Around the NHL- Week 18

Who Stole the Cookies From the Cookie Jar?

Last season the Chicago Blackhawks came away as the Stanley Cup champions after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games, to the relief of many Penguins fans. Buffalo native (yeah!) Patrick Kane scored the (rather odd) game-winning goal in overtime for the Hawks. The puck that Kane scored the goal with has been missing ever since.

A Chicago businessman, Grant DePorter, CEO of Harry Caray's, has offered a $50,000 reward for finding the puck that gave Chicago its first Stanley Cup win since 1961. The FBI is also involved in the search.

From what I've been able to gather, the only "person of interest" in the investigation is Chris Pronger.

Versus Viewership (ASG)

Versus set a new viewership record for the 2011 All-Star Game. It was the most watched ASG in Versus history, averaging 1.5 million viewers, earning as many as 2 million viewers around 7:00 pm. Overall viewership was up 36%. Whether you loved or hated the new format, it accomplished what it was supposed to.

Malkin Practices

Evgeni Malkin took part in practice with the Penguins yesterday. While he will not play tonight against the Rangers, Geno will make the trip to New York with his teammates said that his knee is feeling much better. There is still no timetable for his return but he remains listed as day to day.

Meanwhile, Dustin Jeffrey has been recalled from the Baby Pens for tonight's game.

Speaking of the Rangers...

Malkin was not the only one who benefitted from the extra rest the All-Star Game offered. The Rangers are set to see a slew of injured players return to the lineup this week.

Alternate captain Ryan Callahan is set to return against the Penguins tonight. There is a chance that Brandon Dubinsky may be back for the Blueshirts as well; his status right now is "possible". He was one of 13 Rangers who took part in this morning's optional skate and his x-rays looked good.

Vinny Prospal and Erik Christensen will miss Tuesday's game, but they will be back this week. Prospal could return as early as Thursday and Christensen by Saturday. Ruslan Fedotenko, on the other hand, will miss roughly 10 more days before he can play again.

TooToo is Clean and Clear

Predators forward Jordin Tootoo has not taken part in a game or practice in December 27th. That was the day that Tootoo voluntarily entered both substance abuse and behavioral health programs.

After missing more than a month of action, Tootoo has been cleared by the NHL and the NHLPA to begin practicing again. He will continue to undergo outpatient care while practicing, but has not been cleared to play in games or travel with his teammates on road trips.

Tootoo, who is not allowed to state why he sought help, is grateful for all the support he's received throughout treatment:

"With the support I've gotten from my teammates, my family, the fans of Nashville, it has been unbelievable. Without their support, I probably couldn't have done it. I think the bottom line is it's something I needed to do and at the same time, I'm just happy to be back and thankful."

Future Shot-Blockers?

Congratulations to Devils' defenseman Anton Volchenkov, who's wife is due to give birth to twins in a little less than a month's time!

Volchenkov and his wife already have a son, but apparently he wants a large family so the twins could only be the beginning...

Tampa Bay's New Unis

The Lightning released their new uniforms and logo yesterday afternoon. Thoughts?

CBC Poll Results

Hockey Night in Canada and the NHLPA polled over 300 NHL players about a variety of topics, ranging from which rink had the best ice to whether fighting should be banned in the NHL. The poll yielded some interesting results and the Penguins as a whole did very well.

There were five categories: Arenas/Teams, Coaches, On-Ice Topics, Player Opinions and Skills. The full results can be found here, on CBC's website, but I wanted to take some time for a little more in-depth look at some of the results in all five categories.

Arenas/Teams- No Real Surprises Here

Canadian teams' rinks have the best ice. Southern teams have the worst. Everyone wants to play for Detroit. No one wants to play for the Islanders. Nothing out of the ordinary here. The only thing that some found to be remotely surprising is that the Sabres made the list in teams that players would least like to play for. After all, they were a playoff team last year and are still in the postseason hunt for the second half of this season.

However, as someone who grew up only an hour away from Buffalo, I can tell you that this result isn't surprising. It's not about the caliber of the team. It's about the city itself. Buffalo is a generally depressing city, the weather would make even Gary Roberts cry, and nothing happens there. Brooks Orpik and Patrick Kane would tell you the same. No one wants to live in Buffalo.

One of my professors even said last week that there's nothing to do in Buffalo except cry, drink, and beat up Canadians. Not necessarily in that order. (Her words, not mine. I love her classes though.)

Coaches- Blame HBO

This category, on the other hand, had lots of good stuff. I was pleasantly surprised to find our own Disco Dan voted as the coach that players would most like to play for. Given how well Bylsma came across on "24/7", maybe I shouldn't be surprised. I discussed this briefly with my editor at Chicks Who Give A Puck and she said that she personally thought Bylsma was the star of the show and that everyone she talked to agreed. She also pointed out to me that for West Coast fans like herself, it was really the first up-close look at Bylsma that they'd ever gotten because the Penguins don't play West Coast teams very frequently. It's not unrealistic to think that many NHL players tuned into "24/7" and that West Coast players who did so thought the same.

It was also interesting to note that Bruce Boudreau was voted the coach that players thought was easiest to play for (f-bombs notwithstanding). Bylsma and Dave Tippett also made this list, yet they both were on the list of coaches that players would most like to play for. Boudreau was not. Bylsma and Mike Babcock were also on the list of coaches that demand most from their players, but Babcock joined Bylsma on the list of coaches players would most like to play for. John Tortorella, to no one's surprise, was voted the most demanding coach and was also one of the coaches players would least like to play for.

The moral of the story here? The most popular coaches can be demanding and/or easy to play for, as long as they aren't too extreme in either direction. Balance is key. As is not wanting Häagen-Dazs at ten in the morning.

On-Ice Topics- Say What?

As CBC noted, this category had the question with probably the most surprising result. It's been thought that players want to do their own "policing". We all assumed that the current instigator rule, which was established in 1992, was unpopular. That cheap shots are becoming more common because cheap shot artists don't have to worry so much about answering to enforcers. Even my dad, who is not a frequent hockey viewer, said he remembered back in the day when no one would dare take a run at a team's superstars because of guys like Bob Probart and Dave Brown. We all thought that, when asked, players would want to get rid of the instigator rule.

We thought wrong.

The players were asked if they thought the instigator rule should be abolished. A large majority (66%) said no. I'd like to see CBC go further with this question and ask players not just if they think the rule should be kept or abolished, but why they think so. It would be very interesting to find out exactly why so many players answered the way they did. Also, Sean Avery needs to be forced to answer this question. I would pay money to read his response.

Player Opinions- Everybody Loves Sidney

It's no surprise, considering how dominant a season he was having before his concussion, that Sidney Crosby faired well in these categories. Crosby was voted the toughest forward to play against, the best active player to start a franchise around, and the best role model. He won the player to start a franchise around question by capturing an overwhelming margin, capturing 69% of the votes. In second place? Nik Lidstrom...at 6%. I normally don't put too much faith in statistics but that one doesn't lie.

I also found it hilarious that 15% of players voted no one as the best NHL referee, which ended up in the top spot. I guess players like the refs as much as fans do. Yet another reason why I would never want to be a referee in any sport. It seems like a very thankless job.

Skills- More Dominance From Sid

Once again, Crosby did very well in these categories. He was voted toughest player to play against and the smartest player, and second best skater, most difficult player to stop, and most difficult player to take the puck off of.

I thought CBC made a good point about the toughest player to play against question. Crosby, Pavel Datsyuk and Zdeno Chara were the top three in this category (Datsyuk and Chara tied for second) but they're all tough to play against for different reasons. They're all highly skilled players and are among, if not the, best at their respective positions, but they all excel at different aspects of the game. CBC speculates that players may have varied definitions of "toughness", which is a distinct possibility. It can't be denied that Pavel Datsyuk and Zdeno Chara have very different kinds of toughness. For example, it is almost impossible to knock Datsyuk off a puck. Chara, on the other hand, is almost impossible to knock over.

As CBC also pointed out, Ovechkin was top five in four categories, but first in only one of them (which player is most difficult to stop, for goalies only). Crosby, on the other hand, is top five in ten categories and only in one of those categories is he not in the top two. Hmmm.

Gameday With Dan - NHL All-Star Game

When: 4:00pm
Where: RBC Center
Watch it on: Versus
Listen on: pittsburghpenguins.com

News and Information: Tonight will be the first All-Star game not using the East/West or North America/World format. People in North Carolina only care because NASCAR is in the off-season.

Player to Watch: Team Lidstrom
Marc-Andre Fleury: While he'll only play one period, he will make an impact as he will try to tame the firepower that is the ASG. That's really all I can say about a goalie in an offensive game.

Player to Watch: Team Staal
Jeff Skinner: He is in his first season, and first ASG (only because Sid and Geno are out), he will be good in this game. This game means nothing after all.

No idea on the lines, its a flipping ASG!

Go Fleury! Go Letang!

Gameday With Dan - NHL SuperSkills Competition

When: 7:00pm
Where: RBC Center
Watch it on: Versus

News and Information: Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang will be on opposite teams for tonights competition and tomorrow game. Each team's rookie group will also take part.

Player to Watch: Team Staal
Alex Ovechkin: As much as it hurts me to say, keep a watchful eye on Ovie tonight. He is the defending Breakaway Challenge winner (with help from Malkin). Look for more from the man in the spotlight in NASCAR country tonight.

Player to Watch: Team Lidstrom
Marc-Andre Fleury: In his first All-Star game, look for Flower to come up big in the goalie challenges as well as in tomorrow nights game. He is the one of the two best goalies in Carolina this weekend.

SuperSkills Events: (From NHL.com)
Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater
BlackBerry NHL Breakaway Challenge
McDonald's NHL Accuracy Shooting
G Series NHL Skills Challenge Relay
XM NHL Hardest Shot
Discover NHL Elimination Shootout

Event Participants: (From NHL.com
Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater - Order determined on the ice

Team Staal
Michael Grabner – New York Islanders
Mike Green – Washington Capitals
Patrick Sharp – Chicago Blackhawks
Ryan Kesler – Vancouver Canucks
Marc Staal – New York Rangers
Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins

Team Lidstrom
Duncan Keith – Chicago Blackhawks
Taylor Hall – Edmonton Oilers
Matt Duchene – Colorado Avalanche
Martin St. Louis – Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning
Keith Yandle – Phoenix Coyotes

BlackBerry NHL Breakaway Challenge

Team Staal
P.K. Subban – Montreal Canadiens
Corey Perry – Anaheim Ducks
Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals

Team Lidstrom
Evgeny Dadonov – Florida Panthers
Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings
Henrik Sedin – Vancouver Canucks

McDonald's NHL Accuracy Shooting - Order determined on the ice

Team Staal
Rick Nash – Columbus Blue Jackets
Daniel Sedin – Vancouver Canucks
Eric Staal – Carolina Hurricanes
Logan Couture – San Jose Sharks
Patrik Elias – New Jersey Devils
Ryan Kesler – Vancouver Canucks
Passer: Dan Boyle – San Jose Sharks
Passer: Paul Stastny – Colorado Avalanche

Team Lidstrom
Brad Richards – Dallas Stars
Phil Kessel – Toronto Maple Leafs
Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
Jonathan Toews – Chicago Blackhawks
Martin Havlat – Minnesota Wild
Derek Stepan – New York Rangers
Passer: Nicklas Lidstrom – Red Wings
Passer: Danny Briere – Philadelphia Flyers

G Series NHL Skills Challenge Relay

Team Staal
Group 1
Zdeno Chara – Boston Bruins
Eric Staal – Carolina Hurricanes
Daniel Sedin – Vancouver Canucks
Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators
Dan Boyle – San Jose Sharks
Tyler Ennis – Buffalo Sabres
Paul Stastny – Colorado Avalanche
Corey Perry – Anaheim Ducks

Group 2
Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
Mike Green – Washington Capitals
Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
Patrik Elias – New Jersey Devils
Jamie McBain – Carolina Hurricanes
David Backes – St. Louis Blues
Marc Staal – New York Rangers
Jeff Skinner – Carolina Hurricanes

Team Lidstrom
Group 1
Nicklas Lidstrom – Detroit Red Wings
Brad Richards – Dallas Stars
Loui Eriksson – Dallas Stars
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Phoenix Coyotes
Henrik Sedin – Vancouver Canucks
Martin St. Louis – Tampa Bay Lightning
Matt Duchene – Colorado Avalanche
Jonathan Toews – Chicago Blackhawks

Group 2
Shea Weber – Nashville Predators
Dustin Byfuglien – Atlanta Thrashers
Phil Kessel – Toronto Maple Leafs
Keith Yandle – Phoenix Coyotes
Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
Martin Havlat – Minnesota Wild
Kevin Shattenkirk – Colorado Avalanche
Danny Briere – Philadelphia Flyers

XM NHL Hardest Shot - Order determined on the ice

Team Staal
Zdeno Chara – Boston Bruins
Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals
David Backes – St. Louis Blues
Tyler Seguin – Boston Bruins
Rick Nash – Columbus Blue Jackets
Patrick Sharp – Chicago Blackhawks

Team Lidstrom
Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings
Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning
Dustin Byfuglien – Atlanta Thrashers
Brent Burns - Minnesota Wild
Shea Weber – Nashville Predators
Cam Fowler – Anaheim Ducks

Discover NHL Elimination Shootout
Team Staal vs. Team Lindstrom




Go Letang! Go Fleury! Subban Sucks.

NHL All-Star Draft Results

Capt.	F. Eric Staal	D Nicklas Lidstrom
Alt.	D Mike Green	F Martin St. Louis
Alt.	F Ryan Kesler	F Patrick Kane
1	G Cam Ward	F Steven Stamkos
2	F Alex Ovechkin	D Duncan Keith
3	F Daniel Sedin	F Henrik Sedin
4	D Zdeno Chara	D Shea Weber
5	F Rick Nash	G Tim Thomas
6	G Henrik Lundqvist	F Danny Briere
7	D Marc Staal	D Dustin Byfuglien
8	F Patrick Sharp	F Jonathan Toews
9	D Dan Boyle	G Marc-Andre Fleury
10	G Carey Price	G Jonas Hiller
11	F Jeff Skinner	F Brad Richards
12	D Kris Letang	D Keith Yandle
13	F Claude Giroux	D Brett Burns
14	D Erik Karlsson	F Martin Havlat
15	F Corey Perry	F Anze Kopitar
16	F Patrik Elias	F Matt Duchene
17	F David Backes	F Loui Eriksson
18	F Paul Stastny	F Phil Kessel

(More after the jump...)

Crosby Progresses; Resumes Workouts.

Penguins' fans get some long awaited good news regarding Captain, Sidney Crosby this afternoon. Crosby has begun to work out and do rehab for the first time since being sidelined on January 5th with concussion symptoms.

Until now Crosby has not been permitted to take part in any physical activity since the being diagnosed. However, he will need to remain symptom-free in order to rejoin his teammates at practice after the All Star Break.

A healthy Crosby is definitely one of the Penguins highest priorities.  Don't expect Crosby to resume practice with his teammates until he has been reevaluated and is symptom free.

Crosby has been sidelined for nine games and his NHL goal scoring lead and points lead has been overtaken by Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos. Don't get too comfortable, Steve.

Gameday With Dan - NHL All-Star Draft

When: 8:00pm
Where: RBC Center
Watch it on: Versus

News: Tonight is the first ever fantasy draft to determine the teams for Sunday's NHL All-Star Game and Saturday's NHL SuperSkills. Both Team Staal and Team Lidstrom will have 15 rounds to select they're players. This means, of course, that Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury could end up on opposing teams. Team Staal will wear home Red jerseys while Team Lidstrom will wear Away Blue.

I'm opening a twitter contest out to our readers on this draft:

1. Get a twitter account if you don't have one
2. Send your prediction on the FIRST PICK of the draft to @PGHPensNation as follows...

The winner will recieve a iPod Touch Pittsburgh Penguins theme (pictured below)





Go Staal!