Vladimir BYCHEK
HERO OF THE WEEK
The goalkeeper of “Boston” Tim Thomas until recently was better known in Finland than in his homeland. In the country of Suomi, he lit up in four championships and was repeatedly treated by experts and the press. It so happened that the American’s ascension to the Enkhael sky was only last season, when our hero was 31 years old. The symbolic title of “best seventh player” awarded by fans inspired the goalkeeper for new exploits, and now he is the unconditional first number of “bears”. Last week, the Boston won three victories, and Thomas was twice recognized as the main star. Particularly impressed with his efforts in a duel with Vancouver. That battle Tim won dry, reflecting all 39 shots and despite the catastrophic ratio of shots on target in the third period - 14: 0 in favor of Canadians!
TEAM OF THE WEEK
The fact that the blues is when a good person feels bad, Andy Murray was fully aware of the first week of work as the head coach of “St. Louis”. The atmospheric pillar, which, according to Ostap Bender, puts pressure on everyone, even the party one, weighing 214 kilos, became eleven-fold heavier - according to the number of matches lost in a row. To the honor of Murray, he coped with the inhuman burden and again forced the NHL to respect his wards. Victories over Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and the strongest Buffalo Club Eastern Conference, as well as the twelve goals scored in these matches, returned the Bluesmen’s faith in a bright future.
TOPIC OF THE WEEK
When there was nowhere to narrow the goalkeepers' shields, the league decided to return to the idea of expanding the goal . Hockey Operations Director Colin Campbell himself expressed serious concern about the decline in performance and encouraged the progressive public to again consider the option of increasing the “frame”. After the lockout, such a project was already put on the agenda, but then quickly rejected due to the excessive revolutionary nature of the innovation. Say, in this case you have to close the thick league record book and start a new one. National hockey accounting faded into the background when statistical studies showed that in this championship the teams scored 0.3 goals less than in the past. Although 5.8 goals per game still far exceed 5.0 in the 2003/2004 season, officials are seriously worried. Goalkeepers are adapting very quickly to the post-shutdown reforms. The latter, by the way, are also perplexed: everything for these directors is not so - either a long tie or a short jacket.
CONFUSES OF THE WEEK
If the US president were to be elected by nationwide online voting, then Vancouver defender Rory Fitzpatrick would definitely occupy the cabinet in the White House. So far, high technology has not subjugated big politics, this workhorse is rapidly gaining sympathy in determining the starting five for the "Match of All Stars". What began with the innocent prank of a fan who decided to support an idol and created the voteforrory site for this purpose. com ("vote for Rory"), continued with a wide advertising campaign on the World Wide Web and splashed in a torrent in newspapers and on television. The result exceeded all expectations: Fitzpatrick's clownish army gathered 428832 votes in support of their spiritual leader and brought him to ... 2nd place in the Western Conference! Only ahead is Scott Niedermeier, to whom, at the current pace of overseas pranksters, there are less than twenty thousand votes. Behind - a couple of Norris owners Trophy Chris Pronger and Niklas Lidstrom risking flying past the starting five. Who is this Fitzpatrick around whom the real scam of the century unfolds? A simple American guy who played for ten seasons in five league clubs and scored 27 points in 232 matches of regular championships. This season, he healed his ankle for more than a month and so far has no goals + goal system.
RUSSIAN WEEKS
Having twice put on the scapulars of “New Jersey” and having beaten “Pittsburgh” on shoot-outs, “Atlanta” has fixed on top of the Southeast division. And one of its leaders, Ilya Kovalchuk , adding 6 (2 + 4) points to the scorer piggy bank, props up the top ten most successful league players. Saturday night, the striker scored his 20th goal, and he has a chance to overcome the second season in a row the mark of 50 goals for the championship.
BATTLE OF THE WEEK
December 18th. “Anaheim” - “Calgary”: the mustachioed “duck” George Parros against Robin Rezhera , a native of Brazil, where there are many wild monkeys.
PAIN OF THE WEEK
For seven years, Mario Lemieux has waged an unequal struggle with the authorities for a new arena for Pittsburgh. However, the bureaucrats did not transfer to the other side of the ocean. Plans A, B, C, D succeeded one another, but there was no new house for the “penguins”. A timid ray of hope lit the Isle casino network Of Capri , who promised to allocate $ 290 million to the ice palace, but pensioner officials drove Super Mario from heaven to earth here too - potential sponsors were simply denied a license. As a result, Lemieux's patience snapped, and on Thursday he bluntly stated that the team would be preparing to move to another city. The current abode of the "Pittsburgh" Mellon Arena is its 45th oldest in the league. In addition, her lease expires next summer. Meanwhile, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Houston, Portland and Winnipeg are now ready to shelter Crosby, Malkin and other homeless people.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“When he sees that the price of the house is four hundred thousand dollars, he thinks that the money needs to be laid out all at once. Try to explain that a small amount is enough to start, and the rest can be paid out gradually. When he sees a house of eight hundred square feet (about 75 square meters), then sincerely believes that this is an ideal option. But you need to think about the future, so as not to complain about the lack of space later, "- Darcy Khordichuk about teammate Alexander Radulov . With the filing of the club’s management, the Russian is actively looking for a permanent home in Nashville, and Khordichuk kindly volunteered to be his realtor.
FIGURES OF THE WEEK
500 goals in NHL history were scored by 37 players. On Friday there was a place in the elite list for the first Slovak - striker “Chicago” Peter Bondra. The puck, abandoned by him at the gate, “Toronto”, was not only anniversary, but also victorious. But just two weeks ago, a 38-year-old veteran gained unemployed status ...
WAITING FOR THE WEEK
Pittsburgh rookie Evgeni Malkin will again try to catch luck by the tail in a standoff with New Jersey goalkeeper Martin Broder on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Tampa striker Nikita Alekseev will celebrate his 25th birthday. Let's hope that on the night of his birthday, “lightning” will not strike in the mud in a duel with the leader of the South-East Division “Atlanta”. On Saturday, the Ontario derby “Toronto” - “Ottawa” plus full-time duel of Alexander Ovechkin with Jaromir Jagr. But the most important thing is for dessert. If nothing happens (naturally, it is about illnesses and injuries), then on the last day of the outgoing year, Anaheim forward Teemu Selanne will hold his 1000th match in the NHL! On December 31, “ducks” meet with “Minnesota” - I want to believe that the strongest league team will adequately celebrate the anniversary of the Finnish Flash.
CM. ALSO
December 18th. “Anaheim” - “Calgary”: 21-year-old striker “ducks” Corey Perry demonstrates that an empty goal can be beautiful.