NHL Power Rankings: Week #7 (2013)

Half of the shortened 48-game season seems to be complete & that means the release of the T.O.A. Week #7 NHL Power Rankings! As we look upon the 7 weeks we've completed, one thing becomes apparent: Chicago's dominance. Although they were dealt their first loss of the season by the hands of Dallas, their epic run will be something to remember for years to come. This week things shaken up in the rankings as Washington & Carolina pushed their way up. The soon to be non-existent Southeast division is finally showing some life. The two statistical anomalies (Tampa Bay & Nashville) continue to smooth out slowly due to their lack-luster play. With the trade deadline less than a month away, things should get a little more interesting. Now, let's take a break & view the ranks while preparing ourselves for the second half of the NHL 2013 season!:

Rank	Team	Record	+/-	Power Index
#1	Chicago Blackhawks	21-1-3 (45 pts.)	Even	6.88
#2	Anaheim Ducks	17-3-3 (37 pts.)	Even	6.5217
#3	Boston Bruins	15-3-3 (33 pts.)	Even	5.8095
#4	Pittsburgh Penguins	16-8 (32 pts.)	Up 1	5.5417
#5	Montreal Canadiens	15-5-4 (34 pts.)	Down 1	4.75
#6	Toronto Maple Leafs	15-10 (30 pts.)	Up 1	4.4
#7	Carolina Hurricanes	13-9-1 (27 pts.)	Up 7	4.087
#8	L.A. Kings	12-8-2 (26 pts.)	Up 4	4.0454
#9	Detroit Red Wings	12-8-4 (28 pts.)	Up 2	4
#10	Vancouver Canucks	11-6-6 (28 Pts.)	Down 2	4
#11	Tampa Bay Lightning	10-13-1 (21 pts.)	Down 5	3.9167
#12	St. Louis Blues	12-9-2 (26 pts.)	Down 3	3.913
#13	Dallas Stars	12-9-2 (26 pts.)	Up 7	3.7826
#14	Ottawa Senators	13-8-4 (30 pts.)	Down 4	3.76
#15	Washington Capitals	10-11-1 (21 pts.)	Up 12	3.5454
#16	Phoenix Coyotes	11-10-3 (25 pts.)	Down 3	3.5417
#17	N.Y. Rangers	12-9-2 (26 pts.)	Up 2	3.5217
#18	San Jose Sharks	11-7-4 (26 pts.)	Down 2	3.4090
#19	New Jersey Devils	11-8-5 (27 pts.)	Down 2	3.0417
#20	N.Y. Islanders	10-11-3 (23 pts.)	Up 6	3.0417
#21	Philadelphia Flyers	11-13-1 (23 pts.)	Down 3	3
#22	Minnesota Wild	11-9-2 (24 pts.)	Down 1	2.9545
#23	Calgary Flames	9-9-4 (22 pts.)	Up 2	2.81
#24	Winnipeg Jets	12-11-1 (23 pts.)	Down 9	2.75
#25	Colorado Avalanche	9-10-4 (22 pts.)	Down 2	2.6957
#26	Nashville Predators	10-9-5 (25 pts.)	Down 2	2.6667
#27	Buffalo Sabres	9-13-3 (21 pts.)	Up 1	2.16
#28	Edmonton Oilers	8-11-5 (21 pts.)	Down 6	1.8383
#29	Columbus Blue Jackets	8-12-4 (20 pts.)	Up 1	1.8383
#30	Florida Panthers	7-12-6 (20 pts.)	Down 1	1.36

Who's Hot?: Dallas, Carolina & Washington

Who's Not?: Winnipeg, Tampa Bay & Edmonton

NHL Realignment Plan Approved By The League for 2013-14 Season

The NHL announced yesterday that their plan for realignment has finally found a suitor for the 2013-14 season. The break-up consists of now 4 divisions yet to be named & an off-balanced geographical scale to which the teams must obied by. Here's how it breaks down:



This new configuration will be favoring the west with only 14 teams competing for 8 playoff spots vs. 16 teams in the east. The biggest losers in this realignment will be Florida & Tampa Bay, who's remote location must now travel to furthest northern reaches of the continent as the map from SB Nation shows:



The east would've broken down easier geographically by having Florida & Tampa Bay align with Carolina, Washington, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, & New Jersey. But as we see, big market favoritism is becoming more & more apparent. Keeping the squashed "Atlantic" division together which I make air-quotes as I speak out loud because Columbus & Pittsburgh are as far away from the coast as Phoenix or Dallas is) just shows where the money is & where it's going to stay.

It's like they're setting up the South for failure so they can relocate the franchises to Markham & Quebec City, which has been the plan all along anyways when Phoenix & Florida fall to economic pressure. Thankfully the realignment is only a pilot & will be evaluated after 2 seasons. But for what it's worth it'll be an interesting ride.

Stephen A. Smith's Hockey Rant Could Possibly Go Viral?

So Stephen A. Smith gets on your nerves? Well for hockey fans, it's about to raise to a whole new level. Stephen A. Smith the other day had his take on ESPN about the point streak that the Chicago Blackhawks have been creating in today's hockey history. Chicago's record today stands at 21-0-3, making that no regulation losses in the entire season.

ESPN said, "Hey, let's compare them to one of our greatest content teams on the show!": The Miami Heat. Now I love doing cross-sport comparisons so just listen to Stephen A. Smith's comparison with the Blackhawks point streak & the Heat's 16-game win streak:



I'm not going to get nit-picky here & say the same thing that every hockey fan is screaming at the top of there lungs because I get it, Stephen A. Smith doesn't know hockey. Yes, there's no ties now & the Miami Heat are king in both the city where I live & the sports media world, but what bothers me is the disrespect allowed on ESPN.

It's just sad to see a "professional" trash a sport that isn't his favorite. I'm guilty of doing this to football, but I recognize the immense popularity & devotion the players have to their passion. My hats off to you NFL.

Patrick Kaleta Suspended 5 Games by Shanahan

I always like reporting on player's safety, & for the most part Brendan Shanahan
usually gets the call right with his group of men. This time I'm not so sure. The other night, Buffalo Sabres' Patrick Kaleta gave an illegal hit from behind on New York Rangers' Brad Richards that sent him sliding not so violently, yet dangerouly into the boards.

After reviewing the incident, Shanahan and the player's safety committee decided on a 5-game suspension of Kaleta. Here's the break down by Shanahan:



I personally think 5 games may be a little harsh, but if they're trying to send a message to a repeat offender that this will not be tolerated then I guess you must. I think 3 games & a fine wouldv'e been substantial & my reasoning is that maybe Richards embelished a little. The angle at which Kaleta thrusted his stick into the back of Richards didn't seem low or high enough to naturally send him into the boards so hard.

With so many player's embellishing these days its hard to say whether Richards really was put down on the floor that hard. He even looked back at Kaleta to see how close he was for a pretty long duration. He also seemed to brace himself alright enough for the blow on the boards, & then grabbed his head in pain like if he was dying on the ice. I don't know, I'm all for player's safety, & that's why Kaleta should be punished, but it just seemed too much.

Ilya Bryzgalov's Thoughts on Life (Also, Picture of Wife for All Those Curious)



Ilya Bryzgalov & wife Yevgeniya Bryzgalov

So the people at Deadspin knocked this story out of the park last weekend. Philadelphia Flyer's goalie Ilya Bryzgalov was asked what his thoughts were on the meteor that burnt up in the Russian atmosphere on February 15th, destroying a KHL arena & injuring civilians.

Ilya, as we all know, has a five-hole big enough to let that meteor through on any given day, so it wouldn't have mattered if he was in Russia at the moment & had super hero strength to stop it (it still would've gotten through).

His answer though was simply amazing. Showing a glimpse into the depth of Mr. Bryzgalov's mind & also showing us what a nitwit he can also be. Here's the transcript of the interview from Sporting News that Deadspin put up:

Probably every day, our atmosphere was penetrated with the smaller size of the meteors, and (they) just burned high in the atmosphere. This is a much bigger size, but that big that struck the earth like … back in the days, like when the dinosaurs was destroyed. On one thing it's very interesting. On the other hand, it's dangerous. And you know we can't protect ourselves from the space danger.
I think we've gotta like be thankful, and be happy, and enjoy every day our life with our relatives, our wives, kids, and enjoy our work every day.

...very interesting Ilya. I wonder if he was making this face as he said it:



Here are some incredible comments from the discussion:

 DialCforConcupisce… 9 days ago

I was just figuring out stranger danger. Now I have to worry about space danger too?

 

scotchnaut  9 days ago

[Bryzgalov throws skates over shoulder, walks away slowly into the sunset]
Kid: "Bryz! Come back. Bryz!"
Uncle Snarly: "He ain't comin' back kid. That kind of man never does." [takes pensive drag on corncob pipe]

 DougExeter 9 days ago

Russia actually has been continually developing a sophisticated defense system designed to prevent against meteorites and other space dangers, and, coincidentally, its code name is the "Bryzgalov." Bryzgalov I was developed in the former USSR in the 1970s, and little is known about it. Bryzgalov II was a modified butterfly net, and proved to be somewhat embarassing in its ineffectiveness. Bryzgalovs III and IV were a hybrid of the butterfly net and additional, larger padding, and were tried out in the 1990s, but saw little action during the so-called "Dead Asteroid Era" and ultimately burned up. Finally, Bryzgalov V was launched in 2011, although some say it was rushed to production, and it contained multiple structural weaknesses. Indeed, through 2012, parts of the system had already decayed and large gaps in its structure were evident. Still, when the meteor was spotted heading towards Earth last week, Moscow believed that it was on a collision course with the machine, which would save the residents from any impact. Unfortunately, it appears that the meteor went through the Bryzgalov V hole.

I really do hope, for Bryzgalov's sake, that he enjoys everday like he says he must. If not then geez, this space danger thing is going to be one big let down just like his recent play.

Adding to the List: Another Epic Hockey Fight!

So this fight broke out apparently over the weekend & boy is it a doozy. According to Holdout Sports, this tussle occurred in the North American Hockey League & is by far one of the best this year:



Here's the original story: Here's two hockey players fighting...without throwing a single punch (Video)

NHL Power Rankings: Week #6 (2013)

Here we go! Unleash the T.O.A. Week #6 NHL Power Rankings! This week things were slightly calmer except for two (Detroit & Winnipeg) who jumped an astonishing 9 spots each & another two (New Jersey & Nashville) who seemed to have dropped just as much in the rankings. The continuation of the two statistical anomalies seem to be evening out slowly as the their records are starting to effect there power index. Chicago continues to dominate for a 4th straight week, tying the most weeks at the top spot for the T.O.A. power rankings with Washington from 2011. Another thing to note is that the majority of every club's power index & the league as a whole seemed to climb with an exception with the top 10 & Columbus. It seems that the we a re entering mid-season form & there are a lot of teams upping their production in more ways than one. So with out any further delay, here's the power ranks for Week 6:

Rank	Team	Record	+/-	Power Index
#1	Chicago Blackhawks	18-0-3 (39 pts.)	Even	7.2857
#2	Anaheim Ducks	15-3-1 (31 pts.)	Even	6.5263
#3	Boston Bruins	13-2-2 (28 pts.)	Up 1	6.0588
#4	Montreal Canadiens	13-4-3 (29 pts.)	Up 2	5.35
#5	Pittsburgh Penguins	13-8 (26 pts.)	Down 2	5
#6	Tampa Bay Lightning	9-10-1 (19 pts.)	Down 1	4.3
#7	Toronto Maple Leafs	13-9 (26 pts.)	Up 2	4.2727
#8	Vancouver Canucks	10-5-4 (24 pts.)	Down 1	4.2105
#9	St. Louis Blues	11-7-2 (24 pts.)	Up 1	4.1
#10	Ottawa Senators	12-6-3 (27 Pts.)	Up 1	4.0952
#11	Detroit Red Wings	10-8-3 (23 pts.)	Up 9	3.8095
#12	L.A. Kings	10-6-2 (22 pts.)	Up 5	3.7778
#13	Phoenix Coyotes	9-8-3 (21 pts.)	Even	3.65
#14	Carolina Hurricanes	10-8-1 (21 pts.)	Even	3.5789
#15	Winnipeg Jets	10-9-1 (21 pts.)	Up 9	3.55
#16	San Jose Sharks	9-6-4 (22 pts.)	Down 4	3.4737
#17	New Jersey Devils	10-6-4 (24 pts.)	Down 9	3.4
#18	Philadelphia Flyers	10-11-1 (21 pts.)	Up 3	3.1818
#19	N.Y. Rangers	9-8-2 (20 pts.)	Down 4	3.1578
#20	Dallas Stars	10-9-2 (22 pts.)	Down 2	3.1429
#21	Minnesota Wild	10-8-2 (22 pts.)	Down 2	2.85
#22	Edmonton Oilers	8-8-4 (20 pts.)	Up 3	2.8
#23	Colorado Avalanche	8-8-3 (19 pts.)	Down 1	2.5882
#24	Nashville Predators	9-7-5 (23 pts.)	Down 8	2.6667
#25	Calgary Flames	7-8-4 (18 pts.)	Up 1	2.5789
#26	N.Y. Islanders	8-11-2 (18 pts.)	Down 3	2.5238
#27	Washington Capitals	7-11-1 (15 pts.)	Up 1	2.3684
#28	Buffalo Sabres	8-12-1 (17 pts.)	Down 1	2
#29	Florida Panthers	6-9-5 (17 pts.)	Even	1.7
#30	Columbus Blue Jackets	5-12-4 (14 pts.)	Even	1.1429

Who's Hot?: Winnipeg, Detroit & L.A. (2nd Straight Week)

Who's Not?: San Jose, N.Y. Rangers, New Jersey & Nashville

Mike Milbury Rant on Alexander Ovechkin

           VS.           

Now I didn't want to cover this, but the more talk that gets thrown around about what Alexander Ovechkin does & doesn't do, the more it becomes apparent that Mike Milbury may be right. Recently Milbury refered to the Pittsburgh offense, especially Evgeni Malkin, as guys "on crack" (but in a strange, good way). Now he goes off on another premier player in the league in Ovechkin, but this time with good reason. Here's the epic rant if you haven't seen it yet:



First off let me point out that this was an amazing rant. Subject aside, Milbury fired off on a tangent. If he was in any other position it would be considered unproffesional, but hey, he's a commentator. Alex didn't seemed bothered by any of this though. Here's a direct quote from an article by Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times:

“Well it’s his point,” Ovechkin said. “I don’t listen to those guys; I don’t listen to nobody right now, so they can talk whatever they want, to be honest with you.”

Read more: Alex Ovechkin brushes off Mike Milbury's criticism 
Follow the Washington Times on twitter: @washtimes on Twitter

In a way Milbury is right. If I was gifted with the size & talent level of Alexander Ovechkin I'd play every night as if it were my last. But then one doesn't know how they will act once placed in that position. I've seen this trend happen with a lot of Russian & European players: Stellar performances for 3-4 years, then a sharp drop in production for the remainder of their career (but still above average than the rest of the pack). Ovechkin will always be talented, I guess we just got to wait a little longer now between each spark he gives us.

Ryan Hutchinson Throws Chair After Being Ejected

So it's been a couple days without any recent news due to sicknessbut thanks to Yardbarker & Diehard Sports we have something. Ryan Hutchinson of the Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League for fair-weathered fans) had a melt-down after a fight the other night that ruined his future soccer career & ultimatley branded some kid as a sissy for the rest of his life. At around the 20 second mark of the video we see a man ON ICE with SKATES trying to kick a helmet (like if I didn't know the end to that story). But it gets better! Around the 35 second mark, Hutchinson scares the spine out of who I like to call now "sissy kid":



Ryan, I know that fight got you angry, but c'mon...No reason to go around making kids look like sissies!

Alexander Ovechkin Shoots Puck Through A Line of Scantily Clad, High-Heeled Women

Many things to point out here: 1) Alexander Ovechkin is pretty accurate with a snap shot. 2) This relationship he has with Gillette Russia is strange yet amazing. And 3) Russians are just plain unusual. In this video, much like the last Alex Ovechkin one, we see another promotional ridiculousness on the behalf of Gillette and it's spokesman. Check out the video:



I mean those girls have to be FREEZING out there on that ice. And Ovie looks like a boss: "Hello, I'm Alex. Ok stand here, here, & here. Done, now pay me Gillette." LIKE A BOSS.