Paul Olsen's New York Yankees fan blog

What can you expect if you play the game at its fundamental peak, take the lion’s share of success in your domain and handle it with the gracious respect of a true champion?  If the sports world is any indicator, you can expect a vitriolic cocktail of umbrage, resentment and contempt.  

The New Jersey Devils, New England Patriots and San Antonio Spurs are the current dynasties of their respective sports, with identities woven into tight-knit defensive schemes.  Their longevity stems from a simple approach that enhances their compatibility with free agents, while superior scouting has kept their draft classes productive.  However, the systems these teams implement would be swept off in the current of personnel change, without their leaders there to anchor the culture of winning onto newcomers. 

Continue reading "Last Stand of the Triumvirate - Tim Duncan's Waterloo?"

No need to wait until June- Alex Ovechkin is your Hart Trophy winner.  Here are the winners for Round 2 of the 2008 NHL Playoffs:

The “thanks for showing up” award goes to Sean Avery’s spleen, which ruptured along with the Rangers playoff hopes in Game 3 at the Garden.  In a series where the Rangers needed to find a way to get uberstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin off their game, Avery was held in check.  Luckily, he all but wrapped up a new contract in the previous series against the New Jersey Devils.

Humanitarian Award:  After a two-faced performance in Round 1, Carey Price looked more rookie than phenom in the Conference Semis against the Philadelphia Flyers.  Credit is certainly due to the Flyers, as nobody makes the Conference Finals on a bye, but only Jose Theodore of the Colorado Avalanche posted worse 2nd round numbers.  Theodore can at least take comfort in being steamrolled by the Detriot Red Wings, with Henrik Zetterberg scoring goals only a child would think possible, between tallies from the invincible Johan Franzen.  Brick wall Marty Turco will now try to impede this immovable object.

Continue reading "2008 NHL Playoff Awards - Round 2"

  “Potential” has always been the buzz word swarming around the 14 year career of Alexei Kovalev.  After the New York Rangers made him the first Russian player selected in the draft’s opening round, his second season culminated with a dramatic Stanley Cup victory over fellow countryman Pavel Bure.  Kovalev’s play elevated in each successive round of the 1994 Stanley Cup run and fans could only wonder where the wunderkind’s ceiling was. 

  Though his early career trajectory in Gotham aligns with that of New York legend, Derek Jeter, Kovalev’s later years in the Big Apple are more reminiscent of Jesse Barfield.  Just as the Yankees cycled Barfield seamlessly with Mel Hall and Danny Tartabull, the Rangers rotated Kovalev in with talented, but interchangeable disappointments, Luc Robitaille and Petr Nedved.  The lasting impression of Kovalev’s two stints on Broadway is that many Blueshirts fans still know how to yell “SHOOT!” in Russian.

Continue reading "Ridin' with the AK - Montreal Canadiens will ride or die on Kovalev's success"

Let’s end the suspense- Nicklas Lidstrom has already won his sixth Norris Trophy, regardless of when it will be announced.  Through Round 1 of the 2008 NHL Playoffs, here are some lesser known awards:

The “thanks for showing up” award has to go to the Ottawa Senators.  Martin Gerber didn’t show up until the second period of Game 1, while the rest of the team waited until Game 2.  Every member of the team worked together to cycle in their mental vacations to ensure a consistent lack of consistency.  It will be interesting to see how much of this roster remains intact over the offseason. 

Humanitarian Award:  The Nashville Predators and Boston Bruins came short of providing blueprints for knocking out a conference’s top seed, but each team scored enough to prove that no team in unbeatable.

Continue reading "2008 NHL Playoff Awards - Round 1"

Sean Avery and Martin Brodeur are two of the NHL’s most important and divergent personalities.  If “NHL Marketing” weren’t such an oxymoronic concept, the two would already be featured in an offseason sitcom, let alone commercials.  Brodeur is often lauded with praise and at the same time, is somewhat underrated.  As for Avery, you can now add “game-changer” to the colorful list of adjectives used to describe the New York Rangers’ most maligned winger. 

Continue reading "Avery Rules- NHL keeps pace with Rangers instigator"