11/05/24
April 21, 2006
Young'uns in the playoffs not named Crosby or Ovechkin: With the NHL playoffs getting underway, we get to see a bunch of newcomers who may have been overshadowed by the big names. Granted this is two years worth of rookies, but has there been a more promising time for the NHL?
posted by SummersEve to hockey at 10:32 AM - 18 comments
since goaltending is such a big factor in the playoffs, Henrik Lundquist should be one of the most interesting rookies to watch as he duels it out with none other than Martin Brodeur
posted by hb74147 at 11:36 AM on April 21, 2006
Niklas Kronwall - looks like he only played 20 games in 03/04 - apparently the rule is the player must not have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons in the NHL
posted by hb74147 at 11:46 AM on April 21, 2006
>Granted this is two years worth of rookies, but has there been a more promising time for the NHL? Just to quibble. I'll say 1980 was just as good, if not better, with the young guys coming in after the WHA merger - Rick Vaive, Messier, Gretzky, Mike Gartner, Mark Howe, Kent Nillsson - and Borque, Michel Goulet.
posted by Philfromhavelock at 12:50 PM on April 21, 2006
I suggest you don't overlook the Ducks rookie players Francios Beauchemin, who has done a very good job since coming over here as an unknown player from Columbus back in December and teaming up with Scott Niedermeyer, as well as Corey Perry and Ryan Getzzlaff. You have probably noticed that the Ducks have been quite difficult to beat lately. Well, these three players have had a lot to do with helping the Ducks win so many games lately.
posted by djlandi at 12:53 PM on April 21, 2006
• Philadelphia Flyers forwards R.J. Umberger, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter: Carter's 23 goals and Umberger's 20 have gone almost unnoticed. These three rookies are important to the Flyers offense. • Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller: He is already being cast as America's top goalie because of his poise and technique. Lifetime Flyers fan looking forward to watching these guys fly. Should be a pretty good matchup, just hope the Devils and Rangers beat the crap out of each other.
posted by GoBirds at 02:13 PM on April 21, 2006
Miller scares the beejeezus out of me, especially with our past playoff scoring woes. Noteable Omission: Dion Phaneuf.
posted by HATER 187 at 02:16 PM on April 21, 2006
In the USA Today print edition, Phaneuf had his own seperate story. Also a Flyers fan, but i'm like a kid on Christmas b/c i've hardly seen any of these kids out west so it's all new to me. I've read about them and seen some highlights but now i'll get to see them in action. True with the 1980 influx... Look at the great years that followed... Oh, i hope this is similar.
posted by SummersEve at 02:41 PM on April 21, 2006
Isn't the Flyers' Antero Niittymaki a rookie as well? Seems a shame to overlook him.
posted by swerve at 03:28 PM on April 21, 2006
Its hard to day. Certainly in retrospect 1980 had some kinda pedigree - but none of those rookies put up the numbers of this year's class. I said it in another thread, but I'm gonna repeat it here: At this point, I think it's entirely likely that the three best players in the whole league next year will be Ovechkin, Crosby and Phaneuf. Playoff hockey and basketball this weekend - can it get any better? Only if I'm getting a blow job at the precise moment that Calgary scores a goal, Nash sets up a basket and Sean Avery realizes that he is a terrible hockey player and simeltaneously retires AND explodes. ("Wow, you know guys - I'm just not good. I really never thought of it before. Yeah, I think that's it for me." POW!)
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 03:29 PM on April 21, 2006
Sean Avery realizes that he is a terrible hockey player and simeltaneously retires AND explodes. You do realize that Avery is going to be a "playoff analyst" on SportsNet, right? So there is a channel that I won't be turning to for the next 4 months...
posted by grum@work at 03:34 PM on April 21, 2006
grum, the NHL poo-pooed that. Bad move, I say.
posted by garfield at 03:42 PM on April 21, 2006
I heard there was pressure from the NHL and sportsnet was backing off on Avery. But I'd be with you on that one, grum.
posted by Philfromhavelock at 03:52 PM on April 21, 2006
Teemu Selänne is the best rookie ever to play the game and i bet you Ovechkin will be just as good.
posted by cpl1337 at 04:13 PM on April 21, 2006
eemu Selänne is the best rookie ever to play the game and i bet you Ovechkin will be just as good. Bobby Orr, dude. Ask your dad about him.
posted by Samsonov14 at 06:22 PM on April 21, 2006
Nittymaki has played in more than 82 games thus he is no longer a rookie.
posted by GoBirds at 12:59 PM on April 22, 2006
Sabres win game one here we go on our way to the cup baby.
posted by buffalo will never win at 11:32 AM on April 23, 2006
Ovechkin. He scores alot and runs people over.
posted by LordBryanXIV at 05:49 PM on April 23, 2006
I'm confused. In the article it implied that Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall was a rookie (unless I misunderstood). He's not a rookie! Sure, he only played 27 games in the previous NHL season, but that was because Murphy's Law broke his leg...