Vladimir BYCHEK
HERO OF THE WEEK
For a decade and a half in the NHL, forward “Carolina” Ray Whitney has seen and tried a lot. Played in six clubs. He became one of the 29 players in league history who scored the seventh match of the playoff series in overtime. I drank champagne from the Stanley Cup. On Thursday, a veteran replenished a rich collection of impressions with a hat-trick that was record-breaking in the history of “hurricanes”: three goals flew into the Boston goal for ... a hundred seconds! And although to the highest achievement of Bill Mosienko, who shot in triplet in 1952 in 21 seconds, the thirteenth Keynes number is far away, Ray’s hero laurels deservedly deserved. Eight points in three matches of the week is a good catch even for an experienced fisherman.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Putting Atlanta, Ottawa and Calgary on the shoulder blades (the first and last in the shootings), Buffalo regained leadership in the championship. For the first time in six weeks, the “blades” can honestly say that they have found the winning path that they lost at the beginning of the year. Exactly so many Lindy Raff wards could not win three victories in a row. Sometimes it seemed as if the Buffalo, not spoiled by the glory, was simply tired of running ahead of thoroughbred overseas horses. In January, he looked around, slowed down, turned to the side. However, the pursuers, too, were in no hurry to appear because of the next turn. I had to humbly shoulder the burden of leadership and move on.
TOPIC OF THE WEEK
What is the likelihood that teams hacking in the Stanley Cup finals will synchronously fly past the playoffs in a year? Eighty years ago, when the NHL took the legendary silver bowl under its wing, such embarrassment has never happened. The coming spring may happen first. In the table of the Eastern Conference, “Carolina” is in eighth place and is struggling against the Toronto, “Islanders” and “Rangers” coming on the heels. In the West, Edmonton is only the ninth. The oilmen won the only battle with the “hurricanes” in the championship, but the disastrous performance in the matches within their North-West division threw Craig McTavish’s team further and further. Since the season 67/68 in the strongest league on the planet, only two cases have been recorded when the Stanley Cup holder did not honor the presence of the following playoffs: Montreal went wild in 1970 and New Jersey in 1996.
CONFUSES OF THE WEEK
In an interview with the Toronto Sun newspaper about serious intentions to replace Glen Sater as general manager of the Rangers, Marc Messier shocked his former boss. He, it turns out, is neither a dream nor a spirit: he has not conducted any negotiations with anyone and is not going to leave for the foreseeable future. Diplomatically noting Mark's playful and human virtues, Glen neatly recommended the ex-ward to keep his mouth shut.
SURPRISE OF THE WEEK
Competitions in strength, speed and accuracy, held in “Calgary”, showed the hockey world a lot of surprises. One of the most powerful revelations is the victory of defender Andrei Zyuzin in the intra-club competition for the most powerful throw. In the first attempt, the Ufa man sent the puck on target at a speed of 159 km / h, and in the second attempt he even raised the bar - 160.4! For comparison, at the last NHL all-star show, not a single person from the Western Conference conquered the 160 km / h barrier. Zyuzin did not enter the Flames application eight times this year alone. Do they even notice the guy now?
RUSSIAN WEEKS
Starry night in Denver did not leave competitors in this nomination to the forward of Atlanta Vyacheslav Kozlov . On Thursday, “woodpeckers” threw six goals into the Colorado goal, and a native of Voskresensk put a stick to four of them. The scoring and assistant doubles strengthened the club’s position at the top of the Southeast Division, and at the same time were a good statistical tool for the laureate himself. Now Kozlov’s bombardier piggy bank has 59 points, and if he maintains his pace, then 84 will be at the finish of the championship. The seasons 93 and 94 and 95/96 with Detroit, in which the striker scored 73 points each, were record highs in Vyacheslav’s career on the goal + pass system.
BATTLE OF THE WEEK
February 9th. The Rangers - Tampa: Colton Orr vs. Andre Roy . Heavyweights have fun ...
FIGURES OF THE WEEK
Colorado defender Karlis Skrastinsh spent 488 matches in a row in the NHL championships. On Thursday evening, he broke the league record for defense players, set by the legendary Canadian Tim Horton in 1961-1968. Six seasons later, on February 21, 1974, Horton died tragically, failing to tame a sports car on a slippery road. As if paying tribute to the memory of the great predecessor, on February 21, 2000 the Riga citizen started in his own marathon. And you can’t say that the freshly crowned Karlis the First is protected by going out on the ice solely for show. Last season, a guy from Latvian steel took over 207 shots of an opponent and took second place in this indicator. In the current championship, Skrastins is the third in terms of the number of blocked shots - 155. Eh, nails would be made of these people ...
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“I like to watch fat people dance,” forward Rangers Jaromir Jagr. On Friday, with his transfer, 97-kilogram Ryan Hallweg scored his first goal in 85 matches. A little earlier than the debut in the Enkhael career, an abandoned puck was marked by a 105-pound Colton Orr, whose entire attacking activity was previously exhausted by a pass and eight shots on target. But Orr and Hallweg just this season scored 183 minutes for two for two! In other words, these hands are not for boredom - bruises punch your hands.
“Even a blind dog will eventually find its bone,” Detroit head coach Mike Babcock . On Thursday, his team for the first time in 176 games of national hockey championships lost dry. On January 7, 2004, Red Wings capitulated 0-3 in front of Boston and have since been consistently scored in every match. Until we stumbled upon St. Louis. Well, the longest series belongs to “Calgary”, not inferior to zero from November 1981 to January 1985 for 264 games.
WAITING FOR THE WEEK
To be or not to be Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin in the playoffs? Washington’s ten-point gap from Tampa’s seventh in the East does not inspire optimism. But on Thursday, the metropolitan club will pay a visit to a competitor in the division and has a chance to reduce the distance. On Sunday evening, the Capitals expects another principled away duel - with Pittsburgh. Crosby vs. Ovechkin - Who's Who This Time? Forward “Rangers” Jaromir Jagr will celebrate its 35th anniversary in a Thursday confrontation with the authorized holder of the Stanley Cup “Carolina”. Forward “Minnesota” Marian Gaborik celebrate 25 the day before, in a duel with “Vancouver”.
CM. ALSO
February 8th. Philadelphia - Pittsburgh. 20-year-old striker “penguins” Evgeni Malkin leaves the fools of 34-year-old defender “pilots” Derian Hatcher. The cunning Magnitogorsk fox pretended to be a bun and left his American grandfather!