DUCKING DYNASTIES
Parity push turns back on NHL’s past super teams
INTERESTING, isn’t it, that the NHL directed the spotlight onto excellence in the league’s Greatest 100 celebration in L.A. on Friday night while relentlessly pursuing policies to promote parity?
All you hear is, “The games are close,” rather than, “These games are great!” Or, “Everyone is within four points of the final playoff spot,” rather than, “This is the greatest team since …”
Hard caps to extinguish dynasties, three-point games to confuse the concept of winning and losing, greatness is in the league’s rear-view — even though this generation of players is exponentially faster, more skilled, bigger and stronger than any that have come before.
The Greatest 100 not only honors the best and brightest players to ever lace them up, it necessarily celebrates the Dynasty Teams that formed the heart of NHL heritage until enforced mediocrity became the league’s standard.
From the Montreal dynasty teams of the 1950s, ’ 60s and ’70s: Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden, Doug Harvey, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Maurice Richard, Henri Richard, Guy Lafleur, Yvan Cournoyer, Bob Gainey, Jacques Lemaire, Dickie Moore, Boom Boom Geoffrion.
From the Toronto dynasty teams of the ’40s and ’60s: Turk Broda, Johnny Bower, Tim Horton, Dave Keon, Red Kelly, Frank Mahovlich, Teeder Kennedy, Max Bentley, Syl Apps Sr.
From the Detroit dynasty teams of the ’50s and ’90s/’00s: Terry Sawchuk, Dominik Hasek, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kelly, Chris Chelios, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel, Alex Delvecchio, Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Datsyuk, Brett Hull.
From the Islanders’ dynasty of the ’80s: Billy Smith, Denis Potvin, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier.
From the Oilers’ dynasty of the ’80s: Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri.
Thus 43 of the honored 100 — 43 percent — emanate from five franchises that produced nine distinct teams that were magical and celebrated for winning multiple championships, not for getting a point in eight straight games or being some mutated form of “.500” by winning 20 of 49
Excellence, gentleman. Excellence. That is what was on display Friday night. Would the NHL do everything in its power to illuminate that rare quality on rinks across North America every night rather than attempting to suppress it.
It sure seems as if there is something fishy about the NHL’s decision not to suspend repeat slew-foot offender Brad Marchand for his dangerous kick/trip/ takedown from behind of Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall last Tuesday, instead of allowing him to escape with a slap-on-the-wrist $10,000 fine.
Understand. It is not only that Marchand previously had been suspended once and fined another time for slew-foot infractions among the four times he had been suspended and seven times he had previously been disciplined by the league’s Department of Player Safety.
It is also that Marchand was the 12th player this season to be summoned by vice president Stephane Quintal for a hearing per the Department’s Twitter announcements and the first — the first and only — not to be suspended in its aftermath.
The first 11 all not only were suspended, but all suspended for at least two games. And then came Marchand. Of course, there was no video (or audio or written) explanation of the leniency afforded Marchand, who is thus free to participate in this weekend’s All-Star festivities.
When an anomaly such as this occurs, it is my sense that there is probably more to it than Quintal doling out charity.
If the NHLPA chooses to take a more conciliatory approach to the NHL in order to foster a spirit of cooperation necessary to drive an aggressive international program to generate revenue aside from escrow-eligible Hockey Related Revenue, it could ultimately be a wise course.
But in that case, it might do far better for the rank-and-file if the union doesn’t divvy up the proceeds so that 70 percent goes to 25 percent of the membership while the other 75 percent of the league shares 30 percent, as was the case with the World. Cup.
Because it is hard to understand how the huge majority of players benefitted from the World Cup at a stipend of $10,000 per if it came at the cost of not aggressively challenging the NHL on individual club HRR declarations, which is at the crux of a charge being leveled internally at PA executive director Don Fehr by former union consultant Richard Rodier in a pair of explosive e-mails that were sent last week to all registered player agents.
Back to the 100: The omission of Zdeno Chara only cements my opinion that this tower of strength on the Boston blue line is perhaps the most underappreciated and underrated defenseman, if not player, in NHL history.
We covered the unconscionable snub of Pierre Pilote last week, but Joe Nieuwendyk on the list at the exclusion of Dale Hawerchuk? Weird.
And again, I’m as much a romantic for the old days as anyone in the industry, but the continued undervaluation of modern goaltenders is staggering. Four of the Original Six goaltenders from the early ’60s are in (plus three from earlier eras) but only eight from the following half-century qualify?
Just like a baseball manager calling for a team meeting the morning his team’s ace is pitching, the Islanders sure picked the right time for their coaching change, didn’t they, installing Doug Weight as Jack Capuano’s replacement on the cusp of six straight home games, and eight of nine in Brooklyn.
The Islanders had begun to play a better brand under Capuano, 63-2 in his final 11 behind the bench, but this 4-0-1 kick under Weight in which the team has been sharper and more attentive has been superior to that. So Garth Snow wouldn’t rent Thomas Vanek when the Detroit winger becomes available, would he? Or why wouldn’t he?
Did you notice that of The (19) Greatest from the ’70s era introduced on Friday, all but three have their numbers retired? The three omissions: Lemaire, Brad Park and Jean Ratelle. And I bet Montreal honors No. 25 soon enough.