Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.38

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Operation Slapshot. Remember that? The gambling ring that was alleged to have been spearheaded by Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet and New Jersey State Trooper James Harney. Yes, no? If not, we don’t blame you. First of all, if you are a fan of the game, naturally you want what’s best for it. This gambling ring was anything but a positive thing for the NHL so understandably; many people have tried to put it out of their minds. Secondly, the story was in the news for such a short period of time before seeming to just drop from the face of the earth, there was barely enough time to implant it in your memory.

After lying low for fourteen months, Operation Slapshot made its return to the headlines this week after it was reported that Rick Tocchet had entered a guilty plea for conspiracy and promoting gambling. Because of his previously clean record, it’s doubtful that Tocchet will have to face jail time. As a result, he is now available to return to coaching when the NHL permits his return. But who would want him back you ask? Wayne Gretzky.

It seems that over the past decade, Gretzky has taken on a roll as hockey’s guardian angel. Whenever someone is in trouble, it’s Gretzky that usually comes to their defense. In 2002, Gretzky included a troubled Theo Fleury on the Olympic Roster. Winning the gold, it’s hard to question anything about that team. In 2006, Gretzky did the same for Todd Bertuzzi but this time, it was anything but a positive move. Bertuzzi was terrible and proved to be more than a distraction. Now Gretzky is willing to put himself back on the line again to help out Rick Tocchet.

Why Gretzky continues to associate with tarnished individuals is beyond me. He either is incredibly loyal or not as smart as we give him credit for. Bringing Tocchet back would have the same effect on the Coyotes as Bertuzzi had on Team Canada. Nothing but a distraction for the get go. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.37

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At the beginning of this season, the Buffalo Sabres were the team topping the lists of many people when it came to choosing a probable Stanley Cup winner and rightly so. Throughout the regular season, the Sabres did not disappoint ranking up 113 points and securing the Presidents Trophy. With an explosive offense, a talented young netminder in Ryan Miller and a virtually unchanged team from the one that went on a surprising run to the seventh game of the conference finals a year ago, the Sabres seemed to be the odds on Cup favourite heading into the postseason.

After disposing of the Islanders in five games, something seemed to change with the Sabres. They took a two game lead over the Rangers but allowed them to even their second round series. Winning game 5 and 6 of that series by only one goal, a couple bounces the other way and the Sabres may never have got to the third round. Against Ottawa, the Sabres never seemed to get rolling. Ottawa was better than Buffalo in their series but not as much as most people from Ottawa are apt to think. Buffalo didn’t finish first overall by accident. They did so with tremendous contributions from Drury, Briere, Pomenville and Afinogenov, guys who were largely invisible in the Ottawa series. Ryan Miller was really the only constant for this Sabres team in the playoffs.

A lot will change for Buffalo this off-season. Their two best players, Drury and Briere, could both leave through unrestricted free agency. Regardless of how their roster is made up next year, the Sabres will certainly have some demons to slay. No doubt, people will start to think of them as a dominant team during the season that can’t produce in the playoffs. My, that sounds very Ottawa-like. The bad news for Buffalo fans is that it took the Senators seven years to overcome the demons of their own. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.36

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It’s a discussion that’s been on going for at least a decade, some years on again, others it’s off again. Possible NHL expansion to Europe is a pipe dream to many executives associated with the NHL. Now in 2007, it’s a discussion that certainly appears to be on again. Earlier this week, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced that a tournament will begin starting in 2008 which will involve two European teams and one NHL team competing for the Victoria Cup.

Whether this is the first step toward NHL expansion to Europe is still yet to be seen but what this tournament does represent is a landmark decision by the NHL to agree to an annual competition involving their European counterparts. Ideally, the IIHF would like to see the most recent Stanley Cup champions as the NHL entrant for this competition but the NHL has not promised this for the 2008 tournament. Until the full details of this agreement are announced, we will not know for sure why the NHL finally decided to agree to this sort of arrangement. Apparently there will be a financial incentive with prize money to be allocated accordingly to the results of the tournament. Whether this money will go directly to the team involved or to the NHL as a whole is also something we will find out in the months leading up to this tournament.

Likely though, there will have to be something sweet in it for the NHL participant. I can’t see any NHL team, especially the Stanley Cup winners to be eager to extend there season any longer than it already is. Considering the Stanley Cup is awarded in mid June and the Victoria Cup tournament is slated to take place in early September, it would give the participating team barely eight weeks off to rest and recuperate.

The caliber of hockey that we see will likely resemble a pseudo all star game with the NHL team still really in a training camp frame of mind. Safe to say the tournament still presents a lot of question marks. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.35

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When I proclaimed the Devils would beat the Senators in their second round playoff match up on last week’s program, I made sure I added the caveat that in a series like this, it is virtually impossible for us to predict without being swayed by the bias against the Senators that sits in the head of every Leaf fan, just as that very same bias against the Leafs is prevalent for Sens fans. For us to predict and expect success from the Senators, it would mean going against everything that seems normal to us. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for a Canadian team to finally get their hands but on the Stanley Cup but not if it’s Ottawa. Because Ottawa fans would never cheer for the Leafs in a similar situation, I can’t bring myself to root on the Sens.

The fact is though; the team that went up against the Senators in the second round was not the same Devils team of old, in fact far from it. In the past, New Jersey derived their success from air tight defense anchored by the likes of Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko. For Martin Brodeur, playing goal behind these fellows is a lot different than playing goal behind the current Devils defense, a group that is clearly a shadow of its former self. Brodeur himself, is a few years older than the last time he held a Stanley Cup, surely not quite as quick as he once was. Throw in a few young forwards who needed to find out the difference between regular season and playoff hockey and you certainly don’t have the same playoff savvy bunch that won three Cups between 1995 and 2003.

You could say this season; New Jersey was a team in transition, a rebuilding year if you will. But they went to the second round you say? Well that’s how great franchises rebuild. Adapt and change their game but never become totally uncompetitive. Always a tough team to beat in the post season, Ottawa certainly got the Devils when they were ripe for the picking. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.