The NHL All-Star Game is behind us; remarkably, every club except the Los Angeles Kings still has a good shot at the playoffs. But 14 of these 30 teams will have to go to the golf course instead.

Looking at goal differentials is a good way to separate the men from the boys. In the Eastern Conference, the two New York teams are tied for eighth place with 54 points. Each team has scored 124 goals, but the Rangers (129) have given up considerably fewer than the Islanders (141). Likewise, the Nashville Predators are 10th in the West with 55 points, but at plus-8 have the fifth-best goal differential.

Judging purely by goal differential, these 14 teams will miss the playoffs. Note that we have the Washington Capitals (minus-9) winning the horrible Southeast Division and the Buffalo Sabres (plus-7) overtaking the Rangers.

East

N.Y. Rangers
Carolina
N.Y. Islanders
Florida
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Atlanta

West

Colorado
Phoenix
Anaheim
Chicago
St. Louis
Los Angeles
Edmonton

According to the Toronto Star last week former Maple Leafs captain Rob Ramage was sentenced to four years in prison for a car crash that killed his friend, ex-number 3 Chicago Blackhawks player Keith Magnuson.

Ramage and Magnuson were driving in a rental car returning from the funeral of former NHL player Keith McCreary when they slammed head-on into another vehicle just north of Toronto, killing Magnuson. Ramage had been convicted by a Newmarket, Ontario, jury last October on 5 charges, including impaired driving causing death stemming from the accident. Magnuson was 56.

Alexander Sosna, the Ontario Superior Court Justice called the case serious with “tragic consequences” and noted Ramage has an otherwise “exemplary record”, but felt he needed to send a deterrent message against drunk driving. He then handed down the sentence of four years.

Rob Ramage played in the NHL from 1979-94 totaling 139 goals and 425 assists and winning Stanley Cups with the Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadians.

Keith Magnuson played in the NHL from 1969-79 totaling 14 goals and 125 assists and 1,442 career penalty minutes showing him as a solid defence. He was also the Head Coach for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1980-82.

If you were given the responsibility of putting together the greatest NHL hockey team of all time what would the roster look like? The players would be their fresh, young selves, at the peak of their careers, and for those that are now dead and gone…well, they’d be alive again.
Think about it. In the meantime here’s our list:

1. Wayne Gretzky
2. Mario Lemieux
3. Bobby Orr
4. Maurice Richard
5. Gordie Howe
6. Dominik Hasek
7. Doug Harvey
8. Guy Lafleur
9. Scott Stevens
10. Mark Messier
11. Patrick Roy
12. Bobby Hull

It’s been over years since the Toronto Maple Leafs hoisted the Stanley Cup, and it looks like it’ll be a while yet before that streak comes to an end. Toronto (19-21-8) was tied for 12th place in the Eastern Conference at press time.

The sword of Damocles is hanging over the head of GM John Ferguson, Jr. Barring a reversal of fortune, it appears Ferguson will lose his job to former GM Cliff Fletcher. A rebuilding phase would follow; captain Mats Sundin, who leads the Leafs with 20 goals and 52 points, is one of the assets likely to be moved before the trade deadline.

Trading Sundin while he still has high value would be a smart way to create a better tomorrow for the Leafs. But the organization’s commitment to winning (as opposed to shareholders) has been in question for most of these past 40 years. More than just Sundin has to go.

Last Thursday Chicago Blackhawks Defenceman Brent Sopel, 31, was rewarded with a $7 million 3 year contract extension. He will be making $2.5 million USD for the first two years and $2 million in the third.

“Brent has been a key addition……because of his play on the ice and his leadership in the locker room,” Dale Tallon, the Blackhawks general manager said. “He has been a real steady influence on our young defenceman.”

“His composure and his willingness to help the young guys – that’s been real important,” Tallon said. “He likes the direction we’re headed in.”

In the 33 games this season with Chicago, Sopel has 10 assists and a plus-10 rating.

Over Sopel’s nine year NHL career he has totaled 39 goals and 191 points in 467 games.

With the second half of the regular season under way here then is a preview of which teams will be separating themselves from the rest of the pack:

1. Detroit: Having already set a franchise record for points in the first half of the season the Red Wings are strong Stanley Cup contenders.
2. Pittsburgh: Crosby and Conklin continue to work wonders with their team.
3. Calgary: Iginla continues to show why he should win this years MVP.
4. San Jose: Boring to watch, but tough to beat.
5. Philadelphia: Are the Broad Street Bullies back?
6. Ottawa: On par with last season’s run.
7. New Jersey: Contenders but they need to pick up their pace.
8. Vancouver: Luongo continues to inspire this team towards the finish line.
9. Montreal: No regulation losses since Christmas.
10. Nashville: Strong play against teams in the superior Western Conference.

The early buzz for the Hart Trophy is on Sidney Crosby and Roberto Luongo, with Nicklas Lidstrom thrown in for good measure. But there’s a guy out there named Vinny Lecavalier who just can’t seem to get his due.

In 2006-07, Lecavalier led the Tampa Bay Lightning and the league with 52 goals. But Crosby won the Hart after winning the Art Ross Trophy with 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists). Alan Ryder’s Player Contribution rankings had Lecavalier first at 135, while Crosby was in sixth place at 123.

Lecavalier is having yet another brilliant season in Tampa. At press time, he was two points ahead of Crosby for first place in scoring at 63 – that’s after just 45 games. But the Lightning are buried on the back pages and desperate for some goaltending. Crosby is getting the star treatment; he should eventually eclipse Lecavalier on the ice, but for now, don’t believe the hype.

Games played at indoor venues don’t have nearly as many environment-based variables (weather, park configuration and so on) to bring to the betting table as outdoor games. The Winter Classic gave ample proof of that, as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres inched through the snow at Ralph Wilson Stadium. But some of the ice surfaces in the NHL make Buffalo look pristine by comparison.

Warmth comes at a price. The ice in most of the Sun Belt arenas looks like it came out of a Slurpee machine. The Staples Center in Los Angeles deserves extra scorn because the Kings share the venue with not one, but two NBA tenants: the Lakers and Clippers.

Or you could go to Edmonton, where the average daytime temperature in January is 11 degrees Fahrenheit. This is where you’ll find Rexall Place and what is widely considered the best ice surface in the NHL. Maybe the league should expand to Nunavut.

Maybe now that Alex Ovechkin is making the big bucks he can buy some decent clothes. $124 million will buy a guy a lot of t-shirts.

Alex Ovechkin today signed a 13-year $124 million-dollar deal with the Washington Capitals. Not only will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL (he’ll average $9.54 million starting next year), but it also has to make him one of the richest 22-year-olds that has ever played the game of hockey before. Pittsburgh Penguin super-kid Sidney Crosby doesn’t even make that much…he rakes in a paltry $8.7 million a year (once his extension kicks in the summer).

Ovechkin was picked first overall in the 2004 NHL draft and currently makes $4 million/year. He leads the Capitals in goals and points in 43 games. Overall, he’s played 206 career games — 130 goals and 250 points.

But $124 million? The dude is only twenty-two. I’m still trying to fathom what that kind of coin even looks like… (sigh).

There are a lot of hockey fans out there that can appreciate a good, clean fight. A couple of guys drop their gloves and go at it until the first guy drops to the ice and then it’s over. The referee usually steps in at this point to end the fight before it escalates into an all out ground-and-pounder.

That being said, most hockey fans will tell you that they don’t approve of violence in hockey. Not the kind of violence that can send a guy to the E.R. or put him out of the game completely. (Bertuzzi hit on Steve Moore.)

Last night over in the Russian Superleague a fight broke out on the ice and then the whole thing erruped into a bench brawl. When all was said and done 387 penalty minutes were handed down to the players. Was there anyone left to finish off the game? Here…see for yourself.