Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.41

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The whole business of attempting to predict who the Toronto Maple Leafs will select with their first round pick at the NHL Entry Draft on Friday is a lot of busy work for no real purpose. Brian Burke will do what Brian Burke will do. Unless you are Brian Burke, you don’t know what is going to happen and at this point, I’m not sure even Brian Burke knows what will happen. It seems that the Maple Leafs have the wheels in motion of several different possibilities that could become realities as early as Friday or perhaps not come through at all.

You can be sure though that regardless of what transpires, the Maple Leafs will add a dynamic young player to their growing crop of promising prospects. There are a handful of quality players available that many scouts are saying will be impact players early in their careers at the NHL level. The top crop includes John Tavares, Matt Duchene and Victor Hedman, players that may be out of reach for the Maple Leafs from the seventh spot. Below them though are players like Brayden Schenn (brother of Luke), Evander Kane, Jared Cowan, Nazem Kadri and Magnus Paarjarvi-Svensson, easily interchangeable in rankings after the top three picks have been made.

Slated to select in the seventh position, the Maple Leafs are in a good position to control their destiny at the draft. If they stand pat, a supremely talented young player will be available. If they move up, obviously the crop only gets better and if they decide to move back, they’ll do so knowing they can get the player they want while accumulating further assets through the trade. In the immortal words of Paul Maurice, people relax, go home, have some tea. The Maple Leafs will be a better team after the draft than they were before the draft. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.40

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What`s the old saying? If it ain`t broke, don`t fix it? That`s it, right? Ya. Well obviously the NHL isn`t too familiar with that notion after seeing its first attempt at hosting the annual awards show live from Las Vegas. If there was ever something from the big swing and a miss category, that was it. Clearly, the NHL was trying to add some luster and thrust itself into the big leagues of American sports events by holding it in the most lustrous city in the world, not the secluded little hamlet of Toronto, Ontario.

Instead what they ended up with was a directionless event with numerous awkward moments and surely more people laughing than those who were impressed. It was the kind of event that left me thinking of the reaction you get from the kid who`s no good and nobody wants to pick when picking teams. So eventually someone feels bad enough, picks him, he gets his chance but then fails miserably leaving everyone to roll their eyes.

What the NHL had with its awards show in Toronto was already unique and among the bigger spectacles for awards shows of the major North American sports leagues. It didn`t need changing. The focus in years past was on the game of hockey; Thursday night in Las Vega, I`m not really sure what the focus was on: ad for the Palms Casino and Resort, b-list actors and musicians with an opportunity to get on TV and wear that new tux? You definitely wouldn`t see b-list NHLers, let alone a-list NHLers handing out Oscars and Grammys now would you?

By the way, who hosted the show? Was it Jeremy Roenick? Michael Buble? The big voiceover guy? A curious question to be left with though isn`t it after watching an awards show that was trying to appear to be a bigger deal than it actually is? But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.39

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So here we are: game seven, the Detroit Red Wings, the Pittsburgh Penguins, for the Stanley Cup. This should be as good as it gets. The passionate hockey fan, the casual sports viewer and those who watch whatever is hot at the moment, be it the American Idol Finale, the World Cup Final or the Super Bowl should all be tuning in for this one-time winner take all heavyweight bout.

The storylines? They are all there too. Will the Red Wings draw from their vast experience, use home ice to their advantage as they have already done on three occasions in this series, win their fifth Stanley Cup in twelve seasons and become the NHL’s newest…dynasty. Or is this the coronation of the next generation of legends. We all know that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are great players but to truly take that next step in how the hockey world remembers you, Stanley Cup championships are essential. This is their chance; this is their time to shine.

On two occasions during this series, the Penguins were written off and left for dead, first after going down two games to none and then after being blown out of the Joe Louis in game five losing 5-0. But both times the Penguins have responded with a mature, professional and inspired effort seemingly well beyond their years.

Pittsburgh has mastered the art of resiliency and to win the Cup, they will need to exorcise their demons one more time to rebound from a deflating game performance.

Oh yeah, one other storyline conspicuous through its absence: Marian Hossa. Turned down big money for a long term for what he perceived as a better chance to win the Stanley Cup. He might well be right. Mats Sundin wishes he had Hossa’s success picking and choosing but you can be sure the Penguins would like to make a fool out of Hossa. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.38

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Through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Finals, things went exactly as they did last year in the first meeting between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins and exactly according to plan for the Red Wings. Take the first two games at home, look for a split in Pittsburgh and then return home to the Joe Louis Arena to hoist a fourth Stanley Cup in twelve years with a neat and tidy five game performance. However, in 2009 the Penguins had different ideas. Instead, Pittsburgh rebounded with a pair of wins on home ice to tie the series and set up what should be a thrilling best of three for the Stanley Cup.

For the Wings to win, they are going to have to get a legitimate offensive contribution from their big guns. Players like Darren Helm, Dan Cleary, Brad Stuart and Justin Abdelkader have shouldered the load but it’s now time for Hendrick Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and public enemy number one in Pittsburgh Marian Hossa to step up and take over a game the way Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have done on countless occasions thus far. Pavel Datsyuk appears to be nearing a return and his mere presence in the lineup will benefit the Red Wings, if for nothing else than to give them another option to match up against Crosby and Malkin.

If the Red Wings top players cannot step up the way they are capable of, the Penguins have a great chance to walk away with the Stanley Cup. Crosby and especially Malkin right now are playing the way everybody plays in their dreams. For their sake, hopefully they don’t wake up for two more games. All of a sudden in game four, Jordan Staal stepped to the fore to present a new threat for the Wings to consider.

The Red Wings won the first two games in large part on the contributions of their foot soldiers. The Penguins may yet win the Stanley Cup on the strength of their stars. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.