After Long Last Ilya Kovalchuck is Finally A New Jersey Devil!

After a very long holdout and debate the Ilya Kovalchuck saga is finally over as he was signed by the New Jersey Devils this past saturday. The following was the story posted on nhl.com:

Kovalchuk will be a New Jersey Devil after all, and the circumvention investigations of the contracts for Roberto Luongo, Marc Savard, Chris Pronger and Marian Hossa will not be pursued.

Early Saturday morning, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association agreed to a global settlement to cease the investigations linked to cap circumvention for the above contracts while adopting regulations to govern long-term contracts of five or more years.

The regulations will be added as a supplement to the Collective Bargaining Agreement and apply to all contracts signed from today. As a result, NHL officials agreed to register the new Kovalchuk contract as it was submitted by New Jersey last week and terminate their reviews of the contracts already registered for Luongo, Savard, Pronger and Hossa.

The Kovalchuk contract reportedly calls for him to make $100 million across 15 years, including $90 million in the first 10 years and $10 million over the last five -- with an annual salary cap hit of $6.67 million. Kovalchuk, who turned 27 in April, will be 42 upon completion of the contract.

Kovalchuk originally had agreed to a 17-year, $102 million contract that was rejected by the NHL based on circumvention of the CBA. That rejection was upheld through arbitration after the NHLPA filed a grievance on Kovalchuk's behalf.

Once system arbitrator Richard Bloch ruled in favor of the NHL's position that the original contract had circumvented the CBA, the League and the NHLPA began working toward today's settlement and regulations.

"We're pleased to be able to establish bright line rules for these contracts going forward and are happy we can turn the page on existing contracts so we're looking forward, not backward," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told NHL.com. "From start to finish of the process the Players' Association was responsive, interested and shared our objective to create certainty in this area."

The NHLPA released a statement from Roland Lee, Director of Salary Cap/Marketplace & Associate Counsel for the NHLPA:

"We are pleased to finalize an agreement which ends the League's circumvention investigations and also establishes rules on long-term contracts that will provide players, their certified agents and general managers clarity for the negotiation of new contracts," Lee said. "Turning the page on this process is something that will benefit all parties involved."

The agreement includes two major regulations that go into effect immediately and will be a part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement until its expiration on Sept. 15, 2012. If there is no CBA at the start of the 2012-13 NHL season, the rules will be grandfathered until a new CBA is negotiated:

1. While players and clubs can continue to negotiate long-term contracts (five years or longer) that include contract years in a player's 40s, for purposes of salary-cap calculation the contract will effectively be cut off in the year of the contract in which the player turns 41.

This basically means that if a 33-year-old player signs an eight-year contract, the amount owed to him in the first seven years of the contract will be averaged for the purposes of salary-cap computation. Then, in Year 8 of the contract, the salary he will make for that particular season will determine his salary-cap hit for that season.

So, if Kovalchuk's contract applied to this rule, the average of what he's owed in the first 13 years would be applied to the Devils salary cap from 2010-2023 and the cap hit would be $7.15 million because he is reportedly due to make $93 million across that span. Then, per the reported terms, the cap hit would change to $3 million in 2023-24 (as Kovalchuk turns 41 in April of that season) and $4 million in 2024-25.

2. In any long-term contract that averages more than $5.75 million for the three highest-compensation seasons, the cap charge will be a minimum of $1 million for every season in which the player is 36-39 years of age. That $1 million value will then be used to determine the salary cap hit for the entire contract. If the contract takes the player into his 40s, the previous rule goes into effect.

For example, Savard's contract reportedly calls for him to make $525,000 per season in the final two years of his seven-year, $28 million deal. He will be 38 and 39 in those seasons. If his contract was subject to these new regulations, for purposes of calculating the salary cap the final two years on his deal will reflect as if he was making $1 million. That would make his reported $4 million cap hit go up to $4.14 million.

The club and player still can agree to a contract that pays a player less than $1 million when he is at those ages, but for salary-cap purposes the number applied to the team's annual average salary will be $1 million.

The regulations are designed to keep diveback numbers in contracts to a minimum.


So there you have it. The biggest fish in this year's free agent market in the NHL is signed finally. More on NHL Free Agent news to come. NFL Preview coming up this weekend

New York's All-Time Best by Uniform Number!

OK so I was rummaging through my room the other day and stumbled on to something very interesting I saved from a copy of Newsday, the Long Island Daily Newspaper, from December of 2006. It is the best of New York Sports (Downstate only) by Jersey number. Now I know this is out of date by about 4 years but still I think it will make for great debate anyway. So now here is the Best of New York Sports from #1 to #99 Enjoy!

1- Pee Wee Reese Shortstop Brooklyn Dodgers
2- Derek Jeter Shortstop Yankees
3- Babe Ruth Outfielder Yankees
4- Lou Gehrig 1st Base Yankees
5- Joe DiMaggio Center Field Yankees
6- Joe Torre Manager Yankees
7- Mickey Mantle Center Field Yankees
8- Yogi Berra Catcher Yankees, Mets
9- Roger Marris Right Field Yankees
10- Walt Frazier Point Guard Knicks
11- Mark Messier Center Rangers
12- Joe Namath Quarterback Jets
13- Don Maynard Wide Reciver Jets
14- Gil Hodges 1st Base Dodgers Mets
15- Dick McGuire Guard Knicks
16- Whitey Ford Pitcher Yankees
17- Keith Hernandez 1st Base Mets
18- Darryl Strawberry Outfield Mets Yankees
19- Willis Reed Center Knicks
20- Monte Irvin Outfielder Giants
21- Tiki Barber Running Back Giants
22- Mike Bossy Right Wing Islanders
23- Don Mattingly 1st Base Yankees
24- Willie Mays Center Field Giants Mets
25- Bruiser Kinard Offensive Tackle Giants
26- Dusty Rhodes Outfielder Giants
27- Pete Reiser Outfielder Dodgers
28- Curtis Martin Running Back Jets
29- Alex Webster Running Back Giants
30- Martin Brodeur Goalie Devils
31- Billy Smith Goaile Islanders
32- Julius Erving Center Nets
33- Patrick Ewing Center Knicks
34- Charles Oakley Forward Knicks
35- Mike Richter Goalie Rangers
36- David Cone Pitcher Mets Yankees
37- Casey Stengle Manager Mets Yankees Dodger Giants
38- Roger Craig Pitcher Mets
39- Roy ACampanella Catcher Dodgers
40- Joe Morrison Fullback Giants
41- Tom Sever Pitcher Mets
42- Jackie Robinson 2nd Base Dodgers
43- Johnny Antonelli Pitcher Giants
44- Reggie Jackson Outfield Yankees
45- Emelen TYunnell Defensive Back Giants
46- Andy Pettitte Pitcher Yankees
47- Jesse Orosco Pitcher Mets Yankees
48- Karl Spooner Pitcher Dodgers
49- Ron Guidry Pitcher Yankees
50- Ken Strong Kicker Giants
51- bernie Williams Outfield Yankees
52- Pepper Johnson Linebacker Giants
53- Harry Carson Linebacker Giants
54- Goose Gossage Pitcher Yankees
55- Stout Steve Owens Defensive Tackle Giants
56- Lawerance Taylor Linebacker Giants
57- Mo Lewis Linebacker Jets
58- Carl Banks Linebacker Giants
59- Kyle Clifton Quarterback Jets
60- Larry Grantham Linebacker Giants
61- Bob Talamini Guard Jets
62- Al Atkinson Linebacker Jets
63- Karl Nelson Right Tackle Giants
64- Jim Burt Tackle Giants
65- Joe Fields Center Jets
66- Jack Stroud Offensive Line Giants
67- Dave Herman Right Guard Jets
68- Jaromir Jagr Right Wing Rangers
69- Jason Fabini Guard Jets
70- Sam Huff Linebacker Giants
71- Bob Lurtsema Linebacker Giants
72- Osi Umenyora Defensive Tackle Giants
73- Joe Klecko Defensive End Jets
74- Abdul salaam Defensive Tackle Jets
75- Winston Hill Offensive Line Jets
76- Rosey Grier Offensive Line Giants
77- Red Grange Running Back Football Yankees
78- Al DeRogatis Defensive Tackle Giants
79- Roosevelt Brown Iffensive Tackle Giants
80- Wayne Chrebet Wide Reciever Jets
81- Andy Robustelli Defensive End Giants
82- Mickey Shuler Tight End JEts
83- George Sauer Wide Reciever Jets
84- Art Powell Wide Reciever Titans
85- Del Shofner Wide Reciever Giants
86- Verlon Biggs Defensive End Jets
87- Laveranues Coles Wide Reciever Jets
88- Al Toon Wide Reciever Jets
89- Mark Bavaro Tight End Giants
90- Dennis Byrd Defensive End Jets
91- Butch Goring Center Islanders
92- Michael Strahan Defensive End Giants
93- Mary Lyons Defensive Tackle Jets
94- John Abraham Defensive Tackle Jets
95- Rick Lyle Defensive Lineman Jets
96- Bill Voiselle Pitcher Giants
97- Marvin Washington Defensive Lineman Jets
98- Jessie Armstead Linebacker Giants
99- Wayne Gretzky Center Rangers

The 2010 MLG All Star Game Goes in Favor of The National League.

For the first time since 1996 the National League was victorious in the All Star Game. This year was very kind to the NL as they were able to finally defeat the AL in the mid-summer classic by a 3-1 score and were able to gain home field advantage in this years World Series. The festivities began with a moment of silence for late Yankees owner George Steinbrener who passed away yesterday at the age of 80 from a massive heart attack. The highlight of the game offensively was the bases clearing double hit byu eventual game MVP and Braves catcher Bryan McCann. Matt Capps of the Nationals got the win, Phill Hughes of the Yankees was credited with the loss and Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers got the save. Now as most of you know none of the stats collected in the all-star game affect regular season numbers. So anyway besides McCann getting the big hit for the NL, the only other big highlight of the night was the baserunning blunder by Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers. In the 7th inning with 1 out and the American League down by 2, Andrus is on 1st. He takes off to steal 2nd and initially makes it in safely on a high throw to Reds 2nd Baseman Joey Votto. The throw pulled Votto off the bag and Andrus slid right under but overshot 2nd base. As he is looking around for the ball he forgets to put his foot back on the bag and is tagged out by Joey Votto who had the ball he whole time.

Now as I stated before, this was the first time the National League had won an All-Star game since 1996 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The NL took that game by a score of 6-0. John Smoltz of the Braves got the win while Charles Nagy of the Indians took the loss. There were 2 long balls hit in the contest, one by the games MVP Mike Piazza of the Dodgers, and the other by Ken Caminiti of the Padres.

Ever since that 1996 All Star game the American League has taken every one, other than the tie a few years back at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Now with the win by the National League this year, tehy get home field advantage in the World Series, which to me really is a stupid concept. But that is besides the point. So now that the All-Star game is out of the way lets take a quick look at what is coming up in teh 2nd half of the season.

For the Mets, they start the 2nd half of the year off on a 10-game west coast road trip starting tomorrow night in San Fransisco against the Giants. As for the Yankees they start the 2nd half off with a homestand against the Toronto Blue Jays firday night at the stadium.

Also something else to look forward to in the 2nd half of the season, here are some milestone achievements that indivudal players are close to catching:

Batters
600 Home Runs
Alex Rodriguez: 3

450 Home Runs
Chipper Jones: 18

400 Home Runs
Albert Pujols: 13
Jim Edmonds: 14

350 Home Runs
Paul Konerko: 4

1,500 Runs Batted In
Chipper Jones: 22

1,000 Runs Batted In
Jorge Posada: 7
Aramis Ramírez: 22
Derrek Lee: 25

500 Doubles
Chipper Jones: 12

100 Triples
Carl Crawford: 2
Johnny Damon: 3
Jimmy Rollins: 4

2,500 Hits
Chipper Jones: 33

1,500 Runs Scored
Chipper Jones: 9

1,000 Runs Scored
Derrek Lee: 12
Luis Castillo: 14

And for pitchers:
200 Wins
Tim Wakefield: 8

150 Wins
Javier Vazquez: 1
CC Sabathia: 2

100 Wins
Cliff Lee: 2
Joel Pineiro: 4

600 Saves
Trevor Hoffman: 4

550 Saves
Mariano Rivera: 4

200 Saves
Jose Valverde: 14
Brian Fuentes: 21

1,500 Strikeouts
Kerry Wood: 12
Ryan Dempster: 14
Tim Hudson: 37

So there you have it. A recap of this years All-Star game and some things to look forward to in what should be a very exciting 2nd half to the Major League Baseball Season!

Major League Baseball First Half Recap

The first half of the 2010 Major League Baseball Season has come and gone and nnow might be the perfect time to take a look back at the first half of this season. Some of the events that have taken place this season have been pretty surprising. Here are the league standings through the first half of the season:

AL East:
New York Yankees 56 32 .636
Tampa Bay Rays 54 34 .614
Boston Red Sox 51 37 .580
Toronto Blue Jays 44 45 .494
Baltimore Orioles 29 59 .330

AL Central:
Chicago White Sox 49 38 .563
Detroit Tigers 48 38 .558
Minnesota Twins 46 42 .523
Kansas City Royals 39 49 .443
Cleveland Indians 34 54 .386

AL West:
Texas Rangers 50 38 .568
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 47 44 .516
Oakland Athletics 43 46 .483
Seattle Mariners 35 53 .398

NL East:
Atlanta Braves 52 36 .591
New York Mets 48 40 .545
Philadelphia Phillies 47 40 .529
Florida Marlins 42 46 .477
Washington Nationals 39 50 .438

NL Central:
Cincinnati Reds 49 41 .544
St. Louis Cardinals 47 41 .534
Milwaukee Brewers 40 49 .449
Chicago Cubs 39 50 .438
Houston Astros 36 53 .404
Pittsburgh Pirates 30 58 .341

NL West:
San Diego Padres 51 37 .580
Colorado Rockies 49 39 .557
Los Angeles Dodgers 49 39 .557
San Francisco Giants 47 41 .534
Arizona Diamondbacks 34 55 .382

So that is where everybody is currently sitting in baseball right now. As some people may have figured there have been managerial changes that took place during the year. The biggest name to take over as a manager is the Arizona Diamondback's new bench boss Kirk Gibson. Gibson, as most people probably know by now, hit that famous walk off home run for the Dodgers in the 1988 World Series off A's closer Denis Eckersly.

Now lets take a look at the league leaders in both leagues as of this point in time:
American League Leaders
AVG-Miguel Cabrera-DET & Josh Hamilton- TEX .346
HR-Jose Bautista- TOR 24
RBI-Miguel Cabrera- DET 77
R-Carl Crawford- TB 70
H-Ichiro Suzuki- SEA & Josh Hamilton TEX 118
SB-Juan Pierre- CWS 32

Pitching leaders
W-David Price- TB & CC Sabathia- NYY 12
L-Jeremy Guthrie- BAL 10
ERA-David Price- TB- 2.42
K-Jered Weaver- LAA 137
IP-Felix Hernandez- SEA 137.2
SV-Joakim Soria- KC 25

A stat worth noting is that Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers has a shot at becoming Baseballs first Triple Crown Winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Cabrera is trailing in the home run department but leads in RBI's and is teid for the lead in batting average, so he still has the outside shot at it.

Now lets take a look at the NL Leaders to this point in the year.

NL Batting:
AVG-Rafael Furcal-LAD .333
HR-Joey Votto-CIN & Adam Dunn-WAS 22
RBI-David Wright-NYM, Ryan Howard-PHI, & Corey Hart-MIL 65
R-Brandon Phillips-CIN 66
H-Martin Prado-ATL 121
SB-Michael Bourn-HOU 28

Pitching leaders
W-Ubaldo Jimenez-COL 15
L-Wandy Rodriguez-HOU 11
ERA-Josh Johnson-FLA 1.70
K-Tim Lincecum-SF 131
IP-Roy Halladay-PHI 148.0
SV-Francisco Cordero-CIN & Heath Bell-SD 24

Of the stats listed above, really there are no surprises. The fact that David Wright of the Mets is leading the National League in some kind of offensive catagory is really saying something to me, as a Mets fan. Its finally starting to show that he can hit in a lineup where he really is the focal point for the opposing pitchers.

Now I think would be a good time to take a look at the 4 biggest pitching performances of the first half. First up were the 2 perfect games that have been thrown. The first perfecto came on Mother's Day May 9th when Dallas Braden of the Okland A's threw the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4–0. It was also the second perfect game in Oakland A's history; the first coming on May 8, 1968 when Jim "Catfish" Hunter beat the Minnesota Twins, 4–0. Then exactly 20 days later, Roy Halladay of the Phillies threw perfection, the Florida Marlins 1–0. This achievement marked the first time in the modern (post-1900) era that two perfect games were pitched in the same season. In 1880, both Lee Richmond and John Montgomery Ward both hurled a perfect game five days apart. It was also the first perfect game for the Phillies since Jim Bunning's Father's Day perfect game on June 21, 1964. The big story was the near perfect game thrown by Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers. Galarraga was able to retire 26 straight Cleveland Indians, but had trouble getting the 27th. What happend was first base umpire Jim Joyce made an errant call on Galarraga's coverage of first base on a flip throw by first baseman Miguel Cabrera, which would have been the final out. Jim Joyce later stated that he did make the mistake and blew the call.

Besides that, 2 no hitters have been thrown during the year. Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies threw the first no-hitter in the Rockies 18-year history by blanking the Atlanta Braves 4–0 on April 17. It was also his first career no-hitter and the first no-hitter of the season. The 2nd No-no came from Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks when he blanked the Tampa Bay Rays in a 1-0 win on June 26th. It was the second no-hitter in Diamondbacks history and his first in his career. The only other pitcher to have a no-hit game was Randy Johnson against Atlanta, and that was a perfect game in 2004.

Lineups Announced for Next Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game

This past Saturday, the Starters and Reserves were announced for this year's Major League Baseball All Star Game, which will be taking place in Anaheim. First lets look at the American League Starters, which were selected by the fans. The AL Starters are as follows: C Joe Mauer-Minnesota, 1B Justin Morneau-Minnesota, 2B Robinson Cano-N.Y. Yankees, 3B Evan Longoria-Tampa Bay, SS Derek Jeter-N.Y. Yankees OF Ichiro Suzuki-Seattle, OF Josh Hamilton-Texas, OF Carl Crawford-Tampa Bay, and DH Vladimir Guerrero-Texas. Of the starters chosen for the AL, the only real surprise, if you want to call it that, is Robinson Cano of the Yankees, only because this is his first All-Star Game. And what makes that even more interesting is that in the past 7 years the American League has had 7 different men start at 2nd Base. Also another stat of interest, over the past 20 years, the AL has had only 2 men start at shortstop, Derek Jeter and Cal Ripkin. That goes to show just how flat out good those 2 guys have been over the years.

Now here is the rest of the lineup for the American League: C Victor Martinez-Boston (unable to play due to injury), C John Buck-Toronto (Replacement Player), 1B Miguel Cabrera-Detroit, 2B Dustin Pedroia-Boston (Injured), 2B Ian Kinsler-Texas (Replacement), SS Elvis Andrus-Texas, 3B Alex Rodriguez-N.Y. Yankees, 3B Adrian Beltre-Boston, INF Ty Wigginton-Baltimore, OF Torii Hunter-L.A. Angels, OF Vernon Wells-Toronto, OF Jose Bautista-Toronto, and finally DH David Ortiz-Boston. Seeing some of the names here, it is nice to see the change of pace, and the changing of the gard if you will. A few of the guys here are first timers.

Finally the Pitching staff for the AL is as follows: Clay Buchholz-Boston, Trevor Cahill-Oakland, Fausto Carmona-Cleveland, Neftali Feliz-Texas, Phil Hughes-N.Y. Yankees, Cliff Lee-Seattle, Jon Lester-Boston, David Price-Tampa Bay, Mariano Rivera N.Y. Yankees, CC Sabathia-N.Y. Yankees, Joakim Soria-Kansas City, Matt Thornton Chicago White Sox, and finally Jose Valverde-Detroit. Now of this pitching staff, the 2 guys with the most experience at the All-Star Game would be CC Sabathia (4-time All star) and Mariano Rivera (11-Time All Star) of the Yankees. The AL pitching staff boasts 8 guys who will be playing in the All-Star Game for the very first time, so depending on who gets used when, if at all in the game, could possibly help the National League.

Now moving on to the Nation League. First the Starters as selected by the fans: C Yadier Molina-St. Louis, 1B Albert Pujols-St. Louis, 2B Chase Utley-Philadelphia (injured and will be replaced by Martin Prado of Atlanta as the starting 2nd baseman), 3B David Wright-N.Y. Mets, SS Hanley Ramirez-Florida, OF Ryan Braun Milwaukee, OF Jason Heyward-Atlanta, and OF Andre Ethier-L.A. Dodgers. As of writing, the National League has yet to announce a Designated Hitter. The surprise of the starters for the National League would have to be Jason Heyward, as the rookie has put on a very strong showing through the first have of the season. It was also a bit of a shock to the system, with me being a life-long National League fan, seeing an Outfielder from the Atlanta Braves not be named Andrew Jones starting. Again something very strange to see.

Now for the reserves for the NL: C Brian McCann-Atlanta, 1B Ryan Howard-Philadelphia, 1B Adrian Gonzalez-San Diego, INF Omar Infante-Atlanta, SS Troy Tulowitzki-Colorado (injured), SS Jose Reyes-N.Y. Mets (replacement), 2B Brandon Phillips-Cincinnati, 3B Scott Rolen-Cincinnati, OF Michael Bourn-Houston, OF Marlon Byrd-Chicago Cubs, OF Corey Hart-Milwaukee, OF Matt Holliday-St. Louis, and finally OF Chris Young-Arizona. For the NL reserves the 3 biggest names left off the list in my opinion were Prince Fielder of the Brewers, Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies, and Chipper Jones of the Braves. Now that does not eliminate the possibility of those 3 guys still showing up, Fielder could possibly be used as a DH since the game is being played in an American League park. I understand Jose Reyes is a replacement for Troy Tulowitzki, who is hurt, but I dont necessarly think Reyes should have been taken over say Hanley Ramerez of the Marlins, who I feel right now might actually be a better shrotstop then Reyes. BUt hey that's just the way I see things.

Finally here is the Pitching Staff for the NL: Jonathan Broxton-L.A. Dodgers, Chris Carpenter-St. Louis, Matt Capps-Washington, Yovani Gallardo-Milwaukee, Roy Halladay Philadelphia, Tim Hudson-Atlanta, Ubaldo Jimenez-Colorado, Josh Johnson-Florida, Tim Lincecum-San Francisco, Evan Meek-Pittsburgh, Arthur Rhodes-Cincinnati, Adam Wainwright-St. Louis, and finally Brian Wilson-San Francisco. This pitching staff I think may have the edge, not only based on experiance at the All-Star Game, but experiance in general of pitching in the big leagues. A few critics have questioned the fact that phenom Stephen Strausberg of the Nationals will not be participating. I happen to agree with the fact he isnt going to play in the game this year. The reason being is he has not spent enough time at the big league level to warrent it. No if he had been with the Nats from opening day of the season right through to now then yes he is an All-Star. But otherwise no.

The All Star Game will take place on Tuesday July 13, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Coverage will get underway around 8pm et and will be live on Fox. Be sure to check back here the day of the game for a complete recap of the first half of the 2010 MLB season.

NHL Awards Goes off With A Bang!

The 2010 NHL Awards were this past wednesday night and they were a bit of a surprise. The first award worth discussing is the Mark Messier Leadership Award which is awarded to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season. This year's winner was Sidney Crosby of the Penguins who is the undoubted leader of the Pens. Next up was the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. This years winner was Shane Doan of the Coyotes. Doan has been with the franchise since thier last season in Winnipeg as the Jets, his rookie season. Doan may actually be one of the best underrated players in the NHL. He plays in Phoenix which would possibly explain why throughout his career he has not really been noticed but has put up very solid numbers in a good career.

Moving on we have the Ted Lindsay Award which is the Awarded to the NHL's outstanding player as selected by the members of the NHL Players Association. This years winner was Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. It was really no surprise that Ovechkin took the award. Ovechkin has been tearing the league up since coming in as a rookie in 2006 and was no surprise he walked away with the trophy. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, was up next. This year's winner was Jose Theodore of the Capitals. Jose Theodore was known for his time in Montreal, has been a backup in D.C but has known for his charity work in the area. This was the most emotional award of the night as Theodore was saddened by the loss of his son almost a year ago.

Next up was the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the player who exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. This years winner was Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was actually a surprise to me. The reason being is that it feels like St. Louis seemed to fall off the planet. In 2004, the year before the lockout, St Louis won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Since the Lockout St Louis has posted 61, 102, 83, 80, and 94 points respectively. But the thing is that whenever you hear about coming out of Tampa is either Steve Stamkos and his success, or how bad the Lightning are. So for St Louis to get the award and get some positive notoriety for himself and the Lightning is nice to see.

Next up is the Frank J. Selke Trophy which is awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. There was no surprise when the award went to Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings. This again is no surprise that Datsyuk won the award, he has won it for the last 3 years straight. In fact of the last 6 Selke Thophies that have been awarded 4 of them have been one by a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Datsyuk has won the last 3, and Kris Draper was the other Red Wing, when he won it in 2004. The only non Red Wing to win the award was Rod Brind'Amour who won the award in back to back years before Datsyuk took it 3 straight times.

Now for the biggest awards of the night and we start with the Jack Adams Award which is Awarded to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success. The winner this year was Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett. Again another award that wasnt really a surprise due to where the Coyotes finished. Next up was the Calder Memorial Trophy which was awarded to the league's most outstanding rookie player. The winner this year was Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres. Meyers winning was not a surprise one bit. He was one of the key reasons the Sabres made the playoffs and was by far the team's best defenseman, which knowing the Sabres is kind of saying something.

Next up are the 3 biggest individual awards the NHL has. First up is the James Norris Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position. This years winner was Duncan Keith of the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. This was a nice changeup for the award. Since the start of this decade the award has been won by the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom (who won it 6 times) Zedano Chara, last years winner, Scott Niedermayer, and Chris Pronger. The fact that the none of those guys were finalists shows the direction the leagues is going. It really is nice to see. What makes this so cool is that Keith lost 7 teeth in the playoffs just to win the Cup, showing his heart and guts. Next up is the Vezina Trophy which is awarded to the league's top goaltender. This year's winner was Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. Of all the awards that were given out this one seemed like a give me. Miller pretty much carried the US to the Gold Medal game against Canada, and really if he wasn't in goal for the Sabres I really feel that they would not had won the division and made it took 6 games in the playoffs. The way Miller played this year for the Buffalo seemed a lot like what people are used to seeing out of Martin Brodeur in New Jersey.

Finally on to the biggest trophy of the night, Hart Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the league's most valuable player. This years winner was Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks (Pictured above). HE actually beat out Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin for the trophy. Like I said this was the biggest surprise of the night, but in retrospect it really wasnt. The reason was because you expect the huge numbers year after year from Ovechkin and Crosby but the fact tha Sedin won the scoring race with 112 points and help the Canucks get into the 2nd round of the playoffs was a big statement.

Scott Neidermeyer Announces Retirement

The announcement came down at 5:25 today. One of the best, and probably most gifted, defensemen in the past decade, Scott Neidermyer announced his retirement today from the game of hockey. The following story provided by nhl.com.

There's a reason that Anaheim Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer is the only hockey player in the world to win the Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, the World Championship, World Junior Championship, the World Cup and the Memorial Cup.

Niedermayer, 36, who retired Tuesday after 18 NHL seasons, was simply one of the best defensemen in the history of the game and certainly one of hockey's all-time best skaters. Schooled in the tight defensive style of the New Jersey Devils, Niedermayer was transformed from one of the best offensive defensemen in Canadian junior-hockey history into one of the NHL's top shutdown players.

Niedermayer also was selected as the 2004 Norris Trophy winner as the best all-around defenseman in the NHL. He also was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when he led the Ducks to the championship. Niedermayer captained the Ducks in his final four seasons.

"I could not have dreamed of such an amazing journey," Niedermayer said at a press conference with Ducks Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob Murray. "... I wouldn't have believed it if someone told me this is going to be your career. I've been very lucky."

Niedermayer said he could never have won those titles without the help and support of great players and coaches, but there's no doubt those coaches and players would say the same thing about playing with Niedermayer, a consummate professional and elite player.

"Scott was a tremendous addition, an asset to our defensive corps and he quickly showed the dynamic skating ability that he had," former Devils defenseman Bruce Driver. "I watched him grow as a hockey player. A lot of people point to the huge goal he scored against Detroit when we won in 1995, when he went end-to-end. People compared it to a Bobby Orr or Paul Coffey rush. It opened a lot of eyes to the ability and speed that he had.

"He skated so smoothly that sometimes it looked like he wasn't working hard, but that's experience and that fluid stride he had. He could go from first to fifth gear in a hurry. There weren't a lot of us who could skate the way he could.

"A lot of people thought early on that he was just an offensive defenseman," Driver continued. "I got to appreciate as I watched him grow how smart he is and how good a defensive defenseman he was. Part of that was God-given ability and part was ability to move laterally so quickly. His Devils teammates and coaches taught him well. He played with Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko, tremendous defensive defensemen, and he had Larry Robinson as a head coach and an assistant. What he didn't learn himself, they taught him."

Niedermayer's combination of foot speed, balance and anticipation made him one of the most effective shutdown defenders of all time. Niedermayer was also an important offensive force for the Devils and Ducks, his only NHL teams. Niedermayer had 172 goals and 568 assists for 740 points in 1,263 games, or 0.59 points per game. More than half his goals, 90, were scored on power plays and he had one shorthanded goal. Nearly a quarter of his goals, 39, were game winners.

He had 25 goals and 73 assists for 98 points in 202 Stanley Cup Playoff games, or 0.49 points per game. Niedermayer had 12 power-play goals, three shorthanded goals and eight game winners in Stanley Cup Playoff games. He was plus-167 during NHL regular seasons and plus-20 in Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Niedermayer tied Jamie Langenbrunner for the Devils' scoring lead in the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 18 points, including a team-high 16 assists. Niedermayer won three Stanley Cups with the Devils in 1995, 2000 and 2004. He signed as a free agent with the Ducks in 2005 and helped lead them

to the 2007 Stanley Cup. He led the Devils to an historic 1994 Eastern Conference Championship series against the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the New York Rangers. He was also a strong defensive presence against the Colorado Avalanche in 2001 when the Devils' again went to the Stanley Cup Final. He tied for Anaheim's third-leading scorer in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Ducks were defeated in the Western Conference Final by the Edmonton Oilers.

Born in Edmonton, Niedermayer was raised in Cranbrook, B.C., and led the Cranbrook AAA Midgets with 55 goals and 92 points in 1989. He had 14 goals and 69 points as a rookie with the 1989-90 Kamloops Blazers to help them into the Memorial Cup. He had 26 goals and 82 points the following year and helped Canada win the World Junior Championship, leading the Devils to select him with the No. 3 pick in the 1991 Entry Draft.

The Devils gave Niedermayer a four-game trial at the start of the 1991-92 season and then sent him back to Kamloops for more seasoning. They were thrilled when Niedermayer led Kamloops to the 1992 Memorial Cup title.

With Niedermayer in their lineup, the Devils missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs only once, in 1996, the year after they won and even then they were eliminated on the final day of the season. The Ducks had missed the playoffs in four of the five seasons prior to signing Niedermayer. This season was the only time they failed to make the playoffs in his five seasons in Anaheim.

Niedermayer was an Olympic gold-medal winner for Team Canada in 2002 and 2010 and played on Canada's championship team in the 2004 World Cup. He was a member of Canada's 2004 World Championship team.

Niedermayer said the three biggest highlights of his career were winning his first Stanley Cup; winning again in 2007 with his brother, Rob, as a teammate and winning the 2010 Olympic gold medal with Team Canada on Canadian soil.

"I'm humbled to have this number of things to pick from," Niedermayer said. "I've been surrounded by a lot of great people."

Murray said Niedermayer's press conference was indicative of what kind of person he is. Niedermayer went back years thanking teammates, coaches and executives, but took much longer to go through a lengthy list of front-office workers, trainers, publicists, fans and the media. He named every Devils coach as well as Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. He also named every member of the Devils defensive corps when he broke in -- Driver, Stevens, Daneyko, Slava Fetisov, Alexei Kasatonov and Tommy Albelin. He thanked Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli and former Devils owner, the late John McMullen and his family.

"I could not have dreamed of such an amazing journey. I wouldn't have believed it if someone told me this is going to be your career. I've been very lucky." -- Scott Niedermayer Niedermayer went through his retirement conference with the same skill and fluidity he showed on the ice until he got to thanking his children, Logan, Jackson, Josh and Luke, and his wife, Lisa.

"I owe a big thank you to my family," he said. "Having you in my life is what made it possible to do my job. ... I want to mention my brother Rob, who is a great friend and has always been very supportive. We did everything together so getting the chance to play together here in Anaheim and winning the Stanley Cup together was amazing."

Murray said Niedermayer has agreed to remain with the Ducks as a consultant.

"You can never have enough winners around," Murray said.

Scott finished his brilliant 18 year career with 4 Stanley Cups, 3 with the New Jersey Devils in 1995, 2000 And 2003, and 1 more with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. During his career he played in 1,263 regular season games, while collecting 172 Goals, 568 Assists for 740 Points. He was a plus 167 in his career. His best year offensively was in 2006-2007 while with the Ducks when he played in 79 games recording 15 Goals and 54 Assists for 69 Points. In the Playoffs, Scott played in 202games recording 25 goals and 73 assists for 98 points.

Thanks for the memories Scott Neidermayer!