The Grand Kamalian

Leadership comes in many forms, some extremely obvious, others less so. Under the latter category, I place Brenden Morrow’s composure after taking a blatant crosscheck to the face from Kris Draper of the Red Wings in game five of the Western Conference Final. Can you imagine the restraint it took for Morrow to turn away from that cheap shot, which, incredibly, went unnoticed by the referees? That’s what leaders do, though, and that’s why Morrow is one of the great young leaders in the game. He wears the “C” for a reason, and he wasn’t about to think of himself first with his team holding onto a one-goal lead in a must-win game. Morrow’s decision not to retaliate won’t show up in any box scores of that impressive Dallas win, but you can bet it registered with his teammates and the Stars coaching staff. Yes, the Stars ultimately failed to pull off the comeback, but it was an impressive run, and Morrow is an impressive captain.

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It’s months away, but I’m already looking forward to the next head-to-head matchup between Mike Richards and Sidney Crosby. There seems to be genuine disdain there, at least from Richards’ standpoint, and that slash the Flyers’ captain-in-waiting dished out on Penguins’ captain Sid the Kid in the closing moments of game four of the Eastern Conference Final smacked of a message for the present and the future.

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Speaking of the Flyers, for that team to go from the dregs of the league last season to this year’s final four speaks volumes of that franchise’s commitment to winning and to excellence. Finishing as badly as they did last year sat well with no one in the organization, and they went out and made the moves necessary to make sure it was just an aberration. I know the Flyers haven’t won a cup in over 30 years, but it isn’t for lack of effort. It’s an ownership and management team that is clearly focused on doing what it takes to win in the NHL, and that’s as much as any fan should ask. And what the Flyers did prove, too, is that fortunes can be turned around quickly in this salary-cap era.

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There apparently IS kissing in hockey. Trevor Daley of the Stars planted one on the mask of his goaltender Marty Turco after Turco’s remarkable performance in the 2-1 Dallas win in game five against Detroit. That kiss may take more YouTube hits than the gorgeous top-shelf goal Daley scored in the same game. It was a spontaneous, funny moment in a playoff season that has truly sparkled.

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Finally, it turns out Penguins’ GM Ray Shero had a better pulse on his team’s upside than many of us, including me. When he made the deadline deal with Atlanta, I was among those guilty of wondering if he had given up too much and had overestimated Pittsburgh’s chances of making a serious Stanley Cup run. In reality, the Pens were ready for more; they were ready for a Stanley Cup sprint.

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As always, I headed downtown to catch the respective game-day skates, then it was off to the locker room to chat with the players and wait for the scrums with the head coaches. The date was Saturday April 5th and the Thrashers opponent was Tampa. It was the same routine, but at the same time so different. This was the final game of the 2007-08, a season that had begun with such promise and had so many twists in turns. But in the end, it was a year that fell short of everybody’s expectations. There would be no playoffs this season for the Atlanta Thrashers, and that is appropriately the benchmark by which any NHL team is judged.

So now the off-season is here, and for me that always means adjustments and changes. This is the time of the year, for example, when my consumption of chicken wings drops about 65 percent. Don’t ask me why wings are a broadcaster’s staple on NHL road trips; they just are, and I’m not one to complain or question. I just go along for the culinary ride and eat more than my share, on the hot side thank you.

I will wake up most days in the off-season actually knowing what day it is and where I am. During the season that’s not often the case. We don’t have a tough travel schedule in Atlanta, at least not in terms of the distance of most flights. What does get to be a bit dicey, though, is the frequency of our trips. Because Atlanta is a quick flight to most NHL destinations, we tend to take more short trips, so it’s not unusual to be in four different cities in five or six days. Some weeks every day feels like Sunday in Newark, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Inevitably during the off-season I will have a dream that there is a hockey game I am supposed to work, and I’m not there (hold your applause, please). When I shake the cobwebs and realize it’s the middle of July, I’ll be relieved it was just a dream, then disappointed that I’m not headed to a game soon. Don’t get me wrong; it’s great to wind down after a long season, but early-April to September is too long without hockey, at least for me.

As a public service, I should also mention I will get my share of time on the golf courses of Atlanta during the off-season. I apologize in advance if you’re the foursome of ringers I’m holding up while I take my obligatory hikes in the woods. I’m a guy who likes my hockey up and down and my golf courses wide open, but as the great philosopher Mick Jagger once suggested, you can’t always get what you want.

Most of all, though, during the off-season, I will keep track of the moves, the signings, and all the rest of the news coming out of the hockey world, even in July. And I will look forward with great anticipation to the opportunity to watch the promise of September’s NHL training camps unfold to another chase for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

For the Thrashers, may the chase be long and fruitful.

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Of all the fallout and opinions from the NHL’s trading deadline day, the one that stuck with me the most had nothing to do with who was traded by whom and who may have gotten the better end of a particular deal. A few days after the deadline, a co-worker happened to stop by to talk about the various trades around the league and asked me why the NHL doesn’t just suspend all games that day.

Doh.

Why in the world wouldn’t the league give every team that day off? All the NHL has to do is make sure the trading deadline falls on a weekday (preferably Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday) and just let the sheer power of the anticipation and reality surrounding all those trades serve as the focal point for fans and media for the whole day. There are plenty of media outlets giving the rumors leading up to the trades and the trades themselves wall-to-wall coverage (trust me, you can find them). That coverage could easily be extended several hours; there truly is that much interest among real hockey fans. Plus – and I don’t mean to sound like Dr. Phil here – wouldn’t it be good for teams that are either losing or gaining players, or both, to have an extra day to absorb it all? Chemistry is a huge intangible for any hockey team and trades always impact chemistry, sometimes profoundly.

But those aren’t the best reasons to fade the games to black for that one day. As it stands now, the games themselves can become anticlimactic to the trades, particularly since players traded to teams playing that same night almost inevitably cannot join their new teams because of travel issues. That in itself is reason enough to suspend games. You think, for example, the Thrashers wouldn’t have liked to have Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen in the lineup against Montreal right after the trade? Atlanta, like most teams that time of the season, was playing a critical game, and it certainly would have been a plus to have its full NHL roster available. On the other side of that trade, I’m pretty sure the Penguins would have loved to write Marian Hossa’s and Pascal Dupuis’ name into the lineup card when they visited the Islanders a few hours after the trading deadline. Instead, Hossa and Dupuis were dealing with media in Montreal and planning their trip to Pittsburgh for a game two nights later.

There will always be a couple of dozen moves or so and a handful of blockbuster deals made on NHL trading deadline day. It’s time for teams to have the opportunity to put those players they’ve acquired in the lineup the very next game, not a game later. And it’s time for fans to expect no less.

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Just as there is no crying in baseball, there should be no “Roger Clemens-ing” in hockey. You know what Roger Clemens-ing is: you’re a proven veteran, a sure-fire hall- of-famer, so you make your own schedule when it comes to playing or not playing, joining or not joining a team. Time for spring training? Not according to my biological clock. I’m thinking I’ll set my own workout schedule and see if I’m ready or even interested in playing again. If I am, I know someone will sign me, and more than likely it’ll be exactly the team I want. Clemens has done it in the past because he can, and the same is true for Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne this season, although Niedermayer was actually under contract when he worked out his special calendar arrangements. Why does that not feel right to me? Because this is hockey, not baseball.

Hey, don’t get me wrong. I think Niedermayer is one of the most productive and talented defensemen I’ve ever seen play the game, and certainly Selanne is among the most electrifying forwards ever to grace NHL ice. That’s not the point; the point is that one of hockey’s greatest strengths lies in its team-first mantra, and this doesn’t fit. Those two veterans aren’t the only guys who have played the game well enough and long enough to have earned the status and financial well being to set their own reporting schedule. What’s to stop the Joe Sakic’s and Nick Lidstrom’s of the hockey world to take a page from the Ducks’ veterans and decide that September is awfully early to be doing any heavy lifting or lung busting exercises? Would the Avalanche or Wings say no, even if it violated contractual obligations?

And does anyone care about the roster ramifications when a prodigal son does decide to return to the fold? You can bet Andy MacDonald and Doug Weight cared about it this season, since each was involved in a trade the Ducks had to make for salary-cap reasons when Niedermayer returned. Now that Selanne is on the Ducks roster, how will the trickle-down effect impact the rest of the team’s wingers, who have done everything asked of them for two-thirds of the season? Hey good to see you, Teemu, here’s my ice time.

I understand how players can suffer burnout and get caught in that gray area, unable to decide between retirement and returning to the grind of a long, difficult NHL season. But it’s always been a “we’re all in this together mentality” in hockey. If this separate calendar for the superstars thing becomes a trend, then the old adage that 50 percent of life is just showing up will have to be tweaked. It’ll be more like 50 percent of a season is good enough in the NHL, as long as you’re good enough to hold those kind of cards.

And that simply isn’t good enough, for the game.

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Since the Golden Globe Awards have been canceled, I thought it might be timely to suggest my Thrashers Mid-season Awards. At the risk of antagonizing the Hollywood Writers Guild, here goes:

Leading Role Award goes to Ilya Kovalchuk. Since the first drop of the puck in October, the kid (yes, he’s still only 24) has taken charge of this team and led by passion, production, and possession, as in he seems like a man possessed. If it’s possible for a player who was already the top goal scorer in the NHL since he entered the league in 2001 to elevate his game significantly, that’s what Kovalchuk appears to have done. He is scoring goals from everywhere on the ice, and some of the prettiest assists we’ve seen this year have been the work of the sniper from Tver, Russia. His playmaking is clearly underrated, and I’m beginning to think his shot may be, too. It seems heavier, faster, and more accurate than we’ve seen in the past, and that can’t be good news for opposing goalies.

In an amazing show of deductional analysis, I’m thinking the Biggest Surprise Award goes to Toby Enstrom. Wow, this kid has been a revelation, hasn’t he? To go from 8^th round pick to a bona fide candidate for NHL Rookie of the Year is a major step for any player, let alone a player learning a new culture as he learns a new league. Enstrom has shown poise and composure far, far beyond his 23 years and his first-year status in the NHL, and he has been rewarded with ample ice time by the Thrashers coaching staff. And now that his confidence level appears to be ramping up with every game, he seems more willing to show us significant flashes of his offensive repertoire. This young d-man from Sweden has been one of the stories of the year in the entire league, not just here in Atlanta. Of all the things I’m looking forward to in the second half, his continued emergence is right near the top.

The Newcomer of the Mid-Season Award is going to be one-timed over to Eric Perrin, who has been a fabulous addition for his faceoff skills and special teams work and is settling in beautifully as a top-two line center. I must also dole out several honorable mentions, including Todd White, who has gone from his defense-first mentality to give the team a potent offensive force and has meshed seamlessly with his eminently talented wingers. The man on his right, Mark Recchi had a lot to prove and felt he had a lot left when he arrived in Atlanta in early December. Thankfully for Atlanta fans, he’s stepped in and given this team exactly what it needed, top-six forward production. And he’s given Kovalchuk a chance to flash his passing skills, because the youngster knows the veteran of 500+ goals scored is either going to go to the net or get the puck right back to him. It’s been a well balanced line, and Recchi has shown his hands and hockey acumen are still in mid-career form. And finally, an honorable newcomer nod also to Ken Klee, who is playing productive, top d-pair minutes, and has helped resurrect the season of his partner, Alexei Zhitnik.

Don’t trip over the red carpet.

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As great as it is to see Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa create magic on the ice with their world-class skills, it was even more fulfilling for me to see the magic they created off the ice recently with their latest community outreach efforts. I had the pleasure of emceeing both the Hossa’s Heroes event at the Georgia Aquarium (gallery) and Kovy’s Krew get-together at Jillian’s at Discover Mills in Duluth (gallery) in late November and came away with an even greater appreciation of the impact these gifted scorers can make off the ice. Both events were held to benefit children, in many cases children who have had a pretty rough skate through their formative years, and the collective joy these kids obviously felt was priceless to behold.

At the Georgia Aquarium, Hossa’s special guests were treated to a mini-feast and a video featuring number 18 before being addressed by their host, who answered questions, presented each child with special Thrashers gifts and then led the entire group on a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility. Marian was joined in his efforts by goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who helped pass out gifts and served as a very capable partner on the guided tour.

One day later, Kovy’s Krew – which included teammates Slava Kozlov, Ken Klee, and Bryan Little, along with assistant coach Brad McCrimmon - convened for an early evening of food, fun, and games at Jillian’s, which has helped Kovalchuk host his event from its inception. After a buffet dinner, the children who packed Jillian’s private dining room saw a special video presentation of their host, followed by a question-and-answer session with Kovy. When that was over, each child received a Kovalchuk jersey, and then it was off to play the games. One of the volunteers at the event asked a child if he was going to play pool, and the answer was, “I’ve never played pool before; I would definitely like to try it.” Another child, who headed to the lanes to bowl in the group that included Kozlov, exclaimed to anyone within earshot, “I have never been to a bowling alley before.”

Yet another event that took place that week – one I was not able to attend - was Nic Havelid’s latest efforts with Habitat for Humanity (gallery). Last year I had the chance to do some roofing work on a home that the Thrashers defenseman helped build, and this year he again was instrumental in fulfilling a dream for a deserving family.

True, there were no games played for several days in the week following Thanksgiving. But there were many goals scored, many victories achieved. They may not resonate on the airwaves or sports pages, and they may not be met with thundering applause. Their impact, though, will be much longer lasting, indelible, in fact, for those whose lives were touched in those few days and will be touched in the days ahead by the ongoing work of Thrashers players.

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What a wonderful night for the sport and what a classy and deserving group of individuals recently inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. You could certainly argue it was one of the greatest classes ever, what with the likes of Messier, Stevens, MacInnis, and Francis inducted, along with NHL front-office legend Jim Gregory, who entered the Hall via the Builder’s Category. To a man, the induction speeches were eloquent and inspiring, and it brought back tremendous memories of the impact those players made on the game of hockey. I just wish the ‘Canes and Devils hadn’t both been playing that night. It seemed a little odd that Francis and Stevens wouldn’t have had the stage to themselves. Fans of both teams had to feel a little conflicted.

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People ask me all the time about the challenge of calling a sport as fast as hockey. Certainly it is challenging, especially since the game was opened up post-lockout. And after seeing this year’s version of the Carolina Hurricanes, I felt like the guy reading the legal disclaimer on the end of all those radio ads. It’s no wonder the ‘Canes lead the hockey world in scoring; they all look as though they passed the Lance Armstrong School of Cycling with A+ grades and certificates of merit for extra effort. It’s a joy to watch two offensive minded teams like the Thrashers and Hurricanes do battle, and count me among those that think the sport shines when the scoring chances abound, as they do when these two teams meet.

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I think it’s tremendous that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and other league officials will rotate as hosts of a weekly call-in show on XM Satellite Radio. It’s unprecedented for a commissioner of a major sport to give fans that kind of access, and to me it’s another reflection of the league’s attempts to bring fans closer to the game. Sure, the show’s delay sequence may have to be stretched beyond the usual eight seconds, but let the comments and questions fly!! I just hope nothing (within the bounds of good taste) will be off limits.

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Wow, you know Dallas is a tough hockey town when the GM is fired with his team at .500 and sitting in second place in its division, three points out of first. I know the Stars suffered a devastating defeat when they gave up five 3rd period goals in that legendary Kings comeback at the Staples Center, but it still seems a bit extreme to make Armstrong the fall guy so early in a season in which Dallas can still reach for the stars.

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