Charles Wang's notes from the Brooklyn press conference

Charles Wang indicating the number of people
who are sad to leave Nassau Coliseum.

Once upon a time, the 1980s happened.  Gas prices were cheap[er], people were having terrible crises with their hair and the New York Islanders were relevant.  But since winning four straight Stanley Cup championships to kick off that decade, they've pretty much been a joke.  Nowadays, a trip to the playoffs for the Islanders is as rare as Rick DiPietro playing consecutive games (that's your unoriginal and quite honestly terrible joke about Rick DiPietro for the day).  Now though, the Islanders have decided that the best way to forget their misery is to move west and abandon Nassau County and the awful concrete slab of an arena that sits in it.  The Islanders are moving to Brooklyn.

Islanders owner Charles Wang held a press conference to announce the move to Brooklyn to those who don't have Twitter accounts.  I wasn't there, but thanks to some friends in the media business, I obtained a copy of Charles Wang's notes from the presser, and I'm here to share them with you.

Remembering the 2011-12 regular season

The next GM of the Montreal Canadiens...very hard at work.

For 14 of the NHL's 30 teams, this is the final week of their season.  After this week, they'll all go
their separate ways for the summer.  In other words, they'll all go to various golf courses until September, apparently.  So let's take a look at the teams that will not be taking part in the playoffs, and remember each of their seasons.


Montreal Canadiens - This season has been "échec" in Montreal, or as Randy Cunneyworth likes to say: failure.  But hey, at least they got their money's worth out of Scott Gomez this season!


New York Islanders - The Long Island rebuild continues.  Or maybe it hasn't started yet, since Nassau Coliseum is unfortunately still standing.  With their young talent, they should be good in the near future.  Maybe...


Columbus Blue Jackets - This season was the beginning and end of Jeff Carter's career in Columbus.  What's quite unfortunate is that if Rick Nash gets traded, the Jackets might have to force Steve Mason into the All-Star Game in their own building next season.


Tampa Bay Lightning - Guy Boucher gave up on the 1-3-1 midway through the season, but those five minutes of stalemate in the Flyers game easily cost Steven Stamkos two or three goals.

How to be a good road fan at an NHL game

 

Yes, it is proven to be more entertaining to be places where you're not wanted.  Just ask Sean Avery.

 Last night, I was a part of the Devils Generals' group that invaded Nassau Coliseum.  As much as Devils fans get annoyed when groups of visiting fans chant for their teams at Prudential Center, our cheers were loud and at times, well, obnoxious.  It got me thinking, how do you be a good road fan when you're on the road with your favorite team?  I've come up with a list of do's and don't's.


DO: Cheer when your team's players step onto the ice for warm-ups.
DON'T: Bang on the glass when Zdeno Chara is nearby, as you might be killed.


DO: Hi-five other fans of your team when you see them walking around the arena.
DON'T: Hi-five Rick DiPietro.  You might break him.


DO: Bring your own food, since the food is probably over-priced at the arena.
DON'T: Bring waffles to the Air Canada Centre.  It just won't end well for you.


DO: Engage in educated hockey conversations with visiting fans.
DON'T: Ask a Penguins fan who their favorite player before 2005 was.  They'll give you a blank stare.


DO: Laugh off home fans who make fun of your team.
DON'T: Tell them that their team sucks, especially if your team is out of the playoffs.

Things that happen every 4 years

Pictured: 2 NHL toddlers.  Simon Gagne turns 8 today and Cam Ward turns 7.

It's leap day.  February 29th.  The day that comes every 4 years.  Since this day only happens every 4 years, I thought it would be appropriate to look at some other events that only occur every 4 years.  This was one of the simpler blogs posts I've written.  Take a look.

• Bob McKenzie screws up a trade on Twitter.
   
• Scott Gomez scores a goal...sometimes two.
   
• A Flyers goaltender posts a shutout.
   
• Henrik Lundqvist allows a goal.
   
• Peter Forsberg un-retires.
   
• The Devils go through 4 head coaches.
   
• Dany Heatley gets traded.  Twice.
   
• Leafs fans call for Ron Wilson's firing, two weeks after petitioning to the NHL for his Adam Trophy nomination.
   
• The Islanders win a playoff series. 

Comparing the NHL stretch run and MLB Spring Training



Alex Rodriguez isn't the only Alex who's been distracted from his sport recently.



It's about this time of year that professional baseball players and major league-hopefuls are reporting to Arizona or Florida for MLB's annual Spring Training.  It's also this time of year that the NHL is preparing for the final stretch before the playoffs.  I figured there have to be some similarities and differences, and it turns out that I was right...well, sort of.


Similarity: The games are completely meaningless for teams from Washington D.C.
Difference: The Nationals could surprise everyone and compete for a playoff spot.


Similarity: Superstar players are meeting their new teams, either after free agency or trades.
Difference: Rick Nash expects to meet his very first full-time NHL team next week.


Similarity: Many teams are preparing for this season, while others are already looking towards next season.
Difference: For hockey fans in Phoenix, they are very, very afraid of next season.


Similarity: The New York teams are trying to build on the Giants' Superbowl victory by bringing the Big Apple more championships this year.
Difference: The Mets and Islanders sit off to the side awkwardly.


Similarity: Teams in both leagues are making trades to improve their team.
Difference: The Colorado Avalanche are getting manipulated miserably by Steve Yzerman.

Ex-Devils who returned to New Jersey

"Hey, remember when we played in New Jersey? Yeah, me neither."

As many players have moved on from New Jersey in their careers, Devils fans never forget them.  That's why, when the players return to New Jersey, we don't forget what they did and we usually give them some kind of acknowledgement.  Sometimes we cheer, sometimes we boo, and other times we didn't care enough about the guy to give a crap.  On Thursday, Jamie Langenbrunner and Jason Arnott (if he's healthy) will return to New Jersey.  Let's take a look at past Devils and how they were treated (or should have been treated) when they returned to New Jersey.


Brian Gionta - Gio signed a free agent contract with Montreal, and when he came back to New Jersey for the first time, Devils fans tried to cheer him when he was on the ice, but nobody could find him.

Scott Gomez - Gomer committed the unthinkable crime: he left New Jersey to sign a free agent contract with the rival Rangers.  Devils fans booed him mercilessly and have successfully laid the Curse of the Devils on him.  He no longer possesses the ability to score goals.  Job well done, Devils fans.

John Madden - When Madden returned to New Jersey with Minnesota, Devils fans wanted to give him an ovation, but the glare of his Stanley Cup ring from Chicago blinded many fans.

Brendan Shanahan - Shanahan's return to New Jersey was with St. Louis in 1991.  Devils fans cheered him and thanked him, because he became the franchise's MVP...for leaving.

Tom Kurvers - Kurvers was forever cheered and thanked, similarly to how Shanahan was honored, when he returned to New Jersey.

Scott Clemmensen - Clemmer saved the Devils' season in 2008-09 when Martin Brodeur went down, but when he returned with the Panthers, his goals against average was about 5.00, so we laughed.  And then cheered.  Then we laughed again.

Who are the worst players in the NHL?

Well, worst players other than this guy...

A common hockey discussion could center around who the best player in the NHL is right now.  Of course, it's always amusing to discuss the flashiest goal scorers and the best defensemen and goaltenders in the league, but sometimes those talks can become boring after a while.  That's why I've decided to dedicate a post all about the worst players in the NHL this season, as in players who either don't do anything or don't have it anymore.  Take a look at some of my nominations.


Brad Staubitz (MIN) - Here's a guy with no goals and no assists in 34 games this season.  Then again, considering the team he plays for, he isn't too far off the lead in scoring on his team.


Aaron Palushaj (MTL) - He's played 15 games this season and has yet to record a point.  Why is he still in the organization, then?  Well, at 5'11", he is one of the tallest forwards on the team.


Philippe Dupuis (TOR) - He may be pointless through 30 games this season, but Phil Kessel laughed and snapped his photo when he was picked last for a team scrimmage.


Eric Boulton (NJ) - It seems Lou Lamoriello signed Boulton simply to show his young players, such as Larsson and Henrique, what not to do on the ice during a game.


Trevor Lewis (LA) - After a career-high 13 points last season, it seems Lewis is suffering from Kings-syndrome with just a single point this season.

Other celebrities that practiced with an NHL team

Celebrities visiting NHL practices are nothing new, actually.

This week, two major figures in pop culture, Michael Buble and Justin Bieber, practiced with NHL teams: the Canucks and Maple Leafs, respectively.  While I'm not sure if Jake Gardiner personally requested to meet Bieber, I can tell you that celebrities and hockey teams have mixed in the past.  Take a look and you'll see what I mean.


New York Rangers - Some claim he plays hockey professionally, but either way, the New York Rangers have invited fashion superstar Sean Avery to many of their practices.  He's even made it into the Rangers' lineup a few times.


Los Angeles Kings - The Kings reportedly invited Leonardo DiCaprio to one of their practices, however the players and DiCaprio seemed to bond when the topic of never winning a major award was brought up.


Carolina Hurricanes - As training camp began for the Hurricanes last fall, a rumor was floating around the locker room that the Jonas Brothers had been invited to their camp, judging by the spike in teenage girls surrounding the team.  Then Jeff Skinner arrived and it all made sense.


Washington Capitals - President Obama met with the locals, the Washington Capitals recently, since he hasn't met with them over a Stanley Cup celebration.  At the end of the day, most people agreed that Obama and Alexander Semin have something in common: people want them out of town next year.

How the NHL can prevent shootouts

This week marked the 1,000th shootout in NHL history, which seems like a lot of shootouts, considering the format was established in the fall of 2005.  For some people, a skills competition is not a fair way to decide the outcome of a regular season game, but what can be done to avoid shootouts?  I've come up with a list of ways teams can prevent shootouts.


Washington Capitals - Tell Alex Ovechkin and Semin that Bruce Boudreau has indeed been fired and that it's okay if they start playing and scoring goals again.

Vancouver Canucks - In a tie game at any time, insert Roberto Luongo between the pipes.  *Note: this does not work well if the Canucks plan on winning the game.

Nashville Predators - At the end of overtime, all Predators players should just leave the ice, because they've already lost the game.

Toronto Maple Leafs - Host Kyle Wellwood Night at the Air Canada Centre when the Leafs play Winnipeg and invite the Leafs fan who threw waffles onto the ice last season back and bring a bunch of friends.

Montreal Canadiens - Request that the NHL make a rule that anyone shorter than 5'10" not be eligible for the shootout.  The Habs would be forced to forfeit, by default.

Pittsburgh Penguins - Have Sidney Crosby ask the refs to keep overtime going.

Dallas Stars - Scratch Mike Ribeiro.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Tell Steven Stamkos he's taking a penalty shot.

Boston Bruins - If Tuukka Rask is playing, ask him how he liked shootouts when he was in Providence with the AHL Bruins.

New York Rangers - Tell Brandon Dubinsky that Jody Shelley likes shootouts.  Dubinsky will then refer to shootouts as "idiotic."

New Jersey Devils - Ask Ilya Kovalchuk if he remembers scoring on Ryan Miller in a shootout last season.

Detroit Red Wings - Automatically disqualify Pavel Datsyuk.

Buffalo Sabres - Have Milan Lucic start every shootout when the Bruins play Buffalo.

Colorado Avalanche - Tell the officials that the Avs will blast their goal horn upon each shootout goal scored.

New York Islanders - Tell fans that they'll be charged double for the game if it gets to a shootout because that's how long it would take for someone on the Isles to score.  Or maybe they do that already...

Columbus Blue Jackets - Inform Jeff Carter that scoring a shootout goal will activate a full no-movement clause on his contract.

Philadelphia Flyers - Any Flyers player that scores in the shootout will be first in line to be traded to Columbus.

Top 10 Video Special - Coaches who lost their first game

Welcome to the 12th edition of DGA's Top 10 Video Special.  Earlier today, the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals both announced new head coaches to their hockey teams: Kirk Muller and Dale Hunter, respectively.  Since I'm an optimistic person, let's take a look at some head coaches whose first game with their teams didn't go so well.  Note the theme of Atlantic Division coaches in this countdown. 


#10 - John Tortorella (New York Rangers)

Tortorella's coaching debut with the Rangers ended in a shootout loss.

#9 - Jack Capuano (New York Islanders)

The Islanders had lost 10 in a row before Capuano came in, and well, things didn't really turn around.  They still haven't.

#8 - Jacques Lemaire (New Jersey Devils)

What would a coaching countdown be without some representation from the Devils?

#7 - John MacLean (New Jersey Devils)

Okay, how about two from the Devils?

#6 - Scott Arniel (Columbus Blue Jackets)

It isn't susprising that the Jackets lost, though, is it?

#5 - Paul MacLean (Ottawa Senators)

MacLean's first game as a coach resulted in a loss.

#4 - Peter DeBoer (New Jersey Devils)

Did I mention the Devils change coaches a lot?

#3 - Jacques Lemaire...again (New Jersey Devils)

Again...

 

#2 - Claude Noël (Winnipeg Jets)

Well, as Jim Hughson says, the Jets really won this game because they got their team back...

#1 - Peter Laviolette (Philadelphia Flyers)

Lavy watched as the Caps had one of the longest power plays in NHL history during his first game in Philly.



So there's my Top 10.  Didn't like it?  Have a better idea for a Top 10 special?  Comment below, e-mail me (downgoesavery@aol.com) or tweet to me (@DownGoesAvery).  I'm always looking for new and better ideas.

First Quarter NHL Report Cards

Most NHL teams have now completed 20 games of the 2011-12 season, which is the traditional quarter mark of the season.  As usual, the so-called "experts" have been wrong about lots of things during this season and will continue to be wrong as the season moves on, but it's time to give out first quarter grades to some NHL players.  Have a look.


Phil Kessel - Kessel is showing that he's the most offensively gifted player the Leafs have dressed since... (I'm thinking...wait for it...), okay well I'm not that old!  He's the best Leafs player in a long time.
Grade: A+

Alex Ovechkin - Alex has not produced at his typical pace this year, in fact, if this continues, Phil Kessel may want to get his camera out for the All-Star Fantasy Draft in Ottawa.
Grade: C

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Calling RNH the best Oilers teenager since Wayne Gretzky is a bit pre-mature.  I mean, let's wait for this kid to establish himself, such as recording his first hat trick or 5-point game or...oh, I see.
Grade: A+

Jonathan Toews - It seems that Toews matures as a player and as a leader every season.  This season, he's learned to score goals at a higher rate and how to apply different facial expressions.
Grade: A

Pavel Datsyuk - It took Red Wings management a few extra weeks to change the batteries on the Datsyukian machine, but now it's fixed and working pretty well.
Grade: B

Brad Richards - Interestingly enough, it didn't take Brad Richards as much time to get used to John Tortorella's tactics and rants the way most new acquisitions do.
Grade: B+

Sidney Crosby - If you think about it, Crosby is off to a tough start this season.  He's only averaging a point per game on the road through one game and if he keeps letting his elbow fly, he'll be on his way to Brendan Shanahan's office.
Grade: A+

Eric Staal - The fact that Staal is suddenly on pace for about 40 points this season, while he's usually around 80, has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he injured his brother.
Grade: D

Dustin Byfuglien - One thing Byfuglien seems to consistently lack from his game as a defenseman is the ability to play defense.
Grade: B-

Ilya Kovalchuk - Kovalchuk loves to be involved with offense when he's on the ice.  Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily mean he's always helping the Devils do the scoring...
Grade: C-

Corey Perry - Perry insisted that he could improve as a player coming into this season, even after scoring 50 goals last season.  The problem is, other than in penalty minutes, his numbers are down.
Grade: C+

Steven Stamkos - If Stamkos can put up these kinds of offensive numbers under Guy Boucher and the defensive 1-3-1 system, imagine what he could do under Bruce Boudreau...or maybe not.
Grade: A

Nicklas Lidstrom - When defensemen like Lidstrom keep improving every season, you wonder how good he'll be when he reaches the prime of his career.
Grade: A+

Wade Redden - Just 5 assists for Redden this season.  And he's in the minors.
Grade: F (for FAIL)

Rick DiPietro - The Islanders have an injured goalie not named DiPietro.  Jack Capuano's new strategy of only playing him once a month seems to be doing wonders for Rick's health.
Grade: D+

Sidney Crosby's return day schedule of events

It seems Crosby used his time away from the game to work on his facial-hair-growing ability.

Unless you either live under a rock or are so devastated about the NBA lockout that you refuse to watch anything having to do with sports, in which case you probably wouldn't be reading this blog post, you are aware of Sidney Crosby's sensational return to the NHL last night, because after all, CBC and Versus interrupted their scheduled programming to broadcast the game nationally in Canada and the U.S., respectively.  Crosby had two goals and two assists as the Penguins beat the Islanders, 5-0, but there was more to Crosby's day yesterday than just the hockey game.  Take a look at some of the other significant events of Sidney's return day.


9:18 AM - After waking up, Crosby performs his daily morning routine, which includes telling the media that sits outside his house to stop waiting for him, because he has no news to tell them.

9:19 AM - Crosby leaves his house out the back door.

9:42 AM - He arrives early to the morning skate so he can be cleared for the final time by doctors, including concussion expert Mark Recchi.

9:47 AM - The final test Crosby must clear in the presence of doctors is the getting-elbowed-in-the-face-by-Matt-Cooke survival test.

10:08 AM - As Crosby's linemates arrive for the morning skate and realize that he's officially in the lineup, they pop dozens of bottles of champagne to celebrate.

11:33 AM - Crosby is the last player off ice for the morning skate, but he finds it difficult to navigate back to his locker due to an unusual increase in the media presence at the arena.

1:09 PM - After escaping the media at the Consol Energy Center, Crosby calls Alex Ovechkin and tells him, "I'm back, so you might want to think about starting to play hockey yourself."

4:04 PM - The Islanders' team bus arrives at the Consol Energy Center.  Rookie goaltender Anders Nilsson bursts into tears in joy that so many extra media outlets came to witness his first career start.

4:05 PM - Kyle Okposo corrects Nilsson and tells him why the media is really at the game: to watch his return to the lineup.

4:06 PM - Islanders coach Jack Capuano tells Nilsson and Okposo to stop arguing with each other because only lousy hockey teams have such bad chemistry.  This is followed by a long awkward silence.

4:30 PM - Gary Bettman picks Crosby up to leave for the arena in a dented old sedan.  When Crosby asks why Bettman showed up in that car, Bettman start sweating and said "it'll disguise us when we park."  (Truth be told, it's Bettman's real car.*)

* Not factual.

5:06 PM - Every media member asks Crosby the same exact question just so they can say that they had a unique question for him.

5:22 PM - A group of NHL scouts arrive to watch the Penguins' new center in action.  Coincidentally, all of them have been sent by Glen Sather, who plans to offer Crosby a massive contract in July, despite Crosby not being a free agent.

6:29 PM - Right before pre-game warm-ups, Mario Lemieux pulls Crosby aside and jokingly says "whatever you do, don't do better than I did in my return game."

6:31 PM - As warm-ups begin, the local earthquake center is informed of a report that there is a tremendous amount of ground-shaking in the proximity of the Consol Energy Center.

7:06 PM - Seconds before puck drop, Crosby goes to the refs and reminds them about the usual procedure: any time a player pulls to within a foot of Crosby, it's a penalty.

7:20 PM - The earthquake center receives a report of extreme ground shaking, again coming from the Consol Energy Center.  Incidentally, Crosby has just scored his first goal on his second shift back.

7:23 PM - Every American officially calls Crosby's "return" goal the most important goal he's ever scored.

7:23 PM - Every Canadian officially calls Crosby's "return" goal the best goal he's scored outside of Vancouver.

9:30 PM - Anders Nilsson skates off the ice following his team's 5-0 loss to the Penguins and asks his coach "so that Crosby guy...is he always that good?"

9:34 PM - The media again bombards Crosby with pretty much the exact same question over and over again.

10:12 PM - As Crosby leaves the arena, he sees a text message from Alex Ovechkin: "haha, I got an assist tonight!  How'd you do?!"



Picture: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Sidney-Crosby-anxious-for-hits-whether-giving-?urn=nhl-wp17927

NHL Power Rankings - Week of November 20th, 2011

It's that time of week again!  It's time for NHL Power Rankings for Week 6 of the 2011-12 season.  There's another #1 this week, but unfortunately, not a new #30.


1. Minnesota Wild (+8) - The Wild are among the worst teams in the NHL offensively.  In other news, the sun is still bright and Zdeno Chara is really tall.

2. San Jose Sharks (+5) - Antti Niemi is determined to win another Stanley Cup this season, contrary to the rest of his team, since every time Niemi talks about the Stanley Cup, he teammates keep asking "who's Stanley?"

3. Pittsburgh Penguins (-2) - There is absolutely nothing new to report from Penguins camp this week.  I think...

4. Chicago Blackhawks (-3) - The only thing red hot about the Blackhawks right now is Joel Quenneville's temper.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs (+3) - Phil Kessel's superhuman act this season has forced the rest of the Leafs to be mediocre in order to balance things out for a while.

6. Detroit Red Wings (--) - It was nice of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk to return to Detroit after an extended summer break.

7. New York Rangers (-2) - Martin Biron is known as an excellent backup goalie, but you'd never know it if Saturday's Rangers/Habs game was your first ever hockey game.

8. Philadelphia Flyers (+2) - I've decided to exclude all games against the Winnipeg Jets when considering the Flyers' power ranking position.  At least they won't have to deal with them in the playoffs.

9. Boston Bruins (+7) - Angered by their 2-1 shootout win over Columbus, they decided to destroy their next awful opponent, the Islanders, at home, although some people claim it wasn't a Bruins home game...

10. Buffalo Sabres (+2) - Tyler Myers spent his day off as a healthy scratch kissing up to Brendan Shanahan to avoid being Shana-banned after any apparent head-shots.

11. Nashville Predators (+6) - Following an embarassing overtime loss to Columbus at home, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are duking it out to see who gets to leave Nashville next off-season.

12. Los Angeles Kings (-1) - Jonathan Quick hasn't had a shutout in quite some time, which begs the question: is the world ending?

13. Washington Capitals (-10) - Caps' second line left wing Alex Ovechkin has 14 points in 18 games, which is good for a second line winger, but I'm sure the coaches are concerned about his -6 plus-minus rating.

14. Dallas Stars (-10) - If the NHL season was based entirely off of the first month of the season, the Dallas Stars would be perennial Stanley Cup contenders.

15. Phoenix Coyotes (--) - Steve Mason has reportedly been in contact with the Coyotes lately, because he heard that Phoenix is hallowed ground for an NHL goaltender.

16. New Jersey Devils (+3) - David Clarkson's shooting percentage is double that of one year ago and he has more goals than Zach Parise.  It's the craziness of the NHL, folks.

17. Florida Panthers (+3) - The Panthers have turned average top-6 forwards into star players this season, rather than their tradition of turning top-6 forwards into washed up scrubs.

18. Vancouver Canucks (-5) - Pretty much every Canucks skater has a negative plus-minus rating, and Roberto Luongo is determined not to change that.

19. St. Louis Blues (+3) - The Blues are at the bottom of the league offensively and the top defensively.  Why else would Ken Hitchcock agree to coach them?

20. Tampa Bay Lightning (-2) - Since the Flyers game, teams have actually tried to beat the 1-3-1, and unfortunately for the Lightning, they have been quite successful in doing so.

21. Edmonton Oilers (--) - If Sam Rosen was the Oilers' announcer, he'd have said "And this one will last a lifetime" after beating the Blackhawks, 9-2 the other night.

22. Ottawa Senators (+1) - I don't know why everyone is so high on Milan Michalek this season.  He's not even the best forward that plays in the province of Ontario...

23. Colorado Avalanche (-9) - Avs "phenom" defenseman Erik Johnson is a -12 this season. 

24. Montreal Canadiens (+1) - Scott Gomez started to get going offensively this past Saturday, courtesy of Martin Biron.

25. Winnipeg Jets (+3) - Many people say that every Jets home game feels like a playoff game, which would explain why they beat Washington the Philadelphia so convincingly.

26. Calgary Flames (-2) - The Flames are on pace to have approximately zero 60-point scorers this season, yet people are still baffled and confused as to why this is a terrible hockey team.

27. Anaheim Ducks (-1) - When all else fails, it's time to start the overhaul in Anaheim.  Luckily, they can build around guys like Teemu Selanne.

28. Carolina Hurricanes (-1) - Eric Staal, Joni Pitkanen, Tomas Kaberle...this would have been a good team in 2006.  Oh wait, Carolina was a good team in 2006.

29. New York Islanders (--) - CBC and Versus will be nationally televising the return of Kyle Okposo to the Islanders lineup and Anders Nilsson's first NHL start tonight.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets (--) - Steve Mason's apparent injury only hurts helps the Jackets.

NHL Power Rankings - Week of November 13th, 2011

It's time for Week 5 of the DGA NHL Power Rankings.  There's another new #1 this week, but the #2 team remains second for the third straight week.  The Blue Jackets also climb back up to 30th.  Check it out!

1. Chicago Blackhawks (+2) - The Blackhawks mock every franchise that's ever wasted a dollar over the minimum for a franchise goaltender.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins (--) - Sidney Crosby could play in Pittsburgh's next game.  Or the game after.  Or the game after that.  Or the next time the Penguins get into another Winter Classic...so likely next year.

3. Washington Capitals (+1) - Alexander Semin really does care, he's just much better at caring from the bench, according to Bruce Boudreau.

4. Dallas Stars (-3) - They will be honoring Joe Nieuwendyk and Ed Belfour's induction into the Hall of Fame by forcing people to sit in the stands so it looks like people in Dallas care.

5. New York Rangers (+12) - The Rangers have the fewest regulation losses in the league.  John Tortorella now feels useless, since he has nothing to scream to the media about.

6. Detroit Red Wings (+9) - Ken Holland realized no Red Wings are going into the Hall of Fame this year, so he may force Nicklas Lidstrom to retire soon.

7. San Jose Sharks (-1) - Not that they need a goalie, but I heard Evgeni Nabokov is on the trade market...

8. Toronto Maple Leafs (-3) - Phil Kessel is only averaging a point per game in November, compared to the 50 points per game he seemed to average in October.

9. Minnesota Wild (+5) - Darroll Powe has more goals than Mikko Koivu this season.  That's a bit of a problem for the Wild.

10. Philadelphia Flyers (+2) - They seem to have their goalie situation resolved...for the week.  Unfortunately, their strategy involves doing absolutely nothing on the ice.

11. Los Angeles Kings (-4) - How could a guy (Jonathan Quick) who has a 1.96 goals against average and  .933 save percentage only win half of his 14 starts?

12. Buffalo Sabres (-2) - When a player runs over your franchise goalie and gives him a concussion, is it classy or stupid to not retaliate?

13. Vancouver Canucks (+3) - Alex Burrows vows to defend Roberto Luongo if he ever gets run over (by someone other than his own coach) by biting them.

14. Colorado Avalanche (-5) - The Avs are reportedly interested in bringing some guy named Roy back between the pipes to help the team.

15. Phoenix Coyotes (+5) - If Wayne Gretzky still coached the Coyotes, Mike Smith's goal against average would probably be over 3.00, which ironically was about average for goalies during Gretzky's playing days.

16. Boston Bruins (+7) - While the knock-the-other-team's-goalie-out method is effective, they completely stole the concept from their division rivals from Quebec.

17. Nashville Predators (-6) - Barry Trotz and David Poile have been with the Predators for all 1,000 games in the franchise's history.  Interestingly enough, both claim they remember every single goal in the franchise's history.  Then again, we can all count to 10...

18. Tampa Bay Lightning (-5) - Tampa Bay had a very successful week, in the sense that annoying the hell out of Philadelphia is success.


19. New Jersey Devils (+2) - The Devils have perfected their formula for winning on the road this season: fall behind 2-0, win game in the shootout.

20. Florida Panthers (-1) - Kris Versteeg notched a hat trick in the Panthers' recent win in Winnipeg.  Yes, the Panthers are supposedly aware that a hat trick implies scoring three goals...

21. Edmonton Oilers (-13) - Nikolai Khabibulin's goals against average took a blow with his loss to his former team, the Blackhawks, but it's still half of what it has been with Edmonton the past two seasons.

22. St. Louis Blues (--) - Brian Elliott continues to be the best former Ottawa Senators goalie in the NHL this season, although that isn't particularly difficult to be.

23. Ottawa Senators (-5) - The Sens did drop 5 spots in the power rankings this week, but nobody thought the Sens would actually be able to fall at all when the season began...considering they started 30th in most people's rankings.

24. Calgary Flames (--) - The Flames executed their let's-get-a-4-goal-lead-and-try-to-blow-it strategy perfectly in Colorado, except they hung on to win.

25. Montreal Canadiens (+3) - Brian Gionta thanks Milan Lucic for taking the people-who-have-injured-goalies spotlight off him this week.

26. Anaheim Ducks (-1) - Teemu Selanne was Anaheim's only player who remembered that the season actually started already.  He's also the oldest.  Age doesn't matter...

27. Carolina Hurricanes (-1) - I thought Tomas Kaberle retired at about the mid-season point of last season...

28. Winnipeg Jets (+1) - In their most recent episode of "How to Humiliate Our Fans," the Jets lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

29. New York Islanders (-1) - Evgeni Nabokov wants out of Long Island...again, meaning Rick DiPietro might actually have to stay healthy and play some games for the Islanders.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets (+30 - here's why in case you missed last week's post) - They're not tanking, they're just conveniently trading all of their NHL quality players away.

*Note: This is the 100th post in DGA history.  Thanks for being along for the ride.  I'm looking forward to the next 100!

Biggest surprises so far this season

Parise: "Hey Adam, could you slow down a little so it looks like I'm still the best player on the team?"

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/11/08/henrique-show-continues-scores-winner-as-devils-take-3rd-straight/

By this point in a season, players who have gotten off to hot starts have cooled off a bit and players who started slow have found their rhythm again.  However, there are some surprises as well this season, and some of them might not go away as many had predicted.  Well, here's what I mean.


Adam Henrique - He has brought a unique dynamic to the Devils' lineup, as apparently he's the only player in on the team who enjoys scoring goals.

Nikolai Khabibulin - His resurgence has brought hope to the Edmonton faithful.  Now fans are simply hoping he doesn't get himself into legal trouble, such as getting arrested for a DUI.

Ilya Bryzgalov - Has surprised many in his first year with the Flyers as Roberto Luongo's biggest challenger as to who can keep a save percentage under .900 the longest.

Eric Lindros - He surprised Flyers management after saying he actually wants to be associated with the organization again by playing in the Alumni Game and knocking out John Leclair...okay, so he didn't exactly say that...

Dany Heatley - He continues to surprise everyone every time he enters the defensive zone.

Jeff Carter - Being traded from a team you've signed long-term with can be devastating, especially to Columbus, but Carter is actually quite happy right now, but only because he isn't playing for the team.

Tampa Bay Lighting - Marc-Andre Bergeron and Martin St. Louis are both averaging at least a point per game, which has many General Managers calling Steve Yzerman and asking how he cloned St. Louis.

Dallas Stars - They've surprised many people by being so good early on, but also by their selfishness of making hockey fans memorize a player's name other than Loui Eriksson.

Rick DiPietro - Has surprised almost all Islander fans by playing his fourth game of the season before April 1st, granted he didn't actually play a single minute of regulation or overtime in one of those games...

Dustin Penner - He surprised many people last night following a multi-point game, and also saying "well, it's not like I'm Ville Leino."

29 NHL teams - Have surprised many by not sending dozens of scouts to Nashville Predators games to watch Ryan Suter and Shea Weber.

Phil Kessel - He surprised the entire hockey world by stealing Tyler Seguin's jersey Saturday and wearing it for the entire game while his team lost, 7-0.

Brian Burke - It's November 9th and he hasn't made an Earth-shattering trade yet.

Darryl Sutter - It's November 9th and he hasn't made a stupid trade yet.

Flyers and Leafs' 2012 First Round Draft Picks - Have surprised many by existing without any trades.

Lou Lamoriello - Surprised many by saying he will not re-acquire Jason Arnott again to fill the team's hole at the center position.

Carolina Hurricanes - Have surprised many by seeming disinterested in playing hockey this season, outside of Jeff Skinner.

Ty Conklin - He's been a surprise since he's only two points behind Todd Bertuzzi this season.

Jaroslav Halak - He's been a big surprise, but only because he's allowed double the amount of goals that Brian Elliott has, while making almost the same number of saves as Elliott.

Top secret: NHL's annual Halloween party

Every year, the NHL hosts a top secret Halloween party at an unknown catering hall in New York City.  Why NYC?  Because Gary Bettman lives nearby and whatever he wants...happens.  Through some hard work and research, I was able to find out where the party was this year, and well, here's what happened.


Gary Bettman (dressed as Mario Lemieux): Good evening, everyone, I'd like to welcome you to the NHL's annual Halloween Party.  I'd like to especially welcome all of the rookies and first-timers here tonight.  We have an open bar, so enjoy everyone!

*Gabriel Landeskog, Jeff Skinner, Adam Larsson, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and many other under-21 players run over to the open bar, only to be escorted into a small private room with Brendan Shanahan.

Brian Burke (dressed as a wizard): Evening, Pete.  How's it going?

Peter Chiarelli (dressed as a bear): It's going well, Brian, and you?  (*flashes Burke his Stanley Cup ring*)

Brian Burke: Good.  Glad to hear that.  You know...

Peter Chiarelli (interrupts): Yes, I know, Phil Kessel leads the league in goal scoring.  (Burke smiles)  But I have a ring.

Sean Avery (dressed as a clown) - (interrupts both Burke and Chiarelli): Hey guys.  Wanna put a claim in for me?  (Chiarelli and Burke stare at each other, and awkwardly walk away.)

Rick DiPietro (dressed as a hockey goalie): Hey Jack, how are you?

Jack Capuano (dressed as Mets pitcher Chris Capuano): Doing well, Ricky.  *Shakes DiPietro's hand.*

Rick DiPietro: Owwww!!  *Falls to the ground in pain.*

Jack Capuano: *Calls across the room* Garth, Rick is done for the season!

Jeff Skinner (dressed as Giants pitcher Brian Wilson): Come here, guys, I found a secret entrance to the bar!  *Skinner leads the under-21 players into the bar and pours them drinks.

Andrew Ladd: (to his Jets teammates): Who is that guy over at the buffet?  That's not.......oh no.  *walks over to buffet table.*  Kyle, how much food can you possibly eat?

Kyle Wellwood (dressed as Santa Claus): Hey, I'm just trying to be authentic...

Alex Ovechkin (dressed as Superman): HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Chris Pronger (dressed as a boxer): Shutup! *Elbows Ovechkin to the ground.* 

Alex Ovechkin: Hey, Chris, look at what that guy wrote on my Twitter!

Brendan Shanahan (dressed as a traffic cop): Hey, Pronger, Gary told me to keep a close eye on you tonight.

Chris Pronger: Dammit.  *Shrugs shoulders and heads to the penalty room.*

Brendan Shanahan: Pronger, keep an eye on the kids in there.

Pavel Datsyuk: *Walks around the room stealing everyone's drinks.*  Here you go, Nik.

Nikolai Khabibulin: Thanks, Pavel.  You're so good at playing your role in real life.

Dany Heatley (sitting at a table with his teammates): Hey, can someone get me a drink?  I'm too lazy to get it myself.

Ilya Bryzgalov (dressed as a hunter in the woods): Hey bartender, can I get a refill?

Bartender: Sure.  *Slides a shot glass down the front of the bar, Bryzgalov misses it and it falls off the edge of the bar.*

Jonathan Quick: Look out!  *Sprints over to the bar and dives to catch the shot glass.*

Ilya Bryzgalov: Nice save, Quick.

*Suddenly, someone dressed as Roadrunner from Looney Tunes races across the room.*

Rick DiPietro (still on the floor): Was that Grabs?

Glen Sather (dressed as Michael Swenson, who was one of the members of Goldman Sachs blamed for poor investment decisions): Damn, I have to sign that Grabner kid.

Gary Bettman: Glen, you're not tampering with anyone, are you?  You know we have integrity in this league, right?

Zach Parise: Hey Gary, he was talking to me too.

Shea Weber: Me too!

Gary Bettman: Does anyone feel the ground shaking?  *Ground shakes.*

Zdeno Chara (dressed as the Hulk): Sorry I'm late.

Brian Burke: Mike, go make yourself useful.

Mike Komisarek: Sorry, Brian, I don't think I can do that.

Ron Wilson: Ha, he got that right...

Bruce Boudreau (dressed as Eminem): *Slams his foot on a chair.*  What the @#$%?  This &!@#$% chair, oh @!#$.

Paul Bissonnette (dressed as Dan Carcillo): Hey Danny, did you see this costume?  *Shows Dan Carcillo (dressed as Paul Bissonnette) his cell phone.*

*Avery approaches BizNasty and Carcillo, and they eventually start a brawl, destroying everything in sight.

Chris Pronger: Hey, I want a part of this!  *Jumps on top of Avery.*

Brendan Shanahan: *Blows referee whistle.*  Hey, Pronger, get back in there!

Paul Holmgren: I think I'll claim that Avery guy.

Scott Hartnell: No, please, no!  *Hartnell falls.*  Dammit.

Gary Bettman: Okay, this is out of hand.  Party's over.

Zdeno Chara: Aww, c'mon, we haven't had dessert yet.

Kyle Wellwood: Say what??

Gary Bettman: O-o-okay, Z-zdeno, we'll have dessert.  *Sweating as he looks up at Chara.*

How to tell if your team has a goaltending problem

For obvious reasons, last night's 17 goal shootout in Philadelphia raised more questions about the Flyers' goaltending situation.  That seems to be a common theme and Flyers tradition over the past decades.  But it isn't only the Flyers who have goaltending issues.  Check out this helpful guide to see if your team is facing goaltending issues.


No Problem - Your team's starting goalie has developed a creative dance that he performs at the end of every victory.
Problem - Your team's starting goalie has apparently forgot the dance because he can't use it.

No problem - Your team's goalie uses pads as massive as Henrik Lundqvist...or your team's starting goalie is Henrik Lundqvist.
Problem - Your team's "starting" goalie seems alarmed when the siren sounds to end a period, since he usually doesn't make it to the end of a period.

No problem - Your general manager signed a goaltender to a cheap contract because he wants to win a Stanley Cup, even though nobody else on your team wants to win the Cup.
Problem - Your team's goaltender drives a Ferrari and likes to race through the desert.

No problem - Martin Brodeur recently asked your team's goalie to borrow his pads.
Problem - That goalie becomes a free agent soon, and judging by your team's track record with goalies, that isn't a good thing.

No problem - Your team's goalie has won a pair of Vezina trophies over the past three seasons.
Problem - Your team's goalie has won a pair of Vezina's, but refuses to score goals to support him.

No problem - It's July and your team's general manager just signed a star goaltender to a long contract.
Problem - It's October, and that same goaltender somehow got lost in the woods.

No problem - Your team is coached by Dave Tippett.
Problem - If your team is coached by Dave Tippett, you have other things to worry about than goaltending.

No problem - When asked about his team's goaltending situation, your team's general manager simply replies "status quo."
Problem - Your team's head coach says "we need to start playing as well as the Senators," and he means it.

No problem - Your team has a goalie named Jonathan, and another named Jonathan to back him up.
Problem - Your opponent fires their assistant coach and has their captain steamroll goalies.

No problem - You have Nicklas Lidstrom on your team.
Problem - You have Brett Lebda on your team.

Problem - Your team's goaltender has ever heard of the Flyers.
Even worse problem - Your team's goaltender is under contract for the better part of the decade with the Canucks.
Worst problem of them all - Your team's goaltender has a contract for this decade and part of the next with the Islanders.

Worst NHL giveaway ideas ever

The plastic rat idea in Florida was a bad idea.  But you'd be surprised how many other promotions have gone wrong...

http://proicehockey.about.com/od/stanleycupbunker/ig/Stanley-Cup-Gallery/florida-rats-1996-Glenn-Cratty.htm

Every now and then, you'll see a bizarre promotion to sell a particular sporting event.  Some famous examples of this include Disco Night in Chicago for the White Sox, Reggie Bars Day at Yankee Stadium and the plastic rat giveaway for the Panthers.  But there are some even weirder promotional ideas that never actually make it out of the meeting rooms.  Luckily, I've been able to get a pretty decent list of some promotional ideas from the NHL.  Take a look.


Winnipeg Jets - The Jets had to scrap two ideas already this year.

• Similar to a campaign run by the New Jersey Devils this season, the Winnipeg Jets talked about a ticket offer in which a fan could buy a regulaly-priced ticket to a Jets home game and receive a $10 food card as a bonus.  Unfortunately, Kyle Wellwood found out about this and tried to buy 15,000 tickets to Opening Night.
• The Jets then turned to their Plan B: Any fan to purchase a box for a single game would be eligible for free boating lessons.  This also created a problem, because Dustin Byfuglien wiped out all of the tickets before the public could access them.

Boston Bruins

• The Bruins talked about giving all children in attendance to their Opening Night game against the Flyers a replica Stanley Cup ring, but then considered that there might be some Flyers fans at the game.  For the safety of the young Flyers fans, who would be very confused by the sight of a championship ring, the Bruins cancelled the promotion.
• Since fan ring night didn't work, the Bruins talked about Tomas Kaberle Bobblehead Night.  Then they remembered he doesn't play for them anymore.  They hardly noticed.

New York Rangers

• Last season, Glen Sather and Rangers management ran a test of their Fan King Henrik Crown that they planned to give to fans this season.  Strangely, as soon as the playoffs began, the crowns began to fall apart and break.  This caused the giveaway to be ruined.  It turned out to be a huge waste of money...

Edmonton Oilers

• The Oilers were planning to release a huge promotion about the Big Three: Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov all being drafted first overall by the Oilers in consecutive seasons.  Then they remembered that Columbus, Ottawa and Winnipeg were in the NHL this season.
• The Oilers bounced back from their failed poster giveaway by planning Ferrari Die-Cast car night, as all kids in attendance to Oilers home games would receive a die-cast Ferrari with a player's number on it.  In a strange series of events, all of the Nikolai Khabibulin cars seemed to speed out of control every time someone opened one from its packaging.

Dallas Stars

• After plans to have giveaways involving Mike Modano and Brad Richards, the Stars' marketing department decided to create a better fan experience.  They attempted to accomplish this by building a fan's lounge so that fans could escape the Dallas heat by spending time at a comfortable lounge before Stars home games.  The problem occured when the marketing department found Sheldon Souray sound asleep in the lounge during practice.

Calgary Flames

• The Flames decided to start a program to help kids manage their money better, so they scheduled piggy bank giveaway night.  The idea was great, but every time someone dropped a coin into the piggy bank, it got stuck and the piggy bank started to overflow quickly.  This confused Darryl Sutter.

Vancouver Canucks

• Out of nowhere, the Canucks planned Green Spandex Suit giveaway night, in which every single fan in attendance would get a suit just like the Green Men.  This created two problems: it angered the Green Men and caused city police a great deal of havoc trying to identify people during the post-game riots.

Montreal Canadiens

• In a very generous gesture, Habs players donated a bunch of their actual game-worn jerseys to the Bell Centre to use as fan raffle items.  The problem with this is that none of the jerseys fit the fans that won them.  The arena measured the fans who complained, and found out that the average height of a Habs fan is taller than 5'7".

New Jersey Devils

• The Devils actually had a fireworks display following the home game on New Year's Eve.  This sounded like a good idea, but they forgot to inform Newark Police about the promotion as the city's first responders searched in fear of a frantic shooter.

Chicago Blackhawks

• In an attempt to re-live their Stanley Cup Championship, the Hawks gave all of their fans a customized video game where the player had to win 16 games to win the Stanley Cup as many seasons in a row as possible.  Unfortunately, due to a strange game glitch, nobody could ever win more than one in a row, because after the first Cup was won, the simulator traded the entire team away to save salary cap space.

New York Islanders

• Hoping that their team would still be playing in the hot months, such as June, the Islanders gave all fans to select home games a hand-held fan to keep themselves cool.  The fault in this promotion was whenever someone pointed the fan in the direction of the rink, Rick DiPietro would immediately fall over in pain.

Nashville Predators

• In anticipation of another playoff run this season, Nashville management tried to put together a motivational DVD to excite fans about another trip to the playoffs.  This promotion failed when they realized they didn't actually have any footage of the Predators' playoff games because the cameramen kept focusing on Carrie Underwood the whole time.

Detroit Red Wings

• The Red Wings were planning Chris Osgood Night in Detroit, and as a bonus, all fans in attendance were going to get an interactive Osgood figurine featuring a mini-puck and stick to shoot at Osgood.  Then the Wings' staff soon noticed that the mini-Osgood was unable to stop virtually any puck thrown at it.  That would have been too authentic.

Tampa Bay Lightning

• Following a long playoff run last spring, the Lightning wanted to assure fans that they weren't a one year wonder.  They set up a promotion that the fewer goals the Lightning allowed in a game, the bigger of a discount fans could get to an upcoming game.  This plan was scrapped because management didn't want fans paying ten times the actual value of the ticket.

NHL 2011-12 Preview - Players to Watch

With a new season approaching, it's time to take a look at some notable players to watch.  Whether they changed teams, had a bad year or were injured or just happen to be fun to watch in general, you won't want to miss what these guys may have to offer.  And here's why.


Brad Richards - The word on the streets of New York City is that Richards is a skilled playmaker, which should come in handy since Broadway Theater has been in a bit of a slump.

Sidney Crosby - Crosby is always one to keep an eye on, but if you do this year, you'll probably miss the game, since you'll be looking into the press box.

James van Riemsdyk - Yes, JvR is an exciting player, but Flyers fans should especially keep an eye on him because he recently signed a big contract.  Watch him now, or he'll be traded before you realize it.

Michael Ryder - It's not Ryder you should be watching, but the Stanley Cup right before Ryder picks it up, because that might be the last chance you have to see it in one piece.

Michael Grabner - Grabner is exciting to watch, but know this: a) you'll need a magnifying glass to find him and b) you'll need to practice your horizontal neck moving, because not even your friend's Corvette could keep up with him.

Rick DiPietro - Watch DiPietro closely while you still can, and you might even be able to predict where he'll get hurt.  In fact, I can almost guarantee you that you'll be right about his injury...eventually.

Phil Kessel - You'll want to watch Kessel...in your fantasy hockey league's draft, but don't pick him right away.  He's used to being picked last.

Nicklas Lidstrom - Watch Lidstrom while you still can, because he's bound to retire someday.  Either that or the world will end, but one of the two events will happen at some point.

Dustin Byfuglien - I'd be keeping an eye on Byfuglien, especially during pre-game.  You never know, he just might get charged with a ZUI (Zamboni-ing Under the Influence).

Dany Heatley - Here's a guy that you won't necessarily want to watch on the ice, but come March and trade deadline season, 29 28 27 a few other General Managers should be watching him after Heatley requests his annual trade.

Taylor Hall - He's no longer the "first overall pick by the Oilers" anymore.  Those honors go to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (for a year at least).  Next year, we'll be saying the same about Nugent-Hopkins not being the most recent Oilers' first overall pick...in all liklihood anyway.

Brian Rolston - Islander fans will enjoy watching Rolston, because in the time it takes him to load up his slapshot, you could cook a turkey for Thanksgiving and do your Christmas shopping without pressing pause, and you wouldn't miss a thing.

Patrick Kane - Rumor has it that Kane's shooting has become so precise that he could shoot a puck through the net, between the panels of glass and into a fan's beer...in the upper deck.

Alex Burrows - Some say that Kyle Wellwood tutored Burrows during the summer.  He was giving Burrows biting lessons.

Martin Brodeur - Just two losses away from the NHL's all-time record, Brodeur and NBC are negotiating naming rights to a potential TV show.  "The Biggest Loser" has been tossed around.

Jeff Skinner - Skinner reportedly looks even younger than he did last year, so presumably he looks like a fetus.  He's no longer a rookie, however, which means he'll have to grow a playoff beard...by the time the Hurricanes reach the playoffs again.

Quick Story: The Night I Changed MSG Telecasts

I'm not one that causes trouble, but there's one memorable episode that I must share.  You know those dull Wednesday night hockey games where your team is facing a bad team and it's just a really awful game?  Well, it was one of those boring Wednesday nights (if I recall, it was during the 2009-10 NHL season), and the Devils were losing midway through the game.  I went to the MSG website to vote on their question of the night poll.  I'm pretty sure it was a multiple choice poll asking about which player that played for the Devils and their opponent that night was the most important to the Devils or something.

For example, which player who played for the Rangers and Devils was most important?  Scott Gomez, Bobby Holik, Brendan Shanahan or Mike Mottau (it was actually different, I just don't remember).  So I picked Mottau for fun.  I was the only person who voted for him.  So I voted again.  And again.  And about 4,000 more times (if anyone from MSG reads this, I really am sorry).  Now usually 200 or 300 people vote on these polls, but now 4,000 votes had been casted.  Here's what happened.

Post-game: "Okay, let's check tonight's MSG.com poll...the reponse was quite telling as thousands of you voted tonight," Steve Cangialosi said.  "98% of you voted for Mike Mottau."  To be honest, watching that on MSG live was one of the funniest moments of my life to date.

So during random weekday nights when there was nothing to do, I'd skew more MSG.com polls.  I skewed a few Rangers polls, in fact, I specifically remember the Rangers' poll was "Will the Rangers make the playoffs?"  Of course the Ranger fans were biased (as I was...the other way), so I skewed the poll to about 55% "No."  That also made it onto MSG.  I skewed a few Islander polls too, but the first two are most memorable.

By the start of the 2010-11 season, each computer was restricted to a single vote per poll.  I was heartbroken, but I also realized that I had actually caused that.  It was a somewhat satisfying moment, to be honest.

I guess the lesson learned here is that next time your team is losing a bad weekday night game, just turn it off and leave, or tweet to me and tell me you wish your team had an online poll you could skew.