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April 10, 2007
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.
Taking a stance on standings
CHEAP SHOTS, HEAD INJURIES and ugly fighting scenes aside, the NHL’s stretch drive has been terrific, especially the amazing race for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. But with a handful of games remaining in the season, the devil couldn’t leave well enough alone and started advocating. The pressure point was a contest between the Rangers and Islanders. At the end of regulation the score was tied, the worst possible scenario for Carolina, Tampa, Montreal and Toronto because it meant two of their competitors would be splitting three points. To the logical mind, the math doesn’t work. Why are some games worth three points and others only two? We realize the GMs resolutely rejected the notion of tinkering with how points are allocated, but that shouldn’t stand in our way…
Savard fights back
SERGE SAVARD hasn’t changed his tune. In an interview with TheHockeyNews.com, the Hall of Famer reiterated a stance he has had since he was a young member of the Montreal Canadiens: fighting has no place in hockey. “It’s 2007, and when I hear (NHL commissioner Gary) Bettman say fighting is part of the game, that’s the way people were thinking 30 years ago,” Savard said. “I like Bettman, but I’m disappointed to hear that. I didn’t expect a comment like that after all those rule changes. “(The league is) going backward. With the new rules, I really thought we were going forward.” Savard never accepted the philosophy that hockey has as much to do with intimidation and violence as it does speed and skill. “I’ve always been against violence (in the game), against fighting,” he…
Red hot means squat
YOU NEED NOT tell the Detroit Red Wings what history has told us time and time again – that teams who enter the playoffs with the most regular season momentum behind them almost never win the Stanley Cup. In fact, momentum down the stretch, for the most part, doesn’t amount to more than a hill of ice shavings and the Red Wings know that all too well. Last season, Detroit was the hottest team in the league down the stretch with 35 points in its final 20 games. That, however, meant diddly-squat when the Red Wings faced Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs. The Oilers were barely over .500 in the final 20 games (actually under it if you count overtime and shootout losses as legitimate losses), yet upset the…
One Johnson in, other one waits
AS IT TURNS OUT, Jack Johnson will play for Kings and country this spring, while Erik Johnson will take more time to decide his future. Jack, a sophomore defenseman at the University of Michigan, signed with the Los Angeles Kings and is expected to appear in the final five games of the regular season. Erik, a freshman at the University of Minnesota (and no relation to Jack) who was the No. 1 overall pick in the entry draft last June, has all but decided the earliest he will sign with the St. Louis Blues is this summer. Jack, instead of heading to the AHL for the playoffs, is expected to be in the lineup for Team USA at the World Championship in Moscow this spring. One source close to the situation said…
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