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Will TV Analyst John Davidson eventually join the St. Louis Blues organization? Only time will tell.
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Greetings from Edmonton! Again!
Compiled by Phil Coffey
NHL.com | June 16, 2006
Howdy. The NHL.com crew is back for our second stay in Edmonton in advance of Saturday night's Game 6. At this point we don't know what's coming, except at this time next week, we will be in Vancouver for the NHL Awards and the Entry Draft.
Here is this week's short mailbag.
Phil,
Is John Davidson going to St. Louis?
-- Billy Shields
That has been the persistent rumor since the group headed by Dave Checketts decided to buy the Blues. But until that sale is official and the new group takes over, the JD to St. Louis rumors will remain just that, rumors.
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Hi Phil,
I was wondering if you could resolve a dispute involving NHL terminology for me?
Phil Coffey is NHL.com's editorial director. He has covered the NHL since 1981.
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Some acquaintances of mine claim that "alternate captain" is the correct term while I claim that, although that term is now commonly used and is included in the NHL rulebook (I think this is a relatively new addition to the rulebook), the term "assistant captain" has been used forever (one of them claimed that "alternate captain" has been used since the dawn of man). I've also noticed that you, yourself, use the term "assistant" on your webpage.
I think both terms are correct, but these acquaintances claim that
"assistant" is not and that anyone who uses it is doing so incorrectly (this in response to my pointing out instances in which the Leafs and Rangers use the term "assistant" on their official websites).
A response on your webpage or via email would be much appreciated ... and keep up the good work.
-- Colin Graham, Waterloo, Ontario
Hi Colin. I think over the years we've all started mixing our metaphors so to speak. Wearing the "A" stood for alternate captain because that player was able to speak to the referee while on the ice in the absence of the captain. So it was more of a technical thing.
Now, inside the dressing room, the role is more of as an assistant, not an alternate. Some teams have more assistant captains than can wear the "A" during a game. It doesn't diminish their impact upon the team, but NHL rules stipulate a captain and two alternate captains.
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Phil,
Who do you think will win the Conn Smythe Trophy? Since (Dwayne) Roloson is out of the picture for Edmonton, who do you think will win if Edmonton wins? My bet is on (Chris) Pronger. If Carolina wins, it has to go to either (Eric) Staal or after the Game 1 heroics, Rod Brind'Amour. This will be a close race, especially if their point totals are close at the end of the series. There is still a lot left to play in the series, but it is pretty evident already who the winners are going to be. There has been a lot of talk about Cam Ward's play, but I do not feel his numbers merit Conn Smythe consideration. He could shut out the Oilers for Games 2, 3 and 4, and his numbers will still not match the numbers that (Martin) Brodeur posted in the playoffs where he lost to (J.S.) Giguere for the Conn Smythe. Also, Ward's save percentage is not up to par with the other top goaltenders in the playoffs. Furthermore, Brad Richards won the award over (Nikolai) Khabibulin, and look how good Khabibulin's numbers were. In order for a goaltender to win the award, they need to replicate the numbers of goalies in the past couple of Stanley Cup Playoffs. That means a GAA below 2.00, a save percentage in the high 92 percent range, and around five shutouts. I hope Cam Ward goes on to have a great career in the NHL, but we will need more time to evaluate his play, as he was one of the worst goaltenders in the regular season. If he turns out to be an outstanding goaltender, the Senators should bring up Kelly Guard from their farm team, as Guard and Ward had very similar seasons throughout their days in the WHL, and seem to have a very similar style in net as well as demeanor in goal. Calm, cool and collected. What are your predictions Phil, and do you think we will see Kelly Guard up in the NHL as a backup for Ottawa next season?
-- Kelly Walters
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Heading into Game 6, Carolina's Cam Ward is the early favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, says Phil Coffey.
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Hi Kelly. I think we may need to re-evaluate those goalie numbers now with the increase in offense around the NHL. Five playoff shutouts may be a thing of the past.
Regarding the Conn Smythe, I do not have a vote and I am writing this prior to Game 6. At this stage, I would go for Ward because he has kept the momentum in this series for flipping over to the Oilers. I also like Cory Stillman, despite the costly mistake in Game 5. Brind'Amour would be the third selection from Carolina.
As for the Oilers, Pronger has been very good and a dark horse has to be Jussi Markkanen because of the way he has saved the Oilers' bacon.
In the final analysis, my vote goes to Ward.
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Hi Phil,
Well how do I say this with respect. You need to check the records book. On OLN and in the articles here on NHL.com you keep saying that Edmonton is the first 8th-seeded team to make it this far into the finals. Well you're WRONG!
I guess you don't remember a little known team from Raleigh, NC (at the time we were called Mayberry) made it to the finals in 2002. Not only were we the 8th seed from the Eastern Conf., but we were the 16th seeded team over all.
Yes this team, the Carolina Hurricanes, lost to the mighty Detroit Red Wings, but we made it to the Final when at the start of the season the odds were 40 to 1 that we would be there.
This year with most of the same players and a few new ones they are there again. The club is deeper and stronger. We have a stronger desire to bring Lord Stanley to Carolina this YEAR and we will.
I guess Maybeery has learned how to play hockey. We the fans look forward to giving Lord Stanley a place to live on Tobacco Road.
-- Paul "Krazy Cane" Boyer
I humbly apologize for my error. Wait a minute, I didn't make a mistake. The 'Canes were the third seed in 2002 because they won the Southeast Division.
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Phil,
Mick McGeough! It's not just him, it's the NHL for insisting on this new "style" of game to increase scoring and fan involvement. I can understand, but now after McGeough falls in both Games 1 and 3 after the opening faceoffs and then continues to make the "weakest" hooking and roughing calls I've ever seen. Shame on him. The game has become so frustrating to watch and I'm sure just as bad for the players. I've officiated up through the college level and have never seen officials become "part of the game instead of just calling it" more than in the NHL postseason. A good official should not be recognizable after the game instead of being such a focal point as it is now.
That penalty shot, it should have been blown dead because it was "out of McGeough's sight" long before it was covered in an attempt to hand-pass it to a teammate in the defending zone. Yes it was in the crease, but that is not the "intent" of the penalty shot rule there. It should have been an end-zone faceoff. Hopefully we can get through the rest of the Final!
-- Rich, Florida
Hi Rich. From my view, that puck was still moving around in the crease and Carolina had ample opportunity to legally freeze if or get it out of the way, so I don't have a problem with the call. And I don't have a problem with McGeough waving off the Ethan Moreau in Game 3 when he lost sight of it. All in all, I think the officials have done a pretty good job in the Final. By this stage of the season, the new standard of enforcement shouldn't be a mystery to any player and the referees need to be commended for continuing to enforce it.
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Ice Age is now interactive, with fans encouraged to send their questions and comments to iceage@nhl.com. Phil Coffey, Ice Age's editor, will answer question each week in the Mailbag section of Ice Age, so send 'em along.
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