TotalNHL

Sidney Crosby (left), Marc-Andre Fleury (middle) and Evgeni Malkin (right).   All three players made the honour role.

 #115 Honor Role '09 Unveiled

The honour role for the 2008-09 season has finally been unveiled.  Some players were enducted and others were not.  Some last-minute scratches included Scott Clemmenson (NJD) and Ron Wilson (TOR).  Added to the nominations were Cam Ward, Chris Osgood, Marc-Andre Fleury, Dan Bylsma and Jeff Carter.  Some players which were enducted include Alex Ovechkin, Jarmoe Iginla and Zdeno Chara.  Coach and general manager of the year went to Dan Bylsma and Ray Shero of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  When the nominees were first posted, Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals looked to be running away with it.  Down the stretch and into the playoffs, it was clearly Evgeni Malkin leading the pack which also included Pavel Datsyuk and Jarome Iginla.  Evgani Malkin finished in first place for the overall TotalNHL MVP and was named the best player for the 2008-09 season.  The Penguins and the Red Wings led the pack in number of spots with 7 of the 17 places with 5 different people (Evgeni Malkin [3], Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Dan Blylsma, Rey Shero).  The Red wings had one with Pavel Datsyuk and the Boston Bruins had two (Tim Thomas, Zdeno Chara).  Well, that wraps up the Daily Line for this season and the draft and free agency is coming up next.

 #114 Pens Get Revenge- June 13th

A year remover from the Stanley Cup finals, both Pittsburgh and Detroit made their return.  The Penguing came back a stroger, older and more eager team.  It really showed in the 2009 playoffs.  The path of the two teams were different yet, alike.  both team swept a team and went to two game sevens.  Detroit finished second in the western conference in the regualar season behind San Jose.  They swept the Columbus Blue Jackets, ruining their first ever playoffs.  In the second round, they took the Ducks to seven games in an all-out series and won the last game.  They didn't have such a tough time in the conference finals as they beat the Blackhawks to go into the finals and look for their second straight Cup.  The Penguins sat 5 points out of a playoff spot with 25 games left in the regular season.  After an embarassing loss to Toronto, Michal Terrian was fired and Dan Bylsma replaced him.  They finished the regular season in 4th place in the East with an amazing record since the coaching change.  Malkin was working harder and Crosby's game was amazing.  Fleaury felt more relaxed as opposed to pressured under the old coaching staff.  They were determined to take their playoff run as far as possible.  They powered past the Flyers and came into Washington as underdogs, on enemy turf.  They beat the Capitals in seven games and Marc-Andre Fleury was a star.  Next series, Carolina came into town and the battle between the Staal's begun.  Eric and Jordan Staal lined up for the openign faceoff.  From that point on, it was Pittsburgh's series.  Despite some difficulties, the Cardiac Canes went down in four straight to end the series.  Thats when it heated up, the Pens were looking for revenge in the finals against the very team which eliminated them last year.  Detroit was minus Hasek, Pittsburgh was minus Malone, Roberts, Hossa and Conklin (two of wich went to Detroit).  Despite the subtractions to the team, the Pens looked stronger as a team than they did last year.  This would be a defining moment in Pittsburgh's history but just another title for the Wings.  Hossa, who had left the Pens the previous summer joined the Red Wings for a better chance at the Cup.  Hossa would soon discover that he made a huge mistake.  Games one and two in Detroit were identical 3-1 wins for the Red Wings.  When it switched back to Pittsburgh, it looked like a whole different series.  Pittburgh owned the Wings in both games to tie the series up a two a peice.  It was now a best of three.  Pittsburgh was shutout in game 5 in Detroit 5-0 and the Pens were dissapointed.  When the series shifter back to Pittsburgh, the Pens won another thriller and off to Detroit they went.  Game seven, the first since Carolina won the Cup in 2006.  It would either come down to home ice or the Pens coule be the first team to win on the road this series.  Hossa had practically been a no-show in the finals and the other Pen to switch to Detroit, Ty Conklin sat watching from the bench.  Datsyk had'nt made much of an impact since returning to the lineup in game 5.  The game began with Detroit domination but the play soon became back and forth.  The first period was scoreless and the players were ready for the second period, little did they know, this period would be the dismantaling of the Red Wings.  Maxime Talbot scored the first goal of the game (his seventh of the playoffs) not two minutes in.  About five minutes into the second period, Sidney Crosby was rammed into the boards by Johan Franzen.  Crosby left to the dressing room and didn't return to the bench.  Maxime Talbot responded to the hit by scoring another goal, high glove-side of Osgood.  After fourty minutes, the score was 2-0 in favour of the Penguins and Detroit was desperate.  Going into the final period of regulation the Red Wings knew what they had to do.  They dominated the third period from start to finish but had very few shot.  More than half way through the third period, Detroit scored their first goal of the game.  The score was 2-1 with less than a minute left in the game when the Wings called a time-out.  The Wings were looking for a final push.  Both teams lined up to take the faceoff.  Detroit won it.  It went to the point, over to the other defenceman, it danced around the zone and with about a second to go, one of the Detroit players, right at the side of the net got the puck.  Fleury was all the way over on the other side of the crease.  A quick shot was taken and Fleury got over juct in time, diving across the srease and saved the tying goal by less than inches in the last seconds of the game.  That was it, the Pirrsburgh Penguins had won the Stanley Cup in game seven, final score, 2-1.  Evgeni Malkin was presented with the Conne Symythe Trophy for best playoff performance.  Sidney Crosby was the first to touch the Cup and skated around with it.  He then passed it to someone who had been waiting for a long time, his first finals appearance since 1995, Bill Geurin.  It was a while before Malking or Fleury touched it but when they did, it muct have been the best moment of their lives.  When interviewed about the win Marc-Andre Fleury was asked what he was thinking in the last seconds when Detroit was swarming around him.  Fleury replied by saying, "I said oh shit".  The first Penguin in the dressing room was Sergei Gonchar.  He was celebrating with his daughter as he was being interviewed by CBC.  In the end, Hossa, for the second straight year walked away with nothing but the experience and the Penguins lifted the cup for the first time since back-to-back cups in 1991 and 1992.  Mario Lemieux won his third Stanley Cup and his first as an owner.

#113 It's Been a While- June13th

It has been over a month since the last Daily Line entry and TotalNHL was very close to shutting down forever.  I was swamped with culminating assignments and I will soon begin my exams.  Through the summer entries should pick up and there will be coverage of the draft in Montreal, Free Agency on July 1st and much more.  Let's catch up on the things we missed.  First, the Philadelphia Flyers have signed goaltender, Ray Emery to a one year deal.  Emery played in the KHL after leaving the Sens.  A report came out today that Roberth Ecshe, the former Flyer's goaltender may be returning to the team from the KHL.  Another report suggests that Maple Leafs will not welcome back long-time goalie, Curtis Joseph.  In his fourties now, Joseph has not been able to be the star goalie he once was and he is expected to retire this summer.  Marcus Naslund has announced he will retire from the game.  In his mid-thirties, Naslund's game has been slipping and he has put up decending number in the past years.  He signed with New York in the summer of 2008 after the Canucks made it clear that there wouldn't be room for him.  Brian Burke has made it clear that he is looking to move up in the draft to get John Tavares but the Islanders are still unsure if they would take J.T. or Victor Hedman.  This concludes the catchup and will soon post the result of the Stanley Cup final and the TotalNHL Honor Role '09 winners.

 #112 Second Round Underway- May 1st

The  second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially underway.  The Vancouver Canucks took out Chicago last night in the first game of the second round.  It was a rather physical game with many hits.  One specific body check was referred to as a 'Brashear Hit'.  The other series to watch out for is the Pittsburgh Penguins verses the Washington Capitals.  This is the only second round series which does not feature a team which swept in the first round.Ovechkin and Crosby, Ovechkin and Malkin, Crosby and Semin; any rivalry is bound to be a good one.  Predictions for each match up are posted on the 'Playoffs' page.

#111 First Round Finished- April 29th 

The first round of the 2009 playoffs are officially over as eight teams will advance to the next round.  The semi-finals offered many surprises such as the 4-2 series win for the Anaheim Ducks over the President's trophy winners and Cup favorites, San Jose Sharks.  Another shocker was the last minute comeback of the Carolina Hurricanes in game seven as they rallied to score two unanswered goals in the last 1:30 to take the game from 2-3 to 4-3.  There were two series sweeps with the Bruins sweeping Montreal and Vancouver eliminating the Blues.   One more, the Detroit Red Wings swept the Blue Jackets in their first ever playoff appearance (read below [#110).  The two most exciting match ups came from the 4th and 5th seeds in each conference as the Flames tried, but failed to hand onto Chicago and force a game seven.  The other series which ended in six games was the Pens and the Flyers.  It was a hard hitting match up with many twists.  Malkin, Crosby, Staal and Fleury played great to power the Penguins to a 4-2 series win against the Flyers.  Possibly the strangest suspension of all six so far, was the punishment of Ranger head coach, Jon Tortorella.  He was suspended from the bench for a single game after an incident with a fan.  The Rangers went on to loose that game, and the next two to drop a 3-1 series lead.  The Capitals have made it past the first round for the first time since 1989 (11 years ago).  As for next round, predictions have been posted on the 'Playoffs" page in the nav bar.  The quarter finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin April 30th, 9:00 ET as the Canucks will face the Chicago Blackhawks in the only game of the day.

*If you are reading this after the playoffs the page might not exist anymore*

#110 Jackets Will Have To Wait For Their First Playoff Win- April 25th 

The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially been swept by the defending champions, the Detroit Red Wings.  This was the first year in Blue Jackets history that they have made the playoffs.  This is a similar situation to the Atlanta Thrashers who waited all those years to get into the playoffs and then were swept by the Rangers in the first round.  They have not even been close to the playoff picture since.  Hopefully it will be a different story for the Blue Jackets.  It likely will be as long as Rick Nash will re-sign with the club this summer.  On a lighter note, the loss of the Jackets has finally broken the curse.  This is the first time in six years that the defending Stanley Cup Champions have made it past the first round.  Also, another surprising fact, we have not had a repeat Stanley Cup winner since the Penguins won in 1992 and again in 1993.  If the Red Wings don't win the Cup this year, it will be the ONLY decade in NHL history which has not had a repeat Cup winner.

ABOVE: Two possible overall rookie performance winners clash.  Ryan gets the better of this one.

#109 Honor Role '09 Primary Nominations Released- April 22nd

The Honor Role is ready to accept the new class of elite players entering.  The Honour Role can be found in the navigation area.  This page includes information about the class of '08 and now, '09.  The Nominations have been released and the official winners will be inducted after the playoffs.  Please remember that any player, manager or coach can become a Vito and be replaced at any time.  Here they are...

Current Nominees- posted April 22nd...

LW: Alex Ovechkin, Rick Nash, Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuck, Mike Cammalerri

RW: Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa, Blake Wheeler

C: Sidney Crosby, Evgani Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Jeff Carter

D: Mike Green, Zdemo Chara, Duncan Keith

G: Tim Thomas, Scott Clemmenson, Roberto Luongo

Top Rookie Goalie: Pekka Rinne, Steve Mason

Top Rookie Skater(s): Bobby Ryan, Blake Wheeler, Steven Stamkos, Mikhail Grabovski

Top Overall Rookie: Steve Mason, Bobby Ryan, Blake Wheeler, Steven Stamkos

General Manager: Darryl Sutter- Calgary Flames, Ray Shero- Pittsburgh Penguins

Coach- Dan Bylsma- Pittsburgh Penguins, Claude Julien- Boston Bruins

*Official winners will be inducted into the Honor Role '09 on June 15th 2009, when the playoffs are finished* 

**The TotalNHL MVP is still up for grabs to any National Hockey League player.  Last year's winner was Washington Capitals' left wing, Alexander Ovechkin.**

#108 First Series Comes To An End- April 22nd

The Vancouver finished the job yesterday and put away their brushes as they swept the St. Louis Blues on St. Louis ice yesterday night.  This is the first series finished in the 2009 playoffs and may be a good sign for Vancouver.  Although, their next opponents will likely be more aggressive and highly skilled compared to St. Louis as that team will be fresh off a win.  The Canucks will face the Detroit Red Wings (assuming they beat the Blue Jackets) if San Jose manages to win against Anaheim or, they will play the winner of the Calgary-Chicago series.  Other highlights include both the Flames and the Capitals looking to even out their series tonight.  The Boston Bruins will look to sweep the Montreal Canadiens tonight as well.  The Pittsburgh Penguins will also look to end their series 4-1 over the Flyers tomorrow night.

#107 10 Years Today- April 18th

No, not the song but exactly 10 years ago today, career points and goals leader, Wayne Gretzky  officially retired and hung up the skates to end his career with the New York Rangers.

#106 Fleury of Saves- April 18th

Possibly the most exciting game yet.  Game two of Pittsburgh Vs. Philidelphia took place last night.  the score was 2-1 to the Flyers with less than 5 minutes left in the thrid period.  Suddenly, the Flyers took a penalty with about 3:34 left in regulation.  The Penguins danced around the attacking zone for a while as they tapped the game tying goal in past goaltender Martin Biron to make it 2-2.  The next few minutes were riveting and both teams were able to keep the puck out of the net despite a late attack by the Penguins.  With about 7 minutes left in the first overtime, the Pens were called for a crosscheck.  It was a minute and a half later when the 5-on-4 was turned to a 4-on-4.  Just two seconds before the penalty was over (about 30 seconds into the 4-on-4), the Flyers got called for another penalty.  Knowing they would have a 5-on-3 for a minute and a half, they won the face off, waited for the man to come out of the box and join the attack.  The attack was gripping but the Flyers managed to clear it out.  The Pens came back into the zone and created a passive-box type attack.  The puck went from the right wing, to the point men and over to newly acquired left wing, Bill Geurin.  He held it there for a few seconds and spotted a gap.  He then came forward toward the goalie stopped and shot the puck from about 5 feet away from the net.  Somehow, Geurin found the gap Biron presented and squeaked it between the arm and the chest of Martin Biron and past the goal line.  The Penguins won the game to go up 2-0 in the series.  Both goalies were great as each faced 35+ shots.  Penguin goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury stood tall and prevented the game from going out of reach of his team during the 2-1 deficit.  Now, the series will go to Philidelphia.  Maybe the momentum will change in 'The City Of Brotherly Love'.  The Flyers better hope so.  Other games on Friday included Carolina beating the Devils and Roberto Luongo getting another shutout in game two verses the Blues.  The Capitals and the Rangers had the night off but are currently playing with New York leading 1-0 with about 8 minutes left in the game.  Tonight features Calgary Vs. Chicago, Detroit Vs. the Blue Jackets and game two of Montreal Vs. Boston.  San Jose and Anaheim will get tonight off as Saturday night hockey prepares to heat up.

#105 Round One Continues- April 17th

The first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued Thursday night as the top teams in the West got to work.  The Anaheim Ducks pulled off the upset against the first placed San Jose Sharks in a 2-0 victory.  Jonas Hiller made 35 saves for the shutout in his first career playoff game.  The second placed Detroit Red Wings defeated the seventh seed Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1.  Meanwhile, The Calgary Flames took the Chicago Blackhawks into overtime before Marian Havlat scored his second of the night to take the first game of the series.  Finally, moving to the East, the first seed and Stanly Cup Champion favorite Boston Bruins beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2.  News from the NHL's main office was released earlier today that Philidelphia enforcer, Daniel Carcillo has been suspended for one game for an attempt to inflict and injury on Pittsburgh's Bill Geurin and possibly take him out of the series.

#104 Playoffs Officially Underway- April 16th

The first games of the playoffs are officially complete.  The Devils beat the Hurricanes, the Penguins beat the Flyers 4-1, the Canucks held strong against the Blues and the Rangers pulled off an upset against the Washington Capitals.  Tonight the Flames will face the Blackhawks, the Canadiens will look to pull an upset over Boston, Columbus will look to win their first ever playoff game while the Red wings will try to hold them off.  And finally, the President's Trophy winners, the Jan Jose Sharks will match up against their Californian rivals, the Anaheim Ducks.

#103 Islanders Get First Pick- April 15th

The New York Islanders officially have the first overall draft pick in the 2009 entry draft.  The results of the draft lottery  were announced last night on TSN.  The second pick will go to the Ligtning.  The third pick belongs to Colorado.  Atlanta and Los Angeles round out the top five.  Brian Burke, the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs made it clear that he intends to pursue a better draft pick as he did last year when he acquired the 5th pick and drafted defenceman, Luke Schenn.  Burke has already contacted both the Islanders and the Ligntning about a possible trade but it looks as though the Leafs would have to give up prospect, Luke Schenn in a package.  This may be a cue for Toronto to step back from the first picks.

102 Final Match Ups Released-  April 13th

The final match ups for the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs have been determined.  Starting with the East, the first seed Boston Bruins will face the 8th seed Montreal Canadiens.  This will be the 32nd time the two teams have faced each other in the playoffs.  Montreal had dominated this 24-7 but will come in as the underdog in this series.  The second placed Capitals will face the Rangers.  Star Alexander Ovechkin scored a league leading 56 goals during the regular season and the addition of Nik Antrapov from Toronto will certainly help the Rangers.  The struggling Devils will host the surging Hurricanes.  The Hurricanes won 9 straight games before ending the season with a 3 game slide.  And finally, the battle of Pennsylvania.  The Philidelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins will meet in a re-match of last year's conference finals.  This time, the Flyers have home advantage.  Evgeni Malkin, who lead the league in points should be the highlight of this series.  Moving west, the San Jose Sharks and the Ducks will duke it out in an all Californian match up.  Anaheim will look to pull of a huge upset and aim for 2 Cups in three years.  Bobby Ryan will be making his first playoff appearance and is a man to look out for.  Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings will meet the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The Wings will look for a second straight Cup as Ohio will see it's first playoff action since the Cleveland Barrons.  The Vancouver Canucks who were able to beat out Calgary in the race for the division title will meet the St. Louis Blues.  The Blues were a dominant playoff team many years ago but have never managed to win the Cup, even with the help of 'The Great One'.  For our last match up, we have the Calgary Flames will meet Johnathan Toews and Patrik Kane in the first round.  The Flames somehow fell out of home ice advantage and finished in 5th.  They will look to bounce back into the playoffs.  Meanwhile, the Blackhawks will make their first playoff appearance since 2002.  That wraps up the first round and good luck to all teams playing for the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup.

#101 11 Years for Franzen- April 12th

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Johan Franzen to an 11 year contract.  Franzen was set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1st.  When the contract finishes, he will be a 49 year-old.  This is a risky move for the Red Wings as Franzen only discovered his scoring touch just over a year ago down the stretch into the playoffs.  Plus, with the salary cap likely going down, it will be a hard contract to maintain.  The terms of the contract have finally been released.  The contract extension is worth $43M which means an annual average salary of $3.9M.

#100 Northwest Finally Locked Up- April 11th

The Vancouver Canucks have finally ended the race to the Northwest division title with a 1-0 win over the last placed Colorado just minutes ago.  Roberto Luongo got his second straight shutout as they closed out Calgary for the division title.  Vancouver finishes the season with 100 points as the struggling Calgary Flames have 96 but have a game on hand.  The Canucks will face the Columbus or Anaheim  While Calgary will face Chicago.

#99 Update IV- April 10th

The Eastern conference playoff teams have been set.  The Bruins, Caps, Devils, Hurricanes, Flyers, Pens, Rangers and the Canadiens will advance to the first round of the playoffs.  The is only one team out from last year.  The only difference in teams is, the Carolina Hurricanes are in, and the Ottawa Senators are out.  Moving to the west, The Canucks have taken possession of first in the Northwest but the Flames can take it back if the win against the Oilers tonight.  Moving down the standings, Nashville, Anaheim and St. Louis are tied with 88 points a piece for the final two playoff spots.  Nashville has played 81 games while the Ducks and the Blues have only played 80.  The Wild have a very slim chance of getting into the playoffs but would need a miracle to take place to get in.  Also, the Columbus Blue Jackets have not yet clinched a playoff spot but need a series of unlikely events to fall out of a spot.  They just might clinch the spot tonight with either the Jackets winning or another team losing.  The Sharks also look to close out the Bruins in the race to the President's Trophy later this week.

Update III- April 7th

#98 Omark Inks Deal In Russia- April 8th

Linus Omark, who became famous after a sensational shootout goal in the Swedish Elite League inked a deal with a KHL team earlier today.  The 4th round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers will earn 1.2M next season and 1.4 the following season.  However, he does have an 'escape clause' in which entitles him to but out of his contract after the first year.

#97 Update III- April 7th

The Calgary Flames could finally clinch the Northwest Division title as they take on the surging Vancouver Canucks.  The Canucks however, will try to pull even in points with Calgary making this the most important game to either team.  Also, a bit down the standings in the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers could be official and mathematically out of the playoffs tonight if they loose and either the Nashville Predators or the St. Louis Blues win their games.

 #96 Update II- April 6th

 The race in the Northwest division is heating up as the Vancouver Cancuks draw near the Calgary Flames for the Division title.  At one point, the Cancucks passed the Flames to grab the lead.  The Flames quickly rebounded to re-take the 3rd spot in the conference.  Each team currently has 94 points as the Cancucks lost to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.  The Calgary Flames have one game on hand.  They will make up for the game against the Los Angeles Kings tonight and attempt to gain two points on Vancouver.  Even if the two teams are tied in points at the end of the season, the team with the most wins will take the spot.  Currently, that is the Flames as they have two more wins than the Canucks.  Whatever team wins the division title will take 3rd in the conference.  The runner-up will clinch 5th in the conference behind the 4th placed Blackhawks.  The team which finished in 3rd place will face the surging Columbus Blue Jackets and the team which finishes 5th will face the 4th placed Chicago Blackhawks.  The race will only heat up more as the playoffs approach.

#95 Bruins Ink Thomas- April 4th

The Boston Bruins have signed starting goaltender, Tim Thomas to a 4-year deal apparently worth $20M.  Thomas played in his second all-star game this season and leads the league in both goals against average and save percentage.  Tim is a key part of the Bruins and is likely the reason they sit on top of the Eastern Conference.  He will be backed up by former Maple Leaf prospect, Tukka Rask.  The deal which starts next year will run until the end of the 2012-13 season.  With the possibility of the salary cap being lowered within the next couple of years, it is a big salary to maintain but, if Thomas can keep up his stellar play, he will be well worth the money.

 #91 Canadiens Under New Ownership?- March 23rd

News has spread all over the hockey world that owner of the Montreal Canadiens, George Gillett has intentions off selling some of his assets which may include the Montreal hockey team.  In their centennial season, this may be the deal of the century for the Canadiens.  Earlier this year, Jim Balsille was interviewed about the possibility of buying the Montreal franchise.  When asked if he would move the team he had this to say, "Move the team?  That would be a crime".  Either way, the Canadiens are moving into tough times.  If current owner, George Gillett decides attempt to wash his hands of the franchise, the second rated team in franchise value will have a big fat 'For Sale Sign' on it.  The team was recently valued at upwards of 350M just to give you an idea.  The Toronto Maple Leafs were the only team worth more (about 10M more that the Canadiens).  The two franchises were followed by the Rangers, Detroit, Chicago and the Bruins, all of those being original six teams.

#90 Ovechkin Hits 50, Again- March 20th

It has been a somewhat slow year for Capital's left wing, Alexander Ovechkin but he is still the NHL leader in goals.  For three straight seasons Alex has bagged at least 50 goals.  Last year the Russian forward got 65 of them.  It has been a slow year for Ovechkin in the goals and points category.  Last year, Ovechkin had 60 goals by March 22nd.  That's only two days away!  This year he only has 50 by the 20th.  Despite that, he still leads the league in goal scoring but is only third on the points list where he finished first last season.  His 50th goal was followed by some sort of a dance.  It appeared he was motioning that his stick was hot while it lay on the ice.  All those lovable antics by the young, talented Russian.

#89 Update I- March 19th

This is the first of a series of updates about the stretch toward the playoffs.  We will get started with the first two teams clinching a playoff spot.  The Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks have secured two playoff spots in the western conference.  The next to secure spots will likely be Boston, New Jersey and Washington, all in the Eastern Conference.  In the east, the Penguins have crept up on Philidelphia for the 4th spot in the conference but, Philidelphia has three less games played.  The Rangers are only two points shy of the Pens but, have an extra game to play.  The Canadiens sit one point less than the Rangers.  Montreal has only played 70 games while NY has played 71 and Pittsburgh, 72.  Carolina has 81 points (the same as Montreal) in 72 games.  Florida and Buffalo have each played 70 games.  Florida sits in 9th with 78pts and Buffalo is 10th with 76pts.  To cap off the east, the Leafs are still 10pts out of a playoff spot wit 71 games played.  Moving to the west, Calgary, Chicago, Vancouver and Columbus seem to be cemented into playoff spots but, the final positioning is yet to be determined.  The playoff race in the west in very intimidating as Nashville and Edmonton are sitting in the last two playoff spots.  Edmonton has two less games played than Nashville and only sit one point ahead.  Minnisota and Dallas are tied with 74 points (only one behind the Oil).  Dallas has one more game played.  Other teams on the outside looking in are St. Louis (73pts) and Anaheim (72pts) each with 70GP so far.

#88 Mr. Roy You've Got Some Company- March 18th

Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils has officially broken the record for career wins.  Formerly, this record was held by Brodeurs childhood idol, Patrick Roy who played for the Montreal Canadiens and the Colorado Avalanche.  The win against the Blackhawks gave Martin Brodeur 552 career wins to surpass the record of 551 by Patrick Roy.  Broduer still has a couple of good years left to his career and will likely carry his wins into the six hundreds.  We just have to wait and see if this record will ever be broken.  Here is a little comparison of the two goal tending phenoms.  Brodeur was born in May 6th 1972 in Montreal, Quebec.  Roy was born October 5th, 1965 in Ste. Foy.  Both players French Canadians.  Both enjoyed playing golf with their teammates in the off season.  A Couple facts about Brodeur...  He was originally drafted 20th overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.  The 20th pick was originally Calgary's 1st round pick.  The Flames decided to move up the draft to number eleven by trading their 1st round pick (Martin Brodeur) and two previously acquired 2nd round picks (David Harlock and Chris Gotzaiman) for New Jesrsey 1st and 2nd round selections (Trevor Kidd and Vesa Viitakoski).  Trevor Kidd ended up to be a big bust.  So, Calgary might as well have traded Martin Brodeur for Trevor Kidd.  Martin has played 15 seasons with the Devils and has taken them to the playoffs all but one season.  He has won three Stanley Cups in New Jersey and holds over thirty franchise records for the Devils.  He has won four Vezina Award titles, is a four time William Jennings Trohy winner and a 10-time all star.  He is also only one of two NHL goalies to score a goal in the regular season and in the playoffs.  At this point he holds the record for most wins in a season (48) which is being challenged by Mikka Kipprusoff of the Flames this season and he sits second on the career shutout chart only three behind the retired Terry Sawchuck.  Marty stand 6 foot 2 inches and prefers the butterfly style of goaltending.  There were a pair of other accomplishments last night as well.  Patrick Ellias, Brodeurs teammate became the all-time leading point getter in Devils history.  Last but not least, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins had a three-point night to surpass 100 points and now has 102.  He is leading the lead.  Second to Malkin is none other that teammate Sidney Crosby with ninety-two points this season.  Back to Brodeur, he is arguably the best goaltender to ever play the game and now, there is just more proof of it.

#87 Happy St. Patrick's Day- March 17th

Hello and a happy St. Patrick's Day to you!  Whether you are Irish or not we can all enjoy a little St. Patty's Day spirit.  Catch the action as the former Toronto St. Patricks face the Lightning.  Also coming up is the possibility of the much anticipated game as the New Jersey Devils will face the Chicago Blackhawks.  If the Devils win it will be the record breaking game for Martin Brodeur.  He needs just one win to take over the record of the NHL leader in career wins in league history.  Good luck to him and his whole team.  In spirit of the day, maybe a four leaf clover might help.

 # 86 Surging Penguins Knock Off Bruins- March 15th 

 The knewly rejuvinated Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from deficits twice to take down the conference leading Boston Btuins 6-4.  Gergei Gonchar and Chris Kinitz scored 18 seconds apart and Sykora bagged the game winner later in the same period to out do the Bruins.  The Pens jumped ahead of the idle Canadiens in the crowded Eastern Conference standings to 5th place.  The Penguins have won eight of their last ten and have gained points in each game.  With the addition of Bill Geurin the Penguins have thrived and hopefully will continue to down the stretch and into the playoffs.

#85 Brodeur Joins The Elite- March 14th

As if he didn't already belong with the elite, Brodeur tied Patrik Roy's record of most career wins earlier today with a win against the Montreal Canadiens.  He may very well break Terry Sawchuck's record for most career shutouts.  The next win will be a huge record breaker for Marty.  As Bodeur sets the records, others are tearing them town.  Calgary's Mikka Kipprusoff is on track this season to break Brodeur's record for most wins in a single season.  Either way, the next fifteen or so games might just be full of new goaltending records if both goalies can step up.

#84 Chasing An Idol- March 14th

Martin Brodeur could tie the NHL record for career wins tonight in his hometown against his favorite team growing up with his idol, the current record holder, Patrik Roy watching.  The long-awaited record breaking is almost here as if he wins his next game he will need just one more to break the all-time record for a goaltender.

#83 Leafs Ride An Overtime Streak- March 8th

The Toronto Maple Leafs have tied an NHL record for the first time in a long while.  The Leafs have gone to overtime in seven straight games.  Some losses, some wins but all of them in overtime which means, at least a point in seven straight games.  The Leafs did notbreak the record as they stonewalled the Capitals 2-1 in regulation time.  That game being Martin Gerber's first game since January and jhis first game as a Toronto Maple Leaf.  Although, his second game did not go over as well, he will likely start next game for the Leafs.

 #82 Roberts Calls it a Career- March 6th

Unclaimed on waivers on trade deadline day, the 42-year-old veteran will not play another game with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. He had already announced that he would retire at the end of this season.  A formal announcement of Roberts' retirement is expected from the Lightning. Roberts' contract worked against him being picked up on waivers. His cap hit was more than $2 million and he has a bonus package that pays him $10,000 for each game he plays. Roberts was Selected by the Calgary Flames 12th overall (1st round) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.He went on to win a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1988-89.In 1996, at the age of 30, Roberts announced his retirement from hockey due to injuries, but he underwent an intense re-conditioning program and returned to the NHL after the following season.In 1224 career NHL games with Calgary, Carolina, Toronto, Florida, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, Roberts had 438 goals and 471 assists for 909 points, adding 2560 PIM.

 #81 Dust Settling- March 6th

Now that the dust has settled from the trade deadline, one general manager looks like a genius.  Calgary Flames general manager, Darryl Sutter made two large deals at the deadline acquiring center Olli Jokinen and defenseman Jordan Leopold.  Jokinen was acquired from the Coyotes for Lombardi a prospect in Brandon PRust and a conditional draft pick.  Leopold however, costed a bit less.   Both players had a great debut as Jokinen scored two goals and Leopold an assist in the first game since the deadline.  Martin Gerber also had a great debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs posting a 97 save percentage and the shutout was only spoiled in the last minute of the game with the Capital's net empty.

#80 Trade Deadline Complete- March 4th

It was a rather slow deadline compared to the last three years with only 22 trades.  A few trades still trickled in as it past 3 o'clock eastern time.  Before we look at who was traded lets see who wasnt picked up.  The man rumored around the most is not leaving Florida as Jay Bouwmeester is staying for the remainder of the season.  Him and Florida have not come to a contract agreement because Bouwmeester just does not want to continue his career with the Panthers.  This summer will be his first years as an unrestricted free agent and as a veteran.  Alexei Kovalev was also not traded today.  He was rumored to be in a deal which would package Erik Cole with another player for the Russian Kovalev.  The lengths of Marian Gaborik, Keith Tkachuk and Chris Neil didn't draw enough attention to be traded either.  Also remaining untouched is Toronto defenseman Thomas Kaberle and goaltender Vesa Toskala.  While on the subject of the Leafs, they acquired goalie Martin Gerber off waivers from the Ottawa Senators.  Toronto also did some cleaning as they traded Domonic Moore (who they could not come to a contract agreement with) to Buffalo in return for a second round pick via the Hurricanes.  They also traded their star player, Nik Antrapov to the New York Rangers for a second round pick and a conditional draft pick based on whether or not Antrapov signs with them for next year.  At the last Minute Toronto traded a prospect to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defensemen Jamie Howard, Andy Rogers and Goaltender Olaf Kolzig.  Ottawa signed Filip Kuba to an extension and acquired Pascal Leclaire and a second round pick for center Antoine Vermette.  To wrap up eastern Canada, the Canadiens got a prospect.  Going west, the Vancouver Canucks did not make a move staying silent.  The Oilers made a pair of trades at the last minute and they were officially put through fourty-five minutes after the deadline.  Edmonton traded Erik Cole to the Hurricanes (where he won the Cup in 2006) in a three way trade which ended Patrik O'sullivan, the LA forward in Edmonton and Jutin Williams went from Carolina to  the Kings.  Also, Edmonton they acquired Ales Kotalik from the Buffalo Sabres for a second round pick.  Their Albertan rivals, the Calgary Flames were arguably the busiest team in the NHL acquiring Olli Jokinen from the Coyotes in return for Mathew Lombardi, prospect Brandon Prust and a conditional 1st round draft pick.  Calgary also acquired defenseman Jordan Leopold from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Lawrence Nycholat and Ryan Wilson and a second-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.  Moving to the States, the Dallas Stars claimed forwars Brendan Morrison off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks.  Also on the move was Steve Montador and forward Petteri Nokelainen.  The St. Louis Blues acquired defenseman Danny Richmond from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Andy Wozniewski.  The Islanders traded Bill Geurin to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional 5th round pick.  The Islanders were pegged to be the busiest sellers this deadline but only managed to move on of their long list.  Two names included on the list were Doug Weight and Brendan Witt.  Boston acquired defenseman Steve Montador from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Petteri Nokelainen.  Erik Christiensen was on the move for the second straight year as he was shipped to the Ducks for a prospect.  Coyote center Stephan Reinchent will be serving at least the rest of the season with Phoenix.  The last bit of trade news left to be told is Derek Morris is officially a Ranger as the Coyotes traded him to New York in a deal which sent forwards Dmitri Kalinin, Nigel Dawes and former 1st round draft pick Petr Prucha to the Big Apple.  This was definitly a dry deadline day but, the Daily Line article shure beat last years (the first ever Daily Line article written) in length.

 #79 Bill Guerin Not Right Fit for Islanders- March 1st

We are finally out of February and trade talks are increasing by the hour.  With three days before the deadline, teams are getting ready for the deadline rush.  The most recent rumors we have heard are surrounding the Islanders.  Players rumored to be in the mix are Brendan Witt, Doug Weight, *Bill Guerin and others.  Guerin is the one with the most talk.  We have linked Bill to trades which may involve Washington, Montreal and New Jersey.  In some cases we have heard about a package deal which would send Guerin along with Doug Weight.  The most likely destination for Guerin seems to be Washington.  He clearly stated he would only waive his no-trade clause for a Cup contending team in the Eastern conference.  If you ask me, that is not where the Cup is going anyway.  Winding this down, its just a matter of time now until we find out where he's going or whether he is staying.  Check the 'Trade Countdown' page for the latest rumors.

#78 1 Year of Daily Line- February 27th

Today marks one full year since the first article of the 'Daily Line' series.  The first article was about the trade deadline which took place the day before the post was published (February 26th 2008).  This year's trade deadline comes eight days after the date it occured last year.  We are still waiting for the 2009 deadline which should prove to be full of activity.  The last two years have had twenty-five trades each which is a NHL record.  The upcoming trade date will be covered by TotalNHL and all trades should be posted by 3:30pm at the latest.  So far, there have been several trades and moves made that have seen players change teams such as Ryan Whitney swaped for Chris Kinitz and a minor leaguer, Steve Beigin departing Montreal and two Philidelphia players in C Glen Metropolit and D Ossi Vaananen changing teams through waivers.  Rumors are swirling make sure to check TotalNHL often for the absoloute latest information about trades, waivers and signings.

 #77 So Long Whitney- February 26th

The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded veteran defenseman Ryan Whitney to the Anajeim Ducks in exchange for Chris Kinitz and Eric Tangradi in a trade which saw the Penguin's defense change dramatically.  After missing the first 31 games of the season, Ryan became expendable on a wealthy defensive team.  The Pens should get a secondary scoring boost with the addition of Kinitz while the Ducks will likely get better defensively.

#76 Another Canadian Trade- February 21st

The Ottawa Senators have acquired forward Mike Comrie and defenseman Chris Campoli from the New York Islanders for Center Dean McAmmond and this thier 2009 first round draft pick.  Mike comrie will make his return to the Sens this afternoon as they face the struggling Montreal Canadiens who will include Kovalev in the lineup for the first time in 3 games.  The pick which has been traded promises to be a good one as the sens currently sit 5th to dead last in the league.  The Islanders will have two great picks as they are last in the league (unless they trade one before draft day).  It may be a long-shot but it is possible the struggling New York teams may have the 1-2 combo to open next season.  It was obviously a terrible trade especially due to the fact that Comrie is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

 #75 Trade Wheels Turning- February 17th

The wheels have officially commenced.  Veteran Mathieu Shneider has once again been traded.  This time, it was from Atlanta to the struggling Montreal Canadiens.  In exchange, Atlanta will receive second and third picks in the 09' and 10' draft.  Yes, it starts out the trading but, it takes away possible destinations for other players.  For the second to last placed Thrashers this is just a step towards a brighter future with young prospects.  Shneider was called up on waivers from the Ducks earlier in the year and will soon be joining yet another team.  Although, he did play in Montreal for 7 years earlier in his career and won a Stanley Cup in that very same arena.

#74 Four More Years In Missouri- February 9th

The St. Louis Blues have signed center Andy McDonald to a four-year 18.8 million dollar contract.  The 31 year old has been sidelined for most of the season with a fractuared left leg.  He is hoping to make a return to the team by season's end.

#73 Avery Finally Clears Waivers- February 9th

The avery saga in Dallas seems to be coming to a close.  Forward Sean Avery has officially cleared waivers and will be sent to an AHL team in the coming days.  There has been talk lately of the Rangers in the hunt for Avery.  Currently, he is avaliable to any team who wants to pay him which the Rangers didn't seem to want to do in the summer when they let him go to free agency.

#72 One Down One to Go- January 28th 

With limited time before the trade deadline, the Detroit Red Wings have signed soon to be UFA Henrik Zetterberg.  The other contract needing to be signed is Johan Franzen.  At this point it appears as if the team will need to make some cap clearing moves be the deadline to fit both players on the roster.  Henrik was signed to a team record 12 years for 72M.  This will see him earning an average of 6 million per season.  He will likely not play the last few years of his contract seeing as by the time the deal expires, Zetterberg will be a wealthy 40-year-old.  Zetterberg was drafted 210th overall in the 1999 entry draft.  He is currently engaged to singer/actress Emma Anderson.  He is only one of the seven Swedish players on the team.  Zetterberg contributes consistently to both the offensive and defensive core of the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

#71 Sens Looking at Other Options for Gerber- January 27th

 Martin Gerber may have over stayed his welcome in Kanada as the Sens are looking at other options for him.  It is apparent that he is not wanted any longer in the Capital.  His next stop will likely be a new city, rather than a puck.  He is currently taking 3.7 million against the cap.  Unless a team wants to take a chance and give him a shot at starter, it is a huge amount of money to be giving away.  Anyway, the best move for a team would be to pick him up at a discounted price on waivers. 

#70 Eastern Domination- January 26th

The Eastern team yet again took bragging rights with a win in the all-star game last night in Montreal.  Stealing the show were Ovechkin, Malkin and Alexei Kovalev who took home a brand-new Honda Ridgeline as MVP of the game.  His game-winning goal in shootout proved to top off his MVP honors and assure him the title.  The modern all-star game as it has been since the 70s is played East vs. West.  Other formats that could or have been used are as follows.  North America/ Europe, Youngsters/ Veterans, or even Canada versus the world.  Any game would be quite entertaining although, it seems as if the modern, current formatting is here to stay, at least for now.

#69 Skills Competition Goes Flashy- January 25th

Alexander Ovechkin brought some props to the skills competition en route to his second straight creative shootout competition.  Other notable winners were Andrew Cogliano; fastest skater, Evgeni Malkin; acuuracy shooting.  Finally, the record for hardest shot set 16 years ago has been broken my Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara with 105.4m/H.

#68 Mathieu Garon Out, Roloson Back In- January 18th

 #67 The Insurmountable Deficit- January 17th

#66 Big, Late Signings- January 14th

#65 Canada Completed Drive for 5- January 7th

Team Canada defeated Sweeden 5-1 Monday night to bring home their 5th straight gold medal at the Juniors. John Tavares won the MVP in the championship award while goaltender Tokarski took home the most valuable player of the game. This was yet another great game for both teams and will be remembered. Coming next year to Regina, Drive for Six, it doesn’t rhyme but, we'll work on it.

#64 World Juniors Coming to an End- January 5th 2009

With the nail-biting defeat of Russia, Canada is ready for the final game against Sweeden. This is a re-match of last year's final in which Sweeden took gold and left Canada with a silver medal. TSN predictions left Canada with only a Bronze medal, Canada already exceeding that.