Monday, September 29, 2008

See ya Stu



Former Penguins forward Stu Barnes ended his 16-year career today as he announced his retirement. He will become an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars, a team he has played for since the 2002-03 season. Barnes had dealt with concussion problems last season.Barnes was a solid, responsible two-way player who had a fairly productive, but short career with the Penguins. After being acquired along with defenseman Jason Woolley from the Panthers in exchange for former first-round bust Chris Wells, he punched in 17 goals and 22 assists in 1996-97 during Mario Lemieux's first "final" season. His most productive season in the came with the Penguins in 1997-98 (the first season of the Kevin Constantine regime) as he hit career highs in goals (30) and points (65). Only Jaromir Jagr (102) and Ron Francis (87) had more points with the Penguins that season.After hitting the 20-goal mark in 64 games the next season, the Penguins dealt him to the Sabres in exchange for antagonist Matthew Barnaby.While with the Sabres, Barnes scored a pretty dramatic overtime goal in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final against the Penguins.(Please visit the site to view this media)Barnes' 136 career points with the Penguins are the 55th most in franchise history.(Photo: BBC Sports)Source

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Unrestricted Trade



I'm sure you all have seen the sports magazine produced by Sunrise Sports and Entertainment, the parent of the Florida Panthers. Called Unrestricted, it's a monthly mag that is a pretty good read. I think they do a real good job, so much so, I read it each month. That said, there must be some kind of an "Unrestricted" curse. Am at the Sawgrass Goodyear right now getting some work done on the Silver Bullet and noticed one of the team's Honda Elements in the parking lot. There are various pictures of South Florida athletes on the graphics, including one Mike Van Ryn -- traded Tuesday to Toronto. Then I looked closer. Every pro athlete from South Florida in the graphic, save one, has been traded away. Look, there's Jason Taylor. He's next to Shaquille O'Neal. And Dontrelle Willis is there too. The last man standing? Dwyane Wade. Uh-oh. -- At Incredible Ice now, some new faces currently on the ice, although no Bryan McCabe today. The new guys at the workout: Kamil Kreps and Noah Welch. And there's a new arrival, looking like he just stepped off a plane: Karlis Skrastins. -- Spoke to trainer Dave Zenobi yesterday, and he told me Richard Zednik is "doing incredible" and has been working out and skating. Says Zednik should be here in South Florida by the end of the week or at least by the weekend. So that'll be nice. DAILY (not Ottawa) LYNX -- Wonder what the did with the rink that turned Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium into the world's biggest hockey venue last January? Well, the town of East Aurora, N.Y., bought it and is going to have it up and operational come November. Weather permitting, of course. If you thought that was the end of the useless trivia, well, you are wrong. Did you know, East Aurora is the home of Fisher-Price toys? No? Did you care? No? -- The Hamilton Spectator is reporting that former coach Pat Quinn will replace new Rochester coach Benoit Groulx as coach of Canada's entry in the upcoming world juniors. Quinn has a nice history of success with the kids, and led Team Canada to Gold in 2002 at the Salt Lake games. -- Mats Sundin sttill hasn't decided what he's going to do this season. Sundin will be in Toronto this weekend for a charity game at Air Canada Center. Glad I won't be there to fight the media throng. On Toronto's AM 640, Mats said "where I am right now, I'm not at a point where I'm physically andmentally ready to make a decision. My biggestthing is, I want to make sure I'm physically and mentally prepared forthe rigors of an season and to compete at an elite level." OK then. Here's Mike Zeisberger's take from the Toronto Sun. -- In a surprising move, the Predators have suspended Alexander Radulov after he left Music City and signed with a team in Russia's new KHL. Good for them. Rumor is, Chad Kilger will be joining Radulov in Mother Russia. OK, that was a joke. A very small one, but a joke. -- Going to the Marlins game today, taking in the game from a skybox with one JM the GM and some guy named Peter DeBoer. Hope Fredi Gonzalez doesn't summon me from the bullpen. My elbow's been hurting a bit. Course, I couldn't do much worse. Not a joke.Source

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Training camp - Day two



EN reader Cara Cassella went to training camp today and sent us a brief report on yesterday's events as well as a few photos:"Apparently Kevin Veilleux is trying to become the next coach killer... um I mean Jaromir Jagr. He totally took out Michel Therrien's skates, Therrien fell, left the ice immediately and returned later miraculously able to use plurals. Also Janne Pesonen was not wearing his gold helmet but was sporting an awesome fluorescent green mouth guard. The white team (Sidney Crosby's) won, 2-0. A fun time was had by all. After I was this close to getting Sid's autograph but the idiots around me rushed his car and slammed into it. He got mad and left. I can't blame him though that was just rude. Oh, and rest assured the Dunkin Donuts logo is still there." EMPTY NETTER ASSISTSPenguins-Mark Eaton should avoid operating large machinery.-Evgeni Malkin liked Petr Sykora's goal in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final just as much as you did.-Kris Beech is happy to be back in Pittsburgh.-Ryan Stone and Jonathan Filewich didn't play in yesterday's scrimmage.-Dave Gove is trying to impress Penguins management.-Faceoff-Factor has a report on Day 2 of camp.-Fighting has been banned in camp.-EN Reader Jackie Wise spotted this music video devoted to Sidney Crosby:(Please visit the site to view this media) Former Penguins forward Matthew Barnaby will replace Barry Melrose for ESPN's two minutes of monthly hockey coverage.Atlantic Division-Former Penguins goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin signed a one-year deal with the Flyers. With backup goaltender Antero Niittymaki dealing with hip issues, the Flyers needed some depth at the position.Northeast Division-The median household income of Pominville just went up by $26.5 million. The Sabres signed forward Jason Pominville signed a five-year deal.Southeast Division-The Panthers will bring defenseman Jassen Cullimore to camp on a tryout basis.-Personalized license plates for Capitals fans are available in Maryland and Virginia. We assume once you purchase them, you can sell them to Penguins fans for marked up prices and complain when someone calls you out on it. (Kudos to EN commenter G-Man for the find.)-As shocking as it might seem, Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin doesn't put a lot of thought into his hair care.-With Justin Williams on the shelf with a leg injury, the Hurricanes might have to turn to Jeff O'Neill to replace some of Williams' offense.Central Division-Blues defenseman Erik Johnson hurt his knee while golfing. What is it about hockey players getting hurt on golf courses?-Even with Marian Hossa in town, Red Wings forward Dan Cleary doesn't expect his playing time to decline.Northwest Division-With some encouragement from Jaromir Jagr, assistant coach Wayne Fleming has agreed to coach Jagr's team in the KHL, Avangard Omsk.Pacific Division-Stars defenseman and former Penguin Sergei Zubov is dealing with a hip injury.-The Kings have yet to re-sign restricted free agent forward Patrick O'Sullivan.Source

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Monday Ice Water Cooler..



It is indeed the week before training camp, well for a few teams anyway. Most teams start around the 20th or so but hey that is just twelve short days away. So what am I doing you may ask? Quite a bit! Here is what is on tap for this morning...as it fades into the afternoon.The Pominville talk has heated up a bit again....and the numbers again being suggested are in the 5-6 million dollar range. Now is Pominville ultimately going to sign in the near future? I do not know. Is the dollar range believable? Now that I can confirm to be true as it has been mentioned in the past by several reliable sources. Buffalo must take a more aggressive approach in keeping its free agents and now is the time to do it!So it has become obvious that the Los Angeles Kings do not need to trade for Mr. Khabibulin to get above the salary floor. So with one less dance partner, where will Khabibulin go? I am surprised that Chicago hasn't explored the KHL option or maybe they have and basically Khabibulin said no way in hell. The problem is with Khabibulin is there is only one year left on his contract, and his age (35) is an issue as well. This is a goalie that has had a very strange career. Keep in mind, that between late 1999 and early 2001, he was out of thenhl. The numbers are not bad at all but the last three years have not been so great obviously (something about a big contract bust). He could probably use a change in scenery but Chicago just has to find the right dance partner. Those dance partners are few and far between right now.That Toronto Center is still in the news as teams are getting ready to move on without that old captain guy. Montreal, Vancouver, New York Rangers and more appear to be poised to make other moves as it gets closer to training camp. Montreal may even bring in a guy like Brendan Shanahan, Vancouver was looking at a trade for Mathieu Schneider, and the Rangers were exploring several options including maybe Glen Murray. Nothing can be confirmed but one thing is apparent, teams have had enough of waiting. They are getting downright impatient now.Finally, look for more fantasy columns on the blog as the season approaches. Drafts are already taking place and naturally we want the reader to be as humanly prepared as possible for the season that is upcoming. Listen to the podcasts as well for even more updated information as training camp approaches. These are just some of our presents for you. More are on the way so just hang on tight.Enjoy your Monday folks and don't forget your hockey pucks!Source

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Pucks drop soon



Hey, y'all. Hope your summer was as great as mine. Anyway, hockey season is upon us, even though the Bills certainly deserve all the attention after that display Sunday. Sabres players have begun trickling back to Buffalo, and training camp officially starts next week. But as a News story will show this week, the season starts well before camp. In fact, for some players, visiting HSBC Arena is nearly a year-round event. Here's a few interesting stories to look at while trying to make the transition from beach mode to rink-rat status. *Fans who like high-scoring games must attend the next time Bulgaria's women's hockey team takes the ice. Just don't root for Bulgaria. It lost, 82-0, to Slovakia in a qualifier for the 2010 Olympics. Bulgaria gave up a goal every 44 seconds, and it was 31-0 after the first period. *John Tortorella, let go by the Lightning, slammed Tampa Bay's new owners as "a couple of cowboys" who lied to since-traded defenseman Dan Boyle and have serious troubles dealing with people. The candid remarks come as no shock to anyone who's dealt with the former Sabres assistant and Rochester head coach. One of the strangest interviews I've had came with Tortorella. I, along with the two Tampa beat writers, was ushered into a small locker room down the hall from the main one. I asked why we were going in there, and they said it was because Tortorella said a lot of off-the-record stuff that he didn't want people to hear. Sure enough, he was completely honest about the play of certain Bolts. It was good to get the background info so you got a good feel for what to watch for, but I prefer Lindy Ruff's method of saying everything on the record. If a player stinks, Lindy will say it. *Toronto still has its eyes on Mats Sundin, and so do other teams. But new Leafs coach Ron Wilson was viewing Sundin in a different way. He asked, "Where was the leadership the last three years?" in an obvious shot at the big Swede. But Sundin, who can't decide whether to play, did decide to shake off the comments, according to the Toronto Star. *TSN.ca is doing "30 teams in 30 days," and today's look is at the Sabres. Well, take care for now, and talk to you soon. ---John VoglSource

Monday, September 15, 2008

Mats Sundin: 'I'm Going to be a New York Yankee!'



Even though I find all of the Mats Sundin talk horribly dull and repetitive, I understand an elite (or once-elite) player wanting to take as much time as he needs to decide if he's returning to his sport. It's a big decision. I get that. What I don't get is why Sundin can't narrow his potential job search down to just a few teams. Is he actually considering the Lightning? Or is he just saying yes to to every team that asks if he's interested? Because by saying yes to everyone, as he seems to be doing, he's just making it harder for unsigned players to get signed. He's like the pretty girl who won't commit to a prom date. Except I'm assuming at the end of all of this Sundin drama, no one will be hooking up in their father's car in the parking lot. I don't really know how/nhl contract negotiations go, though. I could be wrong.Meanwhile, Washington Capital Michael Nylander says he has no plans to leave the team; when he tried to sell his house, he was merely selling his house. How can Nylander sound so confident he's not going anywhere despite rumors to the contrary? Apparently he has a no-movement clause in his contract. By the way: he said he's probably keeping the house. You've got to love the housing bubble. I guess it's good things are heating up on the Sean Avery movie. Dallas co-GM Les Jackson had an interesting take on his new acquisition: Heika: What was it about Avery that put him over the top? Take me through that process. Jackson: We know we have to overpay to get a free agent, so you have to find a free agent who will fit what you need and who can give you value for the length of his contract. That's what we saw. Does anyone think Avery would have heard the word overpay or the word value?Finally, this just in: Hey! Buffalo Sabres! Nice third jersey (maybe)! But the 1970s Pittsburgh Pirates called. They want their uniform back.Source

Friday, September 12, 2008

Eric Staal gets paid. What about Jordan?



Eric Staal will be staying on the Piedmontfor the 2015-16 season. The Hurricanes center signed a seven-year deal worth $57.75million. It will pay him an average of $8.25 million per season.We're not exactly going out on a limb when we state thatthis is money well spent. (Although James Mirtlethinks it's too much.) Staal has been one of the most consistent, durableplayers in the/nhl since the lockout which wiped out the 2004-05 season. Sincethe lockout, he has scored 113 goals, eighth most in the/nhl during that span.That's a better total than Marian Hossa (111), Sidney Crosby (99) and Rick Nash(96). His 252 points over that span is the 13th highest total and it'sbetter than the totals of Martin St. Louis (246), a former winner of the ArtRoss and Hart Trophies and Henrik Zetterberg (245), a Conn Smythe Trophy winner.Additionally, he's only missed one game during his four seasons in the league.And if you think regular season numbers are overrated, checkout what Staal did during Carolina'sCup run in 2006. He led the playoffs in scoring with 28 points in 26 games. Andhe got to hold that big silver thingat the end.Which brings us to Jordan Staal who, according to rumors, isrelated to Eric in some fashion. He's a restricted free agent after this season. How does heget his first big pay day?Does he need to hit the 30 goal/60 point mark? Does heessentially need to be Ryan Malone's replacement on one of the first two lines?Does he need to ride shotgun on the wing of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin? Does heneed continue his sterling defensive play?If you ask us, the answer is yes to all these questions. Thisis why we expect a big season out of Staal. He will be put in situations to succeed,especially on the power play. He has shown the ability to post big numbers inthe past. The talent is there. And now, he'll be playing for a pay check.And he probably wants to avoid that awkwardness at Christmasthat will certainly be present when Eric is buying the folks hot tubs and carswhile all Jordan can afford to spring for is a Hickory Farms beef stick anda lilac candle.(Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)EMPTY NETTER ASSISTSPenguins-You wish you had a friend as cool as Maxime Talbot.Northeast Division-A leaked photo of what is allegedly the Sabres' new thirdjersey has been floating around on the Internet for about a week or so. JohnVogl of the Buffalo Newsconfirmed that jersey is the real deal.We're all for the return of the buffalojumping over the crossed swords, but what is up with the vertical stripingalong the sides? It looks like a practice jersey because of that hideous feature. Why does Reebok and Nike keep ramming striping like that downour throats in seemingly every sports jersey out there?-Having seemingly given up the process of trying to fixtheir team, Maple Leafs management will donate $1.5 million towards fixinglocal rinks.-Maple Leafs first-round draft pick Luke Schenn wants toplay in the/nhl this season.-The Bruins had 93 percent of their season ticket holdersrenew their tickets for 2008-09.Southeast Division-Something tells us Hurricanes forward Rod Brind'Amour could get a sack againstthe Steelers' offensive line.Central Division-According to Paul Kelly, the overlord of the/nhlPA,former/current/AWOL Predators forward Alexander Radulov wants to return to Nashville.Northwest Division-Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster returned to the rink for thefirst time since suffering a gruesome leg injury last season.-The Flames pulled a Penguins and delivered some seasontickets personally.-Former Thrashers forward Scott Mellanby will join theCanucks as a scout.-New Flames forward Todd Bertuzzi will wear No. 7 thisseason in honor of/nhl hall-of-famer Tony Esposito.Source

Monday, September 8, 2008

Rob Ray vs. Josef Melichar



It actually happened.(Please visit the site to view this media) This fight took place early in the 2001-02 season accordingto Hockeyfights.com.We don't know what's more pathetic; Melichar's fightingability or those hideous red Sabres jerseys.EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS Penguins-The Penguins' Web sitehas some schedule wallpapers available. (Kudos to The SidneyCrosby Showfor spotting that.)Atlantic Division-Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro sounds like he's readyfor a new season.-Today's.nhl owner with some legal issues is the Islanders'Charles Wang.-In case you missed out on Ben Roethlisberger's Denali,Devils forward Zach Parise has an old Tahoe up for sale.Northeast Division-Former Flames forward Stephane Yelle signed with the Bruins.-The Canadiens are investigating playing an outdoor game in2009.-The Sabres added two minority owners.-Former Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin will not make up hismind on coming back to a.nhl injury list in 2008-09 until after the season starts.Southeast Division-Capitals prospect Chris Bourque, the son of.nhlhall-of-famer Ray Bourque, is determined to play in the.nhl this season.-Former Lightning goaltender Pat Jablonski suffered a backinjury while body surfing.By the sounds of things, Jablonski was surfing off the coast of Floridain the Gulf of Mexico the same day Hurricane Gustav wasdoing its thing. Charles Darwinnot available for comment.Central Division-The Predators will only have 55 games on local televisionnext season.-Here's another reason to love the Stanley Cup: It gives youan excuse to skip school.Northwest Division-The.nhl ruled Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe did nottamper with Ducks forward Corey Perry.-Canucks enforcer Darcy Hordichuk won't be hanging out withMichael Vick anytime soon.Pacific Division-If the Ducks want to bring back Teemu Selanne, they need toclear some room under the salary cap.-The Coyotes will only have 61 games on local televisionnext season.If the.nhl wants to help some of its struggling teams in non-traditionalmarkets like Phoenix, Nashville, Miamior Raleigh,it might want to figure out a way to get more games on local television. Havingfewer than 75 games available on a local affiliate is sad. Could you imaginethe Penguins or the Wild or any Canadian team not having a game available ontelevision in some fashion?Adams Division-It didn't take former Islanders goon Chris Simon long toshow off his "talents" in the KHL:(Please visit the site to view this media)-Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Darcy Verotdisplayed some of his abilities too:(Please visit the site to view this media) -Former Hurricanes forward Jeff Hamilton signed with theChicago Wolves of the AHL.Source

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Goalie Time.....



It is time to take a look at the fantasy goalies....at least ones that create a little more impact. This list was created over the period of a few weeks so there may be considerable disagreement. Simply, we will list the top 5 in a little more detail and then from there a list of the best of the rest. So the Goalie 25!!!Top 5 Goalies1. Martin Brodeur (44-27-6.. 2.17 GAA .920 sv% 4 SO)All he did was win a Vezina at 35. Four Vezinas in the last 5 hockey seasons speaks a ton of volumes. Some will say Nabokov deserved it more. But to put up those numbers on that kind of defense is the undisputed tiebreaker. Brodeur is able to steal games even at his age and with a bit of a better defensive corps...Brodeur may have a chance to post 6-8 shutouts this season and another 40-45 win season. Sounds ho hum but he is the gold standard still of fantasy goalies.2. Mikka Kiprusoff (39-26-10..2.69 GAA .906 sv% 2 SO)This seems very high for him but I don't think Kipper could have gotten off to a much worse start than he did last year. Now, he is approaching 32, which is very true. Now the load of games has gone up in the last 3 years (73,74,76) but with the defense a bit better off and a little more pop in the system (they need more effiicient offense). The Flames are tentative favorites in the Northwest and that extra 3 or 4 wins and a better season is expected out of this Finnish stud.3. Roberto Luongo (35-29-9..2.38 GAA .917 sv% 6 SO)Vancouver and Luongo had a down year. The scary thing is for 2008-2009, the picture may actually look worse. The funny thing is this. Luongo may just face a situation like Florida except with a lower GAA and a better save percentage. Now the wins may not be there next year but the other numbers are going to improve big time. Remember last year's numbers did not drop off that much but he will be determined to attempt to will this below average team into the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what happens.4. Jean-Sebastien Giguere (35-17-6..2.12 GAA .922 sv% 4 SO)This is the year that Giguere is going to play more than 60 games and with this team hopefully getting a full year out of Selanne (depends on Schneider) and Niedermayer. Look at the numbers and you will see the consistency is there. Now if he can play some more, Jiggy becomes that much more valuable in leagues and this may finally be the year. Anaheim will not struggle early like it did last season and JS will be a big reason why. He will top 40 wins and be the stud everyone hopes he will be even if Hiller steals 15-18 starts from him.5. Martin Biron (30-20-9..2.59 GAA .918 sv% 5 SO)I will catch a ton of crap for this one. I can hear the brown winds blowing out the old back door for this one but the Flyers are on the verge of a big season. They can only get better in the Atlantic and after last season's playoffs, Martin Biron became the goalie many thought he would be in Buffalo. That is why he has shot up my lists in the past six months. At 31, he has hit that magic French-Canadian goalie prime. So he may not be that high on many draft boards which means you can steal him down the line.Best Of The Rest.....(Name + Quick Skinny)6. Evgeni Nabokov -- Why so low? One word....workload!7. Henrik Lundqvist -- Rangers D got softer....rut roh!8. Marty Turco -- Dallas much improved...very scary!9. Tomas Vokoun -- If not for FLA, could be even higher.10. Ilya Bryzgalov -- Could lead PHX to playoffs!11. Dan Ellis -- Will flourish as starter in NSH.12. Tim Thomas -- Great in net...if only more healthy.13. Marc Andre-Fleury -- Has to play more this year!14. Carey Price -- How much will playoffs hurt him?15. Pascal Leclaire -- If stays healthy...great sleeper again!16. Jose Theodore -- Washington will boost win total.17. Cristobal Huet -- Will lose too much time with Khabi there.18. Niklas Backstrom -- Falls off alot because of Harding.19. Chris Osgood -- Despite it all...had world's best D behind him.20. Mathieu Garon -- Could have big year in Edmonton!21. Kari Lehtonen -- If he ever had some D...he could win.22. Martin Gerber -- Solid at times...gerbage at others.23. Vesa Toskala -- Could improve with better D.24. Cam Ward -- Needs to play better and knows it.25. Ryan Miller -- Could be long season in Buffalo!Source

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Sharks All-Time Players: Mike's Take, Part 1



Gee, that subject is kinda grand in a Star Wars: Episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back kind of way.I'm taking RudyKelly's challenge of coming up with a "Best Of" team (plus, there's not much to talk about right now and my own blog and business are waiting for server repair). I'm doing something slightly different, mostly because so many Sharks players have had up-and-down seasons, so I'm going to pick a single season to represent each player.Also, you'll notice that the centers and right wings far outweigh the left wings. There really haven't been too many spectacular left wings in Sharks history (Ray Whitney became a great player after the Sharks dumped him). Perhaps Milan Michalek can change that some day.1st Line:C-Joe Thornton 05-06MVP, league's leading scorer, and catalyst for turning a stuck-in-neutral San Jose Sharks into a league powerhouse, Joe Thornton will probably go down in history as one of, if not the most talented forward in Sharks history. From day one, Thornton was an absolute monster, and his first season in teal provided so many memorable "holy crap" moments -- from his booming slapshot off the post in his first shift in Buffalo to his total undressing of Washington's defense and Olaf Kolzig -- that the memory of Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart, and Wayne Primeau faded pretty darn fast.RW-Jonathan Cheechoo 05-06In 2005-06, you couldn't tab Thornton without mentioning Cheechoo. As Thornton's triggerman, a fully healthy Cheechoo (something that hasn't happened much over the past two seasons) fired off so many spot-on one-timers fed from Thornton that an early goal had you thinking, "Maybe he'll get another hat trick." But Cheechoo wasn't a one-trick pony that year; while groin issues have prevented Cheechoo from being able to be as scrappy as he could be, a good chunk of his goals in 05-06 came from being persistent all around the net for rebounds, second chances, and "hit it till the damn thing goes in" goals.LW-Jeff Friesen 97-98Ten years ago, Friesen was the projected franchise and future captain; seemingly on the upswing, Friesen broke 30 goals for the only time in his career. In that season, Friesen used his speed, hands, and wrist shot to become the Sharks' most dangerous weapon. He'll never recapture that, but we'll always have our memories of #39 speeding down the wing past opposing defenders.By the way, did you hear Freeze is back in San Jose on a tryout?2nd Line:C-Patrick Marleau 05-06While Marleau became captain and the go-to guy in 03-04, it wasn't until after the lockout when Marleau put it all together. Before the Thornton trade, Marleau was seemingly the only Sharks player that was effective that season; after the Thornton trade, Marleau became even more deadly with defensive pressure split between the two centers. while Thornton had Cheechoo on his wing, Marleau wound up with rookies Milan Michalek and Steve Bernier -- and even then, he propelled them to one of the best lines in the Western Conference that season.RW-Owen Nolan 99-00By the time 2000 rolled around, Owen Nolan was a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate. While ultimately potting 44 goals, Nolan was a force in all aspects -- special teams, hitting hard along the boards, and scoring goals through sheer force of will. That year, Nolan finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting and solidified Darryl Sutter's hunch in making him the captain.LW-Milan Michalek 06-07Michalek's sophomore campaign had him working up to star-player status, notching 26 goals and 40 assists, mostly on a line with Joe Thornton. This, much more so than in his rookie year, showed Sharks fans how devastating Michalek's speed could be. In fact, even on a team with Patrick Marleau, Michalek's bursts up the wing made him appear to be the fastest player on the team.To be continued... (though PJ and Cheechew are welcome to make up their own list).Source