Greg Wyshynski Posts

The Minnesota Wild have this wonderfully goofy nostalgic streak, from their defiantly garish fashion sense to their official team theme song. What, you haven't heard the Wild Anthem, which is played inside the arena during home games and "is a continual reminder of the pride we have in the game of hockey and the communities and lives it touches throughout" the state of Minnesota? The song that gave the world lyrics like, "The game's in our blood/And our blood's in the game/Lay us down under/A frozen pond?"

Presented correctly, the Wild Anthem is a rather majestic and moving tune. Presented by the Wild fan below, it's about as majestic as a Derek Boogaard left hook to the chin. I'll give him points for energy, some more points for knowing most of the words, and a few extra points for fantastic use of props (both gloves and hat); but he gets a big fat demerit for even attempting to hit a high-note.

So is the new trend in the NHL using season-ticket holder meetings to break huge news? First Ted Leonsis unveils Ovechkin's elephantine contract to the loyal customers; now, Florida Panthers owner Alan Cohen reveals there will not be a dual GM/coach next season, and later explained that he meant Jacques Martin's days behind the bench are numbered but that he will remain the team's general manager.

A change had to be made, because Martin had been an ineffective coach for the Panthers and was alienating their star player. Yes, it's rather silly that a guy who couldn't coach a winner in Florida will be tasked with selecting a coach that will turn the Panthers into winners. But Cohen said, "Jacques has done a good job as GM. That's the bottom line." And I don't think he's necessarily wrong. In the last two years, Martin-as-general-manager has:

• Traded Todd Bertuzzi to Detroit for impressive young center Shawn Matthias.
• Radek Dvorak, Brett McLean and Richard Zednik as free agents last off-season; while Dvorak was an offensive flop, McLean and Zednik contributed until the latter's grizzly injury.
• Traded three picks for Tomas Vokoun, who helped solidify the Panthers' crease for the first time since Luongo was traded.
• Flipped Ruslan Salei for Karlis Skrastins at the deadline, getting a pro and saving some coin; didn't pull the trigger on what would have been a regrettable Olli Jokinen deal.

Besides a coach, Martin's first priority should be a puck-moving defenseman -- and UFA John-Michael Liles played with Skrastins in Colorado. Looking at a franchise that's made the postseason once since 1998, it might make sense to just clean house, hit reset and send Martin packing to whatever franchise recycles him next. But his record warrants him at least another off-season in the front office. As a coach, Jacques Martin is a pretty decent general manager.

Five days ago, Rick Westhead of The Toronto Star broke news about a scandal within the Maple Leafs' parent company Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Citing "ticket irregularities," a senior executive resigned and five other employees were fired. Today, Westhead defines those "irregularities" as MLSE employees allegedly pocketing money from the resale of personal seat licenses that cost as much as $30,000:

When the Air Canada Centre opened in 1999, MLSE charged $15,000 for personal-seat licenses for 1,500 platinum-level seats (along with a $2,500 annual fee). Buyers got the first chance to buy tickets to concerts; reserve seats at special restaurants; access a business centre at the Air Canada Centre, private washrooms and a coat check; and also the right to resell their licenses.

Yet within two years, MLSE executives realized they had missed an opportunity to make millions of dollars more by selling PSLs for other sections of the arena. They offered season-ticket holders in lower-priced sections a chance to buy PSLs for their season tickets, which in some cases had been in families for several generations but which were becoming harder to transfer. "MLSE had become very strict about the transfer of tickets," said a former MLSE executive. "It used to be that you only had to say you wanted to transfer seats to your cousin, and it wasn't a problem. But now the company's attitude is you have to prove you're a direct blood relative with a birth certificate."

How big can this scandal get? Both the police and the NHL Players Association would like to know the answer to that, too.

NHL.com invited celebrities to blog for their favorite teams during the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year as part of its NHL Connect program, which has its detractors in the hockey blogosphere. Many of the celebrities didn't blog all that much -- although character actor William Fichtner was a revelation -- and one of them later turned up in the WWE's steroid pipeline. So you live, you learn and you give it another go this postseason with some fresh and potentially awesome star power:

Jason Reitman, Lauren Conrad, Dierks Bentley and Kevin Smith are among the celebrities who will blog about their love of hockey on the National Hockey League's website. Beginning Wednesday, more than a dozen celebs will follow their favourite teams through the Stanley Cup playoffs, said NHL spokeswoman Bernadette Mansur. "As NHL.com bloggers, they can be irreverent and candid about their love for the NHL," she said.

The Western Conference bloggers and the Eastern Conference bloggers will begin hammering away at the keyboard as the playoff start tonight -- the full rosters are here. Maybe it's because we're both Jersey, but the addition of Kevin Smith to this roster is about 10 shades of awesome. He's a hell of a writer and a legit puckhead, having bumped into him at the opening of The Rock in Newark last year. Although one certainly wishes he could blog without the PG-rated restrictions of NHL.com -- I doubt we'll be reading candid assessments like that of Banky Edwards on the Hartford Whalers in "Chasing Amy."

And MTV's Lauren Conrad, who is blogging about the Kings because she loves "live hockey and I thought this would be a fun way to get more involved with the postseason?" Sure, honey -- I bet that fact that your "Laguna Beach" ex Stephen Colletti blogged for the NHL last year had nothing to do with it. This kind of half-truth is Heidi behavior, L.C. ... Heidi behavior.

Click here for more NHL playoff previews.

The New Jersey Devils' 4-3 shootout win in the regular season finale gave them home ice in this series ... but what did it really mean? Did the victory give the Devils a little confidence that they could, in fact, hand the Rangers a loss after going 0-7 against the Blueshirts during the rest of the regular season? Or did the loss actually keep the Rangers from believing they had an unshakable hex on the Diablos, which could have potentially fueled overconfidence in the postseason?

If this sounds like a little too much psychology for two teams that are probably just going to bash each others' brains in for six or seven games, think again. This is a series that hinges on the Devils not allowing Henrik Lundqvist to get into their heads; or Jaromir Jagr not allowing players like Dainius Zubrus and Jay Pandolfo to frustrate him into ineffectiveness (luckily, the player that Jagr injured himself trying to punch two years ago is now his teammate); or anyone wearing red and black not overreacting when Sean Avery goes into pest overdrive.

It's a chess match between two smart coaches, and a psychological battle between and within players. It's also a series that could easily become the most brutal and tightly-played in the Eastern Conference's first round. So who has the advantage?

Earlier this season and in a moment of extreme irony, Sean Avery called Devils goalie Marty Brodeur "Marty the Diver" after Brodeur was hit with a diving penalty in a game against the Rangers. Avery also used the occasion to analyze his relationship with Brodeur: "We're not friends. It's not an (expletive) secret." As the Rangers and Devils prepare for their first-round series that kicks off in Newark tomorrow night, Avery detailed his feelings regarding Brodeur in a typically candid interview with the New York Post:

"I approach different players in different ways," said Avery, an impending free agent. "Some guys I go after verbally, others I don't bother with. ... There are some guys I like as people and don't bother with, and there are a lot I don't. Marty? I don't think it's a secret that I'm not a very big fan of his. ... It's just one of those relationships that's not very pleasant. It's kind of like a bad first date. It started from the first game, and has gone from there."

While we all try and theorize what would make a "bad first date" in Sean Avery's world, let's celebrate the obvious: The nastier and more personal things get between the Devils and the Rangers, the more entertaining their first-round battle becomes. For two teams as offensively challenged as they are, a little crimson ice will go a long way. Just don't expect Avery and Brodeur to grab a brew when it's all over; as tabloid-fodder-on-skates told the Post:

"We don't travel in the same circles. I don't think he could get into the places I like to go to."

The Tampa Bay Lightning had a 48.8-percent chance of winning the NHL Draft Lottery; yet given the year they've had, GM Jay Feaster told the St. Pete Times that there was "no way in hell" the Bolts would snag the top pick. Reverse psychology appears to work on Lady Luck, as the Lightning were announced tonight as owners of the top pick in the draft this June in Ottawa.

The prize of the draft class is Steve Stamkos from the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League -- a center whose two-way game has scouts drooling. Times beat writer Damian Cristodero quotes Dave Andreychuk, who represented Tampa Bay at the lottery and seems to indicate the Bolts are ready to make Stamkos the Malkin to Vinny's Sidney up the middle. It sure doesn't sound like Tampa is looking for a mini-Lindros deal to fill some of its considerable holes:

"As an organization we're very happy. We have a kid who is going to be a superstar. We're excited. We're really looking forward to that."

Check out more draft coverage from the NHL and more on Stamkos in our coverage of the phenom last year. TSN polled some scouts before the lottery and found Stamkos was still atop their draft boards; New York native and Peterborough Pete defenseman Zach Bogosian was No. 2. That pick belongs to the Los Angeles Kings; Rich Hammond of Inside the Kings is running a poll to see which player Kings fans would like to see taken second overall. Bogosian trails offensive defenseman Drew Doughty in the early voting.

UPDATE: Hammond has some late comments from Kings GM Dean Lombardi, who seems to be influenced by a certain franchise in Anaheim when it comes to building a champion with quality defensemen.

Nearly three months ago, Boston GM Peter Chiarelli told the media that center Patrice Bergeron's recovery from a Grade 3 concussion had regressed to the point where it was better for him to chill out in a tropical locale than to try and come back this season. But as the postseason grew closer, the outlook for Bergeron grew sunnier: He would be shut down for the regular season, and re-evaluated for the Stanley Cup Playoffs should the Bruins make the cut. Boston opens the one-vs.-eight series in Montreal on Thursday night. Bergeron won't be on the ice then, but Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe reports that he could return as early as Game 2:

Patrice Bergeron was cleared for full-contact practice this morning, took part in battle drills, and is back on the Ristuccia Arena ice for a solo session with assistant Doug Houda. "I'll talk to the guys," said Bergeron. "I'll tell them the red jersey is over now. Obviously Montreal's not going to give me any favors."

Bergeron ruled himself out of Game 1 on Thursday. Bergeron will practice the next two days at Ristuccia and travel to Montreal. Neither he nor the Bruins have committed to his Game 2 availability on Saturday. Bergeron would need to be cleared by his doctors one final time before he can appear in a game. The Bruins will evaluate his progress daily to determine whether he's strong enough for game action.

With Marc Savard slowed by a bad back and Glen Metropolit nursing a bum wheel, the return of Bergeron bolsters the Bruins at a position where they could hold an advantage over the Habs on paper. It's also good news for Randy Jones, the Flyers defenseman whose hit knocked out Bergeron back in Oct. 2007. Let it never be said that Jones ended Bergeron's season -- he merely ended his regular season.

There was a curious line this morning in Jack Todd's celebration of Montreal's regular season conference championship: "Claude Julien has every reason to coach for revenge, and he should give Guy Carbonneau a battle for the Jack Adams Trophy." The curiosity doesn't come from Julien's name being associated with coach of the year honors, as he willed an injury-plagued and offensively challenged Bruins team to the postseason. Rather, it comes from the notion that Carbonneau is the prohibitive favorite for the Jack Adams.

Like many others, I was completely wrong on Carbo's abilities as a head coach prior to this season. His system matched the personnel to perfection in Montreal, and his decisions regarding that personnel were uniformly correct. Winning the East when The Hockey News has your team 13th in the conference before the season is no small feat. Carbonneau's peers have acknowledged this: TSN polled 27 of 30 NHL coaches, and 11 of them cast their lots for the Habs bench boss:

Guy Carbonneau, Mon 11
Mike Babcock, Det 7
Bruce Boudreau, Was 2
Claude Julien, Bos 2
Barry Trotz, Nas 2

According to the coaches, the Jack Adams Award appears to be as much a non-competitive slam dunk as we assume the Hart Trophy will be now that Ovechkin's in the postseason. But other cases can be made in this race; and all due respect to Carbonneau, they're pretty damn compelling.

As the hockey world wraps its collective brain around the incredible Stanley Cup Playoff match-ups we've been given in Round One, it might be a good time to recall that the defending champions have lost exactly six games since Feb. 5. The Anaheim Ducks are trying to become the first team since the 1996-98 Detroit Red Wings to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. They draw the Dallas Stars in the four/five series -- one that could be decided by special teams, as Dallas went 0-for-15 in its three losses to Anaheim and 9-for-23 in its five wins.

Sports with Steve has made the argument that the Ducks are the team to beat in the postseason, and that "there's just nobody out there that can stop them in a seven-game series." If it's Anaheim's Cup to lose, that means someone is going to have to take it from them. And if this comedic attempt is any indication, that won't be easy -- beware the Parros!