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Stanley Cup: Don’t Miss Tonight’s Game 7!
Posted by: | CommentsIn the past we’ve encouraged casual sports fans to give the NHL Playoffs a shot because quite frankly playoff hockey is like nothing else in sports. It’s fast paced with players crashing all over the ice with everything on the line. And tonight it all comes down to one game. Just 60 minutes of on-ice action to earn the opportunity to hoist the Stanley Cup. We are talking “must see TV” right here whether or not you like hockey. You’ve got to watch the action and, believe me, you will not be disappointed.
Through six hard-fought contests, Vancouver and Boston have played to a stalemate. The home team has won every game so far. Vancouver has held serve with three tightly contested home wins, outscoring the Bruins by a count of 5-2 in said games. In Boston, the Bruins have done as they pleased, outscoring the Canucks to the tune of 17-3. There have been key injuries to both teams. In Game 3, the Boston Bruins lost their top line right winger Nathan Horton to a devastating hit (resulting in a major concussion) from Aaron Rome (who was suspended for the remainder of the series). In Game 6, Vancouver lost versatile winger Mason Raymond to a vertebrae compression fracture from an awkward hit from Boston’s Johnny Boychuk. The hit looked really scary, but surprisingly no penalty was called on the play and there has been no discussion of discipline over the hit.
Who steps up in Game 7? Who is under the microscope? Who stands to gain the most in the hobby? Here is a quick look at who I will be watching:
It is the biggest game of Roberto Luongo's career. Will he shine or sputter tonight?
Roberto Luongo (G) Vancouver Canucks: A multi-nominated Vezina Finalist has been very inconsistent so far this series, but has played very well at home. He has shown brilliance equally as well as incompetence so far. I expect a very good game from Luongo (he can’t be any worse then last game), but I worry about him if he happens to give up a quick one because then he might just fold for the night. Regardless, he still has an outside shot at the Conn Smythe Trophy should he put up a great game.
With a strong performance tonight, Thomas will likely take home the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Tim Thomas (G) Boston Bruins: The banter back and forth between Thomas and Luongo has bordered on humorous. Between Luongo “pumping” Thomas’ tires, and Thomas not wanting to reciprocate, and Luongo talking about how Thomas let in a (I repeat “a”) soft one in Game 5 that he would have stopped, the two goalies are at the forefront coming into the last game. Chances are really good that whoever plays better will be hoisting the Cup Wednesday night. Thomas is my front runner to come home with the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, win or lose. This team isn’t in the position they are in without him.
You can still find rookie cards of Kesler relatively cheap. That may not be the case if the Canucks win tonight.
Ryan Kesler (C) Vancouver Canucks: Just over a year ago, Kesler played in the gold medal game in Vancouver, his NHL city, where he calls home more than half the year. He was getting booed. Why? Well as you know, he’s American and was playing against the Canadian team. This time, he will have 18 000 people cheering for him. So far this series, he has not been overly effective on the offensive side. In this final game, however, I will say I have a feeling he will have an impact one way or another on how it ends. His rookie cards have shown life through the playoff run, and with a big game, they stand to continue to move well through the summer months.
Upper Deck Authenticated features a few signed memorabilia items of Boston's Lucic.
Milan Lucic (LW) Boston Bruins: The Vancouver hometown boy will be a wrecking ball of energy coming into Game 7. Lucic has proved over his short career that the bigger the stage, the bigger he plays. I expect him to be hitting just about everything in sight, and parking himself in the dirty areas looking for scoring chances all night long. He will present a big challenge for the Vancouver defense, Roberto Luongo. His cards stand to make a rise should he perform well in the biggest game of his life. Should be fun to watch him!
Sedin could rise to super star status with a strong performance tonight.
Daniel Sedin (LW) Vancouver Canucks: After losing Game 6 in Boston, he gave a speech reminiscent of Mark Messier in the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs against the New Jersey Devils. Sedin has guaranteed a win tonight.
The Art Ross Trophy winner has put his legacy on the line here. Very simply put, he will be a hero or a zero. They stand a much better chance if he and twin brother Henrik can finally find their cycle game and get some offense going. It sure would be a great picture for the ages if the twins can hoist the Stanley Cup. As great as they both are, their hobby love is basically regional. If the Cauncks should win, he may see a small up tick in his cards over the short term, but I expect them to stay at about current levels over the long haul.
When all is said and done, there will be no more hockey. We have the draft to look forward to next week, followed by the Awards night, and then the Rookie Showcase, but tonight is the last major hockey event for some time. Tonight another European Captain will hoist the Cup: Zdeno Chara or Henrik Sedin will be the first to lift it over their heads for their respective teams. My guess is that the winning goaltender will be next and then we will see what each team’s pecking order will be. This, for me, is one of the best things to watch. Who gets the Cup from the captain and the path that it takes going from player to player on the winning team.
Who do you think will be raising the Cup tonight? If you feel confident, Upper Deck is allowing fans to order their Stanley Cup box sets before tonight’s game. Check it out here.
Christopher Carmichael has been a hockey fan for over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and is a moderator on www.cloutsnchara.com.
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The Stanley Cup Finals: Bruins vs. Canucks
Posted by: | CommentsThe Stanley Cup finals are upon us with Game 1 on tap for tonight in Vancouver. It has been an interesting season so far which will culminate in a team winning the Cup that has been without one for many a year. The Boston Bruins come in with their last Stanley Cup-winning squad having played way back in 1972. That team was powerful and skillful with the likes of Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyk, Fred Stanfield, Ken Hodge and Derek Sanderson adding to the offense, along with Gerry Cheevers and Ed Johnston patrolling the nets. The team was built for success and achieved it. This year also marks the first time since 1990 that they have made it to the finals.
PRIZED NETMINDERS: Luongo and Thomas will be the ones who dictate where the puck stops.
This year’s edition of the Boston Bruins has been building towards this all season. It starts in net with Tim Thomas. The front-runner to walk away with the Vezina Trophy this year has been off and on during the playoffs but has put up when it matters most and is going to play a huge role in the Finals as he tries to backstop the Bruins against the league’s top team.
The Bruins added strength at the deadline to make their run. Chris Kelly acquired from the Ottawa Senators has added an element of depth that the Bruins simply didn’t have before. The addition of Tomas Kaberle from the Maple Leafs has added to the back end. This deal in particular hasn’t always appeared to work at face value, but with the Bruins in the finals, it’s tough to argue against it right now. The addition of Rich Peverly (along with Boris Valabik) from Atlanta has also added punch.
Holdovers Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic have been the driving forces all season long, and newly minted Nathan Horton during the off season has been a force for the B’s in the playoffs. They will all be tasked to matchup well against the depth of the Vancouver Canucks.
Rookie Tyler Seguin opened a lot of eyes during the Conference Finals scoring some key (and beautiful) goals. A four-point game in just his second appearance solidified a place for the up-and-comer. A spike was immediately seen on the secondary market for his key cards.
The Canucks have been building towards this moment for what seems like years now. Their General Manager, Mike Gillis, isn’t afraid of mixing things up and just because traditional methods may work, he isn’t afraid to try and tweak them to make them better. The Canucks have used a total of nine different defensemen this off-season with all nine making contributions. This is not unlike the regular season when it seemed as though the Canucks had a revolving door at the position with guys going in and out of the lineup quite frequently. Up front, the attack is led by the Sedins. No longer labeled the “Sisters,” with both of them leading the league in scoring over the past two years, they must be accounted for. Looks like Zdeno Chara will be tasked with stopping the brothers mighty.
Secondary scoring has not lacked in the form of Alex Burrows and heart and soul Ryan Kesler. The best matchup of the series could be that of Kesler and Bergeron. Both are great two way players, great on face-offs, who will be tasked with not only stopping one another, but adding offense as well. Deadline acquisition Chris Higgins has shown the ability to be a top six forward on the Canucks and at times has been their best player.
HEART AND SOUL: There's little doubt that Kesler will be the driving force for Vancouver in this series.
The Canucks are a fairly veteran team overall with Cody Hodgson being the one guy who could excite fans of the hobby. He will be a holdover rookie who will debut in early releases of 2011-12 products and will be a driving force early on. He may not see much ice during the Finals, but if someone goes down with an injury, he will be one of the first to be called upon. The former Canadian Junior Player of the Year will be primed for the opportunity should it arise.
Vancouver is battling in its third Stanley Cup Finals having come up short in its two previous tries (1982 and ’94). Roberto Luongo will be the man in the nets for Vancouver and if he shows well or leads the team to the championship, expect him to finally enter the lore of “King Richard” Brodeur and “Captain Kirk” McLean, the previous two goalies who led the Canucks to the championship round.
It should be a great final, and I am looking forward to either one of these teams hoisting the Cup. This year one more thing is certain: we will have another European leading his team to Lord Stanley’s mug and raising it over his head.
Who is your pick to win, as well as your vote for the Conn Smythe Trophy given to the playoff MVP? Who has the most to gain in the hobby in terms of secondary market activity with a good series? Let us know your thoughts by posting a comment below.
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and is a moderator on www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher also does some part time writing for the Insiders Edge (www.insidersedge.net for more details).
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NHL Playoffs: Where are All the Hobby Heroes?
Posted by: | CommentsAs we approach the end of the second round of the NHL playoffs, there are a few things that are abundantly clear. First is this: the second round is the anti-first round. After only one series going less then six games in the first round, the second round has the potential to be a round of blowouts. Not so much in terms of the scores of the games, but faster series.
The second thing that is pretty clear is that these NHL playoffs are void of hobby heroes. A number of very good players are having very good playoffs, but a fair number of so-called big-time players have been very average.
SHOT, SCORE: Martin St. Louis is doing all he can to make some noise in this year's NHL playoffs.
Not that scoring is the only determining factor of what a player can bring to the table, but for the casual fan, they will be looking to the top scorers’ lists to find out who to watch. Right now when you look at the top scorers’ list you see a few fairly familiar names: Martin St. Louis (a former Art Ross Trophy winner); Patrice Bergeron (who is currently concussed); Claude Giroux (who has been eliminated); Ryan Clowe (a nice role player); Vincent Lecavalier (who is playing rejuvenated hockey, and is a former No. 1 overall pick); and Steve Downie (he of all of 32 regular-season points). Again, some nice players, but not the Steven Stamkos, Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby level that people clamor for in the hobby.
On the bright side, maybe some of these players get a bit more attention in the hobby, which is never a bad thing, but this is the time when hobby and hockey heroes are made, a time for a star player to elevate his game to new levels. Think Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin a couple years back. Think Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg the year before that. Big-time players putting up big-time numbers and playing big-time roles and coming up large. The hobby loves it and so do hockey fans.
This year, there has been some relative no-names showing up big time in the playoffs. Already mentioned Steve Downie, teammates Sean Bergenheim (tied for the playoff lead in goals) and Teddy Purcell have been one of the top lines in the playoffs, and are making teams pay for putting all of their eggs out to stop their “stars.” If they can continue this trend against Boston in the Conference Finals, they may well return to the Cup finals, after not many fans gave them a fighting chance against Washington even after they got by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A couple of highly touted players, one an off-season acquisition and one a home-grown talent, are putting together big postseasons, and not just on the score sheet. Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler has carried his team to this point through the second round, and is finally scoring. He puts up numbers in bunches, and is a player who plays both ways as well as anyone in the game today. He can get under your skin as well, draw penalties, win face-offs in all three zones, the man can do it all. His game-winning goal in Game 4 against Nashville was a thing of beauty.
Nathan Horton, a former No. 3 overall pick in 2003 (Kesler was taken 23rd in the same draft), has finally gotten over losing (being in Florida for so long will do that to a kid), and showed up big in the playoffs. A couple of game winners, dropping the flippers against rugged veteran Sean O’Donnell versus Philadelphia, and doing the things that need to be done. He and Milan Lucic are playing big, bad Bruin power forwards to a tee. It is good to see him finally doing what many believed he would be able to do right out of junior hockey.
I love the NHL playoffs every year, and every year they present us with something different. This year seems to be the year of the “grinder,” the guys who all hockey people “in the know” talk about as being so important. Good players are playing well, but for whatever reason, this year seems to be lacking a “hobby hero.” With two more rounds to play, maybe the next big thing will present himself yet.
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and is a moderator on www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher also does some part time writing for the Insiders Edge (www.insidersedge.net for more details).
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The Start of the NHL Season
Posted by: | CommentsThe 2010-11 NHL season is well underway, so what do we know? With the first month of the regular season nearing completion, the short answer is nothing. Preseason pundits are hoping to rest on the laurels of good teams being good, and bad teams being bad.
As of right now, your division leaders in the East are Tampa Bay, Toronto and the New York Islanders. Now raise your hands if you thought you would hear that at any point this season (and for those of you with raised hands, you might want to go buy a lottery ticket at this point, because that is luck if I have ever heard it…or you lie). In the West, you have defending Stanley Cup champions Chicago, along with Dallas and Colorado. Sure there are some ties, and some teams have played more then others, but being at the top of the division is still being at the top of the division. It is certainly a better spot then being at the bottom.
Just ask Colorado, which got off to a hot start last season and turned that into a surprising playoff spot, or Phoenix, which rode a fast start into a mighty fine season when nothing was expected of them if they take away the points that you get in October come April when the games are very competitive. Two points at this time of year are just as important as two points in the springtime, and one might argue more so, as you can turn success now into momentum going forward as the Coyotes did last year.
Ask Toronto, which after five games this year, have yet to lose in regulation, and have nine of a possible 10 points. After their first five games last year, the Leafs had but a single point, having lost all of their games. It took until November 21 to get their fourth win of the season, so the Maple Leafs are starting to put things together.
I am as far from a Toronto fan as possible – my favorite team is actually Montreal – but having a competitive team in the Big Smoke is a great thing overall. Toronto fans are some of the most rabid and vocal in the league, and with them all talking junk to the rest of us is actually kind of refreshing. Having been so bad since the lockout, it has at times made teasing Toronto fans way too easy. It is great to see them off to a hot start, and to see how long the fan-wagon holds up.
As for the hobby, it is starting to get amped up for the season. Upper Deck already has had Victory hit the shelves, and with Artifacts releasing this week, it should be a fun start to the season. Here are some players you may want to keep an eye on if they can translate their hot team starts or personal-best starts into great seasons.
Marian Hossa: Chicago Blackhawks
Hossa has long been a star of the league, but this year he seems to be playing like he has something to prove. Finally, after three years, he’s a Stanley Cup champion and is certainly showing why the Hawks invested so heavily in him.
Currently leading the league in points and tied for the league lead in goals, expect to see lots of Hossa in this year’s product releases. This should be a fun season to see some of the combinations of cards as well with a cast that includes superstars Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Marty Turco to name a few.
Brad Richards: Dallas Stars
Currently leading the league in scoring with two points a game, Richards returned to prominence last year after recording 91 points. This year, he seems to be a better two-way player as evidenced by the fact that he currently leads the league with a plus 8 +/- rating, and has tallied 10 points after just five games.
Dallas has made some changes recently most notably in net with Kari Lehtonen taking the reigns from the exited Marty Turco. If he can continue to show the promise that made him a No. 2 overall pick in the draft and Richards can continue to put up points with quality help coming from Loui Eriksson, Jamie Benn, Brendan Morrow and James Neal, this team can ride good play into a great season. Watch for it; when expectations are low, professional athletes have a tendency to get a bit of a chip on their shoulder and go out of their way to prove people wrong.
Look for the same thing happening in Toronto as we examine another pair of players who are going to be playing this season with a chip on their shoulder.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere: Toronto Maple Leafs
J-S Giguere has done a lot in this league. He has won a Stanley Cup and has even won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP (when he didn’t win the Cup). This year seems to be a bit different though. He has something to prove. Basically he was cast aside by Anaheim last year to make room for a younger, cheaper option (granted, they probably also thought better), and sent packing to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Giggy responded right out of the gates with some solid play. This season though, he is out to prove that he is not yet washed up, and playing for a contract can certainly do that for a player. I expect a solid year from the Leaf netminder, and he will probably have a lot of cards to chase being the man in the pipes for Toronto.
Clarke MacArthur: Toronto Maple Leafs
Clarke MacArthur is a bit different. He is off to a torrid start so far scoring five goals in five games. I don’t even think his mom would have expected a start like that from the veteran. What he is though is another guy with something to prove. He went to arbitration over the summer was awarded a pretty nice raise, but then Atlanta walked away from the ruling leaving MacArthur a free agent. It took a while for him to find a home and had to settle for a one-year contract. For a player to take a one year contract the way he has shows that he wants to prove to people his legitimacy as a player. Looking for a long-term deal, playing time, and if nothing else, the opportunity (which it seems both the management and coaching staff seem committed to doing thus far) are great reasons to believe a career season could be in store. I am not saying that he is going to be a 50-goal scorer or anything, but look for a big spike in numbers, and as a result, look for the fan base to take notice, and a spike in some of his rookie cards in particular on the secondary market.
Next time out, look for a post on the teams and players that have started slowly as optimism is the name of the day today. Next time, I want to take a look at early season disappointments. Sometimes you can unearth some great treasures when a guy starts cold, and I want to see if I can help find some. Which players do you think are off to the slowest starts that will pull it together later?
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and is a moderator on www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher also does some part time writing for the Insiders Edge (www.insidersedge.net for more details).
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Up Close at the 2010 NHLPA Rookie Showcase
Posted by: | CommentsThe 2010 NHLPA Rookie Showcase changed venues this year and the setup changed as well. Last year’s event was held by Upper Deck at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. This year’s event was held in Etobicoke at the MasterCard Centre, hosted by the NHLPA, and had co-licensees’ Upper Deck and Panini there to represent the trading card community.
Orchestrated by the NHLPA, the event had 23 players participating, almost double the amount of high-profile rookies from last year. Many teams were well represented, with Boston and Edmonton both sending three high-profile rookies.
Edmonton's Big Three: Eberle, Hall and Paajarvi get ready to earn their acting chops.
Number one overall pick in this past year’s draft, Taylor Hall, along with 2008 pick (22nd overall) and defending CHL Player of the Year, Canadian World Junior superhero Jordan Eberle and 2009 10th overall pick Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson (who recently dropped the Svensson part of his last name) highlighted the three up-and-coming Edmonton Oiler stars. All impressive in their own right, they are all hoping to be key contributors as the Oilers look to turn their franchise around. Should be a fun year collecting for these three high-profile players. Looking forward to seeing key rookies like their young guns, future watch autographs and probably something neat with all three on them. Do I smell a “Sign of the Times Triple” in their futures? Might be a bit early to tell for sure, but that would be a great card for Edmonton Oiler fans. Look for the same with the Boston trio of Tyler Seguin, Zach Hamill and Joe Colborne.
Having a unique opportunity to be at this event was not lost on me. I was able to meet and talk with many of the future stars of the league. I may be getting older, but these kids sure seemed young! Watching their on-ice skills was impressive to say the least. Tomas Tatar of the Detroit Red Wings stood out as a player with flair. He is someone who really wants to please the crowds. Ryan Johansen is another player who seems anxious to prove he is ready for the next level. Comparisons to Joe Thornton have set the bar high, and he hopes to use his vision and hockey sense to become one of the elite playmakers in the league. Three players in particular impressed me with their size: Joe Colborne, Erik Gudbranson and Jacob Markstrom. These kids have NHL-ready bodies, and once they fill out even more, will most certainly be “man wall” worthy. They carry presence.
Big Boy: Florida goaltender Jacob Markstrom poses a serious hurdle for slap-shot artists.
The kids are all very well spoken, a testament to the fact they have been elite athletes their whole lives and have always been the “next big thing” in their respective towns. They are on the cusp of making their families and friends all proud. Several of the young stars spoke of their respective father’s influence at a young age, driving them to early morning practices, and getting them to tournaments. Mom’s roles were not lost either, always being there at games, and having snacks ready for them.
In the end it was a lot of business as photos had to be taken, autographs needed to be signed and the day was not without obstacles. The main arena was flush with heavy fog at ice level. It was certainly warm outside that day, so it played a role. All parties involved quickly moved much of the on-ice components to another rink in the arena, where fog wasn’t an issue and got down to business. It was good to see everyone make such smooth adjustments over the course of the day any time a new hurdle presented itself.
One thing that was great to see was Upper Deck hosting winners of various contests as well. They were able to give lucky kids (and a few lucky adults) a chance to be a part of the day, hosting them at the event. Some lucky kids were even able to mix in with the young stars in some of Upper Deck’s soon-to-be-unveiled video skits. It was good to see smiles on their faces.
This year’s rookie class has a lot of potential. Not only are there this year’s top picks, the top four of which were all at the event (Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, Erik Gudbranson and Ryan Johansen), but also high-end prospects such as Nazem Kadri, Braden Schenn and Jordan Eberle. Sixteen other top-end talents were also there and we look forward to seeing their first live rookie cards. One thing that is not lost on these kids is the hobby; many of them collected at a young age, and they understand that the hobby is big business, from the young kids opening up packs of hockey cards to the adults who buy looking for the big hit. They all had their heroes growing up, and they hope to comprise the next wave of hockey heroes.
Congratulations to all who made the event such a success: the NHLPA reps for being accessible; the players who were more than willing to talk; and to Upper Deck officials for making themselves available to discuss the upcoming season. They were all able to promote the game and the hobby in a very positive light. This is my first musings from the event, but look for a full report including in-depth interviews with a variety of the stars in “The Insider’s Edge” (www.insidersedge.net). It was a great day for me as a hobby enthusiast, and I hope to get another invitation to cover the event next year.
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and www.cloutsnchara.com. A long time collector, with a focus on a few select player collections, and the occasional set projects. As well as blogging for Upper Deck, he is an occasional contributor to “The Insider’s Edge”, as well as the Clouts ‘n Chara blog as well.
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