Revisiting the Brick City

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Written on 3/10/2010 by Jim Cerny

So driving to Newark---aka The Brick City---earlier today for the Rangers' and Devils' morning skates at The Prudential Center, my mind was not focused on the prospects of the Rangers making the playoffs, or on Marian Gaborik's health concenerns, or Martin Brodeur's mental well-being following his recent struggles during the Olympics and in the games following the Winter Games.

In fact, my mind was clear of any hockey-related thoughts really.

Instead I was thinking about baseball.

That's right, baseball.

A hint of spring in the air here in the northeast contributed to this thought process. But really there was something much more specific that made me think of baseball, and that was the city of Newark, The Brick City itself.

You see I spent seven springs/summers making this exact same 51-mile drive each way from my home in Westchester, NY to the city of Newak, NJ day-in and day-out, all because of baseball. And as I passed Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium off McCarter Highway the memories flooded back of my time working for the Newark Bears minor league baseball team.

I joined the Bears as the club's radio play-by-play broadcaster at the start of the 2003 season. Within a few weeks I added the duties of Media Relations Director. It was a special summer in Newark, what with future Hall-of-Famer Rickey Henderson plying his craft and sharing his unique wisdom while playing for the Bears before signing with the Dodgers and heading back to the majors where he still belonged. Rickey and I developed a friendship, one cemented with the special way he treated my son, Ryan.

Though still working in hockey---hosting NHL Live and covering the league for The New York Times---during the fall, winter, and early spring, I was also able to enjoy the daily 140-game routine of working with the Bears. That routine of being employed in the NHL and in minor league baseball continued through the 2004 baseball season, and included much juggling of my schedule when I covered the Tampa-Calgary Stanley Cup Finals that lasted more than two weeks and necessitated me being away from the Bears the entire time. All I can say is thank you to Kim, my assistsant in Media Relations, and Jared, my backup radio announcer, for covering for me so well!

The NHL lockout, which wiped out the entire 2004-05 hockey season, altered things for me, however. Faced with no income from hockey, I accepted a full-time position with the Bears, and eventually became the club's Assistant General Manager, in charge of everything from sponsorship sales to player procurement.

I greatly missed working in hockey. But at the same time---despite the 100-mile roundtrip every day---I was fortunate over the next several years to gather a great life experience, being part of the core group trying to build a successful baseball franchise in as difficult a market as you can imagine.

Our successes---increasing sponsorship revenues, winning the 2007 Atlantic League championship---were sweet and extremely hard-fought. It was with this great group of young, talented individuals in the front office that I was fortunate enough to spend my 15-hour days with. I will never forget what an amazing group of people worked there, the amount of zany antics and laughs we shared.

Most of all I will remember The Den, as the stadium is affectionately known, as a second home to Ryan, my son, and how many life-long memories he created there. From sitting with me in the broadcast booth during games, to hanging out in the clubhouse and manager's office before and after games, to father-son practice long after the crowds had gone home, to proudly taking his friends into empty suites for VIP access, to sharing the championship trophy for the team I helped build in '07, Ryan will have a flood of memories to look back on one day. For this I am grateful.

And as I drove past The Den earlier today I also remembered one of my other favorite things about that place. I used to love having the whole stadium to myself in the off-season, after everyone went home. As the sun set earlier in the fall and winter, I would change into workout gear, turn on the stadium's sound system, put on some Pearl Jam or Led Zeppelin, and run the steps inside the ballpark, as good a mental escape as it was a physical workout.

It all came to an end in the fall of 2008, and I returned full-time to hockey, where I was fortunate to land with the New York Rangers, writing for the team's web site, something I had done part-time even while still working for the Bears in 2007-08.

Hockey is where I want to be. But I am better in so many ways for the time I spent with the Bears, here in this city of Newark, where I now write this at The Prudential Center.

All that said, now it's time to shift attention back to the Rangers' pursuit of 8th place, Gaborik's groin, and Brodeur's lost game.

Three-and-a-half hours 'til they drop the puck.

Game On! 

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Super Sunday, but No Miracle

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Written on 2/22/2010 by Jim Cerny

Let's get this straight. Team USA's 5-3 victory over their Canadian counterparts last night was a hugely important victory. Huge. And the game itself was a classic, a truely epic battle. And the result most assuredly was an upset.

But this was not comparable to 1980's Miracle on Ice as some have suggested in their post-game hysteria and rush to coin the moment

For sure some of the same elements of the 1980 Olympic win over Russia were there last night for the United States. Team USA clearly was in the role of underdog in both games. Team USA was extremely opportunistic offensively, and took advantage of average goaltending by a world-class goaltender (Russia's Vladislav Tretiak in '80, Canada's Martin Brodeur last night). Team USA was tenacious, playing with high levels of grit and passion in their game. Team USA seemed on the ropes at many points during each game, being vastly outplayed, only to be saved by their own brilliant goaltending (Jim Craig in 1980 and Ryan Miller, with 42 saves, last night).

But let's not forget that in 1980 the US squad was made up of a bunch of college kids and was playing one of the truely elite teams of all-time assembled by Russia. Plus it was a medal round game, with the winner advancing to the Gold Medal Game. And add to the mix the spectre of the Cold War at its height.

There is pretty much no way any United States men's ice hockey team can ever top what was accomplished in February of 1980.

What happened last night was equal parts exhilerating and impressive. But keep in mind that it was a preliminary round contest, and that Team USA consists of 23 professional National Hockey League players---yes, younger and less experienced on the whole than many of its rivals, but still not college boys like the '80 squad.

No one was eliminated from the tournament last night. While Canada needs to regroup, find its collective game, and play an extra contest in order to reach the Quarterfinals, they are still very much alive in the Winter Games. Back in 1980, the Russians were ousted from the tourny by a group of exuberant, hard-working kids, and were sent home in utter humiliation. Team Canada, carrying the weight of its host country in Vancouver, might be somehwat embarrassed, but they are far from done.

After the game last night Miller wisely cautioned that his younger teammates needed to remain focused on the task at hand, which is medaling in these 2010 Games, and not revel too much in their exciting win over Canada.

One of those kids, winger Bobby Ryan, was on point when he said, "It's just a game, it really is. It gets us a bye. It gets us a couple days of rest...other than that, I don't think people should read too much into it."

It is that kind of mindset that wins championships, or in this case, medals---whether it be Gold, Silver, or Bronze.

And the road ahead is a difficult one, though made easier, for sure, with yesterday's victory and better seeding in the Quarters. Still, defending-champ Sweden has made a statement of its own winning all three of its preliminary round games---two by shutout, including last night's dominating 3-0 win over their arch-rival, Finland. Russia has shaken off its loss to Slovakia and made a statement, as well, yesterday with a 4-2 win over a very good Czech Republic team, with Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin playing at elite levels.

And Canada will be heard from again. They nearly lost to the Swiss. They were beaten by the United States. Both on home ice in front of a rabid pro-Canada crowd. But this team has too much skill and pride to not rebound during the medal round.

Don't forget, Canada dominated---yes, dominated---large portions of yesterday's battle with the United States. They were physical in both ends and produced glorious scoring chances against Miller, who was just simply superb between the pipes for the US. Clean up their mistakes in the defensive zone, receive an uptick in goaltending---are those deafening roars or what for Roberto Luongo to replace Brodeur?---and Canada will be there battling for a medal.

To me, two plays among the many great ones in last night's truely awesome contest stand out as symbolic of the difference between winning and losing for the United States.

The first was Miller's save on Jarome Iginla during a scramble in which Miller was flat on his stomach and could only raise his glove so high and Iginla, from ten feet out, fired the puck right into the gloved hand of Miller, unable to lift it another few inches with three-quarters of the net wide open.

The other, destined to be a classic moment in US Olympic history, was when Ryan Kesler---a beast all night, by the way---just willed his way to the loose puck and scored the empty-netter setting off that incredible burst of emotion as he was buried by Zach Parise and other teammates behind Canada's goal.

Some luck. Some incredible play. And wanting it so, so badly.

The result, United States 5-Canada 3.

Now, a day to catch our collective breath, then elimination games on Tuesday and the Quarterfinals begin on Wednesday.

Enjoy the ride. But no more comparisons to the Miracle on Ice, please?!

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Monday Musings on Road Warrior Devils and Superstar Injuries

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Written on 11/02/2009 by Jim Cerny


Off to a perfect 7-0-0 start on the road following Saturday's 2-1 shootout win in Tampa, the Devils are proving to be real Road Warriors, playing intelligent, gritty, resilient hockey.

Take Saturday for example. No Paul Martin. No Johnny Oduya. No Jay Pandolfo. (Still) no Patrick Elias.

No Problem.

Hold the Lightning to 9 shots on goal through 40 minutes of play, but allow them to tie it up on a fluky bounce in the third period.

No problem.

Pummel Antero Nittymaki with wave after wave of shots, but score only once through 65 minutes of play.

No problem.

Top forwards Zach Parise and Travis Zajac get stoned in the shootout, and head coach Jacques Lemaire plays assistant coach Tommy Albelin's hunch and gives David Clarkson his first-ever shootout attempt.

No problem.

Just put it in the books as a "W" because the Devils can seemingly do no wrong on the road. Clarkson scores, Devils remain perfect on the road, and now have the second best road start in the history of the NHL.

The good news: the Devils face the Senators up in Ottawa on Saturday night.

The bad news: the Devils have to play two games on home ice before then.

Oh yeah, forgot to tell you. Amidst the joy of this great road run, the Devils have played downright ugly at the Prudential Center, losing four of their first five home contests.

It's kind of like a reverse Jekyll and Hyde for the Devils. Their games are fairly similar at home and on the road, usually very close affairs decided by one team's mistake here or there. Of their 12 games, nine have been decided by two goals or fewer. They are 6-0-0 in such contests on the road, and 0-3-0 on home ice.

The difference has been that on the road the Devils have not made the killer mistake. At home, they have been the team to blink first.

As Martin Brodeur told The Star Ledger's Rich Chere, "We're not getting outplayed. It's maybe the little things we do on the road. We have to incorporate them into our home game, also."

If I am Lemaire or Lou Lamoriello, one month into the season I would think that what the Devils have accomplished on the road as far character and resiliency far outweighs a slow start at The Rock. Those two traits are vital components of a contender, and they will help turn things around on home ice sooner rather than later.

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The spate of injuries that has claimed some of the biggest names in the National Hockey League already this season found another superstar yesterday.

Alex Ovechkin suffered an "upper-body" injury in yesterday's 5-4 loss to the Blue Jackets and is listed as day-to-day. Caps beat writer Tarik El Bashir is speculating that Ovechkin suffered a left shoulder injury follwing a collision with Raffi Torres.

Nonetheless, the bottom line is that many of the league's top stars have been KO'd from their respective lineups at a fairly alarming rate to start the season. Ilya Kovalchuk. Evgeni Malkin, Marian Gaborik. Marc Savard. Sergei Gonchar. Roberto Luongo. Jonathan Toews. Johan Franzen. Valtteri Filppula. The list goes on and on, with Ovechkin and Carolina's Eric Staal joining the injured list yesterday.

And this list doesn't even include Phil Kessel, Patrick Elias, or Marian Hossa, all of whom have not played yet this year following off-season sugeries.

So why so many injuries?

Caps owner Ted Leonsis shared a theory with the guys on Hockey This Morning over at XM Home Ice earlier today.

"The schedule is responsible for these injuries," stated Leonsis. "We just played four games in less than six days. We had two sets of three games in four nights one right after the other. It's too much. We have to take a really hard look at this. We are talking about very big men, and a very violent, fast game. Too many games in too few days is a problem."

Good points. But what is the alternative? Play fewer games? Expand the season to include more days off, and, as a result, play the Stanley Cup Finals closer to the month of July? Do not participate in the Olympics?

The answer is that there is no real clear answer. But what is obvious is that the league needs to take a close look at the injury issue. It's not good when any group of players is getting hurt on a regular basis, no matter the sport.

But when it's your top players---the faces of your league---going down one after another, answers must be forthcoming.

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Goaltenders and the 4,000 Minute Barrier

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Written on 9/08/2009 by Jim Cerny

Was perusing stats from last year and noticed that only four NHL goaltenders logged more than 4,000 minutes of playing time: Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff, Marty Turco of Dallas, Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers, and Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom.

My hunch is that Kiprusoff---barring injury---may be the only one of that group to exceed 4,000 minutes this season, at least as far as NHL action is concerned.

The reasons for this vary depending upon the goalie in question.

Turco, who played more than 4,300 minutes---the first time he was over the 4,000 mark since the 2003-04 season---, will see less of the ice this season now that the veteran Alex Auld was signed by the Stars as his reliable foil. This should greatly enhance the play of Turco, as well as Dallas' chances of making the playoffs.

Lundqvist, who has logged more than 4,000 minutes in each of the last three years, will be Sweden's starting goaltender in the Olympics, adding to his big workload. To avoid completely wearing his franchise goalie out, Rangers coach John Tortorella has already hinted that Steve Valiquette---who won over the coach last season with his strong work ethic, and play when called upon---likely will get the starting nod more often than in the past.

And while Backstrom thrived under the heavy workload a year ago (NHL's 3rd best goals against average and 4th best save percentage), he also benefited from playing behind a Jacques Lemaire-coached team. Now that the defensive guru has left Minnesota for a return engagement in New Jersey, Backstrom might be in need of a few extra days off, with Josh Harding and Wade Dubielewicz both capable of proving adequate relief.

As for Kiprusoff, without a top backup---Curtis McElhinney again will be his understudy---he will almost definitely surpass 4,000 minutes for the fifth straight season, though he might benefit the most from fewer starts and minutes played. Kiprusoff's Flames have been bounced in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. And the one year Calgary made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals in the spring of 2004, it came after Kiprusoff logged only 2,301 minutes during the regular season. You can argue that the lighter workload in the regular season helped fuel his magnificent playoff run that year.

Of course, what often dictates whether or not a goalie these days makes 70 starts and logs over 4,000 minutes is where the team sits in the standings. Kiprusoff, Turco, Lundqvist, and Backstrom all could not afford too many nights off last season because their respective teams were in dogfights all year to make the playoffs---Kipruoff's Flames and Lundqvist's Rangers did ultimately crack the top eight in their conferences while the other two were on the outside looking in.

Of the goaltenders who might make a run at 4,000 minutes this year, add the names of Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur. Both of these franchise netminders are annually among the league leaders in games, and minutes, played, though both were limited by injury a year ago. Also, with his star on the rise---and no significant backup behind him---Carolina's Cam Ward could break into the 4,000 minute group this year, as well.

What will bear watching, in an Olympic year like this, is to see how the condensed NHL schedule and grueling Olympic sked affects the likes of Lundqvist, Ward, Luongo, Kiprusoff, Brodeur, and others who represent their respective countries come February in Vancouver.

And on the other hand, will there be some goaltenders not playing in the Olympics who will be more fresh and able to start more games because they will have a two-week vacation in the middle of the season? Will their teams benefit, while others with Olympic goalies will be hurt?

The answer to those questions lay ahead, playing out in the months of March and April.

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