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Archive for the ‘Special Features’ Category

Which Deadline Pickups Made the Biggest Impact After 24 Games?

In DEN, NAS, SCA, Special Features, STL, VAN on June 12, 2013 at 9:42 pm

streit

It was the most active trade deadline in recent memory. 24 games later, most of the players who found new homes have had a chance to show what they’ve got. But which teams’ acquisitions made the biggest difference?

1) Saint Louis Blues (17-6-1 since deadline)

The Blues were a good team before the deadline, but that didn’t deter them from making bold moves – and it paid off. Daniel Alfredsson (9 goals in 24 games) and Alex Steen (13 points in 12 games) were notable producers, but the real impact was on overall team depth. They’ve never been harder to defend.

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Fourth Quarter MVP: Vote Now!

In Special Features on May 15, 2012 at 9:17 pm

Update: James Reimer wins in a landslide!

It was Michal Neuvirth in Q1, then Patrick Marleau in Q2. Sidney Crosby burst onto the scene in Q3. So who’s our fourth and final quarterly of 2011-2012?

A look at the nominees:

C Sidney Crosby, West Virginia River Rats
17gp, 9g, 20a, 29pts
It wasn’t quite the torrid pace he set last quarter, but Crosby’s 29 points put him in third for scoring in Q4 and helped West Virginia shore up the #2 seed.

RW Jarome Iginla, Portland Winterhawks
18gp, 17g, 12a, 29p
Will Iginla ever slow down? He almost hit 60 goals this year, and his 17 goals in 18 games this quarter was a big reason why. He was tied for the quarterly goal-scoring lead with Ryan Kesler.

G James Reimer, Portland Winterhawks
17gp, 14-2-1, 2.35, .920
To put Reimer’s excellent quarter in perspective – on the season, Portland’s other two goalies boast save percentages of .885 and .877. Portland was the best team in Q4 on the back of the rookie netminder.

G Tim Thomas, Sterling Eagles
15gp, 8-3-4, 1.62, .937
The stingy Eagles were once again led by the ageless Thomas. Sterling allowed just 29 goals in 18 games in Q4.

C Jonathan Toews, Vancouver Night Train
18gp, 12g, 18a, 30pts
The Night Train’s conference crown was by no means a guarantee heading into the quarter. Toews would lead the entire league in Q4 scoring while winning 65% of his faceoffs.

Playoff Preview: Conference Semis

In EDH, NAS, News, PWH, SAL, SCA, Special Features, STE, VAN, WVR on May 5, 2012 at 11:18 pm

Plante Conference Semifinals

#1 Salem Wannabees (54-16-12) vs. #4 South Carolina Fire Ants (34-40-8)

Another year, another Salem powerhouse. Once again, no team was better in the regular season – or even really very close. The Wannabees have it all: scoring, defense, goaltending. That’ll make for a tough slog for a plucky, often-undermanned South Carolina, whose sub-.500 record was still enough to snag the last playoff spot.

Season Series: Salem won 4-1-1

#2 Sterling Eagles (44-24-14) vs. #3 El Dorado Lynx (43-27-12)

This is the Eagles’ first playoff appearance since 2006-2007 and they have goaltending to thank for it. Tim Thomas will lead the way for a team that allowed just 157 goals during the regular season (no other team had fewer than 200). The Lynx, meanwhile, finished just four points back of Sterling, so it’ll be tight — especially if the ageless Teemu Selanne plays the way he did all year. Of note: both teams averaged under 2 goals per game against each other during the regular season, and they even played to a 0-0 tie.

Season Series: Tied 2-2-2

Sawchuk Conference Semifinals

#1 Vancouver Night Train (49-26-7) vs. #4 Nashville Knights (39-32-11)

After finishing with just 72 points last season, the Night Train bounced back and captured the conference crown, narrowly avoiding a first-round series against Portland. The Night Train weren’t exactly dominant all year but found a way to win, largely thanks to Jonathan Toews and a cast of clutch scorers. The question is, can Pekka Rinne get his act together? And will Nashville be able to overcome their paper-thin D, as they did for much of the season?

Season Series: Vancouver won 6-1-1

#2 West Virginia River Rats (46-27-9) vs. #3 Portland Winterhawks (45-29-8)

The two highest-scoring teams of the regular season [check Salem] go head-to-head in the opening round. Can the Winterhawks get their dynasty back on track against the reigning Gump Cup champs? Crosby, Thornton. Staal, Spezza. Perry, Iginla. Vanek, Kovalchuk. This should be fun for everyone but the goaltenders.

Season Series: West Virginia won 4-1-1

Third Quarter MVP: Vote Now!

In Special Features on March 26, 2012 at 2:57 pm

It’s that time again? Who will join Patrick Marleau and Michal Neuvirth as quarterly MVPs?

A look at the nominees:

C Sidney Crosby, West Virginia River Rats
24gp, 19g, 27a, 46pts
Crosby’s much-anticipated season debut delivered in spades. Crosby led all scorers on the quarter by a healthy margin and led the Rats to a sterling 15-5-4 record.

C Ryan Kesler, El Dorado Lynx
24gp, 15g, 19a, 34pts
The Lynx had a glorious 16-3-5 quarter, thanks in large part to Kesler, who led El Dorado in scoring and boasted a great +15.

RW Cory Perry, West Virginia River Rats
24gp, 23g, 14a, 37pts
A beneficiary of Crosby’s comeback? Maybe. But Perry was West Virginia’s leading scorer before the quarter began and is now closing in on 50 goals.

G Tim Thomas, Sterling Eagles
20gp, 8-8-4, 1.88, .940, 4 SO.
The Eagles are having a hard time scoring. That they’re still in the running is thanks to Thomas, who had 4 shutouts on the quarter.

C Jonathan Toews, Vancouver Night Train
24gp, 9g, 25a, 34pts
The Night Train had 16 wins on the quarter — tops in the Sawchuk. Toews is the biggest reason why, considering Pekka Rinne’s extremely dodgy performance.

Second Quarter MVP: Cast Your Vote!

In Special Features on January 30, 2012 at 3:55 pm

Who had the biggest impact on their team’s success in the second quarter? Vote now – or read on for more about each nominee and then vote, you big nerd.

The Nominees:

C Claude Giroux, Nashville Knights
20gp, 9g, 18a, 27pts
Giroux was tied for most points on the quarter and drove the Knights to a very solid 10-8-2 record.

C Eric Staal, West Virginia River Rats
20gp, 3g, 23a, 26pts
In Sidney Crosby’s absence, Staal racked up a quarter-leading 23 assists – 5 more than anyone else.

LW Patrick Marleau, Salem Wannabees
20gp, 15g, 8a, 23pts
Marleau’s 15 goals were tied for the quarter lead with Corey Perry. Four were game-winners, and he finished a +17.

G Roberto Luongo, Great Lakes Pilots
16gp, 7-5-4, 2.03, .934, 1so
Great Lakes powered to the top of their division on Luongo’s back and his numbers were among the best on the quarter.

G Tim Thomas, Sterling Eagles
12gp, 4-4-4, 2.04, .939, 1so
Where would Sterling be without Thomas? Way further back of the Wannabees, that’s where. Thomas stole several games.

Biggest Midseason Surprises of 2011-12

In DEN, EDH, IHS, NAS, News, SCA, Special Features, STE on January 30, 2012 at 12:38 pm

We’re halfway through our season. So what’s been raising our eyebrows?

As a Rule, Eagles are Pretty Badass

The Sterling Eagles have missed the playoffs four seasons in a row. But after 40 games, they’re second overall in the entire league with a stellar 23-12-5 record, and even managed to steal five points on the road against division rival Salem. They’re getting help where it counts, like unheralded winger Nikolai Kulemin, who already has 22 goals. Previous career high? Eight.

Backups Earning Their Keep

The Eagles’ Tim Thomas has the numbers (1.88, .939) but backup Johan Hedberg is winning more games. His record is 12-6-0 to Thomas’ 11-6-5. Likewise, the Ice Harbor Storm’s Alex Auld (.914) and Jonathan Bernier (.933) are busy overshadowing the “starting tandem” of Mathieu Garon (.885) and J-S Giguere (.874).

Pick One Already!

The Storm aren’t the only one with a menagerie of netminders in a pen out back. Five goalies have seen action for the Nashville Knights already this season: Sergei Bobrovsky (17 games), Cory Schneider (16), Ray Emery (3), Brian Boucher (3), and Mike Smith (1). That’s two rookies backed up by three vets, and the elevator pitch for an ensemble basic-cable sitcom.

Ovie-Shadowed

Alex Ovechkin is not leading the El Dorado Lynx in points. That’s kind of remarkable. The Lynx are okay – still in good playoff position at the halfway point, actually – thanks largely to the ageless Teemu Selanne, who has 18 goals and 45 points to Ovie’s 20 and 41.

Giddy-Up?

The Denver Spurs offense could use a swift, spiky kick in the rear. They don’t have the lowest GF, but let’s break it down: they’re deep up the middle and shallow on the wings, and that means they’re leaving lots of goals on the table. Mike Richards and Daniel Briere each have just 18 points in 40 games. Joffrey Lupul is their top scorer but has the lowest point total (28) of any team leader league-wide. Oh, also, he’s nursing an injury that could see him miss significant time.

Head of the Class

The top five draft picks (Skinner, Hall, Seguin, Eberle, and Stepan) are all playing pretty well, but they’re trailing in the rookie scoring race to an unlikely gaggle (herd? colony? murder?) of youngsters: South Carolina’s Tyler Ennis, Nashville’s PK Subban, Ice Harbor’s Mikael Backlund, and Baltimore’s Michael Grabner.

Brett Freaking Clark

Subban isn’t just the second highest scoring freshman so far. He also leads all defensemen in goals with 13, which might just make him the leading rookie-of-the-year candidate at this point. But that’s not even the most surprising development on Nashville’s blueline: Brett freaking Clark already has 10 goals, people. That’s just crazy.

Final Passing of the Torch: Meet the “Original 5”

In Special Features on December 28, 2011 at 2:40 pm

Thousands of players have come and gone from the GWMHL ranks over the two decades of the league’s existence.

Some were difference makers. Others were Juha Ylonen.

But only a select few have been in the league since the very beginning, and that number is dwindling fast. In fact, the GWMHL is approaching a major milestone in its history: the start of an era in which no original players remain.

Fifteen players – and no goalies – played in both the GWMHL’s inaugural season in 1993 and the most recent season in 2010-2011:

Rob Blake, Adam Foote, Bill Guerin, Roman Hamrlik, Alexei Kovalev, Niklas Lidstrom, Mike Modano, Scott Niedermayer, Owen Nolan, Mark Recchi, Teemu Selanne, Darryl Sydor, Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight, Ray Whitney

Three of those 15 – Owen Nolan, Adam Foote, and Rob Blake – missed at least one season during their careers to free agency or injury:

Rob Blake, Adam Foote, Bill Guerin, Roman Hamrlik, Alexei Kovalev, Niklas Lidstrom, Mike Modano, Scott Niedermayer, Owen Nolan, Mark Recchi, Teemu Selanne, Darryl Sydor, Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight, Ray Whitney

That leaves 12 players who saw action in all 17 seasons to date. But four of those 12 retired at the end of this past season:

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Rookie Race: Backlund, Grabner Among the Best So Far

In BAL, GLP, IHS, NAS, Special Features on December 27, 2011 at 10:31 am

We might be just 20 games into the 2011-2012 rookie race, but there’ve already been some flat-out stunners. With several marquee freshmen handed plum jobs in their teams’ top-sixes, it’s boom-or-bust time. Here are four of the biggest surprises – good and bad – so far.

Mikael Backlund, Ice Harbor Storm

Backlund is a 2009 draftee who saw 23 games last year (0 goals, 4 assists). This season, with a young Ice Harbor team that’s thin up the middle, he’s had a chance to play a big role. And while the Storm have struggled (6-13-1), Backlund’s played well with second-line minutes, notching 8 goals and 6 assists on the quarter.

Taylor Hall, Great Lakes Pilots

First overall Jeff Skinner has had a decent start for 8-11-1 Nashville, with 12 points in his first 20 games. But where’s second overall Taylor Hall? He’s playing big minutes for the Great Lakes Pilots but has managed just 3 goals and 3 assists so far, is being outscored by teammates like Darren Helm, and sits at a team-worst -11.

Michael Grabner, Baltimore Crab

The fleet Austrian was drafted in 2010 by Vancouver and immediately dealt for a second rounder in 2011, who would become winger Kyle Palmieri. After spending all of last season on reserve, Grabner has started this season well with the Baltimore Crab, with 11 goals in his first 20 games.

Sergei Bobrovsky, Nashville Knights

Bobrovsky was taken 21st overall in 2011 and the expectation was that he’d step in and backstop a young but very talented Nashville team to playoff contention. But no one’s going anywhere with numbers like his: a 4.30 GAA and .887 save percentage. Bobrovsky has been soundly outplayed by Cory Schneider (4 games, 1.76, .927).

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First Quarter MVP: Vote Now!

In Special Features on December 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm

Who’s made the biggest mark so far in this young GWMHL season? Check out our list of nominees below and vote now!

The Nominees:

LW Patrick Marleau, Salem Wannabees
20gp, 17g, 9a, 26pts
Picking up where he left off from his astounding 77-goal season, Marleau is leading the GWMHL with 17 goals in the first 20 games.

D Tyler Myers, Ice Harbor Storm
20gp, 6g, 13a, 19pts
Myers is leading his rebuilding team in scoring and is one of the reasons the Storm managed to take a few teams by surprise this quarter.

LW Daniel Sedin, Baltimore Crab
20gp, 15g, 19a, 34pts
Despite a tough start 6-12-2 for the Crab, Sedin leads the entire league in points with 34 in 20 games – and continues to turn Alex Burrows into a legit scoring threat.

D Tomas Kaberle, Salem Wannabees
20gp, 1g, 17a, 18pts
Kaberle is among the scoring leaders for defensemen, but it’s his +22 that’s an eye-opener: far and away the best in the league.

G Michael Neuvirth, Boston Banshees
10gp, 9-0-1, 1.98, .941
Although he only started half of Boston’s games, Neuvirth was sensational, going 9-0-1 with a league-leading .941 save percentage.

Time Machine: Between The Pipes Issue #2

In Special Features on December 11, 2011 at 10:41 am

Czechoslovakia dissolves! NASA tries to fix the Hubble! 1993 was a heady time.

This second issue of the original GWMHL newsletter, Between The Pipes – published over 18 years ago – features:

A profile of our very own long-serving (long-suffering?) Joe Burton!
The introduction of the GAMEFILE.DAT!
The very first trade in league history!
Details on an insane telephone draft system that sounds like the most stressful thing ever devised!

Check it out, courtesy of the Dave Atkinson Archives: