Puck Talk
-I hate to spend too much space complaining about the Bruins because, frankly, there’s nothing new to say. Everything I wrote two weeks ago (not enough defense, poor record against the division, poor record in close games, terrible 3rd period stats) still applies. But it is pretty sad when you glance at the standings and realize that the only teams with less wins are Pittsburgh, Florida, Columbus and St. Louis. That’s it. If the season ended today the Bruins would finish 12th in the Eastern Conference. Obviously, this is slightly less than ideal.
-On the other end of the spectrum are the Ottawa Senators. I know, like everyone else, I’ve written a ton about them already, but I still think some of the numbers they’re putting up bear mentioning. Like the fact that their goal differential through Monday, November 28 is +55. That’s 100 goals for and 45 against. The next best differential is Detroit at +29. The Red Wings have 95 goals which would seem to compare favorably with Ottawa until you realize that Ottawa has 5 games in hand. In addition, the Senators 18-3 overall record includes a perfect 11-0 mark against their division. The top five +/- leaders in the league are all Senators. They’ve got three of the top five points leaders. And, oh yeah, Hasek leads the league in goals against, save percentage, wins and shutouts.
-Probably the biggest buzz coming out of last weekend is over Marek Malik of the Rangers and the game-winning goal he scored on Olaf Kolzig in the 15th round of a shootout. I assume most people have seen it by now but if you’ve been trapped in a cave or don’t own a television what he basically did was come down, put his stick between his legs, and roof a shot over Kolzig’s short side. The amazing part of it, for me, isn’t that the move is particularly hard to do or terribly original, but the fact that he had the stones to do it when it counted and pull it off. A lot of guys can make that move in practice. Heck, I used to pull that move all the time in high school and college practices. Like the goal Mike Legg scored for Michigan a few years ago when he scooped the puck up on his blade and tucked it in the top corner from behind the net, it’s one of those things that look amazing to people who don’t play hockey even though plenty of players can do it. The amazing part to me, as I said, is the fact he did in a real game and made it work.
-The downside to Malik’s goal, unfortunately, is that I’m sure I’ll have kids trying it all year in practice on the JV team I coach. Remember, we’re not talking about kids with the most gifted hands at the JV level. If I have to watch 200 failed versions of that move between now and March I may personally drive down to New York and give Marek a two-hander across the back of the knees.
-Out of curiosity I decided to do an ebay search under ‘Boston Bruins’ to see what the most expensive items that came up would be. As you might expect, it’s mostly people selling tickets and Bobby Orr memorabilia. There was one item that stood out though; someone from Winchester is looking to sell a 10’ step ladder from the old Garden. They’re asking for a minimum bid of $450 so, perhaps unsurprisingly, there have not been any bids as yet. The best part is in the description of the item where the seller claims, “Timeless 10' Ladder has lived in the Garden for as long as anyone can remember and has been used for everything from hanging banners to fixing scoreboards.” Forgive me if I’m nitpicking here but I have to ask…that 10-foot ladder was used to hang banners? How? I’m going to have to call b.s. on that one.
-Some other items on ebay you may want to consider for the hockey fan in your life this holiday season include a neon Quebec Nordiques wall clock for $49.99, a pair of Brett Hull’s game-used Blues socks for $100, an autographed 8x10 photograph of Lyndon Byers punching Craig Wolanin in the face for $7.99 (autographed by Byers---not Wolanin) and a vintage 1973 propane-powered zamboni for $1,350.
-In case you thought Jason Allison’s skating has improved since he left Boston please consider this haiku poem that I ran across on a Toronto Maple Leafs blog:
Jason Allison
January molasses
Faster? The latter
I don’t know why but that cracked me up.
-Finally, we conclude with a small piece of a recent espn.com chat with Sergei Federov where he talks about his one-time relationship with a certain Russian tennis player…
Q: What's the best thing about the relationship you had with Anna Kournikova?
A: The best thing was that we were both Russian. There was no romance for a long time. She was just a kid when we met the first time [she was 15]. Our families got along. We had a lot in common, we lived similar lives, we understood each other. So our friendship developed 'cause we were in the same position professionally and socially.
Q: How did the relationship with Anna go to being more than friends?
A: It was a turning point. We spent quite a few days together. Anna expressed that kind of [romantic] interest, I was kind of surprised because I was a little bit older and wilder than her and I was going in a different direction. But I looked at the situation and said she was a great person, so, why not? So, then we started dating. It was tough because her schedule had her based all over the world and I played games in so many different cities.
I like how he tries to play it off like he had to think about it when Anna was coming on to him. Gee, let me think. I’m kind of going in a different direction. I’m a little older than her. Ah, what the heck. She’s a great person. I guess I’ll date her. Sure, Sergei. Whatever you say.
Questions? Comments? Please send feedback to Michael James at feedback@barstoolsports.com