With the NHL nearing the halfway mark, I figured it would be a good opportunity to take a quick look at some of the events that have taken place in the first half of the season.
Early last week, Curtis Joseph announced his retirement from the NHL after nineteen seasons of highs and lows with Edmonton, St. Louis, Toronto, Phoenix, Calgary and Detroit. Joseph missed out on capturing a Stanley Cup and a Vezina trophy, and posted a 454-352-90 record. He is fourth on the all-time wins list, and tied for the most losses with Gump Worsley. It's too early to tell if 'CuJo' will make it into the Hall of Fame, but he will be remembered as a great goaltender who excelled in his prime and, at times, carried many teams on his back en route to victory.
Speaking of goaltenders, Martin Brodeur is having yet another outstanding season in New Jersey. Last year, Brodeur became the all-time wins leader, taking over from Patrick Roy (551), and this year he continued his storied career, breaking Terry Sawchuk's career shutout mark of 103. Brodeur has led the New Jersey Devils to yet another Atlantic division lead. Currently New Jersey is also leading the Eastern Conference with 65 points. Brodeur is definitely a sure-fire Hall of Famer whenever he decides to finally call it a career. There's also a good chance that the Devils could make a run at the Stanley Cup, as long as he, and his other Olympic bound teammates, can get through the Winter Olympics without getting injured.
The third annual NHL Winter Classic was held on New Year's Day, and it lived up to it's 'classic' billing. A showdown between Boston and Philadelphia within the confines of Fenway Park with action that kept fans on the edge of their seats. A low scoring affair, the Flyers took a 1-0 lead late into the game before Boston tied it, and eventually walked off with a win in overtime thanks to Marco Sturm's goal. The Winter Classic has turned into a yearly spectacle, and has helped the NHL regain some of the ground it lost after the lock out.
When was the last time that the Detroit Red Wings were sitting out of the playoffs at the mid season mark? As far as I can remember, they have always been one of the powerhouse teams that were leading the pack in points. Granted, they have been ravaged by injuries to key players, but it's still a shocker to see them sitting ninth in the Western Conference. The injured players are starting to come back, and the tandem of Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard are putting together some good games. Will it be enough to propel them back to where they once were? Or are they a team on the decline struggling to stay alive in a conference with so many young teams rising high?
And of course, what would a professional sports season be without a few coaching changes? We have already seen two this year and there are surely more coaching changes to follow. Philadelphia showed John Stevens the door in favor of Peter Laviolette. This transition has helped the Flyers turn things around, and most recently, Andy Murray and St. Louis parted ways. It's only a matter of time before other teams such as the Edmonton Oilers follow suit. Things just don't seem to be working out between coach Pat Quinn and the Oilers. It almost seems like Quinn is a beaten man with his team dwelling in the cellar.
- Mark McLean - RotoKingdom Staff Writer