Apr 4, 2013; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) during the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

If we were to hypothetically start the NHL playoffs today too that would put a couple of teams in a very good position, particularly the Okalahoma City Barons. The Edmonto Oilers will not be making the playoffs which means that once the NHL season ends Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Justin Schultz will all be able to play for the Barons. Though some, probably Eberle, may opt to play in the IIHF World Championships, but with the NHL lockout most of them played with the Barons before the season started so they might feel a draw to help the guys they played with at the beginning of the season bring home the cup.

Apr 13, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri (43) talks to right wing Matt Frattin (39) during a break in the action against the Montreal Canadiens at the Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Canadiens, 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

This year’s playoffs will also prove interesting for last year’s finalists the Norfolk Admirals and the Toronto Marlies. The Admirals have yet to clinch their playoff spot, but their affiliate the Anaheim Ducks have already clinched theirs. Last year when the Admirals won the cup the Ducks were not in the playoffs. The Toronto Marlies are in a similar position, they have clinched a playoff spot while their NHL affiliate the Toronto Maple Leafs are well on their way to clinching one, too. Last year they made it to the finals with the likes of Nazem Kadri, Matt Frattin, Jake Gardiner, and Colton Orr, but this year will proobably have to do without them. They have a lot of promising new talent this year, like Morgan Reilly, which may get them all the way this year.

What do you think? Who is your pick to win the Calder Cup? Share your thoughts in the comment box below, on facebook, twitter (@kcapp22 or @TMMotS), or by email (tmmots@yahoo.ca).

The 21-year old led all rookies in scoring with 9 points, 5 of which were goals, in 7 games.  He’s been a big reason for the strong start the Blues have had this season and has fit right into their lineup, proving he can be relied upon for his offensive contributions.

Tarasenko edged out Cory Conacher of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Justin Schultz and Nail Yakupov of the Edmonton Oilers and Alex Galchenyuk of the Montreal Canadiens to win the prestigious honors.  As of today, Tarasenko now has 10 points, followed by Conacher’s 9.  Schultz, Yakupov and Galchenyuk each have 5 points.

The race for the Calder trophy which is presented to the rookie of the year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory and will likely be the most watched in terms of potential NHL award winners this season.

Recently here at Too Many Men we looked at the top three candidates through the first two weeks of the season.  At that time we had Schultz in the lead over Tarasenko based on the number of minutes he was playing on average for a rookie defenseman.

Tarasenko’s honors will surely help sway a few critics back his way but with over 40 games left for most clubs, there will be plenty of time to discuss who might be the top candidate for the Calder.

Jan 25, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils right wing Ilya Kovalchuk (17) celebrates his overtime game winning goal against the Washington Capitals at the Prudential Center. The Devils defeated the Capitals 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

In the NFL, touchdown celebrations have pretty specific rules around them.  In the NBA, players can be penalized on the court and even fined if they hang on the rim too long after a dunk.  Major League Baseball players pump fists here and there and that’s about it.

But then there’s our beloved puck.  The NHL doesn’t have archaic roles against celebrating.  The guys at Puck Daddy hail Nail Yakupov‘s goal as “death to the NHL’s tedious decorum.”  We agree…and disagree.  To their argument, Yakupov’s whole demeanor is more Alex Ovechkin than Nicklas Lidstrom.  After being drafted he has embraced social media like no player has ever (including the media savvy Ovechkin, who’s twitter account is dormant by comparison).  Like Ovehckin and Sidney Crosby in 2004, Yakupov is the face of the new NHL emerging from the lockout.

March 22, 2012; Philadelphia, PA USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his goal during the first period of game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

On the other hand, goal celebrations have a long history of being just plain awesome.  Glorious, unabated, unadultered celebrating. ESPN produced a top 10 video a while back that doesn’t even include the aforementioned Cole celebration.  As the video points out, amazing goal celebrations date back to Tiger Williams and if you wrack your brain you can probably come up with a couple.  I mean, in beer league last week I had myself a nice Patrick Marleau fist pump.  Hockey is a game of passion, and that passion is reflected in the celebration of the most exciting moment in sports: the hockey goal.

Jan 24, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa (81) and right wing Patrick Kane (88) celebrate Hossa game winning goal against the Dallas Stars during the overtime period at the American Airlines Center. The Blackhawks defeated the Stars 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back, goal-scorers.  Looking forward to see what you’ve got in store for us for the 2013 campaign.

~BB

Greatest Fictional Cars of All-Time

1) K.I.T.T.

2) The General Lee

3) The A-Team Van

4) The Batmobile (original, TV version)

5) Lightning McQueen