Entry 27: Top 25 Centers Heading into the 2011-2012 Season

I decided to dedicate this entry to the top 25 centers going into the league next season.  I have a lot of ideas for blogs that I have been meaning to write and am planning to write.  The Power Rangers one is about half way done, A Face in the Macabre Part II, Top 25 for the other positions of the NHL, Season Predictions, and an Entry on the new Thunder Cats cartoon.  The ideas are all there, it's just having the time to write them.  Anyway, today is a:

I looked for the most generic picture of Hockey I could possibly find.  Anyway, here's the list, counting down:

HM's: Roy, Plekanec, Riberio, Briere, Zajac, and Pavelski.
Briere missed the list because I'm not sure how he'll peform as a center the entire season, Riberio missed the list because he's TOO one dimensional, Zajac, Plekanec, and Roy were all very close.

25: David Krejci:
It's hard to pinpoint the players around here, because from like 20-30 are all pretty close, but Krecji is well deserving of his spot as 25, he was crucial to the Bruins post season run going nearly a PPG, posting almost at a PPG pace during the regular season, being a very good +/- player, being a strong physical presence, and a good defensive center.  Well deserving of this spot.

24.  Paul Statsny:
I find that the legendary Peter Statsny's son goes underrated around the NHL, true he got an all star game nod, but the guy goes silently about his business while racking up really impressive numbers.  Statsny's a responsible two way player, who puts up respectable numbers, who have declined slightly because of playing on such an atrocious Avalanche team, and playing behind Matt Duchene.

23.  Jason Spezza:
With the fall of the Senators, this rather decorated center has falling out of the lime light.  He's overpaid, he's becoming more injury prone, and his defense has a poor reputation.  However, Spezza still posts almost at a PPG clip, his defense has improved significantly, and all this on a very bad Senators team.  He's well deserving of this spot.

22.  Matt Duchene:
The other center of the Aves' 1-2 punch has been very solid the last two seasons, last season finishing well above the rest of his teammates.  He plays a good two way game, he's not Joe Sakic, but he's as close they'll get.

21. John Tavares:
Tavares is the Islanders.  Plain and simple.  He's practically their entire offense, and performs admirably for being such a young player.  Tavares numbers will increase greatly with more offensive support.

Carter's on the left

20.  Jeff Carter:
Carter's an offensively prolific player, being something in the top 5 in goals scored in the last few seasons.  He now has an opportunity to play with one of the beloved, and underrated wingers(how is that possible?) in the game, Rick Nash.  Both players are natural goalscorers, so chemistry is already being called into question, but the duo is highly anticipated.

19. Vincent Lecavalier:
Vinny had a bit of a renaissance this season, as his numbers improved and he wasn't as injury prone.  Leacavlier's numbers dipped in recent seasons due to chronic wrist ailments and such, but he seems to finally be returning to form.

18.  Patrice Bergeron:
Who some people call the true captain of the Bruins, Bergeron is a darn good two way center, one of the best of the game, and was absolutely amazing in the playoffs this season.  He's a consistent point producer, and always has a very good +/-.  If Tim Thomas wasn't as amazing as he was, Bergeron would have been highly considered for the Conn Smythe this year.

17.  Mike Richards:
The former Flyers Captain plots down around number 17, (Carter's old number ironically), where he'll likely anchor the second line in Los Angeles this year.  Richards is a perennial top 5 defensive forward in the league, who also is pretty consistent for about 25-30 goals a season.

16.  Mikko Koivu:
The captain of the Wild is generally pretty underrated, as the Wild really haven't made much noise lately.  He's a good Number 1 center who is almost always about at a PPG clip, and plays a generally solid two way game.

15.  Claude Giroux:
A lot of pressure is being placed on Giroux this season as he is expected to anchor Philadelphia's first line.  But in the past season, Giroux had a really impressive season, performing almost at a PPG pace, playing strong on both sides of the ice, and being a good Special Teams performer.  It'll be a showing season for Giroux.

14.  Brad Richards:
The crown jewel of the Free Agency market, Brad Richards finds himself on Broadway this season, the former Conn Smythe winner just finished a stint in Dallas, and generally performs over a PPG clip.  He has a booming shot, and can be used as a Power Play Quarterback, Richards should perform very well in New York this season.

13.  Nicklas Backstrom:
Backstrom is considered one of the premier play makers in the NHL, however he had a slumping season last year, and generally, people attest his impressive point production to Alex Ovechkin, his Superstar linemate.  But regardless, Backstrom should have a bounce back year and return to more familiar numbers.

12.  Ryan Kesler:
I almost had Kesler at Number 11, but the reason I could not bring myself to do it was because of the fact that he plays behind the Sedins.  He generally plays against less fierce talent as they do, and thusly has more inflated numbers.  However, even with that stated, Kesler is a premier two way forward, who was on a Conn Smythe quest, and won a Selke this season.  I wouldn't be surprised if his stock improves over the next season or two.

11.  Anze Kopitar:
Kopitar really exploded in production in the last two years, and has been probably the most prolific offensive player the Kings have seen since Palffy, or maybe even Robataille.  Kopitar is a good two way player, and the best Slovenian hockey player in the world....(And it's not even close.)  He and Richards promise to be a menacing 1-2 Punch this season.

10.  Joe Thornton:
7-10 Were particularly hard to rank, but the reason why Thornton is 10 and not 7, is because he simply isn't clutch in the playoffs.  This was by far his best post season to date, but the fact is, he still can't lift his Sharks into the finals.  Thornton is a prolific scorer, top 5 since the lock out, but he's simply not clutch.  There's a reason why he's called the Tin Man.

9.  Eric Staal:
Staal has truly become the face of the Hurricanes taking the mantle from Brind'amour and before him, Francis.  He's already got a Stanley Cup ring to his collection, and is one of the most well respected players in the league, while posting at a PPG, or almost at a PPG pace, for the last few seasons.

8.  Jonathan Toews:
The most overrated Hockey player in the game today, bar none.  Toews was ranked the third best player in the game in last year's The Hockey News magazine, and in Puck Daddy's recent top 25 center's ranking, which inspired this one, he was ranked third there too.  I love Toews, he reminds me of Yzerman-lite, but the fact is, the man hasn't reached the PPG mark, nor has he scored more than 40 goals.  Instead, his ranking comes from his intangibles, hence being called "Captain Intangibles."  I think Toews is one of the best young leaders in the NHL, playing Selke caliber hockey, and already has a Conn Smythe to his name (and this is why he's ahead of Thornton and Staal, because he actually is very clutch), but he's very overrated.

7.  Henrik Zetterberg:
Pavel Datsyuk was injured for most of the regular season last year, causing future Red Wings captain, Zetterberg to put the team on his oft-injured back.  The result was finishing 3rd in the conference, and finishing at a PPG clip.  Zetterberg isn't as graceful as he used to be, but he backchecks doggedly, is considered the most clutch player in the league, second only to maybe Daniel Briere, and would have several Selke's to his name if it weren't for Pavel Datsyuk, and already has a Conn Smythe to his name.

6.  Ryan Getzlaf:
Getzlaf is a nasty player, puts up over a PPG pace, consistent +/- player, good on the PK and PP, and is the face of the Anaheim Ducks franchise.  Getzlaf is a damn good hockey player, and he's the perfect center for the best line in the game right now.

5.  Henrik Sedin:
How ironic that I put Jumbo Joe at number 10 for his lack of playoff performance, but am putting Sedin at number 5 for his.  The difference is, when Sedin's brother Daniel was injured in the 2010 season, he put the team on his back and earned the Hart and Art Ross trophies without him, silencing the critics that the Sedin Twins couldn't perform alone.  And unlike Thornton, he puts up better numbers, and has actually made the finals, coming one game away from winning the cup.  Sedin is well deserving of his spot.

4.  Steven Stamkos:
Stamkos has had two very strong seasons, but the reason he's being put at 4 and not 3, when 3 has more reason to be lower on the list is because of two reasons:  For being as a big of Stamkos fan as I am, I feel like his production is greatly inflated by perhaps the best pure play maker in the game, St. Louis.  AND, because his production seriously tapered off in the last half of the season last year.  Stamkos has a lot of growing to do, but within three years has proven that he's a top 5 player in the game, and almost helped his Lightning from being one game away from the Stanley Cup finals last year.

3.  Evgeni Malkin:
Malkin's only had one season where he finished below the PPG mark, and that was last year, and that was because of a lingering injury.  That said, Malkin only played 43 games last year.  But, without having a "what have you done for me lately" mentality, no one takes over a game like Evgeni Malkin does, as evidenced by his playoff perfomance in 2009, Malkin should return to the 11/12 season back to form, and proving why he's a top 3 center in the league.

2. Pavel Datsyuk:
Pavel Datsyuk is the most well rounded player in the world.  Datsyuk was a monster in last year's post season, single handedly man handling the Phoenix Coyotes, making them look like CHL players.  Datsyuk would have probably won his 4th consecutive Selke Trophy last season if it weren't for his wrist injury that caused him to miss 26 games last year.  Fact is, Datsyuk is good for PPG production, while being the best defensive forward in the game leading the league in take aways and having an impressive +/-, while being probably the best deker in the league, bar none.

1.  Sidney Crosby:
Crosby went down early last season to nagging concussions, but before that?  Crosby was on a pace that had been unseen in years, putting up 66 points in 41 games.  Crosby was on a tear, and poised to take home the Art Ross, the Hart, and the Richard trophies.  Crosby is truly the undisputed best player in the world, already having two finals appearances, a Stanley Cup, a bunch of hardware, and improving on all aspects of the game.

Entry 26: Random Acts of Kindness

Today's thrilling entry of blogometry pertains to the enticing subject of random acts of kindness.  Now I know I said I'd write about Power Rangers or continue my thrilling, but prolly poorly written story(So like most thrillers), but today's entry is based off a personal experience that happened to me recently.  And since no one actually reads my blogs for the content, I'm just going to do what I feel like.

The story goes like this:  I'm running an errand for my brother by picking up groceries at the local Giant grocery market, and as I walk to my vehicle, I notice an older woman, probably mid to late 30's putting away her luggage.  I wasn't particularly the most jubilant of people around this time for one reason or another, but I saw she had a plethora, that is to say heaps of groceries to put away.  So despite my not really wanting to, I extended my good intentions into helping her put them away, maybe shaving a little time off of her trip to the grocery market.  She, as I should have probably expected, turned me down, but the noteworthy thing, and the point of this entry is that she was surprised and almost alarmed by my offer.  And that leads to the topic of the blog.  Are random acts of kindness really that unusual and unprecedented?  Now, I'm sure the more critical reader would wonder why someone who wasn't in a good mood would extend such a charitable offer.  Well, simply put, this supposed selflessness came on the merit of karma.  That is to say, I felt like I needed a little more favoring from the cosmic scale of good and evil, not that I necessarily believe in such a thing, but it was the notion that crossed my inner brow at the time.  Anyway, sociologically speaking, is it truly that peculiar for one person to do unto others as you would have them do unto you?  I know I'd want someone to help me with my groceries if I were having a rough day, and I can only assume I didn't appear to be a miscreant.  Our American society has been molded on core "Christian" beliefs, beliefs that are supposed to derive from the Bible.  A book that puts magnificent stress on the principle of kindness, from Luke 6:35, "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back."  Now I'm not a religious man, not even close, but with a society that was forged on such principled good intentions, why is it that in this day and age, random acts of kindness are so seemingly unprecedented.  I mean, in hindsight, I'm not actually that surprised that she was so surprised by my magnanimous offer, and I suppose I don't have a proposed resolution to this rhetoric, or a point really, rather merely an observation of our culture.  With everything stated, in southern U.S states and European countries, if you enter a store, hospitality and politeness are the first things extended to the consumer, but in our North Eastern culture, it's much more independent and such.  Could that perhaps be a reflection of the culture in which I write of?  I'm not proposing one is better than the other, and I'm not writing of what is right and wrong.  I'm merely penning my observations on to this blog.  In any case, that's something for you readers to mull over and think about.  This isn't a call to arms, nor a farewell to arms(Hemingway jokes are really funny), but merely a question of random acts of kindness.

Entry 25: Thor and Green Lantern.

Hey readers, how are we doing today?  I'm back in sunny PA, and I actually mean that sort of literally, because it rained an awful lot in Boston, and I'm here to weigh in my opinion...

on some serious business.  And when I say serious business, I mean SERIOUS BUSINESS.  We're talking film adaptations of comic book characters.  So let's crack our knuckles,

and get right down to business.

Firstly, let's discuss Thor.

Except he looks a little more like this in the movie:

Okay, just to provide a little back story on the character, he's obviously based on the Norse mythologies, the character was created by the great Stan Lee, and the late great, Jack "The King" Kirby.  Thor is essentially Marvel's answer to Superman, in that he's capable of many great supernatural abilities, mostly thanks to his god-like superhuman abilities, and mjolnir.  His magical hammer which grants him flight, weather manipulation, and other great abilities.  Thor has a pretty fleshed out universe, with his primary nemesis being the prankster Loki, but has other great villains such as the Asgardian Destroyer, Enchantress, and the Wrecking Crew.  Thor has also been a staple of the Avengers since their very inception.  

Okay, so discussing the movie now.  


So.  In my opinion, Thor is actually kind of a dull character.  Like.  He's a little bland at times, but the writers and staff of this film certainly drew everything they could from the character, and Chris Hemsworth's performance was very good and very convincing and very heroic.   Keneth Branagh was a very interesting director for this film, considering his background is very Shakespearean in repertoire, and chose to direct a film about a god amongst men.  Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins were great supporting characters as well, with Hiddleston being a very good and convincing Loki.  Natalie Portman(My well established celebrity crush)  was absolutely breath taking during this movie.  I needed a personal respirator just to get me through her very strong performance as astro-physicist Jane Foster.  Her performance was very convincing, and the love story between her and Chris Hemsworth was the drive of the film.  A good love story is usually the drive for most good action films....(Unless you're watching like the Terminator or something).  Anyway, I know this is a very late review, but I strongly endorse Thor for any viewer who hasn't seen it yet.


Moving on, Green Lantern.

I think this is the third blog that's had the Green Lantern brought up?  Because of this, I won't go into the backstory, I'll just get right to the review.  If you really feel the need to research his backstory, just check back like 3-5 entries or so.  Anyway.  Green Lantern!

If you read anything about the film, it was critically universally panned.  After watching the film, I can tell you it was basically just average.  Like, the script was cheesy, the editing was subpar, and "Parallax" looked atrociously bad.  But the special effects were OKAY, Ryan Reynolds was enjoyable, and if they didn't try to put so much into an hour and a half film, it could have been better.  Unlike Thor, the love story is quite possibly the most crippling element to it.  It was just very, very uninteresting and cheesy.  Like I said, a strong love story has to be the center of your action film.  It grounds it.  The Green Lantern is a fantastic epic, and to ground such an unreal concept, you need a gripping love story, and the Green Lantern certainly took a swing at it, and missed.  But  Ryan Reynolds performance made the film OKAY.




Anyway,  That's it for this entry.  Next time I'll write about either Power Rangers or write the second installment of "The Face in the Macabre."  Also, read Caleb's article about turning twenty-one.  It's really good.




Cheers!

Fax About Me #III: Turning 21

Instead of telling everyone about how my 21st birthday went, I decided to write a blog about it from beginning to now. The night itself felt like it flew by as if it only lasted a couple minutes. I hope I can remember enough of it to tell you all about it.

Being Responsible

On the day of my birthday, I had to work at 7:30 in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon. So there was no way I was going to go out the night before. I had waited 21 years, I could wait another couple of hours. By the time 11 pm rolled around I was beat, but I had to stay up to see the first Facebook notifications I would get at Midnight. At around 12:15 I clocked out so I could clock into work in the morning. I work at day camp, where every day is a different theme. The theme on my birthday ended up being one of my favorite things in the world: the Muppets. I helped plan said day and it was a huge success!! I was Kermit, of course, and like all main characters, I had kids trying to pull off my costume. After the work day was over, I had to go home and wash all the green dye out of my hair. Then all I did was wait. I waited and waited until I left at 8:30.

Being Less Responsible

I got there early because I was excited, Devin and Kevin did not. While we waited for Kevin who was tied up at the moment, Devin gave me my first legal drink. The Culprit? A Mongolian Mother. I learned that a Mongolian Mother had 7 different types of alcohol in it (including a vodka that is the second most potent vodka in the world) and is equal to about 4 beers. Well, I had two along with a Swedish fish and Big Red. When Kevin showed up, I was already feeling it. So what did Kevin do? He ordered me a soco with a jager bomb. We said our goodbyes to Devin and moved from Starters to Mcgrady's. As I walked in, I remember the bouncer saying something like "Happy Birthday, don't puke on my floor!"

This is where the story gets a little more fuzzy. I met a table of people sitting with Matty that probably hated how obnoxious I was by the end of the night. I then had a beer and two Alabama Slammas. Kevin brought a girl over to give me a kiss on the cheek for my birthday. When she said "It's your 21st?" I said "Yeah" and whipped out my ID, that I dropped straight into a pitcher of beer. It was almost as if I tried to do it. But to get back on track, the people I met were Nikki, Jenna, Matta, John, James, Jake, Jeff, Val, Brian and Norv. I am so good at remembering names! I remember that I kept hitting the table and John kept yelling at me for it. I said "Sorry" like I did about a million times that night. I do not know how it happened, but one of the times that I hit the table, I hit over two beers which dumped on Nikki's phone. By this time, I was totally "that guy" and I felt like everyone hated me. But at the same time, I feel like everyone understood. The waitress came up and asked me about some guy that didn't pay, I don't know how I knew who it was...but I figured out that it was Jeff. Me being me, I searched the place up and down for him but could not find him.
Norv looked like the Bassist from Protest the Hero

I remember leaving, but I do not remember why we had to leave. I would have liked to stay longer. We stopped at Taco bell and I got 3 tacos which I probably got all over Kevin's car. After that we went to Jake's place and hung out. James and Jake played Magic with Molly and Val, while Kevin and I just hung out. It was an anticlimactic end to a good night, but it is what it is. Now that I a retelling the story, I am actually amazed at how much I do not remember. This is because when I woke up, I felt like I remember every detail of the night.

The Morning After

I woke up with a really dry mouth and a little bit of an upset stomach. However, once I got in Kevin's car I felt bright eyed and bushy tailed. I was amazed at how perfectly fine I really felt. When I got home I took a look at myself in the mirror and there was just something different about me. Normally when people ask "Happy Birthday, feel any older?" I respond with a "No, not really." This time was different. This time, I'm not a kid anymore.

Entry 24: A Face In The Macabre: Part 1.

It was a quarter til three.  The darkness of the unknown had engulfed my slumber time nest.  I couldn't see anything neither here nor there, but as my head rested gently on my fool proof pillow, the shadows on the wall  danced.  I dare not mutter a word and interrupt their cadaverous ballet.  I dare not stare and vindicate their somber profession.  The only light and colors I see are the flashing brilliance of the phosphenes within my own eyelids.  The room, so silent that the only sound I can hear is the benign breathing of my own lungs, inhaling and exhaling to no particular rhythm.  No apparent smell, nor extraordinary feeling nor taste.  Just the gentle nodding off of a man with his meandering thoughts, sound of mind, preparing for another evening of a gentle sleep, caressed by the sound of nothingness.  At least, that'd be the usual repertoire of my evening in bed.  Tonight, however, the apparent gentle atmosphere of my personal propinquity has been amiss on this gentle July evening.  For a vagrant presence has made itself known within the sanctity of my room.  As I lie motionless, my peace of mind has been contravened.  Despite the fact that my basic senses, all functioning as well as can be expected, aren't detecting any sort of intrusion, my intuition and would be "sixth sense" sounds off a blaring internal signal, forbidding me from truly nodding off into the good night.  I feel as if I'm being watched as I lay, and I dare not move, nor dare I make a peep less I run the risk of being ambushed by the arcane assailant.  I dare not open my eyes, less I make a rendezvous with destiny.  A most inopportune rendezvous.  So I lie, and I listen, and I wait.  But I find myself focused on my impending doom, my unquestioned peril, and my catastrophic calamity, for in my wildest thoughts I somehow reason with myself, that for if I let my thoughts stray, I will experience an unrelenting onslaught of hellish fury unprecedented and unparalleled.  This is the second straight night of my firm conviction, and the previous evening was no different.  I lied in still silence until dawn until the feeling subsided, and I was able to look into my dimly lit room to acknowledge how safe it actually was.  However, the jeopardy that my life was in, and the anxiety that my state of mind was experiencing wouldn't allow me to fall to sleep that quickly, and I had school to attend soon, certainly I hadn't done anything to warrant this influx of psychological unrest.  Truly there was no question of my impending doom.  But as I lie here, as I had the night before, the gentle chill of what is otherwise unknown races up my spine as fast as the beads of sweat roll down my temples.  I've never experienced such exhaust in my life time. Hours have gone by since my bed sheets had first been clenched by my nerve wrecked grasp.  And finally, an overwhelming feeling of relief fills the room as birds begin to sing outside.  I hear my mother on the main floor of my humble abode preparing for the day.  I realize that the evening from hell was over, and I had survived another night.  My hands relax, and my heart impedes.  I sit up slowly to look around my room, to acknowledge my safe whereabouts noticing not a thing different.  But as I lie back down, a chill arouses the hair on my arms once more.  I stare upon my plain ceiling to notice something I hadn't before.  The smallest, most insignificant writing had appeared on my inner chamber's ceiling.  The writing was small, and would otherwise be unnoticeable, but the message itself was haunting, and validated my grievous of fears.  It affirmed that things do go boom in the night, and that my morose suspicions were not only fact, but life threatening as well.  As I felt my heart accelerate once more, and perspiration dampen my forehead, I can only lie and wonder, "Am I still alone?"