Vladimir BYCHEK
HERO OF THE WEEK
In the long career of the defender, “Dallas” Philippe Bouchet hat-tricks happened until Friday night. True, before the pucks flocked in a friendly flock to someone else's goal either at the student level, or in the lower leagues, or in the preseason. It so happened that during the NHL regular season, hats in honor of Boucher first flew onto the ice in a match with Los Angeles, the very participation of which our hero was in great question. Hockey player’s father Jean-Claude is in a Quebec hospital with a chilling diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Mother Jacqueline recently underwent heart valve replacement surgery. Head coach, “Dallas” Dave Tippett was ready to free the ward from the Friday game, so that he would visit his parents. However, Philip decided in his own way - he took a ticket on Saturday morning. “Sixty minutes of hockey is like an escape from reality for me. But I have to go back and give my father one of the abandoned pucks,” said Bush before the flight. For fans of statistics, we add: the previous hat-trick of the defender in Dallas dates back to 1998. And make a reservation: Darryl Saydor, who created it, half of that match acted in the role of the striker.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Last season, this club had no equal in the league in the number of goals scored and was ahead of everyone in the Eastern Conference in the number of points scored. Now, both goals and victories are given to Ottawa with great blood. Therefore, her four-match winning streak is like warm greetings from beautiful far away. The black goalkeeper Emery healed the injury, the strike link of the “senators” Alfredsson – Spetsstsa – Heatley reunited, and the team’s affairs seemed to go smoothly. Before Sunday’s misfire, in a duel with Tampa, Canadians for the first time in November reached the 50 percent line - a dashing start.
TOPIC OF THE WEEK
Hitchcock’s foreboding of a terrible experience is known firsthand to Columbus. From now on, the registered NHL outsider will have to get acquainted with Hitchcock's cure for his phobias: Ken Hitchcock has been appointed head coach of the “blue jackets”. The namesake of the great filmmaker did not need to get to the new place of work on the thorny route of his great predecessor - north through the north-west, meeting along with secret agents and other mysterious strangers on the train, climbing the notorious 39 steps and spinning a tangle of intrigue through the window into the courtyard. It was enough to have a simple phone call, a cursory study of the staff and a comfortable flight. The golden youth did not scare the gray-haired Ken Hitchcock - a man who knows too much about hockey. From the very first day in Ohio, the master announced that the veterans-winners Sergey Fedorov, Fredrik Modin and Adam Fut will lay the foundation of a new psychology. And after them, you look, and Nikolai Zherdev and Rick Nash will take up the mind.
BATTLE OF THE WEEK
Tuesday, November 21. “Anaheim” - “San Jose”: the impressive barbel George Parros checks the strength of the bearded man Scott Parker .
MORTGAGE OF THE WEEK
Despite late autumn, Washington was hot on Wednesday evening. For 62 seconds before the end of the match lost by the hosts, they decided to roughly beat the offenders from Atlanta. Best of all, the dark-skinned tough guy “Capitals” Brashir succeeded in breaking the head of Vitaly Vishnevsky in the blood. Slightly worse - Erskine, grappled with Marian Gossa, and Bradley, who called De Vries to battle. At the next face-off, Saterby and Mellanby demonstrated excellent boxing skills, who, like Mike Tyson of overseas hockey, received match-fines as a reward. The planned skirmish of goalkeepers, to the chagrin of the audience, did not work out, but the most eared fans rounded out a coaching exchange of “courtesies” performed by former boss of the national team of Belarus Glen Hanlon and coach of woodpeckers Bob Hartley. Mentors continued to sort things out in the tribune room, and the total result of an almost criminal showdown was 10 removals per fight, 176 minutes of total imprisonment, a three-match suspension for Brashire, a $ 30,000 penalty for Hanlon and 10,000 for Hartley. Nice walk.
RUSSIAN WEEKS
The 36-year-old striker of “Columbus” Sergey Fedorov seemed to wait until the “great and terrible” Ken Hitchcock came to the helm of his club. In the first match, under the guidance of a legendary coach, a Russian veteran flashed nine shots on goal of “Philadelphia” and an assist. In the second - he scored two goals himself and twice assisted partners! In a triumphant Saturday battle with the “Minnesota” three-time Stanley Cup winner in the “Detroit” fired ten shots on target, which is a repeat of the record “blue jackets”. What does this mean? Hitchcock woke Fedorov, Fedorov pushed Zherdev, Zherdev pulled out Anson Carter from his sweet color dreams - give a coup in a separate Central Division! The world revolution is just around the corner, but the first step has already been taken.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Goals are good. I can score goals. But without fists, hockey is not hockey. But officials, pushing aside the siloviki, push the game on a slippery slant. We turn hockey into a ballet league,” Phoenix tough guy George Larack in an interview The arizona republic.
NUMBER OF THE WEEK
-18 - the rating of "utility" newcomer "Phoenix" Enver Lisin. This is the worst record in the championship and a serious bid for an absolute NHL record. The latter belongs to Bill Mikkelson, who, speaking in the season 74/75 for “Washington”, completed the hockey year at around “-82”. Nobody was so low, so now the eyes of overseas statisticians are focused on Lisin. The Russian, who celebrated the 20th anniversary on April 22, did not have a positive mark in the “+/-” column in any (!) Of 17 matches held for “desert dogs”.
WAITING FOR THE WEEK
On Monday and Saturday, Evgeni Malkin and Pittsburgh will try to take revenge on the Islanders, led into battle by captain Alexei Yashin. The Tuesday battle between Anaheim and Edmonton is not only a great chance to personally see the brightest diamonds of the western crown, but also a great opportunity for Chris Pronger to shame fans who disliked him. It is noteworthy that the first visit of the current leader of the “ducks” to the places of “oil” fame will coincide in time and place with the 1000th match in the NHL of his new defense partner Scott Niedermeier. On Thursday, the first and last duel of the Washington striker Alexander Ovechkin and the Dallas defender Sergei Zubov, who felt the taste of goals scored, will take place on Thursday. On Friday, the first day of winter, another Russian super sniper Evgeni Malkin will try to throw another masterpiece to New Jersey guard Martin Broder. Finally, on Sunday evening, the legendary Madison Square Garden will host an uncompromising New York derby - the Rangers against the Islanders!
CM. ALSO
November 22. Colorado - Anaheim. Finnish striker “ducks” Teemu Selanne scores the 500th goal in the NHL career!