[one_fourth last=”no”]…[/one_fourth]Every NHL season has its own flavor and usually by the ten-game mark fans have a taste of what’s to come. While there’s been some amazing surprises (are the Avalanche really leading the Central still?) so far in 2013-14, and the usual performances (I hear some Sidney Crosby guy is doing okay), I’m much more interested in the huge belly flops of the young NHL season. Here’s some of my biggest disappointments:
Claude Giroux: Seriously? I got him as a third round steal in my fantasy draft, and the guy can’t score a single goal through eight games? He does have three assists, which I suppose is a (very) small consolation, but more is expected from a man considered amongst the elite forwards in the world.
Sure, I get that he’s frustrated with the team around him, trying to do too much on the ice, and the coaching change doesn’t help either. Still, he can make all the playoff promises in the world, but nothing will happen until the 25-year-old starts scoring.
The Metropolitan Division: The one hope the Flyers do have, is that many of their division rivals are struggling almost as badly. Only two teams in the division, Pittsburgh and Carolina, are above .500 as of Friday night’s games. Actually, I’m not even sure if you can include Carolina, because they only have four wins in nine contests (4-2-3). The division looked even weaker a few days ago, but Columbus and Washington look a bit more respectable after modest two-game winning streaks.
The rest of the division is a complete mess. New Jersey has just one win, and the Rangers are tied with the Flyers for fewest goals scored in the league. It may be only ten games in, but looks like the Penguins are going to run away with this one.
Injuries: Specifically, goalie injuries that may ruin some team’s seasons. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is fighting the injury bug, as New York’s season goes from bad to worse. Nashville’s Pekka Rinne is going to be out for a month, leaving two guys with a combined three games of NHL experience to mind the crease as the Preds try to stay with the pack. Carolina has lost both Cam Ward and backup Anton Khudobin, and things didn’t go so well last year when they left Justin Peters in charge of the crease. Kari Lethonen and Nicklas Backstrom have been struggling with injuries as well, and while they don’t appear to be serious, both players are integral to their team’s success. It really goes to show how important having a strong backup is in this league.
Dirty, Ugly, Disgusting Play(ers): Frankly, I’m getting sick and tired of checking the highlights in the morning and seeing another player on the ice with little birdies tweeting around his head. Or reading about how many games that Brendan Shanahan is going to rain down on some poor unsuspecting soul.
Wait, what am I saying, of course these guys know what they’re getting into. After all, that’s why players like John Scott and Patrick Kaleta are in the league – to cause trouble. I’m sorry, but if you have one goal in 180 career games as Scott does, you don’t belong in the NHL. However, even players that can put the puck in the net have been found guilty, such as the Islanders Michael Grabner, which points to a much more disturbing problem.
The fact that we have had more in-person hearings this year than all of last season leaves a big question, is the number of incidents on the rise, or the discipline getting harsher?
The NHL’s Discipline: I get that Shanahan has a thankless job. He’s the face of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety and is thus forced to take the slings and arrows from disappointed teams and fans around North America. In the end though, he’s simply doing what he can within the culture that currently exists.
That culture must change.
The NHL must do more than toss out a two, five or ten-game suspensions, because it’s clearly not changing what’s happening out on the ice. Not only should suspensions be harsher, but the NHL must be more proactive to change the behavior of it’s players, not just slapping them on the wrist after the fact. There needs to be awareness, perhaps in the form of seminars or counseling, that these types of dirty hits simply will not be tolerated.
So while there has been some outstanding hockey so far this season, with lots of excitement and highlight reel plays, we can’t turn a blind eye to the darker side of things that sometimes crop up in the beautiful game of hockey.
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