Sidney Crosby is Tired Of Waiting Time to Head to the KHL

Congratulations Gary Bettman, the face of the NHL and your meal ticket is about to head overseas because of the lockout. Sidney Crosby the player responsible for saving the Pittsburgh Penguins and bringing excitement back to the NHL has decided enough is enough and is seriously thinking about heading overseas to play some actual hockey, instead of just talking about it. Since the beginning of the lockout 73 days ago Crosby has been one of the most dedicated NHLPA players. He's shown up to the majority if not all of the meetings spoken to local media, has kept fairly quit (no name calling) but is quickly becoming anxious. It appears now he's finally decided to join fellow teammate Evgeni Malkin over in the KHL;

"You know what? It's a lot more possible right now" ~ Crosby told reporters when asked if he had considered heading overseas. "A quick end to the lockout is not looking too good"

Perhaps the only thing holding Crosby here in North America, beside his optimism and loyalty is the high insurance costs he'll have to pay to head over to Europe. Crosby would likely have to pay $400,000 per month to be insured for game action with another team besides the Penguins. But Crosby has said it was always his intention to wait till the end of November or early December before heading to Europe in order to give the NHL and his employers every last chance to get the NHL back on the ice.

Although by contract Crosby, Ovechkin and Malkin are obligated to come back and play for their respective NHL teams once the lockout ends, Crosby is the last person Bettman wants to make an enemy with. The Penguins captain was the first overall pick after the 2004-2005 lockout and singlehandedly saved the Penguins franchise and turned them into a top notch dynasty who have a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup every season. Not only did he become the face of the Penguins he also became the face of the NHL. Ask any non hockey fan to name a current NHL player, chances are the first person they name is Crosby. Heck there's even people who don't like hockey but are willing to go to a game too see Crosby. When Bettman looks at Crosby he sees dollar signs; His jersey is always in the top 5 and when he's playing the arena is almost always sold out, even when the Penguins are on the road people flock for a chance to see him play. One could argue he is the most influential player currently in the NHLPA union, he could end the lockout with one phone call to Fehr. Problem is he's fully committed to getting the players the best deal possible not just himself and wont quit until the very end and now he too is jumping ship.

Crosby heading to Europe is bad news for the NHL. Finally he's "concussion" free, his symptoms are gone and he is 100% healthy. Who knows what kind of career numbers he could have put up this season in the NHL? Instead he's been kept of the score sheet by the NHL and this lockout;

"At the end of the day, I'm a hockey player and I love to play. I've been practicing a lot the last few years, I just want to play." ~Sidney Crosby

As of right now the only option for Crosby to play is over in Europe and perhaps his competitive side is finally coming out. Crosby is just that, a hockey player. He's no business man, what he needs to live and function an ordinary life is hockey, he's missed more games than he's played in the last 2 years, he's itching to play and right now he can't get that in North America which is why he needs to head overseas. Could you imagine the KHL with Malkin, Ovechkin, Giroux and Crosby?

To be honest it's remarkable Crosby has stayed and kept quite so long, he's a class act, he wanted to stay loyal to the league which has brought him success. Being the face of the NHL if he does head over to the KHL it's a global story and a flat out embarrassment to the NHL. The fact the league forces their poster boy to head overseas to play hockey is just sad. But as much of a "class act" Crosby is he does have a little resentment towards the NHL; He was injured by 2 hits that he himself thought should have been met with supplemental discipline and now they've locked him out. The best and only way for him to "stick" it to the NHL is to head to the KHL, the league that was created to one day compete with the NHL. Having Crosby play on one of their teams, even for half a season is just the break they've been looking for.

For Crosby to play in Europe it would be a major statement to the NHL and Bettman and hopefully a wake up call. As much as it may pain him to head to Russia he has to do it. He hasn't had the opportunity to play because of injuries during the last 2 seasons, he's healthy now and wants to play. But the NHL should be embarrassed if he heads to Europe.

Was 2005 the Best NHL Draft Class?

For players it's their first step to having a career in the NHL. For teams it's an opportunity to "re-tool" and stack their system with prospects. The annual NHL Entry Draft is one of the biggest and most important events that take place for the NHL. It's all about the future. If your team had a rough season it's their chance to get a high draft choice to make tomorrow better, what happened in the past is gone. But of course some draft classes are better than others. There's hidden gems that get taken in the later rounds and duds that get taken in the first round. But looking back at recent drafts my attention immediately goes to the 2005 draft in which the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Sidney Crosby and ultimately saved their franchise. But when you look deeper into the 2005 draft class, you discover that Crosby was not the only gem found in the draft. Other star players such as Jonathan Quick, Carey Price and Bobby Ryan were all taken after Crosby and have had a tremendous effect on their respective teams.

Today I'm going to dive deeper into the 2005 Draft to discover some of the top players that got their careers kicked off and further prove that the 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the best draft class of recent history.

Notable players:

Sidney Crosby: 1st Overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins

If you're reading this post chances are you've heard of Sidney Crosby before. The golden kid, Sid the kid whatever you call him, the point is you know who he is.
Crosby was the first overall pick in the 2005 Draft and became the immediate future of the Penguins. 7 years later he's the Penguins captain and became the youngest captain to lead his team to a Stanley Cup in 2009. In his 7 seasons he's racked up over 220 goals and 609 points, what do those stats say? he's not a selfish player more than half of his points are from assist. He's the face of the NHL and one of the most marketable players. His addition to both the NHL and the Penguins has been fantastic, a true gem discovered from the draft.

Nathan Gerbe: 4th round 142nd Overall to the Buffalo Sabres

One of the little guys on the Buffalo Sabres, Gerbe gives it his all night in and night out, he plays with heart and plays the game the right way. Most importantly he doesn't let his size intimidate him or stop him from fighting through. Last season Gerbe at 5 foot 5 was seen taking on the Boston Bruins giant Zdeno Chara. Gerbe has been with the Sabres full time for the last 2 seasons, but has missed time due to injuries during both campaigns. Gerbe is proving that no matter how small, or how late you were drafted, you can make a difference and be an important player.

Jonathan Quick 3rd round 72nd Overall to the Los Angeles Kings

The 2012 Stanley Cup and Vezina winning goaltender, not a bad résumé! Quick was another gem that was drafted in the 2005 draft, but unlike fellow goaltender Carey Price, Quick had to wait until the third round to hear his name. But with his Stanley Cup ring I don't think that's bothering him anymore. 2011-2012 was a big season for the young goaltender, he established himself as a starting goaltender, put up fantastic numbers and was able to knock off the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams in the Western conference while playing for a 8th place team, quite a feat! He also surprised a lot of people with his play but has solidified his spot amongst the elite goaltenders in the league.
The Los Angeles Kings have a dangerous team and with Quick as their goalie there's no telling how good this team can further become, they have all the tools to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.

Carey Price: 1st round 5th Overall to the Montreal Canadiens

Price was taken 5th overall in the "Crosby draft" and was the highest goaltender selected, turning a lot of heads by his selection. It's odd or rare to see a goalie go inside the top 10 let alone the top 5, but obviously the Montreal Canadiens saw something special in him and were willing to take him. He had a rocky time getting adjusted to the NHL and quickly earned himself a reputation as a winer, as he was often seen pouting and arguing with the refs. He found himself riding the pine during the 2009 season and during the Canadiens Playoff run, but was given a vote of confidence when the guy who stole his job away was traded. Over the last 2 seasons Price has greatly matured and his play reflects his new found maturity. The Canadiens had a very rough year finishing 15th in the Eastern Conference, but Price still played well losing many 2-1 or 4-2 hockey games. But even during his teams struggles you did not find the goaltender pouting or blaming his teammates, a drastic change from his earlier career. Price is the franchise goalie and one of the building blocks for the Habs, they will only be as good as Price can play.

Jack Johnson: 1st round 3rd Overall to the Carolina Hurricanes

Whether it was bad luck, bad timing or he just ticked off the wrong people you have to feel bad for Johnson. He was dealt from the eventual Stanley Cup Champions to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets at the NHL trade deadline in exchange for Jeff Carter a year after signing a 7 year contract extension. He was the captain of the 2010 US Olympic mens hockey team that won Silver. Johnson has great leadership skills and will be a huge part of the Blue Jackets rebuild.

Tukka Rask: 1st round 21st Overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs

Here's a player the Leafs organization is kicking themselves for letting get away. In Toronto he just wasn't getting it done, so they shipped him to Boston to be Tim Thomas' back-up. But with solid play and some mind games from Thomas, Rask has earned himself the job of starting for the Boston Bruins. He signed a 1 year deal worth $3.5 million which guarantees him the starting job for the Bruins for next season (whenever the lockout ends), a smart move by Rask only signing a 1 year deal: If things go well he can just ask for more money and a longterm deal but if things go south he can head out of town and not be a scape-goat for tying up major money. Rask's best season came in 2009-2010 where he started 45 games for the Bruins and won the starting job and the right to start during the playoffs, he was the only goalie in the league to have a Goals Against Average under 2.00 and a Save Percentage over .930 but was surprisingly not named to the Rookie of the Year ballot. He won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2010-2011 and will now have his chance to lead the Bruins back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Bobby Ryan: 1st round 2nd Overall to the Anaheim Ducks

Being the guy that was drafted behind Sidney Crosby is not easy, many people don't even know your name. Often times there's trivia questions asking who was drafted 2nd overall in 2005, and to be honest I didn't have any idea. But despite having the distinction of "the guy drafted after Crosby" Ryan has made himself a solid career with the Ducks. He's played 4 full seasons with the Ducks and was playing on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Before the beginning of the 2010 season he signed a 5 year $25 million extension with the Ducks, and except for some trade deadline rumours that were used to motivate him, the Ducks haven't had any complains. In all 4 seasons with the Ducks Ryan has scored at least 30 goals, proving that he is a reliable and steady forward. He was named to the United States Mens Ice Hockey team for the 2010 Olympics and helped them capture a silver medal in a heart breaking loss against Canada and the guy he was drafted behind. The 25 year-old has a bright future ahead of him and will no doubt turn out to be a key player for the Ducks on their next playoff run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnLwgsIlwnM

James Neal: 2nd round 33rd Overall to the Dallas Stars

Neal is the ultimate feel good story. After not playing exceptionally well in Dallas he was traded to the Penguins in 2011 right at before the Trade Deadline. He got off to a slow start with his new team and many were worried he wouldn't be able to stick around on the star-studded Penguins. But he came out and proved doubters wrong with his strong play last season in the absence of Crosby. Neal played in 80 games and racked up 81 points and earned himself a 6 year contract extension worth $5 million. He along with Evgeni Malkin helped to support and carry the team in their captains absence.

Kris Letang: 3rd round 62nd Overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins had an absolutely fantastic draft in 2005. Not only did they get Crosby they managed to get their hands on young defenceman Kris Letang. In 5 seasons with the Pens, Letang has turned into one of the elite defenceman in the NHL and a leader on the Penguins. When Crosby was injured last season with his concussion, many noticed how well Letang flourished by taking more of a leadership role and helping out both on offence and defence. He was voted Penguins rookie of the year in 2008 and was apart of the Cup winning Penguins team in 2009. Letang is a key member of the Penguins and some have even gone as far as to say he is one of their most valuable players and has the biggest impact on the team. Think about it, who else do they have on the back end?

Adam McQuaid: 2nd round 55th Overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets

Another Stanley Cup winner from that phenomenal draft. McQuaid joined the Bruins in 2009 after a trade from the Blue Jackets. At 6 foot 5 he plays more of the "tough guy" role and fits in with the Bruins style of play perfectly, racking up more penalty minutes (216) than goals (6).

There you have it folks, some of the big names that came out of the 2005 draft. 5 of the players listed above have since won a Stanley Cup, all of which have experience success with their teams and the majority have become household names. Let me know, did I miss any big names? What is your favourite or most memorable draft?

 

The Week That Was

Time to wrap up another crazy week in the NHL.

Stamkos reaches 50
Steven Stamkos is quite the remarkable young hockey player who will likely win a Stanley Cup somewhere down the line in his historic NHL career. Stamkos isn't even 23, yet he has accomplished so much in his 4 years of NHL hockey. On Tuesday night Stamkos scored 2 goals against the Boston Bruins to give him 50 goals on the season, not only has did he reach the remarkable 50 goal platoue he joins an exclusive list of 7 players who have accomplished the feat twice in their career before turning 23! Wayne Gretzky (did it 5 times), Mario Lemieux, Alexander Ovechkin, Pavel Bure, Joe Nieuwendyke and Mike Bossy. Not bad company if you ask me!
Stamkos is having an amazing season having scored 35 goals in 30 games he looks to be the front runner for the Rocket Richard trophy, it would be the second time the young sniper has won the award (2009-2010).
Since the beginning of the 2009-2010 season Stamkos has scored 149 goals, the most by any player over that time span and 35 more than Ovechkin and Perry (111). Every time Stamkos takes to the ice the chances of something magnificent happening are great!
This Kids going to heck of a career!

The other Penguin returnee
Perhaps lost in all the buzz over Crosby, was the return of Kris Letang to the Penguins line-up Thursday night. Now It's a stretch to say the Letang is better than Crosby, but right now many are saying having Letang out for the playoffs would be worse than Crosby. Letang is a very important member of the Penguins team, a crucial defenceman. Leang has just over 24 minutes of ice time notched an assists and was a plus-5. Letang was returning from a concussion just like Crosby, and it was Letang's 2nd concussion of the season.

Crosby returns!

Thursday night marked the 2nd return of Sidney Crosby for his concussion/neck issues. Crosby

 re-aggravated his concussion back December 5th after taking a butt end/elbow to the head. Crosby played exactly 16 minutes against the Rangers on Thursday, and finished with 1 assist and a plus-3. Wasn't an expectational return from Sid the kid but it didn't have to be, the Penguins were playing just fine without him. (sounds weird eh?) The 5-3 win for the Penguins marks their 10th straight win and truly solidifies them as top contenders in the Eastern conference. Crosby approached his 2nd return with a different mindset than his first, he was a little more hesitant, emotions weren't riding as high and he wasn't eager to test himself with contact. Not to be overshadowed by Crosby's return, is Malkin. This is still very much Malkins' team this season, so I hope he does not get forgotten about with everything he has done in Crosby's absence. Heck when your name is Sidney Crosby good things happen at 1:42pm on Friday the league officially credited Crosby with a second assist, on the Matt Cooke goal.

Tyler Myers gets suspended
Tyler Myers was handed a 3 game suspension from Brendan Shanahan for boarding Canadians Scott Gomez. Myers will forfeit $14,189.19 in salary over the 3 games. Myers has 2 games left in his suspension.

Hybrid Icing gets a vote of confidence
We've all seen them, a race for a icing skates and sticks get tangled up and one player goes flying into the boards; breaking a leg, dislocating a shoulder and even concussions have all come from icing races. When I watch hockey games and see close icing races I hold my breath, you never wanna see a player go flying into the boards and end up hurt. It would appear the NHL GM's feel the same way and are ready for a change in the icing rules. The change require the linesman to make a judgement call (we all know how those work out!), If the forecheker is leading the play by the faceoff dot the play continues or if the defenseman is leading the play or tied with the forechecker by the faceoff dot the play is to be blown dead and be ruled an icing. There are still a few technicalities with this new rule change, but it's a step in the right direction. It still has to be voted on by the competition comitee before being implemented into the NHL as early as next season.

The Universes goalie make history

Despite being one of the wackiest, strangest goalies you will probably ever find Ilya Bryzgalov is actually a solid netminder when he focus' on just hockey. Going into Thursday nights game against the Islanders, Bryzgalov was on a stretch of 3 straight shutouts and score less streak of 196:13 just 31 minutes shy of the Flyers record 227:40 set by John Vanbiesbrouck set in 1999. Midway through the second period Bryzgalov was able to beat the record and even extended it to 249:43 before two goals were scored on the Flyers netminder. As his teammates pointed out Bryz has finally got his "Swagger" back, and with that swagger he makes this Flyers team Cup contenders.

The ageless Selanne notches another accomplishment
Teemu Selanne passes his childhood idol Jari Kurri on the all-time scoring list, moving Selanne into 19th with 1,399 career points. Selanne also becomes the all time leading scorer from Finland and is third on the list of Europeans.

Suspected first overall pick on the shelf
Nail Yakupov who is widely expected to be drafted first overall at this years entry draft is on the shelf for the remainder of the season. Luckily it is just 3 games the Sarnia Sting winger will be missing, he is out with an upper body injury (stitches in his lip), he is hoping to re turn for the OHL playoffs.

Before I end this blog check out the must see moment from this week in the NHL; Eric Cole high fives the referee;

Nazem Kadri

Nazem Kadri, a name all to familiar to Leaf fans.
Kadri was the leafs top draft pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Kadri 7th overall. But since all the hype over the young rookie, Kadri has failed to crack the starting roster of the Maple Leafs. After two straight seasons of being cut from the team right after training camp, Kadri is looking for a long stint with he big club this year. He better hurry Brian Burke is starting to loose patience in his young "superstar" he has not been performing up to the expectations Burke has for him or the expectations of any first round draft pick for that matter. Kadri has not had overly flattering numbers in the minors, and has not shown great leadership ability, raising major doubts about his future in the NHL. For the 2011-2012 NHL season Burke has made himself clear there is only 1 sport available, ""If you've noticed we've left one spot open, we want some competition for one of the forward spots,"  The line currently consists of Tyler Bozak and Colby Armstrong. Both Bozak and Armstrong benefited from lack of a number 1 center last season, and saw their ice time sky-rocket, but both players know they will be back playing a 3rd or 4th line role this coming season. Competing against Kadri for that 3rd line wing spot are fellow leaf rookies; Joe Colborne and Matt Frattin. Many have stated that Kadri is much to small to play on the kind of team Burke likes, Joe Colborne has the size advantage of the 3 rookies Colborne is in at 6 foot 5 210 pounds. The leafs acquired Colborne in the trade that sent Thomas Kaberle to Boston. Colborne impressed Burke and Wilson right away quickly earning himself a shot to play some games in the big league. That is something Kadri has never done, impressed Burke and Wilson right away. Many leafs fans are getting restless and are abandoning the Kadri bandwagon, I am one of those fans. I don't think drafting Kadri was a smart choice by Brian Burke. I believe Burke got tricked into drafting Kadri. He took him so another team could not have him, not because he wanted him. Many believe it is now time for Kadri to put up or shut up, It is basically Kadri's spot on the 3rd line to loose.
Basically there are two major "knocks" on Kadri; 1. he is too small. 6 feet and 185 pounds. despite being 6 feet tall, he gets shoved around out there like a little rag-doll. Kadri said he lost wait to gain speed.. but his speed wont help when someone clocks him with an open ice hit. 2. He is a one way hockey player who is very poorly defensively. We got to see a bit of that in the 29 games Kadri played with the Leafs last season, he made way to many very poor give-always and the defense always had to bail him out, as he was the last one back for the back-check. Kadri also needs to gain more "hockey sense" you know; when to pass, when to hit, and where to be on the ice at a certain point. He looked all to lost out there for many of his 29 games.
Another aspect of Kadri that has ruffled a few feathers shall we say, is his cockiness. Now don't get me wrong confidence is good in young players. But I think this rookie just might have a little too much cockiness. He is always saying how he has done everything the Leafs have asked him to do and is confident he can make the team.. but as no surprise to many, Kadri gets sent back down. This season he is taking the cockiness to the next level by saying he can't wait for the season opener to play along with Tim Connolly! alright so lets get this straight...... first Kadri just made a clear statement that he believes he will win the only spot left on the roster, with no trouble at all and second the spot is for a 3rd line position not a 1st line position in which Connolly will be occupying. I'm sorry but Kadri is no more a member of the Leafs than new rookie Matt Frattin. Yes Kadri is highly scouted draft pick, and not a drunken party animal who lost his scholarship as the case with Frattin. Every time Kadri steps on the ice or talks to the media he seems entitled to make the squad... But I got a news flash for Kadri he hasn't earned anything, if he keeps this mindset intact he will see himself back in the Marlies and quickly on the trading block rather than in the starting line-up for the Leafs. A positive thing for the leafs is the take no nonsense captaincy from Phaneuf, he'll take Kadri's cockiness and drown it in a river.
So for Kadri this is the year, he's had 3 years to develop and get ready (longer than most 1st top 10 picks). Either he makes the Leafs out of training camp or spend the rest of his Leafs career in the minors and turn out to be a horrible draft pick.
In 29 big league games last season he scored 3 goals and tallied up 12 points helping with 9 assists. So in 3 years Kadri has played 30 games with the Leafs, and it took him an extremely long time to score his first goal, it didn't come till half way through March.

K so I'll put on my GM hat and tell you what I would do if I was Brian Burke...... I would give Kadri the job, but make it clear if he doesn't produce that he's gone. If Kadri doesn't have decent rookie numbers by Christmas at the latest, send him down and call up Colborne, who will most likely be ripping it up in the minors like last season. Now outside of the Kadri situation I would fire Wilson if he isn't getting the job done and promise leafs fans that even though we didn't make the playoffs in the 2011-2012 season that there is still hope for 2020, and mention that I have spoken with the NHL on expanding the playoffs to the teams that are in last place in the divisions.

So in short I suspect we will see Kadri start the season with the big boys, Burke is tired of having to explain why Kadri isn't ready for the NHL yet, so this will allow the media to see the reasons Kadri has been sent down. But all sarcasm aside, Kadri will be in the big leagues come October, but with a very short leash.