Photo by Bridget Samuels/ Flickr

Every team, every game, has a hero. In hockey there’s usually more than one hero per team. Some like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin are always at the top of the headlines, appearing in numerous All Star games and Olympic events. Others go about the business of trying to win games for their team without much fanfare. This week’s “Unsung Hero” is the Washington Capitals’ Brooks Laich.

When you think of Washington, the name that most often comes to mind is Ovechkin. Laich’s a great player in his own right, producing 41 points while appearing in every game last season. Laich stepped his game up during the 2012 postseason, tallying seven points (tying him with Jason Chimera for third in Caps postseason scoring) and a plus-1 rating in all 14 games. » Continue reading “Unsung Heroes: Brooks Laich”

Our Thursday morning features aren’t just about stunning good looks. you know. We can appreciate a hockey player with impressive skill and other qualities. We’re starting a new monthly feature to salute these men for these other qualities, even if they may not be the best looking in the bunch.

Just like in beauty pageants, we have our own Mr. Congeniality.  This week it’s the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin.

» Continue reading “The Hawt Trophy: Mr. Congeniality Evgeni Malkin”

Right in the middle of the freakout Penguins fans were having on Thursday over news that Jordan Staal had rejected a 10 year contract, Evgeni Malkin decided to calm us all down by tweeting this photo of himself

That’s one way to calm us down.

Apparently, the translation for what he said was “Got to have these!” I sure hope he bought them.

At last, we arrive at the coda of the 2011-12 NHL season, the NHL Awards. The National Hockey League will spend the next few hours cringing at terrible jokes, raising an eyebrow just what Steven Stamkos is wearing, and hoping a Real Housewife doesn’t butcher another poor hockey player’s name. (Seriously, “Mar-TEN Saint Louissss” still rings in my ears to this day.)

The NHL Awards will air on NBC Sports Network starting at 7pm ET/6pm CT, and I’ll be here, live blogging the entire thing.

So grab your drink and pull up a seat. It’s going to be another long night.

All times in the liveblog are listed in CT. Newest posts will be on top.

» Continue reading “Kat Live Blogs The NHL Awards 2012!”

Hart Memorial Trophy Photo by Alexis Boucher

For the last week of the regular hockey season, the Aerys NHL writers have been revealing their picks for the NHL award categories. You can find the previous prognostics over on the side bar.

Ahhh, the Hart trophy.  According to the Hockey Hall of Fame, this is the award given annually to the most valuable player during the regular season.

The first Hart winner was Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators in the 1923-1924 season. Wayne Gretzky has won the Hart the most. The Great One took it home 9 times over his career, 8 of those during his time as an Edmonton Oiler and 1 as a King in Los Angeles.

Gordie Howe has won it 6 times and Eddie Shore has 4. That’s pretty lofty company to be in. Last year’s winner was Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks, which I accurately predicted.

I have made the decision to title this year’s Hart race “Why Evgeni Malkin Will Win The Hart, But Steven Stamkos Is Actually The Best Player In The League.”

Let’s get to the nitty gritty here…

» Continue reading “NHL Awards Preview: Hart Memorial Trophy”

According to players, Daniel Sedin was the most outstanding player of 2010-11. Who will it be this year? (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

The Ted Lindsay Award, formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, is the only one that the players get to decide. The award, meant to be a companion to the Hart Trophy, is given to the NHL’s most outstanding regular-season player as decided by the NHLPA.

A bit of background, since I’m a hockey history junkie: the end of the 1971-72 season was the first time the then-Pearson award was handed out. Lester B. Pearson, its namesake, had been Prime Minister of Canada and also coach of the U of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s hockey team. Then, in 2010, the NHLPA changed the name to honor Ted Lindsay, a Hall of Fame player who helped establish the first players’ union.

Past winners have included Wayne Gretzky (of course), Mario Lemieux (again, obvious), Eric Lindros, Joe Sakic, Jaromir Jagr, and both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Last year’s winner was Daniel Sedin, whose 104-point season certainly turned heads. So who will be in the mix this year?  My guesses are:

Steven Stamkos, Lightning: The red-hot Stamkos scored his 57th and 58th goals of the season in a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals Monday night and has become just the sixth player in NHL history to record more than one 50-goal season before he even turns 23. He’s certainly on the upward trend, and with Crosby having battled injury all year and Ovechkin far from his usual mark, Stamkos has caught everyone’s eye as the guy to beat in the points race.

Evgeni Malkin, Penguins: 105 points this year. Yup, you read that right. One hundred and five. 48 goals, 57 assists, and while Stamkos has the edge on him in goals scored, Malkin has pretty much blown him out of the water overall, and in fewer games played, too (73 to Stamkos’ 79 so far). Overall, Malkin is just a dynamic player who can make something out of nothing, and not just when that other great Pens player is on the ice with him.

Phil Kessel, Toronto: Okay, sure, so his game’s tapered off a bit, but this really has been a breakout year for the 24-year-old winger- 37 goals, 44 assists, good for fifth in the league in scoring. More recently, he’s been playing without linemate Joffrey Lupul who’s out with an injury, but he’s still dangerous, with deceptive speed and smarts to match.

Also consider Claude Giroux, who’s third in scoring and has become quite the star in Philly, emerging from the shadows of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards; James Neal, in a three-way tie with Kessel and Ilya Kovalchuk for fifth with 81 points; and Jason Spezza, who has come practically out of nowhere to claim fourth in the league with 83 points. All are deserving of at the very least nomination; who will win? The answer will come in June… who do I think should win?

After serious consideration, I’m torn between Malkin and Stamkos. I feel that Malkin will ultimately win it, but I’m pulling for Steve mainly because I feel that he’s more of the forgotten party in the rush to talk about *star* players like Crosby, Ovechkin, etc. Stamkos has been developing at an incredible pace, and while I’m sure playing with Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis helps, the fact remains that Tampa Bay doesn’t have THAT much depth. The idea of Stamkos tallying 95 points this season with virtually no help is incredible- and the kicker is that he’s only 22. He still has much more to go. He already has two 50+ goal seasons and a 45-goal season under his belt- what more can there be? Oh, I think we’ll all be surprised.

Stay tuned!