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DO YOU KNOW...

What was the first NHL team to win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles?

Choose Your Answer:

A: Montreal Canadiens,
B: Vancouver Millionaires,
C: Ottawa Senators,
D: New York Rangers


On April 4, 1921, the Ottawa Senators defeated the Vancouver Millionaires 2-1 in the decisive fifth game of the 1921 Stanley Cup Final. Jack Darragh scored both goals for the Senators, who became the first NHL team to win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.



OTTAWA SENATORS 1921 LOGO

The NHL Draft. All-Time: Ups and Downs

Drafting is an inexact science -- for every late-round gem (Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk), there's a high pick that didn't work out the way the a team had planned (Patrik Stefan).

Here's a look at some of the best choices in the history of the Entry Draft, as determined by where they were selected among the top 30 picks. (Up and coming includes players taken from 2004-08)

No. 1: Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh, 1984) -- If the Penguins had not drafted Lemieux in 1984, the franchise likely would have left Pittsburgh two decades ago. Lemieux was brilliant from the day he arrived, and eventually the Penguins built a supporting cast that helped him lead the franchise to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991-92. Had he stayed healthy, it would have been interesting to see whether he could have broken some of Wayne Gretzky's scoring records. He was perhaps the most physically talented player in NHL history.

Runners-up: Guy Lafleur (1971), Denis Potvin (1973)
Up and coming: Alex Ovechkin (2004), Sidney Crosby (2005); Patrick Kane (2007)
Disappointment: Patrik Stefan (1999)

No. 2: Brendan Shanahan (New Jersey, 1987) -- Shanahan's career came full circle in 2008-09 when he re-signed with the Devils, the team he began his career with more than two decades earlier. He's one of the great power forwards of any era, with 656 goals, 1,354 points, 2,489 penalty minutes, three Stanley Cups -- and a Hall of Fame berth as soon as he's eligible, which could be soon depending on whether he plays next season.

Runners-up: Marcel Dionne (1971), Chris Pronger (1993)
Up and coming: Evgeni Malkin (2004), Drew Doughty (2008)
Disappointment: Dave Chyzowski (1989)

No. 3: Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey, 1991) -- Few defensemen in NHL history have had Niedermayer's wheels -- he's as swift and smooth a skater as you'll ever see. Niedermayer's offensive numbers were held down somewhat because he played much of his career with the defense-first Devils. There were benefits, however -- he helped the Devils to three Stanley Cups and then captained Anaheim to another in 2007. He became a Devil in one of Lou Lamoriello's greatest trades -- the New Jersey GM dealt journeyman defenseman Tom Kurvers to Toronto in 1989 for the pick that turned into Niedermayer.

Runners-up: Denis Savard (1980), Pat LaFontaine (1983)
Up and coming: Jack Johnson (2005), Jonathan Toews (2006)
Disappointment: Neil Brady (1986)

No. 4: Steve Yzerman (Detroit, 1983) -- It's hard to believe now, but then-Wings GM Jim Devellano actually hoped to get Pat LaFontaine with the fourth pick in 1983, because LaFontaine had played locally and might help sell tickets. Instead, the Wings had to "settle" for Yzerman, who came into the NHL as a high scorer but later showed he was willing to trade individual points for team wins. The result was three Stanley Cups in six seasons, all of them with Yzerman as captain.

Runners-up: Mike Gartner (1979), Ron Francis (1981)
Up and coming: Niklas Backstrom (2006)
Disappointment: Alexandre Volchkov (1996)

No. 5: Jaromir Jagr (Pittsburgh, 1990) -- Missing the playoffs on the last night of the regular season is painful, but the Penguins' consolation prize for their near-miss in 1990 was Jagr. The Czech teenager turned into the perfect sidekick for Mario Lemieux and was a key to the Penguins' back-to-back Cup wins in 1991 and '92. He owns five NHL scoring titles, a Hart Trophy and seven First-Team All-Star berths, as well as five 100-point seasons. His combination of speed, skill and power is matched by very few players in NHL history.

Runners-up: Scott Stevens (1982), Tom Barrasso (1983)
Up and coming: Carey Price (2005); Luke Schenn (2008)
Disappointment: Daniel Dore (1988)

No. 6: Peter Forsberg (Philadelphia, 1991) -- Talk about the one that got away -- the Flyers drafted Forsberg with the sixth pick, but traded him to Quebec a year later in the Eric Lindros deal. Forsberg became one of the NHL's toughest skill players, a center who could beat you with a shot, a pass or just by running over you. It's hard to imagine how good he'd have been if injuries hadn't slowed him down and ultimately cut short his career.

Runners-up: Phil Housley (1982), Vincent Damphousse (1986)
Up and coming: Eric Johnson (2006), Sam Gagner (2007)
Disappointment: Daniel Tkaczuk (1997)

No. 7: Bernie Federko (St. Louis, 1976) -- At (maybe) 6 feet tall and all of 178 pounds, Federko hardly was a physical presence, but he more than made up for any lack of physicality with his hockey skills, which helped him pile up 369 goals and 1,130 points in exactly 1,000 games on the way to the Hall of Fame. He was the first player in NHL history to earn at least 50 assists in 10 consecutive seasons (1978-79 to 1987-88).

Runners-up: Bill Barber (1972), Shane Doan (1995)
Up and coming: Rostislav Olesz (2004); Kyle Okposo (2006)
Disappointment: Ryan Sittler (1992)

No. 8: Ray Bourque (Boston, 1979) -- Bourque stepped right into the NHL from junior hockey in 1979 and didn't step out until he skated away as a Stanley Cup champion with Colorado in 2001. Bourque holds all the NHL career scoring marks for defensemen (410 goals, 1,169 assists, 1,579 points), was a First-Team All-Star 13 times -- including 2000-01, when he turned 41 -- and won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman five times. Bourque rarely was flashy, but almost always brilliant.

Runners-up: Grant Fuhr (1981), Jeremy Roenick (1988)
Up and coming: Devin Setoguchi (2005), Peter Mueller (2006)
Disappointment: Rocky Trottier (1982)


No. 9: Brian Leetch (N.Y. Rangers, 1986) -- Leetch, who spent most of his career with the Rangers, arguably is the greatest U.S.-born player in NHL history. He joined the Rangers after one season at Boston College and a stint with the 1988 U.S. Olympic team and never stopped putting up points. Leetch won the 1989 Calder Trophy, took home the Norris Trophy twice and led the Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup (their only one since 1940) while becoming the first (and still only) American to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Runners-up: Cam Neely (1983), Rod Brind'Amour (1988)
Up and coming: James Sheppard (2006); Josh Bailey (2008)
Disappointment: Brett Lindros (1994)

No. 10: Teemu Selanne (Winnipeg, 1988) -- In terms of raw offensive numbers, Selanne had the greatest rookie season of all time. He announced his arrival in 1992 by shattering NHL records for first-year players with 76 goals and 132 points. The Finnish Flash led the NHL in goals three times and was good enough to score 48 goals and 94 points at age 36, helping the Anaheim Ducks to their first Stanley Cup. He had 27 goals for Anaheim this season and likely will go past 600 for his career if he comes back next season.

Runners-up: Steve Vickers (1971), Bobby Holik (1989)
Up and coming: Michael Frolik (2006); Cody Hodgson (2008)
Disappointment: Mikhail Yakubov (2000)

No. 11: Jarome Iginla (Dallas, 1995) -- The Stars traded the future for the present when they sacrificed Iginla to get Joe Nieuwendyk from Calgary. Landing Nieuwendyk helped them win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 1999, but the long-term cost has been steep -- Iginla has become one of the NHL's top stars. He's won the Art Ross, Rocket Richard and Lester B. Pearson trophies and was a Hart Trophy finalist in 2007-08 after reaching the 50-goal mark for the second time. He owns the Flames' franchise records for career goals and points.

Runners-up: Brian Rolston (1991), Brendan Witt (1993)
Up and coming: Anze Kopitar (2005); Brandon Sutter (2007)
Disappointment: David Cooper (1992)

No. 12: Gary Roberts (Calgary, 1984) -- If it seemed like Roberts was around forever, that's because he was -- at least by hockey standards. Roberts won a Stanley Cup with Calgary at age 23, scored 53 goals three seasons later, missed most of three seasons recovering from a serious neck injury, and still managed to score 438 goals and 910 points in 1,224 games. At age 42 he was a key locker-room presence in Pittsburgh's run to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, and he played briefly with Tampa Bay before retiring this season.

Runners-up: Kenny Jonsson (1993), Marian Hossa (1997)
Up and coming: Marc Staal (2005), Bryan Little (2006)
Disappointment: Josh Holden (1996)


No. 13: Jean-Sebastien Giguere (Hartford, 1995) -- The last first-round draft selection in Whalers history had to make a few stops before finding success, but Giguere has been one of the keys to the rise of the Anaheim Ducks. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2003, when Anaheim lost the Stanley Cup Final to New Jersey, and he could have won again in 2007 after the Ducks topped Ottawa for their first Stanley Cup.

Runners-up: Mattias Ohlund (1994), Ales Hemsky (2001)
Up and coming: Drew Stafford (2004); Jiri Tlusty (2006)
Disappointment: Michael Henrich (1998)

No. 14: Rick Middleton (N.Y. Rangers, 1973) -- Want to make a Rangers fan groan? Mention Middleton, who came up as the Rangers were entering a rebuilding phase and was sacrificed in a trade that brought Phil Esposito's long-time sidekick, Ken Hodge, to the Big Apple in 1976. The Rangers traded Middleton's future for Hodge's past -- Middleton had seven straight 30-goal seasons and went on to score more than 400 goals with the Bruins, while Hodge was out of the League 18 games into his second season in New York.

Runners-up: Brian Propp (1979), Sergei Gonchar (1992)
Up and coming: Kevin Shattenkirk (2007), Zach Boychuk (2008)
Disappointment: Jim Malone (1980)

No. 15: Mike Bossy (N.Y. Islanders, 1977) -- Twelve teams (including the Rangers and Toronto twice each) passed on Bossy because he was regarded as just another sniper from the run-and-gun Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Isles coach Al Arbour told GM Bill Torrey he could teach Bossy to play defense; he was right, and the rest is history. Bossy scored 573 goals in just 10 seasons and was a key to the Isles' four consecutive Stanley Cups before being forced to retire in 1987 due to back problems. Had Bossy stayed healthy, it's likely he -- not Wayne Gretzky -- would have broken Gordie Howe's all-time record for goals.

Runners-up: Al MacInnis (1981), Joe Sakic (1987)
Up and coming: Riku Helenius (2006), Erik Karlsson (2008)
Disappointment: Scott Kelman (1999)

No. 16: Dave Andreychuk (Buffalo, 1982) -- At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Andreychuk was a presence in front of the net for more than two decades. He was a big scorer in the first half of his career, totaling 30 or more goals seven times with Buffalo and getting 53 for Toronto in 1993-94. He remained a consistent scorer for another decade while improving his all-round game. He also became a leader and was captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning when they won the 2004 Stanley Cup. Andreychuk retired with 640 goals and 1,338 points in 1,639 games.

Runners-up: Al Secord (1978), Markus Naslund (1991)
Up and coming: Petteri Nokelainen (2004), Colton Gillies (2007)
Disappointment: Ty Jones (1997)

No. 17: Bobby Clarke (Philadelphia, 1969) -- Clarke fell to the second round in 1969 because teams didn't want to take a chance on drafting a diabetic. The Flyers called his name at No. 17 and got a Hall of Famer. The diabetes became a non-issue as Clarke became a star. He was named team captain at 23, at the time the youngest player ever to get the "C." Clarke's drive and skill led the Flyers to Stanley Cups in 1974 and '75, and he retired in 1984 with 1,210 points, three Hart trophies and a hatful of other honors.

Runners-up: Brent Sutter (1980), Kevin Hatcher (1984)
Up and coming: Martin Hanzal (2005), Trevor Lewis (2006)
Disappointment: Brent Bilodeau (1991)

No. 18: Glen Murray (Boston, 1991) -- Murray had two stints with the Bruins (sandwiched around time with Pittsburgh and Los Angeles); suffice it to say the second was better than the first. Murray never had scored 30 goals in a season before returning to the Bruins in 2001-02, and then did it three times in a row, including a high of 44 in 2002-03. A solid player for a long time, he had 337 goals and 651 points in 1,009 NHL games.

Runners-up: Ken Daneyko (1982), Petr Sykora (1995)
Up and coming: Kyle Chipchura (2004), Ryan Parent (2005)
Disappointment: Jesper Mattsson (1993)


No. 19: Keith Tkachuk (Winnipeg, 1990) -- The Jets grabbed Tkachuk in 1990 and he made the NHL after one season at Boston University. Tkachuk became one of the NHL's best power forwards -- a two-time 50-goal scorer and the first U.S.-born player to lead the NHL in goals when he had 52 in 1996-97. He continued scoring after being dealt to St. Louis in 2000-01, reached the 500-goal mark on the final day of the 2007-08 season and was a big reason the Blues surprisingly made the playoffs in 2008-09.

Runners-up: Craig Ramsay (1971), Olaf Kolzig (1989)
Up and coming: Lauri Korpikoski (2004); Jakub Kindl (2005)
Disappointment: Matthieu Descoteaux (1996)

No. 20: Martin Brodeur (New Jersey, 1990) -- It may be hard to believe now, but the winningest goaltender in NHL history was not the first goalie picked in 1990 (Calgary took Trevor Kidd at No. 11). Brodeur passed Patrick Roy for the wins record this season and figures to surpass Terry Sawchuk's mark of 103 shutouts early in 2009-10. He has three Stanley Cup rings, four Vezina trophies and is regarded as the gold standard among NHL goaltenders.

Runners-up: Larry Robinson (1971), Michel Goulet (1979)
Up and coming: Travis Zajac (2004), Michael Del Zotto (2008)
Disappointment: Barrett Heisten (1999)

No. 21: Kevin Lowe (Edmonton, 1979) -- The Oilers' first draft pick after the NHL-WHA merger was a superb choice. Lowe anchored the defense on a team that won five Stanley Cups in seven years, then provided stability on the blue line when the New York Rangers broke their 54-year drought by winning the Cup in 1994. Lowe wasn't flashy, but on an offense-first juggernaut, he was a huge stabilizing factor.

Runners-up: Patrick Flatley (1982), Saku Koivu (1993)
Up and coming: Wojtek Wolski (2004), Tuukka Rask (2005)
Disappointment: Evgeni Ryabchikov (1994)

No. 22: Bryan Trottier (N.Y. Islanders, 1974) -- The Islanders completed a Hall of Fame daily double when they picked Trottier, a center from Swift Current, with their second pick in 1974 (they took his future linemate, Clark Gillies, with their first pick). Trottier was the prototypical two-way center -- tough, strong, defensively diligent -- but his offensive skills were off the chart. Trottier, Gillies and Mike Bossy formed one of the NHL's best lines for years. After scoring 500 goals and helping the Isles to four straight Stanley Cups in the 1980s, Trottier finished his career with two more Cups as a checking center in Pittsburgh.

Runners-up: Adam Graves (1986), Adam Foote (1989)
Up and coming: Matt Lashoff (2005), Claude Giroux (2006)
Disappointment: Nikos Tselios (1997)


No. 23: Ray Whitney (San Jose, 1991) -- The second draft pick in team history is 37 but still going strong, with 24 goals and a team-high 77 points for Carolina (his sixth NHL team) in 2008-09. That moved the Edmonton native past 300 goals and 800 points for his career -- not bad for a kid whose first hockey claim to fame was being the Oilers' stick boy in Wayne Gretzky's last season in Edmonton (1987-88). That's pretty good for a 5-foot-10, 180-pounder who was told he was too small to make it in the NHL.

Runners-up: Travis Green (1989), Todd Bertuzzi (1993)
Up and coming: Andrej Meszaros (2004), Simeon Varlamov (2006)
Disappointment: Craig Hillier (1996)

No. 24: Doug Jarvis (Montreal, 1975) -- No one was better at showing up for work every night than Jarvis, who broke into the NHL on opening night of the 1975-76 season and suited up for 964 consecutive games, a record that's not likely to be broken. Jarvis scored as many as 20 goals only once, but was one of the NHL's best checkers and combined with Bob Gainey and Doug Risebrough to form one of the League's top shut-down lines during the Canadiens' dynasty of the late 1970s.

Runners-up: Sean Burke (1985), Daniel Briere (1996)
Up and coming: T.J. Oshie (2005)
Disappointment: J-F Damphousse (1997)

No. 25: Mark Howe (Boston, 1974) -- Gordie's son never did play for the Bruins. Instead, Mark and Marty Howe joined their father in Houston, where they led the Aeros to a WHA title and made the club one of the league's flagship franchises in its early years. The Howes went to Hartford in 1977 and stayed with the Whalers through the merger with the NHL. Mark shifted to defense and had a number of excellent seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers. He obviously wasn't as good as his father, but totaling his WHA and NHL numbers, he scored more than 400 goals and had 1,246 points in 1,355 games.

Runners-up: Gilles Gilbert (1969), Brenden Morrow (1997)
Up and coming: Andrew Cogliano (2005), Patrik Berglund (2006)
Disappointment: Mikhail Kuleshov (1999)

No. 26: Claude Lemieux (Montreal, 1983) -- Lemieux somehow kept showing up when there were Stanley Cups to be won -- he took home rings with Montreal, New Jersey and Colorado. He also earned a reputation as one of the game's best playoff performers (and most irritating players). Lemieux was on four Cup winners, earned the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1995, and stunned the hockey world by making a comeback with San Jose this season at age 43. He has 379 goals and 786 points in the regular season, plus 80 goals and 158 points in 233 postseason contests.

Runners-up: Don Maloney (1978), Zigmund Palffy (1991)
Up and coming: Cory Schneider (2004), David Perron (2007)
Disappointment: Kevin Grimes (1997)

No. 27: Joe Nieuwendyk (Calgary, 1985) -- Nieuwendyk started his NHL career with a bang, scoring 51 goals in each of his first two full seasons, the second of which ended with the Flames hoisting the Stanley Cup. Nieuwendyk had 45 goals in each of the next two seasons, and though he never reached 40 goals again, he was a consistent scorer for winning teams until retiring in 2006-07 with 564 goals and 1,126 points, plus 66 playoff goals, and Stanley Cup rings with three different teams.

Runners-up: Scott Mellanby (1984), Scott Gomez (1998)
Up and coming: Jeff Schultz (2004), Ivan Vishnevskiy (2006)
Disappointment: Ari Ahonen (1999)

No. 28: Mike Richter (N.Y. Rangers, 1985) -- Richter arguably is the best U.S.-born goaltender in history. He was in net when the Rangers ended their 54-year Stanley Cup drought in 1994, led the United States to the World Cup two years later and to the silver medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics. He ended his career (prematurely, due to concussions) with 301 wins, the most in Rangers history, despite spending the first few seasons of his career splitting time with John Vanbiesbrouck.

Runners-up: Guy Chouinard (1974), Justin Williams (2000)
Up and coming: Matt Niskanen (2005), Viktor Tikhonov (2008)
Disappointment: Adrian Foster (2001)

No. 29: Danny Gare (Buffalo, 1974) -- The Sabres took Gare in the second round after he scored 45 and 68 goals in his last two junior seasons. He quickly showed those totals were no fluke, scoring 31 as a rookie to help the Sabres make the Stanley Cup Final, and he reached the 50-goal mark in his second season. He had a career-best 56 in 1979-80, when he was a Second-Team All-Star, and came back with 46 the next season. He finished his career in 1986-87 with 354 goals and 685 points in 827 games.

Runners-up: Stephane Richer (1984), Corey Perry (2003)
Up and coming: Mike Green (2004), Steve Downie (2005)
Disappointment: Brian Wesenberg (1995)

No. 30: Randy Carlyle (Toronto, 1976) -- The Leafs took Carlyle with their first pick (in the second round) in 1976, bounced him up and down between Toronto and the minors for two seasons, and then dealt him to Pittsburgh in the summer of 1978. It was a deal they would come to regret, as Carlyle won the 1981 Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman, played in four All-Star Games and wound up scoring 647 points in 1,055 games with the Leafs, Penguins and Winnipeg Jets. He's done pretty well as a coach, too, leading Anaheim to the Cup in 2007.

Runners-up: Mark Hardy (1979), Patrice Brisebois (1989)
Up and coming: Matthew Corrente (2006), Nick Ross (2007)
Disappointment: Luke Sellars (1999)

Pens Win the Cup, Malkin - Conn Smythe Trophy

Malkin - 2009 Stanley Cup MVP

DETROIT -- The comment came a year ago. Same time, same place, Stanley Cup on the line. Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero was admiring the development of Evgeni Malkin as a player and person, and he wondered what his big, strong, talented young center might look like in two or three years.

"A lack of English sometimes holds him back," Shero noted. "But Geno has a great personality -- and it comes out more and more all
the time."

A second later, Shero came up with the ultimate sound bite, "When you look at his play, you don't need audio. You just need video."

Fast-forward from the day Malkin was selected No. 2 overall to Alex Ovechkin in the 2004 Entry Draft. He was awkward that day, kind of dizzy -- looking at adapting to life in a different world, different culture, with a new language. Even though there's a universal language in hockey, life around the sport can indeed be foreign.

Malkin will turn 23 on July 31. His spoken English is still a little iffy, but his body English is impeccably North American now after three seasons with the Pens and totals of 85, 106 and a League-leading 113 points this season.

"If you really wanted to do a book on him, you could do hundreds of pages long with all the things he does well," former Phoenix Coyotes GM Michael Barnett said after the 2004 Draft. "If you were looking for negatives, it wouldn't even fill up a page."

But the vagaries of youth and trying to get accustomed to a new world can be difficult, even for the best athletes. However, after struggling as many of his teammates did in the Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings a year ago, when he had just 1 goal and 2 assists in the six games, Malkin has had a monster playoff performance this year.

After the Pens stumbled to an 0-2 hole in the Final, it was Malkin's three assists in Game 3 that gave the powerful Pittsburgh center a
League-leading 33 points in the playoffs -- making him the first NHL player to surpass 30 points in the playoffs since Colorado's Joe Sakic accomplished the feat in 1996. That total included 11 multiple-point games.

His deft interception of Brad Stuart's pass and subsequent sweep pass set up Maxime Talbot's goal 1:13 into the second period gave the
Penguins a lead they never relinquished Friday night en route to a 2-1 Game 7 victory and Stanley Cup triumph. It was Malkin's 36th point of the playoffs -- the most of any player since Wayne Gretzky in 1993. That was enough to earn him the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

He also joined Wayne Gretzky, Guy Lafleur, Phil Esposito and Mario Lemieux as the only players to lead the NHL in scoring in the regular season and the playoffs.

Ready to concede that Malkin is something very, very special?

"All young players struggle with consistency -- and, if anything, that's all he seemed to be missing in last year's Final series," Red
Wings center Henrik Zetterberg observed before Game 7. "This year, he seems to be more comfortable, more confident, more powerful. He's definitely physically stronger and harder to handle."

Sidney Crosby, who feeds off Malkin's strength as much as Malkin feeds off Crosby's leadership, singled out a more electric game from Malkin this season.

"If anything, it's energy," Crosby said. "He looks like he's full of it out there."

"He's a more experienced guy who has been through it once before and you can see he is more comfortable," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "He's a big guy that can hang onto the puck. He comes from the neutral zone with speed. And because of his reach and his size he
can be hard to handle. But I don't think anybody's really surprised. He's one of the best players in the world."

There's skill, grace, size and speed -- and he's still a kid.

"I started to get used to the faster pace," he said the other day. "Playing in a strong league definitely sped up my development."

Penguins center Jordan Staal has an interesting thought: He believes Crosby and Ovechkin have steered Malkin to the front row of talent.

"Geno's taken it to another level," Staal said. "I think he's figured out for himself that those two will keep improving, and if he wants to
be the best he's got to pick up his game.

"But, honestly, Geno's become pretty unreal the way he plays."

Though Malkin may still be shy in front of big crowds, he gives teammate (and fellow Russian) Sergei Gonchar plenty of credit for helping him bridge the gap from Magnitogorsk to Pittsburgh.

Gonchar took in Malkin as a house guest for his first two seasons in the NHL, allowing him to ease into the new culture. Gonchar talks about how Natalie, his 7-year-old daughter, used to help Malkin with English -- a few new words she had learned at school each day, and they would practice them together. That, plus watching American TV and listening to locker-room banter, has been his classroom.

"The great players usually find a way to make a difference," Shero said, with a big smile the other day.

Clearly, Evgeni Malkin is a natural on the ice. As he learns more about himself, his upside will be unlimited.

Reporters recently caught him at Mellon Arena, looking at photos of former Penguins stars Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr smiling as they gripped the Stanley Cup. The picture was on June 1, 1992, in a champagne-soaked visitors dressing room at Chicago Stadium.

It was one of those one-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words moments.

"It's my dream," Malkin said. "Me and Sid, just like that."

The snap shot of Malkin and Crosby is real now -- and there's clearly more to come.

Game 6 Numbers

Game 6. Crosby vs. Lidstrom

A few of the pertinent numbers from Pittsburgh's 2-1 win over Detroit in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night:

0 -- Goals by Detroit's Marian Hossa in this year's Final. Hossa led Pittsburgh with 3 goals and seven points while playing against the Red Wings in last year's Final. He has only 3 assists in six games against his former team this year.

1 -- Games played in this year's Final by Pittsburgh forward Petr Sykora, who was a healthy scratch through the first five games after scoring 25 goals in the regular season. It was Sykora's 115th career playoff game -- but only his seventh appearance this spring.

2 -- Minor penalties against Pittsburgh in the third period, after the Penguins went more than two periods without taking a penalty. Evgeni Malkin was called for cross-checking at 9:18, and Bill Guerin drew a high-sticking minor at 12:40. It was a big contrast from Game 5, when the Penguins gave Detroit nine power plays and allowed three goals with the extra man.

3 -- Shots on goal by Detroit in the opening period. It was the third time in the Final that the Red Wings were limited to three shots in a period. They managed three in the third period of Game 2 and again in the final period of Game 3.

4 -- Takeaways by Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, the most of any player on either team. Malkin's total was one fewer than the entire Detroit team. Pittsburgh finished with 11 takeaways.

5 -- Times in this year's postseason that Detroit has been outshot, including Games 1, 2 and 6 of the Final. The Wings' loss in Game 6 marked the first time this spring that they've lost the game when being outshot.

5 -- Stanley Cup Finals this century that have gone to Game 7. This year's Final is the first to go the distance since 2006, when Edmonton and Carolina did it. The 2001, 2003 and 2004 Finals also went seven games. Before 2001, only two Finals since 1965 had gone to the max.

6 -- Blocked shots by Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik, the most of any player on either team. Rob Scuderi was next for the Pens with four, including a key block in the final seconds. Niklas Kronwall was tops with four of Detroit's 12 blocked shots.

7 -- Losses by the Red Wings in the 10 Game 6s they've played in the Final. The Wings won last year's Cup by winning Game 6 in Pittsburgh, but couldn't repeat the feat this year. Overall, the Wings are 28-22 in Game 6s, but 0-2 this year.

9 -- Wins by Pittsburgh in the 13 games in which it has scored first. The Penguins have scored first in four of the six games in the Final, winning three of them -- all at home.

10 -- Pittsburgh's record in this year's playoffs when leading after the second period. The Pens are 2-0 when ahead after two periods in the Final.

11 -- Faceoff wins by Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg, the most on either team -- and nearly half of Detroit's 24 wins in the circle. The teams each won 24 faceoffs, with Sidney Crosby going 9-7 and Jordan Staal going 8-6 for the Penguins. Darren Helm, who was dominant in the circle through the first four games for Detroit, lost six of seven faceoffs after going 1-5 in Game 5.

12:55 -- Elapsed time between shots on goal by Detroit in the first period. Dan Cleary had Detroit's second shot on goal 5:27 into the game. The Wings didn't get another shot until Henrik Zetterberg tested Marc-Andre Fleury at 18:22.

13 – Shutouts in this year's Playoffs, the same number as last year. Detroit's Chris Osgood has two, including one in the Final. Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury has not had a shutout, though he carried one into the third period on Tuesday night.

24 -- Times that a team has hosted Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final needing a win to avoid elimination. Pittsburgh is the 10th team to force the Final to a Game 7; only the 1950 Red Wings and 1971 Montreal Canadiens went on to win the Cup.

35 -- Hits credited to Pittsburgh, compared with 26 for the Red Wings. It's only the second time in the Final that the Penguins out-hit the Wings -- they've won both (Games 3 and 6). Detroit's 26 hits were its second-lowest total of the series; the Wings were out-hit 36-17 in Game 3, a 4-2 loss.

37 -- Shots by the Red Wings that didn't get to Fleury. The Wings missed the target on 17 shots and had 20 blocked. In contrast, the Penguins missed the net only seven times and had 12 blocked.

58 -- Wins in this year's playoffs by the team leading after the second period. Only three teams have lost a game this spring when taking the lead into the final period. Detroit has not won a game in this year's playoffs when trailing after 40 minutes; Pittsburgh has done it once.

Detroit Takes a Lead

Tomas Holmstrom wins the battle against Brooks Orpik

A few of the pertinent numbers from Detroit's 5-0 victory over Pittsburgh in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night.

0 -- Points in the Stanley Cup Final before Game 5 by Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom, who has played all five games against Pittsburgh after missing the last three games of the Western Conference Finals against Chicago. Lidstrom assisted on Brian Rafalski's second-period goal that made it 4-0.

1 -- Losses by Pittsburgh in Game 5 of their four Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins had won both of their previous Game 5s, beating the Minnesota North Stars in 1991 and Detroit last year (they swept Chicago in 1992). Overall, the Pens are 19-17 in Game 5s, 1-2 this year.

2 -- Shutouts by Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood in this year's playoffs. The other came in Game 2 of the opening round against Columbus. It was the 15th of his career and third in a Stanley Cup Final game -- he blanked Pittsburgh 4-0 in Game 1 and 3-0 in Game 2 last year.

3 -- Power-play goals by the Red Wings in the second period. Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski scored in a 2:25 span early in the period, and Henrik Zetterberg added another at 16:40. The Wings had managed just one goal on the power play in the first four games of the Final.

4 -- Goals by Detroit in the second period, the most the Red Wings have scored in any period during this year's playoffs. It's also the Wings' biggest period in the Stanley Cup Final since April 26, 1966, when they scored four goals in the third period of Game 2, a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Detroit had scored four second-period goals in the first four games of this year's Final combined.

5 -- Career playoff assists by Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood, whose breakout pass led to Valtteri Filppula's goal 1:44 into the second period that made it 2-0. It was Osgood's second of this year's playoffs -- half of the total by all goaltenders in the postseason -- and the first assist by a goaltender in the Final since 2003, when New Jersey's Martin Brodeur (Game 1) and Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Giguere (Game 3) both had one.

6 -- Shots on goal by Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg, the most by anyone on either team. Sergei Gonchar led Pittsburgh with four. Unlike Gonchar, Zetterberg scored a goal.

7 -- Hits credited to Detroit rookie center Darren Helm, giving him 32 for the series, the most of any player. Marian Hossa led the Wings in Game 5 with eight.

7 -- Games missed by Detroit center Pavel Datsyuk, who returned to the lineup on Saturday for the first time since injuring his foot in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against Chicago. The Hart Trophy finalist missed three games against Chicago and the first four of the Final against Pittsburgh. He wasted no time making an impact, setting up Dan Cleary's goal 13:32 into the game that put Detroit ahead to stay, then added another assist in the second period and finished plus-2 with two shots and four hits.

7:19 -- Elapsed time from the opening faceoff to the game's first whistle. The teams went without a stoppage of play until Niklas Kronwall took the game's first penalty for tripping Chris Kunitz. Each team had three shots on goal during that span.

8 -- Play stoppages in the first period that resulted in faceoffs. Including the start of the game, there were just nine draws in the opening 20 minutes (an average period has 15-20 faceoffs). Detroit won five of the nine faceoffs.

11 -- Home victories by Detroit in its 12 games at Joe Louis Arena this spring. The Wings' only home loss in this year's playoffs was a 4-3, triple-overtime defeat at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. They've won all eight games since then.

12 -- Years since the Red Wings won a Stanley Cup Final game by five or more goals. Detroit's last victory by that many goals was a 6-1 rout of Philadelphia in Game 3 of the 1997 Final. The last time the Wings scored as many as five goals in the Final was Game 2 in 1998, when they rallied for a 5-4 overtime victory over Washington.

19 ­-- Previous occasions in which the Final was tied 2-2 after four games. Good omen for the Red Wings: Fourteen of the 19 teams that won Game 5 went on to win the Cup. The last one that didn't was the 2004 Calgary Flames, who lost Games 6 and 7 to Tampa Bay. Only one team, the 1971 Montreal Canadiens, was tied 2-2, lost Game 5 on the road and rallied to win the Cup.

36 -- Wins by Detroit in Game 5s of a playoff series. Saturday night's victory moved the Wings back to .500 (36-36) in the 72 Game 5s they've played, including 6-8 in the Final.

48 -- Consecutive playoff starts by Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury, who didn't make it through the second period in Game 5. It was the first time in this year's playoffs that Fleury was pulled.

49 -- Consecutive playoff victories for the Red Wings when they score four or more goals. The Wings haven't lost when scoring four or more goals in the postseason since the Phoenix Coyotes beat them 7-4 on April 24, 1998.

233 -- Stanley Cup Playoff games for Lidstrom, tying him with Scott Stevens for fifth on the all-time list. Detroit's captain will tie Claude Lemieux (234) for fourth place if he plays in Game 6.

300 -- Playoff victories in the history of the Red Wings' franchise, against 260 losses. The Wings are second in all-time playoff wins, trailing only the Montreal Canadiens, who have 398.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers...

Tomas Holmstrom vs. Jordan Staal and M-A Fleury

A few of the pertinent numbers from Pittsburgh's 4-2 victory over Detroit in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night.

0 -- Goals scored by Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom in the Red Wings' last 16 playoff games. Holmstrom had goals in Games 3 and 4 against Columbus in the opening round, but has just three assists since then while going scoreless against Anaheim (7 games), Chicago (5 games) and Pittsburgh (4 games so far).

1 -- Shorthanded goals scored by Pittsburgh in this year's playoffs. Jordan Staal's game-tying goal in the second period was Pittsburgh's first this spring while playing down a man. It was also the first shorthanded goal allowed by Detroit this year.

2 -- Goals in the Final by Detroit's Darren Helm. The speedy rookie now has three goals in this year's playoffs and six postseason goals in his career -- but has never scored in the regular season.

3 -- Consecutive games in the Final in which Pittsburgh has scored first. Detroit got the first goal in Game 1; the Penguins got it in each of the next three games. Overall, the Pens have scored first in 12 of their 21 playoff games this spring, going 8-4.

4 -- Players who've swept the scoring titles in both the regular season and playoffs since the first expansion in 1967. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, who's tops in postseason scoring this year, is trying to become the fifth player to do so, joining Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky (four times), Guy Lafleur (twice) and Phil Esposito (twice). Malkin led the NHL with 113 points (35-78) during the regular season to win the Art Ross Trophy.

5 -- Times in nine road games this spring that Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood has allowed three or more goals. The Wings have lost the last three of those games, including Games 3 and 4 to the Penguins in the Final.

6 -- Years since a team lost the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, then won the next two. Anaheim lost the first two games of the 2003 Final at New Jersey, then won the next two games at home. That series went seven games, with the Devils winning Game 7 at home.

7 -- Points by Malkin in the first four games of this year's Final, the most of anyone on either team. It's a big jump from last year, when he had no points in the first four games and finished 1-2-3 in six games.

9 -- Power plays received by the Penguins in the first four games of the Final. The Penguins have made the most of their opportunities, scoring on four of them -- a 44.4-percent success rate.

9 -- Goals by the Red Wings in the Final while playing 5-on-5, compared with four for the Penguins. Overall this spring, the Wings have outscored opponents 44-23 when playing at full and equal strength.

10 -- Times in this year's playoffs that the Red Wings have allowed the game's first goal. They are 5-5 in those games, including 1-2 in the Final. In the 10 games they've scored the first goal, the Wings are 9-1-- including Game 1 against Pittsburgh.

13 -- Faceoffs lost by Staal, in 15 attempts. Staal, who had his first goal and points of the Final for Pittsburgh in Game 4, is now 15-47 on draws in the first four games.

16 -- Games this spring in which Detroit has allowed at least one power-play goal. The Wings have held the opposition without a goal on the power play just four times in 20 games -- and just once in the first four games of the Final.

35 -- Points in this year's playoffs by Malkin, four more than teammate Sidney Crosby. It's the most by any player in a single playoff year since Wayne Gretzky had 40 for Los Angeles in 1993.

39 -- Shots on goal by the Red Wings, the most by either team in the first four games of the Final. The Wings had 19 of those shots in the opening period, the highest single-period total so far in the Final.

52 -- Game 4s lost by Detroit in the playoffs, against 44 victories. It's the Red Wings' highest loss total in any game of a playoff series. The Wings had won all three previous Game 4s in this year's playoffs, winning at Columbus, Anaheim and Chicago. They also won Game 4 of last year's Final at Pittsburgh

210:34 -- Elapsed time in the series before Crosby scored his first goal of this year's Final. He put the Penguins ahead when he beat Chris Osgood midway through the second period, putting him first among all players in this year's playoffs with 15 goals.

232 -- Postseason games played by Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom, who played No. 232 on Thursday. He's now alone in fifth on the all-time list, breaking a tie with Guy Carbonneau. He can tie Scott Stevens (233 games played) for fourth by playing in Game 5 on Saturday night, and could move past Claude Lemieux (234) if the series goes seven games

Pavel Datsyuk - ready to play?

NIKALE PHOTOS

PITTSBURGH—If the smile on his face while skating at Wednesday's practice is any indication, expect to see center Pavel Datsyuk back in the Detroit Red Wings lineup for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. Datsyuk hasn't played in the playoffs since Game 2 of the Western Conference finals because of a foot injury.

Datsyuk said he felt good Wednesday, but coach Mike Babcock wouldn't go so far as to say Datsyuk would be in the lineup tonight.

"What we'll do is go for the optional skate in the morning and see how he responded today and see how he felt," Babcock said. "He's one of the best players in the world. Obviously, we'd like to have him. But it's one of those injuries."

Datsyuk said it would be a game-time decision, but said he's healthy and feels as good as he did before the injury.

"I feel like again 18 years young," he said. "I have lots of fun, exciting wearing skates … I want to play so bad. I don't want to watch this game again."

Babcock confirmed that veteran center Kris Draper(notes) would return to the lineup regardless of Datsyuk's status. Draper has been out with a groin injury. The return of Draper and Datsyuk would be a boost to the Wings' struggling penalty kill. The Red Wings are killing only 71.4 percent of opposing power plays during the playoffs.

But it's not the percentage that bothers Babcock.

"It's when you give them up," he said. "You know, that's huge. Last night, we needed a kill. Without any question, it was a 2—2 game. We needed the kill."

Zetterberg logs serious minutes

Playing in Pittsburgh makes it more difficult to match Henrik Zetterberg(notes) against Sidney Crosby(notes), so Detroit's shutdown center ended up double-shifting and finished Game 3 with an ice time of 24:19.

It was his highest total of the season in a game that didn't go to overtime.

"Yesterday, when I saw the sheet, I didn't expect it to be that much. I thought it was my usual 20 minutes," Zetterberg said.

Babcock wasn't concerned with the extra time wearing Zetterberg down, although he admitted 24 minutes isn't ideal.

"I didn't think we overplayed him," Babcock said.

If Detroit continues to remain so focused on getting the right players on the ice to stop Crosby, Crosby's teammates have to take advantage.

"It does leave the onus on our other guys to play our game and get to the offensive zone to take some pressure off just one guy scoring," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "Better play in the offensive zone by everybody would make those matchups better, even better for us."

Same series, different feeling

The Red Wings are up 2-1, just like they were last year at this time. But Maxime Talbot said the Penguins' confidence level is much higher this time.

The first two games were much closer, Talbot said, and he never felt the same level of domination the Red Wings displayed last season.

"But we know how big this Game 4 is now because we lost it last year and it was hard to come back from a 3-1 deficit," Talbot said. "From the experience of last year, I think we feel it's different, and we're up to the challenge a little bit more."

Television Ratings for the Fianals

NEW YORK (AP)—Television ratings for the Stanley Cup finals are off to their best start since 2002.

NBC said Tuesday that Games 1 and 2 averaged a 2.8 rating and 5 share. That’s up 17 percent from last year, when the first games on the network were Games 3 and 4. Versus showed Games 1 and 2 in 2008; the cable channel is broadcasting Games 3 and 4 this year.

The ratings were the highest for the first two games on NBC or ABC since 2002, when the Detroit-Carolina series averaged a 3.4/7.

Detroit beat Pittsburgh on Saturday and Sunday.

The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with TVs. The share is the percentage tuned into the broadcast among those households with TVs on at the time.

John Tavares - Ready for Draft

PITTSBURGH -- Much has been written in recent months about John Tavares and why he should boycott Long Island should the New York Islanders select the 18-year-old with No. 1 selection in the 2009 Entry Draft, which will be held later this month in Montreal.

Time and time again, Tavares has stated that there will be no such boycott. If the Isles want him, he's theirs.

He reiterated that statement Tuesday morning at Mellon Arena, only hours before watching his first Stanley Cup Final game in person.

"Not many guys get that opportunity to be selected No. 1," Tavares said. "I'd love to go No. 1, but then again I'd love to go to any NHL team. I feel like I can contribute in a good way. If it happens, I'll be honored and very excited. But I'll be just as honored and excited if it doesn't happen."

Tavares recently met with Islanders brass on Long Island and said he came away impressed. While Isles owner Charles Wang still faces an uphill battle for a new/renovated Nassau Coliseum, Tavares was happy to get a first-hand look at some parts of Long Island -- including the rink that opened its doors 18 years before he was born.

At the meeting, though, Tavares wasn't assured that he would become an Islander on June 26. Highly touted Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman -- who is also here in Pittsburgh -- visited Long Island Monday. Matt Duchene also recently made a trip.

"I think they're keeping things low-key," said Tavares, who has an Ontario Hockey League record 215 goals. "They're trying to decide exactly what they want to do. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. I got to meet a lot of people in the organization and I got to see the rink and a little bit of Long Island. I had breakfast with Doug Weight. It was a good experience for me and a good opportunity to check out Long Island and get to know (GM) Garth (Snow) a little bit, and Mr. Wang. I had a good time and we'll see what happens."

Should the Isles opt for Tavares, he would become part of a rebuilding process that already includes promising forwards Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey, and would almost certainly make the club out of training camp in September. New York had 13 selections in last year's draft and also holds the 26th, 31st and 37th picks later this month. While it's possible Snow could deal some of those selections on draft weekend for an established NHL player, there's little doubt either Tavares or Hedman -- or Duchene, a dark horse in this race -- will be an Islander in just over three weeks' time.

But at least one other GM is still willing to make a deal. Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke clearly would love to have Tavares call the Air Canada Centre home.

"We continue to try to move up," Burke said on Tuesday afternoon. "We haven't success so far. The two times that I have been successful making a deal happened on the (draft) floor. I'm not discouraged yet."

On Tuesday, Tavares made one thing perfectly clear -- he won't be discouraged if the Islanders call his name on June 26 at the Bell Centre. Perhaps it was on his visit when he learned there's much more to Long Island than Uniondale.

"It was a lot of fun," Tavares said of his trip. "I had a really good time and got to know them a lot more and what they're all about and their philosophy and see the way they do things. Long Island's a great city. Obviously, they've got a good organization and really have a good fan base when they have winning teams. They have a lot of tradition there from the Stanley Cups. I really enjoyed my time there."

Where Are They Now: Mike Vernon

Mike Vernon. Calgary Flames. 1989 Stanley Cup

For 21 National Hockey League seasons, Mike Vernon prevented the opposition from putting pucks in the net.

These days, Vernon is still a gatekeeper of sorts. But as vice president of the Bear Mountain Resort in British Columbia, he’s trying to let everyone in.

Visitors to this resort who aren’t hockey fans will see this sharp-dressed 5-foot-9 man walking the grounds and have no clue that he won two Stanley Cups, played for four NHL teams and faced legendary players — such as his long-time rival, Patrick Roy.

The Vernon-Roy rivalry began in 1986 when Vernon’s Calgary Flames lost the Stanley Cup Finals to Roy’s Montreal Canadiens. Three years later, Vernon, still with Calgary, won the first of his two Stanley Cups. That same year, Roy won the Vezina Trophy. Another memorable moment came in the 1996 Western Conference Finals when Roy, now with Colorado, helped the Avalanche eliminate Detroit, whose No. 1 goaltender was Vernon.

But during the 1996-97 season, their rivalry took another twist. On March 26, 1997, Vernon won his 300th game in a 6-5 overtime Detroit victory over Colorado. However, that milestone was overshadowed by a line brawl which featured a center ice fight between Vernon and Roy.

That wasn’t the only time Vernon was victorious over Roy that season. In a Western Conference Finals rematch, Vernon and Red Wings swept Roy and the Avalanche in four games. Vernon would lead Detroit to their first Stanley Cup in 41 years and receive the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.

“It takes certain ingredients to win the Stanley Cup — a great team and a little luck,” Vernon said about that memorable season, “and we had both. It was a great honor I dreamed about since childhood.”

As for battling against Roy, Vernon left his feelings on the ice.

“He’s a great goaltender and competitor,” Vernon said of his rivalry with Roy. “I think there’s mutual respect there. We both stick up for our teammates. That’s the sport.”

“The sport” also involves change. After that Stanley Cup season, Vernon was traded to the Sharks before the 1997-98 campaign. Vernon, along with Kelly Hrudey, gave the Sharks two credible Stanley Cup Finals-tested veterans in net, a necessary ingredient as the Sharks were building a foundation to compete. Over the next two-plus seasons, Vernon won 52 games and posted nine shutouts. Most importantly, in his first year (1997-98), Vernon won 30 games and helped the Sharks start a run of five consecutive playoff seasons.

When the 1999-00 season began, Vernon and Steve Shields were San Jose’s goaltenders. But on Dec. 30, 1999, Vernon was traded to Florida. Two days later, a rookie named Evgeni Nabokov made his debut in relief of Shields at Nashville.

While the trade would eventually create an opportunity for a future Calder Memorial Trophy winner and two-time NHL All-Star, Vernon was shocked when he got the news. “(Head Coach Darryl Sutter) told me to get ready to play the second half of the season. I was well rested and ready to play,” Vernon said. “I was completely thrown for a loop because I felt like we finally had all the pieces to challenge for the Stanley Cup. I was very disappointed.”

Vernon would finish the season with the Panthers before concluding his career by returning to his native Calgary for his last two seasons with the Flames. When he retired, Vernon had 385 wins, 27 shutouts and a 2.98 goals-against average. He’s still Calgary’s all-time leader in games played (526) and wins (262).

Vernon may have been disappointed about not staying in San Jose, but there’s no hard feelings. “The Sharks have great ownership,” Vernon said. “It was great to play for an organization that wanted to win and was willing to take risks to put a winning product on the ice. My wife and I enjoyed living there. It’s one of the best places to live.”

Lately, there’s been some rumblings in the hockey community about Vernon making the Hockey Hall of Fame. “If they (the nominators) believe I’m worthy, great,” he said. “But regardless, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. The Hockey Hall of Fame is out of my control.”

What’s in his control these days is the success of Bear Mountain, located in Victoria, which is southwest of Vancouver on Vancouver Island. Vernon was introduced to the resort business by Len Barrie, one of his former Florida teammates. Barrie, now one of the owners of the Tampa Bay Lightning, went into real estate development after retirement and became CEO and president of the resort. Vernon got involved with Bear Mountain a few years ago when Barrie asked him to look at the resort in its planning phase.

“Things are going well, but it’s a big project. The first 15 years are the most important for development and sustainability,” Vernon said. “Len and I used to travel around a lot to play golf all over the United States. We noticed there weren’t any golf resorts in Canada. We wanted to bring this concept to the west coast of Victoria because it has the best weather and caters to a huge tourist population.”

Bear Mountain has a golf course, housing, conference rooms, workout facilities and a little village with shops, markets and pubs. Facility guests can partake in numerous activities such as hiking, biking, kayaking and salmon fishing.

Vernon’s involvement with Bear Mountain coincides with his passion for golf. “Golf is just a good game,” he said. “I played as a kid. During the summer, I’d go workout for hockey and then head to the golf course. In fact, I owned a small course outside of Calgary.”

While Vernon is busy with the resort and being with his family, which includes four children, he’s still involved in hockey. He helps coach his children’s teams and is also Tampa Bay’s special assistant to the executive vice president of hockey operations. Vernon assists in hockey-related matters and provides guidance to the team’s goaltenders.

But despite all of the demands in his life, Vernon said family is No. 1. “It’s the time in my life where I need to focus on being a father and husband,” he said. “I want to be able to provide for them but also be there to experience as much as possible with them. My hope for the future is to live as normal a life as possible and spend time with my family and friends.”

Sarnia Bluewater Sharks Wins the Tournament

Sarnia 95 Bluewater Sharks

I have spent another terrific weekend watching my son playing for Sarnia Bluewater Sharks 95 "AAA" team. Even more important - we have won 2009 St. Thomas Annual Classic Tournament.

Thank you, Peter

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Hundreds of mourners packed a Toronto-area church Friday for the funeral service of former NHL player Peter Zezel.

Zezel, who played several seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, died Tuesday at the age of 44 after suffering from a rare blood disorder for the last 10 years.

Some of those in attendance included former Leafs teammates Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark, and former team GM Cliff Fletcher.

Outside the mass at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Clark called Zezel an "ambassador for the game, an ambassador for how to love life and have fun."

The Toronto native played in the NHL for 15 seasons, including three-plus seasons with the Leafs in the early 1990s.

Over his 873-game NHL career, Zezel scored 219 goals and collected 389 assists for 608 points.


I happened to know him. Well, not too close... Peter was really nice person.

Tickets price - Detroit vs. Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Penguins at Detroit Red Wings
Sat, May 30 2009 8:00 PM
Joe Louis Arena - Detroit, MI

294 tickets available from $161 to $1343 each.

Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins
Tue, Jun 02 2009 8:00 PM
Mellon Arena - Pittsburgh, PA

314 tickets available from $255 to $3745 each

I don't know about you but I am impressed with $3745 one-ticket-price. Who told our economy is down and Pittsburgh is dying city?

Ultimate Glory--Stanley Cup Preview

Detroit vs. Pittsburgh. Playoffs Finals...but 2008

lovecrosby87

The stage is set. The ice is solid. The players are ready to fight for Lord Stanley. For the second straight year, the Detroit Red Wings will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. My two favourite teams. Never would I have thought I would get to see my two favourite teams square off two years in a row…in fact, if you asked me this back in November, i would have laughed and said the Pens will be lucky if they even make the playoffs. Both teams are ready to go and no one wants to go home a loser.

Stanley Cup Finals

Detroit Red Wings versus Pittsburgh Penguins— Reigning Champs versus Reigning Runner-ups. At this point last year, the Wings held a 2 game lead over the “Final Freshmen” Penguins. The Penguins are determined to not let that happen again. Both teams have improved considerably since the last time they fought for Lord Stanley’s glory. Most notably, the Wings acquired Marian Hossa from..the Penguins. Hossa infamously said “I want to go on a team that has a chance of winning the Cup.” The Penguins were struck by his relatively harsh words and are determined to make him realize that the Penguins can win a Cup…without his help. Ty Conklin is also playing for the Wings this year..although, unless Osgood is injured, it is doubtful he will see any action versus his former team. Assuming Datsyk and Lidsrom are healthy, the Wings will be hard to beat. Every single line can score…even the defense. Also, it is very tough to get the puck to the net, if all deffensemen are healthy.

The Penguins have improved as well. With the acquistion of Kunitz and Guerin, the Pens now have a seasoned verteran who knows how to win the Cup..and a tough and gritty player who is not afraid to hit anyone..who also has a Stanley Cup to his name. Crosby is playing the best hockey he has ever played. He already has scored more goals than he did in last years playoffs…and there is still one round left. Malkin has also been on a tear, since being criticized for his lack of production in the first round. Staal has also improved his game since last year. This yound 20 year old is very tough to get by…he isn’t afraid to hit, has a plus rating, and when needed, he can score. He is blossoming into the ultimate defensive forward.

The Wings desperatly want to win back to back Stanley Cups. Another Cup win would be perfect for the struggling city of Detroit. On the other side, Crosby is so determined to win a Cup after suffering defeat last year..it is scary. You can bet, that if the game (or series) is on the line..Crosby will make magic happen.

This series is going to come down to defense and goaltending. Both teams can score. The Wings have strong defence but will it be strong enough to shut down the Crosby-Malkin duo (and with the help of Guerin it is that much tougher to shut out Sid)…something no team has been able to do successfully this playoffs? Penguins don’t have as good defense as the Wings…but there defensive pairings are still solid. If Datsyuk is healthy (and hey, even if he isn’t), the Wings can score from every angle and maintain puck control throughout the game.

Goaltending will be the critical factor in this series. Fleury saved the Pens quite a few times in last years Finals. So far this playoffs, he has been very good, with a few soft moments. Osgood has been the same way for the Wings. Fleury is the better goalie in the long run but Osgood has a mission to prove to his critics that he is not the Wing’s weakest link. Fleury doesn’t tend to crack under pressure or after letting in a weak goal. If Fleury stands on his head this round, the Pens are going to be damn near impossible to beat. However, Osgood is a playoff goalie. Put him in a Cup sitation, and he morphs into something incredible. If he stays healthy (along with the Wings D)…look out.

If the Pens can win at least one of the first two games then they will be very hard to beat. If the Wings take a two game lead and then win one in Pittsburgh like they did last year, then the Cup is as good as theirs.

Prediction—6 games..it doesn’t matter to me who wins! I cannot believe I am watching my two favourite teams battle for the Stanley Cup for the second straight year! It was a great birthday present last year to cheer them on in game 3…and it was a great birthday present to wake up this morning knowing one of my teams will be hoisting Lord Stanley this year. Here’s to the 2008-2009 Finals. Here’s to the Ultimate Prize. Here’s to…THE STANLEY CUP.

Red Wings - Key to Win

When rookie Darren Helm showed up at Detroit Red Wings training camp last fall with a Stanley Cup championship on his resume, his plan was to make the parent team.
But that wasn't general manager Ken Holland's plan.

Helm was sent back to the American Hockey League with Holland telling him that he would see him in the playoffs. Now Helm is back with the Red Wings, more confident, quicker off the start and perhaps ready to claim the title as the NHL's fastest forward.

When it comes to prospects, Holland's take is "they are ready when they're ready."

If you look closely at the Detroit Stanley Cup Finals roster, particularly at youngsters like Jonathan Ericsson and Helm, it's clear why this franchise is the envy of most teams around the NHL. They know how to find players, they know how to nurture them, and they know how to handle them once they are ready for market.

This is a team that picks near the bottom of the first round every year and yet they are still probably have the NHL's deepest talent well.

Their three top centers — Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula — are all draft picks and Filppula was the earliest pick at 95th in 2002. Zetterberg was drafted 210th in 1999 and Datsyuk was the 171st pick in 1998.

Johan Franzen was a fourth round pick, and most scouts had him pegged as a role player. Holland told Franzen he believed that he could score more than he showed in his first season. Today, Franzen is one of the NHL's top power forwards

The funny aspect of the Franzen story is that the Red Wings have so much talent that they may not have known how much Franzen had developed had Tomas Holmstrom not been injured last season. With Holmstrom out, his role expanded and he started scoring goals as if he were Gordie Howe.

The other day, Franzen joked that he might still be a checker had Holmstrom not gone on the injury list.

Ericsson, a 6-5 defenseman, was 291st choice in 2002, and he probably was ready to play for most teams in the NHL last season. But he wasn't ready for the Red Wings.

Coach Mike Babcock wanted him earlier than he got him.

But Holland's approach is that the Red Wings are not running apprenticeship programs. When a prospect arrives in Detroit, he wants a finished product with no assembly required.

Helm played well for the team last spring and contributed to their Stanley Cup championship run. But the Red Wings still didn't believe he was ready.

Ericsson played three seasons in the AHL, and when he showed up, he was a model of composure. He performs as if he has been in the NHL for 400 games, not 34 games, counting the playoffs.

Goaltender Thomas McCollum is a highly regarded prospect, but he has already been told he will spend two or three seasons in the AHL. Former first-round pick Jakub Kindl has played two full seasons in the AHL, and he's probably going to spend another one there before he gets his chance to be a Red Wing.

The perception is that the Red Wings draft better than other teams, but their success isn't just about having scouts with sharp eyes for talent.

It's also about the commitment they have to slow-cooking prospects in an era when most GMs seem to want to microwave. Holland believes that coaches all like "new toys" but they become bored easily if the toy doesn't work properly. His belief is that the team's interests are better served if the toys show up performing like they should.

The Red Wings now have a lengthy history as a puck possession team, which began under former coach Scotty Bowman's command. Scouts look for players that fit that game plan. The Red Wings aren't looking for the toughest guy in the Western Hockey League. They are looking for the guy in the WHL who can protect the puck when he's being heavily checked. They are looking for the guy who can make plays at high speed. They are looking for the defenseman who passes as well as he defends. The Red Wings look for "between the whistles" toughness, not "after the whistle" toughness.

They look for the same style of players when they make trades or sign free agents. Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson didn't have noteworthy careers until they were brought into Detroit's system. They became valuable NHL players under the Red Wings' guidance. The Red Wings liked Cleary's ability to play a variety of roles and they liked Samuelsson's big shot and offensive instincts.

Even the players understand that there are benefits to playing in this organization. Veterans take less to play in Detroit. Prospects are willing to wait longer to get there.

No game plan is flawless. And even the best franchises guess wrong on players and have down seasons. But in a salary cap world, it's hard not to look at Detroit's success, and its opportunity to win back-to-back titles, and not view the Red Wings as the NHL's model franchise.

They can't outspend anyone, and yet they seem to receive more talent for their dollar.

Red Wings joint Pens in the Finals

NIKALE PHOTOS

Brian Compton NHL.com

If you go by his regular-season numbers, Darren Helm has just 23 games of NHL experience.

If you go by the past two postseasons, you'd think the 22-year-old has been doing this for years.

Helm has yet to score an NHL goal in the regular season. But his third goal of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs came at 3:58 of overtime on Wednesday night, lifting his team to a return trip to the Stanley Cup Final with a pulsating 2-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals at Joe Louis Arena.

Not bad for a kid who played 55 games in the American Hockey League this season, even though he played a big role in Detroit's run to the championship 12 months ago. Like many of his teammates, there's something about this time of year that clearly brings out the best in the native of St. Andrews, Manitoba.

"Being in Grand Rapids (the Wings' AHL team) gave me a pretty big opportunity to go down there and develop," said Helm, who scored twice for the Wings last spring and went 13-24-37 in the AHL this season. "Coming up here and getting a chance to play, it's been a great experience for me. I try to pride myself on being a key player in playoffs. That's what I tried to do throughout last year's run and this year's run, as well."

With Hart Trophy finalist Pavel Datsyuk out of the lineup with a foot injury, Helm has been one of several players to step up. Skating on a line with Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Holmstrom, the trio kept the puck in deep before Helm found it loose in the crease, where he poked it past Cristobal Huet to create pandemonium at The Joe.

"I thought our line did a good job keeping the puck in," Helm said. "We put a lot of pressure on them. I just saw it sitting there and got a good whack on it just to make sure it went in."
Red Wings center Darren Helm, who had at least eight hits in a game for the second time in this series. He had seven in Game 4 and finished with 12 in Game 5 -- to go along with the OT winner.
"I'm going to remember that one for a while," Helm said.

MY "LAST NIGHT BEST PLAYER" AWARD COMES TO DARREN HELM

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Russian Veterans Departure.

Florida's Igor Larionov vs. Detroit's Sergei Fedorov

It was Hall of Fame weekend in Toronto and soon-to-be inducted Igor Larionov shared stories from his playing days with the crowd around him. Inevitably the discussion turned to his time in Detroit, where he won three Stanley Cups under Scotty Bowman. In 1997, Larionov and the famed Russian Five helped bring the first Stanley Cup to Detroit since 1955.

It also was Bowman and the Russian Five who implemented the puck-possession style of hockey the Red Wings continue to win with today.

"If you want to control the game, you have to control the puck," Larionov said last November before his induction. "Why should you give the puck away and go and chase? …That game was accepted in Detroit, even now the team is playing so well. I was part of that transition."

When Larionov retired in 2004 after one final season in New Jersey, he was 43 years old. But in those last years, he made a huge impact on an Original Six franchise. And all of hockey.

Now, with Russian players opting to spend their final seasons playing for the KHL, the NHL is being robbed of impact Russian veterans—the Larionovs of this generation.

On Tuesday, news broke that Sergei Fedorov was close to signing with the Russian KHL. His teammate in Washington, Viktor Kozlov, signed a two-year deal with the Russian league, according to an RDS report. Don't be surprised if Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin is pursued heavily by the KHL after the playoffs.

In an e-mail to Sporting News Today, agent Pat Brisson said Fedorov does not have a done deal.

"Sergei will be exploring his options on the trip to Russia next week," Brisson wrote. "In the meantime, I will continue to speak with the Capitals."

Fedorov, 39, was a calming influence on the Capitals this season where he was a mentor to young Russians like Alexander Semin and Alex Ovechkin. Watching Fedorov beat Henrik Lundqvist in the third period of a first-round Game 7 also showed he still has an elite scorer's touch. The Capitals made serious strides this season, and Fedorov was a big part of that.

Detroit goalie Chris Osgood won two Stanley Cups with Fedorov and finds the trend of veteran Russians leaving the NHL early disturbing.

"To lose those guys is huge. We have to figure out a way to keep guys like Sergei and (Jaromir) Jagr and those great older veteran players," Osgood said. "I think it's important to have older guys like that, that younger European players can look up to when they get over here and understand how to handle themselves on and off the ice. That's what guys like Igor Larionov did for him."

But if this is it for Fedorov in the NHL, it's also time for the fans in Detroit to embrace his role in the Red Wings' success—past and present. The same fans who booed Fedorov during every return to Joe Louis Arena after he left for Anaheim in 2003 will be the first to cheer tonight if the Red Wings—and their Russian inspired puck-possession offense—put away the Blackhawks and advance to another Stanley Cup final.

Reacting to news of Fedorov's possible departure to the KHL, fans on Detroit sports talk radio discussed the worthiness of retiring Fedorov's No. 91. It shouldn't even be a debate.

Outside the Red Wings' locker room, the all-time award winners are painted on a cinder block wall. Fedorov's name is everywhere - there's a Hart Trophy, a Lester B. Pearson Trophy, a pair of Selkes. There's also three Stanley Cups.

He loved his time in Detroit. Kirk Maltby said Fedorov still spends a lot of the summer in Michigan. Fedorov recently said he looks back at his time in Detroit and playing for Scotty Bowman fondly. He enjoyed both.

"Yeah, I certainly did," Fedorov said.

And playing for Bowman?

"If you played on the top six forwards, you play all the time," Fedorov said. "I personally like that idea very much."

He's not a top six forward anymore. He may not even be an NHL player anymore if the Russian reports are true. But with the Red Wings on the verge of another Stanley Cup final, his influence is still felt in Detroit.

"The Russian Five really changed the whole game in Detroit and then through the league," Chris Chelios told SN Today. "Everybody loves and respects what (Fedorov) did for the organization."

Congratulations to Pittsburgh

MALKIN AND CROSBY. Getty Images

Pittsburgh has won all three of its series this postseason on the road; a good sign for the Stanley Cup Final, where the Penguins will open on the road against the Western Conference champion and will need at least one road win to be crowned champs. Pittsburgh won in three very hostile buildings: Wachovia Center (Philadelphia), Verizon Center (Washington) and the RBC Center