FANTASY HOCKEY PICKS: PLAYOFF EDITION

If you can remember back in September, the PrairiePuck gave you all a hand in your Fantasy Hockey Drafts, and if you followed our advice, we may have single handedly allowed you to win your draft with our picks, particularly in the "Sleeper" category with guys like Parise, Camalerri, or Kessel. The Postseason is less than 1 month away (Set to begin on April 15), and with the Playoffs comes a brand new collection of players to pick for your playoff drafts.

So get together with your friends, co-workers, or people you just enjoy beating in any kind of competition, print off this advice, and enjoy the money coming your way in June when you have won your Playoff Pool, solely from our advice. Here we go....


GOALTENDERS

Martin Brodeur - Let's face it, Brodeur is the king. The mistake that most people make during playoff pools is that they pick their favourite players, on their favourite teams, or even players that have lead the league during the regular season. What you need to consider is which player is best to pick, that will be around to provide you with points for more than an early round exit. Brodeur is an excellent pick in this category, as not only is he an unbelievable keeper, he has tons of playoff experience, and the New Jersey Devils should be considered contenders this season.

Evgeni Nabokov - Nabokov tops our selection in the West, seeing that he plays on the consistent (although somewhat shaky lately) Sharks, who will be major contenders this season. Nabokov played his absolute best hockey last season during the playoffs, particularly against Division rival Dallas Stars, and he'll do the same this year.

WILD CARD PICKS - Martin Biron, Marc-Andre Fleury, Miikka Kiprusoff, Ty Conklin


DEFENSEMEN

Dan Boyle - The San Jose Sharks will undoubtedly contend for the Cup, so who better a selection than an offensive defenseman like Dan boyle of the Sharks.

Niklas Lidstrom - You may see a trend developing here. Who is going to meet in the Western Conference Final? Nik Lidstrom, or even his defensive counterpart Brian Rafalski are good picks in this situation, both with Playoff experience, championship rings, and oh right...they're #1 and #2 in defensemen scoring in the league.

Sergei Gonchar - It seems like the Penguins have just clicked ever since Gonchar got comfortably back in the lineup after missing a hefty portion of the season to injury. Crosby + Malkin + Guerin + Kunitz + Gonchar = SCARY GOD DAMN POWERPLAY. Any point that Crosby gets in the playoffs, expect Gonchar to be in the supporting cast.

Zdeno Chara - Chara, since joining Boston a couple years back, has been a key factor in restoring a winning tradition in the state of Massachusetts, and they COULD go far in the playoffs. We stress COULD because we believe that the Bruins' record should not fool you. The Bruins will not make it passed the 2nd round, and may not even make it passed the first round if they play a fired up Canadiens team, who you know are hoping for that matchup.

WILDCARDS - Mike Green, Kimmo Timonen, Brian Campbell, Dion Phaneuf

FORWARDS

Sidney Crosby - The heart and soul of the Penguins franchise will lead them into the playoffs, peaking at the right time, and hell, they could make noise in competing for a second straight Stanley cup this season.

Patrick Marleau - Hopefull, Marleau hasn't switched roles this season. He has constantly been criticized for not producing up to expectations during the season, but he has ALWAYS produced well in the playoffs. This season, we believe that this SK product will lead his team to a Stanley Cup Championship.

PICK ONE: Jarome Iginla - Olli Jokinen - Mike Cammalerri - Calgary may be a little shaky right now, but have made themselves serious contenders for a championship with the addition of Olli Jokinen, who by the way has been tearing it up since his arrival to Calgary from the trade dealine acquisition

Henrik Zetterberg - You won't find too many players that wear their hearts on their sleeves like this reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner from last playoffs. The best 2-way player in the playoffs this year by far.


TEAMS TO FOLLOW

The trick to these picks, like we mentioned, is to pick good players that will produce, but will produce in multiple rounds. Which teams will make it far?

SAN JOSE SHARKS
DETROIT RED WINGS
WILD CARDS - CALGARY FLAMES, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
WILD CARDS - PHILADELPHIA FLYERS, NEW YORK RANGERS, WASHINGTON
CAPITALS, BOSTON BRUINS

(Pretty safe to say that the East is in question)



PP

DOWN THE STRETCH

The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs seem to be right around the corner, and that means a couple significant things if you are as big of a playoff fanatic as the PrairiePuck. The first is of course the matchups for the opening round. The way the standings are shaping up right now, chances are we will not see any surprises in the top 3 Division Leader seeds in each conference, but in comparision to last season, seeds 4-8 may surprise you. Our predictions for round one are, starting in the Eastern Conference:

BOSTON BRUINS (1) vs BUFFALO SABRES (8)

The logic behind this one is simple. The Bruins are obviously a sizeable force this season in the Eastern Conference, so they will lock up the #1 seed hands down. The #8 seed, however will go to the Buffalo Sabres, who will just barely edge out the Carolina Hurricanes, who will miss the playoffs for the 3rd straight year (and 2nd straight year by only a hair) The difference this year, is that Washington will win the division with a generous lead, making another PP prediction from the beginning of the year true...that The Capitals will be the only SoutEast team to make the playoffs for the 2nd straight year. The Florida Panthers should be commended for their efforts this season, but in the end, Buffalo's speedy and skilled forwards like Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford, and Thomas Vanek will be too much to handle. This will be one of the most entertaining, and quickest opening series to watch.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (2) vs MONTREAL CANADIENS (7)

-Marty Brodeur is the god damn king, and we all know it. Currently, he is 2 wins away from the all-time wins record, and 4 shutouts away from the all-time shutout record, so the guy knows his shit. Best of all about this team, is that they played some of their best hockey this season without Marty in the lineup. They have speed, they have skill, and most importantly they have depth, particularly in net with Scott Clemmensen. The Canadiens will continue their slide for the next month, finishing just a couple points ahead of Buffalo for the #7 seed. Sadly, with all of the negative press, distractions, and the recent firing of Guy Carbonneau, we don't see the Habs making it passed the 1st round, laying any hopes of a fairy tale season to rest. The Habs organization should take a step back and look at the last coach they fired when the team "struggled"...I think Mr. Julien is doing quite well for himself now. The Habs are becoming the new Leafs.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS (3) vs PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (6)

This one may just be the most watched series of the entire first round. Showcasing some of the best young talent in the league with Mike Green, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Semin, and of course the heated rivalry between Sid the Kid and Ovie, This matchup seems to be more and more inevitable every day.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (4) vs NEW YORK RANGERS (5)

Heated Atlantic Division rivals will be the showcase for the final matchup in the opening round, between the 4th seed Flyers and the 5th seed Blueshirts. If the Flyers had to be summed up in one word, they are simply "tough" in all aspects of the game. The Rangers however, are a different story, and have lost the touch they broke out of the season with, and truth be told, we here believe that the Rangers have the ability to go far into the playoffs. The catalyst that will propel this Rangers team is none other than Sean Avery.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

DETROIT RED WINGS (1) vs EDMONTON OILERS (8)

Yes sir, the first round to come out of the Western Conference will be a familiar one to many Oilers and Red Wings fans from back in 2006. The Red Wings will slightly (only slightly) edge out the Sharks for the #1 seed this year, drawing the Edmonton Oilers, a team which really can never seem to lift themselves from hovering around that 8th seed. Although the result of the series in 2006 was a surprise, chances are we won't be seeing an upset in this first round. Not that the PrairiePuck is abandoning its predicition that Saskatchewan-born Patrick Marleau will hoist the Stanley Cup this season, but the Red Wings will likely win round one vs the Oil.

SAN JOSE SHARKS (2) vs DALLAS STARS (7)

You guessed it. Members of both the Sharks and the Stars from last season won't soon forget their unbelievable Western Semi-final series, highlighted by an amazing quadruple OT winner by SK-born hero Brendan Morrow. This season, we will be looking at the same match-up a little earlier, showcasing the same stellar "big game" goaltending in Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov. Expect some multiple OTs in this series as well.

CALGARY FLAMES (3) vs VANCOUVER CANUCKS (6)

Adding to an already impressive number of unbelievable matchups, this barn-burner between Northwest Division foes the Flames and the Canucks will be nothing short of spectacular. Expect the series to go to no less than 6 games

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (4) vs COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (5)

This series will happen, and it will be one of the quickest series you've ever seen. Not in the length of games, but the speed on the ice. This will showcase some of the best young talent in scoring, defense, and goaltending, particularly in rookie sensation Columbus netminder Steve Mason. This division-rival series, which makes 3 Western Division-rival opening matchups will be a classic.

So there you have it, the predicitons for the opening rounds made by the PrairiePuck.

The second most important thing to keep in mind during the playoff season are Playoff Beards. Although different to many sports, the playoff beard is not just a tradition for the players, it is for the fans as well. Here are the rules that you must follow in growing and maintaining your playoff beards.

1. The very second that your favourite team locks up a birth into the playoffs, this is the same point that you will begin to grow your playoff beard. Many people believe that it is when the playoffs physically begin, but this is bullshit. So by my calculations, Eric has about 2-3 games to go before the Wings can lock up a spot, and the Flames have about 6-7 games. It will be a long and gross playoff season.

2. The second rule about playoff beards is that you must shave immediately after your team has been eliminated from the playoffs.

3. The third and final rule, is that there is only one condition that allows your to alter your playoff bear situation. If your team is struggling in the playoffs, a quick trim, or a few changes here or there to the beard are acceptable to relieve your team from their funk, otherwise, the beard must be left untouched. Cleaned properly, but untouched by any form of shaving utensil.

Happy playoffs,

PP

SASKATOON, SK. - A Hockey Tradition

Although Regina holds the history in Saskatchewan of being the oldest Major Junior Hockey franchise in the world (The Regina Pats founded in 1917), the city just a few hours North of the Queen City is often overlooked in the hockey community, and it really shouldn't be.

Benjamin and Toppings may be a tad bit biased to Regina, as they currently live in the Queen City and are huge supporters of the Regina Pats, particularly Canadian World Junior Gold Medalists Jordan Eberle and Colton Tuebert, but Saskatoon is still an important city to the PrairiePuck, and to the rest of Saskatchewan.

Recently, Saskatoon has been recognized on many levels in both Junior and Major hockey on both the Professional and International levels. Last year, PrairiePuck writers Toppings and Benji travelled up to Saskatoon in September, to take in the action of the Summit Series remake between Team Canada and Team Russia for the 2007 Canada/Russia Super Series. Canada won a thrilling game 4-1, which featured current NHL youngstars Sam Gagner, Kyle Turris, Saskatoon-native Luke Schenn, Drew Doughty, Brandon Sutter, Milan Lucic, and a stellar performance in net by Columbus BlueJackets netminder Steve Mason.

Perhaps the result of Saskatoon hosting just one of the 4 Super Series games in Canada gave Bob Nicholson and the rest of Hockey Canada an idea of the loyal, hockey-crazed, and completely insane hockey fans of Saskatchewan, and maybe this game foreshadowed what would come in a few short years:

On December 26, 2009, Saskatoon and Regina will host the 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, in which Canada will attempt to break the all-time consecutive Gold Medal winning streak with their 6th in a row. Not only are they in prime shape to do so, we may just see a hometown Regina boy Jordan Eberle wear the Captain's "C", and another hometown Saskatoon boy Brayden Schenn suit up for his country. If you have the opportunity to get your hands on any tickets, don't think about buying them. JUST BUY THEM! The experience alone of being in that type of atmosphere would be unreal, and if the Superseries game was any indication of how crazy the atmosphere can get, take it from us, it will be a hell of a time, and a great opportunity to show your Canadian colours and support the team.

On the professional level, we can not talk about Saskatoon without mentioning the name William Dickenson Hunter. Hunter was born in 1920 in Saskatoon, and spent the duration of his education at Notre Dame College in Wilcox, SK. He was one of the greatest sports promoters in Canadian history, and among a small group of Team owners, he had a huge part in forming the Western Hockey League, which now develops some of the best NHL prospects each year. Hunter attempted to purchase an NHL franchise twice in his career, the first being the Pittsburgh Penuins, which failed. After the bid's failure, Hunter teamed with two American hockey promoters to form the WHA (World Hockey Association)

One particular teamin the WHA, owned by Hunter, was the Alberta Oilers, who would eventually merge into the NHL and are known to most of us as the Edmonton Oilers. Yes the same "City of Champions" Edmonton Oilers that brought so many fantastic seasons, huge superstars, and so many championships in the 80s, and who are currently celebrating their 30th anniversary.

The second and final bid for an NHL franchise could have seen the green and gold fields of Saskatchewan rubbing elbows with elite Original 6 teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, and The New York Rangers. I know what you're thinking.. "Why"??.....You wanna know why? Cause Fuck the Leafs....That's why. The bid, by Hunter and a group of promoters was to move the struggling St. Louis Blues franchise from Missouri to Hunter's old stomping grounds of Saskatoon. It was almost a done deal too, except the League did not see it to be a good idea to move the franchise to a smaller hockey market like Saskatoon. Needless to say, the bid failed, and this was the closest that Saskatchewan has come to an NHL team. Do we need one though? Not exactly at the moment. We are still content with harbouring some of the greatest players in the world in our province.

The city of Saskatoon is not completely out of the woods in the professional hockey sense. Prior to the next NHL Season, Saskatoon will play host to the New York Islanders' annual training camp, and 2 Exhibition games between the Calgary Flames and Islanders, and the Edmonton Oilers and Islanders. Unfortunately, for you Islanders, Flames, or Oilers fanatics, these two games are in fact sold out. Although the Islanders are absolutely brutal this season, the city of Saskatoon will get the opportunity to see some of the future superstars of the game in training camp, including Kyle Okposo, and possibly even the great Jon Tavares. Don't miss the chance to see some good players on a brutal team in action prior to next season.

It is pretty clear to see that Saskatoon, and the rest of Saskatchewan for that matter has the ability to host, and potentially could have been home to, and in the future will be home to some of the greatest games ever played.



PP

Sask Flavour at the Trade Deadline

If you want a "winners and losers" segment then go check out TSN. They're great for that. We know if you are reading this, you've likely seen that already, and have your mind made up about what you think. We all know Jokinen (who I think is the most underrated player in the league) is going to kick ass in Calgary, and although they lose Lombardi it was definitely an upgrade that will help them battle Detroit and Patrick Marleau's SJ Sharks. What you may not know, because there is no SportsNet Saskatchewan, is that three solid hometown boys got moved around as well.

We at the Prairie Puck, would like to apologize for not looking further past the shadow of Ryan Getzlaf. The big forward has become a huge star in the NHL, and as a previous Wendel Clark Award winner, he has received the glory. The two other SK born Duck players, Travis Moen and Chris Kunitz, have gone relatively unmentioned. Sometimes it takes a change to get attention, and both players have been traded. Now, apologetically, we give them the attention they deserve. Here they are, the Saskatchewan flavour on the move at the trade deadline.

Chris Kunitz

He was born in Regina, SK, and this week was traded from the Anaheim Ducks (where he played with Moen and Getzlaf) to the Pittsburg Penguins (where he'll get to play with Crosby and that awkward looking fellow).

Kunitz took an althernate route to the NHL, playing for the Melville Millionaire's of the SJHL before moving to the NCAA ranks. He had 60 points in his only Stanley Cup winning season. We know Chris will flourish on a young, underachieving-this-year team with a bright future.

Olaf Kolzig

Few people know this, but Olaf Kolzig grew up right here in Saskatchewan, around Regina as far as I know. He was born in Germany, and that is why he's played for the German National Team instead of Canada's. Kolzig is long past his years, but the years he's past were great. He somehow brought the lowly Washington Capitals all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately they met the mighty Detroit Red Wings, who never gave them a chance. Still, Kolzig's performance in those playoffs was as great as John Vanbeesbruck's when he took Florida up against Colorado in the finals. Kolzig won the Vezina trophy in 2000 as the league's best goaltender as well.

He has been injured for much of the season (right now out with a shoulder injury), and so he was merely trade bait sent to Toronto from Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, I must say I don't really care about this trade, because Toronto gets basically nothing but a 4th round draft pick out of the deal. With their terrible scouting, and Brian Burke's poor performance in the draft, let's just be happy the Olaf Kolzig is taking some of their money. We're happy for ya Olli. Keep it up.

Travis Moen

This strapping 26 year old hails from Swift Current. He played his junior hockey in the city "where life makes sense" and was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2000. He played with the Anaheim Ducks, helping them win the Stanley Cup. He brought the Cup home to Saskatchewan, which you'll see in the upcoming story. You might be interested to hear that I saw Travis Moen playing shinny in EASTEND FREAKING SASKATCHEWAN over the summer. He's obviously awesome because of this alone. This year, in a close-to-the-deadline move, he was traded to the 2nd place San Jose Sharks. With Anaheim battling for a playoff spot, we hope that Travis will love his new home in SJ.

An interesting tale about Travis Moen. When it was his turn to have the Stanley Cup, he did what any great guy would do. He brought it home, to Swift Current Saskatchewan. After a night of partying with Lord Stanley at a bar and at home, Moen woke up early. He grabbed some dish soap, went into his back yard, turned on the hose, and started scrubbing. Eventually the man in the white gloves (the Stanley Cup holder guy) came out and said, "what do you think you're doing?" Travis admitted he was cleaning it, and the Cup Keeper said,

"There are only two other players I've ever seen who cleaned it after a night with it: Scott Stevens and Steve Yzerman."

That's right folks, two of the greatest captains the NHL has seen, and there's Travis Moen in select company.

So, as uneventful as the Trade Deadline may have been, we're happy for these three players. They have all moved on to situations at least as good as the ones they were in before. We'll keep an eye on them, to see if the trades can spark that something that often turns good players into great ones, at least for a season or two. Stay tuned, where you'll get view a hilarious discussion between Toppings and me about the many ways Toronto screwed up leading to the deadline. You stay classy Saskatchewan.

P.O.M Awards for January/February

Due to our tardiness, we need to apologize that there was not any selections for Players of the Month for January, so as promised, the January and February months will be comined for this edition. And the winners of the Players of the Month for both January and February are....


TOP FORWARD

Zach Parise - New Jersey Devils / Alex Ovechkin - Washington Capitals

-For the first time in the short history of the PrairiePuck's Players of the Month awards, we have a tie for the Top Forward Award. Zach Parise has become the young gun and new face of the Devils' franchise, and is leading his team in strong fashion into a playoff run, with the newly returning Marty Brodeur playing strong as ever. In January and February, Parise notched 17 goals and 16 assists for 33 points, making him the top all-around player for these two months. Currently sitting at 4th in the league in points with 77 and 2nd in goals with 38, there's no telling how far the Devils could make it this season.




It seems to be a different verse of the same song to mention Alex Ovechkin in a performance award category, and his numbers have proved it throughout the season. His latest accomplishments have been the 21 goals and 12 assists that he has tallied in the last 2 months, propelling him to 2nd in the league with 82 points, and 1st in the league with 46 goals.



A notable runner up for this extremely competitive category is Calgary's Michael Cammalerri, who consistently notched 19 goals and 10 assists for 29 points in January and February.


TOP DEFENSEMAN

Mike Green - Washington Capitals

-The top defenseman category for January and February looks a little more like an offensive category than defensive. Mike Green, a native of Calgary, Alberta has made a serious campaign for himself for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic team, by not only setting a new record for most consecutive games scoring a goal by a defenseman (8 games), but he tallied 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points in the last 2 months, matching his offensive phenom teammate Alex Ovechkin. Could the Capitals be serious contenders this season with the depth they have in offensive talent?








TOP GOALTENDER

Miikka Kiprusoff - Calgary Flames

-Although last night maybe wasn't the greatest indication of how the past 2 months have gone for Kipper, he has been the solid backbone of the Flames franchise so far in 2009, posting a
15-5-2 record over the two months, and looks to be in prime form to reach Martin Brodeur's single season win record of 48 (He currently sits at 37, with a whole lot more hockey left to play in the season)








TOP ROOKIE

Bobby Ryan - Anaheim Ducks

-If there is one player in the league that we feel sorry for, it has to be Bobby Ryan. The kid is an excellent player, but how would you feel if you were drafted 2nd overall directly after Sidney Crosby? It would be excellent company to be associated with, but the expectation is huge. Fortunately, Bobby Ryan has come into his own this season, and has made a name for himself so far in 2009 with 15 goals and 7 assists for 23 points.











WENDEL CLARK ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR SK BORN PLAYER

Patrick Marleau - San Jose Sharks

-What a season the Aneroid, SK. native is having. notching 16 goals and 9 assists so far in January allows Marleau to nab his 2nd Wendel Clark Award this season, 1 ahead of Ryan Getzlaf and Scotty Hartnell with one a piece. Marleau is on pace for a career season, and is currently sitting at 5th in the league in goals with 35, and 13th in the league in points with 63. He is clicking at the right time and is leading his team strong into the playoffs, where HE WILL HOIST THE STANLEY CUP!!





AND THE MVP FOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY AS CHOSEN BY THE PRAIRIE PUCK IS:

D MIKE GREEN - WASHINGTON CAPITALS

It goes without saying that the Capitals are a force to be reckoned with this season, and hockey is back in DC. They seem to be piling up the PrairiePuck awards, with MVP honours already going to Alexander Semin in October and Alex Ovechkin in November. Defenseman Mike Green of Washington now joins the list, and Washington looks in good shape to rival San Jose for the most PrairiePuck POM awards this season.

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PP