The Preschoolers:
- Henrik Lundqvist, 25 – You can say all you want about the importance of Jagr, Shanahan and others to the Rangers hopes. But goaltending wins Stanley Cups. Luckily for the Rangers, Lundqvist has recovered from a bit of a sophomore slump and is performing at the level he was in his rookie season.
- Ryan Hollweg, 24 – It seems only yesterday people were saying Ryan Who? But since the Chris Simon incident Hollweg has become somewhat infamous. He’s a model pest and the definition of an agitator – but those are often the unsung heroes who help teams win playoff series. (See Avery, Sean)
- Ryan Callahan, 22 – Callahan was called up from the AHL towards the season and was on board for the Rangers’ playoff push. Going almost directly from the minor league to the Stanley Cup playoffs has to be a little intimidating...it’ll be interesting to see how Ryan handles it.
- Ilya Kovalchuk, 24 – Although prone to bouts of divadom, Kovalchuk still shows flashes of brilliance that belie his #1 draft spot. The questions about his consistency and dedication will definitely come into play as he takes the ice for his very first playoff series. The Thrashers need him to play at top level if they have a chance of earning their very first playoff series win.
- Kari Lehtonen, 23 – Lehtonen has already been yanked in favor of backup goaltender Johan Hedberg after the Thrash dropped game 1, a somewhat bizarre move by seasoned playoff vet Hartley. Still, he can win games for Atlanta – if he gets another shot.
The Old-timers:
- Brendan Shanahan, 38 – His birthday was celebrated by two of the youngest players in the game at this year’s All-Star game, but at 38 Shanny is still going strong and has had yet another rebirth with the Rangers. And hey, any guy who throws down with Donald Brashear in defense of Jagr deserves a freakin’ medal, if not another Stanley Cup.
- Jaromir Jagr, 35 – That’s right, the former mullet king of Pittsburgh is getting on in years. Wearing the ‘C’ for the Broadway Blueshirts brings with it a lot of responsibility, which Jags reportedly is happy to take on. I guess it’s a good thing there’s no shootout in the playoffs to make him eat his words.
- Michael Nylander, 34 – Nylander’s puck-handling skills haven’t waned as he’s gotten older and he continues to rack up the points, registering in the top 20 in the league in assists with 57. That’s on top of the 26 goals he picked up over the season...not to mention the three points he had in Game 1.
- Scott Mellanby, 40 – Mellanby is one of those heart and soul, gritty kind of players that a young team desperately needs. He was named team captain in 2005 and continues to lead the Thrashers right into their first playoff berth. His 12 playoff appearances are impressive but his scoring touch has faded a bit with age and he may not provide the spark the Thrash need at this point.
- Keith Tkachuk, 35 – One of the more surprising trade deadline acquisitions, Tkachuk has had a rebirth after being plucked out of St. Louis obscurity. Like Mellanby, he brings 12 playoff appearances to the young squad and has proven a brilliant addition to Atlanta’s roster.
- Bobby Holik, 36 – Holik brings the wisdom of a multi-Cup winner to Atlanta and can provide the steadying influence to calm some first-time jitters...as well as the occasional goal. His offensive production has fallen off a bit in recent years but he was never a 50-goal scorer and his ability to score the well timed goal far outweighs the fact that they don’t happen that often.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Old and Busted vs. New Hotness 2
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Old and Busted vs. New Hotness
During the first period of the Ottawa-Pittsburgh game this afternoon they started talking about the team leaders – guys like Crosby, Malkin, Heatley and Spezza, all leading their teams and sometimes the league in various categories. It seems that this postseason, as it has been the whole season, the storyline that stands out above all else is the changing of the guard from generation to generation. There is a phenomenal amount of highly skilled youth in this year’s playoffs; on the same line, there is also a phenomenal amount of grizzled veterans who bear the wounds of many a postseason battle.
It happens every year, but there seems to be an inordinate number of players on both sides of the coin this season. It’s an interesting aspect of the playoffs that is heightened this year – who will overcome first-time jitters and who won’t; who will use the wisdom of age and experience and who won’t.
We’ll start with one of the most anticipated series of the first round, Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh.
The Preschoolers:
- Sidney Crosby, 19 – Did you know that Crosby is playing in his first playoff series? Did you know he’s only 19 years old? Did you know that he was the youngest player to lead the league in scoring? Yup, me neither. Luckily we have the helpful boys at Versus and NBC to remind us every 10 seconds. Anyways, he's an okay hockey player I guess.
- Jordan Staal, 18 – Staal has been overshadowed a bit by Crosby and fellow rookie Evgeni Malkin, but he has quietly scored 29 goals and become a key member of the Penguins’ penalty-killing crew, notching a league-leading 7 shorthanded goals. He was also arguably Pittsburgh’s best player in the disastrous Game 1 loss.
- Marc-Andre Fleury, 23 – Fleury’s inconsistency this season can largely be contributed to youth and not a lack of talent (as much as I’d like to believe the latter). When he’s shaky, not even the Penguins’ “defense” can keep the puck out of the net. When he’s on, though, very little will get by him. If he can find his groove the Penguins will be very hard to beat. That's if. If.
- Jason Spezza, 23 – Spezza was taken 2nd overall in the 2001 draft and hasn’t disappointed, quickly becoming a leader and a fan favorite for the Ottawa Senators. Despite missing 15 games with injury, he has posted a career high in goals (34) and was a +19 this season.
- Ray Emery, 24 – When Dominik Hasek was sidelined with injury last year Emery was forced to shoulder the burden and carried the Sens into the conference quarterfinals. He returns this year with a full season as the number one goaltender and a year of postseason experience under his belt but may still be prone to the mistakes of youth.
- Andrej Meszaros, 22 – The loss of Chara and Pothier in the offseason left a big hole on the Ottawa blueline, forcing rookie defenseman Meszaros to try and help fill the void. He had a decent offensive year but was a -15 on an offensively potent Senators team.
The Oldtimers:
- Gary Roberts, 40 – Roberts will turn 41 at the end of May and brings with him 13 trips to the playoffs, including a Stanley Cup victory with the 1987-88 Calgary Flames. He has 85 points in 115 playoff games and has experienced a resurgence of sorts since being traded from the Panthers at the deadline.
- Mark Recchi, 39 – With 22 playoff appearances and 2 Stanley Cups to his name, Recchi is the most experienced on either roster. He was picked up by the ‘Canes en route to their Stanley Cup run last season and returned to the team that drafted him for conceivably one last run, despite reports of tension last season between Recchi and pipsqueak Crosby.
- Daniel Alfredsson, 34 – For all the talk of youth and pre-teens on the Penguins squad, Alfredsson is the oldest player on the Senators...at just 34. He has often been the target of some criticism, as the captain of a Canadian team is prone to be, but has continued to lead his team, picking up 87 points in 77 games. He has appeared in every single Ottawa Senators playoff game, the only Senator to do so.
