Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.
Martin St. Louis has had to overcome quite a few obstacles to get where he is in the NHL. Listed at just 5-foot-9, 177-pounds, he's had to fight the "undersized" label, he wasn't drafted, and he was unceremoniously dumped by the Calgary Flames after just two seasons. Through it all, St. Louis has managed to turn himself into one of the best players in the league.
John Tavares has yet to step on the ice for the New York Islanders, but he's already making an impact for the once-proud franchise that has been aimlessly stumbling along a path of mediocrity for the past decade-and-a-half. This is, after all, a franchise that hasn't won a playoff series since David Volek beat Tom Barrasso in double-overtime way back in 1993.
Can Tavares, an 18-year-old phenom, change all of that? Well, he certainly can't hurt. Heading into Friday's NHL Entry Draft, there were rumors that the Islanders might be leaning toward either Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman or Brampton center Matt Duchene with the top pick. In the end, the team selected Tavares, and already Islanders fans are roaring their approval in the form of cold hard cash.
After jumping out to a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final, Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock held a press conference on Monday and fielded a variety of questions from the media. For the most part, it was your typical, run-of-the-mill press conference.
About half way through, a reporter started asking Babcock about how he once joked that he was ready for the salary cap to break up the young talent the Chicago Blackhawks have assembled over the years. In Babcock's mind, he wasn't joking.
Pavel Datsyuk has owned the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy the past three seasons, and he's going to have an opportunity to claim another one as the Red Wings' star is, once again, one of the top vote-getters in 2009. Joining Datsyuk in the top three are New Jersey's Zach Parise and Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis.
The 30-year-old center matched a career-high with 97 points this season, fourth best in the NHL, while also setting a new personal-best with 32 goals. One of the best -- and most underrated -- players in the NHL, Datsyuk is the total package as a player, and is also one of the all-time great draft day steals, going in the sixth-round of the 1998 draft, 187th overall.
As the Frozen Four begins late Thursday afternoon, there will be 22 players showcasing their skills that have been drafted by NHL teams. While many of the others will be, as the NCAA says, "going pro in something other than sports", a good number of them will showcase their talents in an effort to join a growing population. Every year, more and more college players end up getting a shot at the NHL. Not only that, but a greater number of them are making a real name for themselves when they get there.
The NCAA has never before held a hockey regional in Bridgeport, Conn., but they have set up a very good one for this weekend. Fans in attendance will be treated to some wonderful skill talent on all four teams. However, this is playoff hockey, and we all know playoff hockey is about defense and goaltending. Which team can avoid the big mistake on their end of the ice?
Newsmakers in the NHL is a weekday morning attempt to clear yesterday's rebounds and look to the day ahead. Canadiens 6, Thrashers 3: For one night, all is well in Montreal as the Canadiens managed to put their epic collapse on hold, pulling out a convincing 6-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. Montreal received a five-point effort from Alex Tanguay and a two-goal performance from Alexei Kovalev, while Carey Price picked up the win in net.
With the win, Montreal claims sole possession of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference, taking a two-point lead over idle Florida. Montreal bombarded Atlanta goalie Kari Lehtonen with a four-goal onslaught in the second period, while the Canadiens also went 3-for-6 on the power play.
Evgeni Malkin was listed as questionable for Tuesday's game with Atlanta because he had been a little under the weather the past couple of days. You would have never known it watching him skate in Pittsburgh's 6-2 win, while Thrashers goalie Johan Hedberg was the only one looking like he was about to hurl into his goalie mark by the end of the night.
Thanks to his five-point performance on Tuesday, Malkin became the first player in the NHL to hit the 100-point plateau this year, reaching the century mark for the second consecutive season.
If the NHL follows through with its plan to eliminate "staged fights," we're no longer going to see the type of tomfoolery shown below. That's Florida Panthers forward Ville Peltonen dropping the gloves with Tampa Bay's Evgeny Artyukhinfour seconds into Saturday's game. Eliminating these "staged" fights is probably a good thing, though we would have missed out on this insane David vs. Goliath mismatch.
Peltonen, all 5-foot-11, 200 pounds of him, challenged the 6-foot-4, 254-pound Artyuhkin right off the opening draw and ultimately ended up in the fetal position. It almost appeared as if Artyuhkin didn't want to fight, knowing full well he was going to pound Peltonen into the ice.
Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail. 
FanHouse's Adam Gretz takes a look at his 
After jumping out to a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final, Red Wings head coach 
With the 
