Over the next week, FanHouse will preview the top players and teams in next Friday's NHL Draft. This is the first post in a six part series.
The New York Islanders had an abysmal 2008-09 season, falling to last place in November and hanging on with ease throughout the rest of the season. For their efforts, and by way of the draft lottery, they were awarded the first overall pick in this summer's draft. Islander fans everywhere are holding their breath, afraid that their team will, somehow, mess this opportunity up.
Since the NHL returned from the 2004-05 lockout it has had only one broadcast television partner, NBC. The league has not been paid for the broadcast rights to NHL games -- despite getting money from Versus -- and if a report from the Globe and Mail is true, these trends are going to continue.
So whether or not you like NBC's coverage get used to it because we are likely stuck with it for another two seasons. That means potentially another two years of awkward intermission exchanges between Mike Milbury and Pierre McGuire as well as, hopefully, more great Winter Classic moments.
The NHL has decided not to suspend Ducks forward Mike Brown for his first-period hit on Detroit's Jiri Hudler in Game 1, which undoubtedly will upset the Red Wings and will lead to declarations that the league isn't being consistent in its discipline. After all, the argument goes, the league leveled a six-game suspension on Washington's Donald Brashear for a hit on Blair Betts of the Rangers in the first round.
Perhaps the NHL overreacted somewhat in that instance, but in this case, the decision seems warranted. After repeated viewings of Brown's hit on Hudler, I was not convinced it warranted a suspension, particularly a lengthy one.
Friday night, Anaheim and Detroit met to open their Western Conference semifinal series. During the first period, the intensity got cranked up big-time on a late and high hit by Anaheim's Mike Brown on Red Wing forward Jiri Hudler in Detroit's 3-2 win.
On Monday night, the Calgary Flames defeated the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time this season, cutting the deficit in their Western Conference Quarterfinal in half. Late in the third period -- with 13 seconds remaining, to be exact -- Chicago's Adam Burish decided to break his stick in half across Rene Bourque's face.
It's not very often that I find myself on common ground with Mike Milbury. The fiery, often controversial announcer and former Islanders GM has a tendency to be outspoken -- and other times simply misquoted. Today, he wrote a blog for CBC praising Glen Sather and the Rangers for turning things around since the deadline. And I can do nothing else but wholeheartedly agree.
The Rangers were a soap opera without any identifiable characters for past few months. Their hot start in October was nothing but a faint memory as they slipped down the standings and were frustratingly futile on offense. No one in the locker room really seemed concerned to do anything about it. Not that they didn't care -- I'm sure they did -- it's just that they needed someone to light a fire under them.
Andre Roy's role in the NHL is to log roughly three minutes of ice-time per game and use his fists more than his hockey stick. He's one of the league's tough guys. A fighter that's dropped the gloves 122 times in his career, according to his fight card over at hockeyfights.com.
As the debate rages on about the place of fighting in the sport, players like Roy could quickly find themselves out of work if the league takes measures to limit -- or eliminate -- players from dropping the gloves. Having said that, Roy's father, Gilles Roy, has an interesting -- and surprising, considering the role his son plays -- take on hockey pugilism.
The Clash once posed the question: Should I stay or should I go now? We take a look at the big names surrounding the NHL trade deadline and whether they'll be staying in place or going to finish the season in another city.
He may not be a superstar, but a guy like Colorado defenseman Jordan Leopold can help a team. He has some offensive skill, is a very smart player in his own end, and he keeps the bean counters happy by carrying a low salary cap number. Can the Avalanche hold on to him?
A couple of weeks ago, TSN hockey analyst Gord Miller came to the conclusion that in order for the Pittsburgh Penguins to remain competitive in the NHL, they would have to deal the league's leading scorer, Evgeni Malkin, for a first-line winger, a No. 2 center, and "hopefully" a pick or a prospect. It was a laughable proposal.
On Sunday night, Rob Rossi, Penguins beat writer for the Tribune-Review, appeared on a weekly Pittsburgh talk show and suggested the team would be wise to put Sidney Crosby on the trade block this offseason. I guess this is what happens when you go from being two wins away from hoisting the Stanley Cup to being the No. 10 team in the Eastern Conference in a matter of one season.
Things are getting ugly in New York as the Rangers continued their recent slide with a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday afternoon, their seventh loss in the past eight games, putting them in the quagmire that is the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Aside from getting booed much of the afternoon (the only emotion the Madison Square Garden faithful showed) the Rangers were also getting crushed by NBC analysts Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury for their lack of effort and intensity.
Over the next week, FanHouse will preview the top players and teams in next Friday's NHL Draft. This is the first post in a six part series.
Since the 
The NHL has decided not to suspend Ducks forward 
There has been a lot of talk about hits to the head in the NHL playoffs so far. Washington's 
It's not very often that I find myself on common ground with 
The Clash once posed the question: Should I stay or should I go now? 
A couple of weeks ago, TSN hockey analyst Gord Miller 
Things are getting ugly in New York as the Rangers continued their recent slide with a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday afternoon, their seventh loss in the past eight games, putting them in the quagmire that is the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
