When the Olympics hits Sochi in Russian for 2014, NHL’s Russians want the NHL to participate. While NHLers are currently streaming into Vancouver to take part in the 2010 Olympic Games, the Russians of the National Hockey League are already voicing their commitment to the Olympics in Sochi and don’t seem prepared to take “no” for an answer.

The NHL has participated in the Olympics so far in Nagano, Turin, Salt Lake City, and now Vancouver. Leaving Russia, a place where hockey is growing by leaps and bounds due to the rabid popularity of players like Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, off the list would be a mistake.

Russia boasts the Kontinental Hockey League and is seeing an explosion in hockey popularity that few have experienced. It may even turn out that this new wave of Russian players in the NHL may outdo the previous wave of players (Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov, etc.) in terms of popularity. Players like Ovechkin, Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, and Ilya Kovalchuk are big names in Russia.

It turns out that the NHL actually needs the Russian players to put butts in seats, too, so the Russian explosion may be felt over here in North America as well. Their fast-paced, exciting style draws fans in and then out of their seats.

Some of the game’s most exciting players are already saying that they’re going to lace the skates for Russia in 2014 no matter what happens with NHL participation in the Olympics. “I’ll go play the Olympic Games for my country,” Ovechkin said. “If somebody says to me you can’t play, see ya.”

The NHL has been reluctant to sign on for more Olympic participation due to the fact that it isn’t sure it can market its players during the “odd hours” in which the events will occur in Sochi. The league fears that a lack of ratings will cause things to come to a virtual standstill.

It’s not just the Russians that are pulling for the NHL to make up their minds on Sochi, as Ovie’s “rival” Sidney Crosby tossed his two cents into the discussion. “Russian or not Russian, I can understand,” he said. “I think we definitely feel strongly, me personally and I think all the players do, that it could be the opportunity of a lifetime, especially the guys from Russia. It only happens once.”

“Obviously, we want to play in our home country in front of our home crowd, it’s huge for us,” Sergei Gonchar said. “The Russians have been playing in the league for a while and they’ve done a lot for this league and, hopefully, the NHL will reward us with the Olympics. We’re all hoping for it. Some of them are saying we have to play there, and I agree with them. Hopefully, they are going to respect our opinion.”

Kevin Lowe, a Team Canada Olympic executive, agreed. “It would be a terrible mistake if the NHL didn’t go,” Lowe said.

Indeed it would be.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

In watching the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the Vancouver Canucks and getting decidedly trounced for their efforts, I started to wonder about Evgeni Malkin. He wasn’t much of an offensive force, despite scoring a goal, and his dangerous hit on Willie Mitchell left me thinking that something must be eating the sniper.

Sure enough, Malkin finds himself mired in a pretty significant slump. He ranks in the 20s in the scoring race and is producing at a lower rate than his rookie campaign. Malkin, before his goal against Vancouver, hadn’t scored since a pre-Christmas hat trick. A recent four-game stretch saw him go an embarrassing minus-8.

“It’s a tough situation but I’m learn now,” said Malkin to the media scrum in Vancouver without the use of a translator. “I’m learn it’s two tough years we play finals. Different situation now. Not scoring now and a little bit nervous now but it’s team game. Coaches help me and we sit and look video and my shifts. It’s tough but head up, not stop and work in practice. I’m playing little bit better.”

In about a month, Malkin will suit up for Russia at the Olympics. He noted that he’s looking forward to playing with his friends, Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk, at the tournament. And he went out of his way to ensure that he wouldn’t be calling his teammate and pal Sidney Crosby a “friend” when the puck drops for the Games. “No, no, not in Olympics,” chuckled Malkin. “Of course, still here but not in Olympics.”

Still, one has to wonder what’s going on in Malkin’s world. Poolies would have considered him a sure thing to produce points in the top portion of the league’s scoring race and few would have predicted that Malkin would sit 23rd in league scoring prior to Saturday’s game.

Malkin will make $9 million this year alone in Pittsburgh and is in the first year of a five-year $43.5 million contract.

Some are suggesting that Malkin’s lack of suitable linemates could be part of the problem for his lower production. Playing with Jordan Staal and Luca Caputi appears to have provided Malkin with some options, but not enough to really boost the forward to the scoring pace he should be hitting.

There is also Malkin’s shoulder to consider. He missed a couple of weeks due to shoulder trouble at the beginning of November and came back to the game before the injury had completely healed. Perhaps not taking a full 21 days to get things right hurt Malkin’s chances at putting the puck in the net.

Regardless of the reasoning, it’s no secret that Malkin is experiencing some difficulty in Pittsburgh. It may well be a passing issue, with the Olympics giving him a boost and the playoff rush providing him with more motivation to get his ducks in a row. Even so, it’ll be interesting to see how he approaches the finish line on the season and how poolies respond to his lack of production.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

While Alexander Ovechkin might have avoided a suspension for slew-footing Thrashers’ forward Rich Peverley on Thursday, he was fined an “undisclosed” amount of money.

There was also a minor penalty on the play that drew parallels to a recent similar play in which Anaheim’s Evgeni Artyukhin was suspended three games for slew-footing Dallas Stars’ defenceman Matt Niskanen. The league was quick to draw up the differences, however, with Colin Campbell saying that Artyukhin was a repeat offender and that Niskanen was injured on the play.

“It is unfair to draw any parallels [about the two slew-foot incidents] other than the players that [Ovechkin and Artyukhin] tripped both fell down,” Campbell told NHL.com.

There is a sense among some fans that Artyukhin was being treated differently than Ovechkin because of Ovie’s superstar status. While that may be true, I’m not overly convinced. There is a difference between the plays and Artyukhin is a different sort of play; he should be addressed accordingly and first-time offenders should also be addressed with that in mind.

Ovechkin isn’t a known offender, although he certainly will have the stain of the slew-foot on his record now as all NHL fines remain part of permanent records. He will be watched more closely and, should he do something like this again, one can bet he’ll be suspended or treated more harshly.

Of course, a similar parallel would be that of Evgeni Malkin. Already known as “Slew Foot” Malkin in some circles, his slew-footing of Paul Mara during last year’s playoffs drove Don Cherry crazy and was a much more dangerous play to boot. And there was his cheap shot hit to the Kings’ Wayne Simmonds from last year, too, and the lack of suspension for fighting Henrik Zetterberg in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

One could argue that Malkin has been treated differently with more vigour than one could argue that Ovechkin has been treated differently, as Geno is certainly piling up a reputation as a bit of a cheap shot artist and has yet to be suspended while Ovechkin tends to favour the cleaner side of things and has yet to provide much of a case for suspension (with the exception of the Danny Briere hit, maybe).

Still, the angle that the National Hockey League is treating its elite players differently in the disciplinary process is well worth examination. With the example of Malkin, it is almost certain that some special treatment is taking place. His reputation and the severity of his actions should have warranted stiffer penalties.

In the case of Ovechkin, however, the situation remains different for the time being. But if the NHL wants to prove that it is a model of fairness in its disciplinary process, it will need to set a stronger example for the public and the press.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

In true heart-pounding fashion, the Pittsburgh Penguins rose to the challenge and defeated the favourite Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. That they did so without the services of Sidney Crosby for more than half the game was remarkable, too, but for the most part this win was about character and heart.

Winning their third Cup in franchise history in Detroit’s building couldn’t have been an easy task for these young Pens and it almost didn’t happen. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made a critical save in the dying seconds of the game to keep his team’s 2-1 lead and Maxime Talbot provided both Pittsburgh goals.

In the end, it wound up being about depth and role players for the Penguins. They were able to get pucks deep and play hard along the boards against the veteran Wings, giving their team and their young players the extra boost over the edge necessary to get the better of the prepared, skilled Detroit team.

Evgeni Malkin earned the Conn Smythe Trophy after scoring 36 points in the post-season. He is the first Russian-born player to win the award.

Crosby missed about half of the game after being clipped by Wings centre Johan Franzen along the boards in the second period. He returned for only one shift of the final period and had to sit on the bench while his team pulled off the victory. “I don’t recommend anyone trying watch the Stanley Cup final, Game 7 from the bench. It’s a tough situation,” Crosby said after raising the Cup as the youngest player to do so.

The Penguins also become the first road team since the ‘71 Habs to begin a Stanley Cup final down two games and yet still win it all in the seventh and deciding game away from home.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The season is drawing to a close and we are now faced with the Stanley Cup Finals! This year’s matchup is a rematch from last year’s Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Detroit Red Wings matchup, marking the first time since 1984 with the Edmonton Oilers faced the New York Islanders a second time. The Oilers took the second meeting, kickstarting their dynasty and winning five championships over the next seven years.

Could the Pittsburgh Penguins accomplish the same feat? This series has a lot of similarities with that ‘84 series and should be incredibly exciting to watch. The NHL and NBC have bumped up the start of the series, so Game One gets underway Saturday.

The Stanley Cup Final matchup is:

Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: I had anticipated much, much longer rounds earlier in the playoffs and didn’t think we’d be here this quickly, but the Penguins and Wings are playing as though they are possessed. Both squads are ready, both squads want to win more than anything, and both feature players at the top of their respective games.

The Red Wings will down a few key players, such as Pavel Datsyuk. Word ’round the campfire is, however, that Datsyuk may be back in business before we know it. The Wings have experience on their side, too, but the Penguins have shown tenacity and are as deep a team as there is in the National Hockey League. They can also boast experience, having been to the dance before last year.

In goaltending, I think the Penguins come into the series with a slight edge. Fleury is an energetic goaltender, but he plays with remarkable poise in big game situations. Osgood, on the other hand, is a seasoned pro but can be prone to making big mistakes in costly situations.

When all is said and done, the series will hinge around whether or not the Penguins can crack the defensive shell of the Red Wings and break through to put some heat on Osgood. If they can do that and if Crosby and Malkin are flying like they have been all season long thus far, I don’t think the Red Wings can pull off a repeat win. The longer the series goes, the better things will begin to look for the Wings.

My Prediction: Penguins in 6.

Feel free to list your predictions below in the comments section.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

Well, looks like I blew the prediction after all.

The Pittsburgh Penguins completed their sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. The young Pens disposed of the Canes led by a driven and determine Sidney Crosby, unquestionably leading his team to the Promised Land again for a series that could very well be a rematch from last year’s Stanley Cup Finals.

It was a difficult series to pick, as the Hurricanes looked tough going in. They enjoyed considerable success blowing through New Jersey and the finalist favourite Boston Bruins. But Carolina struggled out of the gate against the Penguins and never came back, clearly winded from knocking off two superior teams in the opening rounds of the post-season.

It was tough to overcome Pittsburgh’s offensive weaponry, as one might expect. With Crosby and Evgeni Malkin leading the post-season scoring race, it’s not going to be easy to contain those two players. Carolina just wasn’t up for the task by the end of things and Pittsburgh’s great supporting cast made it look easy.

“Coming into the (post-season), these were the guys who scared us the most because of the way they played together,” Penguins forward Bill Guerin said of the Hurricanes.

The Penguins will now await the winner of the Detroit vs. Chicago series and they may not be waiting long, with the Red Wings in command of the series leading it 3-1.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.