First weekend observations....

So we are now through three days of the 2013 National Hockey League season. Unpredictably(cue the pun towards the ultimate theme of this blog, that being predictably unpredictable) has been the common denominator thus far. Who would’ve ever expected the powerhouses out east like the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers to crawl to 0-2 starts, or the supposedly goaltending rich Vancouver Canucks to struggle out of the gate. Even more astonishing is that we have seen a wide flux of scoring stars. The ageless wonder Teemu Selanne had a memorable debut along with fellow caveman Jaromir Jagr. Someone must explain to these two that we are no longer in 1995! So in this entry, I will examine some observations that I have stumbled across from this opening weekend.

Luke Schenn-NHL or AHL Calibre?

In the old NHL, where clutching and grabbing was prevalent, Luke Schenn would have been the ideal defender. However, with skating skills reminiscent of the great  Ken Daneyko, he’s always a step behind and early indications are pointing to the trade that sent James Van Riemsdyk to Toronto in exchange for Schenn was completely one sided favouring Toronto. Philadelphia’s team defence as a whole concerns me. Along with the aforementioned Schenn, Swede Nik Grossman and Brayden Coburn have struggled to adapt to the rampant pace in the early going, and from the games that I’ve witnessed, they have been the weakest unit out there generally speaking. General Manager Paul Holmgren surely will  not let this year go by the wayside and I’m sure as fellow GM’s scout their own respective teams, defenceman who are sure on foot will become available, and Holmgren will pounce quicker then Eagles fans give up on quarterbacks.

Best player on the planet? Best player in Pennsylvania?

This is an opinion I have had that begun prior to this year. Who exactly is the best player on the Pittsburgh Penguins. For years, the Canadian media has painted Sidney Crosby as this larger than life character pinning him as the next Wayne Gretzky, but in my humble opinion he’s nowhere came close to matching that, in what I believe was an unrealistic moniker to match. What Crosby is known for is his tremendous vision on the ice, which he’s lived upto, but his speed and aggressiveness has taken a quantum step back which is understandable after he has suffered through multiple blows to the head. The most complete player on the Penguins is #71 himself, Evgeni Malkin.  Malkin is the big bruising skillful stalwart that stirs the drink upfront, and it’s due to Malkin that has allowed Crosby to open space and weaker defensive assignments due to the fact that opposing coaches have matched their top defenders against Malkin.

 

A Young man’s league

Purely from a fan’s perspective, it is an absolute treat to see these youngens, most being teenagers making significant contributions at such an early age. Going back not so long ago to the mid to late nineties, it was an abnormality to see a nineteen year old crack a NHL lineup, let alone play in a top six role. In this current era, that has practically become common place. The confidence coaches are starting to show in the rookies/sophomores is a real telling sign that the way the game is now played has drastically changed. Over the weekend, to see such things take place like Calgary Flame rookie and former Portland Wintehawk Sven Baertschl kill penalties would’ve never happened years ago. Or, on the other side of Alberta seeing the rumbustious 2012 first overall pick Nail Yakupov get ice time in the four and four overtime was incredible to view. The saying that the coach has some major guts for employing these kind of strategical decisions can now be reversed by saying that if a coach does NOT attempt this, in many ways that could be construed as more controversial because the Monday morning quarterbacks would be all over the coach screaming why the best players weren`t given the optimal roles regardless of how old the player is. Opening weekend was a peach because like every other professional sport, the young men have taken the reigns and the vets will continually get weeded out at the hands of the faster, more mature new stars of the National Hockey League.