geschlossene Threads » Season 2002/2003

1. Jean-Sebastien Giguere
There are some people who I just like to listen to. I used to watch Bob Costas's "Later" show at 1:30 a.m. just to hear Costas talk. George Carlin and Michael Stipe are two others. I just like to look at their eyes, read their lips and listen to them talk. Giguere has that quality. He's a man of action who is a great talker. The words he chooses, how he arranges them, his thoughts and how he times them are more impressive to me than his save percentage. It's why he is the real deal and why Anaheim will enjoy more success in the next 10 years. He reminds me of Tom Seaver. Smarts, heart and details.

2. The Collective Bargaining Agreement
I could fill a Hefty Trash Bag with vomit every time I hear those four words. When I think of a union, I think of workers who need a body of support and protection from immoral corporations. I don't think of workers with an average salary over $1 million for seven months of work, or if you are a New York Ranger, six-and-a-half months. That being said, if there is a work stoppage it will be both sides' fault. There needs to be a partnership that doesn't currently exist. It should be simple to split the revenues and lower the ticket prices. But, the players don't trust the owners and the owners are sick of losing money because of the implausibly high salary structure that they created.

3. Rule Changes
I get so many suggestions and opinions on rule changes that two things come to mind off the bat. 1) People love this game. 2) If so many people have so many suggestions so much of the time, there must be something wrong. Were we hearing these debates in the 70s and 80s and early 90s? Games change and adjustments are necessary. The NFL constantly tinkers with the rules to benefit the offense. The NBA introduced a 24-second clock and a three-point line. The NCAA also introduced a shot clock and three-point line, which revolutionized the sport's popularity. Baseball lowered the mound, wound the ball a little tighter, and made the ballparks smaller and eventually a man hit 70 homers. Golf courses are made longer. None of this applies to our game, the best game, but the main objective for hockey is simple: create more space to show off the skills of the players. The game needs more exhilaration.

4. Shootouts
I am pro-otter, pro V1, pro-ibuprofen and pro shootout. Anyone who saw the All-Star Game loved the shootout. It was a great way to show off the skill of the players. A team has 60 minutes of regulation time and five minutes of 4-on-4 to get a win. If you don't like a shootout deciding the game, tough. You had plenty of time to show you had more skill than the other guy. The United States Golf Association has restrictions for golf balls and golf clubs so SKILL is the most important factor in determining a winner. The NHL should not shy away from showing off skill and providing drama AT ANY TIME. Regular-season shootouts provide both for those nights when there are ties.

5. Scott Niedermayer
World class. When I lay in bed thinking about the Stanley Cup final it all comes back to watching No. 27 skate. He was Conn Smythe material. He's easily the most under appreciated defenseman in the game. He was at a Paul Coffey level. You wonder what kind of numbers he would put up if he played a couple of seasons with an attacking offensive team. He's already lifted three Cups over his head.

6. Vancouver Canucks
The team made gobs of money this year. The players won awards and notoriety. And a city went nuts over its exciting, sexy hockey team. The Canucks were a staple on my NHL Center Ice Package. From Marc Crawford's hair to Matt Cooke's forechecking, to Marcus Naslund's wrist shot to Todd Bertuzzi's brute force, the Canucks are always a good watch. Late night on the couch, in the cold of winter, with a freshly microwaved bowl of popcorn and an ice-cold one, watching Bertuzzi, Naslund and Brendan Morrison wheel and deal. Life is good.

7. Minnesota Wild
Minnesota is the center of hockey in the United States. When the North Stars left for Dallas, you have to wonder why nearly every NHL team didn't packed up and left for Minnesota right away. Knowledgeable and passionate fans and a fantastic rink make it one of the NHL's elite markets. Wild games rated extremely well on ESPN. People there live the sport. When it comes to fans as natural resources, Minnesota was an untapped oil field. I believe there are five too many teams in the NHL and five markets where the NHL is wasting its time and money. The antithesis of Minnesota.

8. San Jose Sharks
What a difference a year makes. I wasn't sold on all the Stanley Cup talk surrounding this team, but what a nice group they had. Wonderful, proactive, passionate fans. Holdouts, coaching changes, retirements, and trades and this team is suddenly a big question mark. I love their announcers, their logo, watching Patrick Marleau skate and the intimacy of their rink. I hope Ron Wilson can get them together and they can return as a playoff team. Last year was an ugly mess, a classic case of mismanagement for whatever reason.

9. Darren Pang
I love Panger. One of my favorite Panger moments is to going to Denny's after an NHL 2Night in 2002 and writing down our Olympic rosters on the placemat at 2 a.m. Panger talks hockey and thinks hockey all the time. He would be an ideal NHL GM. He loves the game, knows the game, knows all the people in the game, is not afraid to solicit advice and is insatiably likeable. Highly competitive, passionate, patient and unwilling to deal with incompetence, he would be an excellent cog in any NHL organization. He would think things through and then make the hard decision. Panger is the little bird in that little hockey birdhouse in your soul.

10. This year's draft class
The game is changing. If there is lockout it's goodbye Forsberg, Sakic, Naslund, Yzerman, Messier, Francis, Lemieux, Hull, Lidstrom, Modano, Chelios, just to name a few. Late 30-year-olds won't find a need to come back unless there is union pressure. Some Europeans will go home and play in their country for a couple of years, play in the the 2006 Olympics and retire on all their North America-earned money. This year, as well as the last couple of years, the NHL draft will feature the new wave of player. They say this year's draft class is deep. It better be ocean deep, to replace a sea of legends who will sail into the sunset in the post lockout NHL.

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