Puck Podcast – June 7th, 2008

June 8, 2008 Doug Stolhand Podcasts 22

In this week's episode we recap the final three games of the Stanley Cup Finals and discuss the Red Wings championship with Puck Podcast Playoff Correspondent Jason LaBarbera. We also preview the upcoming NHL Awards Show and give our predictions on who will win each award, we talk about some coaching changes throughout the NHL, we put some hall of fame hockey players, a legendary golfer and a national broadcasting company into the penalty box, we tell you about some trades that went down this past week and a whole lot more.

MP3 File

About Doug Stolhand 27106 Articles
Doug Stolhand is one of the co-founders and co-hosts of the Puck Podcast and has been a member of the NHL media since the show's inception in 2006.

22 Comments

  1. Thanks for doing a great job this season every saturday and I’m glad I discovered this show midway through the season and your going to pretty much keep on doing the same during the off season.

    BTW: Near the end of the June 7th episode, you were talking about ideas that could improve the show next season. What about a roatiting segment where one week you could talk about what’s going on in Junior’s, the Minor Leagues and European Leagues.

  2. No offense to Lidstrom but if ever they rename the Norris it should be called the Bobby Orr.

  3. BTW Eddie – Pierre McGuire stated that the Pens were talking to the Kings about a trade with Malkin. Total crap rumor if you ask me and that nipplehead McGuire has about as much cred as Eklund in my humble opinion.

    That said, Hossa has gone on record saying that he will take less to play again with the Pens. Crosby also said that he doesn’t want to start this coming season like the last without a quality winger and wants Hossa back.

    If by some odd chance the Pens do sign Hossa that means a few players are hitting the road. Tampa Bay is a lesson in not having all of your money tied up in 3 star players so who gets the axe?

    I still say that you keep Malkin if Hossa is signed. You can’t win with one good line.

    That means Malone is out(most likely to MN)and Orpik is also gone. I really think that you would almost have to shop Staal. When you factor in the trade, Hossa is going to cost the Pens a lot of their future but I think that the Penguins time is now. If at the end of his contract Crosby feels like the job isn’t going to get done in Pitt he will go to a team that he feels will bring him the cup.

    It will be an interesting off season for Pens fans.

  4. No-brainer for Vezina? Sure — that trophy is an obvious two-horse race between Martin Brodeur and Evgeni Nabokov. Still, I would think there would be some debate.

    Miniscule difference in goals against average? Insignificant. Just as Nabokov completely carried the Sharks, so too did Brodeur for the Devils — both teams suffered from a paucity of offense: to be sure, Joe Thornton, twenty games of Brian Campbell, and Zach Parise were the only consistent producers for their teams. And do note that only the Ducks scored fewer goals than the Devils among all playoff teams. New Jersey’s blueline is full of second pair defenders, with no prolific puck movers or shut-down/physical personnel: no more Niedermayer, Rafalski, Stevens, or a two-eyed Colin White while former AHL scrub Mike Mottau says hello. I would be more than happy to settle with Campbell, Vlasic, Rivet, or McLaren.

    Either Brodeur or Nabokov are worthy winners — elite play with inconsistent, flawed teams toward the playoffs is remarkable. But as a fan of the Devils and goaltenders, I was dismayed at the short shrift of the Vezina discussion.

  5. With respect to this comment recently

    “BTW: Near the end of the June 7th episode, you were talking about ideas that could improve the show next season. What about a roatiting segment where one week you could talk about what’s going on in Junior’s, the Minor Leagues and European Leagues.”

    Please NO! I can’t imagine anything more boring to talk about on the podcast.

    On another topic, many in Detroit are discussing dropping the name Hockeytown here. This has nothing to do with the attendance at the Joe as we’ve discussed all season, it has to do with the fact that this is the undisputed place for NHL hockey and the name is now pointless. I doubt that it will be taken off the center ice area at the Joe but it’s being discussed.

    Thanks again to you both for what you do all season. I look forward to your show each week, even when you slam both me personally and/or the Red Wings.

    Here’s to the Mullet coming back to coach in Tampa, and here’s to Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Babcock, Lidstrom and Chelios winning an NHL award soon!

  7. With Minnesota we could win 10 Stanley Cups in row and it would have little to do with calling ourselves the State of Hockey. The title comes from supporting the sport from the 4 year olds to the 74 year olds.

    It’s pee-wee hockey, it’s highschool hockey, it’s is college hockey, it is NHL hockey. It is driving down the road and seeing pick-up games on every outdoor rink, it is waking up in the morning at 5 a.m. to take your child to the rink becuase it is the only available ice time.

    Whenever this anthem comes on the jumbotron at the Xcel Energy Center the fans stand up and sing not about the Wild but our love of the game.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT4KQMrH67w

  8. Mark, I was honestly thinking Hockeytown would be off center ice by now. It’s not on the team calendar or the mini schedules or anything else produced by the NHL anymore. I’m actually surprised they do have a Hockeytown logo back on the official website. It had been the media that kept bringing it up as a journalistic way of not repeating “Detroit” in articles. Hell, Gary Bettman used it. I guess it’s Ilitch’s choice since I believe he owns the label, but after his “WE ARE THE HOCKEYTOWN, GGHHHARRRRR” speech, I don’t think it will be removed.

  9. Mathew: Michigan leads the U.S. in hockey programs, with Ilitch’s Little Cesare’s league leading the way, it’s undisputed. I’m glad you are proud of MN but your description fits here as well.

    Dustin: I agree, it’s probably not getting dropped, especially after Ilitch did his Tony the Tiger roar.

  10. I think there would certainly be some interest in talking about minor/junior/college/Euro league stuff, but I’m not sure if that’s the direction they want to go with, anyway, given that it’s always been an NHL-centric podcast. I have season tickets to my local junior squad (the Calgary Hitmen), but I intentionally don’t keep abreast of the goings-on in the WHL because I want to watch for the sake of watching, not for the sake of analyzing — I do that enough with my Oilers — so I probably wouldn’t be huge on the idea, either.

  11. Hey Mark and Jason, That was my idea. I didn’t know what people would say on it. It was just an idea on it

  12. Tanner: I know it was you. That wouldn’t be my cup of tea and I was tossing in my two cents. It’s up to the two big guys that run the show!

  14. I would love a show about the up and coming prospects for this year’s draft and the ones on the farm teams that will be appearing in the NHL this season.

  15. I’d like you guys to take a closer look at the officiating in the finals. I’ve never had this thought before but I think that there was something fishy going on. I don’t know if it was concious or unconcious but it seemd as if the officials wanted Pittsburgh to keep going or even win the cup. we know this goes on in other leagues in order to keep the ratings up. with all the talk about the ratings this year and all the hype surrounding the “face of hockey” I’m wondering what’s going on…..

  17. Doug, I don’t believe that you took the same low road as Tiger Woods. I’m crushed. Why would you take a slap at the Dodgers at the exact same time you are castigating Tiger for taking a slap at hockey? It boggles the mind. Thanks, Eddie for understanding that for the good of all sports, it’s a respect for all athletes that wins friends and doesn’t make you look like a total jerk.

  18. Brodeur? Vezina? What?

    I can’t believe that the GMs didn’t award Nabokov with the Vezina this season. Nabokov tied or beat Brodeur in EVERY category but Shots Against, but they went and gave it to Brodeur anyways.

    I’m willing to admit that I think Brodeur has been overrated throughout his NHL career (he’s a great goalie, but a lot of his credit is due to the teams he’s played behind), but I can’t be the only one that feels that this year’s choice stinks.

    Nabokov had better stats (leading the league), had a longer winning streak, played more games without a rest, and played in the stronger conference. What other criteria could the GMs have considered to make them think that Brodeur is more deserving of the Vezina for 07-08? Eddie, Doug… What am I missing here?

  19. It seems almost like they’re making it up to Brodeur for giving the Vezina to Hasek so many times during Brodeur’s best years. Sort of like giving Rod Brind’Amour two Selkes in a row (he even seemed embarrassed by the second one).

    Also, I bloody called it on the Masterton. I’m annoyed, but not surprised, that not one player east of Chicago got a sniff.

  20. The East coast Bias for NHL awards is a crock. Yes Detroit plays in the west but they are in the Eastern timezone. Of all the players up for awards minus Detroit only 5 played outside the Eastern time zone and 2 of the 5 played in Chicago. And 2 in Calgary. The Pacific was byfar one of the top divisions in the NHL and only 1 trophy nom came that way.

    Nabakov deserved that Vezina. Half of Brodures Road games he gets to sleep in his own bed when 2 teams are a busride and one a short trainride and one a 35 min flight. so 57 of his games a season he sleeps in his own bed. Boston and Washington and Buffalo are also short flights as well so that takes us to 63.

    Nabby on the other hand loggs more airmiles in one road trip then Martin loggs in a full season

    So hey Voters there is some outstanding Hockey played on the west coast. Peter Muller deserved a Calder nod more the Backstrom. How bout a Selke trophy nod for Palsson or hell even Patrick O’Sullivan

    Oh and when you show the Nom’s for the Selke award try showing video of the players playing defence rather then them scoring goals. ITS A AWARD FOR DEFENSE

    SCREW EAST COAST BIAS

  21. tanner in Dallas: “What about a rotating segment where one week you could talk about what’s going on in Junior’s, the Minor Leagues and European Leagues.”

    I’d be happy with a weekly segment dedicated only to Chris Simon’s antics in the KHL – I hear it’s pretty easy to buy military hardware in Russia these days, and I fully expect Simon to be armed and dangerous next season.

    They have the death penalty there too.

  22. Adam: Look at the list of defensemen New Jersey has lost in the past few years and tell me Brodeur didn’t deserve the Vezina. Everyone kept going on and on about how many games Nabokov played – well, nobody seemed to noticed that it matched the number of games Brodeur played.

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