Stan Fischler's report has an interview with Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill, efforts to bring an NHL game to Israel, Alex Ovechkin's Hall of Fame future and more.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE WEEKEND:
FRIDAY: Egad, what a cad! Jake Markstrom made me look bad – I picked Flames to win – with another punko performance. Meanwhile, "Greiss Is Nice." Thomas Greiss made 41 saves (19 for Jake) in a big Blues win.
SATURDAY: Edmonton's goaltending follies is turning into a long-running show playing before packed houses. Ducks third-stringer, Lukas Dostal, makes 46 saves. Oil Cans' Stu Skinner, makes 13. McDavid Inc. loses 4-3.
SUNDAY: The Kraken may be a mythical figure, but there's nothing mythical about the NHL version unless you want to call them UN-real!
MONDAY: Game to watch tonight: Buffalo at Vegas. We'll find out whether the Sabres really are on the rise and, conversely, if Vegas is not.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DALLAS STARS GM JIM NILL
In pre-season forecasts, Dallas was picked to finish fifth in the Central Division behind Colorado, St. Louis, Minnesota and Nashville. At the moment, GM Jim Nill's Stars (18-8-6) are sitting in first place. So, what gives? To get the answer, The Maven tossed six questions at Gentleman Jim. The topics and his answers follow.
KEYS TO THE STARS SUCCESS SO FAR THIS SEASON:
"We have been fortunate in that another 'tier' of our players have taken a step in their development. Over the last four to five years, we have had a core group who have led the way for our team, (Benn/Seguin/Pavelski/Faksa/Lindell, etc…). Now, a new group of elite players have emerged that have added to this group (Heiskanen/Robertson/Oettinger/Hintz et. al.), and they have added another layer of skill to the depth of our team. Also, we have a younger group of players which have emerged through our drafting and development, (Johnson/Dellandrea/Lundkvist) and our depth has been enhanced even more. I also have to give credit to our coaching staff since they have been challenged with the responsibility of bringing all these pieces together and having them gel as a team."
ON COACH PETER DEBOER'S STYLE THAT HAS WORKED SO WELL
"Pete has a great feel for getting the pulse of the team. He addresses issues very quickly in regard to players' situations. He is very calm and direct in his presentation and expectations."
EXPLAINING JOE PAVELSKI'S SUCCESS
"Joe is a great example for young players in regard to preparation, commitment, and dedication in doing all the correct habits to becoming a player. He looks after his body, trains the correct way… he practises hard, pays attention to detail... plays the correct way on the ice, no short cuts… and has a great passion and respect for the game. Also, Joe is a true leader who cares about his teammates."
EXPLAINING THE STARS ONE-TWO NETMINDING DOUBLE-DIP
"We are very comfortable with our goaltending. It's no secret that Jake Oettinger is one of the top young goalies in the game who still hasn’t yet reached his ceiling, and Scott Wedgewood has developed his game into a very reliable No. 2 goalie that the team is very comfortable playing in front of whenever it's his turn to play."
HOW TO ACTUALLY HAVE FUN IN AN ANXIETY-FILLED BUSINESS
"The most fun of being a GM is watching younger players develop and 'sometimes' witnessing your plan come together. There are so many moving parts in the industry that you never know which plan will come to fruition, but it is exciting to watch it all come together, knowing there will be bumps in the road."
THE VIBRANT STATE OF THE NHL
"I really feel that our game is in a great position… the skill level and speed of the game have never been more exciting. Sometimes, making changes works against the norm, and I believe we are at the point of the game where it is important to let it continue to evolve without any major changes for a while."
AN UP-TO-DATE VIEW OF BUFFALO'S RENAISSANCE
Our Max Borsuk takes an Argus look at the Western New Yorkers:
As the Sabres continue their rebuild in a talented division with multiple Stanley Cup contenders, many projected an improvement, but not enough to compete just yet. After an eight-game losing streak earlier in the year, the team has charged back to a .516 points percentage thanks to its offensive firepower.
The offense this season has been rolling for the Sabres, leading the league in goals-for and goals-for per game while placing second in power-play percentage. On pace for 328 goals this season – the most since the 1992-93 team filled with Hall of Famers and household names including Pat LaFontaine, Alexander Mogilny, Dave Andreychuk and Dale Hawerchuk – the Sabres' offense has finally found its second gear.
The offense has been led by Maurice Richard Trophy-contender Tage Thompson, whose seven-year, $50-million extension now looks like a bargain. Thompson’s linemates, Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch have both flourished on the first line, while the “Kid Line” of Dylan Cozens, JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn has given the Sabres a legitimate top six that can compete with any team in the league offensively.
While the offense shines, not everything is perfect in The Queen City. The back end has struggled, with goals against, goals against per game and penalty kill percentage numbers near the bottom of the league along with inconsistent goaltending. Not everything is doom and gloom on the blueline though, as Rasmus Dahlin continues his Norris Trophy pace, Mattias Samuelsson is living up to his recent contract extension and Owen Power continues to show why he was a No. 1 pick. But the bottom three need to pick up their game to keep the Sabres in the hunt.
After the 5-2 win over Arizona on Saturday night, the Sabres have shown they can bury the puck on offense. But allowing as many goals as they do could also bury their season and chances of ending its 11-year playoff drought if not fixed quickly.
TOUGH CHALLENGES FOR THE HALL OF FAME
Our resident historian, Gus Vic, examines Ovi and his Puck Pantheon future. See if you agree:
Ah, what to do about Alex Ovechkin!
So with 800 down and – by my projection – at least another 200 left in the tank to get to 1,000 – the Hockey Hall of Fame will eventually have an interesting quandary on its hands.
Nine players have had the three-year waiting period to get into the Hall waived, and this was discontinued after Wayne Gretzky's automatic admission in 1999. With Alexander Ovechkin about to enter Central Park on the career goal-scoring marathon to the top – once this is achieved – how does the Hall not acknowledge Ovi with automatic admission the day he retires?
After all, this is the Holy Grail of personal records one can attain in the NHL. However, to that end, how could Sidney Crosby not be recognized as a generational player in his own right? He's a more complete player than Ovechkin with three Stanley Cups and Olympic Gold to his name.
Further downwind, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews are tracking toward their own stratospheric numbers. We are fortunate to see such defining careers in our game and certainly nothing wrong with acknowledging the true greatness by re-issuing the rare Golden Ticket to the Hall in cases such as what we are bearing witness to now.
I'M JUST SAYIN'
* The time has come to unequivocally state that Colorado will not repeat as the Cup-winner.
* Forget about the injuries – this roster isn't close to sipping any more champagne.
* Arizona's Andre Tourigny is my Unsung Hero Coach.
* His Coyotes play hard and play to win. "Tank" is not in their lexicon.
* Memo to broadcasters: it's "boards," not "wall." Also, "crease," not "paint."
* I like the Norris Trophy race. Right now, I go with Charlie McAvoy, Adam Fox and Cale Makar.
* A really good second half could win Miro Heiskanen the Norris over the aforementioned trio.
* Watching Mitch Marner reach for the stars, I'm reminded of a very down-to-earth comment he made to Ian Kennedy in The Hockey News Yearbook:
* Marner: "We're just people who got lucky enough to be good enough at what we do to become professional at it."
* SOS in the East: Beware the Rangers and Hurricanes!
* I'm in the homestretch reading Jerry 'Teabag' Hack's Memoir Of A Hockey Nobody, and I don't want it to end.
* What a super holiday gift. (Then again, so is The Maven's Tales of Brooklyn.)
* The slipping Devils don't need a parachute yet. Even with their tailspin, they're 21-8-2.
* Now that defense prodigy Luke Hughes has been named captain for Team USA in the WJC, figure him joining big brother Jack on the Devils next season.
UPDATE ON THE COYOTES' TEMPE PROJECT
Sports business expert Evan Weiner offers the latest on Arizona's proposed Tempe arena project. Read up:
It is now onto a May 16, 2023 vote by Tempe, Ariz. residents in the continuing saga of the Coyotes franchise – and their more than 26 years of wandering through the desert looking for a permanent home.
Tempe politicians have said they support the franchise’s plan to redevelop city property that does not produce any income for Tempe. It will be an arena village that will include a 16,000-seat arena, housing and retail space. The Coyotes will cover most of the project, but Tempe residents will pay for a smaller part of it. It's possible a casino and sportsbook will end up on the property as Arizona law allows the opportunity for sports franchise owners to operate a sportsbook.
That's what happened in the hockey team’s old Glendale home with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals franchise having a sportsbook at the Glendale football stadium. The land will need a thorough cleaning if voters say yes to the plan, and the project has picked up a nickname – 'Landfill to Landmark' – as about 1.5 million tons of trash has to be removed.
There was initial opposition from some of the Tempe City Council, but members of the political body green-lighted the project unanimously and sent it to the voters. The franchise’s business people are negotiating with Sky Harbor Airport officials about the development and what it might mean to flight paths. In 2021, elected officials in Tempe put out a request for proposals to develop a parcel within the city with the NHL team in mind. Arizona ownership was the only group to submit a proposal. Tempe officials want a sports and a practice facility on the property. Now, it is up to the voters to say yes.
NEW ORGANIZATION TO BOOST HOCKEY
Calgary's multi-purpose author-columnist-activist Debbie Elicksen is at it again, doing good things. Her latest project is an organization with a different twist to promote hockey's future. I'll let her do the talking:
"I've joined a dynamic outfit called Hockey of Tomorrow. It's a platform – and movement – to positively lead the hockey community forward and attract new interest in the game at every level.
"The official launch will be no later than Feb. 1 (2023). More than 150 pro hockey players have already signed up. They're interested in being empowered as leaders of change to create a positive future for hockey.
"Hockey of Tomorrow's platform will focus on positive, bite-sized breaking news, and deep dive profiles. Not scores, game highlights, or locker room talk.
"What's cool is there will be diverse, fresh new voices to cover angles focusing on positive content that speaks to a younger audience. It will cover the uncovered and work to change the game for the better."
YAYS AND BOOS
YAY TO MATS ZUCCARELLO for the third hat trick of his career, spearheading the Wild's Friday night win over the Blackhawks.
YAY TO ALEX PIETRANGELO for returning to the Vegas lineup after his daughter Evelyn had a medical scare. She's now back home healing.
IRAD CHEN ON THE COLLEGIATE HOCKEY SCENE
St. Cloud State announced it will retire Matt Cullen’s No. 9 jersey prior to its Jan. 21 game against Colorado College. Cullen played for the Huskies from 1995 to '97 and went on to skate in 1,516 games in the NHL, second all-time among NCAA alumni behind only Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios (1,651).
Cullen captured three Stanley Cups, two with Pittsburgh (2016, 2017) and one with Carolina (2006). Currently, Cullen is the Penguins' development coach.
Congrats, Matt.
BIG QUESTION: (via Sportsnet) Will we see more NHL expansion?
BIG ANSWER: Of course, we will. Vegas and Seattle have been instant money-making hits. The questions looking ahead are: a) "When? and b) "Where?"
WHO SAID IT? "Buffalo's got a lot of great people, but you have to trudge through the snow to meet them." (ANSWER BELOW.)
WORKING FOR A PRE-SEASON NHL GAME IN ISRAEL
The NHL has enjoyed tremendous success staging games in Europe. Most recently, matches in Bern and Prague were rousing sellouts.
Ah, but would it be possible for Jerusalem, Israel to host a similar pre-season tilt, say in 2023 or even beyond? Israeli hockey guru, Lev Genin, is hoping to turn that dream into reality.
Having emigrated from his native Soviet Union to Israel 40 years ago, Genin has been involved with Israeli hockey for decades. Among other things, he founded a group called "Ascend" to promote more interest in Israeli hockey.
"Our original plan was to develop the game by building a strong youth system," he told our Irad Chen. "We were aiming for a competitive and successful national team."
However, an ongoing challenge has been the Holy Land's lack of many ice rinks. There are some full-sized hockey facilities in Metula and Netanya as well as a few others sprinkled here and there, but not enough.
Genin believes that an NHL game – maybe even a Global Series – will spur hockey interest and – as a result – perhaps a few more arenas will sprout – perhaps even in a metropolis such as Tel Aviv.
"That's why we came up with the idea of the NHL playing a game or two here," he explained.
Lev's long-range plan began developing last summer when an Israeli team took part in a Florida tournament. Genin and his partner Alex Braverman, CEO of Play It Abroad Inc., got to meet Florida's GM Bill Zito.
"I told Bill about our plan to have an NHL game in Israel and he loved the idea," Genin added. "We're having an ongoing dialogue and hope to get the NHL more involved and maybe even close a deal during All-Star Week."
Lev told Chen that former IIHF president – and his dear friend – Rene Fasel will help them try to achieve their goal.
For now, at least, Genin's plan remains dreamy because Israel's largest rink – Pais Arena in Jerusalem – has a 10,000-seat capacity, below NHL standards. It hosted the 2022 Maccabiah hockey tourney last summer.
But Genin remains gung-ho about the NHL in Israel. "After all," he concluded, "we all know that Arizona plays in a rink that holds only 5,000."
COACHES CORNER: HOW TO KEEP A SIZZLING TEAM FROM GETTING COCKY
After 30 games, the WHL's Portland Winterhawks boasted a remarkable 23-4-2-1 record. This prompted The Maven's question to coach-GM Mike Johnston: "How do you keep your team from getting cocky, lazy and too full of themselves?"
Johnston's reply: "Our team has had a consistent first half but we are realistic and now that this is a tough league and there are a lot of momentum shifts during the season.
"We also feel our division is one of the strongest in the WHL. The strength of our group is in our depth and the leadership within the dressing room."
ANSWER TO WHO SAID IT? Ex-Rangers defenseman, Dave Maloney, on being traded to the Sabres.