The Hockey News June 22, 2015

MIKE BABCOCK WILL NEVER SCORE A goal for Toronto, block a shot, make a save or have a shot attempt rating. Yet he was the most hyped free agent of 2015. It's a curious phenomenon. Babcock has built a reputation as being the best coach of this generation, and there's no argument he's a tremendous hockey man. But what is his value in terms of wins? We can only rely on anecdotal evidence and team success, or failure, to give us a barometer. And both those factors are canyon-wide when it comes to interpretation. As a colleague who's been in the industry for 25-plus years said, "how many fewer games do you think Detroit would have won if I'd been their coach?" The peer has never instructed beyond youth hockey, and was…

DAVID POILE WAS LOOKING FOR a bargain. It was early July, and the Nashville Predators GM was digging through the free agent market like it was a discount bin. He needed players who could help his offensively deprived team score. He just didn’t want to pay full price. Poile could have signed Mikhail Grabovski to a four-year deal with a $5-million cap hit. Instead, he rolled the dice and grabbed three discounted players — Mike Ribeiro, Derek Roy and Olli Jokinen — for the same money combined. “Sorry for the cliche,” Poile said, “but we signed a lot of quantity to hopefully get some quality.” This wasn’t lining up outside a hotel for a chance to talk to Brad Richards, as though he had tickets to the Rolling Stones. This was more…

The Best & Worst OF THE HOCKEY WORLD +PLUS RED ’N’ WHITE WAVE Canada wins its first World Championship since 2007 with a murderers row of talent led by Sidney Crosby, Jason Spezza and Brent Burns. –MINUS CAREER CUT SHORT Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding was expected to retire at 30 due to complications associated with his multiple sclerosis. +PLUS SENS FANS STEP UP Ottawa fans come to the rescue when owner Eugene Melnyk needed an emergency liver transplant. Extra donors tried to help others afterward. –MINUS QUICK EXIT Team Russia leaves the ice before Canada’s anthem was played at the worlds after gold medal game. Alex Ovechkin tried to make teammates stay.…

AS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION classes go, 2015 will go down as one of the best ever on the blueline. Probably the second best, depending who you ask. Seven-time Norris Trophy winner (and three times a runner-up) Nicklas Lidstrom will be joined on the red carpet by Chris Pronger, who won the Norris in 1999-00, the same season he won the Hart Trophy. The official announcement will be made June 29, and the induction ceremony will be held Nov. 9 in Toronto. Among other first-time eligible players, Sergei Fedorov is also expected to get the call. There’s always room for four former players, so that last spot could go to someone passed over in a previous year (see sidebar). Lidstrom was a dominant defenseman for 20 years in the NHL, all of them…

DAVE ANDREYCHUK First in all-time PP goals, 14th in all-time goals (640). Eligible since 2009. TOM BARRASSO Won Vezina, Calder in first season and is 16th all-time in wins. Eligible since 2006. GUY CARBONNEAU Won Selke three times, runner-up twice. Won three Cups. Eligible since 2003. PHIL HOUSLEY Top-scoring U.S. born D-man. Fourth all-time in NHL ‘D’ points. Eligible since 2006. DALE HUNTER Unique blend of skill, brawn and competitiveness. A born leader. Eligible since 2002. CURTIS JOSEPH Workhorse stopper ranks fourth all-time with 454 wins. Eligible since 2012. ERIC LINDROS Generational force is one of few Hart winners not in Hall. Eligible since 2010. SERGEI MAKAROV Led Russian League in scoring nine times. Ten gold medals. Eligible since 2001. ALEXANDER MOGILNY Russian pioneer had a 76-goal season with Sabres. Eligible since 2009. MIKE RICHTER World Cup MVP also won Stanley Cup and 301 NHL games. Eligible since 2006. JEREMY…

AHISTORICALLY SHARP RISE IN visor users suggests the NHL and the NHLPA’s decision to grandfather-in face shields may be doing the league some good. In the past year alone, visor wearers have grown five percent, with all but four teams increasing in usage. Toronto, Calgary, Columbus, Chicago, Vancouver and Carolina all increased over 10 percent each. Of the 640 players leaguewide with more than 20 games this season, 549 of them wear visors. The Canes were tops in eye safety with all 20 of their eligible players. Two years ago, prior to the introduction of Rule 9.7 – which states, “all players who have fewer than 25 games of NHL experience must wear a visor” – 75 percent of players donned visors. Since then, that number has increased to 86 percent. To put all…