NHL History & News

Chris Chelios announced Tuesday that he will not return to the NHL for a 27th season. He exits professional hockey as the second oldest player to ever take the ice, behind only Gordie Howe.

Chelios spent his playing days in Montreal, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta. The 48-year-old defenseman won three Stanley Cups and three Norris trophies and he is very popular in the NHL futures odds.

The next step for Chelios is working as an adviser in Detroit. He will consult with the Red Wing’s upper management and coaching staff while helping to guide younger players.

As a player himself, Chelios first broke in with Montreal and remained a Canadien for seven seasons. A trade sent him to the Blackhawks and he played nine seasons in Chicago before being dealt to Detroit. His last NHL action came in seven March games for the Thrashers.

The U.S. Olympic hockey team chose Chelios four times to be a member. Three times he served as captain and helped bring home a silver medal in 2002.

Despite the incredible endurance of Chelios and intense training, a broken leg made him miss about 75% of Detroit’s 2008-09 season. The Red Wings subsequently did not bring him back for 2009-10.

Chelios leaves the NHL as leader in postseason games played, having taken the ice in 266. His 1,651 regular season games puts him at fourth place all-time.

The intense style of play Chelios demonstrated leaves him walking away with a somewhat dubious honor. His 2,891 penalty minutes is second all-time among defensemen.

In 2010-11, Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock believes the veteran Red Wings will be stronger in part because they played a shortened schedule by their standards last season.

In the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Wings went out quickly, losing in five games to the San Jose Sharks and it is not something for which Babcock was happy, but rather being an eternal optimist, he sees the silver lining.

All summer, Detroit had stayed relatively quiet. The team has signed the 40-year-old Mike Modano to add yet another scoring presence to a lineup that is already loaded with them, including Jiri Hudler.

with 102 points, the Wings finished ‘09-10, fifth in the West, salvaging a difficult season that began with back-to-back losses to St. Louis in Sweden and gave way to various injuries to Tomas Holmstrom, Valtteri Filppula, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall and Dan Cleary.

Pavel Datsyuk and Zetterberg each had only 70 points, down seasons by their standards. Moreover, for the top defenseman award, strangest of all, six-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom was not even nominated. Through the hockey world, that sent a collective gasp.

In Hockeytown, all told it was a different 2009-10 season but one that a lot of teams would still love to have. In the coming season, Babcock believes everything will be better and that the Wings will again be a legit Stanley Cup contender.

The Coach said, “Chicago’s going to be thinner as we all know and I think we’re going to be better. I like what has happened for the Red Wings as far as the dispersal of talent goes in the Western Conference. I like our team. I even told my wife that.”

An objection was filed by the NHL Players Association on Ilya Kovalchuck’s disputed contract, on July 26, 2010. Any of the laws stated in the collective bargaining agreement, was not violated by Kovalchuck’s contract, as claimed by the players association.

Last week, the National Hockey League rejected the one of a kind 17 year contract for $102 Million. The NHL stated that the 17 year contract was unacceptable and it violated the salary cap. In 2016, the contract would Kovalchuck reaches the age of 44.

Ilya Kovalchuck would earn the bulk of this money early on, is the most speculated thing about the contract. In the last 6 years Kovalchuck would be earning a total of only $3.5 million, Kovalchuck would be earning only $3.5 million. Some are saying that, for the last few years of his career, small pay check were created to avoid the cap.

Every team has their own need. For NHL players across the board, the chairman of the NHL, Gary Bettman wants to put a cap on salaries, hence the reason why some find it ridiculous.

At this point, it is wait and see for Kovalchuck, although it’s starting to come down to the wire. What will come of the objection by the NHLPA, is hard to say.

On Tuesday when Scott Niedermayer retired from the NHL after 18 seasons on the blue line, Hockey lost one of the greatest defensemen to ever play the game. In the game, Niedermayer is one of the most accomplished defensemen, winning awards and trophies from junior hockey all the way to the Olympic level. After winning the Gold Medal with Canada during the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver; Niedermayer felt it was the right time to go out on top.

Hockey betting blog star, Niedermayer got off to red hot start to his career. Niedermayer tallied 40 points as a 19 year old, during his rookie campaign with the New Jersey Devils in the 1992/93 season. He would go on to amass 172 goals and 568 assists during his career. As perhaps one of the most decorated players in history, he leaves the game. Niedermayer won the Norris Trophy (league’s best defenseman), four Stanley Cup Trophy’s (1995, 2000, 2003 with the Devils and 2007 with Anaheim), two Olympic Gold Medals with Canada, a Memorial Cup in junior hockey, and the Gold Medal at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Until the final five years of his career, Niedermayer played for the Devils, at which point he joined the Anaheim Ducks to play alongside his brother Rob. However, Niedermayer has agreed to remain on staff with the Ducks as a consultant to general manager Bob Murray and won’t be walking away from the game entirely.

On June 25 at the NHL Entry Draft, only two NHL teams get to select Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin. The Bruins are the holders of the second overall pick and will likely select whichever player wasn’t taken by Edmonton with the first pick, by virtue of a trade with Toronto.

With a pair of first round selections, the Bruins are one of three teams. It seems much more likely that they will take whoever is left out of Hall and Seguin, although there have been rumors that Boston may package the second overall pick in a deal for a goal-scoring forward that can help right away.

For the Plymouth Whalers, Hall plays left wing for the Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Seguin plays center. Having twice won the Memorial Cup, Hall is the more famous of the two. Seguin, however, was NHL Central Scouting’s top North American skater in the year-end rankings and has a tremendous shot and a special combination of skill, speeds, and size.

Leaving the Bruins to take Seguin, the consensus is that Edmonton will use the first pick on Taylor Hall. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has stated that they would be happy with either one and his scouts have no favorite between the two. Even though they are relatively deep at center, they will still use the second overall pick on Seguin should the Oilers take Hall.

Bruins goal tender Tuukka Rask led the NHL in save percentage and in goals allowed and will gladly welcome more help on the blue line. They will consider defensemen Dylan McIlrath, Derek Forbert, Mark Pysyk and Jonathan Merrill, when they pick again with the 15th overall selection.

The wings are another area of concern for Boston. They need to pick up some wingers to help out and they are deep at center (and will be even more so if they end up with Seguin). They will be very active in terms of trades at the draft, so it is very likely that they could package either the 15th pick or the 32nd pick in a deal to bring in some new talent on the wings.

On June 23, this year’s 2010 NHL Awards will be held in Las Vegas and there are several hotly contested categories. Below are the four most closely watched of the award.

For the Hart Memorial Trophy, this year’s finalists, which is awarded to the player judged most valuable to his team by the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association, are Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks, and Sidney Crosby from the Pittsburgh Penguins. To the President’s Cup, Ovechkin led his team and he is a two-time defending champion, but there are some who believe that Sedin played on a weaker team and thus was more valuable, overall to his team.

For the Vezina Trophy, which is given to the league’s best goalie as voted on by the NHL clubs’ general managers, are Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, Ilya Bryzgalov of the Phoenix Coyotes, and Ryan Miller, the goalie for the Buffalo Sabres, are the goalies vying. Miller is a sentimental favorite for his outstanding play for Team USA in this year’s Olympics games, even though, what happened in the Olympics shouldn’t be a factor in the awards.

For the James Norris Memorial Trophy, which is given to the best defensemen as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association include Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Mike Green from the Washington Capitals, and the Chicago Blackhawks‘ Duncan Keith, are the nominees.

For the James Norris Memorial Trophy, which is given to the best defensemen as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association include Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Mike Green from the Washington Capitals, and the Chicago Blackhawks‘ Duncan Keith, are the nominees. With 76 points, Green had an outstanding year and has the best plus/minus of the three with a plus 39.

For the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year, which is voted on by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, are Joe Sacco of the Colorado Avalanche, Dave Tippett of the Phoenix Coyotes, and Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators, are vying for the award. After just plain ugly seasons last year, Both Sacco and Tippett unexpectedly brought their respective teams back into contention.

On June 23rd, the other awards presented include the Frank J. Selke Trophy for outstanding defensive forward. Detroit Red Wings‘ Pavel Datsyuk, Vancouver Canucks’ Ryan Kesler, and Pittsburgh Penguins’ Jordan Staal are included as nominees. Up for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct is Pavel Datsyuk of the Red Wings, Brad Richards of the Dallas Stars, and Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning, are the nominees. Nominees for the Calder Memorial Trophy for outstanding rookie are Colorado Avalanche’s Matt Duchene, Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings, and Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres. Lastly, for the Masterton Trophy, which is awarded to a player for perseverance and sportsmanship is Tampa Bay Lightning’s Kurtis Foster, the San Jose Sharks‘ Jed Ortmeyer, and the Washington Capitals’ Jose Theodore, are the nominees for the award.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers met up in Chicago for the 5th game of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, on Sunday, June 6th. The home team had won each time, in the first four games. Philadelphia was hoping to change that, but they were unsuccessful, as Chicago beat them 7-4. As Chicago nor Philadelphia had much luck stopping the other, Philadelphia was hoping to change that, but they were unsuccessful. However, it did not matter in the end, as Chicago simply overwhelmed Philadelphia with their offensive attack.

Antti Niemi, goalie for Chicago and Stanley Cup odds star, made 23 saves and allowed 4 goals. Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton, Philadelphia used two goalies and each allowed three goals, though Boucher got the loss. On the offensive side of things, Dustin Byfuglien was the unlikely hero for Chicago, as he scored twice and added two assists as well. 6 different players had scored for Chicago, including Patrick Kane, by the end of the Game 6. Four different players scored for Philadelphia, and Kimmo Timonen was the standout player for them, as he scored a goal and added an assist as well.

One thing was crystal clear, by one thing was crystal clear. In a defensive struggle, if Chicago were not able to beat Philadelphia, they would beat them by playing a non-stop, action-packed style of hockey. They managed to do that perfectly, and all they need now is a victory on Wednesday, June 9th, to seal the deal and clinch the 2010 Stanley Cup.

On Saturday, on May 29th, the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers kicked off the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. Chicago was hoping to shutdown Philadelphia’s offense and had the advantage of playing at home. While Chicago managed to win the game 6-5, it was far from the clean, dominant victory they were hoping.

In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals in history, the 11 goals that the teams combined for was the highest number of goals. Antti Niemi picked up the win for Chicago by managing 27 saves, while none of the goalies that played in the game was impressive. The starting goalie for Philadelphia, Michael Leighton, was pulled and Brian Boucher was put in as the backup. In the loss, he picked up 11 saves.

As 5 different players scored a goal, Philadelphia did manage to show off their impressive depth. Including Troy Brouwer who scored twice, five different players scored for Chicago as well. The last goal of the game came from an unexpected source, as Tomas Kopecky, who had not played in the last five games, managed to score a very tough goal on Brian Boucher. Andrew Ladd suffered an injury and because of which Kopecky was playing.

In the Stanley Cup Finals is to expect the unexpected, the one thing that always holds true. Game 1 of 2010 Finals continued to prove that. It delivered plenty of excitement, while the game may have lacked the pure technical skills expected from the final two teams.

The Washington Capitals made another move this week, shoring up one of their leading scorers for the next decade. Nicklas Backstrom was signed to a 10 year $67 million deal. Backstrom had his best season ever scoring 33 goals and 68 assists. His 101 points in 2010 was good enough to place him 4th in the league in scoring.

Spending this kind of money on one of the best centers in the league, who is only 22 years old, is a smart move by the Capitals. Not only did they ensure that they will have two of the best players in the world on their roster for the next decade, Ovechkin is signed for 10 more years as well, they are getting a very durable player at a reasonable price. Backstrom has yet to miss a game over three NHL seasons.

Many Capitals fans might be worried that the team is overspending and committing too much money to just two players in Backstrom and Ovechkin considering their team was just upset in the first round of the NHL playoffs by 8 seed Montreal. While I do not blame some fans for thinking this way I do not agree with it however. Whenever you get the chance to lock up two players who combined for 210 points, easily making the top scoring teammate duo in the league, you have to make sure you do so. With the signing of Backstrom the Washington Capitals appear that they will be competitive for many years to come.

In game 5 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Montreal Canadiens, on Saturday May 8, 2010 at Mellon Arena. At two wins a piece, the teams are all tied up in the second round of the playoffs.

Even though the Montreal Canadiens have been counted out several times already, they are showing the world that they belong in these playoffs. In what is considered to be a huge upset, in the first round, they knocked off the Washington Capitals.

Against the Penguins in Game 4, Montreal Goaltender Jaroslav Halak had another hot game, stopping 33 shots the Penguins fired at him. The Penguins need to find a way to get the puck into the net and Halak has been a force to deal with in these playoffs.

After having surgery only six days before, Jordan Stall played in game 4. Stall’s foot was sliced open by a skate and he had to have the tendon surgically repaired, on April 30, 2010.

In the first period, Tom Pyatt of the Canadiens scored early, but was answered by Max Talbot and Chris Kunitz of the Penguins. With goals by Maxim Lapierre and Brian Gionta in the third period, saw Montreal rally back, giving the Canadiens a 3-2 victory.

Will Montreal shock the world with another upset and knock the defending Stanley cup Champions out of the playoffs or can the Penguins take the series back over and go on to a third straight Stanley Cup Final.