Nabokov

Jimmy Howard must be wondering what he has to do to settle the minds of the higher ups in Detroit. He has them near the top of the standings and plays unbelievably most night but still they go out and get Evgeni Nabokov from Siberia.

I understand this to be a depth move and a strong minded guy like Howard will make the most of the motivation, mostly because he has to. If he doesn't, Detroit is stuck with a damaged goalie who has no confidence.

Nabokov will give them a guy who is good but hasn't won and will probably not be too good to start with anyway.

We'll see. I don't think this is a good move but it all depends on Howard's reaction. This will make or break his career. Hopefully Nabby never plays.

What did he do to get released from the KHL anyway? I hear that if you stab someone you get released right away. Maybe that then...

All-Star Game

Lidstrom and Staal are the Captains. This is cool!

I thought for sure it would be Ovie and Crosby because the NHL likes to cater to 9 year old kids but this is refreshing. Lidstrom will take someone to help him pick other players and Staal is gonna have a good time picking his friends. Its gonna be a good time.

The format is refreshing but I don't think it will last. I mean, has anything the NHL ever done in the All-Star game ever lasted? The only thing that stays the same is that it is on ice. Hahahaha! That is a joke and a good one.

I'm gonna speculate that Lidstrom will take Ovie or Crosby first and Staal will take his brother first. Classic vs. a party. It's gonna be good.

The last overall pick will be someone they predetermine to pick last for a joke or someone nobody likes no matter how good they are. Maybe Ryan Kesler.

We'll see!

The All-Star Game

It's a given that at the All-Star game, all of the players will be stars. Whether they are playing well this year or not doesn't really matter I suppose, as long as they have played well for a time in the past. There is always a bit of controversy with the picks, this year is no exception.

Take Ales Hemsky. Aside from his 4 assists last night, he hasn't had a terribly terrific year. 9 goals does not an all-star make. He is, however a star. Usually he manages to post a point per game during a season and is the best player on a poor team. So put him on the team.

Whoever is picked, as long as it's not someone like Shane O'Brien, is a good choice for an all-star game. It's a spoof game that garners little to no interest from the fans, and exists to provide the players with a break during a long season.

Good times

The Canucks first loss in 19

I just watched the Rangers Cnucks game tonight and I have to say, too much dinner for the Canucks!

Granted the Rangers played their best game of the year (I'm assuming) and Lundqvist played a stellar 60, but the Canucks came out flat and let the Rangers have their way for the most part. They took a page out of the Book of Canuck and go their sticks in the way of anything that moved. Brian Boyle had a great game and Wolski didn't look too bad either.

Jeff Tambellini, it appears, may be heading down to the farm for a stint. He started on the fourth line and looked a little scared at times out there. He has 1 goal in his last 9 and since that is the reason he is up, he may be going down.

On a side note, the Rangers announcers could use a brush up on some of the NHL's basic rules. Although it is relatively new and unarguably ridiculous, the automatic penalty for flipping the puck out of play in your own end is automatic. The announcers on the MSG network seemed confounded when Dubinsky knocked it out play and received 2 mins. "I don't get it! It didn't appear deliberate!"

Doesn't matter dude. No ref wants to judge intention.