Who takes home the hardware?

There’s a beginning, middle, and an end to every season which encompasses 82 games for each of the NHL’s 30 teams. When the end of the season rolls around there’s a few things that are going through everyone’s mind in the hockey world. Of course the first one being the upcoming playoffs deciding who will be the next team to hoist the Stanley Cup. But other than that obvious reason there’s another end of season occurrence that should not be overlooked. Just like at a lot of high schools where athletes are celebrated by being thrown an end of season awards banquet, the NHL throws an awards ceremony of their own to congratulate the efforts of hockey’s finest players. As the 2010-2011 NHL regular season comes to a close it’s time for last year’s NHL Award winners to say goodbye to their trophies and hand over their titles to fellow NHL’ers who have earned the awards this season.

There are awards given out to players who have statistically been the best in the league, and then there are awards given to players who are voted on by a various panel of judges or fellow NHL Players. Titles given to players who are statistically the best include the President’s, Art Ross, William M. Jennings, NHL Plus/Minus, Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard, and Roger Crozier Saving Grace trophies. Although statistics may affect the winners of awards such as the Hart, Lady Byng, Vezina, Calder, Norris, Conn Smythe, Bill Masterton, Ted Lindsay, Jack Adams, Selke, King Clancy, and Mark Messier trophies they are not solely based on the numbers. When awards night rolls around it’s no surprise as to who will be winning trophies like the President’s or ‘Rocket’ Richard, as they are already pre-determined. The only element of suspense or surprise in the night is with the other non-statistic awards. In some cases these awards are more emotional and mean a lot more to their recipients, because they are often voted on by fellow NHL players and alumni. Among non-statistic based awards are four main titles that name the recipients as the best in the game at their individual positions. There’s no way to know for sure who will take home the hardware for these titles, but a prediction or two never hurt anyone…right?

The Hart Memorial Trophy- Awarded to the league’s most valuable player.

2010 Winner: Henrik Sedin- Vancouver Canucks

2011 Prediction: Daniel Sedin-Vancouver Canucks

· History repeats itself as the Hart Trophy stays within the Sedin family. Daniel will be named MVP after scoring 41 goals (10 more than second place) and 63 assists for a total of 104 points in the 2010-2011 regular season.

The Vezina Trophy- Awarded to the league’s top goaltender.

2010 Winner: Ryan Miller- Buffalo Sabres

2011 Prediction: Tim Thomas- Boston Bruins

· Tim Thomas will receive his second Vezina in seven seasons as an NHL goaltender. Posting an NHL Record-worthy .938 save percentage in the 2010-2011 season Tim Thomas is the no doubts about it Vezina winner.

The Calder Memorial Trophy- Awarded to the league’s most outstanding rookie player.

2010 Winner: Tyler Myers- Buffalo Sabres

2011 Prediction: Logan Couture- San Jose Sharks

· Last year’s Calder recipient was valuable to his team in the sense that he prevented offensive chances for opponents. The Calder will be passed from defensemen to forward as San Jose Sharks rookie Logan Couture gains the honor. Coming in second among the NHL rookies with 32 goals Couture has attributed to much of San Jose’s success this year by scoring timely goals, which will ultimately lead him to being named most valuable rookie.

The James Norris Memorial Trophy- Awarded to the league’s best defensemen.

2010 Winner: Duncan Keith-Chicago Blackhawks

2011 Prediction: Niklas Lidstrom- Detroit Red Wings

· Ranked fourth in the league among defensemen for goals scored and ranked third for assists, Niklas Lidstrom continues to be a source of strength for the Detroit Red Wings. Playing in all 82 games this season Lidstrom has earned himself a seventh Norris trophy in the last 10 seasons. Niklas also captured the honors in 2001, 02, 03, 06, 07, 08.

In a few months the NHL’s elite stars will travel to Las Vegas in hopes of winning one of these prestigious awards. June 22^nd, 2011 will be a night to remember as you can watch some of the worlds most talented athletes gain recognition in one of the fastest games on earth. When awards time finally arrives, turn on your T.V. and make some predictions of your own (or to see if I’m completely wrong on all of mine), what’s there to lose?

Lasting effects; the story of Marc Savard

It’s no secret that hockey is a dangerous and combative sport. You may think the players are completely protected by their equipment free from harm, think again. Although hockey players are outfitted from head to toe in protective equipment it is still very easy to suffer an injury while on the ice. For example, take a look at Boston Bruins center Marc Savard. He has suffered two high grade concussions in less than a year leaving him sidelined from the game he loves. As Marc deals with the physical repercussions of his injuries, he also has to battle the mental back lash that goes along with an injury such as a concussion. Playing hockey and suffering an injury while doing so has many effects, in Savard’s case those effects will last forever. He may not score as many goals as Crosby, Stamkos, or Ovechkin but what he brings to the table is worth just as much if not more.
Beginning his junior hockey career with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League Savard was leading the league in points by his second season with the team. Those 139 points scored during his second season in the OHL were a driving force behind Savard being picked 5th overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Although Savard is known as a Bruin today, that’s not where his NHL career began. In 1995 he was not selected by the Bruins, but instead by another original six rival, the New York Rangers. Marc played two more seasons in the OHL before entering the AHL. During those two seasons he captured his second Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the league’s leading point’s scorer in the 1996-1997 season with 130 points. After this impressive display of offensive power Marc was assigned to the New York Rangers AHL affiliate team, the Hartford Wolfpack in the 1997-1998 season. During his first season in the AHL Marc put up 74 points while being called up to the NHL in 28 games. Savards impressive rookie campaign earned him a bigger role the following season with the rangers of the NHL, playing in 70 games Marc tallied 45 points. Despite earning an expanded role with the Rangers, Savard was dealt to the Calgary Flames in 1999. As he began to play with his new team in Calgary Savard showed just what he was made of during the 2000-2001 season, finishing second in team scoring, behind Jerome Iginla, with 65 points. Savard went on to play in four more seasons with the Flames. At the beginning of his fourth season in Calgary Savard was acquired by the southeast division Atlanta Thrashers. While in Atlanta Savard played alongside superstars Danny Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk, playing along such players enhanced Savard’s personal game to becoming a point-per-game player in the 2003-2004 season. Following the NHL lockout season in 2004-2005 Savard resumed play and tallied a career high 97 points. Just as Savard came into his potential in Atlanta he became an unrestricted free agent and signed with a team that he would change the identity of for years to come.
Signing a four year 20 million dollar contract on July 1, 2006 Marc Savard became the newest member of the original six organization, the Boston Bruins. In his next four seasons with Boston Marc managed to accomplish a lot. He led the team in scoring his first year with 96 points while being named to two NHL All Star games, one in 2008 and one in 2009. Shortly after going to his second All Star Game Marc suffered a broken foot while blocking a shot. He was placed on long-term injured reserve on October 1st, 2009. After taking some time to recuperate and heal his injury Savard returned to the team and was signed to a 7-year, $28.05 million dollar extension. After signing his extension Savard was not on the ice long before he suffered yet another injury. Colliding with Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews, Marc suffered a minor MCL tear in his right knee. Savard went through another healing time period and returned to his team once again. Following the pattern of time before him, Savard would return to the lineup to once again be injured, this time it was more serious than ever.
In a game against their eastern conference rivals, The Pittsburgh Penguins, Bruins fans witnessed a play that changed one of their own player’s lives forever. On March 7th, 2010 Marc Savard suffered a grade two concussion after receiving a hit to the head from Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke. Savard lay motionless on the ice as time seemed to freeze. Emergency medical professionals rushed to Savard’s side as he was escorted off the ice on a stretcher. Bruins fans know what it’s like to have one of their key players lost to an injury such as a concussion, and when Savard lay motionless on the ice Bruins fans flashed back to Patrice Bergeron being in the same situation not once, but twice.
As the Bruins continued their season and made a push into the playoffs Savard tried to recover as quickly as possible. Being cleared for the second round of the 2010 playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers Marc returned to the lineup to score the overtime game winning goal in game one of the series that would eventually go to seven games. The second round was where the Bruins 2009-2010 season ended, with the Flyers eliminating them in seven games. Over the offseason Savard took this time to continue to recover and sharpen up on his game that was deteriorated due to his constant injuries. When the 2010-2011 season began Savard was ready to return to his normal role with the B’s.
Everything was going well for Savard until a scary situation arose that was all too familiar to the Boston center man. Colliding with former teammate Matt Hunwick, Savard suffered his second serious concussion in less than a year in a game versus the Colorado Avalanche on January 22, 2011. After repeated concussion the Bruins organization decided to shut down Savard for the rest of the 2010-2011 season.
Any injury suffered while playing a high intensity sport such as hockey is a serious one. But one such as a concussion, or in Marc’s case two concussions, is an injury that will leave lasting effects for the rest of the player’s life. Savard is trying to keep positive as he goes through the recovery process once again in less than a year. He says he does not want to even think about retiring because that’s something he just does not want to do. Savard plans on going for more medical testing and trying to make a comeback at some point in the future. This is not as easy as it may seem because with an injury as severe as Savard’s comes not only physical, but mental effects as well. Even though it’s tough for Bruins fans to think about, it’s evident that Savard will be dealing with the lasting effects of repeated concussions for the rest of his life. Protective equipment can only protect you so much when it comes to a dangerous sport such as hockey, sadly Marc Savard is a prime example of this.

Tyler time

We’re still in shock, our hearts are still hurting, the pain of defeat still follows us around everyday. But it’s October now, and it’s time for Bruins nation to pick themselves up and rep the Bruins sweaters and gear with pride once again (not to say I ever stopped doing that). If you’re like many other fans and just can’t seem to get over the heartbreak that was the end of the 2009-2010 season there’s a bright light shining in the darkness for you. This light is formally known as Tyler Seguin.

Yes I’m fully aware that one player will not bring the cup back to Boston. But who’s to say that it won’t make a tremendous difference? I’m here to tell you that it will. The 2010 Entry Draft class was the most highly anticipated draft class since Ovechkin in 2004 and Crosby in 2005. Even though Seguin was not selected first he has the attitude like he was. Since the day Tyler dawned the spoked ‘B’ his mentality has been to make the team, and do all he can to help the Bruins organization to accomplish their goal of returning the cup to Boston. With a mindset like that and the on-ice potential Tyler Seguin possesses there’s no way he will not make a difference in Boston.

Tyler Seguin was born on January 31, 1992 in Brampton, Ontario Canada. He began his minor hockey career with the Whitby Wildcats of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. In his Bantam year Tyler moved to Toronto to play with the Minor Midget Toronto Young Nationals, where even though Tyler was in his Bantam year he played up to the Minor Midget level. Seguin also played the following year with the Toronto young nationals, this time as a Minor Midget. The following year Seguin made the jump to OHL (Ontario Hockey League), where he was selected 9th overall in the 2008 OHL Priority Selection Draft by the Plymouth Whalers. Tyler chose to forego a Collegiate athletic experience by joining the Whalers in the 2008-2009 season. In his first season as an OHL’er Tyler struggled offensively, scoring only 1 goal in his first 17 games. After a coaching change Tyler finally found his place on the team. Under the new coach, Mike Vellucci, Seguin moved up the first line where he began to strive offensively. Scoring 58 points in his final 41 games Seguin helped the Whalers make it to the second round in the OHL playoffs at the very young age of 17.

Striving to improve in his second season in the OHL Tyler spent the off season training. As the 2009-2010 OHL season began it was easy to tell that Tyler’s hard work during the off season had paid off. Seguin opened the season with 36 points in the first 18 games until his season was halted by a hip injury. Even though Tyler was sidelined with a bruised hip, his early season offensive breakout led to him being placed at number one by The NHL Central Scouting as the top prospect in November rankings. After the November rankings Tyler fell to number two, behind Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires. Despite slipping in the ranks Tyler finished out the 2009-2010 OHL season with a strong 106 points on goals, and 58 assists winning the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the highest points scoring player in the OHL that season. Finishing off the season strongly led Seguin to being ranked as the top North American skater in the 2010 draft class.

As the 2010 NHL Entry Draft approached the question on everybody’s mind was “Taylor or Tyler?”. When the big night arrived Taylor Hall went first overall, just as the scouts predicted, to the Edmonton Oilers. Next up in the draft to select, the Boston Bruins. As Peter Chiarelli walked down the aisles towards the stage every Bruins fan knew who it was going to be. Chiarelli did as predicted and selected Tyler Seguin at number two overall. Seguin made his way to the stage with a smile across his face. “Going to an Original Six [team] and the town and market that Boston is in it’s a pretty big honor.” Said Tyler following being picked at number two by Boston.

Two months later Seguin made his big debut in Boston at the Bruins 2010 development camp. I was personally at all three days of development camp, and let me tell you Tyler was a sight to see. I had never seen Ristuccia Rink fuller than those three days of camp. As soon as Tyler’s skates hit the ice the stands broke out into a cheer of excitement. The coaching staff ran drills and I often found myself with eyes glued on Seguin. His speed and agility are simply captivating at times. He put effort into each and every drill, often with a look of determination on his face. Even as the exercises got lengthier and more difficult Seguin pushed through and completed them with what seemed as ease. After development camp came the 2010 Bruins rookie games held at the TD Banknorth Garden on September 15th & 16th. A predicted attendance to night one of the two games was around four or five thousand fans. The actual attendance on night one was well over the predicted amount. 11,751 fans attended rookie game one of two between the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders. Seguin finished game one with two assists on the night as the Bruins beat the Islanders 5-2 with a hat trick from Jordan Caron, as well as goals from Lane MacDermid and Max Sauve. As night two approached nobody thought the attendance at the Garden would rise, well it surely did. On night two of the rookie games 14,180 fans piled into the Garden for a two night combined total of 25,651 fans. The Bruins rookies once again were victorious over the Islanders on night two with a final overtime score of 2-1.

There’s no question that the hype and excitement over Tyler Seguin and the Bruins increased chances of success are what drove up fan attendance at the 2010 Rookie games. These two games are only a precursor to what the 2010-2011 NHL season will be like in Boston. As a young 18 year old star tries to find his place on an NHL team the Bruins will reap the benefits. No, Tyler Seguin will not solely deliver the Bruins to success, but he will help them out tremendously. It’s October now, and it’s Tyler time in Boston.

Another season, another heartbreak

No matter how many times it happens it will hurt no less. Even if you expect it to happen you can’t avoid the emptiness you feel after its over. No, I’m not talking about a relationship ending or a bad break up. I’m talking about the Boston Bruins and their ever so common trend of breaking their fans’ hearts season after season. After last years game 7 OT loss to the Carolina Hurricanes I had hope for the Bruins this season after they gained some much needed playoff experience. But they proved me wrong once again and blew it in the second round. Providing all of Bruins nation with another disappointing end of season heartbreak.

It was looking up for Boston towards the end of the regular season and into the first round of the playoffs. The offense was starting to heat up at just the right time and the defense was shutting down opposing offenses at any chance they got. Winning six out of their last ten regular season games, and in the four losses letting in two or less goals, the playoffs looked bright for Boston. They soon learned that their round one playoff opponent would be the number three seeded Buffalo Sabres. Although a lot of people doubted the Bruins they came ready to play. Despite dropping game one in disappointing fashion scoring one lonely goal the Bruins roared back and scored five in game two. With the series even at 1-1 it was back to Boston.

Everyone in Boston knew how hard it was to win at home for the Bruins this season. That didn’t matter as Boston took games three and four at the Garden. Game four being that double overtime thriller resulting in the Bruins winning 3-2. As the series traveled back to Buffalo with the Bruins leading 3-1 the Sabres were not about to lay down and die. Game five went to the Sabres as they handed the Bruins an embarrassing 4-1 loss. As game 6 approached the Bruins were set on closing out the series at home. They did just that with a 4-3 win in front of a noisy home crowd at the Garden. As soon as the Bruins knew they were advancing to the next round the Philadelphia Flyers were already waiting to get the series started. Rolling right over the New Jersey Devils and Martin Brodeur 4-1 in the series the Flyers were amped up and waiting for Boston.

Nobody expected the first three games to be won by Boston, but that’s exactly how it went. Game one being another overtime thriller with the winning goal scored by the one and only Marc Savard making his triumphant return from his concussion. Boston’s offense began to heat up and managed to score more than one goal a game, as we all saw them struggling the entire season. Games two and three also went to Boston with scores of 3-2 and 4-1. One more game was all that was needed to finish of the Flyers, but the Boston just couldn’t get it done. Games four, five, six, and seven all went to Broad Street. With scores of 5-4, 4-0, 2-1, and 4-3 the Bruins playoff fire was extinguished in an extremely disappointing fashion. They made history as the 2009-2010 Boston Bruins became the third team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead. Not to mention the extreme irony that was game seven. The score exactly paralleled the series, as the Bruins blew a 3-0 goal lead in game seven exactly as they had done in the series.

So what went so wrong? The blame cannot be pinned on one player or one person in particular. It seemed as if with a 3-0 series lead Boston felt as if they had it in the bag, well that proved to obviously not be true. The heart and drive that the Bruins had in round one as well as the first three games of round two diminished slowly as the series continued. When Philly won game four they suddenly had life, a reason to keep playing on. A big part of Boston’s demise can be contributed to giving Philly that life. After losing game four I began to panic a bit at the thought of blowing a 3-0 series lead, that was the problem Boston did not panic at all. Even when game seven came along they were still not panicking. Players were quoted saying “We just have to go out there and play our game, and have fun.” After dropping three consecutive games you think they might change it up a bit in order to get that game seven win.

Game seven couldn’t of started out better for Boston, jumping out to a 3-1 lead going into the second. But once again they allowed the Flyers to score a goal late and regain some life. Can you see a trend happening here? Heading into the third period the score was tied at 3-3 and once again the Bruins failed to score that lone goal that would have been the game and ultimately series winner. After giving the Flyers life in the first period their series ended with a 4-3 defeat handed to them on home ice. The Garden was stunned as the Bruins hung their heads in shame.

As the lights went out in the Garden the Bruins season was abruptly over. Leaving all of Boston wondering “How many seasons of this can we take?” It’s as if the Bruins would show their fans a light at the end of the tunnel and then give up and suddenly there’s nothing but darkness left. It’s safe to say there’s some changes that need to be made in Boston. No I’m not saying fire Julien or get rid of Chara, but bring in a goal scorer and give fourth line players fourth line minutes. Expect more out of your “top guns” and settle for nothing less. Not to mention that when momentum is on your side you need to take advantage of it. The 2009-2010 Boston Bruins season has ended in dramatic, disappointing fashion as so many previous season have. Despite that fact we all know that when the 2010-2011 season rolls around we will all once again tune into NESN and hope for Stanley’s return.

Oh yeah, one more question, Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin?

"They Don't Play Hockey In Heaven"

Have you ever been flipping through the channels and land on E News? Do you recall seeing a news correspondent named Ken Baker? If you have then you’ll be just as surprised as I was to learn about Bakers pro Hockey career. I recently purchased a book titled “They Don’t Play Hockey in Heaven. A dream, a team, and my comeback season” written by Ken Baker, for an independent reading project assigned in English. I figured the only way I was actually going to read a book is if it was about something interesting, like hockey. But what I found out while reading the story was more than I had ever expected. “They Don’t Play Hockey in Heaven” is a must read for all Hockey players and fans.

Growing up in Buffalo Baker’s pro Hockey dreams started at a very young age, eight years old to be exact. Skating on the endless frozen ponds and lakes in Buffalo during the winter Baker knew he had “Ice in his veins”. He also knew that he did not want to be a forward or defensemen, instead he opted for the most important position there is on a Hockey team, the goalie. In his teenage years Baker had plenty of success on the ice. When he was 14 Baker earned a spot in the United States Olympic Development Program, having been identified as one of the nation’s top young goaltenders. Then at age 17 Baker was selected as the starting goalie for the United States under-17 national team and won the championship. In that championship game Baker set a personal record for most pucks stopped in his career, he was scouted by dozens of NHL and College coaches.

Baker attended Colgate University and played on the men’s Hockey team there from 1989-1992. Baker’s college hockey career did not go as planned when he began suffering from dizzy spells and a decreased reaction time, which for a competitive goalie landed him a spot on the bench. In his four years at Colgate Baker played a total of 14 games and had a 4.89 goals against average. At the end of his College Hockey career frustration had mounted to the point that Baker swore he would never play hockey again. Five years later Baker was diagnosed at the age of 27 with a pituitary gland tumor that was located at the base of his brain. The tumor was to blame for Baker’s decline in health, decreased playing abilities, and lack of muscle growth all throughout college. In June of 1998 Baker underwent surgery to have the tumor removed, the surgery was successful.

Eighteen months after the tumor was removed Baker had a dream that would change his life forever. “The Dream” depicted Baker making a magnificent glove save off of a hard slap shot back in his college days. When he awoke Baker came to the conclusion that he was not done with the sport of hockey and that he was still completely in love with it. He began with playing in adult leagues in the San Francisco area where he lived and spent the next year fulfilling his dream of playing pro hockey.

Baker played a total of 61 minutes of pro hockey, split between two teams, sixty with the Bakersfield Condors of the WCHL and one minute with the Quad City Mallards of the UHL. Baker won both games and had fulfilled his lifelong dream of being a pro hockey player. He retired after that season and has since been working on his journalism and entertainment career.

At one point in his life Ken Baker had fallen out of love with hockey. He thought that there was no way that the roughest sport in the world could ever be played in heaven, but when he came to love the game again Baker described Hockey as “Heavenly”. “They Don’t Play Hockey in Heaven. A dream, a Team, and My comeback season” is a funny and exciting depiction of Bakers journey back to the great game of Hockey. I recommend this book not only to fans and players of hockey, but to anyone interested in reading a truly inspiring story.

Patrick Roy vs Martin Brodeur, MVG (most valuable goalie)

High powered offense, strong physical defense, superb special teams. Your team may have all of these assets and never have the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. What goes along with great offense and defense like peanut butter goes with jelly? A confident, and willing goaltender.

For example, take a look at the 2009 Stanley Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made it possible for the Pens to bring the Cup back to the fans at the Igloo. Fleury made timely saves when his team needed him the most. As the Pens edged the Red Wings and disappointed all of “Hockey Town” by winning the Stanley Cup Finals series 4-3, you could say Fleury, along with the high powered offense and defense, stole the Penguins their franchise’s third Cup.

When you think of NHL goaltenders in the iconic sense, who comes to mind? Not necessarily your favorite netminder, but the one who leaves you speechless night after night? The guy who has been in the league forever and is still fascinating to watch in every minute he plays. On the topic of iconic goaltenders, there’s two names that come to mind: Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur.

Patrick Jacques Roy born October 5, 1965, in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada is known to most hockey fans as the goalie who popularized the butterfly style of goaltending. Roy began his career in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens in 1984 and played there until 1995. During that span he won two Cups with the Canadiens along with winning three Vezina trophies. Roy was also the only player to ever win the Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP in the Stanley Cup Playoffs) three times, two while he was in Montreal and one in Colorado. While Roy played for the Canadiens he was more often than not their most valuable player. After Roy was traded to the Avalanche, amidst tension between himself and then Coach Mario Tremblay, the Canadiens are said to be under “The curse of St. Patrick”. Roy played his last game in net wearing a Canadians uniform on December 2, 1995. The Canadiens lost that game 11-1, the worst home game in franchise history. Three days later Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.

In his very first season with the Avalanche Roy helped Colorado to the organization’s first Stanley Cup victory, Roy then went on to win the Cup one final time in 2001. While in Colorado it was evident Roy’s style of play didn’t change much at all. Roy was known to be emotionally attached to games and would let it be known if he was unhappy with the results. Just what exactly makes Patrick Roy an iconic goalie? The fact that he is the only player to ever win the Conn Smythe Trophy three times? Or maybe it’s the fact that his #33 is retired in Montreal as well as Colorado. Plus, you can’t forget his four Stanley Cup victories. There is no doubt about it, Patrick Roy’s career in the NHL was iconic.

Martin Pierre Brodeur born May 6, 1972 from Montreal Canada has spent all of his NHL career as a New Jersey Devil. Brodeur was known for his puck handling behind the net and is remembered as the goalie who caused the newly-implemented trapezoid. During his 14 seasons with the Devils, Brodeur has led the team to three Stanley Cup Championship wins and has racked up over 30 franchise records including most regular season wins, most overtime wins, most consecutive 30-win seasons, most consecutive 35-win seasons, most 40 win seasons, most total minutes played by an NHL goaltender (achieved during the 2009-10 season), only goalie to score a game winning goal, most wins in a single season, and most shutouts in a playoff. Not mentioning his four Vezina trophy wins in 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008. There’s no other way to put it than Martin Brodeur is simply a great goaltender. No matter how close the puck is to the back of the net Brodeur always finds a way to make the stop. During his career Brodeur has won many games and set many records in just 14 seasons and can still put on quite a show while in the crease. No debate here, Martin Brodeur is an iconic goalie at the least.

So who would you choose for most valuable goalie of all time? Would it be the high tempered, confident Patrick Roy? Or will it be the calm and cool, record holder Martin Brodeur? My pick goes to Patrick Roy simply because he cared about the game like no other. Some people might even goes as far to say that he was greedy in the sense of winning. He demanded every start and would settle for nothing less than the best. Don’t get me wrong Martin Brodeur is an extremely valuable goalie indeed, but he cannot top the will that Patrick Roy played with. Maybe someday Brodeur will overcome Roy, but as for now Patrick Roy is the most valuable goalie of all time in my mind.

Weigh the sides and take your pick, most valuable goalie of all time: Roy or Brodeur?

Whats a win?

Times are tough in Boston, and I’m not talking about the economy. With each game the frustration for Bruins fans grows. It’s safe to say we’re starved for wins, and lets face it goals too. The lack luster Bruins have dropped nine of their last ten games and are currently on a seven game loosing streak. The B’s have plunged to as low as 12^th place in the Eastern Conference standings, four spots out of the playoffs. You know times are tough when the worst team in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes, can beat you 5-1. As the Olympic break approaches in February Boston needs to flip the switch to on and get into gear.

Players are simply not doing their jobs. Dennis Wideman, for example, is having the worst season I’ve seen a defensemen have ever. He cannot handle the puck, or skate in a straight line without falling down to save his own life. When interviewed recently Dennis was quoted saying “I always have trouble focusing.” and laughed it off with a smile. That’s just the problem at hand, players need to buckle down and focus. Score goals, however dirty they may be, and strive for the 2 points every single game. The effort and focus is not with the Bruins right now , and unless they do something to change this it will cause their untimely demise.

In the 2008-2009 season the Bruins’ offense powered them to 1^st place in the East ,although many of the same players are still on the team, that offense is long gone. Vezina winning goalie Tim Thomas is struggling to say the least. You can expect your goaltender to let in at least one goal, maybe two, a game. That’s where the offense is supposed to step in and match that goal plus a couple more to secure the win. It’s hard for a goalie to gain confidence and get wins when the offense in front of him is scoring at most one goal a game. Not to mention Norris trophy winning defensemen Zdeno Chara and the rest of the Boston defense are also hitting all time lows. The more productive the offense can get the more confident the defense and goaltenders will feel. In return the entire Bruins organization will reap the benefits.

Boston is falling short of expectations and predictions this season by far. In order to change this ongoing trend of scoring slumps goals need to be scored. It might sound a bit harsh to be criticizing like this but after all you’ve got to remember the Bruins were predicted to win a cup this season. There not out of it yet but they’re not in it either. “Go Go Black and Gold.”