Post by ds on Aug 30, 2009 17:09:56 GMT -5
And They're Off! Norris Race Takes Shape At 1/3 season
By Dave
Aug 19th '09
Defense wins championships is the saying in sports, whether hockey, basketball, baseball or football. Every great goalie has a great or at least good defense in front of him/her, one that is willing to give up the body to do whatever it takes to stop the puck from getting to the net. And every one of these defenses have a leader, an anchor that is the central powerhouse of this defense and the one that everyone looks at in tough situations. This defenseman not only hits hard, plays hard and usually is assigned to stop the other team's top players, he also contributes on the offensive end, making smart passes and jumping into the rush at timely situations and finishes with the best of them. Here are this year's top defenseman, at the 1/3 mark of the season, in no particular ranking order because to be honest, it is a horse race at this point.
Pittsburgh, Nicklas Lidstrom
Year to Date: 26 GP, 5 Goals, 22 Points, +1
Lidstrom is basically a automatic entry before the season even starts, the 34 year old seems to be ageless as he has been the defenseman model of consistency for as long as anyone can remember. He has won multiple Norris Trophies is the one everyone else will be chasing. Lidstrom ranks 3rd in points, his +1 rating that is far from sparkling. He gives the Penguins 25 solid minutes a game, including quarterbacking the power play and anchoring one of the best penalty kills in the league. What more can you say about Lidstrom? This guy is a front-runner as of this point in the season and if he keeps playing, who knows how many more Norris' he will take home before he retires.
Baltimore Blades, Brian Rafalski
Year to Date: 26 GP, 4 Goals, 20 Points, +5
If there is anyone in the league that has a chance to dethrone Lidstrom this year, this guy has the stuff to do it. Rafalski has shown no signs slowing down, following up yet another extremely consistent, all-around season last year with a even better season. He surpassed the all-time Blades record for most games played by a defenseman last week, and leads all defenseman in the goals and points scored categories. While he's no Lidstrom in the scoring category(68SC), Rafalski is getting the job done with a +5 rating and is close to the leaders in shots blocked. Rafalski is making his case this year, but is it enough to challenge Lidstrom?
Indianapolis Racers, Ed Jovanovski
Year to Date: 28 GP, 7 Goals, 26 Points, +2
What an exceptional start to a season for this tremendous defenseman. Jovanovski has shown signs of brilliance. Lets hope he can continue this pace all season. Leading all defenseman in Points and Blocked Shots, this work horse gets plenty of ice-time on all the special teams units. One of the younger D-Men in the race, leave me to believe he can handle the work-load. His only downfall is the fact that the Racers are under-performing. A Norris Candidate needs to show he can lead his team to victory.
In The Race...
Oleg Tverdovsky (WIN)
Brad Stuart (CGY)
Sergei Zubov (CHI)
Brent Sopel (WIN)
Jaroslav Spacek (NJK)
Sergei Gonchar (MTL)
Wade Redden (NJK)
By Dave
Aug 19th '09
Defense wins championships is the saying in sports, whether hockey, basketball, baseball or football. Every great goalie has a great or at least good defense in front of him/her, one that is willing to give up the body to do whatever it takes to stop the puck from getting to the net. And every one of these defenses have a leader, an anchor that is the central powerhouse of this defense and the one that everyone looks at in tough situations. This defenseman not only hits hard, plays hard and usually is assigned to stop the other team's top players, he also contributes on the offensive end, making smart passes and jumping into the rush at timely situations and finishes with the best of them. Here are this year's top defenseman, at the 1/3 mark of the season, in no particular ranking order because to be honest, it is a horse race at this point.
Pittsburgh, Nicklas Lidstrom
Year to Date: 26 GP, 5 Goals, 22 Points, +1
Lidstrom is basically a automatic entry before the season even starts, the 34 year old seems to be ageless as he has been the defenseman model of consistency for as long as anyone can remember. He has won multiple Norris Trophies is the one everyone else will be chasing. Lidstrom ranks 3rd in points, his +1 rating that is far from sparkling. He gives the Penguins 25 solid minutes a game, including quarterbacking the power play and anchoring one of the best penalty kills in the league. What more can you say about Lidstrom? This guy is a front-runner as of this point in the season and if he keeps playing, who knows how many more Norris' he will take home before he retires.
Baltimore Blades, Brian Rafalski
Year to Date: 26 GP, 4 Goals, 20 Points, +5
If there is anyone in the league that has a chance to dethrone Lidstrom this year, this guy has the stuff to do it. Rafalski has shown no signs slowing down, following up yet another extremely consistent, all-around season last year with a even better season. He surpassed the all-time Blades record for most games played by a defenseman last week, and leads all defenseman in the goals and points scored categories. While he's no Lidstrom in the scoring category(68SC), Rafalski is getting the job done with a +5 rating and is close to the leaders in shots blocked. Rafalski is making his case this year, but is it enough to challenge Lidstrom?
Indianapolis Racers, Ed Jovanovski
Year to Date: 28 GP, 7 Goals, 26 Points, +2
What an exceptional start to a season for this tremendous defenseman. Jovanovski has shown signs of brilliance. Lets hope he can continue this pace all season. Leading all defenseman in Points and Blocked Shots, this work horse gets plenty of ice-time on all the special teams units. One of the younger D-Men in the race, leave me to believe he can handle the work-load. His only downfall is the fact that the Racers are under-performing. A Norris Candidate needs to show he can lead his team to victory.
In The Race...
Oleg Tverdovsky (WIN)
Brad Stuart (CGY)
Sergei Zubov (CHI)
Brent Sopel (WIN)
Jaroslav Spacek (NJK)
Sergei Gonchar (MTL)
Wade Redden (NJK)