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Yearbook 2008-09
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.
New Blueshirts
A SECOND CONSECUTIVE exit in the second round of the playoffs following a regular season in which the Rangers didn’t clinch a post-season berth until the 80th game wasn’t good enough for Glen Sather. And so, the GM orchestrated an extreme makeover of the Rangers and thus ended the Broadway runs of Jaromir Jagr, Sean Avery, Martin Straka, Fedor Tyutin and, perhaps, Brendan Shanahan, who remained unsigned deep into July. In the case of Jagr and Shanahan, both saw their offensive totals take sharp nosedives last season, perhaps making their departure a little more palatable for management. By the same token, it’s not every day a team bids farewell to two sure-fire Hall of Famers who’ve amassed nearly 1,300 NHL goals combined. Not to mention, Jagr was a force and in 10…
Bears breathing
FEW SAW IT COMING, but since it happened, more will be expected in 2008-09. After burning through most of the roster – coaching and front office staffs included – in the first two seasons after the lockout, the 2007-08 Boston Bruins beat significant odds to earn their first playoff berth since 2004. They got there without No. 2 center Patrice Bergeron, whose season only lasted 10 games because of a concussion. They got there with little help from their primary off-season additions – goalie Manny Fernandez, limited by injuries to a mere four games, and winger Peter Schaefer, so ineffective he was scratched for several games down the stretch. And they got there despite scoring only 212 goals – fewer than any Eastern Conference team except the New York Islanders. Boston jumped…
the top 50 fifty
1/ SIDNEY CROSBY AGE: 21 / PITTSBURGH A HIGH ANKLE SPRAIN KEPT Sidney Crosby out of the race for the hardware last season, but it didn’t take him out of the race for the Stanley Cup. No big deal; that’s the trophy he’s hunting these days anyway. And, for the second straight year, Crosby ranks No. 1 on The Hockey News’ annual list of the top 50 NHLers. Make no mistake about it, the gap between Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin is a slim one. But Crosby overcame a bothersome ankle injury that kept him out of 29 regular season games and still managed to help his Pittsburgh Penguins make it to the Cup final, where they pushed the powerful Detroit Red Wings to six games. Crosby, who turned 21 on Aug. 7, lost his…
Encore attempt
ON OPENING NIGHT, the Wild will raise its first-ever Northwest Division championship banner to the Xcel Energy Center rafters. It’ll be a festive party to celebrate winning the league’s most cutthroat division – an accomplishment that wasn’t secured until Game 81, Minnesota’s final home game of 2007-08. Repeating, however, won’t be easy. The Wild will look much different in 2008-09. A half-dozen key contributors are gone, most notably Brian Rolston, who was coach Jacques Lemaire’s most trusted forward while potting 30-plus goals for three consecutive seasons, and Pavol Demitra, who lived to get the puck to game-breaker Marian Gaborik. It was a challenging off-season. The Wild targeted a number of top forwards, including Marian Hossa, Kristian Huselius and Markus Naslund. They all said no thanks, the most publicized being Hossa, who despite Gaborik’s pleading…
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