Fantasy Hockey League Tips!

The Strategy

Fantasy hockey league season is almost upon us once again and it is time to scour the rosters of each team in search of that elusive perfect fantasy hockey combination.

There are many different ways to score fantasy leagues and just as many, if not more, strategies to utilize when selecting players for your fantasy hockey team this season.

Now, before you go blindly into your draft selecting Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Lidstrom, and Brodeur, be sure to fully understand how your draft is scored and how many players from each position that you are required or allowed to choose.

Understand The Scoring System

During the 2004-2005 season I participated in one fantasy league where 1 point was awarded for each goal or assist. There were no restrictions on the number of players from each position and players could be selected by more than one person in the draft. Each draft entrant was required to select any 20 players in the NHL for their team.

The key in the scoring of this draft was that goaltenders received 5 points for a win and 10 points for a shutout. So, guess what one enterprising guy did? You got it… He selected 20 goalies! He was well within the rules set out by the draft and was all but guaranteed to get at least 5 points per night. There were a few nights when he racked up 40-50 points and needless to say, he won the draft hands down.

Of course, each league is scored differently but it is always important to understand the rules. It is especially important in a situation where each NHL player can only be selected by one team in the fantasy league.

Don’t Forget The Goalie!

In this scenario, it is almost always the case where the top scoring forwards will be selected first. However, it has been my experience that when points are given for goaltender performance, it is always necessary to select the best goaltender available within the first two picks of the draft.

There are years where a forward of defenseman may surprise everyone and rack up a tone of points. However, it is very rare that a goaltender comes out of nowhere and wins substantially more games than in previous years, unless the goalie has switched teams in the off season.

Yes, Martin Brodeur is a great goaltender, but his team in New Jersey has definitely helped him achieve an extraordinary amount of wins and shutouts over the past decade. The same holds true for any of the Detroit goaltenders. These are skilled goaltenders, but fantasy players earn points, in the majority of leagues, for wins and shutouts.

In rare cases, there may be points awarded for save percentage. In this case you may want to select someone like Niklas Backstrom, who typically faces a lot of shots. In any event, picking a goaltender early in the draft that has a strong defense in front of him, is traditionally a good move.

What About The Goons?

When points are awarded for penalty minutes in a fantasy league, it is highly unlikely that this is the only category that points are awarded for. Therefore, taking Daniel Carcillo just to own the penalty minute category probably isn’t a good idea; unless you can pick him up in the last round.

As we know, points are typically awarded in fantasy leagues for goals and assists, so one must take that into consideration when selecting players when attempting to earn a few penalty minute points. So who should you choose?

According to last season’s statistics, good choices for a player who spends some time in the sin bin, but also contributes offensively are David Backes and Scott Hartnell. I have surprised many other fantasy players over the years by selecting this type of a player in the early rounds of a fantasy draft. More often than not, this strategy has paid off in the end.

This is especially rewarding when your “penalty minute pick” has an especially good offensive year. Milan Lucic is a player in this category that I believe has the potential for more offensive upside. This might make Lucic worthy of an early-mid round selection, while still padding that penalty minute category.

You are now prepared to go out and draft an unbeatable fantasy hockey team!

Don’t forget to drop us a note during the season to tell us how you are doing in your fantasy league!

Brett Hull’s Unbreakable Scoring Record

It came as no surprise when Brett Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this year.  Hull won 2 Stanley Cups (Even if his foot was in the crease) and was among the most prolific pure goal scorers of his era, putting him among some very impressive company.

Hull amassed almost 1400 points in 1269 games and 19 seasons in the National Hockey League. 741 were goals.

Through the course of his career, Hull played in 8 All-Star Games, led the league in goals three times, captured the Lady Byng Trophy, Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Awards. Pretty impressive resume!

A Career Year

Following the 1990-91 season, when Brett Hull won the Hart Trophy, he was elevated to the upper echelon of goal scorers in the National Hockey League.

It has previously been mentioned that Hull’s 1990-91 season may be the best goal scoring performance in modern hockey.  No, it’s not the most goals that have ever been scored in a season, but the argument for best scoring performance can certainly be made given the following facts:

During the 1990-91 season Brett Hull led the NHL in the following categories:

• Goals Scored – 86
• Goals per Game – 1.10
• Even Strength Goals – 57
• Game Winning Goals – 11
• Power Play Goals – 29
• Empty Net Goals – 0
• Shots on Goal – 389

Following Hull in the goal scoring race that season was a three-way tie for second between Cam Neely, Theoren Fleury and Steve Yzerman- each notching 51 goals.

How Impressive Was Hull That Season?

Making Hull’s feat even more impressive is that he led the goal scoring race by an amazing 35 Goals! What is even more amazing is that only 22 players in the entire NHL had more than 35 total goals that season.

To put the margin of victory into perspective, Hull outscored his nearest opponent by more than 68%.

No player since Hull’s 86 goal campaign has scored more than 76 goals in one season and only one player in the past 12 seasons (Alexander Ovechkin) has scored more than 60 goals in a year.

Only Wayne Gretzky has ever scored more than 86 goals in one NHL season. Gretzky accomplished it twice, once in 1981-82 with 92 goals and again in  1983-84 with 87 goals. In 1983-84 Gretzky led his nearest opponent, Michel Goulet, by 31 goals.

There are many records out there that some say will never be broken. I believe Hull’s margin of victory in goals during 1990-91 should be included in those conversations.

What do you think?

The Real Truth About Hockey’s History

This article was submitted by NHL Digest contributor Kyle Roussel.  Please catch up with Kyle with your reaction and opinions at www.twitter.com/kyleroussel.

The next time one of your elders tells you that today’s players are nothing but a bunch of greedy mercenaries who play with no respect for one another, do everyone a favor and punch them in the jaw.

Ok, I’m just kidding, but these people really do need a reality check. I’m currently reading “The Montreal Canadiens – 100 years of glory” by D’arcy Jenish, and let me tell you that this is one eye-opening book. Yes, it’s a book that centers around the history of the Habs, but this book is a must-read for those who enjoy or are interested in hockey’s past. It delves deeply in to the early beginnings of professional hockey, mostly in Montreal, but also in the rest of North America.

Walking To School Up Hill Both Ways…

Do you remember your parents, uncles or grandparents telling you that back in their day, players had paltry salaries and only played because they loved the game? Well by now I should tell you that I’ve now lost count of the number of times a player has abruptly left one team for another based solely on money. In fact, one team in particular decided to hold out for money – in the middle of a playoff series! When their demands were not met, they refused to get back on the ice and the series was succinctly canceled and the win awarded to their opponents. How would that go over today? My guess is not very well.

Boys & Their Toys

If you thought today’s General Managers were unable to manage their budgets and have spent their way in to financial ruin, (or at least cap problems) you’d be right. But you should also know that entire teams have folded because they could not keep up with skyrocketing player salaries. Some General Managers sent representatives to far flung places to join what was essentially an auction for a particularly desired player – and was given a blank check in order to sign him, then told not to come back without the prize.

Later when the NHL’s players, led by Ted Lindsay and Doug Harvey tried to form a player’s union in order to protect themselves from greedy owners, their very livelihoods were threatened. Banishment to second-tier leagues was the threat, and the players capitulated. Eventually, the players’ persistence paid off and they got their wish in 1967 and established the NHLPA, which is probably right around the time when public opinion turned and players were viewed as businessmen that happened to be good at hockey.

As a child growing up I was led to believe that the players from hockey’s past played only because they loved the game and would have done it for free. I was told fantastical things like “Maurice Richard made $50 in his rookie season and now these bums get a million before they even play a game!”. What propaganda! Or at least it’s completely misinformed. Maurice Richard didn’t get paid $50 in his rookie year, he was paid the going rate for rookies in that era. It’s not because he was content with the salary. Of course he, and all other players probably wanted more than they got. They just had no leverage to get it.

It was the formation of the players union that gave the guys on the ice the power to share more equally in the revenue generated by their sport. Clearly, people then didn’t get the same type of exposure to their teams, players and managers as we do now, or they have chosen to ignore the realities of the day. Today we’ve got entire networks devoted to sports and those networks need to fill their airspace with whatever sells – and a large portion of air time is dedicated to talking about player salaries. I doubt that was happening 40 years ago.

I guess I have to qualify a lot of this by saying that the hockey era I’m referring to took place during war times, (when money and opportunity can be scarce), during the roaring 20′s, (when money and fortune could be found virtually anywhere), and during the Great Depression, (when money was obviously very hard to come by). I can’t say I blame players for chasing bucks when they were available. It’s what we’re all taught, isn’t it? That money makes the world go round, so get out there and get as much as you can? And to be fair, there were guys like Howie Morenz who rejected lucrative offers out of loyalty to their home towns amongst other things (like apprenticeships), but he was in the minority.

Boys Will be Boys…Right?

In terms of respect for one another on the ice, it’s pretty much an open and closed case. These guys played tee-ball with each other’s heads. I’ve also lost count of the number of profusely bleeding head wounds caused by violently swung sticks or fists of rage. Remember Marty McSorley’s stick to Donald Brashear’s head? Bertuzzi on Moore? Simon on Hollweg? Those were child’s play. Let’s just say that if TSN or ESPN existed back then, hockey would get smashed in the media each and every day. Several players were nearly arrested for assault, and rightfully so. Imagine this quote in the media today: “We hate those Toronto guys so much we want to kill them”. That was Canadiens’ player Ray Getliffe after a loss to the Leafs in the mid-forties.

Sure it was a different era, with different sensibilities, and different expectations about what was right and wrong, what was viewed as legit and illegal. But it’s evident that the stories we get told about the golden age of hockey are over-romanticized. Maybe we’ll do the same with the next generation of fans. Maybe we’ll tell them that Alexander Ovechkin loved hockey so much that he dressed like a bum, had messy hair, wore funny clothes at all star games and had a magnetic personality. We may throw in that he probably would have played for free because he has so much fun, conveniently forgetting his 120 million dollar contract and numerous endorsement deals!

If you’re looking for a good hockey book, I really recommend reading “The Montreal Canadiens – 100 years of glory” by D’arcy Jenish. If you’re a Habs fan, then it’s a MUST read. It helps to connect the dots from the bygone eras and what we have today.

So what do you think? What stories were you told by your elders about hockey’s past? Did they lead you to believe that they were all noble guys who just ate, slept and breathed “all for one and one for all” type stuff?

Alex Ovechkin Celebrates 50th Goal

Alexander Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the 2008-2009 season on March 19.   Ovechkin, who leads the National Hockey League in goals, is favored by many fans as the most impactful and exciting player in the league. Ovechkin celebrated his 50th goal by dropping his stick and when attempting to pick it up, pretended it was too hot to touch!

[Video thanks to On Frozen Blog]

Too Much Celebration?

I wonder what Don Cherry, who criticized Ovechkin on the February 28th edition of Hockey Night in Canada for his excessive celebrations, will have to say about the celebration of his 50th goal?

For those who haven’t seen Cherry’s previous remarks on Ovechkin’s post-goal celebrations, I submit the following video:

In my opinion, as a hockey fan, if you can score 50 goals in the National Hockey League, then you are entitled to a little excessive celebration.  I actually enjoy watching Ovechkin’s celebrations because he shows his love for the game and passion for scoring.

Until he crosses the line from showing passion and excitement for the game to mocking the opposition, I will continue to Ovechkin and his goal celebrations are great for the game.

Honestly, it isn’t as if Ovechkin scores a goal in the opposition’s arena and then skates as fast as he can to center ice, stopping and standing on the other team’s logo – I mean that is disrespectful! (Terrell Owens – NFL Video)

Take a moment and watch the above video again.  Notice how Ovechkin is just randomly swinging his arms and jumping.  Most of the time it is just pure exuberance and random displays of emotion. There is no pre-planned celebration going on – He didn’t pull a Sharpie marker from his skate to autograph his stick (Terrell Owens…again!)

Ovechkin is a Team Player

One key thing to understand is that Alexander Ovechkin gets excited for every one of the Capitals goals.  Many times I have witnessed him jumping up and down and pumping his fists and hurling himself at a teammate who just scored.  That is pure passion for the game, nothing more.

Cherry, in the above video, encourages young players not to act like Ovechkin after scoring. Okay, even if you think Alex is a touch over the top from time to time, he isn’t faking his appreciation for his teammates.

That said, I encourage each and every young hockey player to act like Alex Ovechkin acts when his teammates score.  It is a pure exhibition of excitement and enthusiasm for the members of his team and, if nothing else, he deserves to be recognized for that.

Thoughts and opinions, as always, are most welcomed in the comments section.

Interview With XM Radio’s Joe Thistel

Your pick for a player to watch from last year, Alex Ovechkin, was right on the money. While Ovechkin is currently struggling, who do you think will be the player to watch as this season unfolds?

I have a head start this season, so it would be too easy to point at Semin and Malkin and predict they’ll surpass their more famous teammates.

Instead I’ll turn my focus to the West and shine the light on Corey Perry in Anaheim.  Playing on that line, and with any kind of creative freedom, he’s capable of being a top 10 scorer this season and beyond.  I so wanted to say Jason Spezza, but the inconsistency is too consistent.

We’ve seen the Rangers actually get the on ice results from a team that looks fantastic on paper – what is the secret in NYC this year?

I suppose if you want to point at something, it would be that some distractions have disappeared, and the players can concentrate on hockey. Jaromir Jagr was their best player and still seemed to be a beacon of controversy.  Brendan Shanahan’s future was another story-line, and then of course there was Shawn Avery.  I’m not saying its addition by subtraction, but I will let you do the math.

Any chance we’ll see Mats Sundin in New York City for his retirement year a la Wayne Gretzky?

Naw.  There are 10 million reasons for Mats to take his hockey tack to Vancouver.  And now that it looks like the Canucks can be a playoff team, he can say it wasn’t for the money and actually keep a straight face.   And he’ll be good there too, so play-by-play broadcasters better take heed:  Sedin, Sundin and Sedin are coming to a barn near you.

With Brian Burke finished in Anaheim, where to you see him landing?  Any chance he’ll end up in Toronto?

Rumors have connected Brian Burke to a half dozen teams already, and all seem to have legitimate reasons for the hook-up, including family considerations, but none make as much sense as the Leafs.  It’s been talked about for too long and just fits on too many levels.  The confusing Toronto organization, who not too long ago allowed Pat Quinn to pick his own boss, has one shot to get it right.  It’s a six inch putt – even these guys can’t get the yips bad enough to miss this gimme.  Can they?

With Melrose being let go in Tampa Bay, do you think Rick Tocchet will complete the season as Head Coach of the Lightning?  If not, who is the most likely candidate?

Why not Tochett, a guy who has zero experience as a head coach to go along with everything else that’s happened in Tampa?  The team bus should be one of those miniature circus cars bursting with clowns.  Listen, Rick Tochett might be the best coach since Toe Blake, who knows, but this ownership has been an embarrassment of biblical proportions.  I could go on, but then you’d all miss dinner.

Is, or could, the Kontinental Hockey League a legitimate threat to the National Hockey League and its position as the premiere hockey league in the world?

Nyet, nyet Soviet.  I was once sitting between two former players – one who had spent his career in the minors, and the other who had played for years in the NHL.  In the middle of some glory days chatter, the minor leaguer announced rather proudly that there were some “great places to play in the American Hockey League”.  The National Hockey Leaguer stayed silent for a moment, slowly took a sip of beer and then replied, with perfect timing,…”Yeah.  There are some great places to play in the NHL too.”   The National Hockey League – accept no substitutes.

What is one thing about XM Radio and your National Hockey League coverage that may surprise hockey fans?

Hell, we’re just like they are: hockey fans who are privileged to be able to shoot off our mouths.  Sure, some of us have extensive media backgrounds and are proud professionals of sports broadcasting, but guys like Mick Kern and Boomer Gordon, two of my more popular personalities, are doing this on-air nonsense for the first time.  Know your stuff, have a valid opinion, be passionate and don’t be intimidated by the microphone.  You’ll be fine.

How do you view XM Radio with regard to the company’s position in bringing NHL news and commentary to the fan base? ie. What is your unique value proposition?

30 teams, no waiting.  While radio stations still hang onto that ridiculous argument that sports is local, we’re serving listeners from San Jose to Halifax.  And we get as much positive feedback from players and management right across North America as we do from our subscriber base.  Sports is local.  Right!  And Gordie Howe was a flash in the pan.

Is there anything that XM Radio has found through your market research that would be surprising to the average hockey fan?

It surprised me.  Statistics show that over 80% of sports fans in a particular city actually cheer for an out-of-town team.  That’s why our play by play is so important.  If you’re a Philly fan living in Dallas, we’ve got you covered.  And vice versa.

Can you tell our readers a little bit about what you do and about upcoming programming or features on XM Radio and Home Ice Channel 204?

I’ve been with XM Canada since the very beginning and oversee all the sports, talk and comedy channels while Jeff Leake looks after the music.  NHL Home Ice is truly my baby though.  I even named it.  So if you have a beef, you can blame me (joe.thistel@xmradio.ca).

I have been in broadcasting 30 years now, and if I could write my own job description, I wouldn’t change a thing. We have some excellent programming on the horizon too, including the World Jr Championships over the holidays, plus an exciting new partnership agreement with The Hockey News to announce in the very near future.   For me, its the quintessential labor of love.

NHL Digest would like to thank Joe Thistel for taking time to provide us with this interview.  If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out what XM Radio has to offer hockey fans, please visit XM Radio’s Home Ice channel.  They are even offering a Free trial, so you really have no excuse not to check them out!

Canadiens and Wings Take Series Lead

Canadiens Defeat Bruins

Tom Kostopoulos had a goal and an assist and Carey Price made 17 saves as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarter-final.

The best-in-league Canadiens PowerPlay was mis-firing all night with Alex Kovalev making some uncharacteristic poor passing decisions. However, the Habs managed to take advantage of some opportune scoring to down the Bruins as expected at the Bell Centre in Montreal Thursday night.

Sharks Even Series With Flames

Nabokov made 21 saves in his sixth career postseason shutout, and rookie Torrey Mitchell scored a power-play goal in the Sharks’ 2-0 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, evening their first-round series at a game apiece.

Dion Phaneuf turned 23 yesterday and logged 9:20 of ice time in the first period. The second period saw the Flames take three straight penalties. They only took two penalties in all of game one. The Flames outshot the Sharks 10-8 in first period, but the second period was a whole other story. The Sharks had 27 shots, notching two goals, while the Flames had three measly shots.

Detroit Edges Nashville In Series Opener

Henrik Zetterberg scored the go-ahead goal just under seven minutes into the third

period and added an empty-net goal later in the period to lead the Detroit Red Wings to a

3-1 home win over the Nashville Predators.

Predator’s fire-bug Jordin Tootoo notched his first ever playoff goal, but the Wings were too strong as the Elder Statesman, Dominik Hasek, turned aside 19 shots to give the Wings a 1-0 series lead.

You Must Draw First Blood

Joe Pelletier provides us with this interesting statistic:

Since the NHL adopted the current conference-based playoff format in 1993-94, clubs winning Game 1 have gone on to win the series 133 of 195 times, or 68.2% (all series best-of-seven). For the Conference Quarter-Finals only, clubs winning Game 1 have won 74 of 104 series (71.2%).

Ovechkin’s Wheel of Fortune

Many fans may not know this, but Wheel of Fortune Host Pat Sajak is a die-hard

Washington Capitals fan. Sajak has actually been a hockey fan for many years and recently had the following to say about Alexander Ovechkin:

“I lived through Gretzky, and all those great Blackhawk players, but I’ve never seen anything like this guy,” Sajak said. “I’ve seen skilled players, but I’ve never seen anybody with that level of skill who is that willing to be physical and mix things up. He’s a combination of everything you like about hockey: he’s faster than anyone I’ve seen, he’s quicker than anyone I’ve seen, he’s got a longer reach than anyone I’ve seen. I said when Ted signed him for 13 years, ‘Hockey just may work here.’ I’m actually planning my

life around these playoffs.”

North Dakota Gets Ousted Again

You can call it a butt-kicking, a blowout or any combination of terms. Whichever you choose, it was another Boston College victory over North Dakota in the Frozen Four.

Things started bad and slowly got worse for North Dakota, as the Eagles ran off four first-period goals en route to a 6-1 victory in the opening game of the 2007 Frozen Four. The Eagles will face the winner of Thursday’s second semifinal between Michigan and Notre Dame in Saturday’s title game.

I should have known better than to pick North Dakota to win the NCAA Division I championship; this is the third straight year that Boston College has eliminated them in the national semifinal.