There are some people out there that enjoyed the era of the hockey dynasty more than the present day parity incarnation of the NHL.
Some long for the days when teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens dominated the regular season and racked up Stanley Cups. Those folks don’t like the reality that most good teams can’t stay together for too long thanks to salary cap constraints.
But if there’s one thing that the cap era has brought, it is parity. And if you are paying attention to the Western Conference playoff race, you’d be hard pressed to make a case to revisit the past.
Only the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks have clinched playoff spots, currently sitting one and two respectively. The Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, and Vancouver Canucks are in the driver’s seat for the three, four, and five seeds respectively.
And after that it’s pretty much a free-for-all. Playoff hockey is already here.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are in foreign territory (sixth place) and could make the postseason for the first time in franchise history—the team broke into the league in 2000–01.
Blessings can often come disguised, as they say, and that was certainly the case when former starting goalie Pascal Leclaire went down for the season with an ankle injury and rookie Steve Mason was elevated into the starting role.
There was little or no learning curve for the rookie, as Mason earned his first NHL win in his first start, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5–4 on November 5, 2008. He currently leads the NHL in shutouts with nine and is 29–17–3 with a 2.24 goals against average at the start of the week.
Mason’s play has been so impressive that Leclaire became expendable and the team dealt the former starter on trade deadline day to the Ottawa Senators for some offensive punch in left winger Antoine Vermette. Vermette has netted three goals and three assists in five games since arriving in Ohio.
Good goaltending can make or break a team and the young Mason is on track to backstop the Jackets to their first postseason appearance; first time will be a charm in Columbus.
The Minnesota Wild have fallen, to borrow a quote from the late-Keith Moon, like a lead balloon.
Once in the thick of the playoff race, Minnesota has dropped nine of its last 12 games and has fallen to 10th place in the conference.
A majority of the Wild’s remaining games are against teams from within the Western Conference and they haven’t been sharp in intra-conference games this season going 22–26–7.
Furthermore, Minnesota has a number of games against teams from within its own division remaining, and its record against the Northwest hasn’t been stellar either at 7–9–3.
A weak division record and a late-season slump is never a good thing and the Wild will be on the outside looking in come mid-April.
The Dallas Stars erred greatly in signing free-agent Sean Avery this past offseason as the troubled forward had a negative effect on the locker room.
After the infamous shot at former girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert in early-December, Dallas decided to cut ties with Avery and all the negative energy that he brought.
The team has played much better as a result and was on the verge of a playoff spot in ninth place. The players are more at ease now that Avery no longer casts a pall in the locker room.
The Stars came within two wins of making the Stanley Cup finals last year. With Marty Turco now a proven playoff performer, the team back in harmony, center Brad Richards eyeing a return at the end of the month, and captain Brendan Morrow looking to be ready for the playoffs, Dallas will be formidable down the stretch.
People might miss the days of teams winning four-straight Stanley Cups but in an age of parity, the waning 2008–09 season in the Western Conference will be must-see TV.
Some long for the days when teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens dominated the regular season and racked up Stanley Cups. Those folks don’t like the reality that most good teams can’t stay together for too long thanks to salary cap constraints.
But if there’s one thing that the cap era has brought, it is parity. And if you are paying attention to the Western Conference playoff race, you’d be hard pressed to make a case to revisit the past.
Only the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks have clinched playoff spots, currently sitting one and two respectively. The Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, and Vancouver Canucks are in the driver’s seat for the three, four, and five seeds respectively.
And after that it’s pretty much a free-for-all. Playoff hockey is already here.
Hopefuls and Pretenders
The Columbus Blue Jackets are in foreign territory (sixth place) and could make the postseason for the first time in franchise history—the team broke into the league in 2000–01.
Blessings can often come disguised, as they say, and that was certainly the case when former starting goalie Pascal Leclaire went down for the season with an ankle injury and rookie Steve Mason was elevated into the starting role.
There was little or no learning curve for the rookie, as Mason earned his first NHL win in his first start, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5–4 on November 5, 2008. He currently leads the NHL in shutouts with nine and is 29–17–3 with a 2.24 goals against average at the start of the week.
Mason’s play has been so impressive that Leclaire became expendable and the team dealt the former starter on trade deadline day to the Ottawa Senators for some offensive punch in left winger Antoine Vermette. Vermette has netted three goals and three assists in five games since arriving in Ohio.
Good goaltending can make or break a team and the young Mason is on track to backstop the Jackets to their first postseason appearance; first time will be a charm in Columbus.
The Minnesota Wild have fallen, to borrow a quote from the late-Keith Moon, like a lead balloon.
Once in the thick of the playoff race, Minnesota has dropped nine of its last 12 games and has fallen to 10th place in the conference.
A majority of the Wild’s remaining games are against teams from within the Western Conference and they haven’t been sharp in intra-conference games this season going 22–26–7.
Furthermore, Minnesota has a number of games against teams from within its own division remaining, and its record against the Northwest hasn’t been stellar either at 7–9–3.
A weak division record and a late-season slump is never a good thing and the Wild will be on the outside looking in come mid-April.
The Dallas Stars erred greatly in signing free-agent Sean Avery this past offseason as the troubled forward had a negative effect on the locker room.
After the infamous shot at former girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert in early-December, Dallas decided to cut ties with Avery and all the negative energy that he brought.
The team has played much better as a result and was on the verge of a playoff spot in ninth place. The players are more at ease now that Avery no longer casts a pall in the locker room.
The Stars came within two wins of making the Stanley Cup finals last year. With Marty Turco now a proven playoff performer, the team back in harmony, center Brad Richards eyeing a return at the end of the month, and captain Brendan Morrow looking to be ready for the playoffs, Dallas will be formidable down the stretch.
People might miss the days of teams winning four-straight Stanley Cups but in an age of parity, the waning 2008–09 season in the Western Conference will be must-see TV.
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