Who Was The First American Born Captain To Win The Stanley Cup?

This achievement belongs to Derian Hatcher who won the Stanley Cup as a captain of the Dallas Stars in 1999. Hatcher started his career with the Stars some 10 years earlier after being drafted by the then Minnesota North Stars in the 1990 NHL Entry draft.

Hatcher is famous for his massive physique (height of 6 ft5 and weight of 235 lbs) and physically punishing style that made him one of the most fearsome defensemen in the league.

Hatcher scored in his first game as a Minnesota North Star on October 12, 1991 in a 3-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings. He continued to dominate the Stars’ blueline even after the move to Dallas, contributing 1,380 penalty minutes, 223 assists and 71 goals during his career with the Stars.

The hulking blueliner signed a $30 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings in 2003, but did not have much success in Detroit, having his contract bought out in 2005. Later in 2005 he became a member of the Philadelphia Flyers and went on to become an interim captain for the Flyers a year later.

Hatcher was also part of the US national hockey team for most of his career and even participated in two Olympic Games, suiting up for Team USA in 1998 and 2006.

After suffering a severe knee injury during the 2008-09 NHL season, Derian Hatcher announced his retirement in June 2009. Hatcher is currently a player development coach for the Philadelphia Flyers, the place where he ended his National Hockey League career.

The Worst Team In NHL History

I think it’s safe to say that there are some records nobody sets out to own. There is little doubt that the NHL record for worst team in a season is one such mark.

We mentioned how terrible the New York Rangers of the 1943-44 season were, losing a single game to the Detroit Red Wings in what would be the largest margin of victory in an NHL game. That horrendous team won 6 games over the course of their 50 game season, for a winning percentage of 12%. That sounds terrible doesn’t it?

Well, not so fast!

In the inaugural season for the NHL’s Washington Capitals, 1974-75, the team managed just 8 wins over an 80 game schedule, for a dismal winning percentage of just 10%! Their 8-67-5 record  is currently the worst of any team in the history of the National Hockey League.

Ron Low was the starting goaltender for the Capitals that season and the franchise had high hopes for the netminder as he racked up an impressive 1.82 GAA during the pre-season.  Low was the goalie between the pipes for all 8 wins, while amassing a 5.45 GAA in 48 appearances.

The Capitals’ other goalie, Michel Belhumeur, came over from the Philadelphia Flyers via the expansion draft.  Belhumeur played in 35 games that season but could not manage to pull off a victory.  This distinction lands him in the NHL record books for the most games played in one season by a goaltender without a win.  Interestingly, Belhumeur played the next season with the Capitals as well. He didn’t manage a win in that year either and never played in the National Hockey League again.

Jeff Carter Hits Anssi Salmela

The barrage of head injuries continues in the National Hockey League this season.  The latest victim of a headshot is New Jersey Devils forward Anssi Salmela, who was caught high by a shoulder from Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter after scoring a goal on Michael Leighton.

After watching the replays from different angles (as shown in the video below) I believe that Carter hit Salmela with a clean shoulder that appears (as of the second replay angle @ 4:30-4:31) to hit Salmela in his shoulder before following through to high and extending his elbow post contact.

This hit was obviously not elbowing, and certainly not charging as you can clearly see Carter coasting through the slot and then taking one stride as he angles toward Salmela who was leaning forward, with his head and shoulder extended, driving to the net. The hit was not extremely late – we can see Carter leaning in to hit Salmela as the shot was taken.

If the fact that Salmela being knocked unconscious is ignored, then my belief is that there should be no supplementary discipline on this play.  However, sometimes the league can punish the outcome and not the action.

Have a look at the video – particularly the slow motion replay at the 4:30 mark and drop your thoughts in the comments!

Mike Richards Hits David Booth

Last night Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers leveled an unsuspecting David Booth with a shoulder to the head and knocked Booth out.

In my opinion the hit was not a charge and certainly was not elbowing. Richards squared up and led with his shoulder and followed through on a hit to Booth, who had just made a drop pass. Booth wasn’t looking and Richards made him pay. This is a prime example of the need to keep your head up and not admire your pass.

Yes, Richards hit Booth in the head with his shoulder. Now, was it intentional? I would say no. However, intentional or not, the NHL must get serious about cracking down on hits to the head for the safety of the players.

Here is the video of Mike Richards’ hit on David Booth

Update: Bill Daly has just informed the media that there will be no suspension for Mike Richards in relation to this incident.

Players have been getting hit in the head for years in the National Hockey League. This is nothing new.  However, what is new is the force at which players are being impacted. Players are bigger and faster than they were ten years ago and the laws of physics still apply.  The larger the mass is and the higher velocity at which it travels increases the force of the impact.

Alex Semin Burns Coburn, Emery For Highlight Reel Goal

On Tuesday night Alexander Semin absolutely scorched Philadelphia defenceman Braydon Coburn and beat Ray Emery through the five hole on what may be the best highlight reel goal of the season thus far.

Semin brought the puck in over the Philadelphia blueline, pulled the puck through Coburn’s legs while beating him to the outside.  Semin then grabbed the puck on his backhand, brought it quickly to his forehand and snapped it between the legs of Ray Emery.

Video of the Semin Goal below…Enjoy.

Update:

As noted in the comments, Mike Richards scored a hat trick with all three goals coming in the second period.  This is apparently the first time any Philadelphia Flyer has ever scored three goals in a home opener.

Talking With Messier About Fighting In Hockey

Fighting in hockey is always a hot topic.  However, due to some recent injuries and an unfortunate death last season, attention has been turned to whether or not players should be allowed to remove their helmets during fights.

I have my opinions on fighting in hockey, but rather than ramble on with my thoughts, why not ask one of the legends of the game?

So, I asked Mark Messier about his thoughts on the subject.

Messier fought no less than 19 times over the course of his career in the National Hockey League.  In addition, his son Lyon had a couple of fights last season as professional player in the Central Hockey League. This gives Mark, what I believe is, a unique perspective on the topic – addressing the subject from the view of both a player and a parent.

In addition, Messier also has first hand experience on the topic considering one of the first NHL fights of his career was with Dennis Ververgaert in 1980.  In this fight Messier was wearing a helmet, while Ververgaert was not. Messier landed several hard left hands, taking Ververgaert to the ice.  Fortunately, they were both okay.

However, if you watch the video , you will see that there is not much difference in the way that Ververgert fell compared to how Columbus’  Tommy Sestito hit the ice and was injured following a fight with Jordin Tootoo this pre-season.

Without any further adieu.

Messier On Fighting

NHL Digest: Do you have a position on fighting in the NHL?  In particular, what is your reaction to taking helmets off during fights?

Messier: Fighting in hockey has been debated for many years by team officials, players, experts, and fans. The one constant in all the discussions is that there are no easy answers or solutions. As a former player, fighting was an accepted aspect of the game. Of course when I first started, very few games were televised around the country, and every move the league or teams made was not scrutinized by millions of viewers.

Over the last few decades, fighting in hockey has changed tremendously. In the 70’s fighting really hit its peak, being lead by the Broad Street Bullies in Philadelphia. The Flyers were the Stanley Cup Champions and played a very aggressive in-your-face game, which often lead to fisticuffs on the ice. Bench clearing brawls were the norm, and of course, all this trickled down to the minor leagues and even into the grass roots level.

The 80’s followed with an invasion of highly skilled European players that started to make their way over to play in the NHL. And soon after came the games Greatest player ever in Wayne Gretzky, who possessed a game of skill and awareness that had never been seen before. Led by Wayne, the Edmonton Oilers became the benchmark for success, adopting a highly skilled, fast skating game, which forced the rest of the league to change their philosophy from a grinding up and down your wing, to a skating, interweaving game that resembled a more European style.

The league took tremendous steps to reduce fighting and eliminate bench clearing brawls. Requiring players to return to their benches as soon as a fight broke out and the institution of many other new rules greatly reduced the number of fights that took place in any particular game.

While the focus now is on a more skilled, high tempo game, fighting is still a topic of conversation, particularly when a player is hurt as a result of the fight. Players are bigger and stronger than ever, and have taken the skill of fighting to a new level. Hockey is a great game of passion, skill, discipline, courage and heart. However, in addition to these great attributes, intimidation has always played and will continue to play a part in the game.

One of the latest problems associated with fighting is players taking their helmets off before engaging in a fight. One of the reasons for this was the mandatory visor rule that was implemented in amateur hockey, much like the hockey helmet was back in 1979. Because of the shields and full cages, taking the helmets off became a way of showing respect and bravado.

Hockey, like life, is ever changing and evolving. We as a league must always have the best interests in our minds and hearts for the players, teams and fans. The changes that have taken place over the last 30 years have made our game better than ever. We will continue to make the necessary changes to ensure we not only protect our players, but provide the fans with the best product and entertainment possible.

Fighting has always been a part of hockey, and I personally believe that it will continue to be one aspect of our game. Part of what makes hockey so entertaining is that it requires physical and mental toughness. But as the game continues to evolve, I believe that player safety and better protection need to be our top priority. If that means instituting a rule – like Hockey Canada – that makes it mandatory to keep your helmet on in a fight, I would support it.

Messier On Head Protection

The Messier Project, my new collaboration with Cascade Sports, is committed to elevating head protection in hockey and we are working to change priorities in the sport. A helmet and its protective technology are just as important – if not more important – than the skates you wear or the stick you use.

In developing the M11, I worked very closely with the innovators at Cascade Sports to bring a player’s perspective to the design. One of the features I am most proud of is the ProFit system, which I think ties into this conversation.

During game play and especially if a player engages in a fight, it is extremely important that the helmet stays on to prevent potential head injury due to a blow to the head or the more serious threat of a player’s head hitting the ice.

The Pro Fit system creates a 360 degree fit- tapering the entire helmet in around the head for a snug, “toque” feel. When your helmet fits right, it is safer on impact and when adjusted properly, a good fit increases the level of protection the helmet offers. From a performance perspective, the M11 ProFit allows a player to fine-tune the fit and adjust it on the fly based on the situation and environment.

Thank you for your question. It is conversations and questions like these that are so important to the evolution and continued success of our game.

With respect,
Mark Messier

Final Thoughts

As you can see, Mark’s take on fighting in hockey is not simplistic. He is certainly passionate about the game and his venture with the Messier Project really is about protecting players.

He mentions that he would support a rule to keep helmets on during a fight.  This makes sense, but if that were the case, I certainly wouldn’t want to fight anyone with a Dany Heatley sized visor!

Maybe a quick-release visor could be developed?  That would be sure to appease both the “no fighting with a visor crowd” and the “keep your helmet on during a fight” crowd.

Hmmmm…maybe I just gave Mark and Cascade Sports an idea for the next big thing in hockey? I’m sure my check is in the mail!

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