Why Watch Hockey?

In a couple weeks now, the NHL will be back. Now, most of you are probably saying "Why should I care?" Even though the NHL has spiked a few more people's interests with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, I still often get asked why I love the game of hockey. I thought I'd supply you with a few links that will illustrate why, and I promise you, you will not get bored.

1. Scott Stevens was probably the greatest hitter to ever play the game. When he retired in 2004, Sportscenter put together this compilation as an ode to his knack for causing destruction.
Scott Stevens' Top 10 Hits

2. Pavel Datsyuk can puck-handle in a phone booth. Watch as he dekes the crap out of a goalie in a shootout against Nashville.
Pavel Datsyuk's Sick Deke in a Shootout against Nashville

3. The rivalries in hockey are like no other sport because fighting is allowed. In my case, the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche rivalry is the most exciting rivalry. In 1997, 1998, and 2002 the Red Wings won Stanley Cups. It just so happened that in those three years, the Red Wings' starting goalies (Mike Vernon, Chris Osgood, and Dominik Hasek respectively), fought Patrick Roy during the regular season.
Patrick Roy vs. Mike Vernon
In that same fight, Darren McCarty annihilated Claude Lemieux, a fight where Lemeiux was labeled "The Turtle" because of his fetal position.
"The Turtle Fight"
When the teams met the following year, off the opening faceoff the two squared off again. It is a classic moment, as you watch them calmly planning the fight before the faceoff is dropped.
Lemieux and McCarty fight off the faceoff

4. Obligatory "Best Fights" compilation

5. Along with Bobby Orr's famous photograph (above), one of the images in NHL hockey that will probable stick forever is the goal Alexander Ovechkin, who is thought by many as the greatest combination of speed, puckhandling skills, and shooting ability ever to play the game (he's not a bad hitter either, scored against the Phoenix Coyotes in a regular season game in 2006. While Orr's meant a lot more (it was an overtime goal that won the 1970 Stanley Cup, while Ovechkin's scored was to put the Capitals up 6-1 in a regular season game), Ovechkin's goal captures all of his insane skills in one play. I don't want to give anything away for people that have never seen it (or at least known what they were seeing), so just watch it.
Alexander Ovechkin's epic goal

6. There are few things as beautiful as an amazing save... unless you've just been the one stoned. Here are a couple of the greatest saves ever.
"Not Today" (See Crosby's reaction at 0:44)
Martin Brodeur is a legend
The Dominator Tribute Video

7. Sometimes people embarrassed themselves:
There's a reason Gretzky only dropped the gloves once in his career...
Goal from the other red line on Toskala
In the 1998 Stanley Cup, the Red Wings were up on the Washington Capitals one game to none. Esa Tikkanen would have iced game 2 for the Capitals if he had made the following shot. Just know that the Red Wings swept the Capitals, 4 games to none.
Esa Tikkanen misses open net
Patrick Stefan channels Esa Tikkanen
When the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup last year, Marc-Andre Fleury was pretty much the highlight for the Pittsburgh Penguins, partly because of the amazing saves he made, but largely in part because of what happened to him before game 2
Fleury's Bad Omen

Please watch all of those. They are amazing, emotional, and hilarious.

I'll make the song of the day "Hey Hey Hockeytown". I have no idea who wrote or performs it, but it's the Red Wings' theme song.
"Hey Hey Hockeytown" at YouTube

Chris Osgood: Most Valuable... Goalie?

Messed up. Listen. I'm ecstatic that my favorite hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings, won their fourth Cup in 11 years. Let me just say that I have been a Wings fan since I was in kindergarten, before they had won their first Cup in 42 years, because my whole mother's side of the family lives in Michigan and are Wings fans. But this is my beef: How did Chris Osgood not get the Conn Smythe trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Henrik Zetterberg got it. Zetterberg was tied for first in the playoffs with 27 points, along with "the Next One", Sidney Crosby of the Penguins. He was tied for first in goals with 13, along with Johan Franzen of the Wings. He was third in assists with 14, 7 behind Crosby's 21.

Osgood was passed over in '98 when he was starter for the Wings in favor of Steve Yzerman for Conn Smythe, which was probably the right call. But consider this: Chris Osgood is 35. He got traded away from the Wings to the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues, teams that clearly had no shot at Stanley Cups. It looked like Osgood was on the downswing. Heck, when he came back to the Wings, and even this year, he was supposed to be Dominik Hasek's backup. But no, he led the regular season in goals against average with a 2.09 goals-against average. When he got to the playoffs he again did not start as the Wings chose to use Hasek. But after game four, with Hasek having lost the last two games as starter, Osgood got the job and never let go. He went 14-4, with 3 shutouts (T-1st), .930 save percentage (3rd), and a 1.55 GAA (1st), .42 ahead of the second place holder. By comparison, in 2006 the Conn Smythe trophy was given to Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes, who had a 2.14 GAA and .920 save percentage.

I have nothing else to say. I think the numbers speak for themselves.

Song of the day: Hospital Beds by Cold War Kids at YouTube