NHL Awards Nominees

Coverage for the 2007 NHL Awards ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday on the Versus network.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, not surprisingly, will be well-represented with candidates, as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Michel Therrien all have been nominated for hardware.

So what I'd like to do is list all of the awards and nominees, then give my choice to win each award, followed by my prediction as to who will win.

Hart Trophy

• Candidates: Martin Brodeur, Sidney Crosby, Roberto Luongo
• My choice: Sidney Crosby
• Prediction: Sidney Crosby

Lester B. Pearson Award

• Candidates: Sidney Crosby, Vincent Lecavalier, Roberto Luongo
• My choice: Sidney Crosby
  
• Prediction: Sidney Crosby
  

Calder Trophy

• Candidates: Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Paul Stastny
  
• My choice: Jordan Staal
  
• Prediction: Evgeni Malkin
  

Frank J. Selke Trophy

• Candidates: Rod Brind'Amour, Samuel Pahlsson, Jay Pandolfo
  
• My choice: Samuel Pahlsson
  
• Prediction: Rod Brind'Amour
  

Jack Adams Trophy

• Candidates: Lindy Ruff, Michel Therrien, Alain Vigneault
  
• My choice: Lindy Ruff
  
• Prediction: Lindy Ruff
  

James Norris Trophy

• Candidates: Nicklas Lidstrom, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger
  
• My choice: Nicklas Lidstrom
  
• Prediction: Scott Nidermayer
  

Lady Byng Trophy

• Candidates: Pavel Datsyuk, Joe Sakic, Martin St. Louis
  
• My choice: Joe Sakic
  
• Prediction: Martin St. Louis
  

Vezina Trophy

• Candidates: Martin Brodeur, Miikka Kiprusoff, Henrik Lundqvist, Roberto Luongo
  
• My choice: Roberto Luongo
  
• Prediction: Martin Brodeur
  

NHL News And Notes

Sundin Stayin'
While forward Mats Sundin failed to commit longterm, he eased the minds of Toronto Maple Leafs management yesterday when he signed a one-year contract worth $5.5 million.

In 75 games last season, Sundin scored 27 goals and 49 assists for 76 points.

Chelios Still Feels Young
Age is only a number, and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios is proof.

At 45, the league's oldest player has signed yet another contract that will keep him with the Red Wings for at least one more season.

In his 24th season, Chelios remained the team's leader on the blueline, though he posted just 11 assists and a plus-11 rating in 71 games.

Turgeon To Turn In?
Pierre Turgeon is expected to announce his retirement in the near future after playing in 1,294 career games.

The 37-year-old forward has a career mark of 515 goals and 812 assists for 1,327 points, putting him at 27th on the all-time scorers list.

Turgeon is coming off an injury-filled 2006-07 season with the Colorado Avalanche.

Buf, Ruff And Regier
The Buffalo Sabres organization is wiping a proverbial sweat off its brow today as general manager Darcy Regier and head coach Lindy Ruff reportedly have agreed to remain with the team. The contract announcements are expected to come later this week.

Ducks Retain Role Players
Travis Moen and George Parros each signed a two year contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks. Terms of the contracts were not released.

Moen, a third-liner, scored 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in the regular season, but his primary contributions came in the playoffs, when he helped anchor one of the best shut-down lines in the league.

Parros, on the other hand, saw little playoff action, but was a key part of the Ducks' tough persona, leading the team with 102 penalty minutes in 34 games.

Panthers Ink Allen
Bryan Allen apparently isn't too interested in playing for a winning team in the near future, as he reportedly signed a five-year contract to remain with the Florida Panthers.

The defenseman who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in the Roberto Luongo deal last year tallied four goals and 21 assists for 25 points and a plus-seven rating in 82 games.

Alberts Re-Ups In Boston
Andrew Alberts, 25, will remain with the Boston Bruins for the foreseeable future after signing a multi-year contract with the team.

Last season Alberts posted 10 assists, a minus-15 rating and 124 penalty minutes in 76 games.

Balsillie The Predator?

We've heard the rhetoric before: Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie has no intentions of moving the team he is in the process of purchasing.

It happened last year when he came within inches of taking over the Pittsburgh Penguins. And it is happening now, as he awaits league approval of his purchase of the Nashville Predators.

But actions speak louder than words, and this soon-to-be Predator owner sure takes the team's namesake to heart.

In developing news out of Canada, Balsillie is one step closer to moving the Predators to Hamilton, On.

According to CBC, the co-chief executive officer Research in Motion (maker of Blackberry devices) has signed a deal making Hamilton the only possible relocation destination for a Balsillie-owned team.

I don't really have a problem with the Predators moving north, though I do feel for Nashville hockey fans. And really I don't even have a problem with Hamilton as the location (despite its close proximity to Buffalo and Toronto).

My issue is with Balsillie, who says one thing and repeatedly contradicts himself with his actions.

If he plans to move the team, he should just say it. What will it hurt? If nothing else, people might actually respect him for speaking the truth.

Penguins Fans Have Much To Be Thankful For

The 2006-07 season was a long one for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their loyal fans.

Not only was it trying at times (due to the near purchase by Jim Balsillie and the near-relocation to Kansas City), but it also lasted longer than the 82-game regular season schedule for the first time in six years.

In the span of just one year, fans witnessed a transformation of epic proportions, jumping from the bottom of the standings to near the top -- something the Pittsburgh Pirates of MLB have been trying to for the previous 14 years.

The Penguins have been MIA in the post-season since 2000-01, when Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Alexie Kovalev, Robert Lange, Martin Straka and Johan Hedberg led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals.

That's a total of six years (five seasons) without the excitement and intensity of the playoffs.

Personally, I didn't know what to do with myself during that time. Being that I became a fan during the team's second Stanley Cup run in 1991-92, I had never witnessed a year without the post-season.

But it all changed this year with a series of impressive moves, including the replacement of a stale general manager, quality drafting and free agency signings, and call-ups at the proper times.

All of these are aspects the Pirates have failed succeed at since, well, the early 1990s.

Without getting into a baseball tangent, I thought it would be appropriate to compare the Penguins to the Pirates to illustrate just how lucky Pittsburgh hockey fans have been.

Over the years, both teams have seen their share of superstars and legends, but since the early 1990s, there is no comparison. While the Penguins surged, the Pirates flopped. Then the Penguins flopped and, well, the Pirates were still flopping. Now, the Penguins are surging once again and the Pirates are, as usual, in full-flop mode.

Mario Lemieux may not be the best owner of a professional sports franchise, but he certainly makes the Nutting family look like a bunch of amateurs.

Then again, even the worst NHL franchise owner would make the Nuttings look bad.

During the past year, when the Penguins were on the verge of leaving Pittsburgh, rallies sprung up across the city. Fans just wanted to let city and team officials know how important the Penguins are to the city.

Conversely, Pirates fans are staging a third-inning walk-off for the June 30 game at PNC Park.

You know it's bad when fans are willing to purchase tickets and, essentially, throw that money down the drain to make a point.

The Pirates are a beloved franchise, just as the Penguins are. Sadly, the managements of each franchise are drastically different.

So, during this NHL offseason that projects to be somewhat active in Penguin player movement, remember that the players general manager Ray Shero brings in certainly can't and won't be as bad as the players general manager Dave Littlefield has brought to the Pirates in recent years.

And remember how lucky you are to be a fan of a franchise that actually cares.

NHL News & Notes

Ha-sick of Waiting
My name isn't Michael Farkas, but I figured I'd attempt the skill of sub-headline writing. I think I failed.

Speaking of failing, the Detroit Red Wings are hoping ancient goaltender Dominic Hasek won't fail the team by retiring...again.

The 42-year-old goaltender announced that he will have a decision about his return to Detroit and the NHL by the end of this week.

"We're optimistic he'll come back, but we're still talking at this point," said general manager Ken Holland.

After an injury-plagued 2005-06 season, Hasek rebounded quite well in 2006-07, when he produced a 38-11-6 record, a 2.05 goals-against average, .913 save percentage, eight shutouts -- and a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

Lightning Get 'Nasky
The Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed to contract extensions with two role-players.

Forward Nick Tarnasky signed a two-year contract after playing his first full season in the NHL. The center had five goals and four assists for nine points in 77 games with the Lightining.

Forward Kyle Wanvig was signed to a one-year, two-way contract. He played four NHL games last season, all with the Lightning after he was acquired from the Atlanta Thrashers. In 68 NHL games, he has five goals and nine assists for 14 points.

Sabres To Stay American
The Buffalo Sabres have extended their AHL affiliation with the Rochester Americans, allowing the teams to share players for at least one more year.

With the extension, the teams, which are just one hour apart, will have had an affiliation for 29 consecutive years.

MAHL To Hold Public Player Tryouts

Interested in playing professional hockey? Now is your chance, as the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League will be holding public tryouts on June 30 and 31.

Scheduled to take place at Alice Noble Ice Arena in Wooster, Oh, the tryouts will last from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The cost for players to show off their skills in front of the all MAHL coaching staffs is $200 at the event or $175 through preregistration at the league's web site by June 23.

To register in advance or to seek more information, visit mahlhockey.com.

Faceoff Factor To Get A Facelift

So we've mentioned this before, but the the promise is real -- and close.

Faceoff Factor is on the brink of transferring all of our content to a new, professionally designed, privately hosted site.

No longer will we be bound by the templates of Blogger. And no longer will our web address have as many periods as a school day.

What you can look for:

• Easier navigation
• More updates
• Additional content
• Writer profiles
  
• And much, much more

What you will see (this is just a rough draft):


Stay tuned in the coming days -- or, at the longest, two weeks -- to see our completely renovated site.

Our new address: www.Faceoff-Factor.com.

Update your bookmarks and get used to it now, as it currently redirects to this site.

FF Blogger Playoff Prediction Final Results

The Stanley Cup has been awarded to the Anaheim Ducks -- a finish just two Faceoff Factor bloggers (Zack Dawson and Kyle Dreibelbies) predicted. Below, find the final standings for the blogger prediction contest.

1. Adams: 11-4
2. Dreibelbies: 11-4
3. Stoosh: 9-6
4. Dawson: 8-7
5. Bodenschatz: 7-8
6. Marshall: 7-8
7. Farkas: 6-9
8. Chiappazzi: 1-2 (joined FF just before round 3)
   

The Stanley Ducks!

As I type this, seven minutes remain in Game Five, and the Anaheim Ducks are winning by a 5-2 score.

Far from the 2-0 Ducks win I predicted in my game day preview.

I was expecting Anaheim to dominate, to play as if they could taste it -- and they did, to an extent. The Ottawa Senators, on the other hand, played like a team that knew it had no chance.

Regardless of the Senators' failure to show up, the game was quite entertaining.

We saw everything from a missed penalty shot to a botched breakout that led to Chris Phillips sneaking the puck into his own net.

In actuality, the Ducks weren't as dominant as the score indicates. The Senators simply beat themselves (though there technically still is time for a comeback).

I suppose this is a fitting ending for a team lacking in character (see Daniel Alfredsson's shot at Scott Niedermayer at the end of the second period in Game Four).

I'm off to watch the ceremony -- more to come tomorrow.

Stanley Cup Finals Game 5: Ott @ Ana

Lord Stanley’s prized Cup will be in the house tonight as the Anaheim Ducks look to make good on their 3-1 series lead.

The Ottawa Senators, coming off a disappointing and embarrassing loss Monday night, will look to rebound on the road, but the intense Ducks crowd could play a hand in slowing down the team from north of the border.

Chris Pronger will be back in uniform for the Ducks after serving a one-game suspension, solidifying the blueline and making offensive creativity a bit more difficult for the Senators.

Look for the Ducks to come out strong, playing physical and targeting Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Neil early and often. Don’t expect much scoring, but look for the Ducks to be on the winning end, hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.

• Prediction: Ducks win by a 2-0 score to win the Stanley Cup at home.
  

Quick Preview: Anaheim Ducks @ Ottawa Senators

• Time: Tonight @ 8 p.m. EST
• Television: NBC, CBC, RDS
• Place: Scotiabank Honda Center, Anaheim, Ca
  
• Probable Goalies: J.S. Giguere (Ana) & Ray Emery (Ott)
• Series Score: Ducks 3, Senators 1
  

The rest of the series schedule can be found here and Faceoff Factor blogger predictions for the series can be found here.

Stanley Cup Finals Game 4: Ana @ Ott

Games One, Two and Three all have been thrillers to watch. Game Four should be no different.

The Anaheim Ducks, playing without Norris Trophy candidate Chris Pronger will be forced to step up their defensive play in order to thwart a resurrected Ottawa Senators' offense.

But for the Seantors, preparing for a Pronger-less Ducks team is like preparing for a wounded team, a team that can be beat.

Look for the Senators to come out strong and score early, but for the Ducks to continue their physicality and superb defensive play.

The Ducks may have won against the Detroit Red Wings while Pronger was suspended, but defeating the Senators might be another story.

• Prediction: Ottawa wins by a 4-2 score in front of their home crowd and ties the series at two.
  

Quick Preview: Anaheim Ducks @ Ottawa Senators

• Time: Tonight @ 8 p.m. EST
• Television: NBC, CBC, RDS
• Place: Scotiabank Place; Kanata, On (Ottawa)
  
• Probable Goalies: J.S. Giguere (Ana) & Ray Emery (Ott)
• Series Score: Ducks 2, Senators 1
  

The rest of the series schedule can be found here and Faceoff Factor blogger predictions for the series can be found here.

Pens To Extend Therrien's Contract?

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today reported several interesting tidbits of news on firings, contracts and injuries, so below I will summarize each topic and briefly discuss my opinions.

Contract Talks Could Be Lengthy
Penguins general Manager Ray Shero hinted that the re-signings of veteran forwards Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi could take more time than originally expected. Both forwards are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents July 1.

• Roberts has expressed interest in staying with the Penguins, but also wants to be close to his daughter, who lives in Toronto. The longer the negotiations last, the less likely he will be to stay in Pittsburgh, as other teams closer to home will make better offers. Recchi, on the other hand, lives in Pittsburgh year-round, and will return to the Penguins as long as the team wants him. My prediction is that Roberts will walk, Recchi will re-sign in late July, and Shero will use the money offered to Roberts to bring in a second-tier free agent forward.

Therrien Stay'n?
Head coach Michel Therrien is a finalist for the Jack Adams award and, as a result, could be in line for a contract extension. Shero said talks have taken place and that the two sides will get together again in the near future. He added that there is no timetable or rush on the issue.

• Therrien clearly "sold" his system to the group of young Penguins. And, despite some questionable moves (such as constant line juggling and player favoritism), Therrien's team made the playoffs as a fifth seed just one year after finishing at the bottom of the league standings. He is deserving of a contract extension. My prediction is that it will happen prior to the July 1 free agency frenzy.

He's Healed
Sidney Crosby's broken left foot no longer is broken. He was cleared to begin workouts.

• Not surprisingly, many took exception to Crosby mentioning that he played injured during the playoffs. But true hockey fans -- fans of the sport, not just teams or players -- realize that what Crosby has done in his two-year career is simply amazing, and the fact that did some of it with a broken foot is even more amazing. He didn't mention it for attention, he mentioned it when asked why he wouldn't take part in the World Championships.
  

Dube Done
Strength and conditioning coach Stephane Dube has been fired, though Shero said he has done nothing wrong. The move was supported by Therrien, who brought Dube with him in his promotion from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL last season. A search for his replacement will begin this week.

• Something is fishy about this. Therrien seemed to be a strong Dube supporter, and many players openly raved about his unique coaching methods. Either Dube did do something wrong, or one or several of the Penguins' key players spoke out against him. Methinks option one is most likely.

Draft Picks To Be Re-Drafted
Former Penguins draft picks Jean-Philippe Paquet and Tommi Leinonen were not signed by the team and, thus, will re-enter the draft.

• I'll be honest, I know nothing about either of these defensemen. From what I have heard, Paquet (194 overall) likely will be taken higher than he was in 2005, while Leinonen (125 overall) likely will stay the same or drop.
  

Cup Buzz: Behind-The-Scenes Notes

Anaheim Ducks

• As reported earlier on Faceoff Factor, the Ducks will be without defenseman Chris Pronger for Game Four. Pronger became only the third player in NHL history to be suspended twice in the same playoff year.

• Forward Chris Kunitz made a quick return to action after suffering a broken bone in his right hand just three weeks (seven games) ago. The unlucky forward also made a quick exit after injuring his left leg early in the second period. His return is doubtful.

• Prior to Game Three, forward Teemu Selanne was asked where Kunitz would fit into the lineup. His answer: "(Head Coach Randy) Carlyle always says that when I start thinking about those things, I have to take a pay cut, I have to take a coach's salary. So you can ask him."

Ottawa Senators

• As strange as it might sound, the Stanley Cup Finals aren't the most important thing on forward Chris Neil's mind. That's because the forward's wife gave birth to their first child, Hailey Jean, at 11:05 p.m. Friday.

• Standing ovations generally are reserved for players -- especially when only two teams remain in the hunt for the most prized trophy in professional sports. But last night, fans of the sold out Scotiabank Place applauded 99-year-old superfan Russell Williams, who was in attendance in 1927, the last time the Senators won the Stanley Cup.

• Head Coach Bryan Murray may look old, he certainly isn't as old as Williams. "I don't remember the 80 years (since the club's last championship), almost, but not quite." Murray, 64, is coaching in his first Stanley Cup Finals series.
  

Sitting Duck

For the second time in as many playoff series, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger will be forced to miss a game because of his overactive elbows.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound monster will miss Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals tomorrow night as he serves a one game suspension for leading with his elbow to hit Ottawa Senators forward Dean McAmmond.

A full recap of the hit, as well as Michael Farkas' observation can be read here.

Pronger also was suspended in the Western Conference Finals, when he and teammate Rob Niedermayer hit Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom.

Neither of Pronger's hits resulted in penalties during the games.

Ironically, both plays warranted suspensions, which leads me to ponder the competence of the NHL officials. Read an opinion piece I wrote after Pronger's first suspension here.

Faceoff Factor will have a preview of tomorrow night's Game Four in the morning.