Happy Birthday Gordie!	Evolution of Hockey
One day shy of his 80th birthday, the Detroit Red Wings honored Hall of Famer Gordie Howe prior to their 1-0 win over the Nashville Predators at Joe Louis Arena. ...more	Hockey's not for dummies, but the folks at Hockey for Dummies have some ideas about how hockey has evolved into a compelling game. ...more

Read more...

HHOF Worthy - Joe Nieuwendyk?

Joe Nieuwendyk was one of my favorite players. So it should come as no surprise that I will argue that Joe Nieuwendyk should one day be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Joe Nieuwendyk was a winner. He won three Stanley Cup championships with three different teams - Calgary, Dallas and New Jersey. Plus he won an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in 2002.

In 1999 he was so important to Dallas' Stanley Cup championship that he was named as the Conn Smythe trophy winner - about as prestigious of an individual award a hockey player can earn.

That was not his only major award either. In 1988 he won the Calder trophy as best NHL rookie, and in 1995 he won the King Clancy award for his leadership on and off the ice.

Statistically speaking his numbers are also worthy. 564 goals and 1126 points in 1257 games once upon a time guaranteed a player inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Nowadays a new standard is trying to be established, given the much higher scoring era of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Surprisingly, Nieuwendyk's career statistics could be a sticking point for some Hall voters. Injuries really slowed him, although he always remained a clutch player. He did not average a point per game. And his career totals lands him in a group of 1980s/1990s players who had similar statistics but are debatable Hall of Famers - players like Dino Ciccarelli (608 goals), Dave Andreychuk (640 goals), and a host of players who squeaked into the 500 goal club.

Nieuwendyk's advantages are his championships, his awards, and his impeccable reputation in the community - something the Hall of Fame definitely takes into consideration.

Knowledgeable hockey fans know that Nieuwendyk was one of those guys who brought more to the rink than any statistic can quantify. That might seem odd to say given Nieuwy spent much of his career primarily as a top marksman, but he was a complete player. Aside from chronic back injuries, he had no real weakness in his game. And he brought a lot to the organization off the ice, both in terms of dressing room leadership and community involvement.

When will Nieuwendyk get into the Hockey Hall of Fame? He is not eligible until 2010. Assuming the 2009 class goes as predicted - Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch and Brett Hull - Nieuwendyk will find himself in consideration with other first time nominees Eric Lindros, Peter Bondra, and Pierre Turgeon, as well as backlog of previously passed over stars such as Ciccarelli, Andreychuk, Pavel Bure, Adam Oates, Brian Bellows, Doug Gilmour, Tom Barrasso, Mike Richter, Alexander Mogilny and Phil Housley, amongst others.

Can he be honoured in his very first go around? That has been a rare feat in recent years, highly reserved for the true superstars. However I suspect Nieuwendyk just might do it in 2010, possibly inducted with good friend Doug Gilmour at the same time.

Read more...

The Other Lee Fogolin

Last week I wrote a piece about Lee Fogolin, the veteran Edmonton Oilers defenseman from the dynasty days of the mid-1980s.

But did you know that Fogolin was a second generation NHL star?

Lidio "Lee" Fogolin Sr. played 427 games in the NHL, mostly in the 1950s. The statistics tell us he played 2 and 1/2 seasons in Detroit before playing 5 and 1/2 seasons in Chicago, where son Lee Jr. was born.

Here's the full Lee Fogolin Sr. biography.

Read more...

Shoebox Memories: Lee Fogolin

This week I went to the magical shoebox of random hockey cards and pulled out card #104 from the 1982-83 OPC set, Lee Fogolin.

While I have written a brand new Lee Fogolin biography for this occasion, I also wanted to point out a neat story about Lee Fogolin from veteran writer Red Fisher.

It turns out Fisher, the veteran Montreal reporter, was the man who convinced Edmonton Oilers GM Glen Sather to select Fogolin in the special player draft when the Oilers and 3 other WHA teams joined the NHL in 1979.

Sather asked Fisher of his opinion on the available talent and Fisher replied:

"From what I can see, I'd have to say the best of the bunch is this one. I'm surprised Buffalo made him available."

"Lee Fogolin?" Sather asked, sounding quite surprised.

"He's a good, steady defenceman. Comes to play every night. A tough kid. If I were you, he'd be the first one I'd take."

Sather took Fogolin second, a wise choice. He would captain the team before giving the C to Wayne Gretzky, and was an important veteran presence on the young team that would quickly develop into a Stanley Cup dynasty.

Sather was so appreciative of Fisher's recommendation that he promised Fisher a Stanley Cup ring when they won the Stanley Cup.

Fisher got his Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup ring in 1984.

Click here for the full Red Fisher article.

Read more...