Crashing the Net

Once again it’s time for some random rants on the world of sports…

First, A few weeks ago I wrote about how the goonish behavior displayed by the Philadelphia Flyers throughtout the first half of this season had to be examined and met with appropriate sanctions by the NHL and it seems as if nothing has really changed. Flyers cheap shot artist Steve Downie struck again the other night when he went after Maple Leafs winger Jason Blake, who had commented to the media about Downie’s suspension drawing hit on Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond, hitting him in the eye as Blake was being restrained by an official. The fact that Downie did this is no big surprise considering his past transgressions, however, the fact that longtime Flyers Senior VP Bobby Clarke responded to the incident by saying it was “a good thing” and “When he went after [Jason] Blake, I loved it,” once again proves that this isn’t just one player but an organization wide philosophy. Bobby Clarke’s comments once again put this franchise in a light that portrays them as classless. Clarke may have played for the Flyers during the era of the “Broad Street Bullies” but he was the talent for that team and not the muscle. Clarke was known for yapping and rabbit punching then hiding behing Dave Schultz and the others to protect him. Bobby Clarke needs to smarten up and realize this isn’t the “Wild West” NHL of the 70’s and if he keeps condoning this kind of behavior (and even praising it) that soon other teams will begin to retaliate against some of the Flyers top talent. Does anyone believe Clarke would “Love it” if Darcy Tucker did the same thing to Daniel Briere? As for Downie, do you think if Mats Sundin (6-5 231) would have made the same comments Blake (5-10 175) made, Downie would have been so quick to sucker punch him? I doubt it. The NHL players have a code of protecting their own so even though Downie escaped without a lengthy suspension or fine from the NHL, i’m sure the next time he plays the Leafs they will remember and look for payback and i’m sure Clarke will have different feelings about that.

Here is a video of the cheap shot and some commentary:

Second, I watched the BCS Championship game the other night (only because nothing else was on) and I have to say that the one player who took the field that really impressed me was not consensus top 3 pick Glenn Dorsey of LSU but Ohio State LB and tackling machine James Laurinaitis. This kid made plays all over the field from the line of scrimmage to 15 yards downfield. If a tackle was made it seemed like he was either wrapping the opposing player up or had a hand in it to the tune of 18 tackles. Laurinaitis, who is the son of wrestling legend Animal (of the Road Warriors and Legion of Doom) is only a junior but is expected by many to declare for this year’s draft. I personally think with his combination of speed and tackling ability he will be a star at the NFL level. If I was a GM in the upcoming draft looking for a linebacker (think Green Bay as a bookend with Ohio St. alum A.J. Hawk, the Bears as a replacement for Lance Briggs or even the Jets who may be looking to move MLB Jonathan Vilma) Laurinaitis would be at the top of my draft board.

Finally, there was some minor controversy this past week over the NFL Most Valuable Player Award voting. Patriots QB Tom Brady won the award while receiving all but one vote. The other vote went to Packers QB Brett Favre. This vote enraged some fans and media members who felt that Brady should have been the unanimous choice. This argument once again brings to light the problem with the naming of the award itself. In all professional sports, the MVP award is given out to the league’s most outstanding performer for that season. Unfortunately, many people believe that the most valuable player means the most valuable to his team not the player who had the best season statistically and this leaves room for much debate almost every time an award is bestowed upon a player. While Tom Brady obviously had the best season of anyone statistically, you could argue that Brett Favre or even Cowboys QB Tony Romo were more valuable to their teams success then Brady was to that of the Patriots. The same argument could be made in MLB where Alex Rodriguez had one of the greatest statistical seasons in league history but many felt that Detroit OF Magglio Ordonez was truly the most valuable to his team. Many times the voters do a good job of distinguishing the difference but occasions like these bring about the need for the various leagues to at least consider a change. In my opinion, these leagues should award two honors at season’s end, one for the player who has had the best season statistically and one for the player whose play was most integral to his team’s success. By doing this and instructing voters to choose by these guidelines instead of the fuzzy definition of “Valuable” they now adhere to, many of these controversies will be averted in the future and if the player who is most valuable also happens to be the one who has the best numbers then I’m sure they won’t mind making two acceptance speeches.

Time To Give Henrik The Keys To The Kingdom

Imagine on the first day of free agency next summer hearing the words “The Chicago Blackhawks would like to welcome Henrik Lundqvist to the organization”. It sounds like a fairy tale dreamed up by some overzealous fan but in reality it’s not that far fetched of a scenario.

During the last offseason, The New York Rangers signed two of the top centers in the game (Scott Gomez and Chris Drury) to multiyear megadeals and in doing so ensured the franchise would have playmakers and a leadership core long after team captain and franchise talent Jaromir Jagr decides to hang up his skates. The only harmful side effect to these signings was that they left the Rangers with little cap room to sign franchise goaltender and restricted free agent Henrik Lundqvist to a long term deal before the season began. Lundqvist and his agent instead agreed to terms with the team on a one year deal and both sides agreed to revisit the situation during the season.

Lundqvist has once again put together a stroong first half and will undoubtedly be amongst the candidates to be honored with the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender at season’s end. His steady and at times spectacular play has carried the Rangers early on and is the biggest reason that they are still in good position to make the playoffs even while the team has been suffering through a prolonged goal scoring drought and various growing pains with it’s young players. Everyone who watches the Rangers and all from within the organization acknowledge that Lundqvist is the most important part of the Rangers drive towards a championship, not only this year but in the future as well. It is time that Glen Sather and management open up the checkbook and make sure that Henrik knows his value to this franchise as well.

By signing Lundqvist to a long term deal now the Rangers can accomplish two goals. They can lock up their cornerstone at a relatively young age (think about the Devils signing Martin Brodeur to a 10 year deal early on and what having him with their franchise has meant and that’s the kind of security Henrik could give the Rangers) and continue to build around him and their considerable pool of young talent (Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Petr Prucha, Ryan Callahan, Bobby Sanguinetti, Alex Cherapanov) while at the same time keeping him away from possible offers from other teams who might view him as the missing piece to their own championship puzzle. If Lundqvist makes it to free agency this summer, Would it surprise anyone if a team full of young burgeoning stars like the Blackhawks were to offer Lundqvist a max deal to turn their team from a possible playoff dark horse into a bonified contender? I believe Lundqvist would at least have to consider it (even with his desire to play in New York) with the upside of Johnathan Toews, Pat Kane, Brent Seabrook, Dustin Byfuglien and Martin Havlat (if he ever stayed healthy) being factors in his decision. What about former Ranger alum and broadcaster and now Blues GM John Davidson? Don’t you think J.D. would love a crack at adding Henrik to his roster in St. Louis after witnessing firsthand the effect he has on a team looking to regain it’s place amongst the game’s upper echelon. If Lundqvist somehow gets to free agency, there will be many suitors for his services and the Rangers will be forced to make some very tough decisions in order to retain him.

If the Rangers can get Lundqvist under contract before the summer it will also allow them to trade former first round draft pick and valuable bargaining chip goaltender Al Montoya in an attempt to shore up a young and inexperienced defense that has played extremely well so far this season but still could use a veteran presence and a power play quarterback on it’s blueline.The Rangers have many decisions to make as this year’s trade deadline approaches and even more decisions following the season but the one decision that seems abundantly clear is that they need to get Henrik signed long term now and avoid what would be an unmitigated disaster if he walks away. It’s time to hand over the keys to the castle to King Henrik and make sure he presides over his kingdom, in this case The Garden, for many years to come.