The hideous All Star Game uniforms may make the Oregon Ducks proud but, for many NHL fans, they are emblematic of a game and idea that is well past its prime and usefulness. Much like alternative uniforms and third jerseys, the All Star Game has been a joke for decades and is a waste of a weekend that could be better used for meaningful regular season games. And with the final week of meaningful action before next weekend’s All Star break let’s fire away with this week’s thoughts on goal.
Island Retreat
Not only are the New York Islanders the top team in the Metropolitan Division but they are also among the most entertaining teams in the game. Center John Tavares has blossomed into a superstar in his fifth year in the league. Tavares is playing with a poise and maturity beyond his 24 years of age. Last week, he electrified the home crowd at Nassau Coliseum by joining them in the traditional “Yes Yes Yes” chant after scoring a game winning goal. Tavares has a shot at a 40 goal season but, more important, is the catalyst to a team that could make noise come playoff time. In their final year at the Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders will head to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center next year with considerable momentum and cache.
Kings Look for On Switch
Ever since winning the 2012 Stanley Cup as the eight seed in the West, the Los Angeles Kings have been a team that has had the remarkable ability to turn it on when games mattered most. The Kings have had the past luxury of being able to coast through the regular season, doing just enough to get into the playoffs where they then go into overdrive. This year, however, the Kings are struggling to find that on button as player absences continue to mount. Center Tyler Taffoli is now out indefinitely with mono and joins defensemen Robyn Regehr, Slava Voynov, and left wing Tanner Pearson on the outside looking in. Monday’s 2-0 home win over Toronto was much more Kings like in style and result and perhaps a portent of things to come.
No Surprise that Leafs are Falling
Toronto lost two out of their first three games under interim head coach Peter Horachek and have shown no signs of changing their mercurial personality. The old adage about defense never leaving even as the offense will fully pertains to Toronto. The Leafs run and gun style is entertaining but a style that cannot sustain long term success in a shutdown league. What continues to be most nauseating about the Leafs is their sense of entitlement. With just one playoff berth since 2004, the Leafs clearly have a culture that is soft. At the end of the day upper management is most responsible for the debacle. First-year team president Brendan Shanahan is slowly and methodically changing the leadership structure but much more must be done.
Minnesota Mediocrity
Although head coach Mike Yeo has led the Minnesota Wild to the playoffs the past two seasons the lack of a quality goaltender is dooming Minnesota to what is looking like a lost season. Yeo has done a decent job but his tirade last week did not come off well or as credible. It was the sign of a man on the brink of extinction and out of answers. The mega million dollar contracts for left win Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter in 2013 have marginally improved the Wild but have hardly gotten them over the hump. This highlights the importance of a team developing its own stars and depth which Minnesota has not done well enough since their founding in 2000.
Hockey Night in Canada
Things have certainly changed for this iconic brand with new host George Stroumboulopoulos serving as a radical departure from the institution that was Ron Maclean. The new set and content comes off as contrived and hip for the sake of being hip. Perhaps the best part of the new Rogers package is Sunday Night Hometown Hockey with the legendary Bob Cole calling games. It has become the perfect way to end a weekend. As for the rest of HNIC and related programming it is a taste that many are yet to acquire and seems to be more about hype than substance.
