Canada has won the Spengler Cup for the 11th time since it began entering teams in the tournament in 1984. The win came today as Canada edged off Russian club Salavat Yulaev Ufa to win the 81st Spengler Cup tournament.

Canada’s team is mostly comprised of former NHLers that now play on European clubs.

“It’s not absolutely the best team Canada can put together, but these guys are just as proud to wear the Canadian sweater as the top guys,” said coach Sean Simpson. “They got their chance to show what they can do.”

This year, the Canadian team won all five of its games in six days, a compelling feat for a team that had just come together briefly before the tournament’s start date. Their win over Salavat Yulaev Ufa is even more impressive when one considers that the Russian squad plays together all year.

Curtis Joseph, the 40-year old NHL veteran, stood tall between the pipes for Canada in the tournament. He helped Canada close the door in the third period of today’s tournament.

Coach Simpson beamed about his team after the win. “Certainly we have Cujo and some guys who have played many NHL games, like Travis Green, but a lot of guys have never played in the NHL, or just a few games, and they still get to wear the shirt and compete for Canada,” said Simpson. “I think that’s really great.”

Simpson had former NHL star Doug Gilmour as well as Jim Koleff as his assistants.

Former NHL players on the team included Yannick Tremblay, Domenic Pittis, Marty Murray, Ramzi Abid and Yves Sarault, while Simon Gamache was on loan from the AHL Toronto Marlies and defenceman Danny Syvret from the AHL Springfield Falcons.

The NHL, it seems, has been in constant recovery mode from the ills of past seasons and past blunders. There is no escaping the idea that the National Hockey League has a bit of a tarnished legacy, despite showcasing the greatest game on earth. With the lockout of 2004-2005 still a bitter aftertaste in most mouths, recovery was a necessity for Bettman and his ironclad team of owners.

It was time to win back the fans.

Subsequent years saw a slew of rule changes that were aimed at amping up the offensive magic of the game. Changes were made that made the players more open to fan interaction, including more interviews and more of a focus on the personal lives of hockey players. Hockey celebrities were created in hopes to capture some of the glitz and glamour of the lives of the players because, as we all know, there is no sports figure on earth more glamourous than a hockey player. Still, these changes seemed to come up a bit short when it came to injecting passion into the game. More importantly, it seemed to Bettman and the boys that passion was something that just couldn’t be bought.

Along came 2007.

The real change came in a natural rush of speed, talent, and shockingly good looks. Youth was going to usher in the new NHL in a splashy display of top-notch offensive talent and skill.

Sure, Sidney Crosby had arrived before, but 2007 was really his year overall. He led the Penguins and truly became the new face of hockey with his non-stop performances throughout the past year, leading all scorers and becoming the game’s true focal point, off and on the ice.

Along with Crosby, the NHL offers Alexander Ovechkin, another splashy kid with gobs of upside. The Staal brothers, all three of them, are ones to watch. Don’t forget about Chicago’s resurgence of talent with Patrick Kane and the exciting Jonathon Toews. Then there’s Evgeni Malkin and Paul Stastny. Erik Johnson, too.

With such an incredible recasting of hockey talent, there may well be some hope yet for the NHL to regain its composure and prove to the world that the most exciting game can actually be an enticing sports option in some of the more unlikely markets. Hockey has to win fans on the ice with a product that puts people in seats, plain and simple. All of the gimmickry in the world won’t do that, so it’s a good thing that pure unadulterated talent will.

The drama continues in Ottawa. Goaltender Ray Emery was sent home early from practice yesterday and management says it was because he was sick.

This comes one day after Emery “threw a tantrum.” On Thursday, before the Senators were to play the New York Islanders, Emery showed up for the morning skate and took to the ice late when Ottawa no longer had any goaltenders out practicing. As Emery left the ice, he smashed a row of water bottles with his stick and tossed it into the stands.

A day later, on Friday, Emery showed up five minutes before the practice session and was promptly sent home. The Senators practiced with a necktie in place of Emery.

“He got here a little bit late, he wasn’t feeling good,” Senators coach John Paddock said. “He wanted to go practice, but I told him not to. It was best he went home for the day.” Paddock added that he fully expected Emery to return to practice on Saturday and that he would back up Martin Gerber as the Sens host the Washington Capitals. Paddock wasn’t around to see the “tantrum” incident but heard about it afterward and said general manager Bryan Murray addressed it with Emery.

“I didn’t talk to (Emery), I know the gist of their conversation,” Paddock said. “It’s an issue that Bryan dealt with him on and I’ve nothing more to say on it.”

Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson was a little more insightful regarding the incident. “To get considered for a start, (the coaching staff) is looking for (Emery) to show that he wants to be in there,” Alfredsson told the Ottawa Sun. “You have to work hard in practice to show that you want to play. That’s what most players do when they’re not playing and the goalies are no different.”

Most of the players in Ottawa feel that Emery isn’t a distraction from the game at the moment, as they rather easily cruise atop the Eastern Conference. Still, one wonders how much longer the Senators will hold on to Emery if the attitude continues. The consensus seems to be that Emery isn’t working hard enough to challenge Gerber for the number one spot and, as a result, is throwing a bit of a hissy fit about his diminished role.

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season with family and friends. I know I did.

Joe Sakic is likely not getting what he asked for under the tree this Christmas, however, as the Colorado Avalanche captain will miss 8-12 weeks after undergoing hernia surgery.

Sakic has been out since November 30th, missing a total of 12 games. Before sitting out on November 30th in a game against the San Jose Sharks, Sakic had compiled seven goals and 15 assists in just 24 games and many hockey pool participants had selected him as being money in the bank. After sitting out, it was expected that the injury would heal properly and that Sakic’s conditioning would be able to help the situation.

“Joe’s rehabilitation has not progressed as anticipated and upon further evaluation the decision has been made to perform surgery in order for him to fully recover,” Avalanche team physician Andy Parker said Thursday.

“After consulting with the doctors we believe this procedure will enable me to return to the lineup,” Sakic said in a statement.

Anything to get Burnaby Joe back in the lineup is good news, but this surely stings for Colorado fans.

To cap off “The Chris Simon Trilogy” here at HockeyDraft.Ca, I will finally close the book on the Chris Simon tale of woe until our next adventure takes place.

Chris Simon has been handed a 30-game suspension from the NHL. At least he gets to set more NHL records. Simon’s 30-game ban is the longest in the modern NHL, breaking the previous record of 25 games held by…….Chris Simon. This is the seventh suspension in Chris Simon’s career. The man who has been suspended for stomping with a skate, a stick attack, kneeing, cross checking, elbowing, cross checking again, and alleged racial remarks (whether he called Mike Grier a “monkey” or the “N-word” doesn’t soften the blow, kids) is arguably the most notoriously dangerous player in the game, at least in the NHL’s modern era.

Chris Simon doesn’t get it. He was supposed to be a hero for kids everywhere, a man who overcame his own demons with alcoholism and rose to the top to win the NHL’s greatest prize, the Stanley Cup. Instead, Simon will be remembered as the guy who forever put himself ahead of his team and the guy who seemingly had a screw loose.

Justification at this point doesn’t matter. There is no justification, just like there was no justification for other incidents similar to this. Whether we’re talking about Martin Havlat or Jesse Boulerice, it doesn’t matter. Incidents like these have no place in the game and when a player like Chris Simon appears to be attached to so many of these incidents, it’s time to start asking questions. It’s not about being “biased” or disliking Chris Simon. It’s about asking the tough questions to keep players that bust their asses on the ice each night safe from harm.

Is 30 games enough? Many pundits and critics with ages of hockey experience that have seen all sorts of ugliness in the game say that it’s not enough and that Chris Simon should be barred for life because of his reputation, his history, and the obvious tendency he has to do it again. Many say that Chris Simon was given a gift in his life and overcame a lot to get to where he is in the NHL and to raise the Cup above his head. He squandered that gift, however, and he continues to do so with little to no remorse.

Had Chris Simon’s incident with Ruutu been a one-time deal, perhaps we would not even be having this conversation. But, as outlined before, it’s hardly a one-time deal. Simon embarrasses himself, his team, AND the sport of hockey when he acts in this manner. He creates bad press for the NHL, especially in the United States, and he continues the stereotype that hockey is a game filled with goons, thugs, and frontier justice.

Some blame the instigator rule. Some blame the lighting. In the incident against Ryan Hollweg earlier in 2007, Simon himself blamed the stars in his eyes. So what?

The Islanders made excuses for Chris Simon in the incident against Hollweg and they’ll make excuses for him now, acknowledging the suspension but putting him back on the ice when he returns. And, if history repeats itself like it usually does, Chris Simon will make no effort to be more diligent in minding his play. He’ll be the same Chris Simon, a player who plays over the edge and is a danger to others.

There’s simply no excuse for that.

Okay, so I made that last part up.

Nonetheless, New York Islanders forward Chris Simon has taken a paid leave from the team after his latest penalty for attempt to injure an opponent. I talked about this situation at length yesterday, but almost as soon as I had posted my entry, more news on the subject came down and I could not resist discussing this today.

Simon agreed with top Islanders brass on Monday after reading my blog post and agreeing that he needed to seek some help for whatever issues he has inside of him.

“The actions of Chris Simon on Saturday do not reflect what the New York Islanders stand for,” team owner Charles Wang said in a statement. “They were reckless, potentially dangerous and against our team concept of grit, character and heart. We know Chris as a respected teammate and as a gracious man away from the playing surface and believe strongly that he has earned our continued support. The Islanders are going to provide some time for Chris away from the team and give him the counselling he needs and the compassion he deserves. When Chris is completely ready, he will be a member of our team again.”

Simon met with Wang, coach Ted Nolan, and GM Garth Snow during practice on Monday and it was agreed that the 35-year old winger should seek some help for his issues. The group also met with team captain Bill Guerin and a few others to discuss the situation in detail. After the discussion, the decision to seek help was made.

Simon missed the first five games of the current NHL season while serving the remainder of his 25-game suspension for his vicious stick attack on Ryan Hollweg, also discussed yesterday. Despite this obvious pattern of abuse, the Islanders seem to think that the best answer for Chris Simon is some sort of professional help.

“We discussed the measures we have to take,” Nolan said. “Chris is very remorseful and very sorry for his actions. As an organization, we don’t condone it. We don’t appreciate the thing he did. On the flip side, we have to have some compassion, some understanding and some support.”

According to reports, the Islanders didn’t even entertain the idea of releasing Chris Simon. The organization would also not reveal the type of “help” Simon would get or how long his tenure of assistance would last.

“There is no excuse for my actions and I apologize to everyone involved,” Simon said in a statement. “The Islanders and I agree that the right thing to do is for me to take some time away from the team. I have enjoyed a long career achieving my dream of being a player in the National Hockey League and I’m proud of my accomplishments. But I acknowledge that time and assistance is needed before I return to the game.”

Simon apologized to Ryan Hollweg as well.

Chris Simon may well be the most useless and dangerous player currently playing in the NHL. I say this without hyperbole or apology and I invite anyone with an argument to what should be a a fairly obvious point to make a case for Chris Simon in the NHL. I see no plausible or practical reason as to why this useless, reckless, and careless individual should be rewarded with the privilege to continue playing hockey in the National Hockey League.

The latest incident, as many of you know, involved Jarkko Ruutu of the Pittsburgh Penguins. On December 15, 2007, at 14:06 of the third period of a New York Islanders home game against the Penguins, Tim Jackman of the Islanders and Jarkko Ruutu of the Penguins had some words between benches during a stoppage of play. Chris Simon skated in behind Ruutu and tripped him up. As Ruutu fell to his knees, Simon unspeakably stepped on the back of Ruutu’s leg with his skate. Simon was given a match penalty for intent to injure and is likely awaiting a lengthly suspension.

With a player like Chris Simon, however, and an incident as grossly disgusting as this one, is any suspension long enough? Surely I’ll sit here and report about the length of the suspension, but looking at Chris Simon and his contribution to the game of hockey, I can’t see how anything short of a lifetime ban from the sport in North American would suffice. Simon is an idiot that recklessly endangers other players on the ice. He appears to have something wrong with his brain or perhaps even deeper inside that throws aside all common sense and replaces it with something akin to somebody with brain damage. He’s just not right in the head.

The game has had its share of ugly incidents with ugly players, no doubt about it. Ruutu is no saint himself. But the act of physically stepping on someone’s leg with a skate? You’ve got to be kidding me!

Simon’s track record for this type of nonsense is well known. It was in March of 2007 that the Ryan Hollweg incident took its place as being one of the ugliest incidents I have ever seen in hockey. Simon checked Hollweg into the boards and no penalty was assessed. Simon suffered a concussion on the play. But never one to know how to retaliate properly and drop the gloves or something, Simon hits Hollweg in the face with a two-handed slash with his stick! In the face! Luckily Hollweg escaped serious injury (and death!) because his shoulder pads actually blocked a part of the hit. But I’ll say it again, regardless: Chris Simon hit Ryan Hollweg in the face with a two-handed slash!

Chris Simon stepped on Jarkko Ruutu’s leg with his skate!

Chris Simon has been suspended a total of seven times. Seven times! In 1997, Simon made racial remarks to Oilers forward Mike Grier, calling him the “N-word.” Simon was suspended three games, but the incident was never proven and the incident was said to have been in response to remarks about Simon’s Native heritage. Fair enough, we’ll let that slide.

Simon was suspended in the 2000 Playoffs for cross-checking Peter Popovic across the throat. He was suspended for two games in 2001 for elbowing Anders Eriksson. Simon was suspended twice for crosschecking Ruslan Fedotenko in 2004, then jumping on him and punching him. Simon was suspended in 2004 again for kneeing Sergei Zubov.

Simon was a member of the Washington Capitals when they went to the Stanley Cup finals in 1998. He had been enjoying great offensive success that season until a shoulder injury knocked him out for much of the playoff run. He underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in December 1998. Simon returned the next season and was the team’s leading goal scorer in the 1999-2000 season with 29 goals in 75 games. He would never again break the 20-goal mark, however. Simon also made it to the Stanley Cup finals with the Calgary Flames in 2004 and played for the Flames for two seasons before being signed as a free agent in 2006 by the New York Islanders.

Chris Simon hasn’t commented on the latest incident in a long string of similar incidents. He did apologize to Ryan Hollweg and the league, stating that there was “no place in hockey” for what he did. It seems, however, that Simon is struggling to understand that there is simply “no place in hockey” for a player like him.

The Anaheim Ducks have traded a key member of their Stanley Cup-winning core, moving Andy McDonald yesterday in a trade with the St. Louis Blues for Doug Weight, Michel Birner, and a seventh-round draft pick for next year.

McDonald was in the second year of a three-year $10-million contract. He had 27 goals and 51 assists in 82 games last season and played in his first NHL all-star game. This season thus far he has four goals and 12 assists in 33 games.

The main selling feature for the trade appears to be the freeing up of cap space. The trade frees up space for the return of defenceman Scott Niedermayer, who announced last week he was returning to the Ducks after considering retirement. Anaheim would have been over the cap figure next season had they kept McDonald on his current contract.

“Moving a guy like Andy is tough,” said Anaheim GM Brian Burke, adding that Andy McDonald was one of the better players to wear a Ducks uniform. Burke also seemed pleased at the prospect of adding a player the calibre of Doug Weight. “I know he can pass and he can compete,” the GM said.

The trade allows Anaheim the chance to keep their defence intact and formulate the same force along the blueline that helped them win the Cup last year. With a key player like Weight and salary cap space, the Ducks appear to be gunning for the post-season once more with the lineup to win it all.

The Blues win big here too, as they get to add a 30-year old player with gobs of great speed and top end offensive talent. Putting McDonald with the likes of Paul Kariya really speeds up the on-ice product in St. Louis, giving them an offensive upside they haven’t experienced in years.

The trend of decade-long contracts appears to be continuing in the new NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers have locked up 22-year-old forward Mike Richards for the next 12 years in a deal worth $69 million.

Richards’ contract is only one year short that of Islanders’ franchise goalie Rick DiPietro, who is in the second year of his 15-year contract. Richards will earn an average of $5.75 million per year and be under contract through the 2019-2020 season. The deal will pay him $5.4 million in 2008-2009, earning a raise each season until 2012-2013 when he’ll make $8.4 million. Richards’ salary will then decrease each subsequent season, down to just $3 million in the final year of the deal. Richards is currently in the final season of his entry-level deal and is earning just over $940,000. The contract extension will begin next year.

“I want to be here, I love the city, I love the organization and when I was given the opportunity I was excited to be here over the next twelve years,” said Richards. “Ed Snider and Paul Holmgren have given me the chance that I wanted to be here, to be part of the organization. I talked to a couple guys and all the consensus is that this is a first class organization, nobody treats you better. The city, the fans, nobody treats you better anywhere else, that was encouraging and from there it just got me excited.”

Mike Richards is off to the best start of his career. He has 14 goals and 34 points in 28 games.

The Vancouver Canucks are the latest to succumb to the world of injury woes. With Roberto Luongo out with a rib injury and very little news on the topic floating around, it can be hard to get a good read on what’s actually going on in Vancouver. Brad Isbister is also out, with a hamstring injury, and the latest casualty to injury in Van City is the Ironman himself, Brendan Morrison.

Morrison will undergo wrist surgery, according to a club announcement yesterday. He first hurt his wrist during the exhibition season but continued to play. It began really bothering him again following the Canucks’ loss to the Los Angeles Kings in L.A. on Monday, so he returned home on Tuesday and had an MRI.

“After further consultation with our team doctors it was decided that surgery was the best course of action,” Canucks GM Dave Nonis said in a statement. “The best long-term decision for Brendan and our hockey club is to have this addressed immediately.”

Morrison’s injury, sadly, ends his Ironman streak. Having played in 542 consecutive games, Morrison was the league’s holder of the longest current streak. The all-time record is 946 games held by Doug Jarvis of the Montreal Canadiens.

Morrison currently has eight goals and 12 assists in 30 games this year.