After writing yesterday about how last nights game between the two rivals would go a ways to deciding who might win this years Rocket Richard trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer, it turned out to do nothing more than tie them on 48 goals with a handful of games still to play. I hope they don’t end level and I personally want Ovechkin to win it, but whoever wins it, I hope they top 50. Last night Crosby had one goal but Ovechkin two, including an empty net goal, to lift his team to a 6-3 victory. Washington stand well clear a-top the NHL standings and will be one of the big favorites heading into the playoffs, but with a pair of games left Ovechkin will have to ramp up his scoring game heading into the playoffs in order to win the Rocket Richard which is decided by regular season goals only. Crosby has three games left. Ovechkin it is worth pointing out again has played 8 less games than Crosby but that doesn’t factor into the award, of course.

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It’s been a long old hockey season for those that like their trades … Until today. I was sitting watching TV this morning when someone pointed out to me the names of some Leafs players on the news ticker and that it looked like there had been a trade. I turned on the net and was indeed informed of the blockbuster deal that had taken place between Toronto and Calgary and later Toronto and Anaheim.

The trades:

Toronto acquire defensemen Dion Phaneuf and Keith Aulie along with forward Fredrik Sjostrom from the Calgary Flames in return for forwards Jason Blake, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and defenseman Ian White.

Toronto acquire goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere from Anaheim Ducks in return for goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Jason Blake.

Thoughts:

Well the Toronto media have proclaimed their city the winner of this deal before a shot is fired in anger by any of these players at their new teams simply because Phaneuf is the biggest name in the deal. They have a point to a degree, the Leafs gave up some players on big salaries who were not producing as much as they might have liked and with the team sitting at the bottom end of the standings and losing on a nightly basis, it makes sense to make changes going forward. Losing a bunch of forwards frees up space for the Leafs to give young players a shot to prove their worth for the rest of the season and getting back a young star like Phaneuf never hurts.

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So woman and children are not quite dying on the streets but as much as a pandemic can be a panic semi-created by the media then Swine flu is as close as we’ve got and the mighty men of the Calgary Flames are ‘bunking’ the queue to get their shots first.

Just like in school when the big kids would arrive at the canteen five minutes later than the little kids and shove them out of line before getting the best food first, the Calgary Flames have decided that as professional sports men and hockey stars with their tidy bank balances, they are more deserving of the H1N1 flu shot than your granny.

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Just a week ago I was walking down the street in a pair of shorts and up until a few days ago I was in t-shirts but just as suddenly as the month turned to October spelling the beginning of the NHL season, the temperatures plummeted and reminded us all that winter is just around the corner. Indeed that is the sign that hockey is back. Read More»

Theo Fleury is continue with his hopes of returning all the way back to the top of the hockey world after a four-year absence by attending the Calgary Flames training camp, the team were he started his NHL career and won his one and only Stanley Cup ring twenty years ago. Reports suggest he turned up to camp in the best shape of his life proven by the fact he had a Vo2 reading of 60 and an 8% body fat count. When he took to the ice the Calgary players seen what the Giants fans knew from a few years back, Theo still had the hands for the game as he impressed all before him. Read More»

Flyers tough nut Daniel Carcillo was suspended for one game yesterday for an incident in game one against Pittsburgh when late in the game he cracked Maxime Talbot in the jaw with a right hook. The league looked upon it as a sucker punch late in the game and have decided he can sit for a game. It comes as no suprise to many that it was the Flyers who picked up the first suspension of the playoffs!

While some Flyers fans are furious with the league over this call, I stand in a different court. If you are going to do something stupid then you are giving the league the opportunity to suspend you.

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He was on the verge of retiring last season until the San Jose Sharks called and asked him to play another year and give them some veteran leadership. Last night it paid off for the Sharks. Commeth the hour commeth the man. JR showed his clutch play in another game seven with a huge performance after being scratched in game six. Roenick grabbed two goals and two assists to help the Sharks beat Calgary in game seven and advance to the Western Conference Semi-Finals.