Honest to goodness, I swear that the penalties for hits to the head (which the NHL is out for blood on this year) have nothing in it about the repercussions of that hit, or if the player's hurt or faking or whatnot.  Here's the new rule (from NHL.com):

 

Rule 48 - Illegal Check to the Head

48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted.

48.2 Minor Penalty - There is no provision for a minor penaltyfor this rule.

48.3 Major Penalty - For a violation of this rule, a major penalty shall be assessed (see 48.4).

 

 

48.6 Fines and Suspensions – Any player who incurs a total of two (2) game misconducts under this rule, in either regular League or playoff games, shall be suspended automatically for the next game his team plays. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.

If deemed appropriate, supplementary discipline can be applied by the Commissioner at his discretion  (refer to Rule 28).

 

And there we go. Fairly cut and dry, and fairly personified by this Joe Thornton hit to the head of David Perron Thursday night:

I am not calling Thornton a cheap shot artist, because he's not. He's not a dirty player, and I'm sure he didn't set out with the goal of creaming Perron with an elbow upside the noggin. It obviously hurt Perron, but did not jar him enough to prevent him from scoring a goal that same period. However, it did shake him up. Pain doesn't care if the person inflicting it is doing it intentionally, and the rule doesn't actually even care how much pain is inflicted - a hit like Thornton's, under the new NHL, is a suspension. Perron was nice about it after the game, saying, "I asked the guys who hit me actually, because I didn't know who it was," Perron said. "Obviously, Joe's not a dirty player. It's good I got to score a goal and it was a big one for us."

The Blues got the last word in that game, but a blogger for the San Jose Sharks, Jamie Baker, goes off on Perron instead of just accepting that Thornton made a mistake. To claim that Perron was at fault because he was "skating through the neutral zone with his head turning back to the defenseman" is a bit of a stretch. He was carrying the puck through the neutral zone when Thornton stepped out of the penalty box and promptly directed his attention to Perron. There was intent to hit. Whether there was intent to elbow to the head, I doubt, but it happened. To say Perron deserved it basically because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time is stretching it. I'm also completely hoping that the author was being sarcastic in where the blame was to be placed. The defense for a "suicide pass" up the middle? Everyone else not warning Perron Thornton was coming out onto the ice?

Or the best part of the op-ed: Frenchie was faking it.  Yep, total stage and cake make-up on the welt on his face. Fakery, I tell you! FAKERY.

Of course, this was all written by someone who openly admits that he ran away from Wendell Clark (understandable,) soo...

Please bear with me because I am going to share a story with you. Back in 1994 when the Sharks were playing the Maple Leafs in the playoffs, I had a running feud with Wendell Clark. Wendell Clark, in case you aren’t aware, was as tough as they came – he hit, he fought, he scored, the ultimate power forward. In the first period of game 1, he smashed my face (I didn’t wear a visor) into the glass. I thought I broke my nose and had to leave the ice because it made my eyes water, and no, I wasn’t crying. The only crying allowed in hockey is when you lose a playoff series, retire or JR is speaking publicly.

So later in game one I retaliate behind the play and punch Clark in the face as we were heading up the ice. The beauty of this was Whitney and Falloon were on a 2-1 and scored so I scooted away from Clark and joined the post goal scrum – making sure I was right in the middle to protect myself.

 

So, it's ok to run away, but not ok to get hit upside the head and then score a goal. Fair enough. And I find it hard to believe that Perron was "mocking" the rules as he laid face-down on the ice unable to move. That's not a good time to stick out your tongue. You could get stuck.

 

 

But gosh golly, look at what my boys have accomplished (as of 11:00 Eastern on November 4th):

 

Fruit basket is on the way, Montreal.

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I don't go seeking out Bleacher Report articles. They tend to come to me, in my daily St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers e-mail alerts from Google News. For those who don't know, Google News' e-mail alerts (very handy, BTW), come split into three categories: news, blogs, and web. My little site gets picked up, rightfully so, in the "blog" portion of those alerts. Why? Because it's a blog. I offer opinion, conjecture, views on rumors - though very rarely do I report rumors - and things that aren't news. Bloguin gets picked up by USA Today and whatnot on occasion as an editorial service, and those who click on the links know that we're a network of bloggers. When I write for SBNation Atlanta, that gets picked up as a news service. I recognize that, and when I write my articles I lay off of the conjecture and I report what is actually going on, not what cool player my team needs to pick up.

Bleacher Report, however, tends to have writers who skew towards the conjecture. Not to mention, they tend to have writers who skew towards poorly written/not cited conjecture. According to Deadspin.com, Bleacher Report has actually recognized that a good bit of their published articles fall under the "awful crap" category, and are attempting to make it a happier place for those writers who actually do want to reach an audience and write well. Bully for them. However, I'm not sure if this re-hire and re-evaluation of writers is being done in alphabetical order by league popularity, because a Toronto Maple Leafs writer apparently has been allowed to squeak through.

In Brad LeClair's article "Toronto Maple Leaf Rumors: Could David Backes Be the Next Maple Leaf?" there isn't a single external hyperlink to any source. None. He obviously read things, because he describes this Roger Hensley Q&A roundtable from the Post-Dispatch pretty well.In it, Hensley mentions that Backes is in his final year of his contract, is looking for a pay raise, and that negotiations have been shelved for right now. He takes the fact that negotiations are on hold and runs with it in some odd "ZOMG BACKES TO LEAFS HE FITS IN!" jag. Honestly, it's common for free agents' contract talks to be put on hold during the season so that distraction doesn't get in the way of the player's play. Also, the player has motivation to play for his contract all year.

The concept of David Backes doing to the Maple Leafs is contingent on a few things: if the Blues aren't playing well enough for the playoffs come the trade deadline; if Backes is tanking; and if the Maple Leafs have an asset that the Blues want in exchange for this season's unofficial face of the franchise. Yes, Backes is truculence personified, and yes he'd be a huge addition to the Maple Leafs. I'm sure Brian Burke would like him on the roster. But just because Backes fits the mold of the ideal Leafs forward does not make him the next Leafs forward. And the suggestion that the Blues would want to downgrade to Tyler Bozak is absurd. Throwing in a prospect doesn't make sense either, because St. Louis has stockpiled them for years and the Rivermen don't need an extra player right now.

Of course, this got picked up as news, and at first glance people might think that this is a trade in the works. Next time putting the word "rumor" or even "crap I'm guessing at" in the title would be a plus, as would linking to articles you round-about cite. You know, the things that you hint at being your "sources."

In the comments, Mr. LeClair tries to explain that he heard this rumor in the Globe and Mail, and tries to back it up with "facts." Here's a common technique you might've learnend in high school - cite the facts. Try it; you'll like it, and it'll make you look legitimate.

First off, please allow me to say thank you for the stellar representation of the Thrashers (a Reebok youth Face-Off Option 3-in-1 T-shirt combo!) and the Blues (a beer coozie and a keychain) in this season's catalogue. You know, fans of these teams might've wanted to purchase gifts for friends and family. And now we have only a few options.

Anywho, noticed two things. First thing is that Justin Bieber is a Buffalo fan, and has apparently aged 5 years and finally hit puberty:

 

And really, computerized camo? On a Rangers jersey? Something tells me that they're missing their target demographic here:

Brian,also known as the one man band that is the St. Louis Blues Prospect Department on St. Louis Game Time, compiled some stats into chart form that were collected by fellow Game Timer icion which make a good argument for why passing McClement over for the Selke is a mistake. Basically, they compare Jay to last year's three nominees: Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Kessler, and the winner, Jordan Staal. It makes Jay look pretty damn good. Witness (chart from Game Time).  McClement was on the ice for the fewest goals allowed (the amount of GA Kessler was on ice for is fairly embarrassing for a Selke nominee), led in shorthanded time on ice (again, look at Datsyuk's numbers - best defensive forward year in and year out, and he's not even on the penalty kill?), did more with less per the "quality of teammates" stat, blew everyone else out of the water in faceoffs won shorthanded, and generally killed when it came to the PK. Also, he took only 22 penalty minutes all season, which is important when you're a penalty killer. Datsyuk's 18 makes him a candidate for the Lady Byng, not for the Selke. Kessler took so many that it's a wonder he got so many minutes shorthanded.

Honestly, why isn't being a penalty killing forward all but mandatory when you're considering the Selke award? The best defensive forwards on a team are usually the ones out there on the PK. Yes, a solid well rounded forward plays defense at all times, like Datsyuk, but to specifically be considered a defensive forward, you should have a job that qualifies you. Leading all players in shorthanded ToI IN THE LEAGUE should qualify you. Silent Jay is qualified.

Player	Jay McCLEMENT	Pavel DATSYUK	Ryan KESLER	Jordan STAAL
Even Str ToI	1056	1303	1164	1159
Even Str GA	43	44	61	45
Minutes per ESG	24.50	29.60	19.08	25.70
Shorthanded ToI	306	59	218	274
GA while S/H	24	6	21	29
Min per GA while S/H	12.75	9.80	10.30	9.44
Quality of Competition	.062	.029	.030	.044
Quality of Teammates	.054	.364	.020	.155
Relative QCm/QTm Ratio	1.070	0.554	0.896	0.903
Giveaways	28	73	28	31
Takeaways	39	132	83	41
Shots Blocked	52	33	73	41
Hits	66	89	95	121
S/H Faceoffs W	189	27	118	118
S/H Faceoffs L	231	29	123	148
S/H FoW %	45%	48%	48%	44%
E/S Faceoffs W	503	447	530	468
E/S Faceoffs L	470	362	429	495
E/S FoW %	51%	55%	55%	48%
Penalty Minutes	22	18	104	57
Games Played	82	80	82	82
Games per Minor Penalty	7.50	8.80	1.57	2.80
S/H Points	0 G, 2 A	0 G, 0 A	1 G, 2 A	1 G, 3 A

I obviously love both the Thrashers and Blues. I've been going to Thrashers games since the very first game, and hold season tickets. But there's one time a year where I wear a different jersey to Philips, and there's another time a year where I invade a gameday thread and talk smack about Atlanta.

Today is that day.

Me on every game day like this.

The Blues need to win tonight (along with a Chicago and Detroit loss) to be in 1st in the Central. Atlanta needs to win tonight (along with a Tampa Bay and Washington loss) to be 1st in the Southeast. Both teams are on winning streaks, with the Thrashers having beaten the Rangers and Sabres, and the Blues have beaten the Blackhawks, Penguins, and Predators - and those last two wins have been Jaroslav Halak shutouts of epic proportions. The Blues don't allow a lot of SOG, and they don't have a lot of goals against, either...Pavelec better be prepared to spend a lot of time stopping shots. Wait - that's the usual night for a Thrashers goaltender?  Duh, my bad. It's funny how the last two games they've allowed less than 30 shots on goal and have won. I wish that they'd connect the dots more.

Make no mistake about it, I'm a Blues fan first off and formost, but nothing'd make me happier than a big old 1-0 shootout win for the Blues. At the very least, for both teams to get a point would be perfection.  It is a shame though that Colaiacovo might not be in tonight for STL, that Polak's still out, and that Bryan Little is out with a nasty facial laceration. Time to test those team depths!

Actual Reenactment.

I disliked Dustin Byfuglien when he was on the Blackhawks. Not necessarily because he wasn't a good player - more because he is, and how damn self assured he is about it. Drove me insane. He's the personification of the type of player who annoys the hell out of you when he's on the other team, but when you get him, well, you want to rub everyone else's nose in how good he's playing. You become that fan that you used to hate.

And I think I'm ok with it. It's hard for me not to be after witnessing this in person:

Did we not just go to Nashville? Did Blues fans not have to listen to country music, deal with forgetting to play a period, and cope with being beaten by a team that's hot despite the fact that no one really thinks about them much? Yep. A painful 4-3 loss on the 15th was the last time these two teams met, and it's the only regulation loss on the Blues' schedule. The second and third period play of the team was solid, but first period left a lot to be desired.

No matter - the Blues just got done beating the last two Stanley Cup champions in back to back games this weekend. They only have one regulation loss on the season, and are climbing the media's power rankings. And, of course, they have he of the 9.29 SV% and 1.81 GAA - Jaroslav Halak.  They *won't* have Roman Polak, though, who will be out until his wrist heals from tendon repair surgery. Tyson Strachan will be in for Polak tonight, and no word if Cam Janssen will return.

Nashville's got Pekka Rinne, who is having a great season - and who needs to keep his eyes peeled. The Predators have a nasty habit of having the backup supplant the starter (Ellis to Mason, Rinne to Ellis...), and they have an outstanding rookie backup in Anders Lindback. While his stats aren't as high as Rinne's (2.55 GAA to Rinne's 1.58, and .925 SV% to Rinne's .955), they are higher than a good bit of the league's starters, and this is his first year in the NHL.

Saturday night was a goaltender's duel - probably the best goalie game we'll see all year. The Blues score more goals a game than Nashville, and keep more goals out of the net, but tonight should be another goalie duel for sure. One thing that Blues fans can count on, though - not much'll rattle Halak, even the between period bands.

I also must direct your attention to this article from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch regarding Barret Jackman and Eric Brewer, who keep playing great hockey and are pissing off their detractors (read: 75% of the fans) on a daily basis. Jackman has perfected bringing old-school defensive methods to the new "touch him and you're FINED" NHL. And Brewer, even after making a few flubs, is still playing good hockey and sticking up for his teammates. Honestly, the main reason I mentioned this article is for the accompanying photo of Scott Hartnell getting a stick in the noggin courtsey of Brewer. Get in front of our goalie again, Poodle. Brewerbot is gonna get you.  Hurrah for Brewer!

I've long wondered why the Blues and Thrashers don't have a huger (yes, that's a word now) presence in social media as far as the numbers go. I know neither team has the huge market fanbase of, say, a Toronto or Montreal. I also realize that since the advent of social media like Twitter and Facebook neither team has had a sustained run of success as far as the playoffs go. It still is disappointing to see my two favorite teams so used and abused in cyberspace.

Hartford, oddly, wasn't on the list.

SportsFanGraph.com has the Blues ranked 13th and the Thrashers ranked 30th out of NHL team for social media usage. Keep in mind, that this is for the casual user of Facebook and Twitter. Outstanding team media resources, such as Ben Wright of the Atlanta Thrashers (best in the business - we're spoiled by him completely) aren't taken into consideration - how many times the team name or the team hashtag is mentioned does.

I have an odd feeling that only hashtag counts could skew the results, since I know I never put #thrashers or #stlblues in my tweets when I'm tweeting about an Eric Boulton fight or a TJ Oshie hit. Actually, the only time I use a hashtag is if I know it's going for charity or if it's the #silentjayforselke hashtag. You can't also go through and count every time the word "Blues" is mentioned, because that'd skew the findings some unreal amount. So, if you're only doing the hashtag for St. Louis, then you're missing tons of legit mentions as well.

I would love to see the average ages of the fans of the Blues and Thrashers. The Thrash's fans, I suspect, skew younger what with the team being younger and having less time to build up crotechty die-hards. The Blues, though, have been around since 1967. It's a fairly good guess that a lot of the fans don't use Twitter and only use Facebook to find friends from high school. This Blues fan demographic includes my mother. And probably several other thousand fans who would love to share their opinion on the team if only they know what a tweet was.

Point being, don't read too much into this. Yes, when it comes to Atlanta, Florida, and Columbus, success at the gate and on the ice is what's going to get them talked about. But for mid-market teams like St. Louis, the Devils, the Wild, and others, it'll take time.

And no, being Canadian isn't a gimmie either - the Blues rank higher than the Oilers, Flames, and Sens.

Yeah, all the way up at numero dos, behind only the Detroit Red Wings. In proof that power rankings never follow the league standings, the current league leader in points, the Nashville Predators (!!), is at number three on TSN's list.  The Thrashers, well, they're back in familiar territory at number 22. Not low enough to yell about, and just high enough to accept.  Yep. That's about right.

ESPN has the Blues at number six, which is a thirteen spot jump from last week. They mention our lack of clicking offense, but apparently they've missed David Perron recently, or the playmaking wrecking ball that is TJ Oshie.  The Thrashers fall all the way to 27th in the rankings from 16th the previous week, with the writer calling out Chris Mason for sloppy goaltending. I think calling out the number of shots on goal allowed in the last five games a la TSN is much moe appropriate.

So, in response, my power rankings, based on things other than regional bias and team record. Because I am much more qualified to do so than someone who writes about hockey for a living. Rankings after the jump. Complete with comments that may or may not back up my placement/be relevant to anything - just like the real rankings!