WRIST SHOTS: THE ALL-STAR BREAK

It's been an interesting first half of the season, I have to admit. I've watched more hockey, and payed closer attention thanks to the fantasy league (KOD!!!!!1), than ever before. The Devils sit in first place in the Atlantic (better than I thought they'd be without Marty), the Sabres are in 7th in the East (worse than I thought, with all their young talent), and the Rangers are showing signs of weakness. I think it will be an interesting stretch run for the rest of the season.

I haven't mentioned it yet, but I just wanted to make a few comments about the Winter Classic.

THE GOOD.
Having the game at Wrigley Field featuring two Original Six teams: that's what the WC is all about. Despite the fact the stadium has been around for a century, there's an amazing lack of history. Really, since the 1908 World Series, what classic moments have occurred at the Frozen Confines? Not many. Sure, Ernie Banks hit his 500th, and the Bears won something or another. But you can't count things like "The First Night Game" as "history"; the team was simply too cheap to install lights before then.

(Just wondering: where did the snow come from? From the overhead views, I didn't see anything on the surrounding streets. I think they just trucked it in to make it look more wintery.)

The game was 100% Bettman free. I guess he's finally realized that he casts a pall on every event he attends, since he's been booed everywhere he goes since 1995.

THE BAD.
NBC. NBC Sports is simply the worst. First of all, Doc Emrick had laryngitis and had to bail out--strike one. Second, the rest of the crew had nothing to add except bullshit musings about the wind maybe playing a factor (it didn't). Also, the director seemed determined to never show a single faceoff on camera, and they were constantly one step behind what was happening on the ice, including this Seabrook hit:



HE CHECKED HIM INTO THE HOTEL! (Pierre, shut up with your nay-saying "dangerous" blabbering, that was a fun check that you only used to see the NHL '94 video game.)

THE UGLY. Yes, the game received good ratings, giving the NHL a serious boost in their self-esteem. But unfortunately, the league doesn't know what makes this game a classic, as evidenced by their comments about possible future games in Vegas and the Rose Bowl. They simply don't have any clue what makes this game "classic". No, it's not just because it's played in the winter, it's because it celebrates the game's long tradition as a winter sport. The NHL, meanwhile, will do anything they can to shit all over that tradition.

VIDEO TIME! Here's a great compilation of Top 10 Charity Point Goal-Off Circus Shots That Don't Really Count In The Stats (So Far).



Just one thing to say about this TSN Sportscentre (sic) video: THE GRAPHICS OBSCURE THE ACTION ON EVERY CLIP. Yeah, I know, they show multiple replays, but why does the clip description have to be in black across the middle of the screen? Put it at the top of the screen where the scoreboard already is! I don't know who to blame, so I blame ESPN.

ALL-STAR MEMORIES. This might be oft-injured (and now shelved for the season) Rick DiPietro's lasting legacy: dropping F-bombs on Versus.



"I fucked my hip up again." Eh, sit tight Fishstick Fans, he's got 12 more years to redeem himself!

ALL-STAR SNUBS. No, I'm not talking about those players who had good first halves and were not selected. Because let's face it: ASG is all about the star players you want to see, not who had a good 30-40 games this season, and I have no problem with Mike Modano being there instead of someone like David Krecji. So what if the fans in Montreal, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Anaheim stuffed the ballot box, and put Giguere and Komisarek in the lineup? That only means that they cared about this game the most, and thus they get to see their favorites.

The "snubs" I'm talking about are the players who declined to appear, like Crosby (who is allegedly hurt) and the two Red Wings, meaning that the defending Cup champs will send NO representatives at all. That's pathetic, and shows what little the players think of Bettman, the league and the fans in general.

Still, it will be fun to watch those who do show up play in a loose, defense-free environment and show off their skills for a change, even if it seems the game is quickly becoming an irrelevant novelty.

CAPTION CONTEST. According to the AP this is Gary "Bettan" gesturing during a press conference:



HA HA HA HA! FUCK YOU CANADA, I'M GOING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!

UPDATE. OVIE in his AS duds--looking sharp.

WRIST SHOTS: BATTLE FOR THE ATLANTIC!

This is what my latest Devils Dispatch email is dramatically calling the final stretch. With only 8 points separating the bottom team from the top (ignoring the Islanders, of course), we haven't seen a battle for the Atlantic this huge since the Spanish Armada clashed with the British in 1588. And we all know how that turned out, with the Spaniards being kicked out of the pantry.

It starts tonight with the Rangers at the ROCK. The Devils haven't been able to figure out the Blueshirts this season, losing all 5 so far. Here's the breakdown of the interdivisional games left for the four teams still in the hunt.

New Jersey (9 of 10 remaining games): NYR, NYI, @PIT, PIT, @NYR, PHI, @NYI, @PHI, NYR
N.Y. Rangers (9/9): @NJ ,@PHI ,PHI, NJ, @PIT, PIT, @NYI, NYI, @NJ
Pittsburgh: (8/9): NJ, @NYI, @NJ, NYI, NYR, @NYR, PHI, @PHI
Philadelphia: (8/8): NYR, NYI, @NYR, @NJ, @NYI, @PIT, NJ, PIT

For the Devils, the main team in their way of the division crown is the Pittsburgh Crosbys. It remains to be seen when he will be back to save hockey once again, hopefully it will be on the game of the week on NBC: NOTHING BUT CROSBY! For the Rangers, the biggest obstacle is, as always, the Rangers. Oh, and phuck the Flyers. I really don't want to see them and Danielle's -30 plus/minus in the playoffs.

As for the rest of the Wales . . . looking at the standings a few weeks ago, you could assume that Florida was dead, losing 8 of 10 and sinking like a dead marlin. But with wins in their last 7 (including two in OT) they are suddenly in the playoff race? Though it's probably too little too late, I suppose it's great for the fans. But I hate how teams can go on massive losing streaks, play horrible hockey for months on end, and still be right in the postseason hunt. Philthy has come back from the dead at least 4 times this season; the Rangers lost 8 of 10 in January, and then won 10 of 13 last month to continue their rollercoaster ride; Buffalo has been listless for the first 3/4 of the season, including a 10 game winless streak, go a mediocre 9-11 since the beginning of February, then win 2 lopsided games this past weekend (vs. CAR and @TOR), and they're right back in it! It's absurd. Why go out there and bust your buns every night? Just have a good month or two, and you're fine! (At least in the Wales, where most of the teams can't get out of their own way.) As I've said before, the point system is fatally flawed, and it's merely rewarding mediocrity. (Don't even get me started with Edmonton and all the points they've gotten from the skills competition shootout.)

I'll close this out with some Marty, who doesn't get enough recognition. This photo is from the new "My NHL, My Cup" promotional ads. Why is everything is "my", from My Yahoo to MyFox? Oh, so you watched your team win the Cup. What did YOU do?



I may start to sound like a homer here, but I don't care. Last Saturday afternoon in a 4-2 win in Colorado, en route to his 40th win Marty made some ridiculous saves. While the chicken wing block (0:24) was nice, none was quite as fun to watch as the stick save from behind his back (1:13 in, 14:15 left in the 2nd).



Of course, the NHL Video highlight reel absolutely sucks (why can't these jackasses make quality video available?), so here's the Top 10 Saves of the Week (check out #3 at the 3:00 mark).

Yes, it's fun to watch Marty. And afterwards he humbly said, "I got lucky on a few of those." How can you hate the guy? He's the exact opposite of Patrick Roy, whose giant inflated head didn't even fit in his helmet.