AHL- Apolyton Hockey League 07/08: VII Da da da, da da daa, da da da, da daa da daa

[Ben Kenobi]

Linden? No.

Neither will Iginla.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Linden? No.

Neither will Iginla.

Of course, I disagree.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Kontiki


Why would he?

Because he was almost a point per game at his peak, and that was with the disadvantage of playing with players like Pavel Bure!

[Ben Kenobi]

Of course, I disagree.

I'm shocked!

[Asher]

So I guess the question isn't "Can Vancouver take the division title" now, it's "Can Vancouver make the playoffs"?

[Asher]

Leopold's injured again...shocker.

He's a good d-man but he's just so brittle since he left Calgary.

That Tanguay-Leopold trade gets better every year.

57 games, 17 points, +2 in the last two seasons
vs 154 games, 137 pts, +24...

[Flubber]

SO

Minny 4 GR 91
Flames 5 GR 90
Stars 6 GR 89 (amazing they are in the mix)
Avs 4 GR 88
Canucks 5 GR 86
Preds 5 GR 84
Oilers 4 GR 83


If the teams ahead of the OIl average a point per game, the only team the OIl can catch for a playoff spot is the Canucks if they go 4-0 ( I believe Edm wins the tiebreak??) So its at the point where they pretty much NEED to go undefeated and need some help

The Preds are in much better shape despite being only a point up due to the additional game left to play but need a wicked finish

[Ninot]

Meanwhile, Habs are best in the east

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Ninot
Meanwhile, Habs are best in the east

and I love every second of it. The combination of a good Habs team and a flailing Leafs team fills my heart with joy

[Asher]

The Phaneuf hype train is coming through. I don't think he'll get Norris this year (Lidstrom will own that, 99% sure), but he will be the next Lidstrom (but a lot more fun to watch).

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c6d906c1-1616-47e4-b795-ebca0c6b25ae

In the shadow of greatness
Phaneuf looks like Lidstrom's Norris heir
Jean LeFebvre and Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald

In the shadow of greatness
Phaneuf looks like Lidstrom's Norris heir
Jean LeFebvre and Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald

Minus perennial winner Lidstrom, could the future be now?

The Flames' fan base certainly thought so, flooding message-boards with hopeful tidings of such a coronation for the 22-year-old wunderkind.

The Flames club sure is thinking along those lines as a promotional campaign to tout Phaneuf's candidacy for the top-defenceman prize was formulated.

Lidstrom wound up missing only a half-dozen contests and his quest for a sixth Norris award was only slightly slowed, but the push for Phaneuf still has plenty of steam, thanks in no small part to the youngster's second-half surge.

After an atypically slow start in the goal-scoring department -- six tallies in 50 contests -- Phaneuf has buried 11 pucks in the next 27, including three game-winners.

It's hard to downplay the "wow" factor of Phaneuf's recent exploits. His end-to-end shorthanded marker against Minnesota in front of a national TV audience on Saturday was an instant classic and a strong candidate for goal of the year.

His top-corner detonation against world-class netminder Roberto Luongo on Tuesday not only capped a Flames comeback, it launched the Calgarians into sole occupancy of top spot in the ultra-snug Northwest Division.

In between those goal-scoring heroics, his rude treatment of Peter Forsberg -- even if it was in a losing cause -- attracted plenty of attention and reinforced that coarse aspect of his reputation.

Even before this latest outburst, Phaneuf was already one of the NHL's most youtube-able, highlight-of-the-week-able, holy-cow-able performers.

That kind of notoriety tends to get a fellow noticed.

"I'm going to vote him No. 1," said an Eastern Conference member of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, the group responsible for selecting most major award winners, including the Norris. "(There's) no better combination of skill and nastiness that makes you afraid to go into the corner."

However, loyalty to Lidstrom -- amply supported by statistical and anecdotal evidence -- dies hard.

Try plus-41. Try 66 points. Try 58 assists. Try 35 even-strength points. All chart-toppers in spite of the three-week hiatus.

And so, the love for Detroit's No. 5 remains.

Witness these testimonials from correspondents around the Western Conference who most often see Lidstrom's wizardry in person:

"I have to give my vote to Nicklas Lidstrom based upon how damn good he is and how damn bad the Red Wings were without him."

"My vote will go to Lidstrom, who is on pace to finish plus-47, with 76 points. He is never out of position, contains opposing forwards night after night, has a shot from the point that is both accurate and hard, and rarely makes a mistake."

"Nick Lidstrom should win the Norris trophy, again. When he was out with his sprained knee for three weeks, the Wings went in the tank. He's still the best because he makes it look so easy."

"Lidstrom is still the best and will be getting my vote."

"I'm leaning towards Lidstrom right now because I think he makes the most impact on the best team in hockey, but Phaneuf is very close."

"I think Phaneuf warrants consideration and brings dimensions to the game that Nick Lidstrom doesn't, but I'll be leaning towards Lidstrom based on his consistency, poise and his ability to control a game at both ends of the ice. Plus-40 is hard to ignore. Can't see Phaneuf not winning a Norris in the near future."

The latter sentiment is echoed by other voters who are filing Phaneuf's name away for future reference. Getting this level of attention at this early stage of his career is already a remarkable achievement. Earning a place as a finalist is realistic.

"I think Phaneuf will almost certainly win a Norris within the next three to five years," said one scribe.

"Phaneuf will win three or four before he retires," chimes in another.

"I see Phaneuf in the picture now, which means a win is a year or two down the road," ventured a third.

"Will Phaneuf ever win a Norris?" wonders one notepad-toter. "Yeah, I would certainly think so -- if Lidstrom ever retires."

That said, it can be a long way from here to there.

Along with that spectacular one-goal, three-point, plus-4, 31-minute night against Minnesota, there's the occasional minus-3 nightmare like a defensively adventurous evening in Columbus just a few days prior.

"He can go one of two ways," offered one veteran scribbler. "He can become Scott Stevens. Or he can become Ed Jovanovski, and be a pretty good player, but not that defining kind of guy.

"I guess he's got a shot (at the 2008 Norris), but the reason he has a shot is because he does the things that people look at. He's dynamic with shooting the puck. He hits people the way they used to in the six-team league. That's the kind of stuff that people see all the time.

"Is he the best defenceman in the Western Conference? No. Is he the best defenceman on his team? Probably not. Is he the most influential and dynamic? Yes. He's got a lot of time to win Norris trophies, but I think he's a little too green, a little too uneven in his own end to put him in that kind of class -- even given all the injuries (Sergei Zubov, Lidstrom) and that (Scott) Niedermayer played only half a year.

"So I don't see Phaneuf in that class yet, no."

[Asher]

...after three straight losses and clinging to the final playoff spot with Nashville on a winning streak and just 2 points back...Luongo leaves the team to go visit his pregnant wife in Florida and Brendan Morrison is out 4-6 weeks with a torn ACL.

Does it bother any Canucks fans that Luongo's family didn't move with him to Vancouver? With a newborn and a hot wife like he has, wouldn't surprise me if he requested a trade back to the East next season.

[Flubber]

THat Norris article reflects my thinking. Phaneuf is damn good but he's not the best in the league yet . . . a little too inconsistent for that

PLus Lidstrom is AMAZING

[Asher]

This video is awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sqvis2Z7DU

The year: 1999
The country: Finland
The players: Jaarko Ruutu, Toni Lydman, Brian Rafalski
The goalies: Tim Thomas, Miikka Kiprusoff
The act: Tim Thomas performs a great chicken

For highlights, see ~7:55

"It was funny actually," Kiprusoff said Thursday morning when asked about the wild and woolly affair. "We were leading 5-0 in the finals and he wants to fight me? It was kind of bad timing.

"But it was a good series. It was tough and we were able to win. It's a good memory. (Helsinki won the championship) the year before and we were underdogs, but we were able to win. That's one of my best hockey memories right there."

[Ben Kenobi]

...after three straight losses and clinging to the final playoff spot with Nashville on a winning streak and just 2 points back...Luongo leaves the team to go visit his pregnant wife in Florida and Brendan Morrison is out 4-6 weeks with a torn ACL.

Does it bother any Canucks fans that Luongo's family didn't move with him to Vancouver? With a newborn and a hot wife like he has, wouldn't surprise me if he requested a trade back to the East next season.

You watch more Canuck games then Calgary games.

Do you have something you have to admit Asher?

[Asher]

Huh?

Because I actually keep up on what's going on in the NHL I watch more Vancouver games than Calgary?

This is what hockey fans do, Ben, they pay attention to the whole league and not just one team.