Rank... Top 10 Current NHL Players

Friday night was the NHL All-Star draft. It was a very interesting idea and really showed what NHL players thought of each other. Well this event made me consider who are the ten best players in the NHL today:

10. Evgeni Malkin - C - Pittsburgh Penguins

Most Penguin fans would probably argue that Geno belongs higher on this list, but I maintain he doesn't always show up. There are many games throughout the season in which the only reason Geno is mentioned is because he took a bad penalty or made a turnover that led to a goal against. However, he does belong on the list because when he wants to play he is unstoppable. Not too many players have won the Calder trophy, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe in their career. Malkin has done all of that before age 25.

9. The Sedin twins - Daniel and Henrik - Vancouver Canucks

You cannot tell them apart on the ice they make each other better, they have almost the same number of career points. There is nothing that clearly makes one better than the other so they had to stay together on this list. The Sedins are fun to watch. They are strong in all facets of the game. They help make the Canucks a Stanley Cup contender every season. With Henrik winning the Art Ross and MVP last season I could not keep them off this list.

8. Duncan Keith - D - Chicago Blackhawks

An outstanding two-way defenseman Duncan Keith may have been the most important piece of last seasons Stanley Cup Champions. He is equally great in both ends and is an all around smart player. He certainly earned is James Norris trophy. He locked up a spot on this list after his teeth were literally shot out last season and he came back to play in the same game.

7. Jonathan Toews - C - Chicago Blackhawks

Its a tough call between Keith and Toews for who the best Blackhawk is, but I tend to go with Jonathan Toews. He was one of the best, if not the best, player in the game last year. He does nothing but shine in big pressure games. Look at what he accomplished in 2010 alone. Olympic Gold Medal, Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, and voted best forward in the 2010 Olympics. Simply put the kid is a stud.

6. Zdeno Chara - D - Boston Bruins

At 6'9" tall and 255 lbs Chara would be intimidating even if he was not a great player. The scary thing is Chara might be the best defenseman in the NHL. Everything about him screams the perfect defenseman. He has the reach of a giraffe, a 105 MPH slapshot (the hardest ever), and he hits wingers like a truck. In 2009 Chara won the James Norris trophy and helps make whoever is in goal for the Bruins look great every year.

5. Roberto Luongo - G - Vancouver Canucks

He is easily the best goaltender in the league today. Luongo literally stole that title from Martin Brodeur in last years Olympics when he took Canada's starting job from him. Luongo led the team to gold. This season he has led the Canucks to the best record in the Western Conference, so far.
 
4. Alex Ovechkin - LW - Washington Capitals

It is widely argued if he is the best player in the world, he isn't. Ovechkin might be the best goal scorer in the league and maybe the most exciting player to watch. However, he can only play in one end of the ice. He is in no way a two way player. The biggest criticism is he does not come up big in big games. His teams have never won anything. The Capitals have never made it past the second round and Russia did not even medal in last year's Olympics. Ovechkin is an unbelievable scorer and will certainly be a member of the 600 goal club.

3. Pavel Datsyuk - C - Detroit Red Wings

Its hard to argue against a player that has won 2 Stanley Cups, 4 Lady Bings, and 3 Selke Trophies. Pavel Datsyuk is incredible in both ends of the ice. He also may have the best hands in the league. It is hard to follow a legend, in Detroit that is how it has to be though. Datsyuk has had to live up to the expectations set by players like Yzerman and Howe and he has done it beautifully.

2. Steven Stamkos - C - Tampa Bay Lightning

In the short lived history of our "Rank" series Steven Stamkos has already finished second twice. That goes to show you just how much I think of him. At 20 years old Stamkos has already won a Maurice Richard award, no one else ever has done that. This season Stamkos has shown even more growth in his game as he is racking up more assists and currently leads the league in scoring. It is almost scary to think how good he will be in 5 years. Nicklas Lidstrom picked him ahead of every other position player available in the All Star draft. That just goes to show you what he thinks of Stamkos.

1. Sidney Crosby - C - Pittsburgh Penguins

Was there ever any doubt about who would be #1 on this list? Well there should not have been. There are a few players in the game today that are strong in all aspects, there is only that is great in all of them. Sidney Crosby can do everything his team asks. If you need him to be a playmaker he will get 84 assists like he did in 2007, if you need goals he'll score 51 like he did last year, if you need a faceoff specialist he'll win nearly 60% of his draws.  What puts Sid so far ahead of the others on this list is his knack for the spotlight. He scored the game winner in the shootout of the first Winter Classic, he has won a Stanley Cup, he scored the overtime winner in the 2010 Olympic gold medal game, virtually everytime the whole world is watching he shines. No other player has ever been booed in every arena in the league and the only reason they boo is jealousy. Every fan in the world wishes Crosby was on their team and with good reason. He is the best player in the world.
 

Super Bowl Prediction

By Travis Bromer

Well here it is, the greatest event of the year that is not considered a national holiday. Could the NFL ask for a better match up? Maybe the two most well liked and storied franchises in the NFL playing in the best stadium in the NFL. All football fans should be excited about this one.

First off lets look at both these teams. The Packers have been a great defensive team all season. They have great linebackers, are strong on the defensive line, and are very good against the pass. Don't forget Charles Woodson was the defensive player of the year last season. On offense we all know their style, its let Aaron Rodgers do what he does. They let him throw the ball around to his very good receiving core and pass catching running backs. They don't run the ball, they don't need to.

The Steelers are just what they have been for the last six seasons. A great defense with a couple potential hall of famers. They get to the quarterback with their amazing linebackers and let Troy Polamalu do the rest. On offense they can play anyway you want. They proved that last week by running all over one of the best run defenses in the NFL. They have a very underrated receiving core. Antonio Brown is turning into Mr. Clutch. Ben Roethlisberger has certainly proven now that he is one of the three best quarterbacks in the league. If he wins this season he will be considered an all-time great.

Most importantly is how these teams match up. When they played last season it was an outstanding, high scoring shootout that came down to the final play of the game. However that was over a year ago, so it doesn't mean anything now. The Packers offense is exactly what the Steelers defense fears. The Steelers are well known for struggling against teams that use a spread offense and can throw the ball around. The Steelers offense can pass or run, but so can the Packers defense. That spells trouble for the Steelers. If you just look at those two factors it is hard to bet against the Packers.

There are three things the Steelers have that give them a clear advantage in this game. First is Troy Polamalu. Troy will need to play like he did the first 8 weeks of the season. He may need to be the Super Bowl MVP for his team to win. Without Troy the Steelers would be in big trouble. Second is Ben Roethlisberger. Not too many teams have a two time Super Bowl winning quarterback. Ben is a big game quarterback, with a 10-2 record in the playoffs. He finds a way to win games, he is the best in the league at making something out of nothing. There is no defense for that. The third and most important thing for the Steelers is they have Super Bowl experience, a plethora of it. That for some reason is always forgotten this time of year. Nobody on the Steelers will be blinded by the bright lights of the Super Bowl. The Packers have no idea how bright the lights will get. Hynes Ward has more Super Bowl rings than the whole Packers roster.

Prediction: Steelers 23 Packers 20. Ben leads a spectacular late drive to win the game and cement his legacy.

Just Watch

This is comedy gold and is the very reason reality television works.



Also here is a link to a great post on my favorite blog, Mondesi's House: The 6 Most Annoying New York Jets

"TUF" Enough?

By Dan Shaffer

So the big news coming out of the UFC on Tuesday was the announcement of the coaches for the new season of The Ultimate Fighter. Dana White announced that the two coaches of this years welterweight contestants would be Heavyweight contenders Junior Dos Santos and Brock Lesnar. This decision surprised many because of the circumstances surronding JDS recently. He was supposed to fight Cain Velazques for the Heavyweight Title but with Cain's recent injury he is now left in limbo. Some expected him to just go on a long hiatus and wait Velazquez out and keep his comfy position as number one contender. Others expected him to have a filler fight just to keep him busy. But what no one expected was for Brock to come from nowhere to take this opportunity. Lesnar had been pretty quiet since his detruction at the hands of the new champ with rumors even suggesting he was done with MMA.

Now we are faced with another exciting Heavyweight matchup. It will follow the same look as Lesnar's last two fights: Can Brock avoid being punched in the face by someone who does it very well? And can JDS avoid being taken down long enough to hit Lesnar in the face? I'm glad this is the route UFC is taking with the absence of their HW champ. Sure JDS is putting his spot on the line unnessicarily but you would have to think these two would meet sometime down the road anyways so why not do it now. And yes Brock is coming off a straight beatdown but is there anyone else that is more deserving than him right now? I think it will be a fun fight no matter what and we will get a better idea of where each fighter stands in the Heavyweight picture.

As far as TUF goes, it doesn't really do much to get me excited about this season. JDS may not even speak English and if he does it won't be very well. And sure Brock can talk some trash when he wants to but these guys have no history, no feud that will spark them to get in each others face. My prediction is that Dana will try and get them to yell at each other which will just end up with Brock spitting and trying to sound fierce while JDS just looks at him trying to understand what he is saying. That scenario doesn't help anyone hype a fight that really doesn't need hyping. It's unfortunate that these two are stuck wasting their time as "coaches" when their fight is a huge main event seller just on paper. I'd much rather have had them go with two guys like Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres. Two guys who have made a bit of a name for themselves, are exciting and personable and would shine a light on the new weight classes in the UFC.

Hot Commodities

Surprisingly for for the first time ever Stanford has, well had, the two most wanted figures in sports. Stanford has never been considered the football Mecca of the world, not even when Elway was there, but I doubt you can turn on ESPN and not hear about them. Yesterday the best quarterback in the country and projected #1 overall pick Andrew Luck announced he will stay in school for another season. That is good for for the school. While today the story has broken that Jim Harbaugh has accepted a 5 year $25 million offer to coach the San Francisco 49ers. Bad for Stanford.


First off good for Andrew Luck. I always like the players that are smart enough to stay in school and get their degree. They know there is life after football. In reality I guess the only way for his draft stock to go is down, but in actuality that is better than ending up in Carolina. With Harbaugh leaving there is no way the offense can be as good so it is likely for Luck's draft stock to drop. I now wonder if Harbaugh's decision will force Luck to change his mind.

Jim Harbaugh was the most sought after coach in recent history. Every team wanted and he went where he felt needed his skills most. The San Francisco 49ers are a great team with two bad quarterbacks, that makes them a bad team. Jim Harbaugh is an offensive genius and will be able to quickly turn their offense around, quickly. If you couple a better offense with San Francisco's already staunch defense that will be a scary team.

Basically what all this leads to is it was fun for Stanford while it lasted. Even with Andrew Luck next season it will be difficult and after he leaves it will be back to .500 seasons at best.

Penalty Shot Fails

I honestly do not know what is worse? Feel free to vote in the poll at the right. Just do it.





I guess these just go to show any superstar can be a goat in the spotlight.

Winter Classic Pictures

Rank... 10 Youngsters Pittsburghers Should Worry About

Here is the latest edition of "Rank". This Top 10 consists of the top 10 sports figures under 25 years old that should have Pittsburgh sports fans concerned about their competition. All professional players were taken into consideration. Obviously college players were not considered because they are all under 25 and nobody knows where they will be next season. No Pirates foes were considered because really who cares?

10. Claude Giroux - Philadelphia Flyers - Age 22

Giroux only has one full NHL season under his belt, but he already shows signs of being a Penguin killer. He's got a nose for the net and plays with grit. He is an excellent player that can play any style, in any system. Not to mention he is the perfect winger for Mike Richards. More importantly he shines bright in big moments. In last season's playoffs he scored 21 points in 23 games. 

9. John Carlson - Washington Capitals - Age 20

Carlson is an American hockey hero without even having a full NHL season under his belt . I usually don't like to give out nicknames, but I personally refer to him as the "American Dream". John Carlson is the guy that scored the game winning overtime goal in last years World Junior Championship game. He has the potential to be a great two way defenseman, which is exactly what the Capitals need.

8. John Tavares - New York Islanders - Age 20

John Tavares was the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft. He has been pegged by the media as the player that will lead the Islanders back to the glory days. He certainly has all the tools and is off to a good start. Scoring 24 goals as a rookie on that team is pretty impressive. If they can ever get him some wingers that will be a dangerous team.

7. Peyton Hillis - Cleveland Browns - Age 24

Hillis is an intimidating running back. In today's NFL real power backs are hard to find. Well defenses don't have to look for him, he looks for them. I hear a lot of comparisons to Mike Alstott, the difference between them is that Peyton Hillis is actually good. He carries the ball 20+ times a game and does it well. With him in the backfield the Browns seem to be building an offensive power.

6. Marc Staal - New York Rangers - 23

If anyone was wondering if Marc Staal would ever become an All-Star defenseman that question has been answered this season. Staal is big, physical, and skilled. He is having a very impressive breakout season for the Rangers and looks to be part of a very dangerous future combination, with Michael Del Zotto. He might already be the best defensive defenseman in the Atlantic Division.

5. Colt McCoy - Cleveland Browns - Age 24

Well in any list like this you have to include a quarterback. Since the only quarterback in the Steeler's division under 25 is Colt McCoy here you go. That is not to take anything away from Colt. I was secretly wishing the Steelers would trade Ben and draft Colt. If anything McCoy is just a gamer. He plays hard and shows no fear, those types of guys are dangerous. He does not have a great arm and he is pretty small, but he wins. That is the job of any quarterback and he has a proven track record of winning. He has more wins the any other QB in NCAA Division-1 history, with 45. Under the guidance of Mike Holmgren the sky may be the limit.

4. Nicklas Backstrom - Washington Capitals - Age 23

At only 23 Backstrom already has three full NHL seasons and has gotten disgustingly better each year. In his rookie season he scored 14 goals, second season 22 goals, and his third season he scored 33 goals and totaled 101 points. He is the player that makes Ovechkin dangerous and seems to be the only center that can consistently beat Crosby at the faceoff dot. He is the reason the Capitals are a great team because he is the rare type of player that makes everyone around him better.

3. Ray Rice - Baltimore Ravens - Age 23

Not too many guys can be a starting running back in the NFL at age 23, Ray Rice is one of those guys. He is a do it all kind of running back. He has a great combination of finesse and power running, topped off with pass catching ability. Rice was a pro bowler in 2009 and does not look to be slowing down anytime soon. The Ravens are the Steelers biggest rival and with a young tandem of Joe Flacco and Ray Rice it will continue to be a battle. 

2. Steven Stamkos - Tampa Bay Lightning - Age 20

The second best player in the NHL is 20 year old Steven Stamkos. It may seem a little strange to have a player on this list that is not a rival of a Pittsburgh team, but Penguins fans really enjoy saying that we have the best player in the world. In order for that to continue Crosby will have to stay a step ahead of Stamkos, which is hard to do. Stamkos tied Sid for the league lead in goals last season, in only his second season. Watching Stamkos play is a beautiful thing, an unbelievable combination of speed and skill. Not to mention he can score from literally anywhere, including out of midair from his backside. What worries me is that I sort of see the present day NHL as a mirror image of the 80s NBA. With Ovechkin and Crosby as Magic and Bird, while Stamkos follows a couple years later like Michael Jordan. Remember that MJ is recognized as the greatest player of all time. Who knows how high Stamkos' ceiling is?

1. Sergei Bobrovsky - Philadelphia Flyers - Age 22

Bobrovsky is number one for the simple reason that goalie is the most important position in all of sports. Not to mention he looks like he will be a very good goalie. The Flyers have not a had real goalie since Ron Hextall, now they do. Adding a good goalie to a very talented mix that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last season is a scary thing for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bobrovsky also earned the first win at the Consol Energy Center.