Chara Breaks Own Record With 105.9 MPH Rocket (Video)

As much as the NHL tries to hype the rest of the SuperSkills competitions the highlight of the night and even All-Star weekend is the Hardest Shot competition.  This event is the one where everyone in the building holds their breath before each attempt just waiting for the radar to give them a reading.

This year the final matched Nashville Predator Shea Weber against the Boston Bruins three-time defending champion Zdeno Chara.  These two met in the preliminary round and Weber came out with the victory having blasted a shot 104.8 mph.  In the rematch it would Chara not only picking up the two points for Team Staal, but on his first attempt he would break his own record with a rocket of 105.9 mph.  The win marked Chara’s fourth straight title in the event, which matches Al MacInnis

You watch this competition and you wonder not only how crazy goalies have to be to sign up for this, but forwards and defenders who throw their body in the way of these blasts.

Tim Thomas Wipes Out During Fastest Skater Competition (Video)

Only in the NHL can you see goalies with the size of their padding compete in a fastest skater competition.  Tonight for the first time Boston Bruin Tim Thomas and Carolina Hurricane Cam Ward were the first goalies to ever take part in the speed race.  During the competition Tim Thomas, the leading candidate for the Vezina, wiped out, but true to his personality he battled right back to his feet and finished the race.

Stepan in Shooting Accuracy; Staal in Fastest Skater, Skills Challenge Relay

Now that the teams have been decided the skills competition is up for tonight.  Now we get see how the captains send out their guys for the different events and focus on the New York Rangers who are competing in them.  The NHL has released the players who will be competing in the events in the skills competition tonight. 

Rookie Derek Stepan is competing for Team Lidstrom in the accuracy shooting competition, which seems to be the competition that best suits his game.  Rangers teammate, but All-Star opponent Marc Staal will be on Team Staal in the fastest skater and the skills challenge relay.  Depending on who Marc draws it could be a rough go in the fastest skater, but expect both Rangers to show well.

Overall I expect Team Lidstrom to have the edge tonight based on the way the lineups are laid out.   The full list of the participants in each event can be here.

Fantasy Draft A Rousing Success for NHL; Can The Game Live Up To It?

With the goal of creating buzz and energy around NHL All-Star weekend there is no denying that last night’s fantasy draft was a rousing success.  After days of talk around the nation and every office, blog, and TV commentator doing their own mock draft the real thing came last night in Raleigh.  The storylines were there going in.  Would Eric Staal pick his brother? Would the Sedin twins finally be separated?  Would the hometown Hurricanes all play together?

The setup had the feel of a game show, with the captains on each side of the stage and the chairs above for the teams to assemble in.  The combination of fantasy draft and throwback to youth in the school days picking format wondering who would be last created a buzz the weekend has not had in many years. 

In the end Eric Staal would fulfill all his necessary obligations to his team, his family and even grab a Sedin while he was at.  Nicklas Lidstrom would take advantage of the requirements Staal had to make by grabbing the more talented roster.  That is not to say that Staal does not have excellent players on his team because these are all All-Stars, but Lidstrom has players that have more familiarity with one another, which should help in the game itself.

During the telecast the players themselves did their best to roll with the punches and even play to the mood in their interviews whether it be Marc Staal acting crushed or Jonathan Toews looking totally aggrevated with Patrick Kane.  The level of personality on display can only help the sport as a whole when you rarely see players beyond Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin used to promote the game.

This had to be what Brendan Shanahan, League's Vice President of Hockey and Business Development, had envisioned when he came up with the idea of the draft.  More than possibly any other league the NHL All-Star weekend had grown stale and uninteresting to the public because the weekend truly lacked the best things about the sport.  Hockey is a sport when at its best is about the pride, the passion and physicality of the game and few if any of those things happen in the All-Star game itself.  The game is a highlight fest marked by the utter lack of hitting or defense and leaves the fans wanting something more.  The Fantasy Draft might not cure the problems in Sunday’s game alone, but it gave buzz to the weekend and the NHL has to hope that there will be some carry-over from Friday through the weekend.

There are still a few talking points remaining for the rest of the weekend like the Sedin twins playing against one another and some teammates squaring off, but will the buzz of the draft be able to carry over?  If it does not, then some will look at the overall move negatively, but at least for one night the NHL was the talk of the sports world, and that is always a good thing.

State of the Rangers One Month Before Trade Deadline. Do They Need a Trade?

With the NHL trade deadline now less than a month away it is fair to ask if the New York Rangers should and or will make a deal between now and February 28.  The team has been a surprise to this point in the season, currently sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference, despite a string of injuries that likely should have crippled their season. 

The good news is that in the next month there is reason to believe the team will get closer to full strength than it has been all season.  Ryan Callahan who has missed the last 19 games with a broken hand and Dan Girardi who missed the last two with a rib injury should be ready when the team begins again on Tuesday.  After those two the team should see at various points the return of Erik Christensen, Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko for sure, with Vinny Prospal being the unknown wildcard.

With the forward core on the mend and the defense core playing excellent hockey, is there really a need for a trade?  If there is what should be the area addressed most?

The Rangers are far from a flawless unit as they lack a true number one center; the power play is horrendous, especially at the point; their D is very young and half of it lacks NHL experience; they are among the worst in the league in faceoffs.

Any one of those areas being addressed could make the team a more legitimate threat this season, and any of those moves that could be had without giving up future assets I would be ok with doing.  The best move for the franchise is to let it play itself out and see where this group can take them.  It was never about this year.  It was always about building for the future and in that they have succeeded.  This year, even as it is, has been a successful one for the franchise as it is has integrated in a number of young players and they have shown their ability to play well against the best players in the world. 

Obviously there will be rumors between now and then and I will look at some of them to see if they make sense for the team, but outside of a faceoff guy or an Anders Eriksson type 7^th D I do not see the Rangers having to make any moves at all.  Think of all the returning pieces as guys acquired in trades, which might not be that hard to do since many of them have been out for significant amounts of time.  If come March 1, 2011 the New York Rangers have not made another trade, I will be happy knowing the future remains intact.  

Kessel NHL 'Mr Irrelevant'; Ovechkin Giddy (Video)

When the NHL went with the fantasy draft for the NHL All-Star game someone was bound to be the last man picked and that man ended up being Phil Kessel.  As many can tell you being the last one picked is not a fun experience, but in being the NHL equivalent to “Mr. Irrelevant” did not come without perks for Mr. Kessel.  For being the final pick in the draft Phil Kessel was given $20,000 to donate to the charity of his choice and a brand new Honda CR-Z.

Kessel was a good sport about being last, as he should be with the parting gifts.  The guy who probably is the most upset with way the draft played out is Paul Stastny to go second-to-last and get nothing for it.

The happiest person for the conclusion of the draft appeared to be Alex Ovechkin as you can see from the photo above.  A giddy Ovechkin snapped Kessel’s picture while he was the last one sitting waiting to be called. 

Video: Marc Staal Calls Eric 'Classless' for Not Taking Him First

This interview for Marc Staal during the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft was absolutely classic.  The way Staal deadpans devastation was hilarious.  How he made it to the verge of tears when talking about his mom and calling Eric classless was amazing.  Eric threw it right back at Marc though when he paused on the next pick after saying, "From the New York Rangers," and then took Henrik Lundqvist instead.  Marc would be taken in the following round by Eric.

2011 All Star Fantasy Draft Drinking Game

Dirty Dangle has put out some rules for a fantasy draft drinking game.

The rules are simple:

Pick the available players in the order you think they'll go in the draft from 1-36, then sit back with your friends or alone at the bar and play the Dirty Dangle 2011 All Star Fantasy Draft Drinking Game! Remember, goalies have to be picked by the end of the 10th Round, and defencemen have to be picked by the conclusion of Round 15!

Here is the player pool to draft from.

A drink = 1 ounce of beer, or mixed drink

How many ever positions you are off in your mock draft compared to the actual draft, is the number of drinks you have to take. (Example: I take Stamkos 1st, but he goes 3rd = 2 drinks, or I take Phil Kessel 10th and he goes 36th = 26 drinks).

This is the kind of family fun that can really spice up the All-Star fantasy draft.  Remember to do this responsibly because if you are a really lousy at guessing picks correctly the chances of rapid intoxication are high.  Be sure to check out Dangle to see what order is expected over there and see how right or wrong it is.

I would add taking a drink for each mention of Sidney Crosby being absent from All-Star weekend, concussion, head-shot, or brothers,but then you might be hammered before it even starts.

Based on the mock draft I did with Nick yesterday the order would have looked like this:

1. Stamkos
2. Henrik Sedin
3. Tim Thomas
4. Henrik Lundqvist
5. Ovechkin
6. Daniel Sedin
7. Danny Briere
8. Jonathan Toews
9. Kris Letang
10. Rick Nash
11. Cam Ward
12. Zdeno Chara
13. Claude Giroux
14. Jonas Hiller
15. Corey Perry
16. Brad Richards
17. Duncan Keith
18. Shea Weber
19. M-A Fleury
20. Carey Price
21. Dan Boyle
22. Dustin Byfuglien
23. Pat Sharp
24. Marc Staal
25. Keith Yandle
26. Matt Duchene
27. Anze Kopitar
28. Brent Burns
29. Erik Karlsson
30. Loui Eriksson
31. Jeff Skinner
32. Paul Stastny
33. Phil Kessel
34. Partik Elias
35. David Backes
36. Martin Havlat

Video: Rangers Top 5 Plays 2010-11 Season

Some good choices, but some huge omissions from this list.  How does Marc Staal's pasting of Matt Stajan not make the list?  Zuccarello's OT game winner for his first NHL goal?  Stepan dancing around Ellis?

Does Moulson Deal Impact Dubinsky, Callahan or Boyle Contracts?

With each new contract signed by an NHL player we get another piece of information to help us see what the market might look like this summer when Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan and Brian Boyle need new contracts.  Obviously both those players and the New York Rangers were watching intently for the details of the most recent contract extension for forward Matt Moulson who signed a 3 year deal for 9.4 million.  Does the Moulson contract help shape the market for the three bigger RFA contracts the Rangers will now have to negotiate this summer?  Which of the three Rangers is the Moulson situation most comparable to?

The most comparable of the three to Moulson in terms of situation is likely to be Brian Boyle as they both had breakout years later I their careers.  Last season Moulson put up 30-18-48 as a 26-year-old and Boyle is currently on pace for a line of 28-14-42.  Those lines are nearly identical, however, there are some huge difference between Boyle and Moulson that will certainly impact their deals.  On the positive for Boyle is that he is a center which always inherently means more money than a winger would get.  Working against Boyle is the fact that he is only set to be an RFA this season while Moulson was set to be a UFA and that Moulson has now put up his numbers for two consecutive seasons while Boyle has only done it this year. Given the combination of those factors I would bet Boyle’s deal to likely be one-year pact between the averages of Moulson RFA deal last season (2.45) and this contract (3.13).  Look for Boyle to come out in the 2.7-2.8 area on a one year deal.

In terms of Dubinsky there is not much here as the better comparable is still the David Backes deal from St. Louis due to the more direct comparison in terms of production in many areas of the game.  The key difference in the Rangers and Blues scenarios in that comparison is that Backes was due to be UFA, like Moulson, this summer while Callahan has one year left, and Dubinsky two years until they reach the unrestricted level. 

Backes has 87 goals and 106 assists (.58 ppg) in his 296 career NHL games; Dubinsky is at 64 goals and 99 assists (.57 ppg) in his 286 games; while Callahan comes in at 63 goals and 56 assists (.46 ppg) in his 256 games.  The 4.5 million for Backes is still an overpayment, though he has gotten himself an All-Star invite since the new contract (with identical numbers to Dubinsky).  The differential in the years to free agency will save the Rangers money, but is still the best comparable for Dubinsky and Callahan.   I would expect Dubinsky to come in decently over the price of Moulson, while Callahan should come in over that number but similar area.

The underlying question for the Rangers might be how much money do the injuries both players suffered this season impact the salaries on their next contract.