Exhibit A: How to Handle Playoff Adversity

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Written on 5/04/2010 by Jim Cerny

When you make a crucial mistake in a game, especially in a playoff contest, there's one of two ways you can go. You can curl up, try and hide, and let the mistake get the best of you. Or you can react the way Brent Seabrook of the Blackhawks did last night.

With his team trailing the Canucks 1-0 early in the first period of Game 2 last night, Seabrook knocked his goal off its moorings during a wild scramble in the Blackhawks crease. On replay it seemed as though a desperate Seabrook did it on purpose, trying to get a play stoppage for his beleagured goaltender Antti Niemi.

Seabrook, rightfully so, was penalized for delay of game. And as luck would have it, Vancouver converted on the power play when Mikael Samuelsson hammered in a point-blank shot, giving the Canucks a 2-0 advantage just 5:02 into the game.

This was Seabrook's response: he scored his first goal of the playoffs two minutes later to give his team some life and jump-start an eventual 4-2 come-from-behind victory. Along the way Seabrook played his most dominant game of the post-season. He added two assists to finish with a three-point performance. He was on ice for all four Blackhawks goals, and finished a plus-four. He was credited with a game-high 8 hits over 23:38 worth of ice-time.

How he responded to his ill-fated mistake tells you all you need to know about Brent Seabrook, as steady as they come on the talented Blackhawks defense, even though he is often overshadowed by teammates Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell.

Seabrook has strung together five solid NHL campaigns already, and was a revelation on Chicago's blueline---both offensively and defensively---with his big-game play during last year's playoffs.

Last night was just further confirmation of what he is all about and why he is so important to the Blackhawks.

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Russia is really loading up to defend its gold medal in the World Championships, taking advantage of several star players being ousted from the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Semyon Varlamov were not expected to play for Russia this spring because, well, the expecation was they would be helping the Capitals on a long post-season run, perhaps even a Cup title. A hugely disappointing seven-game defeat at the hands of the Canadiens has changed all that, and now Russia benefits greatly.

Plus the Russians will also have the services of Ilya Kovalchuk, another surprise as most expected Kovie's New Jersey Devils to advance past the first round.

With the bitter taste of the Olympics still fresh, expect this Russian squad to be amped up to capture a third straight gold when the World Championships kick off on Friday in Germany.

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Speaking of the Worlds, many hockey people are downplaying the core of talented young players on the Rangers, something that head coach John Tortorella has been playing up in the wake of his club not reaching the post-season this year, but look at the World Championship rosters and you will see seven Rangers between the ages of 19 and 25 taking part in this tourny. That's impressive.

Perhaps most impressive is that center Chris Kreider, the speedy first-round pick last spring who helped lead Boston College to the NCAA title this year, was chosen to be a part of Team USA. Kreider, who just turned 19 last week, is the only collegiate player on the roster. The Rangers have to feel real good about Kreider's inclusion, as well as his winning pedigree. Since being drafted Kreider played a big role in helping the US win gold at the World Junior Championships, then won the NCAA championship with BC.

Kreider will join Michael Del Zotto (19, Canada), Artem Anisimov (21, Russia), Marc Staal (23, Canada), Brandon Dubinsky (24, USA), Chad Johnson (24, Canada), and Matt Gilroy (25, USA) as youthful Rangers taking part in this tournament.

I'll have more on this topic over at the Rangers official web site on Wednesday in my preview of the World Championships. Check it out here.

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Koistinen's Feel-Good Trip Back Home

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Written on 10/03/2009 by Jim Cerny


I sure didn't have to wait too long to pick my early season favorite moment in the NHL.

On Day Two of the 2009-10 campaign, an unheralded 27 year-old defenseman made me believe that these NHL Premiere games being played over in Europe actually have value beyond the standings points awarded to the winners---and overtime losers.

Ville Koistinen---OK, raise your hand if you knew his name prior to Friday---played the unlikely role of hero in the Panthers' season-opening 4-3 shootout victory over the Blackhawks in Helsinki, Finland.

That he scored an important third period goal, and the eventual winner in the shootout, would make for an impressive story on its own. But that he was the only Finnish-born player from either team taking part in this game is what makes this a really special story.

That 12,000 fans in Helsinki were able to see native-son Koistinen grab first-star honors instead of more famous NHLers like Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane or Nathan Horton just strikes me as really cool.

I had watched a feature on Koistinen's return to Finland with the Panthers on The NHL Network the other day, and remember thinking what a decent guy he seemed, and how neat it would be if he could have a special moment in his native country during the two games the Panthers and Hawks would play this weekend.

I think neither I, nor Koistinen, could have predicted what took place on Friday night.

"I didn't dream anything about this," Koistinen told nhl.com after the game. "This is more than a dream."

Interestingly, Koistinen---the former Nashville Predtaors defenseman who was picked up by the Panthers over the summer---logged only 9:23 worth of ice-time on Friday night, usually not a number associated with the game's first star. Nearly three of those minutes were part of power play duty.

Yet there he was on a rare even-strength shift, accepting a feed from Cory Stillman at the top of the right circle 7:29 into the third period, and zipping a wrist shot past Cristobal Huet to tie the score 2-2. The crowd in Helsinki loved it! And so did I.

After the Panthers were able to once again tie the game, this time at 3-3, the two teams played a scoreless overtime, setting up the shootout, a specialty of Koistinen's. Few may realize---and I credit George Richards over at the Miami Herald for this one---that Koistinen was 3 for 4 lifetime in shootouts at the NHL level.

Make it 4 for 5.

Shooting third for the Panthers---and with the shootout tied 1-1---Koistinen skated in and buried a backhand shot that created the loudest roar heard in the building all game, and set off a really cool show of emotion for the Florida d-man.

After Tomas Vokoun made one more shootout save, the Panthers had an opening night victory and Koistinen the game-winner in his native Finland.

"This game was unbelievable," Koistinen told Richards afterwards. "First, to play here in Finland, then score a goal and a game-winner. It was unbelievable."

For me, it does not get much better than that.

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