NHL Eastern Confrence

Now that the Boston Bruins are on every NHL fan’s radar, it’s tough to play the role of the underdog any longer.  However, the B’s enjoy their winning ways no matter how they come.

With recent wins over teams such as the Capitals and Flyers, the Bruins look like the team that reeled off 10 wins in December to truly reveal themselves to the rest of the NHL. 

Coach Claude Julien has got the B’s back to their winning ways since losing a close game with the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 29.

However, the B’s are certainly feeling the competition of such big games on a constant basis, as Coach Claude Julien noted in an interview with yahoo.com.

“We looked tired and rightfully so,” Julien said after a shootout win over the Senators. “We've played a lot of big games lately.”

Big games are no stranger to the B’s this season, as it seems like every team is gunning for the favorite in the Eastern Conference.  Don’t expect the schedule to get any easier though, with big games ahead in New Jersey, Washington, Chicago, and of course next week against San Jose.

The B’s have been getting players back from injury as of late, with Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Ference both coming back off of long-term layoffs due to their injuries. 

However, just as the injury bug subsides, another comes along and claims Forwards Milan Lucic and Michael Ryder. 

Don’t expect this to keep the Bruins down and out, as youngsters such as Martin St. Pierre and Byron Bitz have filled in all season.

It is well known that we have serious problems in our organization. The 10-2 loss to Dallas last night pretty much put a stamp on the envelope. Most people will start by blaming Tom Renney who was quoted as saying that there is no difference between a 10-2 loss and a 3-2 loss, a loss is a loss.

On one hand I agree with him, an off night...fluke goals...that is not the case here. Even if we tripled our average two or three goals per game (on a good night), we would have still lost. If we doubled it, we wouldn't have even been competing with them. A huge loss like that will usually put blame on the coach, but i believe it represents the people above him and the people below him.

Glen Sather...Suck It.

You're old, retire with whatever dignity you still have, before things get worse.

There was something I noticed about the Rangers while I was on vacation. I watched the games on my computer and witnessed two losses in row.

Montreal and Buffalo (OT).

I thought long and hard about the NYR and realized there is something different between our team and most NHL teams, CHEMISTRY. They have it we lack it. However, what we have is a group of youngsters that are looking awesome coming out of Hartford.

They play with what resembles team chemistry. Dubi is our best center who is just having trouble getting the puck in the net. My solution would be more PT. Move him from 3rd line to top two. He has the size and grit to back it up. Renney recently has moved him to the wing, which is also a good idea and it gives him less pressure to create and more chances of scoring.

Callahan is the only player (with the exception of Sjostrom) who goes out there every night giving three periods and 100 percent. He can hit tooo! I noticed that there was something special about Korpikoski during 2008 playoffs. We all remember when he forced OT against Pitt. Plus he has the size of a Forward that we need.

I ran into Dawes at a knick game few weeks ago, seemed like a complete asshole but regardless him, Staal and Girardi all show promise.

My point:

Let the youngsters play. They deserve more PT and therefore will create more scoring chances. Keep in mind that was a month ago. They went on to win the next three games against Ottawa, NY Islanders, and Chicago.

Korpikoski had goal and an assist against Ottawa. In NY against the Islanders, Dawes scored the game winning goal off Ryan Callahan's great assist, when he faked a shot and set up Dawes in the slot. And in Chicago, Dubi scored his seventh goal of the season off a gorgeous Korpikoski feed.

Let the boys play.

Scrambling with the lines is not our biggest problem so while we're at it here's something I would like to see:

Naslund-Gomez-Callahan
Dubinsky-Drury-Zherdev
Dawes-Korpikoski-Sjostrom
Prucha-Betts-Orr

Or

Naslund-Drury-Callahan
Sjostrom-Dubinsky-Zherdev
Dawes-Gomez-Korpikoski
Prucha-Betts-Orr

The bolded being the pairs that should continue to play on those respective lines. Basically it all comes down to whether or not Gomez decides to play well.

Similar to how Renney held a 30-minutes of hell "discipline" practice, I believe playing time based on their performance, not on their salary.

Another thing, Voros—you're out. The only room we have for you is Prucha's spot on the 4th line, and that's only because you're huge.

And if Avery does come back to the NYR, the lines SHOULD look something like this:

Naslund-Drury-Callahan
Avery-Dubinsky-Zherdev
Dawes-Gomez-Korpikoski
Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

As Daniel Briere remains sidelined with an ongoing abdominal injury, the team seems to hardly miss him. It’s not that Briere isn’t a very good player. The Flyers have simply shown over the last few months that they don’t need him to win.

It’s hard to believe that Briere could be thought of as expendable. He was their prized free agent acquisition two summers ago, and many praised the Flyers for inking him to an 8-year deal on the first day of free agency.

Briere was coming off a career-high 95 point season with the Sabres, and was just 29-years old. And so the Flyers came calling with a $52 million offer. Yes, the figure was probably too high, but overpaying for proven talent is a necessary evil when a team is trying to rebound from an awful season like the Flyers were at that time.

Last year, Briere posted a respectable 72 points in 79 games. But given the size of his contract, Briere underachieved. Meanwhile, other players were stepping up.

Mike Richards exploded with a career-high point total, established himself as one of the best two-way players in the league, and showed that he was perfect captain material for the near future. Jeff Carter also stepped up, scoring 29 goals, finally living up to the potential that made him a first round pick in 2003.

Nevertheless, Briere finished second in team scoring, and helped lead the Flyers back to the playoffs. In the postseason, he was their best player in a grueling 7-game series victory over the Capitals, totaling 11 points. But he slowed down in the subsequent rounds, posting just 5 points over the last 10 games against Montreal and Pittsburgh. 

This past offseason, the Flyers began to feel the effect of Briere’s contract on their salary cap. RJ Umberger, due for a raise after an outstanding postseason, had to be dealt away to Columbus to save money. 

And instead of being able to sign any big names, the Flyers only had enough money to bring in the likes of Glen Metropolit, Arron Asham, and Ossi Vaananen.

This season, Briere has been limited to just nine games. He has posted nine points in those games, and now has only 81 points in 88 regular season games as a Flyer. Of course, these are solid numbers, but Briere simply doesn’t provide what the Flyers need at this point in time.

The combination at center of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter has been fine in his absence.  Both players kill penalties, which Briere doesn’t do. Richards is a better passer than Briere, and Carter is a better shooter and pure goal scorer. 

Offensive support from Simon Gagne, Mike Knuble, Joffrey Lupul, and Scott Hartnell allows the Flyers to ice an offensively potent lineup every night. And the Flyers have shown much better chemistry than they did when Briere was playing and the team limped out to an 0-3-3 start.

If Briere returns this season, the team will likely be forced to waive or trade someone just to make room under the salary cap for Briere’s contract. They are already keeping Ryan Parent in the minors longer than they want to because of cap considerations, and may need to make a future move involving Lupul, Scottie Upshall, or some other lineup regular.

Unfortunately, Briere’s hefty salary makes him virtually untradeable. Not only does this pose problems right now for the Flyers, but they could be in major cap trouble this offseason. With the economy reeling, the salary cap could very well decrease for the 2009-2010 season.

Not only would the Flyers have no room to sign any free agents, but their everyday lineup may be over the salary cap on its own, necessitating trades where the Flyers will be forced to accept prospects and draft picks in return. 

Hindsight is 20/20, and I can’t say the Flyers made a bad move when they signed Briere.  But they selected Richards and Carter in the first round of the 2003 draft, fully expecting them to turn into star players. And they have. Maybe if the Flyers had only shown some patience for their development, they wouldn’t have felt the need to break the bank on Briere’s contract.

The Flyers do have some holes, specifically on defense. But unless Briere is deemed out for the season, there will be no deadline deals for the Flyers this year. And there will likely not be any impact free agent signings this summer.

Yes, Briere and the Flyers did seem like a perfect fit just a short time ago.  But through no fault of his, the team would truly be better off without him, with more money to spend in the areas that they need to address. 

In the end, it always comes down to dollars and cents. Nothing personal, it’s just business.

Is it just me or was the NHL All-Star Game just a halfway point to stop and take a breather for the NHL season? It honestly seems like it gets less entertaining every season. Plus, there are a few things in it that just completely baffle me. So I am just writing this to express my feelings about why nobody honestly cares about the All-Star game.

1. It is unfair

That statement above sums up the All-Star game. I mean I know it is an "exhibition game," but where is the fairness that the Eastern Conference gets to host two consecutive All-Star games? To be fair, it is Montreal's 100th season.

But still you can either say, "Let's be fair to the conferences" or you choose a neutral site. I may be being a little overprotective of the fairness of the NHL, but I just think it's something that should stay true to the fans of the Western Conference as it is to the Eastern Conference.

2. No defense = No Fun

Many people argue that high scoring games are way more entertaining. But come on, don't you think a 12-11 score is a little bit out of hand? I mean with 23 goals in a game that had 96 shots. That is a little bit crazy, don't you think?

3. Too Little Advertising

Other than a little bit on NBC, and on Versus, there was absolutely zero advertising for the game in the States.

4. Versus

If you are gonna stay true to the hockey fans of the World, please put hockey on a network that can produce ratings. Now with that said, I personally do not have a problem with the Versus network.

The Versus Network is honestly hitting the jackpot with the NHL All-Star game. However, let's think of it this way. The first game of the Stanley Cup between Detroit and Pittsburgh last year got above two million viewers on NBC.

Why can't you put the game on NBC this year? Heck, ESPN 2. It just seems the NHL doesn't try hard enough to get publicity. I mean, is it really that hard? They put Woman's Basketball and Poker on ESPN2 and I honestly bet it can get more viewers than Hockey on Versus. Even an All-star game.

Other than that, I can say the All-Star game was good!

No better script could have been written, thought up, or derived than what transpired on Bell Centre ice Sunday night.

The Montreal Canadiens own Alex Kovalev, a player many argued should not even be in the All-Star Game this season, played the role of hero, but he had some help along the way too.

Kaptain Kovalev led in more ways that just having the "C" on his right shoulder. Kovalev notched two dazzling goals in regulation time, one on West starter J.S. Giguere to make it 2-1 and then another against Nicklas Backstrom to put the East ahead yet again 8-7.

But it wasn't those goals that the fans will remember this game for, it was Kovalev's eventual shootout winner against Robert Luongo to give the East All-Stars the win.

Not only did Kovalev notch a goal against all three West goalies, but he became the hero all over again in Montreal.

With a roaring crowd encouraging him on during the shootout, Kovalev snapped a shot top corner glove side and was applauded by the 21,273 Bell Centre faithful.

Who says this guy wasn't supposed to be in the game? Might have been me. Who said this guy should not have worn the "C"? That was myself as well.

On this night, I'm glad I have to eat my words. Alex Kovalev and all the All-Stars in Montreal this weekend really put together a game that will be remembered far more than many midseason classics as of late.

From Alex Ovechkin's cowboy dance to Kovalev's heroics in front of the hometown fans, the 2009 NHL All-Star Game was a brilliant success and more.

It was an extravagant and fun-loving event that shows the true colours of the game and of the NHL.

It shows the players at their rawest level—that being they are still all kids at heart and they all love to play this game.

Kovalev may not jump around and get excited when he scores like Ovechkin does.

But he still loves the game just as much.

My hat is off to all 2009 NHL All-Stars, playing or not.

You've made the game of hockey proud.

Matt Eichel is the Community Leader for the Montreal Canadiens here on Bleacher Report.  Matt also co-hosts Habs All Out Radio, a in-depth talk radio show devoted to all things Montreal Canadiens.  It airs weekly at www.youcastr.com/shows/habs-all-out and is hosted by Matt and Miah D.

After coming to training camp 28 pounds lighter and spending most of his summer in Northern B.C. fishing and hunting, it seemed like Carey Price was ready for a long season.

Many people started doubting if Price was the ‘go-to’ guy after last year’s playoffs.

Although mediocre at times, he seemed at the top of his game in the Boston series, but the Flyers series was a total disaster for him.

He came back motivated, refreshed, and wanted to prove his critics wrong.

Has losing weight helped? Price seems to be quicker, especially moving post to post. His teammates had commented about his poor eating habits and fitness, but Price came to training camp in much better shape and with an even better attitude.

Was fatigue really a factor in Price’s demise in last year’s playoffs? Apparently it was, and Price decided to relax this summer in his hometown. Maybe that has helped and he won’t be drained come playoff time.

Price has been great this season, and there is no doubt he is going to carry the Canadiens to the playoffs. He has proved that he is the franchise goalie at the age of 21. He still struggles with handling the puck and lacks communication with his defensemen, which has been evident at times, but that will change as he gains more experience.

What makes Price the future of the franchise? The biggest element is how calm and collected he is—maybe even too calm at times. But he has proved he does not get intimidated and knows how to deal with pressure.

The World Juniors, the Calder Cup, Game Seven against the Bruins—Price has played his best in the games that matter the most. That’s what makes him the franchise goalie.

When it comes to goaltending, the Habs have always been fortunate. A prime example is their current situation, with both Price and Halak between the pipes. These two make the most underrated goaltending tandem but are probably the best in the league.

The question is: does Carbonneau split the duties between the two or pick one as the starter? It has been pretty obvious that Price is the No.1 goalie, but should he be playing more games like Brodeur, Kiprusoff, and Nabokov, to name a few? Price is on pace to play 50 games, but if he is to be effective and be the main guy he needs to play more games.

So what to do with Halak, who has the potential to be a starter on any other team? The consensus seems to be that Halak could be good trade bait at the deadline for the missing piece that would make the Canadiens a contender.

For now, Price is the man and he has shown he deserves to be the starter. Halak will have to wait for his chance but the odds seem to be against him if Price keeps up his play.

Alright, so here I present to you a new little feature I hope to do almost everyday, as time allows here on Bleacher Report. 

From each given sport league I will choose, what I believe, to be the match-ups of the night. Please bear in mind, on some evenings in a given sport there may only be one game on (see tonight's college football matchup), and therefore, it is obviously the game of the night in that given sport. 

I will present brief analysis and my awe- inspiring predictions about the given game, as well as any broadcast information I can supply to you, the reader, so you can catch it on your tube. 

Please feel free to disagree and comment, as prediction's are always different person-to-person. And that's what makes sports fun—the debate!

Okay, and we kickoff the inaugural edition with the following must-see match-ups tonight...

NBA

Atlanta Hawks (6-0) @ Boston Celtics (7-1). 7:30 PM ET. TV: No National. Regional: CSNE, Turner Sports South. 

Analysis: How can this not be the match-up of the night in the NBA? You have the defending NBA Champions, against the surprisingly young, and more importantly, undefeated Atlanta Hawks.

Don't forget this is the same Hawks team that took the defending champs to the max—seven games—in their first round playoff match-up, even further than the Detroit Pistons could. These Hawks are young, and look like the real deal, though it's easier to chalk up their record as a fluke than just admitting that.

The Celtics on the other hand are showing absolutely no signs of a post-championship letdown. To the contrary, they look just as good if not better than last year's team. 

The Winner: It's in Boston, so this makes it an even tougher choice for me because they have a great home crowd. But I have to take the Hawks. They are going to be geared up for this game and ready to prove they are for real, and their record is no fluke.

Joe Johnson of the Hawks is averaging over 20 points per game, and i expect him to step up huge tonight. The wild card is the Boston defense, which is incredible and can shut any team down on any given night, but the Hawks aren't to shabby on the defensive side themselves. This should be a great game to watch if you have an NBA satellite TV package. 

College Football

Central Michigan (7-2, 5-0) at Northern Illinois (4-2, 5-4). 8 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN 2, ESPN360.com

Analysis: I know, I know, most of you are thinking right now, "goodie, MAC football, I rather watch the World Series of Poker." Well to that I say, you don't know what you're missing this year. The Mid American Conference is back (well, maybe they never really were there per say, but I digress...).

Ball State is ranked No. 14 in the country, and CMU and Western Michigan University both received votes in the AP poll this week. If CMU beats NIU tonight, and Ball State the following week, they will most certainly be ranked. And if WMU wins out, they will be ranked as well most likely. Quite possibly three MAC teams, all from the west, could be ranked by seasons end.

This isn't the old doormat conference anymore folks, they are giving the BCS teams a run for their money (see Big 10 goes down and Pittsburgh, what?). You want more of a reason to watch? Just check out the possible future great MAC quarterback in the NFL—Dan LeFevour. He has missed two of the last three games due to an ankle injury, and no status has been declared for tonight's game, but this kid, if he plays is fun to watch. 

The Winner: Now I will make this clear upfront, I do go to CMU, i feel it is only fair I make this known so my journalistic integrity isn't stricken away from me. This really is the only college football game on TV tonight, and I promise if Alabama was playing Florida that would be my game of the night, not this one.

Objectively, I just have to take CMU in this game. They are back-to-back MAC Champions, and they know, they have to focus on this game, because next Wednesday they will play the biggest game ever on their home turf (if they win tonight) against Ball State.

They might start off slow, looking ahead, but they have proved time and time again, when the game is on the line, they are clutch. Even if LeFevour doesn't play, backup Brian Brunner has proved he truly is QB 1A, and deserves respect. 34-21 CMU over NIU. 

NHL

Boston Bruins (8-3-3) at Chicago Blackhawks (7-3-3). 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: No national. Regional: NESN, CSNC. 

Analysis: Lastly, how about a good old fashioned original six hockey match-up to cap the night off? This is truly great for the game of hockey, to see two long time original six teams with winning records taking each other on. The Blackhawks after many-a-dismal seasons are finally on the right track, and the Bruins are definitely not a pushover.

Both teams are evenly matched as you can be, giving up nearly as many goals, 35-34 to the Blackhawks, and scoring as many goals 48-42 Blackhawks. 

Winner: Another tough one for me to choose, but I have to take the Blackhawks. I see them play a lot because they play in the division I follow most closely, the Central, and they have some great young talent. In hockey, it's anyone's guess though. 4-3 Blackhawks. 

Alright, so there you have it, the games of the night. Tune-in, discuss, debate, and enjoy. It may not be the Superbowl night of sports, but there are some great match-ups for fans of every sport. 

Until next time. 

A little more than a month into the season and the NHL is experiencing some of its best times in recent memory.  Scoring, attendance and TV ratings are all on pace for record numbers after the strong October that the league had. 

The NHL put more fans in the seats through the first month of the season than they have in the past, averaging 17,388 people in attendance per game (an increase of 3.1% from last season).  This is the first time in league history that the NHL is averaging more than 17,000 people in the stands.

Television ratings were also up.  Hockey Night in Canada’s broadcasts in October saw a 12 percent increase in ratings while TSN’s also experienced an increase in viewers, going up 5 percent. 

In the States, the number wasn’t so bad either with VERSUS increasing 5 percent over October 2007.  Of the 30 NHL teams, 21 had local ratings that were up from or right on par with the numbers from a year ago. 

All the NHL wants is more goals and they saw an increase in that too.  Through Tuesday’s games this week, the NHL as a whole had produced 688 even strength goals compared with 647 of last season after the same amount of games.  These two numbers are higher than the 2003-04 season, when there was only 563 goals scored in the same amount of contests (a 22% increase!!!).  Not to mention the astonishing fact that the NHL, during October, averaged 5.9 goals per game which is also up (like everything else) 3% from last season’s 5.7 a game.

Games were also more exciting.  Of the 149 games played in the first month of the season, 70 saw lead changes (and that includes 14 third period comebacks).  That back and forth style of play is just what the NHL wants.

Fans and even just casual observers are also hitting the web.  NHL.com has seen a 7% increase of unique visitors despite 6 fewer regular season days from last year. Sales of NHL-licensed product on NHL.com for October increased by 26 percent compared to the same month span last year.

The increase in salary cap from year to year also shows that the league is experiencing an increase in revenue.

The NHL is on the rise again, and everyone is happy from owners down to the fans of the league; however, some things still need to be assessed as rule changes jump to the forefront. 

The NHL has made some great changes since the lockout year, and the product has shown that on the ice.  When is enough, enough though with the league?  It seems like every year new rules are coming out to try to help out scoring. 

I will try to tackle (or check) some of these new ideas and what I think needs to be done with the NHL to continue to make one of the best games in the world even stronger.

TV CONTRACT

For some strange reason, the NHL thought it would be a good idea to extend their TV contract with VERSUS in January for three more years.  That means that we have to watch the terrible crew that VERSUS has assembled to watch games up through the 2010-2011 season.  What a bonehead decision that will turn out to be. 

Instead of just waiting a few months to see if they could get a better channel to air its games on, the NHL jumped the gun and signed a deal with a terrible channel that I could rant about all day if there was anyone to listen.  A lot of you might not even know what I am talking about though, seeing as VERSUS isn’t even included in your TV lineup. 

Taking a look at TV ratings in the past, it is a complete shock why the NHL would do such a thing after the game is at an all-time high and the fan base is growing.  In the three years already the Versus/OLN has had exclusive rights to NHL games it had been a rating disaster.  The TV channel has not had an average rating higher than .3 in the last three seasons (.2 in 2005-06, .2 in 06-07, and .3 in 07-08).  To put those dismal numbers in perspective, in 2006 more people watched the 13 WNBA broadcasts on ESPN2 than the NHL on OLN.  Not to mention that NBC’s poker series which preceded the network’s NHL playoff coverage outdrew hockey by 200,000 viewers!

TV blunders have also added to some of the high profile NHL games.  Just two seasons ago, NBC decided to go to live coverage of the Preakness instead of covering overtime of Game 5 between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators during the Eastern Conference Finals.  I guess that is understandable since the Preakness is more widely watched over the nation than the hockey game, except for the fact that the live coverage of the Preakness was the “pre-game show”, two hours before the race even began! 

The NHL needs to swallow their pride a little bit and work out a deal that puts their product on a real national TV channel.  It might mean that they have to take a little less money, but it will bring the game of hockey out to a larger audience and improve the league’s fan base. 

The NHL should also move their All-Star Game onto a channel that the whole nation can actually watch.  It has worked for baseball, basketball, and football so why can’t the NHL do it? 

The All-Star game on Versus over the past two seasons have put up a .8 and .7 rating.  In 2004 where hockey wasn’t as popular to the nation, the game put up a 1.8 rating on ABC.  The previous 13 All-Star games before the switch to Versus averaged a 2.4 rating on FOX, ABC and NBC. 

The NHL has to get it stars out on the national scene.  A move of the All-Star game to a national channel is greatly needed to try to get people hooked on the NHL.         

ONLINE COVERAGE

Nothing really needs to be changed in this aspect of things that they are doing online, I just wanted to say what a great job the NHL has done in this department in the age of computers. 

The deal that they signed with Youtube and Google Videos was huge.  It gave fans the replays that they wanted to see and even full length games.  It was overlooked for so long but it was such a smart idea. 

Think of how many times you search for NFL highlights or big hits to finally find the video after scrolling through all the search results pages.  You click on it ready to watch but the video has been removed due to copyright infringement.  That doesn’t happen with the NHL which is to its benefit.

Also the release of NHL GameCenter Live, the League's new interface for watching NHL games live online, has already been a success.  Fans are already jumping on board, as the League increased its subscriber base nearly 270 percent year-over-year.  The league saw what MLB did with there live games over the internet and the NHL countered with this.  Great work to that department too.

RULE CHANGES

 

1. How to Stop Hits to the Head

The NHL players now-a-days have no respect for one another as hits to the head have jumped rapidly in the past few years.  My solution to this is to look at hockey’s past and take out the instigator penalty and let the players police themselves. 

I am probably a lot younger than anyone who is reading this article so I didn’t grow up watching the fights of the 1970s or 80s.  I have of course seen highlights of them though and some of them went way over the line.  I am not here preaching bench clearing brawls or cheap shots. I am just saying that if the instigator penalty went away and the teams had a way for sticking up for one another, that the hits to the head would stop. 

Now, players don’t have any consequences for hits to the head.  They might get fined or suspended for a few days but nothing serious.  Sometimes they might not even get a suspension at all.

If you can go to a bank and steal all the money in it without getting caught or just paying a small amount of the money back, would you do it? 

That is what hits to the head are right now.  Let the players handle it on the ice and be able to stick up for themselves.  If that person who hit an opposing player in the head gets beat up all game, he is a lot less likely to do so again. 

2. Scoring and Goaltenders

Since rule changes such as the two line pass for example, were taken away scoring has gone up drastically.  One of the biggest concerns now is that the goaltenders are taking up too much of the net, and not just because of their natural size.

They are getting help with bulky equipment.

Goalies now are a whole lot better than their predecessors, with or without bulky equipment.  The entire position has changed over the years to give us the physically strong and flexible goalie that we have today.  

My opinion on this matter is not to lessen the goalie equipment.  They have already done that in previous years and as long as the NHL keeps a rule on how big it can get (like they do now) it shouldn’t be a problem.  Just increase the sides of the net by a couple inches either way and those post shots that you here now will be lighting the lamp with the change.

Another possible idea to increase scoring is kicking the puck.  Now hockey is meant to be played with a stick but I don’t see why hockey doesn’t let you give it a boot from time to time. 

A player can redirect a shot with his skate as long as it is not a distinct kicking motion but he can’t just give it a tap if his stick is tied up?

Now people are going to argue that players are going to be trying a lot more to kick the puck, but it will not change the game at all really.  If you had the option between an 80 MPH slap shot or a 5-10 MPH kick what are you going to chose to try and score?

3. Blocked Shots and Touch up Icing

This debate has come up now since former defenseman, and now Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey has spoken out on the topic.  Gainey wants to crack down on players who throw themselves into the path of a shot or slide across the ice to break up a play.  I think that he is nuts.

The blocked shot is an art form in this game and a sacrifice for your team to win the game.  Players who go down to block shots are trying to win at all costs, even if it is going to hurt (and believe me it does). 

Players put their bodies out there on the lines for their team, and coming from a guy who made a living doing the same thing, I highly disagree with Gainey on this one.

Block shots are part of the game just like scoring and hitting are.  Now Gainey’s idea is just so players don’t slide in front of a shot, they can still go down on one knee.  My question is why? 

Defensemen are going to try to take away the shooting lanes no matter what, whether they fall to a knee or slide across the ice.  Shots are still going to be blocked like they are now.  It really isn’t going to increase the scoring like people think.  Kids are taught growing up that it is part of the game.  It has been through hockey’s existence and needs to stay in the game.  If a player is willing to risk his own body, then let him do it.

Touch up icing on the other hand, should go.  Throughout a players entire career, from childhood, international and college play, icings are no touch up until they get to the NHL.

The touch up icing is in the game right now for excitement purposes.  The race between two players racing towards a puck at full speed is sort of exciting but also dangerous too.  Not to mention that the defense usually always touches the puck first anyways.

It is pointless to have in the game and is just a waste of time.  With it gone the game wouldn’t have to worry about the two players crashing into the boards at top speed hurting themselves.  It would protect the players and make the game move faster.  This is one rule that should be pulled from the game.

The NHL is growing bigger and bigger as more people start to jump onboard.  They people in charge just need to do the right thing to keep the fans coming.  Maybe, just one day soon, the NHL will be considered one of the top leagues in the country again. 

Hey us fans can hope, right?

Feel free to have a debate in the comments below about anything written in this article, or any other ideas you have for the NHL.  Your feedback is greatly appreciated

When is a win not really a win?

Well, the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 squeaker last night over the lowly New York Islanders is as close to losing a game and still winning as you can get.

The Habs needed a frantic four goal comeback to overcome the gritty and impressive 4-1 lead the Islanders had built going into the third period.

If it weren't for Alexei Kovalev and the timely resurgence of his line mates Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec, Montreal would be nursing a stinging defeat against arguably the worst team in the league.

As Kovalev scored the game's first goal two minutes in, Habs fans everywhere collectively sat back in their seats and assumed that nature would follow its course.

They were then jolted back by a familiar face, as ex-Canadien Mark Streit continued his solid play in Long Island by tying the game with a bullet from the point that ricocheted past Carey Price.

Montreal’s play collapsed as Jon Sim's goal, one Carey Price should have stopped, capped the first, and Bill Guerin made it 3-1 early in the second.

At that point, the Habs were in disarray: turnovers, bad passes, missed chances; even mighty Georges Laraque looked bad in his scrap with big BC native Mitch Fritz.

In a post-game interview, Tomas Plekanec was asked if coach Guy Carbonneau had anything to say to his players during the second intermission, he answered: "You don't want to know!” 

It is safe to assume that he verbalized what every single Montreal supporter was already screaming at the TV. And it worked.

The Canadiens started skating again, moving the puck and going deep into the Isles' zone. And when Plekanec scored at 7:48 to make it 2-4, they could smell fear. New York coach Scott Gordon promptly called a timeout to calm his young players, to no avail.

Montreal turned the switch to "win" mode and there was no stopping them.

The Islanders just left poor Yann Danis out to look bad as Kovalev and friends danced around to victory.

Let's make this clear: This game cannot compare to the epic 5 goal comeback against the Rangers last year. That was a win for the ages. 

Yesterday was a metaphoric loss for Carbonneau's team, a win nonetheless, but against almost any other team last night, that loss would have been real.

With nine games under their belt, the Habs have a record that most predicted it to be. With one loss in regulation, the Habs have shown at times why they finished first in the East last season. Some may think the Canadiens should have won their only loss in regulation considering they had fired 51 shots on J.S. Giguere, but they were lucky to be in the game considering their play. The passes weren’t crisp, the defence wasn’t strong and the goaltending was mediocre. Alex Kovalev has said himself that the team has not shown their full potential, the confidence isn’t completely there and the team has not been playing their usual puck possession style at times.

There is plenty of room for improvement starting from the back end. The goaltending has been steady, but the defence needs to be stronger. Markov and Komisarek make one of the best defensive pairs in the East. The younger defensemen need a chance to play and learn from their mistakes. That means there is no room for Brisebois on the team, Ryan O’Byrne has displayed a great physical presence and has used his size really well. The offense can improve significantly with the likes of Plekanec, Higgins and the Kostitsyn brothers who have been quiet thus far. All four of these players are being counted on to surpass their totals from last season. Latendresse seems to be playing well on the Koivu line, his skating has improved but he needs to use his size better especially in front of the net.

As far as the additions go; Bob Gainey looks like a genius with the new comers fitting in perfectly. Alex Tanguay has been nothing but a superstar. He leads the team in goals and has helped Captain Koivu with one of the best starts in his career. Tanguay is a complete player and reads the plays well. If he keeps up his play like this he will be a fan favourite in no time. Robert Lang has been producing, but needs to bury his chances and might need some time to build chemistry with his new line mate Christopher Higgins, Lang and the younger Kostitsyn have made some brilliant plays early on. Lang is a good all-round player. Georges Laraque is proving his worth as well no matter what Coach Carbonneau says, he was brought in to rough up players and defend the smaller stars and he has done that so far. He is also strong on the fore check and is hard to knock off the puck due to his size.

Finally, the Habs power play, which has dominated the league for the last two seasons, seems to be an area of concern. It is obvious they are missing Mark Streit on the point and are not getting quality one timers. They have shown flashes of brilliance on the power play and, have displayed great puck possession, but are not getting enough shots on goal along with traffic in front of the net. It may need some tweaking, but the Habs should be able to get their power play going as the season progresses. The centennial season looks promising for the bleu, blanc et rouge.