When a hip check is not a hip check
Patrick Johnston
January 08 2012 04:38PM
Brad Marchand's hit on Sami Salo is a clear cut case for Brendan Shanahan. Marchand, as has been discussed, was called for violating rule 44.1.
First of all, let's have a look at a couple of examples that have been brought up as counter-evidence: the Hamhuis hit on Lucic in the Final and the Ballard hit on McGinn in the Conference Final. Both are similar hits, but both differ from the Marchand-on-Salo hit in two key ways: point of contact and (perhaps most importantly) player expectation.
Wolf Prowl - January 5th, 2012
Patrick Johnston
January 05 2012 12:34PM
Wolf Prowl returns from the holiday break and looks back at a busy but middling holiday week for the Wolves - a pair of wins and a pair of losses. Two games on the road, two games at home between Christmas and New Year's. Wins where they gave up lots of shots and losses where they gave very few. It was another tough-to-contemplate week for the Wolves
Tales of Truth: Ballin' in the back
Patrick Johnston
January 04 2012 04:16PM
Keith Ballard has been even steadier than we realized.
(Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Much has been said about the reasons behind the Canucks' recent good form - scoring and top quality goaltending have been identified as the main reasons. But the Canucks also are getting solid contributions from other parts of the lineup.
Assume a tough guy
Patrick Johnston
January 03 2012 04:53PM
The Canucks used to carry plenty of goons.
(Photo: Sports Illustrated)
Yes, that's right. Imagine the Canucks had one.
Now, what are his talents?
Mason Raymond goes to the net
Patrick Johnston
December 29 2011 07:58PM
Mason Raymond does actually like going to the net.
So Mason Raymond is going to the net more, you say? Thom Drance has been fighting this battle, arguing Raymond's been no different this year from last, but it's hard for people to let go of what they 'see'.
Perhaps some visuals will help us assess this popular belief. Here's a run down of every single Raymond goal from last year.
