The Kinnelon Colts capped their first season of pee-wee A travel hockey with a Championship trophy at the Shamrock Shootout tournament at the Protec Ponds in Somerset New Jersey. It was the culmination of an experiment in which a Rec-League team decided to test their mettle against the best A-league teams in the State for a full season, and they ended up with some precious metal themselves.
After years of dominating the Morris County house league at Mennen rink in Morristown, the Kinnelon Colts pee-wee program decided to take a bold step forward and join the prestigious NJYHL travel circuit, in the A-League no less. It was a show of faith that their venerable coach Nick Gakos would have them prepared so as not to embarrass the club, the parents or the kids.
Not everyone believed, 4 hockey go-getters abandoned the Colts program for greener pastures, playing for coach Meg Hishmeh's Skyland Kings travel program in the NJYHL. But there was a core group, including a special goalie (Jack McConeghy), a pair of twins that are the 21st century's answer to Tom and Huck (Patrick and Sean Grant), a kid who looks like a catelogue model and skates like young Larry Robinson (Michael Harrison), the coach's son (Steven Gakos), who has a none of the old man's bluster, but possesses that intangible hockey magic in his hands and feet, and a roly-poly defenseman (Evan Prestera) that might be the best athlete of them all.
From the opening face-off in September, the Colts earned more than respect: consecutive 3-goal third period comebacks sparked a lengthy undefeated streak, leaving bruised bodies and egos in their wake. The Colts were flirting with first place in the NJYHL southern division in November. They had quickly become the curiosity of travel-team hockey, and the club no one wanted to play. Too much to lose.
They entered a couple of tournaments, posed threats in both, but the hockey Gods did not smile on these renegades, and there was no hardware to show for their efforts. Coach Gakos lived up to his end of the bargain: the Colts played hard and clean and were always prepared. But they hit a wall, blowing a two-goal third period lead to the first place Penguins and a heartbreaker to the Junior Flyers in Voorhees. It cost them a shot at the playoffs, but the Colts simply would not quit. Twice they beat the Bridgewater Bears, the team with the most wins in their Division. Steven Gakos, having missed the entire previous season due to medical complications, literally carried his club in the last game against Bridgewater, scoring 3 magnificent goals against the Bears in a 4-2 shocker. The Bears fans left Twin Oaks Arena in disbelief, shut down by Gakos and Company, but it would be Bridgewater team entering the NJYHL playoffs, not Kinnelon. The Colts finished an impressive 9-5-2 in the southern division, 3 points out of a coveted playoff spot. They would have to find consolation in the Rec League.
The Colts did the expected, winning both the regular season and playoff Mennen Cup trophies without sustaining a scratch, but they wanted more. Although most of the parents thought the advent of March signaled the end of hockey, it was important for the Colts to have something tangible for their trophy case, something to symbolize their breakthrough year in the NJYHL. So they entered the Shamrock Shootout in Somerset, one of four NJYHL A teams. One trophy at stake, one set of medals.
With a twist of irony, the hockey gods pitted the Colts against the undefeated Skylands Kings for not one but two consecutive games on Sunday. The winner of the second game would leave with a trophy, the loser, nada. It was a matchup oozing with intrigue and past relationships. 4 of the Kings players grew up with and attended school with the Kinnelon core before "jumping ship" 2 seasons ago. Experts figured Coach Hishmeh's Kings as favorites for the hardware, the club with all that experience in travel team wars. But they were facing a foe that was extremely familiar to them, a Kinnelon team playing with a bit of a chip on its shoulder forged by being abandoned two seasons ago.
Game 1 saw the Colts jump out to a 3-0 lead, and then withstand a furious Kings comeback when they scored twice in a minute to close to 3-2 with 6 minutes remaining. Gakos signalled for a timeout, the Colts regained their composure, and All-Tournament center Steven Gakos slalomed through the offensive zone and buried a wrist shot, relegating the Kings goalie a mere bystander. Kinnelon's 4-2 win gave them top seeding and the status as home team for the Sunday evening Championship game.
The finale was tense affair that saw three different lead changes, including a rush and finish by Mountain Lakes resident John Rosseland that had scouts drooling over his combination of size, force and finesse. But nothing was settled in regulation that ended 3-3, and no goals were scored in a dramatic 5-minute overtime, a session in which the Colts were tantalizingly close. This game would be settled by a shootout, a format that had not been kind to the Colts a day before. Skylands went first and scored impressively. Fear, crept in--was it possible that this last attempt at legitimate hardware was slipping away? Coach Gakos turned the team's fortunes over to Danny Kramer, a newcomer who looked like a choirboy, but had deadly aim in shootouts. He blistered a wrist shot off the iron and in, and the Colts dream burned on.
Given a second chance, Kinnelon goalie Jack McConeghy's will took over, stoning the next two Skylands shooters. Steven Gakos misfired in a situation where he admitted to immense pressure, so it came down to another Mountain Lakes product, Kinnelon rookie Thomas Rappleye. He would be the third and potentially final shooter in this contest. He swerved 25 feet to his left before bearing in on the Kings goal, head up, the game on his stick. He squeezed off a quick wrester heading toward the glove side, but it connected with leather. Much of the crowd thought the game was still on, but there was little number 74 on a mad dash towards McConeghy, sprinting into a championship hug. "I was scared because it bounced off his glove," said Rappleye in the post game delirium. "But I saw it in the net and I was pumped." This was no rec-league award, this was hard-earned NJYHL hardware. The two-foot trophy was accidentally handed to the Skylands Kings, so a former Kinnelon player wearing a Kings uniform had to hand it over top the rightful victors, with a good deal of humility. The first-year travel club Kinnelon Colts had beaten the Kings, an 11-win team from NJYHL's all-powerful northern division, not once, but twice in a single day. No explanations were necessary, this club had arrived.
The team had their trophy, the kids all had medals hanging around their necks, and the Colts didn't need to justify to anybody who they were. Next year this group, led by Huck and Tom and the coach's kid and all the other "locals" who decided to stick together, will move up to bantams and seek more medals and more metal, paying tribute to time-tested values like loyalty and sticking together. In a culture where players in a team sport have become mercenaries constantly looking to better their individual needs, a neighborhood band of Colts stuck together and claimed a trophy. Maybe there will be more like Rappleye and Rosseland and Kramer who will gravitate toward this band of brothers.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
St. Patrick a day late in Newark
One team is a league super power: steeled by adversity, the Washington Capitals are now riding the NHL's best talent to within 2 points of the top of the Eastern conference. They have the best player who appears to be on a mission, they just fell of an 8 game win streak, narrowly losing to Detroit on the second of back-to-back games. They arrived in the New York area yesterday and are rested and ready to embark on their mission to the capture the top seed in the east. Wise money says they will accomplish that with ease.
Their opponent tonight? The New Jersey Devils, a team that just cam off a disheartening loss to last place Ottawa last night, and traveled home in the dead hours, clearing customs after midnight. A look at the standings reveals a team that has fallen to 12th place with a dozen to play. Losing saps more energy than the back-to-back games. Logic says this should be a cakewalk for the Ovechkin and the Capitals. Logic be damned.
Even though the calendar says March 18, the Devils and their "Army" will be in full celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The skaters, and many of their fans, will be clad in their throwback uniforms prior to 1982, which possess plenty of green. The last two years the Devils have won emotional victories at home on St. Patrick's Day, brimming with energy they blew out a great Penguins team last year, first star PAtrik Elias ignited the crowd sporting a kelly green bowler when he acknowledged first star honors. The Prudential will be a howling mad house tonight.
The Devils embark on a brutal 4 game road trip, and who knows what kind of shape they will be in when they return. But tonight, on surrogate St. Patrick's Friday, the joint will be jumpin at the sold out Rock. This will be the Devils Stanley Cup final. Look for the Devils to keep the dream alive with a dramatic energetic win.
Their opponent tonight? The New Jersey Devils, a team that just cam off a disheartening loss to last place Ottawa last night, and traveled home in the dead hours, clearing customs after midnight. A look at the standings reveals a team that has fallen to 12th place with a dozen to play. Losing saps more energy than the back-to-back games. Logic says this should be a cakewalk for the Ovechkin and the Capitals. Logic be damned.
Even though the calendar says March 18, the Devils and their "Army" will be in full celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The skaters, and many of their fans, will be clad in their throwback uniforms prior to 1982, which possess plenty of green. The last two years the Devils have won emotional victories at home on St. Patrick's Day, brimming with energy they blew out a great Penguins team last year, first star PAtrik Elias ignited the crowd sporting a kelly green bowler when he acknowledged first star honors. The Prudential will be a howling mad house tonight.
The Devils embark on a brutal 4 game road trip, and who knows what kind of shape they will be in when they return. But tonight, on surrogate St. Patrick's Friday, the joint will be jumpin at the sold out Rock. This will be the Devils Stanley Cup final. Look for the Devils to keep the dream alive with a dramatic energetic win.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Bring your passport; treated like foreigners in Ottawa
Sign on Devils Whiteboard after Tuesday's game: "On Ice 2 PM. Bring your Passport." A lot of hockey people think if you take of all the details in the room, your create an atmosphere conducive for success. The Devils would be crossing an international border shortly after the Wednesday practice, and they needed those passports if they were to enter Ottawa. A packed back would be nice, a passport would be necessary. Critical details, nothing extraneous.
Devils trailing late in the second period, but throwing a lot of rubber at Curtis McIlhenney. MSG TV provides closeups of Elias grimacing and cursing on the bench. The Devils frustration grows in equal proportion to the confidence of McIlhenney. Rival Toronto is down 3 goals to Florida, creating a perfect scenario for the Devils to leapfrog them in the standings to 10th, alive and well. If they lose it appears likely the will fall to 12th, in dire straits. McIlhenney must be solved. The second period is now over, an excellent one for Jersey with 10 shots on goal, but none in the net. Someone must make a play, a heroic clutch play in third period, or the Devils will return to .500 and a rested Capitals team laying in wait in Newark.
The last thing they need is more pressure, but everyone associated with the club must feel it. In 20 minutes of hockey there are bound to be a half-dozen grade A chances, where a player gets a swipe at a puck in scoring range with only the goalie to beat. Someone must be calm enough to deliver, or the Devils will be in danger of nosediving at the absolute worst time of the year. With so many other teams in the mix, a step backward could be fatal. I'm thinking defenseman Anssi Salmela.
20 seconds into the third period the Senators defense collapses, the Devils get two grade A chances and 4 shots. Senators convert on a strange bounce seconds late. My guy Salmela inadvertantly knocks the puck into his own net. Video review does not help the Devils, and McIlhenney has a 2 goal cushion. The Devils score but it is waived off because of Adam Mair interfered with Curtis Mac. Replays show the officials made impeccable calls in both cases. All this action taking place in the first 2 minutes of the period.
I don't see a lot of energy out of Kovalchuk. It is unlikely that individual efforts will be successful on this night. Tedenby fires away with 2 shots in close, penalty is called. Devils get power play and convert with a super slapshot from Brian Roslton. David Clarkson creates a superb jumping screen. The game has transformed into a scrambly affair chock full scoring chances and coach's agida. TV commentator Chico Resch calls it "bubbling."
Devils called for goalie interference, critical PK for the Devils game, season. A crappy call. They are on the road. Devils SH rush lkeads to a fallen player, no makeup call. Colin White blocks a shot with a gaping net behind him. Took it bravely in the hand. Penalty is killed, 6:40 to play. 2-1 Sens. Kovalchuk breakaway...stoned. It is not his night. Is there a hero? Icing takes it back to Devils end with 5 and change left.
Lines have been changed up with high-energy Tedenby getting more than his share of ice. Ottawa trapping look like Devils at their trapping best, quicksand in neutral ice. Brodeur makes 4-bell save on Svatos. Tedenby hauled down on subsequent chance, no call. He has been reunited with Josefson. Another Broduer tricky stop. Faceoff in Jersey end 1:50 left. .. attackers at the 1:20 mark. Salmela takes a slapper into a shin pad, Sens collect and Chris Neil scores the empty netter. Devils in 12th place after 3-1 loss to pesky Sens. My guy Salmela is wearing the horns, doing exactly what coach Lemaire described in a post-game complaint 3 games ago even though scored the OT winner that night. Lemaire knows of what he speaks.
The Great 8 and his Capitals rest and watch in Newark, then a road trip that might end the dream: Columbus, Boston, Pittsburgh and then Boston again. .500 will be difficult, and .550 won't be enough. This was their game to win. Are the Devils good enough? Doubts arise...
Devils trailing late in the second period, but throwing a lot of rubber at Curtis McIlhenney. MSG TV provides closeups of Elias grimacing and cursing on the bench. The Devils frustration grows in equal proportion to the confidence of McIlhenney. Rival Toronto is down 3 goals to Florida, creating a perfect scenario for the Devils to leapfrog them in the standings to 10th, alive and well. If they lose it appears likely the will fall to 12th, in dire straits. McIlhenney must be solved. The second period is now over, an excellent one for Jersey with 10 shots on goal, but none in the net. Someone must make a play, a heroic clutch play in third period, or the Devils will return to .500 and a rested Capitals team laying in wait in Newark.
The last thing they need is more pressure, but everyone associated with the club must feel it. In 20 minutes of hockey there are bound to be a half-dozen grade A chances, where a player gets a swipe at a puck in scoring range with only the goalie to beat. Someone must be calm enough to deliver, or the Devils will be in danger of nosediving at the absolute worst time of the year. With so many other teams in the mix, a step backward could be fatal. I'm thinking defenseman Anssi Salmela.
20 seconds into the third period the Senators defense collapses, the Devils get two grade A chances and 4 shots. Senators convert on a strange bounce seconds late. My guy Salmela inadvertantly knocks the puck into his own net. Video review does not help the Devils, and McIlhenney has a 2 goal cushion. The Devils score but it is waived off because of Adam Mair interfered with Curtis Mac. Replays show the officials made impeccable calls in both cases. All this action taking place in the first 2 minutes of the period.
I don't see a lot of energy out of Kovalchuk. It is unlikely that individual efforts will be successful on this night. Tedenby fires away with 2 shots in close, penalty is called. Devils get power play and convert with a super slapshot from Brian Roslton. David Clarkson creates a superb jumping screen. The game has transformed into a scrambly affair chock full scoring chances and coach's agida. TV commentator Chico Resch calls it "bubbling."
Devils called for goalie interference, critical PK for the Devils game, season. A crappy call. They are on the road. Devils SH rush lkeads to a fallen player, no makeup call. Colin White blocks a shot with a gaping net behind him. Took it bravely in the hand. Penalty is killed, 6:40 to play. 2-1 Sens. Kovalchuk breakaway...stoned. It is not his night. Is there a hero? Icing takes it back to Devils end with 5 and change left.
Lines have been changed up with high-energy Tedenby getting more than his share of ice. Ottawa trapping look like Devils at their trapping best, quicksand in neutral ice. Brodeur makes 4-bell save on Svatos. Tedenby hauled down on subsequent chance, no call. He has been reunited with Josefson. Another Broduer tricky stop. Faceoff in Jersey end 1:50 left. .. attackers at the 1:20 mark. Salmela takes a slapper into a shin pad, Sens collect and Chris Neil scores the empty netter. Devils in 12th place after 3-1 loss to pesky Sens. My guy Salmela is wearing the horns, doing exactly what coach Lemaire described in a post-game complaint 3 games ago even though scored the OT winner that night. Lemaire knows of what he speaks.
The Great 8 and his Capitals rest and watch in Newark, then a road trip that might end the dream: Columbus, Boston, Pittsburgh and then Boston again. .500 will be difficult, and .550 won't be enough. This was their game to win. Are the Devils good enough? Doubts arise...
Third line asset from Tre Kronor
Happy times for Mattias Tedenby, A.K.A. Ted
They are not the "Chicken Swedes" of Don Cherry's yesteryear.
Yes, Mattias Tedenby (5'10, 175 lbs) and Jacob Josefson (6'1" 190) are small, fast and offensively gifted, but they don't shy away from contact. They are trustworthy in their own end, and they are tough. And they might be the most important ingredient in the Devils improbable (impossible?) push to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
When asked, Jacques Lemaire is cool on the Swedes, putting no pressure on them. "The kids will do their share, they have come up with goals on different nights, chip in, but everyone has to."
With playoff hope on the line the last two games, the kids, Tedenby and Josefson, have combined for 6 points (2 goals and 4 assists) on a team that barely manages two goals per game. They are providing vital 3rd line scoring on a team that begs for second line production. And the kids are safe. In a season in which the Devils have been outscored by 26 goals, these two Swedes are both +2. "They are responsible in their own end," says Marty Brodeur, and that says a lot. 3rd line defenders, and clutch scorers. Couldn't come a better time with the Devils in 11th place in the Eastern conference playoff traffic jam.
Tedenby at 21 is the veteran of the two. He's got all of 45 games under his belt entering Thursday's clash with Ottawa, Josefson 15. Tedenby is missing front teeth and has the facial scars of an NHL veteran, Josefson still sports a baby-face, for now. But despite their contrasting looks, they are beginning to think and act as one. With the game tied Tuesday night against the Thrashers in the third period, the two went to work cycling down low. Tedenby jumped on a loose puck.
"My mind was, when I went down to the corner quick, do a quick turn to look. And I saw Jacob, he was open there."
Jacob was between the face-off dot and the top of the circle, about 18' out. Tedenby had more than one option, but Josefson was ready to shoot when the pass arrived. "I saw that he saw me. Tedy made a great pass." Josefson released it instantly and Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec never moved. Add a GWG to Josefson's resume. "It's
fun to score goals, it's a great feeling."
It's no accident that the two Swedes are on the same wavelength, even though they grew up over 4 hours away from each other, Jacobson in Stockholm and Tedenby in Vetlanda . They both played in the prestigious Sweden national program, playing on national Under 18 teams and the World Juniors. They won World Junior silver and bronze together in 2009 and 2010, and according to Joesfson, got to know each other's tendencies. "Sometimes we played on the same line together." Josefson was with Team Sweden's World Junior team in Lake Placid this past July, a team that gained notoriety for it's feisty aggressive play. "They were chippy and obnoxious," said one journalist after watching them play team USA in an exhibition. "Hitting late, taunting. It was kind of a role reversal with the North Americans, who were kind of gentlemanly." This is no accident. The Swedish national program is gearing up their young players for the rigors of North American hockey. They are building new "hybrid" rinks (about 192' wide) that are narrower than Europe but wider than North America. This progressive Swedish program has served these two well in preparation for the NHL. And yes, they're young, but not all that small--Tedenby plays bigger than his 5'10", and Josefson is 6'1".
When Josefson returned from a broken hand that cost him 30 games, he and "Ted" were originally matched with young Russian Vladimir Zharkov. It was only after David Clarkson replaced Zharkov in the March 12 Islander game that their offense exploded. "They're both really good skaters," said Josefson of Clarkson and Tedenby. "Quick feet, we keep the puck."
Clarkson, a new father, is delighted to be playing with a couple of babies. Did he consider missing a shift after getting his face gouged by Al Montoya's butt end last Saturday? "No way!" His primary contribution? "Speed is what I'm bringing to this line."
Getting Josefson back from his knee injury in early March is the equivalent of a major deadline deal for the Devils, except there is no time penalty as the acquired player tries to mesh with new teammates. Josefson complements Tedenby perfectly having learned each others tendencies years ago while their hockey brains were still developing. They are premier NHL talent, both blue chip first round draft choices and products of Sweden's elite national team. Think of them as the Devils answer to the Sedin twins, maybe a notch below their offensive wizardry, but honest two-way players with little defensive risk and a huge upside.
"The young players are quick, fast and grind in the corners," says Brodeur. Swedish smurfs who grind in corners. Welcome to the new NHL. They are honest players who spend large chunks of their shift wearing down the defense with relentless cycling and puck chasing in the offensive zone, coupled with the fact that they have European skills and skating, AND an innate sense of what the other one is thinking. For a third line, what's not to like?
"I like this little line," said Lemaire soberly. "If they take care of their defensive responsibilities, I'll keep them together." For a veteran coach in the playoff chase of his life, those words are euphoric.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
A Devilish Spirit
Baby Faced Assassin Jacob Josefson turned 20 this month
Two competing beat reporters looking out for each other during a deadline crunch; a 9-figure superstar sharing his time and autographs with get-a-lifers on a cold street corner; An aging franchise goalie refusing to complain after his teammates hung him out to dry repeatedly in a must win game. There is a vibe, a selfless spirit of sorts, permeating in, around and through this hockey club. A spirit that manifests itself in good will, and more importantly to the cold bottom line-driven western world we live in, clicks in the win column and spaces jumped in the standings.
Although tied with two other clubs, due to tiebreaks the Devils are alone in 10th place after Tuesday night's stirring, dramatic and at times heart-stopping 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. These two teams have played twice in 5 nights, a home and home crossroads series of sorts, and the Devils have leapfrogged the Thrashers in the standings. Pretenders and contenders. The former last place Devils are contenders, the former first place Thrashers are pretenders. In the words of Buffalo Springfield, "There's something happening here, what it is aint exactly clear..." More evidence of spirits at work: 16,000 fans came to a dangerous urban slum and paid top dollar to watch a .500 hockey team on a Tuesday night. That miraculous fact is just business as usual for a franchise that has been resurrected.
And it's not hard to find the precise moment in time when the switch was turned and they went from worst to best--Friday, January 7, 2011. They jettisoned their captain. "A classic case of addition by subtraction," said Devils radio commentator Sherry Ross on the trading of the often pouty Jamie Langenbrunner. "He had been approached for a trade earlier in the year but said no. (Langenbrunner had a "no-trade" clause in his contract.) But when Jacques got hired, that clinched it." Trading a two-time Olympian, the captain not only of the Devils but of Team USA's proud 2010 silver medalists from Vancouver changed everything. They have been 18 games over .500 since, moving from bottom of the heap to playoff contender. Getting rid of a top-six forward in return for no player. Addition by subtraction, a world turned upside down.
Two sets of stories emerge from Newark on this night...on-ice magic and off ice magic. From the ice...20 and 21 year old Swedish linemates, guys who had combined for two medals at the prestigious World Junior Championship in recent years, are pumping life into the Devils offense. Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby combined for the winning goal after the Devils trailed by 2. An apparent tying goal beat Marty Brodeur in the final minute, a complete and utter buzz kill for the whole building, until it was waived off because of a high stick. Solid citizen Travis Zajac becomes the franchise leader in consecutive games played, and he scores a killer goal at the end of the first period, without which most experts think they lose the game. With an open net staring at him in the closing seconds, he handed off the puck to Ilya Kovalchuk who had been pressing for a goal all night. Kovy connected and got his wish. Soft-spoken and selfless after the game, Zajac embodies the Devils E Pluribus Unum--"out of many, one." The younger of the two Swedes, Jacob Josefson, who still has a baby face, scored his second goal in as many nights on a perfect feed from his 21 year old countryman. "I knew that he knew I was open," said Josefson. Those 8 words perfectly define offensive hockey magic. Knowledge and trust of your linemate translates to success in the incredibly tight checking NHL. The sum greater than the individual parts. "These guys know each other a lot," said Brodeur. "The chemistry has been good." A brilliant give and go between former Devils Cup champions Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston, where the shooter and the playmaker reversed roles, tied the game in the second period and ignited the crowd. Hockey magic, an NHL goal made to look easy when it's one of the hardest things in all of pro sports.
Now the off the ice stuff. Devils P.R. professionals kindly notified the post-game media horde that Brodeur was going to be late for his sound bites, and then asked if they wanted to hear from Jacques Lemaire in the press room. Bergen Record beat reporter Tom Gulitti noticed that New York Post writer Mark Everson, his competition, was still interviewing Travis Zajac, and asked the P.R. staff to hold off on Lemaire because Everson was still working the locker room. To my knowledge, that's NEVER been done before. But it's business as usual in Newark. Eventually the Lemaire show went on without Everson, and another accredited journalist offered his recording of the Lemaire press conference to Everson. Kindness begets kindness, even among hard-boiled journalists.
Lemaire was informed by MSG news hound Anthony Fucilli that 5 of their next 6 games are on the road. Thanks Fooch. Brodeur asked Gulitti about out of town scores, thanks Tom. And after all the media had been satisfied, the players drove their expensive cars out of their restricted lot into the cold night. Fans on the street eager for autographs are herded into a pen where they hope to catch a glimpse and maybe an autograph. A large man in a white SUV the size of a small tank with Florida plates pulled over and opened his window. The man with the $100 million dollar contract stopped the car, and signed and signed and signed. The last fan, wearing a Devils windbreaker, hand Kovalchuk a puck, it was all he had. The big Russian had the perfect silver sharpie and gave him a signature for the ages. He politely pulled off into Newark traffic, followed by his agent Jay Grossman in his black Mercedes. Neither was the slightest bit impatient.
The Prudential Center Elevator operators have a lot of potential income riding on whether or not the Devils make the playoffs. "Oh, I'm ready for a miracle!" said Tuesday's operator. He smiled and pushed the button to open the doors. "I'm ready."
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Monday, March 14, 2011
"Faux .500," a full analysis
With two days between Devils games, there is now time to digest their true winning perecentage, and why the term "Faux .500." What is .500 in the post lockout NHL? Fans and scribes are accustomed to looking at the numbers: 32 wins, 32 losses, and a number that follows, in the Devils case, 2. It sure looks like .500. 66 points accumulated out of a possible 132. Sure feels like .500 But the number 2 represents either an Overtime or shootout loss. Some might have a hard time granting a point to a team that loses, but acquiring a point after a tie in regulation does not offend the purists familiar with the game prior to the 1983 and the advent of Overtime. Hard to argue with a century of precedence, a point for a tie in regulation passes the smell test.
But something isn't right, awarding the same amount of points to a team for a hard fought win in regulation, as opposed to the team who coasts in the final minutes and then steals a "win" in a shootout. It is not equitable, by anyone's definition, especially when the losing team gets a point. Hence the imbalance of the "three-point games," which is under considerable scrutiny, or at least should be, with two high-stakes pennant races screaming down to the wire as you read this. I'll provide a solution to the current 2 and 3 point game disparity, but first let's debunk after the Devils record and their flirtation with .500.
Old School:
Yes, a point for a tie in regulation is legitimate. So let's maintain that old-school formula and examine those wins scored AFTER being tied in regulation. All those points acquired after the tie are in question. The Devils have acquired 10 points after tying in regulation, 7 OT winners, 3 by shootout. In the ancient but equitable old school formula we would discount all the points acquired after regulation, and the Devils record then becomes 22-32-14, still 10 games under .500, a winning percentage of .426. Wow, those stop-the-presses headlines and player quotes about making history aren't so relevant. However, this is not the old NHL, and on 7 occasions the Devils lit the lamp on real hockey plays (albeit 4 on 4) to gain seemingly legitimate victories. The insane celebrations in Atlanta on Friday and Newark on Saturday bore no resemblance to a tie; this reality is duly noted and logged.
No shootouts, OT's winner take all.
For sake of argument, let's call OT wins real victories, but award no point for an OT loss, and give a point to each team a point that reached the shootout. If we call those games ties, which is a legitimate argument, the Devils are 29-35-4, a semblance of legitimacy with a .456 winning percentage, but not a cause for delirium. Under this scenario, there are no 3 point games, but no shootouts to entertain the fans.
Now, the equitable 3-point solution (NHL, take note)
3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for a win in the extra session (keep the Shootout to keep the fans happy), 1 point for a loss in the extra session, 0 points for a loss in regulation. Even Steven. Every game is a 3 point game. Winning in regulation is a greater accomplishment than winning in a modified post-game. Two contenders will actually take chances in the closing minutes of a tie game, a reward for their risk. The only downside is the historical aspect, the inability to compare point totals from dynastic teams from different eras, but the current point totals are inflated anyway. Standings without secrets. 4 categories, a designated point total for each.
The Devils winning percentage under this equitable 4-category system: 22 regulation wins (66 pts); 10 extra-session wins (20 pts) 4 extra-sesson losses (4 pts) and 32 regulation losses. 90 points out of a possible 204. The calculator says: .441
So we now have 4 ways to assess the 2010-2011 Devils season statistically:
Current inflated system: .500
Old School (no points after regulation) .426
Shootouts as ties, no points for OT losses: .456
Equitable 3-points per game system: .441
This blog has no qualms with the .441 or .456. Adjusting the entire league standings will be a chore for the Elias Sports Bureau if they want the exercise, but the bottom line is that Devils are not a .500 team. More like .450. They have 10 extra-session wins, and 4 extra session losses, so they are a little higher in the standings than they deserve to be, yet, they are competing in the same circumstances as everyone else. Over the past month 6 of their games have gone into extra sessions, they have prevailed in all 6. Statistics be damned, this club performs in the clutch, and if they continue to do so, they will get their showdown with the NY Rangers on April 9. And that will be historic, no matter how you add the numbers.
But something isn't right, awarding the same amount of points to a team for a hard fought win in regulation, as opposed to the team who coasts in the final minutes and then steals a "win" in a shootout. It is not equitable, by anyone's definition, especially when the losing team gets a point. Hence the imbalance of the "three-point games," which is under considerable scrutiny, or at least should be, with two high-stakes pennant races screaming down to the wire as you read this. I'll provide a solution to the current 2 and 3 point game disparity, but first let's debunk after the Devils record and their flirtation with .500.
Old School:
Yes, a point for a tie in regulation is legitimate. So let's maintain that old-school formula and examine those wins scored AFTER being tied in regulation. All those points acquired after the tie are in question. The Devils have acquired 10 points after tying in regulation, 7 OT winners, 3 by shootout. In the ancient but equitable old school formula we would discount all the points acquired after regulation, and the Devils record then becomes 22-32-14, still 10 games under .500, a winning percentage of .426. Wow, those stop-the-presses headlines and player quotes about making history aren't so relevant. However, this is not the old NHL, and on 7 occasions the Devils lit the lamp on real hockey plays (albeit 4 on 4) to gain seemingly legitimate victories. The insane celebrations in Atlanta on Friday and Newark on Saturday bore no resemblance to a tie; this reality is duly noted and logged.
No shootouts, OT's winner take all.
For sake of argument, let's call OT wins real victories, but award no point for an OT loss, and give a point to each team a point that reached the shootout. If we call those games ties, which is a legitimate argument, the Devils are 29-35-4, a semblance of legitimacy with a .456 winning percentage, but not a cause for delirium. Under this scenario, there are no 3 point games, but no shootouts to entertain the fans.
Now, the equitable 3-point solution (NHL, take note)
3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for a win in the extra session (keep the Shootout to keep the fans happy), 1 point for a loss in the extra session, 0 points for a loss in regulation. Even Steven. Every game is a 3 point game. Winning in regulation is a greater accomplishment than winning in a modified post-game. Two contenders will actually take chances in the closing minutes of a tie game, a reward for their risk. The only downside is the historical aspect, the inability to compare point totals from dynastic teams from different eras, but the current point totals are inflated anyway. Standings without secrets. 4 categories, a designated point total for each.
The Devils winning percentage under this equitable 4-category system: 22 regulation wins (66 pts); 10 extra-session wins (20 pts) 4 extra-sesson losses (4 pts) and 32 regulation losses. 90 points out of a possible 204. The calculator says: .441
So we now have 4 ways to assess the 2010-2011 Devils season statistically:
Current inflated system: .500
Old School (no points after regulation) .426
Shootouts as ties, no points for OT losses: .456
Equitable 3-points per game system: .441
This blog has no qualms with the .441 or .456. Adjusting the entire league standings will be a chore for the Elias Sports Bureau if they want the exercise, but the bottom line is that Devils are not a .500 team. More like .450. They have 10 extra-session wins, and 4 extra session losses, so they are a little higher in the standings than they deserve to be, yet, they are competing in the same circumstances as everyone else. Over the past month 6 of their games have gone into extra sessions, they have prevailed in all 6. Statistics be damned, this club performs in the clutch, and if they continue to do so, they will get their showdown with the NY Rangers on April 9. And that will be historic, no matter how you add the numbers.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
charming Uncle Jacques
The press horde had just sucked the bones dry in the dressing room and were trampling into the press room for the last course, a session with the "old perfessor," Jacques Lemaire, to borrow a nickname from the late great Casey Stengel. As men, women and students did their deadline shuffle, an elder man was off to the side near the entrance, working his cel phone like a number of working stiffs (term of endearment, if you are in the media and working, you are succeeding right now.) Only this working stiff was the man everyone had come to hear, hockey's story du jour. After the press was assembled he coyly finished his call and stepped to the podium. He was all smiles and had every right to be
Lemaire, the man who brought a team that was past the brink, 19 games under .500 at 10-29-2, back to the break-even mark at 32-32-4. In the last 27 hours his Devils had collected 4 points to close within 6 of the final playoff spot, he had made an extremely tough call in goal-Broduer on less than a day's rest, and won. He had moved one seemingly insignificant pawn on the chess board, replacing Zharkov with David Clarkson on the "Kid Line," and was rewarded with a line that is becoming a force, collecting 6 points collectively in a 3-2 OT thriller, complete with 3 lead changes.
Jacques was having fun on the podium, beat writers were begging him to talk about the playoffs, reminding him that he promised to talk about the playoffs if the Devils got within 5 points. "But we're 6 behind," he said with a smile. "Ask me at 5." His cell phone rang from the corner of the room where he began the press conference. "That's my wife...calling to tell me not to talk about it." Has a coach ever worked a room so comfortably? But now he could talk seriously about the abyss they had climbed out of to reach .500. Did he ever imagine them returning to .500 when they were 19 games under in January? "Never. Because the league is so strong, the hill was too high." Did he think his players believed they could do it? The suntanned fox shook his silver head, "It must have been miserable for them."
The magic or momentum or lightning in a bottle or whatever term needs to be invented for this bunch was clearly in play this night in Newark. Two players scored their first career NHL goals in a 3-2 overtime win that removed the "losing record" label for this proud franchise. Those bare facts are startling by themselves, but they just reflect business as usual for the Devils over the past two months. Jacob Josefson, just turned 20 and looks like it will be at least a decade before he stops having to show his ID to get a beer, banked a puck off Al Montoya from behind the goal line to open the scoring in the first period. His first career marker, and the baby-faced was typically humble, yet honest at his locker stall. "It doesn't matter who scores as long as we win," he said, his cheeks still carrying a cherubic glow. "But it's fun to be part of it."
New linemate David Clarkson was sporting a gash on his nose, which did nothing to dampen his spirits. He lost a chunk of flesh courtesy of Montoya's shaft while prone in a goal mouth scramble, but this grizzled veteran wouldn't dare miss a shift with his rookie linemates. "Speed is what I'm bringing to the line." It's an odd grouping, a journeyman grinder and two Swedish smurfs, but it's working. "I'm happy with the little line," said Jacques. And if they take care of their defensive responsibilities, "They will probably stay together." That's as close to commitment as a coach can make in this league.
The other first-time scorer was a skilled Finn Anssi Salmela, who despite a brimming tool box, is more of a journeyman than Clarkson, bouncing around Europe and the AHL for the last 7 years while accumulating 98 games in The Show. He nearly imploded after burying the slick feed from Mattias Teddenby past Montoya's glove hand, along with the Saturday night sellout crowd. Lemaire, however, was clearly not gushing over Salmela, "He needs to make the easy play...He's always trying to do too much." A project for his Hall-Of-Fame assistant Larry Robinson.
This outcome of this game came down to a single play five minutes into the third period, with Jersey trailing by a goal and on the power play. Michael Grabner sped in all alone on a breakaway, one of many shorthanded chances for the Islanders, this one clearly the best. Brodeur waited out Grabner and got a blocker on a shot labeled for the far side.
"That was a huge save," said Lemaire. "I think that gave a little bit of a boost to our team," said Brodeur. 16 seconds later, Clarkson ties the game on a filthy goal mouth scramble, and the Devils were alive. Had Grabner finished, the Devils story would be in Sunday's obituary section.
The post game news-gatherers were trying to drum up validation for a story on "pressure," but none of the newsmakers were biting. Lemaire and all his players seemed happy to be playing game to game, one period and one shift at a time. But minutes after the locker room opened to reporters, a grim faced Adam Oates was tapping certain players on the shoulder, reminding them that there was a power play practice for noon. Despite connecting on three season-saving man advantage markers on Friday, this night's power play gave up more offense than it created and needs to be fixed, pronto.
"All game long on our power play we weren't really successful offensively, and were pretty bad defensively," said Brodeur, who coughed up a shorthanded goal to Blake Comeu in the second period after Comeau torched Brian Rolston one-on-one. The Devils use of two forwards--Rolston and Kovalchuk--on the point for most of their power-plays is an accident waiting to happen. They allowed several chances and were burned badly once. Adjustments will be made at noon today.
In the meantime, there are several teams all sharing the Devils improbable playoff dream--Carolina, Buffalo, Toronto, and, thanks to Saturday's stunning come-from-behind season saver, the Atlanta Thrashers. They will be in Newark on Tuesday. A good time to separate pretender from contender.
Lemaire, the man who brought a team that was past the brink, 19 games under .500 at 10-29-2, back to the break-even mark at 32-32-4. In the last 27 hours his Devils had collected 4 points to close within 6 of the final playoff spot, he had made an extremely tough call in goal-Broduer on less than a day's rest, and won. He had moved one seemingly insignificant pawn on the chess board, replacing Zharkov with David Clarkson on the "Kid Line," and was rewarded with a line that is becoming a force, collecting 6 points collectively in a 3-2 OT thriller, complete with 3 lead changes.
Jacques was having fun on the podium, beat writers were begging him to talk about the playoffs, reminding him that he promised to talk about the playoffs if the Devils got within 5 points. "But we're 6 behind," he said with a smile. "Ask me at 5." His cell phone rang from the corner of the room where he began the press conference. "That's my wife...calling to tell me not to talk about it." Has a coach ever worked a room so comfortably? But now he could talk seriously about the abyss they had climbed out of to reach .500. Did he ever imagine them returning to .500 when they were 19 games under in January? "Never. Because the league is so strong, the hill was too high." Did he think his players believed they could do it? The suntanned fox shook his silver head, "It must have been miserable for them."
The magic or momentum or lightning in a bottle or whatever term needs to be invented for this bunch was clearly in play this night in Newark. Two players scored their first career NHL goals in a 3-2 overtime win that removed the "losing record" label for this proud franchise. Those bare facts are startling by themselves, but they just reflect business as usual for the Devils over the past two months. Jacob Josefson, just turned 20 and looks like it will be at least a decade before he stops having to show his ID to get a beer, banked a puck off Al Montoya from behind the goal line to open the scoring in the first period. His first career marker, and the baby-faced was typically humble, yet honest at his locker stall. "It doesn't matter who scores as long as we win," he said, his cheeks still carrying a cherubic glow. "But it's fun to be part of it."
New linemate David Clarkson was sporting a gash on his nose, which did nothing to dampen his spirits. He lost a chunk of flesh courtesy of Montoya's shaft while prone in a goal mouth scramble, but this grizzled veteran wouldn't dare miss a shift with his rookie linemates. "Speed is what I'm bringing to the line." It's an odd grouping, a journeyman grinder and two Swedish smurfs, but it's working. "I'm happy with the little line," said Jacques. And if they take care of their defensive responsibilities, "They will probably stay together." That's as close to commitment as a coach can make in this league.
The other first-time scorer was a skilled Finn Anssi Salmela, who despite a brimming tool box, is more of a journeyman than Clarkson, bouncing around Europe and the AHL for the last 7 years while accumulating 98 games in The Show. He nearly imploded after burying the slick feed from Mattias Teddenby past Montoya's glove hand, along with the Saturday night sellout crowd. Lemaire, however, was clearly not gushing over Salmela, "He needs to make the easy play...He's always trying to do too much." A project for his Hall-Of-Fame assistant Larry Robinson.
This outcome of this game came down to a single play five minutes into the third period, with Jersey trailing by a goal and on the power play. Michael Grabner sped in all alone on a breakaway, one of many shorthanded chances for the Islanders, this one clearly the best. Brodeur waited out Grabner and got a blocker on a shot labeled for the far side.
"That was a huge save," said Lemaire. "I think that gave a little bit of a boost to our team," said Brodeur. 16 seconds later, Clarkson ties the game on a filthy goal mouth scramble, and the Devils were alive. Had Grabner finished, the Devils story would be in Sunday's obituary section.
The post game news-gatherers were trying to drum up validation for a story on "pressure," but none of the newsmakers were biting. Lemaire and all his players seemed happy to be playing game to game, one period and one shift at a time. But minutes after the locker room opened to reporters, a grim faced Adam Oates was tapping certain players on the shoulder, reminding them that there was a power play practice for noon. Despite connecting on three season-saving man advantage markers on Friday, this night's power play gave up more offense than it created and needs to be fixed, pronto.
"All game long on our power play we weren't really successful offensively, and were pretty bad defensively," said Brodeur, who coughed up a shorthanded goal to Blake Comeu in the second period after Comeau torched Brian Rolston one-on-one. The Devils use of two forwards--Rolston and Kovalchuk--on the point for most of their power-plays is an accident waiting to happen. They allowed several chances and were burned badly once. Adjustments will be made at noon today.
In the meantime, there are several teams all sharing the Devils improbable playoff dream--Carolina, Buffalo, Toronto, and, thanks to Saturday's stunning come-from-behind season saver, the Atlanta Thrashers. They will be in Newark on Tuesday. A good time to separate pretender from contender.
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