Happy Festivus everyone! It truly is a Festivus miracle that every year the NHL shuts down for two days around the holidays. It is the perfect time to gather your fantasy squad around the aluminum pole and take part in the airing of grievances. Here is an excerpt from my Festivus dinner this past Friday evening:
(Team Denmark watches from the bench. Photo courtesy IIHF)
DobberHockey senior prospects writer Matt Bugg is covering the 2012 World Junior Championships live from Edmonton and Calgary. He’ll be posting updates throughout the week.
“Denmark, Denmark, Denmark!”
The chants are fast and furious. And, you have to believe, welcome.
We’ve all heard of the phrase “the numbers don’t lie”, but there is always room for statistical anomalies that make each and every one of us scratch our heads. This week we’ll take a look at a few statistical anomalies that have occurred so far this season and whether the numbers will re-align or are they set for the long run.
Christmas is over ladies and gentlemen. Between The Lines takes care of what was hot before Christmas (Wk of12/17-12/24) and looks ahead to Week 12 in your fantasy league. It is a normal week so let us take a look.
This month's special World Junior Championship edition of Dobber Nation is required listening for any prospect-watchers and tourney fanatics-- this episode is all about preparing yourself to find out the most you can about the best under-20 hockey players in the world. We’re going to dissect the roster of all 10 countries -- including Latvia! -- and direct your eyes towards the guys that are working towards becoming household names.
Click here to listen to the December 25, 2011 edition of Dobber Nation!
Read on to find out who Brian Kom spoke to this month...
If 2010 was the year of the Olympics in the hockey world, 2011 has been the year of the concussion. Unfortunately, the concussion issue is one that is going to linger around for the forseeable future. We have seen its effects in the worst possible plays, from the death of Derek Boogaard to the uncertainty surrounding Sidney Crosby's career. This summer was perhaps the worst we have ever seen in hockey. Along with Boogaard dying, the hockey world also lost Rick Rypien and Wade Belak. And only a few weeks later, the devastating plane crash that killed the entire Lokomotiv hockey team in Russia occured.
Needless to say, the negative news was dominant in 2011.
That isn't to say we didn't see some great stories. Boston and Vancouver played in one of the most spirited Stanley Cup Final matchups in recent memory. We saw some young stars dazzle us night in and night out - most notably Claude Giroux and Steven Stamkos. The Sedin twins continue to show why they are such special talents, and the Maple Leafs (finally) are on the road to respectability with a solid team for the first time in a long time.
Without further adieu, let's get to the top 10 fantasy hockey stories of the past calendar year....
Every day is like Christmas for a fantasy hockey writer. It just is.
Projected as a late first rounder or early second rounder, the St. Louis Blues stunned the hockey world when then head scout Jarmo Kekäläinen encouraged President John Davidson to go off the board and nab Jaden Schwartz with the 14th pick.
While it's early to say the Blues got a complete steal with Schwartz, early returns show the five-foot-10 left winger is an absolute keeper.
A tough decision can be made easier with these charts showing you the best five and worst five schedules for upcoming seven-day periods. Some of you used them last year but for the benefit of new readers here is a refresher. The number next to the team indicates the 'multiplier' to use on a player's point-per-game pace to give you an idea how many points to expect for that week.
Since next Friday is the 30th, I figured some people might want to take an early advantage of some games played differences for the month of January.
After two reports of bad news, this week we'll focus on some good news. Let’s take a look at players who are coming back very soon to provide some fantasy relief, or have recently made their triumphant return.
