Week Fifteen Newsletter

Well, my friends, we are now better than halfway through the season... the All-Star Break is lurking around next week... and the races remain nice & tight. How's this for a good point in the pool? It's kind of exciting, if you ask me... and I'm not even close to the money.

The Top 3 are now neck-in-neck through this halfway period with Don coming out of nowhere to make the charge for first place. Just when everyone thought it was impossible for any team to catch Dieter, Don has strung together some pretty awe-inspiring weeks to make his move. So, if anyone is in doubt, there is still time to put some weeks together to make a Don-like move into a respectable position.

Consistent weeks with a gain (Hot, hot, hot!):
Randy: +3 positions in the last 3 weeks

On an elevator goin' down:
Ernest: -8 places in the last 3 weeks
Derek & Nicole: -4 places in the last 3 weeks
Jim: -3 places in the last 3 weeks
Dan W.: -3 places in the last 3 weeks

Let's see what happened in Week Fifteen...

Player of the Week



This was a pretty good four-horse race to the finish… and at the line… it’s Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings. Datsyuk, taken three times in Box 3, was tied with a pool high 9 points, edging out the Sens’ Daniel Alfredsson (9 points), Miikka Kiprusoff (8 points) and Dany Heatley (8 points). Datsyuk's limited selections garnered him the award, plus the fact that before the audit on Monday morning, it looked like he had 10 points, but scoring changes with the league said otherwise.

Well, I’ve got to make the top scoring team in the pool the Mover & Shaker this week, because of the money implications in the Top 6. Don has been one of the hottest teams in the last few weeks, scoring 231 points in the last three weeks. He caught up to the uncatchable Top 2 of Dieter and Jeff and has almost made a mockery of their teams of the last few weeks. Don is only mere points away from the lead, which would shake the pool up a little bit… I know Dieter and Jeff were sort of sweating it out a bit… and for good reason too.

Despite a few of Don’s trades have been counter-productive thus far in the season and a couple injuries to his current roster, his team has become hot as of late and he has capitalized on players like Daniel Alfredsson, Miikka Kiprusoff, Alexander Ovechkin, Ray Emery and a few others who notched 3 or 4 points last week. It was a great week and it doesn’t look like it’ll stop any time soon. We may just have a new leader by the end of next week.

Still 11 points up on the worst week of the pool, previous award winner, Brydon, fell four spots (a pool low) in Week Fifteen. In the tight races of the middle part of the Standings, you don’t want to be the one to have your players find a cold snap. Injuries have ravaged Brydon’s team… Rick Nash, Jarome Iginla, Chris Pronger… all out on his squad. Alexander Radulov, Brent Sopel, Sergei Samsonov, Ruslan Salei and Hannu Toivonen all didn’t manage to get points either. Quite the shame. That’s eight players that came up with a goose egg. Fortunately for Brydon, he isn’t too far out of where he was last week… nothing that a good M&S week couldn’t fix.

Martin Brodeur - 68 points
We have ourselves a new leader. The hottest player in the pool of late has now overtaken Sidney Crosby for the scoring lead. Martin Brodeur picked up another couple wins during the week for 4 points, while Crosby only had 2 and now the Devils’ goaltender has a two point lead over the Penguins’ phenom.

There are now six players who have topped the 60-point plateau this season…
Martin Brodeur (NJD) – 68 points
Sidney Crosby (PIT) – 66 points
Alexander Ovechkin (WAS) – 62 points
Dany Heatley (OTT) – 61 points
Martin St. Louis (TAM) – 60 points
Vincent Lecavalier (TAM) – 60 points

Three of these players (Ovechkin, Heatley & St. Louis) all occupy Box 15, so it would be impossible to capitalize on all their successes at once.

Long-term Injuries and Pool Trades
I don't really think that this is the best idea, but the Chicago Blackhawks are in desperate need of some playoff hockey. I know I reported last week that Martin Havlat would be out for roughly two weeks with his groin pull, but the Hawks have pushed him along quickly to get back into the line-up. The question is, was it too early to do so and how long is it going to be until he re-injures that area again? Something to consider, despite his production. Adrian Aucoin is another player who hasn't done well with injuries this season... he is now on the shelf indefinitely with a groin problem as well. Someone check the ice in Chicago!!

Defenseman, John-Michel Liles will remain out of the Avalanche line-up for four weeks after breaking his foot. Liles was not picked in the pool, but if a defenseman in Box 4 goes down, you may not want to consider him as your replacement.

Mike Modano and Sergei Zubov should both be ready to come back to the Stars line-up after the All-Star break. There is even a small chance that Modano could be back before the break to test out his hip and groin.

A goaltending crisis in Los Angeles... both Box 6, Dan Cloutier and Box 12, Mathieu Garon, will be out indefinitely from the Kings line-up with separate injuries. Cloutier wasn't much of a consideration for picking, but Garon has been picked in the pool and it is unclear who will drop him for someone else.

Injuries are plaguing in Columbus... Rick Nash was put on the IR this past week, Sergei Fedorov has an elbow injury, Adam Foote has back spasms... they are not a healthy squad. Nash and Foote are pool picked, so there may be some more consideration amongst those still with trades to move them for some more productive players.

Hockey Night In Canada this week...


Sid the Kid will make his return to Hockey Night In Canada this Saturday, as the Maple Leafs will go to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins. And in Game 2, it will be another rendition of the Battle of Alberta, this time, taking place in Edmonton.

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