tommy
11-08-2005, 08:19 PM
The NHL wanted more goals this season. Well if the current scoring trend continues, 13 players will record 50 or more goals.
''Let's hope so,'' Tampa star Vincent Lecavalier said Tuesday. ''It's a fact there's more goals and more opportunities to score. If it keeps up, it would be great to have 10 guys with 50 goals or 20 with 40.
''It makes it better for the fans. The more goals they see, the more they enjoy the game and the more they want to see the games.''
If Lecavalier, Simon Gagne, Daniel Alfredsson, Jaromir Jagr, Dany Heatley, Eric Staal, Daniel Briere, Alexander Ovechkin, Markus Naslund, Brian Gionta, Martin Havlat, Ryan Smyth and Rod Brind'Amour remain on target, the NHL will have its biggest 50-goal club since a record 14 players turned the trick in the 1992-93 season.
''It'll be hard for everyone to keep up that pace all season long but it is fun to see for sure,'' said Briere, who has 10 goals in 14 games this season.
No one came close to 50 the last time NHL hockey was played in 2003-04 - Jarome Iginla, Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash all sharing the Rocket Richard Trophy with 41 goals apiece.
Only Milan Hejduk got to 50 in 2002-03 and Iginla was the only man in 2001-02. Three did in 2000-01, only one the season before that and none in 1998-99.
''They've tried to bring that back and I think right now the NHL has done a great job to change a couple of things and it's going to be fun seeing somebody get 50 this year,'' said Gagne, who was the league's leading goal-scorer with 15 goals heading into Tuesday's game against Boston.
''And right now, it's looking pretty good that we might have more than one guy.''
Washington's Ovechkin had 10 goals going into Tuesday's game at Toronto, on pace for 58 goals, which would make him only the fourth rookie in NHL history to top the 50-goal mark along with Teemu Selanne (76), Mike Bossy (53) and Joe Nieuwendyk (51).
Forget 50 goals. What about 60? A player hasn't scored 60 since 1995-96 when Lemieux and Jagr both did it.
''I wouldn't doubt it this season,'' said Calgary Flames centre Steve Reinprecht. ''Ottawa's pretty high-octane out there and with the new rules, there's a lot of room and guys are going to take advantage of it.
''I wouldn't be surprised to see quite a few guys over 50 this year. I think 65 will win it.''
And what of the 100-point season? No one reached that mark in 2003-04 or in 2001-02. Naslund, Peter Forsberg and Joe Thornton are the only ones to exceed 100 points in 2002-03 while only Jagr and Joe Sakic did it in 2000-01. Compare that to 1995-96, when 12 players reached the benchmark.
Sidney Crosby has 19 points in 15 games, on pace to reach 103, which would make him the youngest player in NHL history to do so. Dale Hawerchuk was the youngest at 18 years 11 months and Crosby doesn't turn 19 until next August.
Only five NHL rookies in history have reached 100 points, led by Selanne's 132 in 1992-93.
Alfredsson was on pace for 164 points going into Tuesday night's play. He had 26 points, tied with super sophomore Staal.
''When was the last time we had someone averaging two points a game?'' Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland asked in amazement.
That would be Super Mario in 1995-96 when he put up 161 points in 70 games.
''If you want to win the scoring title, you probably have to get 140 or 150 points - unless penalties really drop down, but I don't expect them to so I think that's what it's going to be: 140 or 150 points,'' said Alfredsson, Ottawa's captain. ''That's a big difference from a couple of years ago.''
That kind of talk would have been heresy in the last seven to eight years.
''It's been incredible,'' said St. Louis Blues centre Doug Weight. ''Certainly, people wanted to see it and the rules were changed for a reason. And it seems to be paying off right now for what they wanted to get. But I don't know, it such a catch-22. I guess if I had to pick between where the game was two years ago and this year, I would pick this year for sure. There's more goal-scoring and more room.
''But I wish there could be a happy medium so that people who went to the net and stood there paid more of a price. I think it's frustrating for some people to see guys who don't play a physical game scoping around the net and looking for cookies. But I guess that's something you have live with. Skill is being rewarded now to a huge extent - maybe too much.''
Weight is expressing a sentiment some GMs and coaches share. Everyone is in favour of more offence, but not at the expense of losing physical play in front of the net and in the corners.
''There's a lot of feedback that people are unhappy with the lack of hitting and the lack of physical play,'' a GM, who requested anonymity, said Tuesday. ''There's a groundswell developing now.
''I've had a lot of discussion with a lot of general managers and everybody likes the speed through the neutral zone but nobody likes the fact that there's not the one-on-one, spirited, challenging physical play in the end zones that inspires physicality and passion and competition.''
But San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson sees it differently.
''If you watched the Calgary-Vancouver games the last couple of days, you saw physical hockey,'' he said. ''I feel strongly that the game is very good and I think you'll see the physical game naturally evolve with the rivalries and with defencemen figuring out the adjustments in how they can play.
''To judge it prematurely, I think, would be incorrect.''
Said Holland: ''I think as we go along here and the players adjust, there will be more physical play and I think it's going to be harder to score goals.''
Senators centre Bryan Smolinski feels what's going on right now is more than justified.
''Guys aren't taking liberties on (stars) and the refs are protecting them and that's what the rule changes are for: to show the skills of the Spezzas, Alfredssons, Jagrs. And that's what this game is for.
''We need a shining light, these guys, and they're running with it. It's fantastic.''
The parade to the penalty box, as the league cracks down on hooking and holding and all forms of obstruction, is a major contributor to all the scoring.
Take Holland's Red Wings. They have 27 power-play goals in 16 games, on pace for 138 power-play goals this season. They had all of 63 in 2003-04 when they ranked fourth in the league with the man advantage.
The theory espoused by many is that once players figure out how to stop getting penalized under the crackdown, or at least less often, then there will be fewer power plays as the season goes along and therefore fewer goals scored.
''Guys may adjust more to the new system,'' said Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu. ''I think we'll have less penalties as the year goes on. But who knows? I think the (scoring) pace overall will slow down, but maybe there are a few individuals who will keep it going all year.''
Said Wilson: ''All the power plays, everyone knew that would happen as players are trying to adjust to the game. But don't change the rules. The rules are outstanding, it's how the game used to be played.''
In the meantime, it's OK to dream. Briere says the race to 50 was something he cherished growing up as a fan.
''Definitely. It was exciting because I remember every morning I was looking to see if Mario, for example, had scored again. Or Brett Hull, if he was getting close to 50 or 60 goals. I thought that was exciting.
''Nobody was talking about scoring goals in recent years, everybody was talking about the goals-against average and shutouts.''
Gagne says it was frustrating to know a player who had the skill to score 50 was limited to much less in the defensive hockey of the past 10 years.
''If you look at the last couple of years, 50 goals was probably more like 30 goals, it didn't make a lot of sense to us as players,'' Gagne said. ''You knew something was wrong with hockey.''
Said Briere: ''That's a good point. That's the feeling that going around us throughout the league, that a 35-goal scorer was like a 50-goal scorer (only eight players scored 35 or more in 2003-04). It was kind of sad to have that feeling. Hopefully we'll be able to get away from that from now on.''
The 50-goal scorer has a special place in our game, and it needs to return. It's part of the game's history, Holland said.
''The reason the No. 50 is there is because in the early years it was almost impossible and then Rocket Richard came along and scored 50 and the standard was set. That was the bar,'' Holland said. ''And then Phil Esposito got 76 and Wayne Gretzky went to 92.
''Fifty is a magical number because not a lot of people have done it in the history of our game.''
''Let's hope so,'' Tampa star Vincent Lecavalier said Tuesday. ''It's a fact there's more goals and more opportunities to score. If it keeps up, it would be great to have 10 guys with 50 goals or 20 with 40.
''It makes it better for the fans. The more goals they see, the more they enjoy the game and the more they want to see the games.''
If Lecavalier, Simon Gagne, Daniel Alfredsson, Jaromir Jagr, Dany Heatley, Eric Staal, Daniel Briere, Alexander Ovechkin, Markus Naslund, Brian Gionta, Martin Havlat, Ryan Smyth and Rod Brind'Amour remain on target, the NHL will have its biggest 50-goal club since a record 14 players turned the trick in the 1992-93 season.
''It'll be hard for everyone to keep up that pace all season long but it is fun to see for sure,'' said Briere, who has 10 goals in 14 games this season.
No one came close to 50 the last time NHL hockey was played in 2003-04 - Jarome Iginla, Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash all sharing the Rocket Richard Trophy with 41 goals apiece.
Only Milan Hejduk got to 50 in 2002-03 and Iginla was the only man in 2001-02. Three did in 2000-01, only one the season before that and none in 1998-99.
''They've tried to bring that back and I think right now the NHL has done a great job to change a couple of things and it's going to be fun seeing somebody get 50 this year,'' said Gagne, who was the league's leading goal-scorer with 15 goals heading into Tuesday's game against Boston.
''And right now, it's looking pretty good that we might have more than one guy.''
Washington's Ovechkin had 10 goals going into Tuesday's game at Toronto, on pace for 58 goals, which would make him only the fourth rookie in NHL history to top the 50-goal mark along with Teemu Selanne (76), Mike Bossy (53) and Joe Nieuwendyk (51).
Forget 50 goals. What about 60? A player hasn't scored 60 since 1995-96 when Lemieux and Jagr both did it.
''I wouldn't doubt it this season,'' said Calgary Flames centre Steve Reinprecht. ''Ottawa's pretty high-octane out there and with the new rules, there's a lot of room and guys are going to take advantage of it.
''I wouldn't be surprised to see quite a few guys over 50 this year. I think 65 will win it.''
And what of the 100-point season? No one reached that mark in 2003-04 or in 2001-02. Naslund, Peter Forsberg and Joe Thornton are the only ones to exceed 100 points in 2002-03 while only Jagr and Joe Sakic did it in 2000-01. Compare that to 1995-96, when 12 players reached the benchmark.
Sidney Crosby has 19 points in 15 games, on pace to reach 103, which would make him the youngest player in NHL history to do so. Dale Hawerchuk was the youngest at 18 years 11 months and Crosby doesn't turn 19 until next August.
Only five NHL rookies in history have reached 100 points, led by Selanne's 132 in 1992-93.
Alfredsson was on pace for 164 points going into Tuesday night's play. He had 26 points, tied with super sophomore Staal.
''When was the last time we had someone averaging two points a game?'' Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland asked in amazement.
That would be Super Mario in 1995-96 when he put up 161 points in 70 games.
''If you want to win the scoring title, you probably have to get 140 or 150 points - unless penalties really drop down, but I don't expect them to so I think that's what it's going to be: 140 or 150 points,'' said Alfredsson, Ottawa's captain. ''That's a big difference from a couple of years ago.''
That kind of talk would have been heresy in the last seven to eight years.
''It's been incredible,'' said St. Louis Blues centre Doug Weight. ''Certainly, people wanted to see it and the rules were changed for a reason. And it seems to be paying off right now for what they wanted to get. But I don't know, it such a catch-22. I guess if I had to pick between where the game was two years ago and this year, I would pick this year for sure. There's more goal-scoring and more room.
''But I wish there could be a happy medium so that people who went to the net and stood there paid more of a price. I think it's frustrating for some people to see guys who don't play a physical game scoping around the net and looking for cookies. But I guess that's something you have live with. Skill is being rewarded now to a huge extent - maybe too much.''
Weight is expressing a sentiment some GMs and coaches share. Everyone is in favour of more offence, but not at the expense of losing physical play in front of the net and in the corners.
''There's a lot of feedback that people are unhappy with the lack of hitting and the lack of physical play,'' a GM, who requested anonymity, said Tuesday. ''There's a groundswell developing now.
''I've had a lot of discussion with a lot of general managers and everybody likes the speed through the neutral zone but nobody likes the fact that there's not the one-on-one, spirited, challenging physical play in the end zones that inspires physicality and passion and competition.''
But San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson sees it differently.
''If you watched the Calgary-Vancouver games the last couple of days, you saw physical hockey,'' he said. ''I feel strongly that the game is very good and I think you'll see the physical game naturally evolve with the rivalries and with defencemen figuring out the adjustments in how they can play.
''To judge it prematurely, I think, would be incorrect.''
Said Holland: ''I think as we go along here and the players adjust, there will be more physical play and I think it's going to be harder to score goals.''
Senators centre Bryan Smolinski feels what's going on right now is more than justified.
''Guys aren't taking liberties on (stars) and the refs are protecting them and that's what the rule changes are for: to show the skills of the Spezzas, Alfredssons, Jagrs. And that's what this game is for.
''We need a shining light, these guys, and they're running with it. It's fantastic.''
The parade to the penalty box, as the league cracks down on hooking and holding and all forms of obstruction, is a major contributor to all the scoring.
Take Holland's Red Wings. They have 27 power-play goals in 16 games, on pace for 138 power-play goals this season. They had all of 63 in 2003-04 when they ranked fourth in the league with the man advantage.
The theory espoused by many is that once players figure out how to stop getting penalized under the crackdown, or at least less often, then there will be fewer power plays as the season goes along and therefore fewer goals scored.
''Guys may adjust more to the new system,'' said Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu. ''I think we'll have less penalties as the year goes on. But who knows? I think the (scoring) pace overall will slow down, but maybe there are a few individuals who will keep it going all year.''
Said Wilson: ''All the power plays, everyone knew that would happen as players are trying to adjust to the game. But don't change the rules. The rules are outstanding, it's how the game used to be played.''
In the meantime, it's OK to dream. Briere says the race to 50 was something he cherished growing up as a fan.
''Definitely. It was exciting because I remember every morning I was looking to see if Mario, for example, had scored again. Or Brett Hull, if he was getting close to 50 or 60 goals. I thought that was exciting.
''Nobody was talking about scoring goals in recent years, everybody was talking about the goals-against average and shutouts.''
Gagne says it was frustrating to know a player who had the skill to score 50 was limited to much less in the defensive hockey of the past 10 years.
''If you look at the last couple of years, 50 goals was probably more like 30 goals, it didn't make a lot of sense to us as players,'' Gagne said. ''You knew something was wrong with hockey.''
Said Briere: ''That's a good point. That's the feeling that going around us throughout the league, that a 35-goal scorer was like a 50-goal scorer (only eight players scored 35 or more in 2003-04). It was kind of sad to have that feeling. Hopefully we'll be able to get away from that from now on.''
The 50-goal scorer has a special place in our game, and it needs to return. It's part of the game's history, Holland said.
''The reason the No. 50 is there is because in the early years it was almost impossible and then Rocket Richard came along and scored 50 and the standard was set. That was the bar,'' Holland said. ''And then Phil Esposito got 76 and Wayne Gretzky went to 92.
''Fifty is a magical number because not a lot of people have done it in the history of our game.''