Year-End Hiatus

Professional and personal reasons will keep me away from the computer for the most of the month so I wish everybody Happy Holidays and see you all in 2009

What to do with Luongo

This recent groin injury to Luongo could not have come at a better time for the Canucks and Mike Gillis. The season is still young, none of their NorthWest rivals are playing that well, the rest of the team is playing well and can support a weaker goalie and it gives a chance to see what the other goalies can do… because not to ring alarm bells but Luongo’s contract expires after next year and some major decisions will need to be taken with this team who has never won the Stanley Cup since inception in 1970.


Luongo so far

_____GP__ MIN___ W___ L___ GAA___ SV%____ SO
06-07_ 76___ 4490 ___47 ___22___ 2.28 ____.921 _____5
07-08_ 73___ 4233 ___35 ___29 ___2.38 ____.917 _____6
08-09_ 19___ 1076 ___11____ 5 ____2.17____ .928 ____ 5

Luongo has been as good as advertised in his 2 ½ years in Vancouver so far. He has played 90% of the team’s games with a save percentage around 920. The whole team outlook has changed and there is a definite swagger with such a stalwart behind them. He makes the big saves, challenges the shooters and control things near his goal. Even though it took time for the team to announce it, there was very little hesitation in that locker room about who was the captain of this team.

07-08 was a more difficult season as backend injuries and the easing in of many rookies (Edler, Raymond, Hansen among others) were coupled with a difficult pregnancy for Luongo’s wife which seemed to affect his play in the middle of the season. Of course, the whole makeup of the team was being changed too as Naslund & Morrison were being phased out due to declining play and desire to focus the team on the Sedins and strong, responsible defensive play.

Trading away locker-room cancer and overall troubled person Bertuzzi was already a plus for this team but obtaining an elite goaltender in return makes the trade one of the most lop-sided of the decade.


Schneider’s play

I focused my attention particularly on Schneider’s play during Sunday’s game versus Colorado and while a 4-3 shootout loss might not look like a great goalie performance, the kid did manage to play a very good game. What I mean by good game is that he made saves, kept his team in the game and the goals allowed were redirects he could not do much on… but his style is definitely not my cup of tea! He is a crouched butterfly guy: constantly down on his knees: the pads spread wide, bent over with his arms resting on his pads. I do not know if it was due to nervousness but he spent most of the night down, regardless of how imminent the danger was. From the way he made stops and moved around, I don’t think it was nervousness, I think that is his style… a style I am not sure he can succeed with in the NHL unless he has the quickest hands! Once he goes for his second tour across the league and teams start to know him, how will he handle teams constantly shooting high to avoid his pads? He made some nice saves during the game but it always seemed more reflex than positioning… and he looked seriously outmatched in the shootout as all 3 Avalanche guys beat him high stick side. I tried to look at it dispassionately and regardless of my aversion for goalies going down too early but I still do not see #1 nhl talent unless a top notch goaltending coach spends some heavy time with him to improve his style. You can get by in US College and the American league mainly on reflexes but in the NHL, with any good shooter able to lift the puck at will in any situation, it will become a glaring weakness easily exploited.


The view from Gillis’ office

While the recent groin injury was self-inflicted on a quite innocuous play, there is very little indication that the 29 year old goalkeeper will break down anytime soon and he should continue to be among the top 3 for the remainder of his contract which runs until summer 2010. With a cap hit of 6.75 but actual salary of 7mil this year and 7.5 next year, Luongo does not come cheap but is still a good deal for what he brings. His next contract will probably bring him even more money when you consider the state of many teams’ goaltending and the very rare goalies even reaching free agency. It wouldn’t be impossible to see 8.5 a year for a 31 year old goaltender in his prime.

What is the GM to do then? Luongo drove a hard bargain after the trade as he knew Nonis had no choice but to sign him long term and he seems to hold all the cards this time around too: A town crazy for him, a team built around him, performance good enough to carry a team and good examples that the team goes in the tank everytime he gets injured.

Can Gillis even afford to let Luongo go? Can he afford to approach the summer of 2010 with Luongo unsigned? Trading Luongo before he reaches Free Agency would bring a boatload of talent but what then? Is it back to the early 90s with a good offense and no goalie? Will this town even accept a trade of Luongo when the team had 10M of cap space unspent this year?

What will Luongo see as 2010 approach? Will he see the Canucks as a somewhat better Panthers squad still too crappy to get him to the Cup? Even though the team seems to have been extremely accommodating during the birth of his child last year, how will he view things… how will he view their actions in regard to his wife and child maybe in danger and in hospital?

Things look pretty clear from Gillis point of view: he must resign Luongo next summer before he even sniffs Free Agency and find a good trade partner on which to dump his touted prospect with great minor stats but lack of major league technique. Rebuilding this team makes sense everywhere except in goal.

Vegas does what California never could manage!

LAS VEGAS — O.J. Simpson, the one-time football great who was acquitted in perhaps the most-watched murder trial of the 20th century, was sentenced Friday to a minimum of nine years in prison for his role in a 2007 raid on a Las Vegas hotel room in which two collectibles dealers were robbed of a trove of sports memorabilia.

Shortly before the sentence, Mr. Simpson, wearing a blue prison jumpsuit, his arms handcuffed in front of him, made a surprise statement in which he told Judge Jackie Glass of Clark County District Court: “I didn’t want to hurt anybody. I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong.”“I stand before you somewhat confused,” Mr. Simpson, his voice breaking, said in the rambling statement in which he uttered the word “sorry” at least four times.

Judge Glass seemed unimpressed, “The evidence was overwhelming,” she said before pronouncing sentence first on one of Mr. Simpson’s five accomplices, Clarence Stewart, 54, and then on Mr. Simpson himself.

I guess it's easier to convict when nobody gets killed and the gun doesn't even get used! .... or maybe it's just because these district attorneys were actually trying to convince and impress the jury & judge, not the cameras as those incompetents Clark & Darden!

It's a good day but I think there are very high chances this will be overturned on appeal and a new trial will be required. Simpson's lawyers talked about jury selection and the lack of blacks on it but I think the fact all accused were tried together is the main point here. How can the co-defendant Stewart have been tried fairly when O.J. Simpson is on trial with you?! He should have had a seperate trial.... Does throwing out the sentence for one dude automatically throws the other one out too?

Sadly, this isn't the last we hear about that psychopath

Saves of the week 12/01 - too much details

10 - Schneider vs Moss
A goalie sometimes need to be like a clown with spring legs: that leg just needs to move out by reflex.

9 - Johnson vs Commodore
Good goaltenders will dare you to go top-corner glove side... not only because of the show elements involved but because it is the purest battle of skills: it's the shooter's precision and power versus the arm speed and hand strength.

8 - Anderson vs Drury
There is no reason for the going-nowhere Panthers to keep Vokoun around when you have a young guy like Anderson playing this well. They need to cash in the veteran (and for more than a broken down Bertuzzi this time!). Anderson follows the play perfectly, stays square to the puck and makes a very nice glove save

7 - Sanford vs Willie Mitchell
If you have no angle and nobody to pass the puck to, just shoot towards the net and hope for the puck to hit a skate. Perfect attempt by the Wings and perfect redirect by Mitchell's skate only saved by the quick reflexes of the Canucks backup. Watch after the play... Kesler is the one going to his goalie to give him a few good words. Mitchell, the guy who caused the play, is just skating away like nothing happened... not what I expect from a guy complimented for his leadership qualities.

6 - Hedberg vs Grabovski
Players have become so proficient at the saucer pass over the sprawling dman on odd-man rushes. You never saw that in the 80s except maybe from Gretzky or the top 10 players in the league... now everybody can pass it up anywhere to anybody... and only a great lateral move and snappy blocker move prevented a goal.

5 - Roloson vs Boyes
Another two-on-one rush, another great pass through the defenseless defenseman and another great save needed. This time a nice desperation glove save as Roloson came so far out of the net to cut off shot angles that he was completely out of position and had to get down on his knees to reach out.

4 - Turco vs Hemsky
Even when Turco was part of previous weekly top ten, I bashed him pretty hard for being out of position, scrambling and being lucky... but here, he played perfectly. Sadly, we can't say the same for his defense which stood around and watched Hemsky smoothly navigate the crease. Turco had no choice but to come out to challenge, cutting down any angle and controlling the crease, forcing Hemsky to the outside with a nifty move that only a strong paddle stopped.

3 - Osgood vs Hansen
Not many things are worse than a pointman with awful aim... there is no way you can be ready for a puck shot 20 feet wide and bouncing to the other side of the net!

2 - Theodore vs Bouchard
Brent Burns has some very soft hands for a big strapping guy. He made a perfect pass after a good fake and Bouchard completed the play perfectly by lifting the puck high but an incredible move by Theodore saves the day: great leg push, body still straight, glove held high... and with his center of gravity at the knee level... textbook lateral move

1- Leclaire vs Franzen
What more can a guy do? He feints the goalie out of his skates, sends him sprawling, circle around then lifts the puck! Yet somehow, it found Leclaire's stick and his strong hand stop that puck from going in. never give up!

Saves of the week 11/24 - too much details

10 - Kiprusoff vs McCormick
This save looks easier than it was. Wraparounds with traffic in front are always difficult as the goalie must not only hugh his post and cover the angle but also keep track of who is where close by... so a good first save then a quick rebound shot stopped by a great leg extension in perfect position. Nevermind throwing yourself across! Just extend and stay ready for any possible rebound.

9 - MacDonald vs Langenbrunner
This kid is making Dipietro irrelevant on Long Island... in every aspect except salary of course. His technique is excellent and while he needs to work on rebound control, his skills keep him ahead. This play is a great example: the first save from the point through traffic was already pretty good but he immediately gets back up and ready (the sign of a goalie used to seeing lots of rubber and not having his dmen handle rebounds maybe?), a great top corner shot from the slot suddenly becomes almost an easy showoff glove save.

8 - Tellqvist vs Richards
It was a nice lateral movement from the goalie but really, I'm not even sure that puck was going in! Look at the angle, it was going somwhere near the opposite post... Richards choked on the perfect pass from the point and an empty net.

7 - Boucher vs Koistinen
Now this is a good redirect into an empty net! That puck was on the Preds' stick for a fraction of a second and it was going straight in brushing the post... but the NHL record holder for consecutive shutout minutes had other ideas and did a nice controlled slide stopped gently by the post, his pads in perfect position and denying a certain goal. Look how straight up he ends up too, ready for any possible rebound.

6 - Budaj vs Glencross
This is only here because Budaj fundled the bouncy first shot as the 2nd save was jsut a spread eagle desperation sprawl that would have went in with a more patient shooter. There isn't much that can be taught or practiced about those bouncy pucks... They flip, bounce, change directions, slow and speed up randomly... All you can do is expect the weirdest bounce and stay ready for the rebound to go far away.

5 - Price vs Babchuk
Like the announcers said, somebody else than the sneaking-behind-coverage dman might have slapped this top corner but it doesn't take anything away from the nice save from the young kid. Check how he does that lateral move: a very gentle controlled push... he isn't shoving himself across the crease; he just gives himself some momentum and the leg extension does the rest. What this gives you as a much more straight position with your arms in position to grab the puck and your center of gravity still close to the middle so that you can get back in stance for any possible rebounds (unless your dman shoves the dude on you of course!). Good technique does not always look spectacular but the results are really what matters

4 - Kolzig vs Zajac
Long strong arms will allow you to use a paddle like this and make some great saves right there on the red line.

3 - Clemmensen vs Folik
The save was awesome but made this such a great stop? It was his bundling of the wraparound! There are two dmen around the guy, no other Panthers anywhere close yet the goalie decides to go down on one knee and stick his paddle down on the ice... that put him completely out of position and compromised against the post. Only the fact Frolik was way out there in the faceoff circle gave enough time for Clemmensen to get back up and stick out his hand.

2 - MacDonald vs Parise
5-on-3s are impossible. The offense can have an open player on both sides of the net at the same time. The only thing left is to play it deep in your crease and only come out when the threat level rise up... and even then, you cant go too far as you wont be able to cover the other side. MacDonald just stretched enough to make a great save

1 - Luongo vs Redden
Luongo plays an extremely aggressive game, stepping out of his crease all the time and only his strong technique, long limbs and refusal to give up allow him to make such saves.