Well, the unsurprising verdict is in.  Montreal Canadiens forward Tom Kostopolous has been suspended three games for his hit from behind on Mike Van Ryn during the first period of the Montreal-Toronto game on Saturday night.  The moderate suspension was to be expected.  The best comparison, although Colin Campbell claims to be loathe to compare incidents, is Randy Jones’ hit on Patrice Bergeron last season which led to a 2 game suspension for Jones.   Saturday night’s hit was no more dirty than any other of the same ilk, and I don’t want to single out Kostopolous as being particularly dirty or more guilty than others.  In fact Tom has been remorseful, and deserves respect for his willingness to accept responsibility for his actions.  Sadly these hits, and the weak discipline put forward subsequently is simply part of a larger problem the NHL has failed to address for years.

Certain things are seen as “part of the game”.  Take a high elbow? Cheap, but an occupational hazard. Fighting? Well that’s a big part of the game, get hurt then and it’s by your own volition.  Broken wrists or ankles from slashing and hacking? Dirty, and unfortunate, but once again “part of the game”.  Then there are the others.  Incidents that are viewed as abhorrent.  The Bertuzzi’s, Mcsorley’s and Simon’s of the world are rightly vilified for their actions, both within and outside the hockey community.  Their actions are seen as being completely unacceptable and outside any action that is seen as being “part of the game”

Unfortunately, the hits from behind we’ve seen and continue to see are part of the former, or “part of the game”. This is the case both in theory and in practice.  Whatever light goes on in someone’s head that stops them from swinging their stick, or sucker punching someone from behind or kicking at someone with their skate (Martin Havlat notwithstanding) doesn’t go on in someone’s head when they see someone’s numbers.  Kostopolous claimed, and fairly so, that Van Ryn turned late.  Indeed he did, but was Van Ryn ever facing the incoming Habs? No, he was on an angle.  Kostopolous may never have seen the middle of his back, but there’s he would have seen part of his back.  But, as like any player, he kept going full tilt.  Why? Because it’s part of the game, and it shouldn’t be.

It’s time to send a message.  Hit someone like that? First, time have a seat for 20 games.  Next time? 40.  3rd time? Thats your third strike. Take a seat for a season.  It is, in my opinion, the only way you’ll stop it.  Treat it as if it’s abhorrent. Treat it the way you’d treat someone swinging at an opponent’s head with their stick.  Until it’s treated as something that belongs nowhere near the game, it will continue to pervade the game.  Unfortunately, with the NHL, it seems as if it may take a broken neck, or perhaps worse, for this message to be sent.

The reward for failure

To all the history/war fanatics out there, I’m sorry to disappoint you (I am one myself). Remembrance Day may be soon approaching, but this thread has nothing to do with tanks or anything related to the military.

Over the past year and a half or so, there has been an increasing divide between some fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On one hand, you have the type who cheers for the Leafs no matter where they are in the standings, on any given night, at any point in the year. Winning hockey games is the number one priority, no exceptions. These fans will argue they are the most loyal, and the best.

On the other hand, you have the type who looks at the big picture, and realizes that winning each night may not be what’s best for the club in the future. They would argue that by losing more games than they win, they would attain a higher draft pick in hopes of building a better team in the future. These fans will argue that THEY are the are most loyal, and the best.

The divide amongst these fans becomes more and more evident as the Leafs start losing multiple games in a row.

(Most) hockey teams tend to rise and fall in cycles. It’s very rare that teams can maintain being highly competitive over 15-20 year periods, especially in this day and age (the obvious exception being Detroit, but more on that later). Teams acquire a “core” talent (the nucleus of the team), develop them, and add to them as they reach their peak of competitiveness. As the team ages, players either depreciate in value or leave for various reasons, bringing the competitiveness level of the team down. Then they start all over again, acquiring new talent to build around in hopes of becoming competitive again.

In the case of the Toronto Maple Leafs, this cycle has happened countless times. The most recent was a 15 year period from about 1993-2008. During the 1992/93 & 1993/94 seasons, the Leafs were at a peak. On the backs of Gilmour, Clark, & company they made it to the conference finals twice in a row. They would then start to fall from the 1994/95 to the 1997/98 season, during which time they acquired Mats Sundin. He would be a vital “core” piece to build around, leading to increasing success from the 1998/99-2000/01 seasons. The Leafs would then reach their peak again in the 2001/02 season, reaching the conference finals. They maintain this level for another two seasons, until the lockout. And like it had in 1994, the Leafs started to depreciate from the 2005/06 season to the present day, finishing the lowest they had in 20 years just last season.

The ‘depreciating’ period only ends when a team decides to “rebuild”. It’s a term that explains itself in it’s name. Teams clear out the old “core” players, removing the key players via trades or free agency. They then acquire new “core” players, players that they hope they can build a team around. This is done many ways, through the draft, trades, waivers, and free agency.

The easiest way to acquire these “core” players is through the draft. Draft picks are free assets given to each team every year, seven picks that don’t cost a thing. Some teams move these assets in advance, some trade for them. The most important of these picks is the 1st round pick, the highest pick your team receives every year. The lower you finish in the standings, the closer you pick to 1st overall. The better your draft pick is, the odds are you draft a better player for the future. Every year there are exceptions, but many of the elite players in the NHL are former 1st round picks.

This is where the term “tank” comes in. In a nutshell, “tanking” is when a team loses to intentionally pick up a higher draft pick. The logic behind this is that the 1st overall pick will get you a better player than the 10th overall pick, and if you aren’t making the playoffs that year, you should lose as much as possible to attain the higher draft pick. The team then uses the high draft pick to draft a better “core” player for the future. It’s essentially losing more now, to win more later.

This philosophy is one that a growing number of Leaf fans are starting to acknowledge. Many argue that the recent success has done nothing to make us a better team. They would argue that there is no point in finishing 9th in the East every year, without a shot at the cup and without a good draft pick, that would help us have a better shot at the cup in the future. Thus, many Leaf fans have been cheering for the Leafs to lose games now, in hopes of building a better team in the future.

This is where the divide comes in. “Tankers” argue that the other fans are not as loyal, because they are content with icing a non-playoff contender each year. The other fans argue that “tankers” are not as loyal, because they want the Leafs to lose games.

It is a silent debate that will never end.

For reference, I don’t consider myself a tanker, more a “progressionist”

I want to see the Leafs continue to strive towards building a perennial contender. That could include acquiring and developing new “franchise players” through the draft, by way of a high draft pick. That could also include the Leafs young players carrying this team into the playoffs.

But what it doesn’t include is the Leafs riding the backs of veterans to a 9th place finish (or even a playoff berth). It doesn’t include burying a guy like Tlusty in the minors and not giving him a real shot at the top line (although to be fair, the AHL is probably best for his development at this point).

I just want steady progression towards building a better team. And right now, I think adding more high profile prospects to the club is not only the easiest way to improve it, but will hopefully lead to the most success in the future.

It’s impossible to prove which argument is right. But I will say this: the end result of a bad season last year was Luke Schenn. He is the highest touted young player on this team since Mats Sundin himself, the source of all the success the Leafs have had over the last 10 years. Luke Schenn may be the best defensive player on the team as is, and projects to be one of the best players on the team in the future, perhaps even the next captain of the Maple Leafs.

Whichever side you lay your allegiances on, you must acknowledge one thing: You are the very best fans in all of hockey. The dedication Toronto Maple Leafs’ fans have toward their club rivals no others in any rink in any city. You may have seen the Leafs once hoist a cup, you may have not. But the day will come again. And all fans, both tankers and non-tankers, will join together in a celebration like no other.

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Check out my last article! http://thepuckdrop.com/2008/11/09/leafs-earning-points-and-respect-2/

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Next up: The Ultimate “Tank” Debate Pt. II - Does it historically work?

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas for what to write, don’t be afraid to email me at mike.mali@live.com

Conceding the fact that a dozen games or so are a small sample size, I don’t consider assuming that every team in the NE will make the playoffs to be a ridiculous statement.

The Boston Bruins, with star forward Bergeron back in the lineup, have gone nowhere but up. With good offensive depth, Chara anchoring the defense and All-Star Thomas in between the pipes, expect a solid season bettering the former.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have proven to all that hard work pays off. Of course, great defense, coaching and netminding surely doesn’t hurt. Rearguards like Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina and their peers: Colaiacovo, Van Ryn, Frogren, Stralman(among others) round out a decent defensive unit. Proven number one Vesa Toskala will have another great season, always ready to shut the door. Albeit their offensive depth leaves much to be desired, effort beats out skill and the Leafs’ forwards are indicative of that; outshooting the opposition more often than not. Expect them to be in the hunt to make the playoffs.

The Buffalo Sabres have goaltending, offense and although to a lesser extent, defense. With Vanek leading the way and Roy, injury prone Conolly, Afinogenov, Pominville, Stafford completing their crop of forwards, they should end up in the mid-section for goals scored by season’s end. Essential will be to keep the pucks out of their net, as that part of their game has not shown promise, even though Miller is often there to shade their poor defensive efforts. Expect them to end up anywhere between 6th and 9th.

The Ottawa Senators lack, and have been lacking for the better part of their history, one thing and one thing only: Goaltending. With offensive stalwarts like Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley and defensive experts like Jason Smith, Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov, a true-blue number one would truly shed some light upon them. Auld has proven to be one so far, but can he really maintain his Vezina-worthy numbers? Brian Elliott, whom many consider the cure to this problem, is a year away from grabbing the reigns in nets. Disgruntled fans dispute puckmoving as an issue, however, the replacements from last year’s crew have been superior offensively(Kuba is leading defensemen in assists, Picard shows flashes of brilliance and Schubert has been quite impressive) Also note-worthy: highly touted prospect Brian Lee is currently in the AHL and shall be called up, most probably, when the injury bug hits and he proves that he’s there to stay. Bryan Murray has publicly stated that he’s in search for a veteran defenseman with the right years on his contract.

The Montreal Canadiens, subsequently to a second round exit, still possess arguably the deepest offense in the league. Alex Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec, the Kostitsyn brothers, Alex Tanguay, Saku Koivu, Robert Lang and co. are a treat to watch, and a nightmare to play against. The defense varies from mediocre to great with the likes of none other than Andrei Markov leading the way. Goaltending shows promise with young and skillful Carey Price expected to make the jump and become the team’s number one goalie, latterly to shedding 20+ pounds.

All in all, this division may prove to be the best of all.

Do note that this is actually Jeff posting in Steve’s name. I got a hold of him and asked if he’d like to take part, he said he would if he wasn’t busy, so for now we could post up the stuff he’s doing for the world.