We feel kinda bad now: Chicago fires Tallon

Mirtle used this photo first, but we had to use it because of the obvious foreshadowing.

So far, we've seen posts from Second City Hockey, St. Louis Game Time, Puck Daddy and James Mirtle regarding the firing of Dale Tallon. After waking up from a profoundly bizarre nightmare, let's leave it at that right now. Perhaps we'll update this with a more extensive round-up/link dump if the hockey blogosphere justifies it.

Obviously, the excuse for firing him was the QO debacle (perhaps we should call it FedEx-gate?), but next season is one of the most pivotal in Blackhawks' history and the decisions they make will have an impact on the next decade. They might as well go with the guy(s) many assumed were inevitably going to be in charge anyway.

It will be an interesting story to follow and no doubt about it: the Blackhawks are, at the moment, the story of this summer.

For the hell of it, here are our posts regarding Chicago's salary cap situation:

Losing Kane, Keith or Toews: a crushing inevitability.
Bashing the Hossa signing.
The Blackhawks' salary cap situation looked worrisome as early as mid-March

Game 4 Gumbo

Credit: On Frozen Blog

Some scattered thoughts/links/musings as we await what could be a very interesting Game 4:

1. I read somewhere that Chris Osgood lost some Conn Smythe thunder to Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. This got me thinking, though: if the Penguins push this series to 6 or 7 games, could Geno Malkin be the logical choice even if Pittsburgh loses? The Red Wings score/win by committee approach hurts individuals and Malkin's point production already ranks him among the most volatile scorers in playoff history.

Seems worthy of consideration, I'd say.

2. This clip has been embedded on numerous hockey blogs already, but it's funny so why not:

3. Note to blogs out there: if you come up with something this clever and it's Miracle on Ice related, you'll probably get linked here. Fantastic stuff from On Frozen Blog.

4. Ray Bug Eatin' Emery to Philadelphia? Am I DREAMING?

5. While I think Jacques Martin did a good job in Ottawa, he obviously continued a long tradition of idiocy in Ratland. Interesting piece from Litter Box Cats on Martin's less-than-sterling system in Florida.

6. Scotty Hockey, one of our favorite bloggers, provided some great coverage that made me want to visit Pittsburgh. Quite a few posts to check out from his trip, particularly his Game 3 thoughts.

(Note: there's a chance I might add to this post or put together one more pre-game/instant analysis post today so keep your eyes peeled kids. Also, I'm going to start getting some really fun stuff together for the draft [hopefully] so business should pick up soon.)

Judging Jordan (and other playoff nuggets)

Be careful what you wish for?

Maybe. If you would have told Penguins fans they'd make the SCF in February, most would have looked at you funny and mocked your turtleneck. Yet here they are after a resounding sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Some scattered thoughts from the playoffs:

• It's not fair to blame Cam Ward and Eric Staal for the series loss. Both had some low moments (Staal being held to a mere sprinkling of points; Ward allowing that ugly Max Talbot goal), but they need some help. Ray Whitney was abysmal. The Hurricanes' D couldn't handle Malkin or Crosby. Media members always want storylines, but a lot of times one team is just deeper, meaner and more talented.

The Hurricanes should seriously consider going after a quality offensive free agent to ease some of the burden off of Staal.

• After witnessing Rob Scuderi limiting Alex Ovechkin toward the end of their second round series and playing very well against the Hurricanes, I was prompted to check his contract status. Rut roh: he's an unrestricted free agent for 2009-10. Could this be a problem for the Penguins?

• Rudy Kelly rightly pointed out that the Penguins might have been wrong when they passed up talents like Jonathan Toews and Phil Kessel to draft Jordan Staal. Still, Kessel is injury-prone and Toews might be too great to keep under contract (or as the third banana). Staal's lack of finishing touch can be really frustrating, but he's still an extremely impressive player who's willing to play a lesser role alongside the Penguins other blue chip centers.
  

His size and defensive instincts give you the impression that he could be an amazing asset going forward. It's hard to say, really. Would it be better to put a Todd Marchant-type cheaper veteran in Staal's spot and put the $4 million toward a younger winger who could finish all the great opportunities created by Crosby or Malkin? Or could Staal continue to blossom into a player who could allow the Penguins to more or less roll three great lines all game long?

• This year's Penguins team is more of an adventure than last year's runner-up. Last year, they didn't even go to a game 6 (until the Red Wings claimed the Cup on Mellon Ice, the bastards). Yet this year's scrappy bunch almost missed the playoffs, went down 0-2 to the Capitals and won a Game 7 on the road.

This team has really grown on me. Even to the point that I think I like this team more than last year's version. In 08-09, Ryan Malone played with marshmallows sticking out of his nose, showing an undeniably endearing amount of grit.

This time around, it seems like everyone is willing to put it on the line. Even Miroslav fucking Satan looks like he's expending energy out on the ice each game. They're also less "stacked" without Hossa and some other solid supporting players, making them about as close to an underdog as a team with Crosby and Malkin can be.

Will some extra sand paper and an extra year of experience be enough to overcome (probable opponent) Detroit? Probably not. But either way this Penguins team is special.

Zdeno Chara: a seven foot goat on skates? (and other playoff thoughts)

Zdeno Chara isn't a hockey player, he's a big angry tree who can slap a puck through my soul. Please don't take this as a concentrated attack on the big Z.

But let me take you back to a fuzzy age for many of you young ones. You see, there was a time when this team named the Ottawa Senators roamed the earth as near-dominant hockey dinosaurs. While it never really worked out for that team, they were just loaded with talent.

During this period, the Senators chose Wade Redden over Chara and allowed the Big Z to sign a huge contract with the Boston Bruins. It's hard to believe this really happened, especially since Redden's play dropped horrifyingly enough to make him become an absolute whipping boy ... for the New York Rangers.

Most would say Chara was the obvious choice for the Senators, but it's more than a bit off putting that he might once again be a scapegoat for a team's playoff disappointments.

I say "might" because it hasn't been possible for me to watch much of Chara's performances. We all know that plus/minus and offensive scoring do not necessarily define a defenseman, but without knowing his Corsi rating and his totals for goals for/against during the playoffs , those stats still tell you a somewhat disturbing story:

If you don't feel like clicking on that image, Chara's been held scoreless against Carolina with a -5 rating in the last three games (+1 in Boston's dominating game 1 victory). Overall in the playoffs he has 1 goal and 1 assist. He's also been on the ice for some dramatic goals, most noticeably Jussi Jokinen's OT GWG in Game 3.

Surely, the blame cannot fall only on Chara's gigantic shoulders. That being said, don't be surprised if the Norris Trophy-level D gets a big bowl of blame barring a near-miraculous turnaround.

• Maybe the Carolina Hurricanes have found the perfect formula: only make the playoffs when you can make a dramatic run.

• Whether you like the Alex Ovechkin knee-to-knee hit or not, there is NO WAY the NHL is going to have the cajones to suspend him. Even if the Penguins make it to the Conference Finals, truly threatening for the Cup is unthinkable without Sergei Gonchar.

From a "headaches for the league" standpoint, they are probably hoping that the Penguins advance without Gonchar. If not, the league's in a lose-lose situation: if AO does get suspended, the Caps were screwed; if the Penguins get bounced then Yinzers will claim that we live in a godless society where the (talent) rich are above the law.

Let's hope this controversy doesn't mar what has been a true dream series for the NHL.

• Even though Jonas Hiller had a superhuman performance against the Sharks, I keep finding myself expecting J.S. Giguere to play the role of Ghost of Playoff Goalies Past against the Red Wings. Weird, huh?

• Finally, make sure to keep your eye on the sidebars.
  

The Ducks-Red Wings and Penguins-Capitals blogs have been especially busy lately and we also have plenty of goodness going on in the Hurricanes-Bruins and Canucks-Blackhawks blogs. I'll try to keep a better eye on them as the series go deeper, but don't let their great (no, make that superior) work slip under the radar.

Nibbles

• So, it's official: I'll be in California for a full week (this Wednesday to next Wednesday). Questions remain: how many games can I end up going to? What should I do when I'm not watching hockey?

Either way, there might be times when I don't have the chance to write for the blog. Thankfully, we've got some of the mini-blogs teeming with life. Cornelius put together a nice preview today for Boston-Montreal, Rudy's been following the Pittsburgh-Philly series closely, with Sha Sha from Vancity we now have a Blues and a Canucks perspective at the VAN-STL blog and Ashley wrote her debut post (as an official contributor) for the Canes-Devils blog.

Just a lot of great stuff going on and we might even have the venerable Chris Kontos returning (if he hasn't decided to live in Japan, that is) in the next week(s). So stay tuned.

• Interesting story from the consistently excellent hockey history site Greatest Hockey Legends: apparently you might win the Cup, but you don't always get to raise it.

• A Philly fan guest-posted at Bangin Panger, submitting a thought provoking post asking why hockey fans consider themselves part of a team when they win ("we kicked ass") but then suddenly distance themselves when the going gets tough ("they really sucked ass").

• Both Versis games look really exciting tonight, with the Capitals trying to get back into their series with the New York Rangers and then the Blackhawks taking on the Calgary Flames in what has been a competitive 2-0 series. These two games should be very interesting, especially after news leaked of Alex Ovechkin's bizarre behavior during a Rangers practice.

• Puck Daddy took an interesting look at the Columbus Blue Jackets: will the BJs follow the Atlanta Thrashers by falling apart after making its first token playoff appearance?

Random bits: Day 1 of the Playoffs

• It's WAY too early to know for sure, but that Penguins - Flyers game did indeed feel a lot like last year's series. Our worrisome side kept thinking, "Surely, the Flyers will make a run at this one." (and then some asshole trots out the "My name isn't Shirley" joke from "Airplane." That asshole)

Alas, the Flyers just didn't have it last night. The bottom of their depth chart might be their undoing: players like Aaron Asham and Daniel Carcillo seem like they will only make knucklehead moves. Matt Carle also looked pretty awful on Tyler Kennedy's surprising (and eventual game winning) goal. It's unfair to pin all the blame on Marty Biron since the team played like a bunch of emo kids once they went down 2-0: shoe (or would it be skate?) gazing around.

• It's only been one day and already Versus chose the wrong game, but let's be fair: there was only one game worth watching tonight (Washington - NYR, silly). Pittsburgh - Philly was over by the second period, Vancouver-St. Louis was a yawnfest and New Jersey - Carolina only needed to exist for Zach Parise's awesome goal. Still, because Versus continues to employ Brian Engblom we're forced to be mean, petty and cruel to them.

As it stands the Versus-o-meter: 0 for 1

Can someone tell me why VAN-STL is getting wall-to-wall coverage while Chicago/Calgary and Boston/Montreal fight over the table scraps? It doesn't seem like you can hang your hat on "American media hates Canada" either since the Canucks - to me - are probably the least marketable Canadian team in the playoffs. Sure, CHI-CAL/BOS-MTL are on a different schedule but this still seems all wrong.

Is it just a time slot thing?

• What happens to the Alex Ovechkin love fest if his Capitals fail to make it past the first round for the second year in a row?

They already committed the high-hockey sin of losing a Game 7 at home last year, but at least then you could make excuses for experience and whatnot. What excuse is there if the Caps can't knock off the Rangers? Goaltending, we'd guess. It'll be interesting to see if the Church of Ovie takes a hit if it all comes crumbling down.

(Naturally, the Caps probably won't lose another game in the playoffs. I'm the kiss of death.)

• My favorite beard of the day goes to goaltender Chris Mason of the St. Louis Blues. If St. Louis makes a deep run he might be able to support herds of bison with that thing.

Afternoon Cycle: Sometimes we're wrong (except about NBC)

A few concessions are in order this afternoon.

• First, it looks like the Tim Thomas contract is not nearly as Bruins-friendly as it originally seemed.

As mentioned at Stanley Cup of Chowder, the elder Swede's dude from Michigan's (thanks: SCoC) deal is considered a 35+ contract so if he gets injured, retires or turns into the second coming of Roman Cechmanek then too bad so sad for Boston. Thomas has been great this season - without getting deep into research, he might be our gut reaction Vezina winner - but Mirtle astutely points out that the NHL isn't exactly heavily populated by older goalies these days.

Ultimately, the contract should be judged by how it affects the future of the B's. Will they have the cap space to retain Phil Kessel, David Krejci and - eventually - guys like Milan Lucic and Marc Savard? Time will tell, but Krejci/Kessel might be sacrificed to the offer sheet gods before this is all over.

• Our other concession: Alex Ovechkin probably deserves the MVP. For quite some time, we've been promoting Evgeni Malkin as the Hart winner but Ovechkin's goal scoring ability is more of a "game breaker" than Geno's all-world passing. Not to say it isn't a very close match and we could always pull a 360 if Malkin scores 8 points this week.

But, really, the question is: will either be worthy of the "Staal" trophy?

• One thing we have a hard time imagining: CLS ever pumping up NBC when it comes to NHL coverage.

It's bad enough that NBC decided to show Minnesota vs. Detroit, a game that managed to be bland on two levels: the "familiarity" of seeing the Red Wings again combined with the tedium of watching the Wild. Could we call NBC "talented" at sucking? At least Bettman and NBC had to eat some crow, though, because Puck the Media reports that the game was NBC's lowest rated match of the season. Shocking, we know.

• Oh, but it gets MUCH worse.

You may or may not have heard that, in a move that's just another slap in the face in a series of injustices, the peacock will be televising Games 1, 2 (good) and then 5, 6 and 7 if necessary of the Stanley Cup Finals. That's right, the NHL might not even have the raising of the chalice on an American national network. Unbelievable.

After NBC's stunning decision to move a heated Eastern Conference Finals overtime game to Versus for a horse racing preview show, they pretty much were dead to us. But give NBC credit for finding new and exciting ways to pour salt in the wounds of hockey fans.

Illegal Curve makes a good point about another flaw in NBC's programming decisions: the lack of anything resembling consistency. A casual hockey fan truly can never know if they're going to get to watch a game each Sunday as there is no clear reasoning to indicate when the NHL will be on NBC and when it will "take the week off."

With the continued struggles of Versus to find a uniform home on basic cable, finding the NHL is starting to become like a sad sports version of Where's Waldo. Despite what crazy Boston announcers tell you, the NHL needs one nightly ESPN game so people can at least find one game per week.

Ugh.

• Greatest Hockey Legends featured a really interesting look at Don Cherry's brother, Dick.

Interesting to see that Don was once considered "Dick's brother" in their home town. You have to wonder if Don Cherry never reacts to being called a dick simply because he assumes the person's trying to scream at his bro instead.

GHL has some other great posts too, with a look at the evolution of the Cup and also a discussion regarding a female hockey player who looks A LOT like Owen Hart.

• Turned in the last "Bubble Update" at Battle of California today. Here was the prediction for the final three remaining qualifying West teams, with Nashville being the odd team out:

6. Columbus
7. Anaheim
8. St. Louis

• Finally, unless technology says otherwise, you could hear my awful voice on the Hockee Night Puck Cast tonight.

In case you're wondering what my voice sounds like (most common response: "Do you have a cold?") you might get the chance.

Look for a link, unless it ends up being a disaster. If that happens I'll claim it was a different James O'Brien with the same lust for puns and disregard for personal hygiene and tact. Seriously, there's about a million James O'Briens/Bryans/Brians out there.

Afternoon Cycle: You are fooorrrrgiiiiiven

Note: If you haven't read Chris Kontos' Hockey in Japan piece, make sure you do that first. It is absolutely essential reading.

• There might not be many of you out there with the privilege of seeing much of the NCAA hockey tournament, but it's been pretty awesome.

Still, deep down, as ESPN U or whatever affiliate covers these games, there's this other feeling: the strong urge to plead for the NHL's return to the four-lettered network. Admit it, you thought that as ESPN's beautiful HD washed over you and creative, interesting camera angles came about.

Now, don't get us wrong. ESPN left hockey bruised and battered entering the lockout. What's the best parallel? Should we go to that Rhianna getting roughed up by Chris Brown well again? Or maybe kick it old school with a Bobby Brown-Whitney Houston or really really old school with Ike and Tina Turner?

(It's amazing how many abusive music industry relationships involve people who either go by only their first name or don't share a last name. Is the modern era hyphenated last name trend a catalyst for violence? Of course not, but it's always fun to establish arbitrary reasoning for such things. Violence = not funny; outlandishness = quite funny.)

Either way, it's obvious that ESPN's sending subtle little flowers to hockey at work. A hockey highlight prominently displayed in the Sportscenter Top 10? Ohhh you shouldn't have! Mentioning a hockey player other than Sidney Crosby? Maybe you can change!

Mike Chen, the wily veteran that he is, beat us to the "ESPN should televise NHL games on Thursdays" soap box but it still deserves to be mentioned. Think about it: Thursday is not a designated day for any sport, really. The NHL has three days of the week where the games are bountiful: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Versus covers Tuesday, Hockey Night in Canada owns Saturday ... so why not Thursday Night Hockey on ESPN?

They wouldn't even have to leave Versus, a cable channel we'd compare to an overweight, slightly dopey wife with a heart of gold. Sure, you can't really brag about her with your office buds at the water cooler. And her production values are pretty terrible. And she never seems to rent the right movies/pick the right games. But she loves you and needs you. That's got to count for something.

(Ugh, OK, no more bad analogies ... until the next bullet point. Ho ho gotcha suckers!)

• NHL Network was showing Game 7 of the Carolina Hurricanes - Edmonton Oilers SCF, which seemed shockingly old since it was in the pre or early HD era.

Still, it's stunning just how much energy permeated every cell of that game. Dirty hits were thrown about like 10-cent tacos. Scoring chances abounded. Naturally, there were some GREAT playoff beards.

It really got us pumped for the playoffs. The long grind is almost over, everyone. Are you as excited as we are?

• Does every NHL season see so many random, out-of-left field surges as this one? At any given time, there seems to be at least one or two RED HOT teams. Right now, the Pittsburgh Penguins are hot but they have big name stars so that's not too shocking.

The two biggest surprises are the St. Louis Blues and the Carolina Hurricanes. We might take a deeper look at those two teams if possible. Either way, it seems like an odd trend but maybe we're just paying closer attention these days.

• Despite only recording one assist between eight guys on Saturday, the Funkillers managed to pull the tights and put their legs on the ropes to advance on to the fantasy hockey finals. The hero of Sunday was Roberto Luongo whose shutout, literally, was the only way this fictional team could win.

We know you don't care, but just look at how close this was:

Bits and Pieces: Malkin's 'struggles,' Ovechkin's celebrations and falling giants

• Boy, it sure is amazing how much a bad Stanley Cup Finals performance can hurt you.

Just ask Evgeni Malkin, the man who likely would have been "The Staal Trophy" winner last season with a 100-plus point performance in the regular season and a fantastic playoff run. Until the SCF, of course.

While Malkin clearly struggled against the Red Wings, his performance was slightly inflated by playing against some fairly weak Eastern opponents in previous rounds. The Penguins cruised through the playoffs (only two losses in three rounds!) so easily that they must have been shell shocked once they played against a team that was actually more talented.

Still, the idea that Malkin will lose Hart trophy votes because of last season is pretty stunning. It's not like he has a small lead on Alex Ovechkin. Nine points is a tremendous lead.

But that's a debate for another day. If people penalize Malkin for SCF struggles, maybe they should consider the fact that Ovechkin never even sniffed the second round of the playoffs yet.

• Speaking of the anointed saint of hockey media, Ovechkin's Jimi Hendrix goal celebration is getting some heat.

Frankly, for us it's not really that he taunted his opponents. As fans of Ric Flair, we are huge fans of tormenting opponents as you defeat them (especially if you hook the tights).

No, instead, our biggest beef is that the celebration was kind of lame. If you're going to do the Hendrix burning guitar gimmick, you really have to sell it. Kneel on your knees. Take off your gloves so you can really pantomime that "smoke coming from the stick" effect. Hell, get one of your teammates to find you an afro wig.

After all, Ovie never had any issues with using props, right?

While everyone can agree Ovechkin is awesome, it's only fair that he gets a little cheap heat since people are always frothing at the mouth to tear apart Crosby.

• So, the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks might not be the dominant forces - or at least not as dominant - as they were believed to be.

After holding a huge lead in the Eastern Conference, the Bruins are taking on water and may in fact relinquish the No. 1 spot to the New Jersey Devils or Washington Capitals. Injuries are wreaking havoc on the Sharks roster. When you combine that issue with an increase in road games, the mighty seem only strong.

The Bruins have the least to worry about, on some level. Let's face it: this team was not necessarily primed to dominate just yet. There may be a lot of pressure on the Bruins to succeed, but this season should still be a success with or without a Cup. Of course, if they lose in the first round of playoffs, then that tune would change quite a bit.

The Sharks, on the other hand, must be wondering if their window is about to close. Although there are some great young talents in their nucleus, trading for Dan Boyle and signing Rob Blake made San Jose take a "win now" position. Sharks fans must be hyperventilating right now.

• Finally, a lot is being made about the Montreal Canadiens having a plethora of unrestricted free agents, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. The Habs can re-construct their roster next season, focusing on good value (and maybe a headliner or two) instead of their current "big talent, high speed, no heart" model.

With the cap ceiling becoming a serious question in the short term future, the Canadiens have a chance to build a winner while remaining cap flexible. This will be an envious position sooner or later.

Afternoon Cycle: Brodeur and Friends

• Before we get to the meatier portions, CLS must acknowledge its namesakes when they are in the news. In case you were unaware, the Sedin twins are at some sort of impasse with the Vancouver Canucks when it comes to twin contract extensions. (Spector by way of Puck Daddy)

The Sedins are more than a novelty act, but my feeling is that the pairing should probably knock a million off their asking price if they want to continue to be a package deal. And it would be wrong if the two were split up. Wrong and foreign. Like a pair of male ginger twins dancing at your bachelor party.

Two three-year contracts for $5.5 million per year strikes me as a reasonable compromise. I mean, they only have one digestive system anyway, right? RIGHT?

• Things might be a little light on the contributor front for the next week or so. Chris Kontos is going on a wild'n'crazy five week adventure, our other contributors are possibly kidnapped in a trunk somewhere and the Next Decade team process will be pushed to the summer.

Hopefully my limited brain power can produce a few worthwhile posts in the meantime. Please don't leave me. This world is cold and lonely.

• With an malnourished inbox, the quest for the best Brodeur clips will just have to amount to what I've come across so far. However, if you stumble on this list and feel your work is missing simply drop me a line and it will probably be updated. Probably.

Perhaps the most comprehensive Brodeur study was made by friend of CLS Joe Pelletier. He did a great job of breaking down Brodeur's career against the work of his best contemporaries Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek.

Eyes on the Prize featured an amusing take on the Brodeur vs. Roy debate: "Ten Things Martin Brodeur will never have on Patrick Roy."

James Mirtle picks Roy by a hair at From the Rink.

John from in Lou we Trust points out that while career milestones are nice, the goal for this season is for the Devils to raise their fourth Cup. He also makes the point of saying, "what good is a 2.00 GAA if you only win 20 games a season?"

Much like ESPN following Barry Bonds until he broke Hank Aaron's home run record, NHL Network will follow Brodeur until he slides above Roy for the all-time wins record. At this point, I love NHL Network to the point that if it beat me up, I'd be back the next day with sunglasses to mask my black eye and a fresh "I fell down the stairs" excuse. Yup, it's my umbrella.
Whenever someone quits an online NHL 09 game early so my team cannot record a shutout, my message is always a snarky "Stay Classy." Apparently, Frozen Fiend shows that you can use the term in a non-derisive fashion. Go figure.

The New York Times hockey blog rightly questions Greg Millen's strange statement made right after Brodeur tied Roy's record: "You think this isn't a hockey market?" Finally, the Montreal Canadiens show that hockey can work in Montreal, the NASHVILLE of CANADA! Seriously, though, what was Millen thinking? People rioted in Montreal after they won a first round series. Hopefully Millen was drunk.

Maybe the "but he has shootout wins!" argument would matter more if this was Brodeur's retirement tour, but MB will probably pad his record pretty comfortably as long as he remains durable. Can we please stop with this argument unless he retires with less regulation wins? Please?

Lastly, the Program has some Brodeur videos for your viewing pleasure.

Internet trends: One Good, One Bad

Blogging trend (almost) only guys like: hawt babes

In our endless quest to inundate you with semi-recurring features, we present "Internet trends." This is a vaguely loose post in which we'll point out one good idea and one that should be erased from the Web for all of time.

Good
Weekly/daily headlines

Puck Daddy is the reigning king of the hockey blogosphere, but PD is a good king to its subjects. (I'm writing this while watching "Role Models" if the royalty stuff needs explanation) Greg W and Sean Leahy post their Puck Headlines twice a day and they don't just link the big guys. Bloggers big and small get listed and it is a fantastic way to give back to the blogosphere.

Greg W looks different without the cigar, doesn't he?

PD's not the only link-giver, as blogs like The Program, Stanley Cup of Chowder, (the possibly still defunct?) Going Five Hole and many others do that thing on a weekly basis. We try to offer something similar in the form of a weekly Morning Cycle.

That doesn't even include the countless cross-linking that takes place in "gameday" posts. The blogosphere is a beautiful place.

Bad
Cheap ways to "get more click-thrus"

No doubt about it: I'm an endlessly shameless self-promoter. Things that I once derided are now daily occurrences, from Twitter updates to Facebook status and annoying links.

And, naturally, I want people to stay on CLS as much as possible.

But some things are just flat-out lame, particularly stupid Web site gimmicks that add extra links just to boost stats. This came to mind while searching Rotten Tomatoes, one of my go-to movie dork sites. The Web site has a great "Five Favorite Movies" mini-interview feature with big names in the industry and this time, they asked one of my favorite jumbo jugged actresses, Carla Gugino.

IGN is one of the worst culprits in these "click thru maze" schemes

To see Gugino's five favorites, the site forced me to click on movie thumbnails. And I clicked ... one until it occurred to me that her movie choices mean nothing to me.

Doing (minimal) research, it wasn't surprising that RT is in the same network as IGN.com, a video game site infamous for posting photos that link ... to another link before you can get to the article.

Now, there may come a day when we sell out and do the same thing. Joining Twitter was a point of no return. But that being said, this is an annoying trend that we'd love to see end.

So, next time you come across these shameless re-routing links, go ahead and read the article. But then make sure to spend more time on their competitors' site just to turn the knife in on those gold-brickers.

Because greed is good, but being a douche doesn't serve anyone well.

What now, Crosby haters? Does success count if you can't see it? (Morning Cycle)

This was just too weird not to post (from a blog called On Deadline)

• After reading that Sidney Crosby helped the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Washington Capitals yesterday and checking the Penguins' status in the Eastern Conference bubble, the next thought that came into my head was:

Well, how is the "Crosby is the Anti-Christ" movement going to spin this one?

Sure, it wasn't all Crosby. Both Crosby and ohmygawdtotallyammmmilliontimesbetter Alex Ovechkin scored goals for their teams. From what I saw on NHL on the Fly, the Capitals had more sustained pressure and may have been the more deserving team.

But right after Ovechkin failed to score on the gimmick fest, Crosby had the shootout game winner. It would be pretty difficult to argue that Ovechkin grossly out-played Crosby, something that a lot of pathetic people are clamoring to do.

So here's some advice: calm the hell down about this Crosby stuff. Maybe get some sunlight. Eat a delicious pretzel. Stop being a dick.

• And here's some advice to NBC: just stop covering the NHL.

Seriously.

Can't help but picture Jack Donaghy picking the NHL games for NBC

How many times can the network make the wrong programming choices? Guess what hockey moment was given the ESPN Sportscenter treatment? Let me tell you: it wasn't a game where Manny Fernandez crapped himself three times.

No, it was actually the first game between the Caps and Pens after the Ovechkin-Crosby rivalry had the hockey world buzzing.

But, hey, let's be fair: Boston vs. New York featured bigger markets. It must be that NBC assumes the only people who would watch hockey on a Sunday afternoon are people who are just hungover and don't even know their TV set is even on. Let's face it, there are probably more people with hangovers in Boston and New York. So maybe we are the blind ones.

My guess at NBC's target demographic: blackout drunks

Illegal Curve had a great take on the blunder:

The NBA markets its stars perfectly. They put them on the national platform; and in the process they market the game itself. It is time the NHL took these steps. They need to broadcast good exciting hockey, regardless of where that team is based. That is how your market the game. We know the Rangers and Bruins will always have their hardcore fans, but a novice turning on hockey for the first time, won’t exactly take to the game if it is slow and without much action.

On the other hand, if a novice turns on a Penguins/Capitals game or Sharks/Blackhawks game then they are probably more likely to comeback and take to the game.

• Let's all pour out a 40 for our homie "Scary" Gary Roberts, who announced his semi-involuntary retirement from the good old hockey game.
  

He's not a HoF player, unless you mean the Manly Hall of Fame (for which he would probably have the mandatory 20-year waiting period waived).

• More and more, there are those "The NHL is BACK!" articles streaming from the MSM idiot tanks. It is something that regularly generates an eye-roll.
  

But it's impossible to deny that this is the highest point the sport has seen since the lockout.

My hockey newbie pal Abel discussed some of the things that helped turn him on to the sport: the influx of young stars like Malkin-Crosby-Ovechkin, the nice mix of arcadey action and realism provided by EA's NHL games and a general breakthrough feeling for the league. (Surely the Winter Classic tradition made some waves, too.)

Still, the recent successes are exactly why we need to remain critical of those NBC-type blunders.

When you have all those marketing dollars going into two players, then you choose that game. It's really pretty f'in simple.

• Finally, Wendi Nix is very attractive.

That doesn't have anything to do with hockey, really, but it needs to be said. Someday I hope to buy her a beer so that she looks around, sees me and then has that "Oh ..." look of disappointment on her face. Life is good.

Crosby hate or How I learned to stop worrying and love the stats (Morning cycle)

• Watching the Washington Capitals crush the Pittsburgh Penguins was no surprise to well-informed observers and no one expects Washington fans to treat Sidney Crosby with anything less than disdain. Crosby urinal cakes and "Crosby is a douche" T-shirts? Par for the course.

But c'mon guys, the Crosby hate is starting to be excessive. Look, we all understand that Sid the Kid gets media coverage that is not quite proportionate to his standing in the league. That doesn't mean he's not one of the best forwards, just that he's not the only fish in the sea. Here's the analogy that makes the most sense to me:

Consider NHL marketing a pizza. There's eight slices and four dudes who want that stuffed crust. Let's say we have Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Jarome Iginla/whichever fourth forward strikes your fancy at the dinner table. It's not unreasonable to give each guy two slices, but really, Crosby gets about 5 slices and the rest are lucky to even get one.

It would be like Lebron James receving all the attention unless Kobe Bryant found a way to score 30 points blindfolded. I get that.

Still, let's not forget how lucky we are as NHL fans. The under-30 talent in this league is almost obscene. Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin are joined by Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf, Ilya Kovalchuk, Ales Hemsky, Anze Kopitar and the list goes on and on.

It's fine to dislike Crosby, but there may come a time when you regret frowning every time he touches the puck.

• For the longest time, it seemed, stats filled my head with a rage only matched by Rush Limbaugh's anger after a Donovan McNabb touchdown pass.

Perhaps, though, my deep hatred was for the statistics highlighted by ESPN and other networks when they cover sports rather than stats themselves. How many times per year do you roll your eyes at an obscure contextual statistic ... one that really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of anything?

After spending the last year getting more deeply involved in the hockey blogosphere than expected, my viewpoint of Moneyball/Bill James inspired statistics changed profoundly. It is painfully obvious that judging a player by studying superficial stats like plus/minus simply cannot cut it any longer.

Last week featured some fantastic examples of the best in stat-crunching and the last month shows my rapidly increased interest in "looker deeper." You can find some great examples of good stat use in a footnote at the bottom of this post.* (And for not as great examples, there are a few I wrote in that footnote too.)

• Here's an open challenge: find a way to convince me that the Minnesota Wild can actually make the playoffs. Before you scream "they're the eight (blanking) seed!" take a look at their positively homicidal schedule.

After they host the Kings tomorrow, they must go through this road trip: Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, San Jose, LA Kings and Anaheim. That's a six game run against borderline to ironclad playoff teams. And to be honest, their schedule isn't much easier from there.

• And, finally, from the Be Careful What You Wish For department: in this high tech era in which people can take a photo of you with a phone, is it finally time to admit that being a public figure might just suck? At least a little bit?

Obviously, the Montreal Canadiens might not be the wisest decision makers when it comes to public intoxication, but this stuff keeps happening in sports and beyond. Sure, it would be great to sleep with gorgeous women, play a child's sport for a living and rake in millions of dollars. No doubt about it, if I was a pro hockey player no one would be allowed to bring electronics into my home or parties and everything - banana peels, veal cutlets, everything - that goes into my trash would be shredded. Perhaps there are advantages to anonymity.

(Seriously, whoever snapped that photo of Michael Phelps might get the Wayne Gretzky/Mario Lemieux "skip the grace period" treatment. Just rush that douche into the Piece of Shit Hall of Fame.)

* - It's non-hockey, but Moneyball author Michael Lewis took a fascinating look into the way the Houston Rockets measure Shane Battier's under-the-radar contributions.

Matt from Battle of Alberta's breakdown of Alex Kovalev's struggles will leave you snickering at the surface-level "body language" type commentaries of talking heads.

Our pal Earl Sleek found some stark examples of how the Ducks currently handle tie game situations versus better time's for the Quack attack.

Your fearful author also published some stories that crunch stats in the last month. Most recently, there was my team-by-team breakdown of goaltending tandems. Also, while moonlighting at Battle of California I took a look at the Western Conference: (bubble bursting part I, part II and part III).

Gut reactions: the Kostitsyns give the Montreal media a scandal it can't refuse

You know things are not going well for your team when it is compared to the guy who took too much LSD to function in Pink Floyd.

So, here's the gist of the Kostitsyn brothers scandal from what I've read so far: the two brothers are linked in some fashion to a mobster named Pasquale Mangiola (along with Roman Hamrlik - who might just have the most mob-friendly name in the NHL). From what is out there right now, the Kostitsyns were not directly linked with any criminal activities.

It seems that Mangiola simply wanted to be linked to hockey players and the Kostitsyns wanted to be linked with fast cars, hard booze and loose women. You'd think that would be the new example of a "symbiotic relationship" in the next edition of Biology textbooks, but apparently it just gets you in hot water. (No word on whether or not Mangiola berated Sergei for buying his girlfriend an expensive fur coat, though.)

At this point, this thing seems like it can go down two paths: a) this could simply be an example of mixing with the wrong people along with the Montreal media's apparent lack of restraint OR b) the details are blurry right now and won't come into focus until a harrowing trial. Either way, it's just more bad news and more bad PR for a Montreal Canadiens team that is falling apart worse than Syd Barrett on acid.

Obviously, this thing is still in it's infant stage, but here are my initial thoughts:

• At least it's likely the NHL won't have to worry about widespread US coverage.

Can you imagine some beleaguered copy assistant/intern at a newspaper saying "Fuck this job, I'm not looking up the spelling of their last names. I've had enough of this shit." Trying to look on the bright side here, folks.

• Joe Pelletier deserves credit for his considerable foresight on this one.

He recently posted regarding a book he read about soccer players accepting bribes from mobsters and, quite reasonably asked, "why would this happen in soccer and not in other sports like hockey?"

It doesn't mean that the Kostitsyns were Pete Rose-ing games, but that post numbed me to this news. Perhaps it otherwise would have been shocking, but that definitely blunted the blow.

• This might shed some interesting light on the surreal Kostitsyn-Grabovski vendetta. Perhaps the things that Grabovski said that got back to the Ko-bros involved making fun of their mob connections.

Or (Bettman wipes sweat from his Napoleonic brow) maybe Big Grab simply was scoreboarding the Ko-bros because his mafia could beat up their mafia.

• After what feels like a decade of steroid scandals, spousal abuse stories, Leonard Little running over everyone in the general St. Louis, Mo. area and so on ... it's a watershed moment for the oversaturation of bad news. Especially with the whole "economic meltdown" happening outside of the sports world.

At this point, most sports fans probably understand that they're not always rooting for upstanding, apple-pie-cooling-in-the-windowsill people. Some of these guys are racists, some are alleged rapists, some cheat, some chase women and on and on. Really, unless the Kostitsyns were electrocuting dogs and promoting the involuntary deflowering of girl scouts, this might not register in my cynical, battered soul. God/Joe Pesci help us all.

***

For more, I'd recommend following the big dogs like Puck Daddy, AOL Fanhouse, From the Rink (Mirtle) and Kukla's Korner.

Morning cycle: NBC drops the ball again

• To the surprise of few, NBC indeed picked the wrong game on Sunday.

The peacock decided to go for a yawn-inducing big market game we've seen five million times (New York Rangers vs. Philly Flyers) instead of a game featuring two of the five best teams in the league. What did they get? Henrik Lundqvist getting pulled in the second period of a matchup that probably was decided well before that.

San Jose Sharks at New Jersey Devils, aka the game that NBC should have chosen, ended up being a wild 6-5 game. (At least, that's what highlights and recaps indicate) Judging from the great audience attracted by the big Boston Bruins - San Jose Sharks last Tuesday, it seems that NBC misjudged demand.

It goes further than that. This is the another reason that the NHL needs to think seriously about the quality of its coverage beyond dollars and cents, even if Versus provides bush league coverage at times. How many times can the league tolerate NBC's "whatevah, hockey" approach? Shouldn't the NHL do everything it can to introduce the San Jose Sharks (easily one of the three favorites for the Cup) to casual viewing hockey audiences? Is the league really going to stick with a network that relocated an intense overtime playoff hockey game for the PRESHOW of a horse race?

(Let that last sentence marinate in your soul.)

As usual, Puck the Media features great coverage of NBC's short-sighted decision.

We know, we know, it’s a small-market game, and Sharks fans would be forced to awaken at the ungodly hour of 9:30 AM on a Sunday morning for a hockey gam(Something we, mind you, have always dreamed of). But this is the PERFECT weekend to try it out. Competition for the audience that’d be watching a hockey game is pretty slim. The NBA All-Star Game isn’t till primetime, and the Daytona 500 doesn’t feature much of a hockey-friendly audience (Prove me wrong, Raleigh). This is the one chance the NHL has to experiment with a game that might just draw the passing fancy of some channel-flipper and they missed.

• Moving on to happier news, Mike Green managed to break the record for consecutive goals scored by a defenseman.

Could it be safe to say already, even counting their Cinderella run to the Cup Finals in the Bondra era, this might be the best season for the Capitals? Beyond that, the Capitals remind me of a revamp of the '90s Detroit Red Wings teams.

Look at all the Russians in high-ranking spots. Obviously, it all starts with Alex Ovechkin, but there are a lot of big responsibility guys on that roster who are Russian. Whenever he's healthy, Alex Semin is blossoming into an elite forward. Viktor Kozlov might seem like an underachiever but he's a nice addition (or as Japer's Rink called him, "a Lebowski rug") to the Capitals. Hell, they even employ former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov.

• Which team is third best in the Western Conference? Because of divisional playoff seeding, the Calgary Flames should slip into the third spot. That being said, the best team after juggernauts in Detroit and San Jose might just be the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago destroyed the Dallas Stars 6-2 after putting together a nice 5-3 record during an eight-game road trip. After facing three more road games in a row, the Blackhawks won't face more than two back-to-back road games.

It probably won't allow Chicago to put any pressure on division-leading Detroit. However, the easy road ahead might allow the Blackhawks to go into the playoffs with some momentum and relative good health.

• The Penguins fired Michel Therrien this weekend.

Normally, it's ridiculously unfair to fire a coach who managed to lead a team to the Cup finals the year before but context is important. My guess is a highly trained dolphin could coach last year's Penguins team to at least the Conference finals.

At the same time, Therrien deserves credit for shepherding the young Penguins from cellar dweller to contender. Who knows how much of it was Therrien, but at times the Pens looked to have "good defensive team" potential, a rare sentence even for Pittsburgh's golden era.

One thing that bothers me (and usually, only NBC guys say these kind of things) is how much certain pundit-idiots weigh Marian Hossa's absence for being a big reason for the Penguins missing the playoffs.

Hossa played 12 regular season games for Pittsburgh, so ease off the accelerator on that one. He gave the Penguins an extra gear, but that mattered in the post-season, not in making the playoffs. Just a pet peeve.

Therrien's firing is justified but seemed like it could have waited until the summer. It's not the fault of HCMT (credit Pensblog) that the Penguins are having a miserable season. That falls on the players shoulders first, Ray Shero's next and then HCMT. But HCMT is the easiest guy to fire and that's that.

It's looking more and more improbable for the Penguins to make the playoffs. The question is: does it even matter if they make it? It seems hard to imagine this team making a Cinderella run right now.

Two extraordinary articles that are extraordinarily different

Laughing and crying:

The Pensblog knocks it out of the park with a heel turn for Sidney Crosby. TPB usually kicks ass (they do, after all, share the same initials as the penultimate Canadian mockumentary "Trailer Park Boys") but this post is just unmatched. Laughingmyassoffblog.

On the other end of the spectrum, check out this well-written ode to the oft-injured Buffalo Sabres center Tim Connolly. Along with the unlikely comeback of Steve Sullivan, it's hard to argue with putting puck partisanship aside and rooting for a guy who's faced such tough luck.

Just had to pass along those two links since they dwarfed even some interesting stuff in the previous News Cycle.

News Cycle: Do any NHL players fit Sports Guy's "underrated" criteria?

Tim Thomas provides a rare flair for the dramatic in net

• Last night, I posted a stream of consciousness about an exciting Washington Capitals - Boston Bruins game. One of the lines was, "Marc Savard is still underrated." After reading a new column by Bill Simmons, it got me wondering: are there any NHL players who are truly underrated?

It's tough to say. Savard does indeed meet some of the requirements since he has been producing at an impressive level for quite a few years without being mentioned in the upper ranks of NHL forwards. That said, he did make the All-Star team and there is a question of if he "matters" much in the grand scheme of things on a deep, talented Boston Bruins team.

Tim Thomas might actually be a more appropriate case, because he's putting up one of the better cases for the Vezina trophy this year - and has a knack for producing highlight reel saves.

Can you think of any NHL player who would fit the Sports Guy's standards of underrated?

• One player who absolutely is not underrated is Montreal's Carey Price (or "Jesus Price"). There's a pretty interesting little feature on Price in ESPN the Magazine which focuses on the pressures that come with being the Montreal Canadiens' netminder.
  
  
• Big news out of Detroit: the Red Wings signed Henrik Zetterberg to a massive 12 year, $72 million contract. As with most contracts that feature big money and long terms, it's a mixed bag of a deal.

On one hand, the Red Wings will keep Zetterberg around for a cap hit of only $6 million per year, which is only one million more than Mike Ribeiro. That's a very nice deal for a player who produces nicely and plays a solid two-way game.

That being said, Zetterberg is a little bit on the fragile side. He's not quite as delicate as, say, Patrice Bergeron but he tends to miss about 5-15 games per year (career high GP: 79; career low GP: 61). At 29, Zetterberg might already have his peak years behind him.

It's not an awful contract overall, but it's possible the last six years could cause the Red Wings some issues.

Now the hot topic changes to: can the Red Wings find a way to keep Marian Hossa or Johan Franzen? It would be impossible for most teams, but you never know with Detroit.

• James Mirtle focuses on the blandness of video game phenom Jay Bouwmeester.

"Does he LOOK ... LIKE ... A ... Bouwmeester?" just doesn't have the same ring to it...

The photo of Bowmeester in glasses brings back memories of Pulp Fiction, when Quentin Tarantino says that Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta look like "a bunch of dorks." Bowmeester is a pocket proctector short of getting an atomic wedgie, right?