Tag Archives: 2009

The Aftermath – 2010 Edition: Part 4

July 09, 2010   wildwing64   No comments

The 2009-10 NHL season is now finished. The Chicago Blackhawks had been waiting for their turn to hoist the Cup for 49 years, and that drought was finally brought to an end after an exciting series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

This six part series will consist of brief summaries of every team’s performance this season. Part 4 will begin coverage of the Western Conference with the Central Division.

Chicago Blackhawks

Final standings: 52W, 22L, 8OTL, 112 points, 1st Central, 2nd Western Conference, 3rd NHL

The Chicago Blackhawks started off in Switzerland this year, playing in an exhibition game against HC Davos, and then in the annual Victoria Cup game against the ZSC Lions of National League A, before opening their regular season in Finland with a pair of back-to-back games against the Florida Panthers. Having made it as far as the Conference Finals last year, the Hawks were clearly hungry for more as they went on to become a even better team, eventually finishing with a new franchise record for both wins and points at the end of the regular season. The only bad spot this team went through during the season was the entirety of March, perhaps due to team chemistry not being up to scratch after the Olympic break. However, they did have a winning streak at the end of March through April, eventually clinching the second place conference spot. Come playoff time, the Blackhawks faced division rivals Nashville in the first round, beating them in six games. The second round saw them up against the Vancouver Canucks, and winning in six. In the Conference Final, they faced the first place San Jose Sharks, making quick work of them in a sweep. Chicago made it to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1992, and were up against the Philadelphia Flyers, defeating them in six games to win their first Stanley Cup since 1961, thus ending a 48-year drought and winning their fourth Championship in club history.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Final standings: 32W, 35L, 15OTL, 92 points, 5th Central, 14th Western Conference, 27th NHL

This year was the 10th anniversary of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but was actually their 9th in play due to the lockout, so next year… you know the drill. Stupid Lockout. Last year, the Jackets made it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, making them the last currently active NHL team to make the playoffs for the first time. They only made it as far as the first round, yet despite this success, they failed to build on it, and instead had yet another mediocre season. The Jackets got fed up with head coach Ken Hitchcock’s ways and fired him in early February, replacing him with interim head coach Claude Noel. However, this didn’t change things much as the Jackets failed to make the playoffs yet again.

Detroit Red Wings

Final standings: 44W, 24L, 14OTL, 102 points, 2nd Central, 5th Western Conference, 7th NHL

It sounds really odd saying this – considering how successful the Detroit Red Wings have been over the last several years – but there was a point this year when the Wings looked like they were going to lose their playoff spot this year. And this was actually their worst season since the start of the post-lockout NHL. But despite these facts, the Red Wings did end up having yet another very good season anyway, even though they failed to win the Central Division title for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. In the playoffs, the Wings beat the Phoenix Coyotes in a very close (if predictable) seven game series, but in the second round lost to the then-surging San Jose Sharks in just five games.

Nashville Predators

Final standings: 47W, 29L, 6OTL, 101 points, 3rd Central, 7th Western Conference, 10th NHL

After failing to make the playoffs last year, the Preds were able to improve their game this season: although they got off to a slow start in October with an eight game slump, they quickly got to winning ways the following month, and even had a seven game winning streak in November. January was also a rough period for Nashville, and they went into the Olympic Break in the middle of a slump. However, then they managed to win 14 out of the remaining 21 games, managing to clinch the seventh place spot in the West, making the playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history. As per usual however, their stay in the postseason wasn’t very long as once again they were beaten in the first round, losing to Chicago in six games.

St. Louis Blues

Final standings: 40W, 32L, 10OTL, 92 points, 4th Central, 9th Western Conference, 15th NHL

The St. Louis Blues got off to a rough start this year with a 17-17-6 record over the first three months of play. After blowing a game against Chicago on January 2nd, in which the Blues lost 6-3, they fired head coach Andy Murray due to the team having not only a sub-par record, but also the worst home record in the NHL (6-13-3), with David Payne named to take his place, making him the 23rd head coach in Blues franchise history. It took a little while for the Blues to pick up again, but they soon started winning more games. However, due to their abysmal play beforehand, this ultimately proved to not be enough as St. Louis missed the playoffs this year by just 5 points, being elimated with just 3 games left to play. Keith Tkachuk announced his retirement from professional hockey shortly afterwards, and he was honoured during the Blues’ last home game this year.

Coming up next in Part 5 will be the Northwest Division.

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The Aftermath – 2010 Edition: Part 3

June 30, 2010   wildwing64   No comments

The 2009-10 NHL season is now finished. The Chicago Blackhawks had been waiting for their turn to hoist the Cup for 49 years, and that drought was finally brought to an end after an exciting series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

This six part series will consist of brief summaries of every team’s performance this season. Part 3 will be covering the Southeast Division.

Atlanta Thrashers

Final standings: 35W, 34L, 13OTL, 83 points, 2nd Southeast, 10th Eastern Conference, 23rd NHL

This year was a special one in Thrashers franchise history, as the team celebrated in 10th anniversary. Looking to improve their performance after yet another mediocre campaign for 2008-09, Atlanta added Nik Antropov to their roster, with the intention of pairing him up with team captain Ilya Kovalchuk, as well as acquiring defenseman Pavel Kabina from Toronto in exchange for three players. The Thrashers got off to a fairly decent start over the first two months of play, going 14-7-3, but this was followed by a horrendous December during which they won just four out of fifteen games played that month. They began to slowly pick up again at the beginning of the New Year, but in early February, they traded Kovalchuck – their franchise player – away to New Jersey in exchange for three players, partly because contract negotiations were not going too well: this also left the Captain’s position vacant for the rest of the year. After the Olympic break, the Thrashers continued playing as they essentially had been all season long. They came very close, but a painful five game losing streak in March, coupled with mediocre play for the final games of the season was what ultimately prevented them from making the playoffs this year. Understandably disappointed, the Thrashers soon made several changes to their coaching staff afterwards.

Carolina Hurricanes

Final standings: 35W, 37L, 10OTL, 80 points, 3rd Southeast, 11th Eastern Conference, 24th NHL

Despite making it all the way to the Conference Finals last season, the Hurricanes somehow failed to build on this success and were in for a horrific first half of the season, as they lost the majority of their games from October through to December, winning a measly 10 out of 40 games played: along the way was a 14-game winless streak, matching a franchise record for consecutive losses set back in 1992 when the team was still the Hartford Whalers. As January came around, the Canes somehow managed to turn their season around, and ended up winning the majority of their games instead. Like the Thrashers, they came close but still didn’t quite make it to the postseason this year, being only 8 points short of a playoff spot. Looking at their final standings points however, it looks as if they just had another fairly mediocre season, and you may not have known of the embarrassingly horrific early months of their 2009-10 campaign.

Florida Panthers

Final standings: 32W, 37L, 13OTL, 77 points, 5th Southeast, 14th Eastern Conference, 28th NHL

What can I say about the Cats this year? Last season they were good enough to earn their second-best season record in franchise history, and were only 15 goals away from the number 8 seed in the East, being beaten out by the Montreal Canadiens. Rather than make any attempt to build on this near-success, the Panthers had yet another mediocre season, eventually missing the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, making them the first NHL team to ever do so in one city. Other achievements made by the Panthers this year include a very dull third jersey, getting rid of any traces of red in favour of hopping onto the baby blue bandwagon, and at the very end of the season; they were so desperate for attention that they held a party immediately after losing the final game of the regular season. No really, I’m being serious. I guess all they could really do was laugh off their abysmal campaign.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Final standings: 34W, 36L, 12OTL, 80 points, 4th Southeast, 12th Eastern Conference, 25th NHL

After signing several free agents during the offseason, as well as signing head coach Rick Tocchet to a multiyear contract, the Bolts were looking to improve on their disappointing 2008-09 campaign. They got off to a relatively slow start, going 10-7-8 over the first two months, but their record became even worse in December as they finished an 11-game slump about halfway through the month. The wins started picking up again, but then after the Olympic break Tampa Bay’s season went completely downhill as they lost the vast majority of their games, and failed to make it to the playoffs for the third straight year. In early February, the Lightning were sold to a new owner, Jeff Vinik. The first thing he did immediately after the regular season ended was fire the management team, including head coach Tocchet. Perhaps the Bolts could be in for a fresh new start next season?

Washington Capitals

Final standings: 54W, 15L, 13OTL, 121 points, 1st Southeast, 1st Eastern Conference, 1st NHL

This was an almost perfect season for the Washington Capitals: not only was the face of the franchise, Alexander Ovechkin, named team captain in January, but this team also had its best season record in franchise history. This feat was previously accomplished last season, but this season they beat their previous record by 13 points. This year, just like last, they won the vast majority of their games, including a 14-game winning streak, tied for third longest in NHL history. The Caps were also the only team in the Atlantic Division to make the playoffs this year, beating their nearest rival Atlanta by 38 points, and clinched their playoff spot as early as March 11th. They also won their sixth division title, and their third consecutive one, as well as their first Presidents Trophy. The Caps were predicted to be a Cup contender this year, but surprisingly, that was not to be: in only the first round, the Capitals were on the receiving end of one of the biggest upsets in NHL playoff history as the Montreal Canadiens stunned them in seven games.

That’s it for the Eastern Conference, and Part 4 will begin covering the West, starting with the Central Division.

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The Aftermath – 2010 Edition: Part 2

June 22, 2010   wildwing64   No comments

The 2009-10 NHL season is now finished. The Chicago Blackhawks had been waiting for their turn to hoist the Cup for 49 years, and that drought was finally brought to an end after an exciting series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

This six part series will consist of brief summaries of every team’s performance this season. Part 2 will cover the Northeast Division.

Boston Bruins

Final standings: 39W, 30L, 13OTL, 91 points, 3rd Northeast, 6th Eastern Conference, 14th NHL

After a fairly busy offseason, the Bruins got off to a bumpy start to their campaign, alternating between wins and losses for the entirety of October. After a couple more losses in November, the Bruins seemingly stabilised at last, playing decent hockey for the rest of 2009. On New Year’s Day, they hosted the Philadelphia Flyers for the NHL’s annual Winter Classic event, which was won by the Bruins 2-1 in a shootout, oddly making them the first team to ever win an outdoor NHL game at home. Following that was a horrendous slump through the rest of the month, seeing the team go 3-9-2 over January; however they managed to pick up some wins before the Olympic Break. Once the NHL resumed play in March, the Bruins went back to their alternating ways, but then managed to go 4-1-1 in April, clinching their playoff spot in game 81 against Carolina, giving them a playoff spot for the third straight season. In the first round of the playoffs, they beat division rivals Buffalo in six games, and then went on to play the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. The Bruins looked to make quick work of the Flyers as they won the first three games, but this was not to be as Philadelphia then won the next four, beating the Bruins in seven games and making Boston only the third team to have ever lost in this way.

Buffalo Sabres

Final standings: 45W, 27L, 10OTL, 100 points, 1st Northeast, 3rd Eastern Conference, 11th NHL

This was (technically) a special time in Sabres history as it was the franchise’s 40th year in existence, but because of the lockout was their 39th in play. Buffalo got off to a good start early on, and played very consistent hockey throughout the earlier months of the season, save for a couple of 4-game losing streaks in November and January. February saw the Sabres stumble, going 1-4-2, however things picked up after the Olympics as they went back to their winning ways, and on March 18th they clinched their first playoff spot since the 2006-07 season after winning 6-2 in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sadly, their time in the playoffs was brief as they lost to Boston in six games in the first round.

Montreal Canadiens

Final standings: 39W, 33L, 10OTL, 88 points, 4th Northeast, 8th Eastern Conference, 19th NHL

Montreal’s centennial celebrations continued as the Canadiens officially played their 100th season this year. This was also a year of huge changes for the Habs, including head coach Jacques Martin replacing Guy Carbonneau, a change in ownership, and several player trades and signings: one particularly notable change to the Habs’ roster was the lack of long time captain Saku Koivu, who wasn’t offered a contract and instead signed up with Anaheim: and for the first time in franchise history, the Canadiens started the season without a designated team Captain.  The Canadiens got off to a fairly slow start, splitting their wins and regulation losses in the first two months before picking up a couple more wins in December. There was a rough period through January and February, but after the Olympic break the Habs improved their game and eventually managed to clinch the eighth seed in the East, beating out the New York Rangers by just one point.  The Habs were the underdogs entering the first round of the playoffs as they took on the NHL best Washington Capitals, but after being down 3-1 in the series, Montreal won the next three to upset the Caps in game 7. Round 2 was another surprise for everyone, as Montreal again took the series to game 7 and upset Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Canadiens made it to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1993, but then lost in five to Philadelphia.

Ottawa Senators

Final standings: 44W, 32L, 6OTL, 94 points, 2nd Northeast, 5th Eastern Conference, 13th NHL

Before the season even got underway, there was a slight bit of controversy as Dany Heatley, for whatever reason, wanted out. And in September he was traded to San Jose in exchange for Milan Michalek, Jonathon Cheechoo, and a 2010 draft pick. During the preseason on September 19th, the Senators took part in their first ever exhibition game, against Tampa Bay, in Regina, which hosted its first NHL game in 19 years. After several changes to the Sens roster, the regular season got underway, and Ottawa played some fairly decent hockey until they hit an 8-9-0 slump in December. As the New Year came around, the Senators had a win followed by a nasty 5-game losing streak, after which they fired their goaltending coach Eli Wildon, then went on to win the next 11 games, setting a new franchise record for consecutive wins. As the Winter Olympics finished, the Sens went on to suffer an 8-game slump, before winning the next six games and clinching their playoff spot in a game against Carolina on April 1st. Sadly, the Senators didn’t last too long in the postseason as they were defeated by Pittsburgh in six games.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Final standings: 30W, 38L, 14OTL, 74 points, 5th Northeast, 15th Eastern Conference, 29th NHL

Clearly, the Leafs are still in rebuilding mode as GM Brian Burke is still attempting to shape the team into a defense-first winner in the future: d-men Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komirasek were both signed to multi-year contracts, and Pavel Kubina was traded to Atlanta in exchange for Garnet Exelby. Toronto’s preseason was good, but sadly the preseason is completely irrelevant as far as team’s standings go: in October, the Maple Leafs got off to their worst start in franchise history, losing the first eight games and going 1-7-4 in October. Things looked more promising as the Leafs won some more games over the next two months, but in January went completely downhill, winning just 3 games and losing the other 12. March was a good month for Toronto, but by then it was far too late as Toronto had no chance of making the playoffs, failing to qualify for the fifth straight year. With Chicago winning the Stanley Cup this year, this now leaves Toronto as the team suffering from the longest Stanley Cup drought, lasting  42 years.

Coming up next in Part 3 will be the Southeast Division.

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