NHL Tragedies

Derek Boogaard was found dead in his home on May 13, 2011 from a lethal combination of alcohol and painkillers. He was 28 years old.

Rick Rypien was found dead in his home on August 15, 2011. The cause of death was determined to be suicide. He was 27.

Yesterday, August 31, 2011, Wade Belak was found dead in his home. It was released today that the death was suicide. He was 35 years old.

All three of these men were NHL players and their combined number of career Penalties in Minutes (PIM) is 5,583. That number includes games played in minor leagues. Total NHL PIMs is 2,078. Total number of goals scored in the NHL between all three players in the entirety of their careers: 20.

Call them what you like: Enforcers, Goons, Fighters. It is an unofficial and controversial role in hockey. [Note: Rick Rypien has been mentioned in this blog before, with a video posted of him yanking a fan out of the stands.] The debate about whether fighting should be allowed in hockey is ongoing. Recently the NHL has shown less tolerance for head injuries, but fighting has been around as long as the game of hockey. Nothing gets the fans on their feet and cheering quicker than when two players throw down the gloves.

The off-season in hockey is only about four months long, yet this short period of time has seen a great deal of tragedy in 2011. This pattern is troubling, and while it does not appear that the deaths are immediately related, it does shine a brighter light on the enforcer role, and further the debate of the place of fighting in hockey.

The NHL playoffs just got a little more interesting

Last night the Boston Bruins scored the lone goal in an exciting game 7 and secured their position as the Eastern Conference champs. They are now on their way to meet the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals. I'm a huge hockey fan, but this post-season I have been more intrigued with the NBA than the NHL. I have no affection for any of the final four teams - Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks in the west; Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning in the east. Who cares? I can't get excited about any of these teams and the drama in the NBA playoffs has been irresistible. After last night, the NHL got a whole lot more interesting. I still don't have any strong feelings about Vancouver or Boston, but goalie-for-goalie, this could prove to be an amazing series.

The goalie matchup for the Stanley Cup finals is Roberto Luongo for Vancouver and Tim Thomas for Boston. Both are nominated for the Vezina trophy for their regular-season performance this season, and it is not the first nomination for either. Thomas won in 2009, Luongo has previously been nominated twice, losing to future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur both years. They have both made All-Star appearances and have proven themselves to be among the best goaltenders in the NHL. Despite all of these accolades, this is the closest either of them have ever been to securing their name on the Stanley Cup.

Luongo and Thomas have strikingly similar statistics over the past few seasons, and they have both proven themselves to be outstanding goaltenders. But it is also their reputations that make for a spectacular matchup. Both goalies are consistently inconsistent. I have seen them both on top of their game, worthy of the Stanley Cup. I have also seen them both choke on huge games when it mattered most, to the point where I had to wonder if they just had problems performing under pressure. Every great goalie gets lit up from time to time. Even Brodeur (who has won the Vezina 4 out of the last 7 seasons) has broken the hearts of New Jersey Devils fans by allowing repeated soft goals. Every goalie has a bad day. Until now, it has seemed that Luongo and Thomas have a bad day at the most inopportune times. So far this season they have led their teams through the conference finals. If they are both on their game, this could be a hard-fought seven-game series. If one or both of them buckle under pressure, it could be a heartbreaking series.

After a month of apathy, I am rejuvenated and looking forward to watch two of the best goalies in the league battle it out for the Stanley Cup. I still don't have any affection toward either team, but I have to pull for Tim Thomas in this battle. Luongo was chosen #4 overall in the 1997 NHL draft and began his NHL career in 2000. Thomas was not exactly on the same fast-track. Thomas was selected in the 9th round in 1994, #217 overall. Despite being five years older than Luongo (almost to the day, Luongo was born April 4, 1979 - Thomas on April 15, 1974,) Thomas had a longer wait to get the call up to the NHL. Thomas put in his time in the minors and overseas until securing his place as the Bruins netminder in 2005. Thomas also grew up in the deteriorating city of Flint, Michigan. How can you not pull for this guy?

The Stanley Cup finals begin on Wednesday, June 1st and games will be broadcast on either NBC or VS.