ScottM

@WordsOfWisdom It's a bit early to say for sure, but you may get your "wish" this week. We shall see for sure in about four days.

All of those are outstanding lines, and I agree that the Trio Grande is probably the closest comparison. I think that it's more than just the 1-2-3 scoring finish that makes the Production Line top the list, though. I mean, who would want to play against a line Howe, Lindsay, and both of their mean streaks staring back? Those guys were three complete players if there ever were such.

Actually, I have to defend Andersen. Things could be much worse if not for him. Since they're dead last in goals scored, they could be far, far worse than -14 in goal differential. Andersen has posted outstanding numbers so far. His goals against average is 2.03, and his save percentage is .934. He's been one of the best netminders in the league so far.

New week, new power rankings. Some of the teams who have surprised early seem to be returning to form. Some things still do not make sense. But if everything made sense, there would be no point in playing the games, and no point in having power rankings. Read on to find my latest attempt to cut through the weeds and see the current state of all 30 NHL teams. NOTE: These rankings do not include the results of tonight's games. #30 Calgary Flames (Last Week: 28; -2) Prepare to have your mind blown. The Flames have allowed the most goals of any team in the league (56). On average, they allow 4.31 pucks into their net every game. Their -26 goal differential is the worst in the league by a eight goals. This is a long way from last year's Flames. #29 Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 29; nc) Give credit where credit is due. The Leafs' 4-1 win over Dallas was very impressive, but their two wins are still a league low. The goaltending situation still looks turbulent. The team does not need to continue with two defensmen as their leading scorers, but Morgan Reilly and Dion Phaneuf deserve credit for their performances. The problem is, few others do. #28 Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 27; -1) The only reason the Blue Jackets are still this low is that they dug themselves such a deep hole at the beginning of the season. The reason they fell is that the team ahead of them is also getting its act together. More recently, they have won three of their last five, with the two losses being by a single goal to the Capitals and Jets. If that trend continues, they should begin a rapid rise soon. #27 Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 30; +3) Corey Perry finally got his first goal of the season. That is big news for such an offensively starved team. As bad as the Ducks looked early, however, they have won their last two. They still need to find some more offense, but the ship looks like it is beginning to right. #26 Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 25; -1) Generally speaking, the Avs are still struggling offensively. but they have nine goals in their last two games, so maybe they are about to turn the corner. Their top scorers are doing quite well. Nathan MacKinnon, Jarome Iginla, and Gabriel Landeskog have 13, 11, and 11 points respectively. #25 Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 19; -6) Last week, the decline of the Flyers had as much to do with the success of other teams as Philly's struggles. This week it is all about Philly. The Flyguys have now lost five in a row, and have scored a only a single goal in three of those. #24 Florida Panthers (Last Week: 14; -10) The Panthers have fallen quite a bit because there are a lot of teams with similar records, and losing three straight will tend to make a team drop sharply in power rankings when that happens. While they are currently sixth in the Atlantic division, this is no time for panic. The division is so tightly bunched that they are only one point behind the second place Senators. #23 Buffalo Sabres (Last Week: 26; +3) Believe it or not, last season's last place team is just two games below .500 and have won three of four. Granted, two of those wins were against the Flyers, but that is still an impressive stat for Buffalo, especially when their last outing was a victory over the Islanders. If Ryan O'Reilly continues to play the way he is for the rest of the season, he could be a Hart contender. Yeah, I said it. #22 Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 22; nc) The Hurricanes dropped their last outing, but they won three in a row before that. Last week, I said things felt tenuous for Carolina, and I still think they do. Nonetheless. the team is winning some games. Key stat: the Hurricanes are 3-3 in one goal games. Last season, they were 13-27. #21 Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 23; +2) The bad news is that Connor McDavid is sidelined long term with a broken clavicle. The good news is that Leon Draitsail has been playing out of his mind. In three games, he has three goals, and four assists. Maybe Edmonton will try him out on the top line. I do not think it is a foregone conclusion that the Oilers will collapse. #20 Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 18; -2) The Coyotes have been falling ever since their hot start ended. As of right now, they sit just below .500, which is certainly much better than nearly anyone expected. Max Domi is still in the thick of the Calder race. I don't see that changing anytime soon. #19 San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 16; -3) The Sharks are another team that have been on the decline for a while. The same story applies from the last couple of weeks. Martin Jones still has good numbers, and a large percentage of the offense is coming from the "older guys." The Jones part is good; the aging scorers part is a bit concerning. #18 Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 20; +2) The situation the Lightning are in seems a bit dark. They had a great start which was not surprising, but the number of games they have been losing lately is. The only real positive is that they are not getting blown out. They really need to find a way to win the close games, and for their sakes, I hope they do it soon. #17 Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 24; +7) The Canucks went through a rough patch, but right now, they look pretty good. Their two most recent losses are to Pittsburgh and Dallas, each by a single goal. Meanwhile, they have won three of five. They are just below .500, but with the weakness of the Pacific Division, that is good enough for second. #16 Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 21; +5) This is a team that really seems like it should be better than middle of the pack, and yet, right now, that is exactly where they are. To ensure that their playoff streak continues, the Wings need to pick up the pace a bit in the long term. #15 Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 17; +2) Mark Stone was suspended for two games, but the Sens got Mike Hoffman back. Ottawa survived the first game of the suspension, beating the Habs 2-1. Kyle Turris scored his eighth goal in that game, and he now has 13 points. How long can he continue this pace? The longer the better for the Senators. #14 Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 11; -3) Immediately after the Duncan Keith injury, the defending champs won three straight. Since then, things have gone south, with three out of four going against them. Two of those losses were one-goal affairs, and I cannot help but wonder if Keith would have made a difference. They are not in dire straights, but it is clear they will miss their star blueliner. #13 New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 12; -1) I keep expecting them to fall off, but the Devils are hanging strong. They have Cory Schneider to thank for that since his stats are reminiscent of the franchise's most famous goalie. I am beginning to think they may not go anywhere. #12 Boston Bruins (Last Week: 15; +3) The Bruins may be the biggest surprise so far in my book. Everything they did in the offseason looked wrong, yet they are competitive. So far, they are unbeaten on the road. If nothing else, they can score. Keep that in check, and you beat them. Let the offense roll... start planning your own funeral. #11 New York Islanders (Last Week: 8; -3) I am not going to be too harsh on the Islanders over their recent slide because John Tavares missed a few games with flu-like symptoms. They lost a couple of those games, but they were at least in them. Tavares is due back, so they should rebound soon. #10 Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 7; -2) The Wild have played 11 games, and nine of them have been decided by one marker. They have won six of those. Still, the team looks much different than last season. Dubnyk still looks bad. The offense is still being forced to carry the load. I think they can continue to score, but they still need Dubnyk to be better. Otherwise, they will not move forward. #9 Nashville Predators (Last Week: 3; -6) The Predators have fallen back because they lost their last two games, but this is still a very dangerous team. To beat them, the odds are you will need a strong defensive performance, because the Preds are almost certain to have one. Only two teams have allowed fewer goals than Nashville. Look at their roster, and you will quickly see why. #8 Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 10; +2) As things stand now, I do not see how Blake Wheeler would not be a Hart Trophy finalist if the season ended immediately. There are several reasons the Jets look so good instead of the collapse many predicted, but he is probably top on the list. Get used to the Jets being high on this list. You will probably continue to see it. #7 Washington Capitals (Last Week: 6; -1) The Capitals have a couple of recent losses, but there is more reason to be pleased than worried. Alex Ovechkin is beginning to pick up the scoring pace, which is an obvious must. Of course, the regular season is seldom a question for Washington. #6 New York Rangers (Last Week: 9; +3) When you have Henrik Lundqvist in net, success is nearly guaranteed. King Henrik has the best save percentage in the league. He does not need a lot of goal support to win, but he is getting it anyway. #5 St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 4; -1) Balance is the name of the game. The Blues are solid across the board and getting contributions from a lot of sources. Scoring, defense, and goaltending are all there, and they are unlikely to beat themselves. Any team that wants to win against the Blues will have to earn it. #4 Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 5; +1) If you want to reverse the Kings and the team just ahead of them, I understand. They are the two hottest teams in the league, and it is a coin flip. Neither scores much, but they are extremely hard to score against. It works, as evidenced by eight wins in nine games. #3 Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 13; +10) See the Kings for my general comments. There is not a lot to add because the two teams are so similar at the moment. I gave the nod to the Penguins to honor their allowing the fewest goals in the league. I would not want to face this team right now. #2 Dallas Stars (Last Week: 2; nc) Had they beaten one of the worst teams in the league, they would be number one. That said, they lost to Toronto and missed their chance. All else is good. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are both on pace for 126 points. Let that sink in. #1 Montreal Canadiens (Last Week: 1; nc) Yes, they lost to Ottawa in their last outing, but they won two consecutive games by four goals before that. Maybe demolishing Calgary is not all that impressive, but doing that to Winnipeg definitely is. They are first in goals for and in goal differential. This team is a +25 so far. For more of the Professor's musings on the game of hockey, visit thesmacattack.com!

In today's NHL, pairs of high-scoring teammates are celebrated by media and fans alike. Combinations such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, or the Sedin twins are plastered on TV screens, magazine covers, websites, and anything else you can imagine. It is easy to understand why. Goals are exciting, and players than score or set them up in bunches are fun to watch. Today's best one-two punches pale when compared to one particular line of the Original Six era. The line I am referring to is one of the best known, and arguably the best line ever assembled. It was composed of three players who were individually superstars in their own rights, but when placed together seemed little short of an unstoppable force. I am speaking, of course, of the Detroit Red Wings' Production Line. In the early years of the Red Wings, going all the way back to their days as the Detroit Cougars, the legendary Jack Adams pulled double duty as coach and general manager in Hockeytown. When he stepped down as coach to focus on being GM in 1947, he hired Tommy Ivan to be his replacement on the bench. To say that Ivan stepped into a plush situation would be an understatement. Adams's genius had put together a roster and farm system than any franchise would envy. But Tommy Ivan was a genius in his own right, leading the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups during his tenure with the team. His greatest accomplishment, however, might be the creation of the Production Line. In 1947, 29-year-old future Hall-of-Fame center Sid Abel was in the prime of his career. He had already been a member of one Stanley Cup winner, contributing 18 goals and 24 assists to the 1943 champion Red Wings. When he took over as coach, Ivan saw a golden opportunity to bolster Detroit's offense by putting a couple of kid wingers alongside his star center. Twenty-two-year-old Ted Lindsay and 19-year-old Gordie Howe were just coming into their own, and the idea of placing their speed alongside the crafty veteran was too good to pass up. Abel had been slowed by an attack of pleurisy, and the youngsters seemed to be just the ticket to offset the handicap. To say Ivan's idea worked would be a gross understatement. The trio remained together through the 1951-52 season, and the results of those five seasons were incredible. In the line's first season together, they finished first, third, and fourth on the team in points. The next season, the results were even better. Despite his health issues, Abel finished with a league best 28 goals, and won the Hart Trophy. Though they lost to the Maple Leafs in the Finals for the second straight year, the Wings finished first in league standings. That NHL-best regular season would be the first of seven such finishes. In the 1949-50 season, the line had their best result. In fact, it was the best result that any line in NHL history has ever had. Most importantly, the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. Such a strong team winning a Cup is not surprising. The 1-2-3 finish in the scoring race for Lindsay, Abel, and Howe was surprising. Never before had a line had such an accomplishment, and their feat has never been matched since. Before Abel was traded to the Black Hawks to become the NHL's final player-manager, the Production line would have one last hurrah in their final season together when the Red Wings won the 1952 Stanley Cup. Alex Delvecchio replaced Abel after the trade, and there was continued success, but the new line could not reach the heights of the original. Then again, that is really not a fair standard for any other line. In my opinion, the game has never seen a line quite as good as the Production Line, and I will be shocked should I ever see a line that can hold a candle to it. Howe is nearly indisputedly the best right wing in history, and Lindsay is universally considered among the greatest left wingers. If you then come to the conclusion that Abel was the "weak link," then that is being said of a league MVP. No matter how you slice it, the Lindsay-Abel-Howe line "produced" for Detroit.

@BluPuk That surprises me a lot less. A lot of the choices are really hard to make, and sometimes there are four or five teams fighting for the same spot. Plus, there's the challenge of balancing overall performance and recent performance. But yeah, the main goal is trying to get some conversation started. That's always fun.

Well, like I said, I almost dropped the Habs, but they had put themselves so far ahead that I couldn't do it just yet. They seemed to return to form last night anyway. Because of the nature of this kind of list though, if those are the only two disagreements you have with what I posted, I find that rather remarkable. I debated with myself more than that. Lol I literally laughed when I read that. We've been down this road before on other lists, so I'm not going to debate you. You may not disagree with a list or a comment, but that doesn't make it a joke. I'm not trying to be rude, but if you want to have a discussion in good faith, I'm all for it, and I'll entertain that discussion, but I won't have anything more to say otherwise.

It is time for the third weekly installment of the Professor's NHL power rankings. This week we find some rapid risers as some of the teams that had the worst starts to their seasons have turned into some of the hottest teams in the league. Find out who moved from the bottom to near the top in only two weeks. #30 Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 27; -3) The Ducks managed to score three goals in the first period of Wednesday night's game, only to see their lead collapse, losing 4-3 to the Dallas Stars. Ryan Getzlaf missed the game due to appendicitis, but Corey Perry finally managed his second point of the season. Those two really need to get things going. #29 Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 28; -1) Leo Komarov and James van Riemsdyk and their four goals apiece and Dion Phaneuf with his six assists look good, but little else has. This is not the beginning to the Mike Babcock that Toronto hoped for. #28 Calgary Flames (Last Week: 29; +1) The Flames did not move up because of their success. I just feel that the Maple Leafs are a bit worse right now. The Flames have lost three straight, and almost nothing is going their way. Was last season a fluke? #27 Blue Jackets (Last Week: 30; +3) Believe it or not, the Blue Jackets won a game! In fact, they have won two straght. The team is still far from being the Cup contender I expected, but at least they are now moving forward. #26 Buffalo Sabres (Last Week: 23; -3) Ranking the Sabres this low almost seems unfair, because it is very obvious that they are better than last year. Ryan O'Reilly has been a great addition, but the goaltending is rocky, and the killer instinct is missing. That needs to come for the Sabres to move up significantly. #25 Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 25; nc) The Avs won their last game, but that was preceded by a four game slide. Semyon Varlamov has been brutal in net, but Reto Verra has made up for it. Even so, he will need more goal support to win. Patrick Roy needs to turn this team around soon if he wants to have any job security. #24 Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 26; +2) The Canucks play a lot of close games and go to overtime a lot. The problem? They cannot seem to win those games. They have lost five of their last six, and have four losses beyond regulation. That will not keep them second in the division for long. #23 Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 18; +5) The Oilers have dropped a bit because they lost three of their last four, but two of those losses were by a single goal to the Kings and Wild, which makes it seem not as bad. Connor McDavid is still averaging over a point per game. He seems to be the real deal. Possibly even better for the Oilers is that Nail Yakupov is still playing well. #22 Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 26; +4) The offense is still not there, but the team is starting to win. The Hurricanes have won three of their last five. Things still feel tenuous to me, though. Cam Ward has been okay in net, but his save percentage leaves a lot to be desired. I am not sure this team will continue to win if it means limiting shots on goal. #21 Red Wings (Last Week: 19; -2) On paper, this probably should not be happening. On paper, you would not expect the Red Wings to lose three games to the Oilers and Hurricanes. I think this should still be a playoff team, but they need to start taking care of business. #20 Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 10; -10) One rough week did not knock the Lightning down, but two definitely did. If this were purely based on record, the Lightning would be higher, but it is not, and the Bolts are ice cold right now. They are not getting blown out, but they have to start winning close games. Not doing so is certain death in the NHL. #19 Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 12; -7) This drop is not all about the Flyers. Part of it is that other teams just moved ahead of them, but it still was not a good week for Philly. Even so, it is not time to panic. It would be nice to see more offense from Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, but at least the offense is balanced. I think Michal Neuvirth should get more time in net though. #18 Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 21; -2) The are certainly not as hot as they were at the beginning of the season and they got blown out in their last game, but this still does not seem to be last year's Coyotes. I made some preseason predictions that do not look so good right now, but so far it looks like I was right about Max Domi. He seems to be the real deal. #17 Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 14; -3) The Senators finally broke the losing streak by defeating the Flames. If there were any positives about the losing streak, it was that the team played better as a whole even without results, and that they were at least getting points. It is hard not to love this offense too. #16 San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 6; -10) The wheels have come off. Getting offensive production from your veterans is good, but when a team has the young talent the Sharks do and its top five scorers are 30 or older, it may not be a good sign. That balance needs to shift a little. #15 Boston Bruins (Last Week: 22; +7) The goaltending still is not very good, but the Bruins are beginning to pile up goals. Their 33 on the season is the third highest total in the league. David Krejci is tied for second in the league in points, and much to my surprise, nearly everything seems to be working now. If Tuukka Rask turns back into Tuukka Rask, look out. #14 Florida Panthers (Last Week: 15; +1) Your weekly Jaromir Jagr countdown: he is now three goals behind Marcel Dionne for fourth all-time, and it may be time to mention that he is 13 behind Brett Hull for third. The Panthers have been up and down, but they are currently on an up. This is a good, balanced hockey team. They may surprise some folks. #13 Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 13; nc) The Penguins are hot. Do not let the fact that they did not move up in the rankings fool you. They were simply jumped by a couple of teams that are hotter. Still, I am a bit concerned by the fact that Sidney Crosby still has only five points through ten games. Unless that pace increases, I do not see this streak continuing. #12 New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 20; +8) I did not see this coming. In their last six games, the Devils have lost only once. Sometimes their scoring is the reason. Sometimes it is the defense and goaltending. The offense is a bit top heavy, and that needs to be corrected, but there is reason for hope in New Jersey. #11 Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 17; +6) They lost last night, but they won four straight before that. Duncan Keith is out, but somehow the defending champs are holding things together, even managing two shutouts. It looks like we cannot write them off yet. #10 Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 5; -5) The guys from Manitoba do not look quite as good as they did early, but they are still playing some fairly good hockey. They are still in the thick of the race in the toughest division in the league. Michael Hutchinson is leading the league in save percentage with a .949. If he stays anywhere near that, Winnipeg will be just fine. #9 New York Rangers (Last Week: 9; nc) The Rangers' offense has been pretty good and has been very balanced, with eight players scoring five or more points in the first ten games. The real strength of the team is still in net, however. Henrik Lundqvist has a save percentage of .941 and a goals against average of 1.98. The Rangers are a contender as long as he is around. #8 New York Islanders (Last Week: 3; -5) Goals everywhere! John Tavares and Kyle Okposo are leading the charge of a team that already has 33 goals. Thomas Greiss and Jaroslav Halak have both been solid in net. The loss to the Hurricanes was rough, but the Islanders look like a real contender. #7 Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 16; +9) The defense and goaltending still is not up to snuff, but the offense has carried the team well enough. Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek, Mikko Koivu, and Ryan Suter all have eight or more points, and eight players have averaged better than half a point per game. They still need Dubnyk, though. If he reverts to last season, this will be a difficult team to beat. #6 Washington Capitals (Last Week: 7; +1) Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom are third and fourth on the team in points. That does not look good on the surface, but it is not because they are not producing. It is because Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson have had stellar starts. The superstars are not the only players producing, and that is why the Caps are climbing. #5 Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 24; +19) The Kings were at the bottom of the first power rankings, and look where they are two weeks later. Six consecutive wins have made them the hottest team in the league. The locker room issues seem like a distant memory right now. If this continues, they will soon be forgotten. #4 St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 8; +4) You would not think a team ranked 14th in goals for and 8th in goals against would be ranked this high since those number are average or just a little better, but the results on the ice speak volumes. Only two teams in the league have more points in the standings than the Blues. Hockey is a team game, and this is a good team. #3 Nashville Predators (Last Week: 4; +1) The Predators may have the best defensive corps in the league. Roman Josi and Shea Weber are producing as expected, but do not discount the contributions of Seth Jones and Ryan Ellis. Barrett Jackman is not producing offense, but he has been rock solid defensively. #2 Dallas Stars (Last Week: 2; nc) Who leads the league in goals? Assists? Points? Jamie Been, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn. Never count this team out. They can score in bunches, and are fully capable of burying anyone in goals. They will probably need to be better defensively to be a true Cup contender, but for now, it works. #1 Montreal Canadiens (Last Week: 1; nc) They lost their last two, and I was tempted to drop them, but the Habs still lead the league in goals and have the league's best goal differential. I could not lower them because they had so much margin. Another week last this last one and they will fall, but for now, they retain the top spot. For more of the Professor's musings on the game of hockey, visit thesmacattack.com!

I think it's funny that it seems that just about anytime you read anything about Taylor online, the legend that he once scored a goal backwards is mentioned. Supposedly, he once said while with Renfrew that he would score a goal backwards against his former team, Ottawa. They responded by vowing to keep him off the score sheet. The Silver Seven won that "challenge," but the legend refuses to die.

Of all the cities that are called home by an NHL franchise, Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its metro population of about 730,000 people is the smallest. If it were not for the fact that the city is so hockey-crazed, it seems highly unlikely that a team could survive there. While it is true that the much smaller Green Bay is able to support the Packers, Green Bay has a luxury that Winnipeg does not have: a nearby city the size of Milwaukee. Compared to some of the cities that hosted professional hockey teams in the early days, however, Winnipeg is huge. Among the cities represented in the NHL's forerunner, the NHA, were the tiny Ontario localities of Cobalt, Haileybury, and Renfrew. Unsurprisingly, none of those teams lasted long, but one of them made a surprisingly strong effort to be competitve. That team was officially known as the Renfrew Creamery Kings, but was often known by the unofficial nickname, Millionaires. The story of the "Millionaires" began when owner Ambrose O'Brien applied for entry into the Canadian Hockey Association. Upon being rebuffed, O'Brien and Montreal Wanderers manager Jimmy Gardner met to discuss the creation of a new league, the NHA. The NHA had the last laugh, as the CHA folded in short order with some of its teams being absorbed by the new league. With Montreal teams and one team in Ottawa now in the NHA, it no doubt seemed impossible for a team like the Creamery Kings to compete, but Renfrew had an advantage of a different kind: a rich owner. O'Brien was determined to win the Stanley Cup, and would spare no expense in his effort. The Creamery Kings opened their checkbook more so than any team had ever done. They set their sights on some of the biggest stars in the game, and were willing to do whatever it took to lure them in. The Creamery Kings signed three of those stars prior to the beginning of the 12 game season, and one during the course of the campaign. The mid-season pickup was Newsy Lalonde (whose 38 goals led the league). Lalonde began the season with Les Canadiens -- also owned by O'Brien -- but was released to allow the transfer. Brothers Lester and Frank Patrick (who made massive contributions to the development of the game) were signed, Lester for $3,000, and Frank for $2,000. Even those salaries looked paltry compared to that of Cyclone Taylor, however. After some drama as to whether he would end up playing for Ottawa or Renfrew, Taylor managed to command an unheard of $5,260. The Hall-of-Fame roster of the Creamery Kings certainly displays a tremendous effort on the part of O'Brien to build a winner, but as we all know, money cannot buy everything. The "Millionaire" roster was only able to secure third place with their 8-3-1 record, behind the Ottawa Silver Seven (9-3-0) and the Montreal Wanderers (11-1-0). The Millionaire's efforts could not be sustained. The problem of a small population base could not be erased, and in 1911, the league instituted a salary cap of $5,000 -- less than Cyclone Taylor's 1910 salary alone! The year 1911 was the first year for the salary cap, but it was the last year of the Creamery Kings, as the team folded that year. It is commonplace in today's world of sports -- particularly in baseball -- to see teams try to buy championships by spending large amounts of cash to attract stars. The story of the Renfrew hockey club shows that it is not a new concept and is not always successful, but if nothing else, Ambrose O'Brien made an admirable attempt. For that, he was presented with a replica of the Stanley Cup by the Montreal Canadiens -- the perenniel winner he helped to found -- in 1967. It was a fitting tribute to an incredible builder of the game.

There were several teams that I thought had a legitimate argument for the number two spot, and the Caps are one of them, there were a couple of large groups of teams that were hard to sort out, and second through seventh was one of them. The Hurricanes are definitely making a "strong case" for moving down, but the good news for them (and everyone else near the bottom) is Columbus. Even when they play better, that team still can't win.

As you might expect, going from week one to week two, there are a lot of big changes in this week's power rankings. Some of the surprises from last Thursday are gone or at least heading in the direction you would expect, yet others remain. We have a new #1 this week. Who will it be? Who are the big movers? What are this week's surprises? Read on to find out! #30 Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 29; -1) The coaching carousel has made its first stop. Todd Richards, this is your stop. John Tortorella, welcome aboard. The Blue Jackets are the only team without a win on the season, making them a no-brainer for the cellar. By the way, Bob's goals against average is still over 5.00. #29 Calgary Flames (Last Week: 20; -9) The list of what is not wrong with the Flames is much shorter that the list of what is. In an effort to try to shorten the list of wrongs, the Flames cut goalie Karri Ramo yesterday. That will not be the full answer. What will they do next to try to right the ship? #28 Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 23; -5) The Leafs did get their first win of the season on Friday, but it was the Blue Jackets, so most probably will not find it very impressive. Jonathan Bernier has been fairly impressive in net, but Toronto still has little going for it at the moment. Oh well, maybe the Blue Jays can get to the World Series. #27 Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 28; +1) Guess what happened in the Ducks last game! They won! And they scored more than one goal in the process! They also got shut out again on Friday. Anaheim fans definitely have some reason for hope now, but one game will not change things. The Ducks have to prove they can score and win consistently before they can move very far up the ladder. #26 Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 24; -2) The win over Detroit on Friday is the only reason the Hurricanes did not drop farther. The Canes are still struggling to score, and Cam Ward does not look like the answer in goal. I suspect Carolina will be picking early again in next year's draft. #25 Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 19; -6) The Av's look completely the opposite of what they did last week. Suddenly, their defense is good, since they allowed only three goals in their last two games. The bad news is, their offense disappeared, and they scored only a single goal in those games. Probably needless to say, they lost both. Patrick Roy's seat is probably beginning to feel a bit warm. #24 Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 30; +6) The Kings finally managed to win a couple of games! Jonathan Quick only allowed one goal in each of them, suggesting he may be returning to form. The problem the Kings still have is offense. Both games were 2-1 affairs. It is not at all reasonable to expect Quick to continue to carry the team without more goal support. This team needs to find a way to score. #23 Buffalo Sabres (Last Week: 21; -2) The Sabres are stuggling offensively. No one on this team has more than three points. Yet, somehow, they have managed to score about twice as many goals as teams like the Kings and Ducks who were expected to be serious competitors. I feel safe in saying that Chad Johnson has outperformed the expectations of almost everyone. Still a long way to go. #22 Boston Bruins (Last Week: 22; nc) Tuukka Rask still looks out of form, but Boston has finally started to score goals, lighting the lamp a whopping 15 times in their last three contests. David Krejci's 11 points put him atop the NHL right now. If the goaltending gets straightened out, this team may be far better than I thought. #21 Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 2; -19) Remember that three game winning streak? Well, it is no more, and has been replaced with a three game losing streak. Oddly enough, the offense has not declined as much as the defense. The 'Yotes look more like what we all expected, but they still have the potential to be exciting at times. #20 New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 25; +5) All is once again right with the world. The Devils have won their last two games, and they have done it in their traditional manner: defense and goaltending. Just like many of the teams below them, they are struggling to score, but at least they look more in sync. #19 Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 4; -15) My, how the mighty have fallen. Three multi-goal losses, including the Hurricanes and Oilers are brutal to a team's power ranking this early in the season. The Wings should be fine in the full course of the season, just not so much over the last seven days. #18 Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 27; +9) Connor McDavid has begun to live up to the hype. He now has four goals and six points on the season. Nail Yakupov also has six points, which will probably elicit a sigh of relief from many Oilers fans. Cam Talbot and Anders Nilsson have both looked good as well. It may be possible for the Oilers to make a little more noise than expected this season. #17 Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 16; -1) Forget the games of the last week. They do not matter. What matters is that Duncan Keith is out for 4-6 weeks because of a torn meniscus. That could very well seal Chicago's fate. Please remove your hats for a moment of silence. #16 Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 6; -10) Two losses are not the end of the world, but when those two losses come against teams struggling as much as the Kings and Ducks are, there is reason for concern. This is a team that desperately needs Devan Dubnyk to return to last season's form if they want to continue to improve. #15 Florida Panthers (Last Week: 11; -4) They go up, they go down. The Panthers feel like they are on a roller coaster from where I stand. Still, the youngsters have done nothing to scare me away -- particularly Aleksandr Barkov -- and the ageless wonder that is Jaromir Jagr continues to perform: 726 goals and counting. #14 Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 9; -5) Ottawa looked really good against Nashville. The problem is, Carter Hutton looked even better in the Predators' net. The offense has not stopped flowing, despite a shutout loss to the Penguins. Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, and especially Kyle Turris are still rocking. #13 Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 26; +13) The entire city of Pittsburgh collectively exhaled when Sidney Crosby finally made the score sheet against the Panthers. He did so in a big way, scoring or assisting on all three of the Penguins goals that night. He needs to keep that up to keep the Penguins rising. #12 Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 15; +3) The debacle that was the second game of the season is now long forgotten as the Flyers have won three out of four. I was surprised that they returned Steve Mason to net after the performances of Michael Neuvirth, but whatever. The Flyers are winning, and that is what matters. #11 Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 7; -4) Two losses meant that the had to fall, but they did not fall too far because their overall resume is still pretty impressive. Both losses were by a single goal and came against the Blues and the surging Oilers. I am willing to cut some slack this week, but another such week, and they will almost certainly tumble. #10 Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 10; nc) The Lightning had a rough week, but managed to stay put because of far rougher weeks by teams ahead of them. But that also means they were jumped by a few teams. The managed three points in three games, but it will take more than that to keep them in the top 10 long term. #9 New York Rangers (Last Week: 12; +3) The Rangers earned this ranking largely on the strength of their 4-0 thumping of last week's #1, the San Jose Sharks on Monday night. Henrik Lundqvist is in Vezina form, and this is a very dangerous team. You should not be surprised if they continue to climb. #8 St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 14; +6) The Blues hit a speed bump in the form of the Montreal Canadiens two days ago, but before that, they had reeled off four straight wins. Vladimir Tarasenko looks like a likely future Hart Trophy winner to me, and guys like Alexander Steen, Troy Brouwer, and Jori Lehtera are all pulling their weight. This looks like a highly balanced team. #7 Washington Capitals (Last Week: 18; +11) Since the blowout loss to the Sharks, the Capitals have destroyed everything in sight. They have scored 14 times in their last three games, winning each by at least three. Braden Holtby has been sharp, and Ovi is at a goal a game pace so far. John Carlson is giving the Caps no reason to miss Mike Green. Yeah, Washington looks really good right now. #6 San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 1; -5) The bad news first: The Sharks have dropped two blowouts. Now, the good news: Martin Jones would still be a Vezina finalist at this stage with his .957 save percentage and 1.18 goals against average. This is still a team with a serious shot to win the Pacific Division. I do not think many saw that coming. #5 Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 8; +3) I am not going to beat a team up over losses to the Islanders and Blues. So far, the Jets look like the real deal. I do not see any major weaknesses to this team. Blake Wheeler is off to a blazing start with excellent two-way play, and the goaltending has been good. I have a hard time imagining this team being swept out of the playoffs again. #4 Nashville Predators (Last Week: 5; +1) It is hard to score on this team. Pekka Rinne is one of the best goaltenders in the game, and Shea Weber and Roman Josi are two of the best defensemen in the game. They have all played like it too. The Central Division is probably hockey's toughest, and the Preds are a legitimate threat to win it. #3 New York Islanders (Last Week: 17; +14) Aside from the Blue Jackets, the teams the Islanders have beaten during their four game winning streak are high quality opponents. Their record may not be quite as good as a couple of teams behind them, but this team is playing some of the NHL's best hockey right now. #2 Dallas Stars (Last Week: 13; +11) The Stars are still scoring, and it is becoming harder and harder to doubt their goaltending. I still find it hard to put complete faith in the tandem of Antii Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, but I cannot criticize them right now. They have played well. In fact, this team is doing everything well. #1 Montreal Canadiens (Last Week: 3; +2) Who else was going to be here? This is the only team to win every game so far. The Habs have been around since 1909 and have never won this many games to start a season. Last year, the team had trouble scoring, but not this year, as new captain Max Pacioretty leads the way with nine points. Is this the year? For more of the Professor's musings on the game of hockey, visit thesmacattack.com!

Thanks a lot. I really would have liked to have included a bit more information about Demers's entry into politics, but it was kind of hard to find. I was glad to at least have the connection between him and Mahovlich to include.

On Monday, Canadians will go to the polls to elect the nation's 42nd Parliament. As a result, it is impossible to watch a Canadian broadcast of an NHL game without being exposed to a barrage of related ads. In honor of the upcoming election, I thought it might be appropriate to take a look at five former NHL stars who ended up (nearly) entering politics in the Great White North. The most recent member of this club is none other than Montreal Canadiens legend Ken Dryden. Dryden was chosen by none other than then-Prime Minister Paul Martin to run as a star candidate in the Toronto area riding of York Centre. Dryden was elected handily with nearly 55% of the vote and a margin of over 11,000 votes. Following his election, Dryden was named Minister of Social Development and even ran for the leadership of the Liberal party after Martin's resignation. In 2006 and 2008, Dryden won re-election, but by a reduced margin each time, winning by barely 2,000 votes on the latter occasion. Following that campaign, Dryden's luck ran out. When the Greater Toronto Area was washed in blue for the first time in he history of the modern Conservative Party, Dryden was one of the victims of the surge. Can you imageine the schedule that would result from being an NHL player and an MP at the same time? Red Kelly can. He maintained that schedule through two minority governments during the 1960's, representing the riding of York West from 1963-65. As is the case with any politician, Kelly had opponents. Ironically, at one point, Conn Smythe, the owner of the Maple Leafs (whom Kelly played for at the time), was one of those opponents. During the Great Flag Debate of 1963-64, Kelly was a supporter of Prime Minister Lester Pearson's campaign to adopt the Maple Leaf flag as Canada's official standard, while Conn Smythe was utterly opposed to the move as a strict monarchist. Kelly likely would have won a third term as an MP in 1965, but chose to stand down rather than run for the 27th Parliament. If we take a step further back into history, we come across a man who participated in politics at both the provincial and Federal levels, Hall of Fame defenseman Lionel Conacher. In 1937, Conacher was elected to the Ontario Provincial Parliament as the member for the Bracondale riding. He lost the riding nomination for the 1943 election to a Toronto city alderman, E.C. Bogart. That might have been just as well for Conacher, as Bogart lost the election to the CCF candidate. Two years later, Conacher made his first attempt to enter the federal parliament, but was defeated in Trinity. In 1949, on his second attempt, he was successful and was re-elected in 1953. Conacher died in office not long into his second term, however, while playing in a sotball game pitting MP's against the parliamentary press gallery. After hitting a triple, he collapsed, and despite the efforts of a fellow MP who was also a doctor, Conacher was pronounced dead within minutes, only one day before he was to attend his daughter's university graduation. Our next member of the political gallery was not an MP but a Senator. Frank Mahovlich was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Jean Chretien, where he served for over 14 years. "The Big M" was probably known as much for his silence as anything during his time in the Upper Chamber, as he spoke on few occasions, and those speeches were often short. Mahovlich retired from the body in December of 2012, with the mandatory retirement date of his 75th birthday just around the corner. Not surprisingly, his farewell speech was also short. Jacques Demers never played in the NHL, but he coached in both that league and the WHA. He is also a current Senator and a former colleague of Mahovlich. Demers was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2009. Interestingly enough, Demers credited Mahovlich for making it possible for him to reach the Senate. At the time of Mahovlich's retirement, he credited Frank's jump to the WHA for making it possible, as such stars gave the upstart league, and Demers himself by extension, credibility. The final subject of our glance into politics is at a man who never entered the fray, but he had multiple opportunites, both as a Senator and as the Crown's representative in the government, "Le Gros Bill," Jean Beliveau. On two occasions, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney offered to appoint Believeau to the Senate, but the hockey legend declined. Beliveau was a firm believer that all members of the legislature shuold be elected, and as such, an appointment to the Parliament at any level was unacceptable. Prime Minister Chretien summoned Beliveau to 24 Sussex in 1994, and offered him the position of Governor General of Canada. Since Beliveau is as good as hockey royalty anyway, the offer seemed approprate. Beliveau declined, but his reason was nothing less than honorable. Beliveau was more interested in spending time with his daughter and granddaughters as his son-in-law, a former Quebec City police officer had committed suicide a few years earlier. Showing the quality of his character, Beliveau said, “I strongly believe it is my duty to be the father those girls need for the next five years or so. What I told Mr. Chrétien was that to take my wife and move to Ottawa would be deserting my family.” His state funeral, where the above photo was taken was well-deserved. Hockey and politics are both full contact sports and can engender deep emotions, so these crossovers seem appropriate. Full honor is due to those who serve their nation, so long as the service is rendered faithfullly and for the right reasons. Maybe even more honorable is the attitude of men like Jean Beliveau who put family above all else.

No place in the world exports more potash and uranium as the Canadian province Saskatchewan. Minerals, however, are not the only product that comes from the land of “Easy to Draw, Hard to Spell,” as the center Prairie province also leads the world in the production of NHL players per capita. Despite the number of players that come from Saskatchewan, the province has never been home to an NHL team. While its population is not that much lower than that of its neighbor, Manitoba, Saskatchewan lacks something that Manitoba has – a city like Winnipeg which is home to a majority of its population. Rather, Saskatoon (metro population 260,000) and Regina (metro population 210,000) are its largest cities. Incredibly, despite those comparatively small urban centers, had one NHL owner had his way years ago, the NHL would have set up shop in the rectangular province. The year is 1976. Emile Francis, a native of, you guessed it, Saskatchewan is hired as the GM of the St. Louis Blues. The team is in poor financial shape, and Francis successfully appealed to the St. Louis-based Ralston Purina company to purchase the team. Ralston Purina’s chairman, R. Hal Dean agreed to the purchase only because it appeared that it was the only way to keep the team in the city, so the purchase was more viewed as a civic duty than a business decision. When Dean retired in 1982, his replacement, William Stiritz had a far different view of the team. Stiritz saw a division of a company that was hemorrhaging cash, and decided to put the team up for sale. It appeared that the team would be leaving St. Louis, but I doubt anyone could have expected the destination their new prospective owners would choose: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. A group led by Bill Hunter, one of the founders of the WHA, and a former owner of the Edmonton Oilers reached an agreement to purchase the team from Ralston Purina. An arrangement was in place to break ground for an 18,000 seat arena, and everything seemed primed for the hockey world to meet the Saskatoon Blues. The news that the team had been sold came as a shock to the team’s fan base in St. Louis on January 12, 1983, but it might have been a bigger shock to the team. The Blues were, appropriately enough, in Edmonton on a road trip when they received word of the pending sale on December 7. It was a devastating shock wave to the team, who collapsed down the stretch to post one of the worst records in team history. The idea of moving the team to Saskatoon was widely mocked. Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard poked fun at the idea and the city by quipping, “I don’t want to be taking dogleds to get around. Francis requested to be released from his contract and his desire was granted. Despite the resistance and mockery offered by many, however, the deal was close. It was only one hurdle away from Hunter’s dream coming true. All that was left was approval by the NHL Board of Governors. That approval would be denied in emphatic fashion. The vote against the sale was an overwhelming 15-3. No doubt the city’s small population played a role in the denial, but Hunter was also persona non grata in the NHL because of his earlier association and involvement with the WHA. Speaking of being told no, Hunter said, “I was braced for it, even half expecting it. Still I was unprepared for the weight that tiny little syllable would drop on my shoulders.” The drama was not over for the Blues. They still had an unwilling owner – one that had become angry, at that. On May 24, Ralston Purina filed a $60 million anti-trust lawsuit against the league, NHL President John Zeigler, and the owners that voted against the sale or abstained. On June 3, the company announced that they would not remain in hockey and had no intention to continue operating the team, and said they would leave it to the NHL to “remit any proceeds from a dissolution or sale to the company.” Further, Ralston Purina refused to authorize team personnel to participate in the 1983 draft. Some team executives went to Montreal on their own dime, believing that permission would eventually be granted, but it was not to be. The Blues did not participate in the draft and forfeited their draft picks. To this day, no team has ever boycotted another NHL draft. In response to the move, the NHL filed a $78 million counter claim against Ralston Purina, claiming that the company wrongly damaged “the league by willfully, wantonly and maliciously collapsing its St. Louis Blues hockey operation.” Soon the owners named in Ralston Purina’s suit filed a similar lawsuit. For its part, the company threatened to dissolve the team and sell off assets and players, which brought the threat of a lawsuit from the NHLPA if the players positions were lost. To avoid losing a team and another lawsuit, the NHL took ownership of the Blues from Ralston Purina for violations of the league constitution. It was announced that the league would try to keep the team in St. Louis, but with such a fluid situation, no guarantee could be given. Zeigler said the league would likely not operate the franchise itself, meaning the team was not out of the woods. However, an ownership bid from a group led by businessman Harry Ornest was accepted just before the team was to be disbanded. Ornest bought the team for $12 million (a sum that would eventually be transferred to Ralston Purina after a settlement of the lawsuits), and the Checkerdome from Ralston Purina for $5 million. After the confusion, stunningly, the team was ready for opening day of the 1983-84 season. The Blues saga was quite dramatic to say the least. It nearly saw the team move to the most unlikely of cities, then nearly saw the collapse of the team. Nearly forgotten today, the Saskatoon Blues nearly changed the landscape of the NHL as we know it. Now we are left only with the “what if’s.”

@WingNut722 My apologies for being so slow in responding. Yeah, I don't think I'll ever forget that day. I think it left a mark on all of us. The feeling of having the air sucked out of a perfectly beautiful day is still chilling to me as well. It left a mark on those of us who lived through it.

Some drafts have one player that stands out above all others. In those years, the advantage of a poor season is obvious, and teams that have bad records down the stretch are often criticized for tanking. Regardless of how one feels about the subject, it is impossible not to recognize that the "strategy" sometimes has its advantages. In the 1983-84 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost 12 of their last 14 games -- including their last six -- just bad enough to finish three points below the New Jersey Devils for the league's worst record. Their futility was handsomely rewarded. Their prize? Mario Lemieux. Some immediate improvement took place. The Penguins managed only 38 points in the standings in their last season before Lemieux, a total they increased to 53 points in his rookie season and 76 in his second season. The team did not go without struggles in the early years of the Lemieux era, but their new superstar had brought the team back from the edge of irrelevancy. Being on the brink is something Mario Lemieux is no stranger to. Personally, I find it hard to entertain arguments for anyone one other than four players as the greatest of all-time. Lemieux is one of those players. A look at his career statistics explain why. Only three players have ever scored 80+ goals in a season. He is one of them. Only Wayne Gretzky has ever scored 200+ points in a season, but of everyone else, Lemieux came the closest, once posting a 199 point season. He led the league in goals three times, scoring at least 50 six times and at least 60 four times. He lead the league in assists three times, and in points six times. He was a great goal-scorer, a great playmaker, and a big,strong body who could impose his will on the opponents. I would argue, however, that the true measure of Mario Lemieux's greatness was not his accolades on the ice. Those made him a great player, but what made him an inspiration is his resiliency and literal "never say die" attitude.In 1992, the Penguins won their second consecutive Stanley Cup with a Finals sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks. It would have been easy to conclude they were headed for a dynasty. They were on top of the hockey world, and they had the world's greatest player at the time. The dynasty did not happen, but that was nearly the least of their concerns. The good news for Mario Lemieux in January of 1993 was that his condition had been caught early, and did not appear to be life-threatening. The bad news was that he had been diagnosed with cancer. Anyone who has ever heard the word spoken to themselves or a loved one knows how devastating it is. Sadly, many also know how tragically wrong things can go. While generally optimistic about the situation, one of the oncologists that treated Lemieux still offered a word of caution. "It is a cancer, and all types of cancer are very serious. As a cancer, it can become life-threatening," said Dennis Meisner of Shady-side Hospital. Meisner also warned that the cancer could always move to other parts of the body, and said that the radiation treatments given to Lemieux could cause weight loss and fatigue -- two things a hockey player certainly could not afford if he wanted to compete. The 1992-93 season was the end of an era in some respects. From the mid-to-late 70s through that season, scoring in the NHL had been at a historically high level. Nine players ecclipsed the 125 point mark, while 21 reached at least 100. Those numbers make what Mario Lemieux did that season even more mind-boggling. The fact that Super Mario missed only 24 games that season is amazing enough. The fact that he led the league in scoring, even more so. Pat LaFontaine and Adam Oates both had MVP-caliber seasons, with each scoring career highs in points with 148 and 142, respectively, yet their 84-game totals fell well short of Lemieux's 60-game total of 160 points. Alexander Mogilny and Teemu Selanne led the league in goals that season with 76, but no one else topped Lemieux's total of 69. If those numbers are not impressive enough for you, consider these: Had he played a full 84-game schedule, Le Magnifique set a pace that would have set NHL single season records with 97 goals, and 224 points. Incredible as it seems, a strong case can be made that the greatest single season in NHL history was posted by a guy who had cancer. One cannot help but wonder what his stats would have been without the effects of the disease and the treatment. Mario Lemieux is a fighter. He fought back from cancer. Later, he fought back from injuries to make a limited, but still fairly successful comeback. He fought off all the problems that life could throw at him. Mario Lemieux was a winner on the ice, but he is more than that. As a man who fought back from the brink, he is an inspiration for us all.