Coolio Mendez

Once again, it's a scoring system based on 22 attributes such as skating skill, speed, smarts, shot accuracy, checking, play away from puck, leadership, etc. etc. Points is only one part of the game. The one thing to point out...is less than 2 points separate 1 from 267 (Ales Kotalik)

Something you know that Babcock/Holland doesn't? How come everytime Crosby stepped onto the ice Babcock made sure Zetterberg, Lidstrom, and Rafalski were on the ice? Why didn't Malkin draw that much attention? Because Crosby is the BETTER player!

Double Post

This list is pretty much UNDEBATABLE....how can I or anyone profess to be more in tune with player rankings than people who make it their profession? It's hard for your ordinary Joe couch potato to argue with the experts. This is done by scouts. This is a scouting report. We're fans. We're not scouts for a reason.

Players like Kariya and Kovalev have lost a step, but their leadership skills, smarts, and playmaking skills are still ranked very high. Similarly, Joe Sakic who was top 20 last year is still 53rd based on skill and leadership ability even though his speed, strength, and durability took hits.

The point system is also tight so that there is not a lot of disparity. Having said that, while the lists at the top are similar, they can fluctuate greatly after the top 10 or so. For example, Brian Campbell is 72nd. He ranks as high as 11th (a Red Wings scout) and as low as 264th (a Devils scout).

Also I would like to add Lidstrom is the only player who ranks in the top 10 on every single list.

Excellent trade for the Flyers! Pronger is an NHL all-star who is a winner, is the 4th ranked defenceman by Central Scouting as of June 15th, and is one of the most feared defenders in the league. He brings a great deal of leadership to a team that is lacking in leadership (and Hoilmgren did say afterwards that he has spoken to Mike Richards about giving up the captaincy). The Flyers want to win now. They need a big puck-moving defenceman to help do that. The best one available....was Chris Pronger. Thoise two first round draft picks aren't going to help Philly win in the next couplew of years. Luca Sbisa wasn't going to help the Flyers win the next couple of years. So, they needed to give up some offensive talent ((ideally high priced talent) to get that big puck moving defenceman. The other thing is that the Flyers believe that any offensive punch that Lupul provided, will be replaced by Claude Giroux. Pronger is only 34, is a perennial 40 point scorer, can play the power-play, and is considered among the NHL's 4 elite defensemen by his peers (and that matters more to scouts and GMs than the fans thinking he's a good). He's won everywhere he's been....including leading the Blues to the President's Cup and leading the Oilers and Ducks into trhe Stanley Cup finals (Pronger finished 2nd in the Conn Smyth voiting in both 2006 and 2007). He is exactly what the Flyers need - and the reality is - he will bring to the team a lot more than the players they gave up - and he'll do it quicker

Holland has stated several times Kindl is not NHL ready yet. I'm a huge supporter of bringing in Lappy.

Hope for Maltby, Draper to retire. Keep Hossa, sign Laperriere, and find a way to bring in Neil.

Aside from a few lucky late round picks and some crafty maneuvering by Hakan Andersson, their drafting has really been quite abysmal and quite frankly overrated. Our North American scouting has actually been atrocious. Don't expect much.

The most dominant goal scorer in NHL history IMO. Highest goals/game in NHL history...and the best shooting percentage of all players with 500 or more goals. 9 straight 50 goal seasons The man who broke Rocket Richard's playoff goal record (before he was eventually passed by Gretzky)

" Mr. Ilitch, who kept walking when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman approached him under the stands and tried to shake his hand after Friday night's game." http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...;s=d&page=4

Most people believe that Mike Babcock is the frontrunner to be the coach of Team Canada 2010.........SO, do Yzerman/ Babcock name Sidney Crosby captain of the squad? I think Joe Sakic is the obvious choice but assuming Joe is not around. I think Crosby deserves consideration. Bitterness aside!

This year's overpaid bust that will demand a silly contract? Not much International experience and poor rebound control and was on a good team from what I read a few weeks ago.......perhaps he is a late bloomer a la Lundqvist, Kipper or Backstrom and turns into that caliber of goalie. If I am the GM....he gets a TWO WAY CONTRACT!

Canada has traditionally gone for more established veterans. Should Sakic retire (and rumours are making this almost a dpone deal) Iginla gets the nod regardless of how well Crosby starts the season. The only other people being considered are Pronger and Niedermayer.

You are a member of the NHL's Board of Governors (a team besides Toronto), and you've approved expansion? You've decided that Southern Ontario needs another team 1) Do you support Jim Balsillie's bid to put a team in Kitchener/Waterloo or Hamilton? or 2) Do you support Herb Carnegie's Toronto Legacy group and their $1B in money wanting to put a team in Vaughan?

The Winnipeg Jets put themselves up for sale in June 1992 (John Ziegler was the NHL's president at the time). The team was selling out the arena, however revenues weren't keeping pace with the increase in salaries because people wouldn't pay increased ticket prices and they were unable to obtain more corporate sponsorship. The Shenkarow group was looking to keep the team in Winnipeg. Through 3 years, there were no offers from any prospective buyers to keep them in Winnipeg. There was an offer from a Toronto group, but they wanted to move the team to Atlanta. There was an offer from a Calgary group, who wanted to move the team to Minneapolis (who had just lost the North Stars). In 1995, the Shenkarow group opened up the bidding for the franchise to all comers. A group from Phoenix led by Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke eventually bought the team (at a lower price than asked) and moved the team to Phoenix. At the time, the other 25 owners had to agree to the sale, and 22 agreed (Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia objected as Phoenix was short-listed for the 1997 expansion and they wanted their cut of the expansion fees).

You do know Bettman was NOT commish when Phoenix was placed in Phoenix, right? Attendance was NEVER as issue for the Nordiques or the Jets, corporate dollars, and low income ticket buyers were the issues. Winnipeg has a relatively low average income per family compared to the other cities of comparable size, and fewer corporate dollars means seast would be more expensive. Expensive seats combined with a low income, means that for most Winnipegonians, the prices would be out of reach. The Jets were among the lowest priced tickets when they left, and even as they raised prices every year, their season ticket base dropped. Based on the 2005 report, the average ticket price would be well over $100 in order for Winnipeg to be able to sustain a team, that would make the Jets the most expensive seat. Every business person who has done an analysis of today's NHL and today's Winnipeg says Winnipeg wouldn't survive in the NHL. Wayne Gretzky told the Economic Club of Toronto that Winnipeg doesn't stand a chance (and as an owner, he knows what the numbers are). It's time for people in Winnipeg to realize that unless their city grows (it also has grown very little in the last 13 years according to StatsCan (regardless of what the city of Winnipeg tells people) it's not in the cards. Winnipeg deserves a team, but unfortunately, cannot afford it.

I just saw that! I think it is great news for Phx and the NHL and every sports league. Hopefully they embrace them.....if not they can go throught the process CORRECTLY! I have never been to their arena, apparently it is very poor location!

Would love to see him play for the Wings, he plays with passion, and undeniably a great defenseman.

You're the winning team's captain...you go out of your way to do right. I don't care about the circumstances...as my old man used to tell me, you're only responsible for your behaviour. Be the bigger (and better) man. Your celebrations can wait 30-60 seconds. Doing the right thing at the right time...can't. He was flat-out wrong, and multiple wrongs don't make it right. He can't control what they do...he can control what he does and he should have done right even if it was behind closed doors. You extend your hand and thank your opponent. If he walks away or refuses it, then as they say, that's all you need to know about your opponent.

The moniker "Hockeytown" goes longer than 2 years of a selling out tickets. Hell the state of Michigan is leaps and bounds ahead of Pennsylvania in the hockey department. How many prospects are coming out of Pennslvania? How are the hockey programs out there? Does Pitt compete in the NCAA hockey tournament? The best player to come out of Pennsylvania was Ryan Malone! No where near as competitive as here in Michigan. Sorry chief.

This rule was introduced about 3 years ago to prevent coaches from putting out ENFORCERS in the last 5 minutes of a hockey game so it doesn't last 5 hours....if you are NOT an enforcer then you have nothing to worry about.... Countless of times the suspension has been rescinded, regualr season and playoffs.....Shane Doan was the first gray area because while not an enforcer he does drop the gloves a bit, especially back then, the NHL decided to rescind, correctly so. As far as favourtism.......HOGWASH! Scott Walker had his rescinded vs the Bruins. What does that have to do with the Pens? The NHL suspended Daniel Carcillo for shenanigans in the last 5 minutes of the game.......his was upheld! Why? Because he is an enforcer....because he was out in the last 5 minutes and was on the PK. Seems cut and dry to me. These players/coaches KNOW the rule....there is only one reason why an enforcer would be on the ice in a 3-1 game with a minute remaining....seems so LOGICAL to me.....guess I'm not a homer. I can GAURANTEE you that Aaron Downey is about the only Wing who this rule would apply to....if Zetterberg was the agresser, do you think they would not have rescinded it? Foolishness if you do. I can't believe people don't understand this rule. LET THE SUPERSTAR PLAY!

Ovechkins knee on knee hit to Gonchar should have been a suspension. Total favoritism torwards the Pens there right?