NHL Post-Season Awards Ceremony

On June 22, 2011, the NHL will hold its awards ceremony in Las Vegas for the 2010-11 season. Each year, the NHL issues an award to the top player in various individual categories. This year, the Art Ross Trophy given to the league's top point scorer will be awarded to Daniel Sedin who scored 104 points for the Vancouver Canucks (43G, 61A). Corey Perry, who scored 50 goals for the Anaheim Ducks will be awarded the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer. Most notably, neither Alex Ovechkin or Sydney Crosby are expected to receive any awards as Ovechkin had an "off" year and was not considered for any of the prominent trophies and Crosby, as most know, missed a large part of the season with a head injury. 

Here are the finalists in some of the top categories:

Sunday Brunch.....Playoff Beards

Well, we're deep into the hockey playoffs and that can only mean one thing - beards!! Who will be this year's winner for the narliest playoff beard? Damned if I know but anyway, below is a group of some of the more mangier rat nests that have been weaved over the years. Take a look.

NHLer Derek Boogaard Found Dead

Source: James Keivom/News

Really sad new coming out of Minneapolis today. New York Rangers forward Derek Boogaard, 28 was found dead in his apartment last evening and the cause at this time is unknown. Boogaard who had just signed a 4-year contract with the Rangers at the start of the 2010 season was considered one of the toughest fighters in the NHL. At 6"7 and 260 lbs he was an intimidating force on the ice and often took on the other teams enforcers. This season Boogaard was limited to only 45 games due to injury. In December he suffered a shoulder injury during a fight and then experienced concussion-like symptoms during an off-ice work out and never returned to the ice for the rest of the season.

Lightning Sweep Caps 4-0. Are the Caps Done?

So the Tampa Bay Lightning whipped the Washington Capitals in their Eastern Conference semifinal round. I'm not even sure which is the bigger story; the Lightning sweep or the Capitals loss. Yes, I know it's been four years since the Lightning made the playoffs and they had a great season and now they knocked off Ovie & Company in four straight games (not an easy task), but I'm thinking long term ramifications. Where is the bigger impact? I'm thinking the answer lies with the Washington Capitals.

Has Jagr played his last game for the Rangers?

Reports are circulating that Jaromir Jagr may have played his last game with the Rangers. Jagr becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and speculation is that he will play in Europe, where he received a substantial contract offer from Omsk, a team that plays in the Russian Superleague. While the Rangers are still very interested in signing Jagr, there are cap issues and its unlikely they would match the offer that's already on the table. Complicating things a bit is that if the Rangers should sign Jagr, they would have to reconsider which free agents are available that fit with Jagr's game and how that would impact the team overall in terms of team chemistry and direction.

NHL 2008 Draft: Steven Stamkos Goes No. 1 Overall; New York Rangers Draft Michael Del Zotto

Last night, the NHL held their 2008 entry draft and as expected, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected Steven Stamkos with the first pick. Stamkos, a 6"0, 175lb center out of Sarnia of the OHL is a projected NHL star that has been most closely compared to Hall-of-Famer Steve Yzerman. He is considered an elite offensive player, with excellent skating skills who plays a two-way game and has an abundance of character.

With the 20th pick of the draft, the New York Rangers selected Michael Del Zotto, a defenseman out of OHL Oshawa. More on Del Zotto below


Here is the complete 2008 draft by round.

Remembering Lord Stanley

For all Ranger fans, June 14 1994 is a special day as it is the day the New York Rangers finally won the Stanley Cup with a victory over the Vancouver Canucks, taking the best of seven series 4 games to 3, and bringing an end to one of the longest championship droughts in professional sports history. The Rangers had gone 54 years without one, while only the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox of the four major sports (football, baseball and basketball being the others) experienced greater futility. Today is the 14th anniversary of that memorable day and so to Mark Messier - The Captain, our captain, we salute you and to all who followed - congratulations.


Post script, the Red Sox and White Sox have since won their World Series championships leaving only the Chicago Cubs with, by far and away, the longest drought in professional sports. They last won the World Series in 1908 (that's 100 years if your doing the math). To put it in perspective, that's the same year Ford introduced the Model T and only 32 years after Bell invented the telephone.