Top 10 Video Special - Devils moments in the Stanley Cup Finals

There's been a lot of down time between the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals.  I decided that now would be a good time to put together the 19th installment of my Top 10 Video Specials series.  I recently counted down the 10 greatest moments in Devils' Eastern Conference Finals history, and now I'll count down the 10 greatest moments in Devils' Stanley Cup Finals history.


#10 - Sykora snipes

With the Devils down in the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals, 2-1, and tied 2-2 late in the third period of Game 4, Petr Sykora made sure that they wouldn't need overtime and that the series would be tied heading back to Colorado.  The Devils ended up winning Games 4 and 5, but couldn't manage a fourth win in the series to win a third Stanley Cup championship at the time.

#9 - Stevens levels Kariya

The Mighty Ducks were on their way to winning Game 6 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, but Scott Stevens knew he had to send a message before heading back to New Jersey for Game 7.  He found his opportunity when Paul Kariya was skating through center ice...with his head down.

#8 - Dano puts the Devils on top

The 2000 Stanley Cup Finals weren't remembered for having a lot of goals, but Game 1 did.  This is Ken Daneyko's goal that put the Devils on top, and they never looked back.

Which bubble teams will make the playoffs?

"IF YA DON'T HAVE ANY ONTARIO PLAYERS, YA CAN'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!
HOW CAN YA MAKE THE PLAYOFFS IF YA DON'T HAVE ANY ONTARIO PLAYERS?"

The playoffs begin in just over a month, and there's still plenty of teams that have a chance, or think they have a chance, to be a part of it this season.  As a hockey blogger, I feel that it is my duty to provide you with a carefully written and intelligent analysis of who I think will miss the playoffs and won't will miss them.  Naturally, I decided not to do that.  Instead, here's a hopefully more entertaining look at the "bubble" teams.


Winnipeg Jets

Why they can make the playoffs: Their fans would give up breathing if it meant seeing their team in the playoffs.
Why they can't make the playoffs: According to Pierre McGuire, they have many of the most underrated players in the league.  If Pierre McGuire says you're underrated, you must suck.  A lot.
Verdict: They could, and if they do, I hope the architects who built MTS Centre don't let the roof blow off.


Florida Panthers

Why they can make the playoffs: Lots of people like to take in games at BankAtlantic Center, such as Rangers, Bruins, Caps, Habs and Leafs fans.
Why they can't make the playoffs: If their top line can't carry them offensively, Jose Theodore becomes their biggest offensive threat.
Verdict: Then again, Jose Theodore has scored a goal before...


Washington Capitals

Why they can make the playoffs: Despite the injury to Nicklas Backstrom, they still have talent in Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and Mike Green.
Why they can't make the playoffs: Well, this isn't 2008, so Alex, Alex and Green are pretty useless.
Verdict: Perhaps this is all a plan, since finishing first in the Conference so many times didn't work out for Washington.


Tampa Bay Lightning

Why they can make the playoffs: Steven Stamkos can outscore your favorite team combined.
Why they can't make the playoffs: Mike Smith left Tampa Bay for a more up-and-coming hockey market.
Verdict: They have four active players on their roster from Ontario.  How could they not make the playoffs?

NHL Power Rankings - Week of December 18th, 2011

It's that time of week again.  It's time for DGA's Week 10 NHL Power Rankings.  We saw a lot of offense this week, which means teams are playing more wide open or goaltenders are just awful lately.  I think it's safe to say it's a combination of both.


1. Boston Bruins (+2) - The absence of Gregory Campbell has really hurt the Bruins.  Something like that...

2. Detroit Red Wings (-1) - The Wings' 13-2-1 home record doesn't even account for their absolute demolition of all opponents recently.  If only Shea Weber hadn't happened to them...

3. Pittsburgh Penguins (-1) - Sidney Crosby's time off has allowed him to teach the rest of the team how to score goals.

4. Chicago Blackhawks (+3) - Patrick Kane's shootout goal on Niklas Backstrom was cool and all, but nobody seriously wants a shootout because of that, right?

5. Minnesota Wild (-1) - It's remarkable that the Wild lost in another shootout considering the Islanders don't have Patrick Kane.

6. St. Louis Blues (+2) - Jaroslav Halak must have realized that he's been outplayed by Brian Elliott this season, so he's decided to start playing.

7. New York Rangers (-2) - Brad Richards is the first free agent Glen Sather has ever signed to successfully bindly throw a puck to the net and win a game with 0.1 seconds to go.

8. Florida Panthers (+1) - The Panthers are either really good or the New York Rangers are the only team that takes them seriously.

9. Vancouver Canucks (+2) - The Sedin's are trying to make sure the Canucks will win with any goaltender better than Toskala.

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!

Top 10 Video Special - Sean Avery Fail Moments

TOP 10 SPECIAL #11: In case you aren't aware, this site is named "Down Goes Avery."  'Avery' refers to a model/pest/idiot/part hockey player, Sean Avery, that has played for the Red Wings, Kings, Stars, but most importantly, the New York Rangers.  As a Devils fan, I've always hated Sean Avery, especially during his time with the Rangers.  The fact that he might not be on an NHL roster this season saddens me.  I'll miss his idiotic antics, his chirping at players, his verbal threats, his abusive remarks, his terrible acting skills (on and off ice), his absurd tactics to district goaltenders, his hilarious destructions during fights and even running away from true enforcers, but most of all, the easiest player to make fun of in the NHL (aside form perhaps Brett Lebda or Vesa Toskala).  If this is the end of the road for Avery, let's celebrate his colorful and controversial NHL career by looking at 10 of his greatest failures.  This truly is the Top 10 Down Goes Avery moments.

#10: Avery gets Hordi-chuck'ed - Sean looked more like a turtle than an NHL enforcer on this play.



#9: Avery cries "boo hoo" to Ruutu - Jarkko Ruutu becomes angry at Avery, so he steals his stick.



#8: Maltby crushes Avery - Sean Aver's mood goes from bad to worse after he's disposed of.  *Please note: Avery did not get killed here, despite him trying to sell that he did.



#7: Always keep your head up - Mike Weaver spots Avery with his head down and properly slams him into the boards.



#6: Delay of game - Sean Avery delays the face-off due to an equipment malfunction.



#5: Avery gets a tough lesson from Hartnell - Sean Avery builds the courage to fight Scott Hartnell, but that probably wasn't the best idea.





#4: The best in-game beverage goes to... - Jody Shelley and Sean Avery aren't willing to exchange punches, but they are willing to have a bit of a drink fight.



#3: Welcome to hell - Sean Avery has had some memorable moments against the Devils.  He'd probably like to forget this one.

#2: Goaltender interference - Sean Avery decides he doesn't like Tim Thomas very much.  I sense that feeling is mutual.



#1: You won't fight me?  Too bad. - Avery declines a fight with David Clarkson, but that doesn't stop Clarkson from attacking him (if you listen to the NESN commentary in clip #2, they refer to this fight).



And of course, last but not least: Brodeur vs. Avery - I didn't forget the epic battles Brodeur and Avery have had over the years.  Here's a sample of the rivalry between the two.

I hope you enjoyed the failures of Sean Avery.  As always, if you have an idea for a Top 10 or a blog post in general, leave a comment or send me a tweet.  Thanks for watching.

A look at some 'free agent' NHL coaches

Five NHL teams (Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars) have either "relieved their head coach of his duties" or seen him retire this past season, meaning that five teams need a coach (or in some cases two or three coaches to finish a season) heading towards next season.  In today's DGA, I will take a look at some of the likely candidates to coach some team next year.


Ken Hitchcock 

About him - Ken Hitchcock won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999 (No, not a Superbowl, a Stanley Cup).
The case for him - He's won a Cup before and he could certainly be a good teacher for young players, such as teaching a young draft pick how to grow a moustache...and keep it all year long.
The case against him - He's a bit stubborn at times and wants to win, which won't coincide with Ottawa Senators fans constantly booing his decision to pull Brian Elliott for only allowing four goals in the first period.
The verdict - He would be a good fit in New Jersey, since he's already been fired three times.


Mike Haviland

About him - Haviland was the Blackhawks' assistant coach on their Stanley Cup team in 2010, so he's experienced a team blow up their roster immediately following a Stanley Cup championship.
The case for him - Hawks coach Joel Quenneville spent a few days in the hospital this past season, so Haviland has some extremely little head coaching experience.
The case against him - Don Cherry has played more NHL games than Haviland.
The verdict - As a minor league coach, Haviland's teams lost in the first round of playoffs perennially, which would make him fit right in with the Devils.


Kirk Muller

About him - He's the guy that stands next to Jacques Martin...you know, the guy with the iPod earpieces in all of the time.
The case for him - All three Devils Stanley Cup winning coaches have been former Montreal Canadiens' players and/or coaches.
The case against him - He often gets bored during games, so he puts his earpieces back in and listens to a constantly repeating playlist of the Bouncing Soul's "Ole."  Oh wait, that's just Habs fans serenading the other team.
The verdict - He's my pick for Lou Lamoriello to hire, once he fires the Devils' head coach in December.


Guy Carbonneau

About him - He's worked for CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, so he has access to expert advice from Donald S. Cherry.
The case for him - He hasn't yet played or coached in Ottawa, except for the occasional road game to Ottawa.
The case against him - I'm not sure how he would respond emotionally to seeing his best players get traded away every season, as the case in Florida and Ottawa.
The verdict - It could come full circle for Carbonneau if he goes to Ottawa, since he was fired in favor of a former Sens coach, Jacques Martin.


Bob Hartley

About him - He won a Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche, and although the Avalanche returned to the Conference Finals the following season, he was fired.
The case for him - He's one of just two coaches that's living proof that Ilya Kovalchuk has actually played in a playoff game before.
The case against him - He just signed a 2-year contract in Sweden.  With the healthcare benefits there, he's not leaving.
The verdict - He'll realize how much he misses coaching in the NHL someday, perhaps once he realizes that Sweden doesn't have a big silver trophy for the league's champion every year.  Then again, he wouldn't know about that if he became a coach of the Panthers or Senators either.


Michel Therrien

About him - He replaced Eddie Olczyk as the Penguins head coach after being fired in Montreal after the lockout.  He was Sidney Crosby's first NHL head coach.
The case for him - At the time of his firing in Pittsburgh, he was just four games coached behind Eddie Johnston for the most in franchise history.
The case agaisnt him - He was fired, replaced by Dan Bylsma, the man who led the same Penguins to win the Stanley Cup just months later.  That's pretty brutal.
The verdict - During Therrien's tenure with Pittsburgh, he took them from dead last in attendance to a top-5 team.  Trade Crosby to the Panthers and sign Therrien.


Mike Keenan

About him - Keenan has done something that causes most people to do a double-take.  He won a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers as their head coach.  Not many people (since the existence of color TV) can say that.
The case for him - He coached the Flyers and Blackhawks through some of their great, though Stanley Cup-less years during the 1980s and 1990s.
The case against him - He hasn't been able to hold a job very long during any of his assignments.
The verdict - Judging by what I just said, he'll probably be released by Versus this summer.


Marc Crawford

About him - Crawford was a Stanley Cup winning coach with the Quebec Nordiques Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
The case for him - He has several accolades besides the Stanley Cup: he's won an Adams Trophy and coached the Canadian National team during the 1998 Olympics.
The case against him - He's never been fired.  He'd get eaten alive in New Jersey.
The verdict - Unfortunately, the Phoenix Coyotes are not searching for a new coach, since Crawford has plenty of experience with hockey-related lawsuits.


Craig MacTavish

About him - He was on the 1994 Rangers' Stanley Cup team, so like Keenan, he's experienced something few have since World War II.
The case for him - He was a teammate of Wayne Gretzky and had more penalty minutes than recently retired Sabres legend Andrew Peters.
The case against him - His head coaching experience is limited to the Edmonton Oilers, so unfortunately, he has no NHL head coaching experience.
The verdict - If the Oilers' rebuilding period doesn't go very well, I'm sure Steve Tambellini would consider re-hiring MacTavish, so we should know by 2025.


Ted Nolan

About him - Nolan had an unsuccessful stint as an Islanders head coach.
The case for him - Well, it's the Islanders.  He hasn't coached NHL talent since 1997, aside from the great Alexei Yashin.  Where is that Yashin nowadays?
The case against him - Quite honestly, he's a bit insane.  He claims that Rick DiPietro was their starting goalie when he was with them.  Full-time.
The verdict - He often gets overlooked, but he shouldn't.  Hasek won 59 games under Nolan and DiPietro won 58, both in two seasons.  That's a major accomplishment.

What you didn't hear on NHL Trade Deadline Day

Penner, Richards, Vokoun, Arnott, even John Mitchell, were all either traded or rumored to be traded on 2011 NHL Trade Deadline Day, plus many more. While just over a dozen trades actually registered today, there are plenty of deals that just never worked out. As you know, I was able to obtain a script of certain phone calls that were made throughout the day. Take a look.

RANGERS-STARS:

Glen Sather --> Joe Nieuwendyk - 4:49 AM: Hey Joe, I guess you're still asleep. Anyway, get back to me ASAP! I think I have a deal that you can't refuse for Brad Richards!

Joe Nieuwendyk --> Glen Sather - 6:07 AM: Dammit, Glen, do you ever sleep?

Glen Sather: Nope, neither does my city!

Joe Nieuwendyk: Anyway, what are you willing to give me for Brad?

Glen Sather: Well, since he is injured right now and is a free agent at the end of the year, I'd be willing to send one of my highly regarded minor league defensemen and a 1st round pick to Dallas.

Joe Nieuwendyk: Glen, we've talked about this before, Wade Redden doesn't count as a highly regarded minor league defenseman.


CANUCKS-ISLANDERS

Garth Snow (6:47 AM): G'mornin' Mike!

Mike Gillis: Hey, Garth.

Garth Snow: Hey, look, I was interested in trading for Alex Burrows, and...

Mike Gillis: For the 100th time, I already have one goalie with a massive contract, I'm not interested in another.

Garth Snow: Hmm, maybe you're right. Oh, actually, Stephane Auger is officiating a bunch of our games coming up, so maybe it's not a good idea.


DEVILS-KINGS

Dean Lombardi (7:18AM): Hey, Lou, any chance you'll budge on Ilya?

Lou Lamoriello: Not a chance, besides, even if I did trade him, the league would probably reject the trade and fine me more draft picks. I'm really not interested in going to arbitration again.

Dean Lombardi: Fine. Fair enough. How's your trade deadline day going so far?

Lou Lamoriello: Status Quo. You want Jason Arnott? ... Dean? ... Dean??


LEAFS-BRUINS

Peter Chiarelli (8:29 AM): Hey, Brian, you've been of great service to me over the past couple of years, maybe you'll want to help me again?

Brian Burke: Sure, Pete, what's up?

Peter Chiarelli: Well, I have this defenseman, his name is Tomas Kaberle, maybe you've heard the name before. Anyway, he hasn't been great with us, but I'm sure he'd fit right into your Leafs team.

Brian Burke: Interesting...

Peter Chiarelli: Yeah, so what do you think? Two first rounders and maybe, hmm, Phil Kessel in return?

Brian Burke: No. I've done that before. People haven't forgiven me.

Peter Chiarelli: Dammit. (in background:) "Guys, he didn't fall for it."


PENGUINS-CAPITALS

George McPhee (9:55 AM): Hey, Ray, I don't suppose you want to do the Crosby for Ovechkin trade this year, do you?

Ray Shero: Nah, maybe next year.

George McPhee: Okay, sounds great. Crap, I think I see Pierre McGuire spying on me. Gotta run.


CANADIENS-OILERS

Pierre Gauthier (10:03 AM): Steve, I think I really have something you'll like.

Steve Tambellini: Okay, shoot.

Pierre Gauthier: How about Dustin Penner for Ben Maxwell and Maxim Lapierre?

Steve Tambellini: Pierre, you traded both of those guys already.

Pierre Gauthier: Oh. Hang on, let me call Don Cherry and see what he says.

Steve Tambellini: Pierre, who are you kidding, you won't make a trade if it was the last thing you did...Pierre?

Pierre Gauthier (1:27 PM): Man, that Don Cherry, he loves to talk...


BLACKHAWKS-SENATORS

Stan Bowman: Hey, Bryan, I like this Campoli guy. What'll he cost me?

Bryan Murray: Eh, couple draft picks.

Stan Bowman: Hmm, I'll give you three 10th round draft picks.

Bryan Murray: Okay, it's a deal.

Stan Bowman: Umm, I'm not sure if I should tell you, but there's no 10th round.

Bryan Murray: Oh. Well, maybe just a 7th round pick. You know, we like to pile up on 7th round draft picks.


LEAFS-SHARKS

Brian Burke to himself (2:59 PM): Ugh. I need to make at least one trade today. But who? YES! I know, I'll trade for Kyle Wellwood! Let me call his agent!

Wellwood's agent: Hey, Brian, what's up?

Brian Burke: Where's Kyle? I want to bring him back to Toronto.

Wellwood's agent: Well, he's actually out eating with his friends over at Burger King. He's been there since last night. Should I have him call you back?

Brian Burke: No, it's 3 PM, it's too late.


STARS-BRUINS

Peter Chiarelli (3:16 PM): Hey, Joe, just kicking the tires on Brad. Guess you didn't get a good offer for him. I was wondering what you think it would take to land him and sneak a last deal in?

Joe Nieuwendyk: A lot.

Peter Chiarelli: Prospect and a 1st rounder?

Joe Nieuwendyk: More.

Peter Chiarelli: Chara?

Joe Nieuwendyk: More. I mean, a LOT more.

Peter Chiarelli: You don't mean...

Joe Nieuwendyk: Yes. I want Gregory Campbell.

Peter Chiarelli: Forget it.