Legendary Official Bill McCreary Hangs Up His Whistle
Any way you slice it, a career consisting of 1,737 regular season games is very impressive. In fact, it's more games than the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, skated in--playoffs included--in his career.
Anyone watching NHL hockey for the past couple of decades knows the name Bill McCreary. Like Dave "The Hammer" Shultz, Dale "Big Game" Hunter, and Stu "Grim Reaper" Grimson, any true fan could pick him out of a lineup. He's arguably one of the best known officials to ever blow his whistle on the ice, and sometimes the scapegoat of losing teams.
Bill McCreary started as an NHL official in 1984, skating in his first game featuring the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals. It ended Saturday night, also in the nations' capitol, as the Caps beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 in overtime.
It was a bit of an odd game as McCreary didn't even call a penalty until the 7:59 mark of the 3rd period, and that was against the Caps for too many men on the ice. This had plenty of people, including those calling the game on DirecTV, wondering if McCreary was going out to pasture with his whistle tucked firmly in his pocket.
In truth, the flow of the game was such that no whistles for penalties was warranted. Also, players, coaches, fans, and owners will agree: Bill McCreary has had a thoughtful career and was one of the most fair and reliable referees to ever lace them up.
Here's to a great retirement, Bill. Good on ya for all your years of service and dedication to the NHL. You will sincerely be missed.
Canucks Clinch First-Ever Presidents' Trophy
All good things come to those who wait, and for the good fan in Vancouver, the waiting is over.
It took until the 78th game of their 40th season, but the Vancouver Canucks, in a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings last night, clinched their first Presidents' Trophy signifying that they are not only the Western Conference regular season champions, but also carry the NHL's best record into the playoffs, which means they'll have home ice throughout. And just for good measure they clinched in decisive fashion with 113 points (and counting), 14 points more than their closest Western foe, San Jose Sharks, and 11 more than the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference.
I watched the Canucks-Kings game on satellite TV last night, and the stepped-up intensity by the Canucks was obvious. 35 shots-on-goal to the Kings' 19 was just one of the tell-tale signs in the box score. The biggie, however, was in their desire to control the puck. The Canucks were an impressive 60% on face offs, which no doubt led to their dominance around the goaltender.
So, props to Henrik Sedin and the rest of the Vancouver Canucks for making 4 decades of diligence pay off. Perhaps they can parlay this season's success into a nice, long run in this year's chase for Lord Stanley's Cup!
Bruins Bruise Blackhawks
With just a handful of games left in the regular season, skating out of Boston with a goose egg on the scoreboard was surely not what the 7th place Chicago Blackhawks had in mind to start the night.
So, the Chicago Blackhawks have a tentative hold on a guaranteed playoff spot, whic is why a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins, who have a legitimate shot at 2nd place in the East, with 1st place not mathematically out of the question.
However, it's not like the Blackhawks stunk up satellite television last night. They didn't. They simply ran into the immoveable object, one Tim Thomas, who stopped all 32 shots on goal for his 9th shutout of the season. Chicago's coach, Joel Quenneville, aptly lamented that "every game is a huge 2 points".
The overtime victory the night before in Detroit most likely took its toll on Chicago. Unfortunately, the last place you want to be on an empty tank is Boston while trying to secure your playoff spot. This would account for not even getting a shot on goal in the first 8 minutes of the game.
Stay tuned for the exiting finish to the regular NHL season and get ready for a run to the Stanley Cup guaranteed to give us some of the greatest playoff games ever played.
Martin Brodeur Back On His Skates
A bit more than a week after spraining his right knee, New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur skated around for a few minutes in Tuesday's practice.
Head coach Jacques Lemaire says he expects Bordeur to be on the ice again today. There's no timeline set for Brodeur's return, so the team is taking it one day at a time. When he's ready to go he'll be back on the ice.
Brodeur has been one of the most durable goaltenders in NHL history, playing all eighteen years of his professional career in New Jersey. Thirteen of those seasons had him between the pipes for 67 or more games, and five seasons of 75 or more games. He was also protecting the net in all three of the franchise's Stanley Cup championships.
I've watched a lot of hockey, and as many times as the Devils have played on satellite TV, it's possible I've seen Bordeur play more than any other goaltender. Here's to a speedy recover, Martin. The Devils are just better when you're their starting keeper!
Out Of Canada And Back To Carrie Underwood
Personally, I think if the Ottawa Senators are going to play cupid, they should have waited a couple of days and shot their arrow on Valentine's Day.
Mike Fisher is so talented he literally could've landed anywhere as NHL teams try to enhance their Stanley Cup chances before the February 28th trade deadline. On Thursday night the Senators packaged up Fisher, put a bow on the package, and promptly shipped him to Nashville for some future draft picks.
If you know your NHL celebrity news like I do, then you'll remember that Fisher and country singing star Carrie Underwood were married last summer in Georgia. Conveniently for the couple, Underwood happens to live in Nashville and word has it she's a huge Senators Predators fan!
The next Predators game you catch on satellite television, keep your eyes on Fisher. If you catch him flashing all his chicklettes at the camera you'll know why!
