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Too bad he can’t wear the crown. Through no fault of his own, Bobrovsky’s team didn’t make the playoffs and thus I can’t in good faith bestow the MVP upon him. They play the regular season to make the post-season; a player whose performance elevates his team to that ultimate goalries more value than one that does not. We’re never going to see a Conn Smythe winner whose run ended in the conference final, right? So with Bobrovsky ineligibleble due to my own hockey dogma, the MVP falls to the next-best choice: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. On March…
MARIO LEMIEUX AWARD
JUDGING HOW GOOD SIDNEY CROSBY IS by the number of games he has played in recent years would be a little like determining how smart Albert Einstein was by how many chemistry classes he showed up for in high school. So forget that Crosby has missed more than half the Pittsburgh Penguins’ games over the past three seasons. If you’re looking to give out the Participation Badge for perfect attendance, Henrik Sedin is your guy. But if you’re interested in who is the best all-around player in the world, the conversation begins and ends with Sidney Crosby. Crosby is a finalist for the Hart Trophy this season despite missing the last quarter of the campaign. What will likely keep him from winning is that he missed the last quarter. Had he sat…
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
BRANDON SAAD HAD NO CALDER TROPHY aspirations when the season started. “I just thought about making the team this year, to be honest,” he said. In fact, when the Blackhawks opened the season in Los Angeles, Saad watched from the Staples Center press box while Daniel Carcillo skated on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. But when Carcillo hurt his knee in that game, Saad slid into that role and never looked back. Saad had 10 goals and 27 points in 46 games and led NHL rookies with a plus-17. He is a finalist for the Calder along with Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher and Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau. “He’s had a real nice year for us,” said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. “He came into the NHL maybe under the radar when he…
Made possible with the support of
