What would it mean to win the Stanley Cup?

(insert your own Gary Bettman/Stanley Cup joke here)

Which ever of the four remaining teams wins the Stanley Cup this year, there will be several first-time winners on that team's roster.  That means a very special moment in a team and players' history is just a few weeks away from happening.  Winning the Stanley Cup is often a dream realized by many NHL players and coaches, so let's take a look at just what it would mean to win the Cup.


Brad Richards - He's prepared a speech to give in the locker room after the game, in which he'll talk about what winning the Cup means to him.  Meanwhile, John Tortorella and Ruslan Fedotenko will just roll their eyes.

Shane Doan - After spending his day with the Cup, he'll be awfully confused as to why all of his equipment has been postmarked "Quebec City."

Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Justin Williams, John Stevens - After winning the Cup, they've planned to meet outside their local Philly bar, but they won't be able to figure out why everyone in Philly keeps cursing out New Jersey.

Martin Brodeur - He'd obviously like a fourth Cup, but nobody has been able to figure out why he keeps Patrick Roy's number waiting on speed dial.

Mike Smith - He'd love to win the Stanley Cup, because it'd give him another large object to slam LA Kings' players with repeatedly.

Top 10 Video Special - Players Who Changed Teams This Summer

Okay, the Top 10 DGA Video Series has returned for the ninth edition of the blog's existance.  This one is a bit random, but since readers enjoy them, I'll give this one a chance.  If you feel that this post is stupid and pointless, please leave a comment below, tweet to me, write on my Facebook page or e-mail me with a better idea for next time.  Until then, here's a look at ten players who switched teams during this past off-season and one moment that they aren't necessarily proud of with their old team, although some of these moments are something to be proud of.  Whatever...


10. Niclas Bergfors

Old team - Florida Panthers
New team - Nashville Predators

Steve Ott crushes Niclas Bergfors back when Bergfors played for the.......umm, well let's just call them the Winnipeg Jets.

9. Ilya Bryzgalov

Old team - Phoenix Coyotes
New team - Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers haven't seen a decent goalie in nearly 15 years.  Now they have the league's richest goalie.  What he does here is a little unusual, but effective nonetheless.

8. Jeff Halpern

Old team - Montreal Canadiens
New team - Washington Capitals

Jeff Halpern gets crushed in Game 7.

7. Eric Belanger

Old team - Phoenix Coyotes
New team - Edmonton Oilers

Eric Belanger isn't just a third line center, just as this isn't just a boring fight.

6. Maxime Talbot

Old team - Pittsburgh Penguins
New team - Philadelphia Flyers

Eric Brewer mistakens Talbot for Gary Bettman and destroys him.

5. Christian Ehrhoff

Old team - Vancouver Canucks
New team - Buffalo Sabres

There's one thing in common between Ehrhoff's new team and old team: they combine to have the same number of Stanley Cups as Sean Avery's IQ number.

4. Jamie Langenbrunner

Old team - Dallas Stars
New team - St. Louis Blues

Langenbrunner shows his play-making abilities in a unique way against the Islanders (only watch the first goal).

3. Brad Richards

Old team - Dallas Stars
New team - New York Rangers

Is Richards just another Glen Sather mistake?  Well, I can't say that now, but I know he can do this.

2. Dany Heatley

Old team - San Jose Sharks
New team - Minnesota Wild

I'm not sure what's more common: Dany Heatley requesting a trade or Niklas Kronwall doing this.

1. Tomas Kaberle

Old team - Boston Bruins
New team - Carolina Hurricanes

Many people felt that Kaberle didn't have a strong stint with the Bruins.  This particular moment doesn't exactly disprove that notion.

NHL Player's Free Agent Survey

Every year, the NHL surveys the summer’s free agents and asks the players who have either re-signed with their previous team or signed with a new team a series of questions to better understand why players chose the teams that they did.  I have obtained a copy of the survey and will share it with you.

 (Superstars Brad Richards only) Why did you sign with the team that you did?

a)      I wanted to win, and I feel that I have that chance in New York

b)      I wasn’t going to Los Angeles!

c)      Honestly, I was able to cash in big-time

d)      It was the right decision for me and my family

If you selected “A,” tell us why you really signed with the team that you did.

a)      I wasn’t going to Los Angeles!

b)      Honestly, I was able to cash in big-time

c)      It was the right decision for me and my family

(All players) What are you looking forward to most next season?

a)      Meeting my new teammates and coaches

b)      Finding the new hot spots in my new team’s city

c)      Getting May and June off perennially (Toronto, Florida, NY Islanders and Edmonton players only)

d)      Opening night!

Seriously, do you actually intend to play out the entire length of your contract?

a)      Of course, I would never participate in salary cap circumvention…whatever that means

b)      I signed with an Atlantic division team, so of course!

c)      Not really, in fact, I’m playing for a year and then leaving the NHL

What would be the biggest achievement for you with your new team?

a)      Winning a Stanley Cup, obviously

b)      Winning a major award (i.e. Hart, Rocket Richard, Art Ross, Norris, Vezina, etc.)

c)      Surviving the cold winters (Does not apply to players of teams south of Winnipeg, unless you’re Dany Heatley)

d)      Being the player’s representative at the team’s annual 1^st Overall Draft Pick party (Edmonton players only)

What is your top personal goal for yourself next season?

a)      Outscore Marian Gaborik

b)      Not get hit by flying waffles all season

c)      Not getting made fun of by the Green Men all season

d)      Not miss players’ meetings and become a healthy scratch that night

What’s your favorite part of your pre-game ritual?

a)      The locker room pep-talk

b)      Shooting pucks into the Canucks’ goal during warm-ups

c)      Facing the media (Anyone who actually selects this will be subject to suspension)

d)      Free food from the waiters in the press box!

How do you spend your off-days?

a)      Sleeping

b)      Making public appearances and community service work to improve my public image

c)      At the rink, working with the coaching staff

d)      Wondering who has the best public viewing parties for the NHL playoffs

Was the team you signed with your first choice?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Aside from the Maple Leafs, Rangers, Red Wings, Capitals, Penguins, Sharks, pretty much

d)      No, but man, their General Manager had a very deep checkbook

Finally, where are you taking this survey?

a)      At a computer at my team’s arena

b)      On my Smart Phone while driving down the freeway

c)      From my home

d)      From my parents’ basement

Thank you for participating in our survey.  We are always trying to learn from our players to improve the experience for future players, so basically, you don’t benefit from this at all…but thanks anyway.

Who is the best player in the NHL right now?

For the first half of the season, Sidney Crosby was the best player in the NHL. Following his injury, Steven Stamkos exploded, and some believed he was the best player in the league, but as of today, who's the best player the league has to offer? Check out my analysis.


Henrik & Daniel Sedin - Some NHL statisticians have been claiming that they may have mixed up some of the points awarded to Daniel Sedin. They said something about not being able to tell him apart from his linemate. Ironically enough, they said the same think about Henrik. Excuses...

Steven Stamkos - While he's a nice guy, he didn't have to take measures to such extremes as to cool off his goal scoring to wait for Sidney Crosby to come back from his concussion. This has Martin St. Louis annoyed.

Alex Ovechkin - Ovechkin leads the NHL in shots, yet he has managed to be tied with a NY Islander, John Tavares, for 21st in the NHL in goals, and trails another Islander, Michael Grabner, overall. Another interesting point is that while they may live in the same city, it may be tougher for Ovechkin to visit the White House than teams from far away.

Corey Perry - While Perry is talented, he hasn't managed to take a big step into becoming a true NHL star. How do you accomplish that? Have your name mentioned on ESPN at least once a year.

Mikhail Grabovski - Hey, just because he's the best player on the Leafs does not automatically mean he's the best player in the NHL...

Henrik Zetterberg - He doesn't lead the league in any statistical categories, but I'd love to know what he wears to games on gameday, especially after pulling this off at his wedding. http://bit.ly/eiVofr

Matt Cooke - Amazingly, this pesky dirty forward does not lead his team in suspended games.

Loui Eriksson - Two thoughts come to mind when thinking about Eriksson, especially to the casual hockey fan, and it can't be both. Who? OR Most talented athlete in the state of Texas. Actually, I'm pretty sure nobody in Texas thinks that...

Brad Richards - Yes, Richards is having another great season, but consider 2 things: He's un unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and might be signed by the NY Rangers. Glen Sather then overpays for Richards, and Richards becomes bust #2334 in New York, just behind Wade Redden and Carl Pavano.

Sidney Crosby - He didn't have enough time to lock up the Art Ross trophy before he got knocked out, but I'll tell you what he does have plenty of time to do right now: develop normal facial hair. When he does, he'll have to teach Jeff Skinner how to do it.

Paul Bissonnette - These days, people are judged by how many followers they have on Twitter, right?

Eric Staal - Not sure about Eriksson in Texas, but it's safe to say Eric Staal is North Carolina's most talented athlete, yes, including college basketball. I don't think any Carolina Panthers will be upset or insulted that I said that...once someone tells them who Eric Staal is.

Keith Yandle - The 24 year old has 41 assists in 59 games from the blue line, trailing 3 Swedes and St. Louis in the league. Now, put him on a team with real offensive players, and he's a superstar.

Brandon Dubinsky - Dubinsky is tied with Lucic for the NHL lead in empty net goals.

Dustin Byfuglien - If he was an actual defenseman, his stats would be quite impressive, but he's not, nor is he a candidate for the Selke Trophy. Still, I figured I'd include him because I remembered how to spell his name correctly.

Sean Avery - Whoa, I have no idea how that got there.

Chris Pronger - His ability to shatter fellow players and intimidate them just by being in the same state has to draw some consideration. That may reveal why Crosby and Malkin will be out so long.

Ilya Kovalchuk - Only Couture has more game-winning goals than Ilya, nobody has more overtime goals than Kovy, he's also scored the first goal of a game seven times, and he only has one empty net goal. Since he has 4 game winners over the past two weeks, and he's got points in 9 straight games, goals in 4 straight, as well as 11 goals during the Devils' 14-1-2 run, I conclude that Kovalchuk is the best player in the league right now...no bias.