Clowe powers his way in the Rangers lineup

By Larry Wigge

He was getting a fresh start. Clean slate. Nothing to worry about ... oops!!!!

Oh, well, maybe there was this little thing that bothered Ryane Clowe -- he had gone 0-for-the-season, no goals in 28 games. That, in a sense, was the bottom line that got him traded.

The Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, native, did have some skeletons in the closet. Still, he was given a clean slate, when the San Jose Sharks, the only team Clowe has ever known, traded him to the New York Rangers for multiple draft picks before Wednesday's trade deadline.

When you spend eight seasons with the same team, you earn some marks for being a quality player. The 6-2, 225-pound left wing was known for the physical element he had provided the game. Twenty-four goals and 62 points was his career-best in 2010-11. But, he had been known to elevate his play for the playoffs.

There's the rub. There are those who believe that Ryane Clowe is more important at this time of the season.

Clowe admitted he considered switching sticks -- he was still carrying teal colored ones -- as you may remember which produced NO goals. But ...

He remembered what Rangers coach John Tortorella told him before the game: "Don't worry about any systems. Go out there and have fun."

OK. So ...

"I wanted to control the puck a little more than normal," Clowe said.

Clean slate. Fresh start. Big guy. Tough to handle in and around the net and in the traffic areas.

Lo and behold, Clowe turned in a playoff performance -- he scored two goals and one assist in a rousing 6-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ryane added five shots and four hits in 15 minutes and 22 seconds of ice time.

The real Ryane Clowe has finally appeared ... and all the Rangers had spent to get him was a second-round pick and a third-round pick (Florida's) in 2013 and a conditional second-round pick (if the free-agent re-signs with the Rangers) in 2014. The 30-year-old Clowe is expected to provide the combativeness the Rangers have missed since the departure of Brandon Prust, who signed with the Montreal Canadiens last summer as a free agent.

GM Glen Sather said. "He is a unique combination of size, skill and toughness. His strong leadership and character make him a tremendous addition to our organization on and off the ice."

Clowe learned about patience and hard work at an early age, when he began trolling the choppy waters of the Atlantic Ocean hauling shrimp and crab on his dad's fishing boat not far from their home in Newfoundland.

Troy Clowe was a great influence on his son, even if Ryane didn't always tell him that.

"I'd probably be a fisherman just like him, if I hadn't had this dream about playing hockey professionally," Clowe told me. "You know, long hours with no sleep when you're on the water.

"I'll never forget dad giving me the best advice a father could, after one of those many times I got cut from a team. I remember him telling me, 'Believe in your dream. Even if 50 people tell you that you're never going to make it to the NHL, you have to believe in your dream. Have fun, work hard and enjoy it. If you do that, you never know where you'll end up.' "

No this is no fish story.

Clowe was cut by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Moncton Wildcats as an 18-year-old. He played in a pickup league until he was offered a tryout by Rimouski of that same league midway through the season. That exposure with the team that previously had high draft picks Vinny Lecavalier and Brad Richards and was about to welcome Sidney Crosby, allowed Ryane the opportunity to get drafted.

This former sixth-round pick, 175th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, who was able to return for the final four games of the regular season -- he tore several ligaments in his knee -- now had a hand in seven of San Jose's 10 goals in the 2007-08 playoff series.

"It's been like adding an impact player after the trading deadline, something you weren't counting on," teammate Joe Thornton said of Clowe's amazing comeback.

"Clowie isn't a great skater, but he's powerful and has nice hands," said former Sharks coach Ron Wilson. "He's the perfect example of the kind of player you have to have at this time of the year -- one who plays with passion, doesn't want to lose any battle and never takes a shift off."

Still, it wasn't until Ryane turned 24 and Wilson put him on a line with Thornton and Patrick Marleau and he had 15 points in his last nine starts, including nine goals, that the big body really showed that the NHL was home for him.

But Clowe remained vigilant in his recovery, realizing he hadn't really proved his worth in the big leagues yet.

"I tried to be around the guys as much as possible, but the toughest part was not being out on the ice for so long," Clowe said. "When you can't skate and play, it's really tough. The guys keep saying this is like training camp for me now."

Training camp on the ice with the team began for Clowe on March 30.

"Even when it came to skating, the first couple of weeks on the ice, I couldn't turn, I couldn't stop," he said. "You just think, 'I don't know how long this is going to be.' I was happy to get four games in."

Now, after the trade to the Rangers, he's clearly in postseason form.

What makes Clowe so valuable is that he plays with a physical edge, spending most of his time in the heavy traffic areas along the boards and in front of the net. And he's not afraid to drop the gloves and stand up for a teammate.

You could say that Clowe's been fighting for recognition throughout his career.

"It was a 50-minute drive to the nearest arena, when I was growing up. But I'd be out there all day on the ponds once they froze," said Clowe. "I remember growing up a Montreal Canadiens fan. Brian Bellows was my favorite player, the way he would work hard in the offensive zone always looking to find the open spot and get off a quick shot the year he helped Montreal win the Stanley Cup in 1993. I also loved to watch Eric Lindros play his power game.

"I wasn't unlike so many other players who grew up in small towns in Canada, except that Fermeuse was a little smaller (only 500 people) with a little less exposure. My real dream was just to play hockey professionally. This is a bonus beyond belief."

Clowe says he's blown away at how close Newfoundlanders are. He knew that his folks and friends back home were staying up til 3:30 in the morning to watch the games and would often call or e-mail him afterward to chat about his performance.

"I've even got some buddies I grew up with in Newfoundland who have transplanted to Calgary and work out here now," Clowe laughed. "I've seen them in the stands among all of that Flames red. You wouldn't believe the number of buddies who have e-mailed me and told me that they took me in their fantasy draft playoff pools. They tell me how important it is that I keep scoring ... for them.

"Like there isn't enough pressure on me already after what I went through this season."

Clowe also will fit well into the rest of New York's sports scene. He is a huge baseball fan, mainly of the San Francisco Giants – before the recent World Series championships, he wanted to mention. But he also has been to Yankee Stadium several times and lists his dream dinner as a sit-down with Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin. Clowe said he's read biographies on all the Yankee legends and loves the game.

 

He doesn't consider himself a soon-to-be-free-agent. He'd like to earn a new contract with the Rangers.

"I'd love to be here, be a part of this and be here a while," he said. "Now, what happens? I'm not sure. And the next month is gonna be a sprint to the finish here, so I've got to make sure my game is where it needs to be.

"And I think if I'm playing at the top of my game, it'll help this team and we'll go from there."

Ryane Clowe sounds like he belongs in New York already.

Visnovsky: The bottom line in D for the Islanders

By Larry Wigge

The life of Lubomir Visnovsky is vexing. Each version of his 12-year career is a mixed bag ... sort of.

Like the trade of the Topolcany, Czechoslakia, native, last June to the New York Islanders for a second-round draft choice amid his insistence that he would never player for the Islanders.

Visnovsky, 36, first balked at reporting to the Isles, because he felt that his no-trade clause had been violated, when he was dealt by Edmonton when he was traded to Anaheim in 2010. Then, during the lockout, he was playing in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. He balked again at reporting the Islanders, citing a family crisis.

But ...

When he did return to the Islanders, there was a lot of catching to do. Did you ever walk into a room with strangers? Strangers who are trying to make you feel at home.

That's the dilemma that Visnovsky faced, when he returned early in February and several games had already been played.

"Everybody comes to me, 'Hi I'm Mark or I'm Matt,' " said Visnovsky. "I said, it will be homework tonight for me to go to internet, look at faces, focus on the names, because that's very important for the game."

You know the whole scenario of meeting new teammates.

Lo and behold, Visnovsky formally came back ... and he became fast friends with the his Islanders teammates. So much so that he actually signed a new two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Islanders.

"It's good to have him back. He's been skating and will fit right in. We had him in the power play today right away," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "He's another puck moving defenseman that can join the rush. We don't generate a lot from our blueline right now."

And Matt Moulson and Michael Grabner -- two of the aforementioned players he was introduced to -- are two of the forwards most thankful, along with John Tavares, Brad Boyes and Frans Nielsen. There was an instant offense created by a pair of puck-moving defenseman named Mark Streit and Visnovsky. 

In 23 game with the Islanders, Visnovsky contributed three goals and six assists and was a plus-one on defense. Not quite the same 18-goal explosions he had for Los Angeles in 2006-07, when he ended up with 58 points or with Anaheim in 2010-11, when he would up with 68 points.

At 5-foot-10, 188 pounds, Visnovsky is on the smallish side. Still, his skill should have made him better than a fourth-round draft choice, 118th overall, in the 2000 Entry Draft. Still, teams continue to be surprised by Visnovsky's skills -- his speed, quickness, puck skills and shot. 

A league-wide cast of characters could vouch for Visnovsky magic.

"He's more than that small guy on defense who has some skills,"  said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville, who in St. Louis and Colorado would always have to include a warning to his players in the pre-game speech to keep an eye on Visnovsky. "You really have to watch for him coming in late, because he's got such great speed and power and a rocket shot."

"Maybe a lot of fans don't know how good he is, but the people who have to play against him know what skills he brings to the game," said former St. Louis Blues coach Andy Murray, who seconded in a much more effective tone -- using great defensemen as a example.

Murray had Visnovsky at Los Angeles for seven years and other times he had to coach against him. There's no better way to classify them.

"To me, you've got Nick Lidstrom and Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer," Murray continued. "But Lubie has to be among the top eight defensemen in the NHL.

"He's one of fastest skaters among defensemen in the game and he just pounds the puck. But what I liked about him most when I coached him in Los Angeles was that he came to the rink with a smile on his face every day. On the ice, he's grittier than most would think. He's really tough. He'll play through injuries."

Murray still wasn't finished. He then told me about the first time he had Visnovsky on the ice with him.

"I was told he understood English pretty well," Murray laughed. "So, I started to explain to him what we want our defensemen to do and how I thought it was really important for our 'D' to move the puck quickly out of our zone -- and keep a tight distance between them and the forwards in transition, so that they could jump in late and take advantage of scoring opportunities. He looked at me with a big smile and said, 'Hockey good, coach.' "

Visnovsky, who's played in three Olympics for Slovakia and a couple of World Cups, seems to be a perfect fit.

Oilers President Kevin Lowe said, "We feel we've made a step toward improving our overall offense. Lubomir is a world-class defensemen who has been one of the premier offensive-defensemen over the past five years."

Lubomir teamed on defense with Sheldon Souray at Edmonton. Visnovsky may remind a lot of Oilers fans of Paul Coffey the way he skates, moves the puck and shoots.

"He's a very creative player," Souray said. "With his shot, he opens things up and he sees the ice really well."

"'Vis' is so good on the one-timer," said Calgary Flames forward Mike Cammalleri, who played for another five seasons in Los Angeles with Lubomir. "With him and Souray back there, you can take away one, but you can't take both away. It's pick your poison."

Lubomir Visnovsky said, "Lots of people were thinking I'm here just to finish my contract and go home. It's not true, obviously. "I want to show everybody that I'm very happy here, that the Isles are a good team, a playoff team.

"I have a great team, great teammates and I think I can help this team."

He went on to say to GM Garth Snow, "I have to say thanks to this organization, to Snowy, he has been very good to me. When I wanted to go back home, he never said no, and that makes me feel very good to be with this team."

That goes a long way to making a player feel right at home, accordingly said Visnovsky.

Smallish Matt Calvert always stands out

By Larry Wigge

John Houseman doesn't make commercials these days. But if he did, his bit for Smith Barney Investments from 1979 would still earn a gold star.

In it, he said, "Good investments don't walk up and bite you on the bottom and say we're here. Finding them takes good old-fashioned hard work, research. ... Smith Barney: They make money the old-fashioned way. They e-a-r-n it."

Matt Calvert has e-a-r-n-e-d every bit of credit he has gotten for climb from low-on-the-radar to Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Brandon, Manitoba, native, was the fifth-round pick, 127th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by Columbus. By his own admission, Calvert, all 5-foot-10, 175 pounds of him, didn't fall off a turnip truck or some such thing. 

Matt Calvert began making plays in tight spaces and snapping wrist shots past goaltenders. Calvert used his soft hands for equally honest yet less celebrated tasks -- he flipped burgers for Wendy's, he cleaned swimming pools, he pumped gas at a Mohawk filling station and he took pride in his greasy aprons and oil-stained uniforms.

You could say this story is sort of out of sight out of mind. But that wouldn't apply here, because Calvert was a positive influence the first-round selections of Brayden Schenn (who went fifth to Los Angeles in 2009 and now plays for Philadelphia) and Scott Glennie (who went eighth to Dallas in 2009). Each of the threesome played on the top line of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

"You can call me a third wheel, back seat, off the radar, I don't care," said Calvert. "We had a great line and no one is going to tell me I didn't contribute a lot to it."

One team executive said about Calvert: "We have a couple of scouts near Brandon and they never filed any reports on him. None to my knowledge."

There's always a player or two whose number just keeps catching your attention. Hard worker. Character player who plays with a great degree of passion. No quit. This phenomenon is true, especially when you have a little more than 200 players on hand for this type of prospects bonanza.

Calvert is confident enough in his own abilities to admit he won't let anything anyone says about him deter his attempt to make it to the NHL.

"Hey, I was only 5-1 when I was 16. I've heard all the stories. Like, 'Hey kid, get off the ice so the real players can practice' since I was little," Calvert laughed after he thought about what he had just said. "Maybe I should have worded that differently.

"But it is what it is. I never really thought about the NHL until Columbus drafted me."

Calvert can't recall how many times he was cut from youth teams. The story was always the same, coaches liked his ability and speed, but he was simply too small.

At age 15, he was 5-1 and 110 pounds. Matt's father, Leo, who works for Westman Communications Group in Brandon, an internet/cable company, remembers talking to a junior scout, who ended a conversation with: "Call me if he grows."

Still, there's no inferiority complex there.

"I've been cut from so many teams over the years because of my size I don't worry about that," Matt added. "When I turned 16, I never got a single letter from a Western Hockey League team (invitations to that junior league's training camps). It wasn't until after my third year of midget that (Brandon coach) Kelly McCrimmon called me and offered me a tryout."

Matt says his dad encouraged him to go back for a third year of midgets, in which he had his best season ever.

"Kelly McCrimmon gave me a chance to play at the Junior A level, but I don't think I could have made it this far without the confidence my parents have in me and my dream to play hockey professionally," Calvert said.

The Calvert's, Leo and Alice, Matt's mom, who works for Brandon University. Both are blue-collar people who pushed him.

"While I'm pulling the sweater over my head for each game, I think of their words ... 'Keep on fighting, son. Follow your dream,'" Matt said, wearing all of his emotions on the sleeve of his Columbus practice jersey Tuesday. "They were the ones who were confident I'd grow up from the 5-1 kid when I was 16 ... and they were right."

Scott Glennie has yet to make an impact on the NHL. Meanwhile, Calvert had six goals for the Blue Jackets.

"Don't worry about Matt," Glennie said of his Brandon linemate. "He's got all the confidence in the world in his ability."

There's even more to his growth to this small player.

"Since Traverse City in September of 2009, I learned to be a professional," Calvert said. "My first thing as a pro, I felt I should be here. I got comfortable ... or whatever."

There always seemed to be one or two players ahead of Matt Calvert, so he went down to Springfield of the American Hockey League during the lockout, where he put up 10 goals and 11 assists in 34 games.

"I felt awesome down there earning my stripes," he continued. "I know this is the place I want to be. These are the best players in the world.

"Some players were called up over me."

I've written too many, too small, too slow, too this, too that stories to know that it's a will to win and the size of a player's heart that really counts. At that point, you realize that Matt Calvert has just as good a chance to show everyone that he's no different than a Martin St. Louis, Daniel Briere, Steve Sullivan, Doug Gilmour, Theo Fleury and so many others who have transformed small size into big in the NHL.

Teammate R.J. Umberger says, "He plays like he's 6-foot-3 in the corners. His play in the hard areas is what stands out."

Matt Calvert stands out.

Ducks add Souray -- big goals, big shot, pius more

By Larry Wigge

The clock was ticking.

In an instant, Sheldon Souray wound up, flexed his muscles, and let a slap shot fly from just inside the blue line.

There was just 2:08 left to play. It was just like the Elk Point, Alberta, native, had willed his way into this position. Well, that slap shot beat Chicago Black Hawks goaltender Ray Emery for a 2-1 victory and Anaheim's veteran defenseman had used his big shot once again to score the winning goal.

Whoosh. Instantly. That's how easily Souray can make a game. The 36-year-old, 6-4, 237-pound, defenseman can make a puck act like a stealth weapon.

To Anaheim fans, the only thing they've seen similar to it is a Nolan Ryan fastball.

Velocity equals instant impact. It's an interesting study in quantum reaction -- and it's also the way opposing goaltenders look at how scary those 90-plus mph shots are that might Ducks defenseman Souray delivers with regularity.

"It's just plain lethal," is how former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said of Souray's slap shot. "But don't be confused about Sheldon. He provides more than just a big shot. He's big and strong and nasty to play against. He makes an impact that way, too."

Said Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, "It's hard. He has such an easy motion. Even when you know it's coming, you have a clear look at him, you think you see the puck and then ... it's by you."

Souray once scored 26 goal for the Montreal Canadiens in 2006-07 -- and had 23 goals another season for Edmonton in 2008-09. But that was then and this is now. He's played in the NHL for 13 seasons, starting with the New Jersey Devils, he has also played for Montreal, Edmonton, Dallas and now Anaheim.

There was a time when he thought his career was over in 2010-11, when his contract in Edmonton outweighed his performance and he cleared waivers and played the entire season with the American Hockey League Hershey Bears.

Then he signed a one-year contract with Dallas as a free agent. Again, his time apparently had run out as he became a free agent again last summer. Lo and behold, Souray signed a three-year, $11 million contract with the Ducks.

This deal feels like home for Souray, because his former wife Angelica Bridges shares custody of his two daughters Valentina (nine) and Scarlett (six). She is a actress living in Hollywood.

"I felt as a father, I had come home again," Souray said. "I could spend time with my daughters. When I'm at home, I could drive them to school.

"Personally, my kids and I had spent the summer with them since 2000. ... You don't know how that feels to be with them so much more."

And the Ducks.

"If the team wasn't a good fit, I would have gone elsewhere," said Souray. "Now, I have three kicks at the can with the Ducks.

"My career has gone full circle, from being a ruff and tumble defender to scoring some goals and then back to defense. Here, I'm a shutdown defenseman, along with Francois Beauchemin we like the responsibility of playing against the top line every night."

Now, the scoring, he has seven goals and 12 assists in 33 games following the March 29 victory over Chicago.

Souray was a third-round pick, 71st overall, in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Devils. He always had a good shot, but he never realized how good it was until 2001-02, when he played in only 34 games with Montreal.

"I remember sitting in the pressbox and hearing some of the scout talking about how much my shot was missed, when I broke my hand," Souray recalled. "I missed a whole year and I had to relearn.

"But hearing those scouts talk about my shot taught me a lesson. I always had a shot ... I just had to use it."

The shutdown Souray now had recorded a +10 rating in his last 11 contests following the March 29 game against Chicago -- and ranked tied for third in the NHL in overall plus/minus (+24) and in plus/minus on the road (+12).

"When you play with some of the best offensive players in the world guys like Teemu Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf, Cory Perry, Saku Koivu and Bobby Ryan, they don't need me," he said, shaking his head. "Only every now and then."

Said Ducks GM Bob Murray, "We attempted to get bigger and stronger on the back end -- and I think we accomplished that. We've added some character across the team."

Size and character plus: A big shot. Big impact on defense.

That's what Sheldon Souray to the Anaheim Ducks this season.

A more confident David Clarkson has arrived

By Larry Wigge

If he hadn't score 30 goals last season, David Clarkson wouldn't have even considered going to Austria during the lockout. Unless, it was on a ski vacation weekend.

Until last season, the Toronto, Ontario, native, wasn't didn't accomplish anything -- unless it was as as a competitor, a battler. Clarkson agonizes over each potential goal-scoring chance that he failed to score on.

But reject the fact that he had career-high of 17 goals, which was obliterated. There certainly is no quit in him. He's a character player nobody would doubt. And he proved his outlook was well beyond the 30 goals he had.

Clarkson played the entire 2012 playoffs with a fractured foot. It did not require surgery in the offseason and did not keep him on the injury list, which would have allowed him to be paid during the lockout.

So with that behind him -- and with his future ahead -- you could expect him to want to go somewhere to get his feeling back and his touch. You don't go score three goals in 24 playoffs games -- all three were game-winning goals in leading the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cups finals before losing out to the Los Angeles Kings in six games.

David converted the game-winning goal in Game 2 and 5 against Philadelphia in the second round and in Game 2 against the New York Rangers in the Conference Finals. And, to fulfill his touch and key playmaking ability, in Game 4 of the Cup finals, Clarkson picked up a turnover at center ice, he quickly turned into transition mode. He skated into the offensive zone and quickly sent a cross-ice pass to Henrique, who corralled the puck and flipped a wrist shot past Jonathan Quick's glove side.

"I was feeling better and was able to train. It had healed. I was kind of back on the ice," Clarkson said of the injury, but during the lockout, "To be honest, that never crossed my mind."

The confident right winger went over to Austria to play games, with a purpose.

"It was a totally different style," he said. "More ice. Puck possession. Over there, there was more ice and more opportunities to do different things with the puck -- that I wasn't used to."

Thus, the change in David's game. No longer playing in the shadow of Zack Parise, who bolted via free agency to the Minnesota Wild, this was the new Clarkson.

He bolted from the start of the season with 11 goals in the first 13 games.

Clarkson gave his team a 2-0 lead midway into the second on a great individual effort in following up a rebound for the 12th goal. Zajac took the initial shot from the right circle that hit Clemmensen high on the chest and dropped in front of him. Clarkson jammed the loose puck into the cage for a 2-1 victory over Florida earlier this week.

"It was a shot on net and the rebound sat on part of the goalie's pad that bends and I was just digging," Clarkson said. "It was a little grinder's goal. I saw it, and reached, and saw it there and kept whacking."

Is he motivated?

"One-hundred percent," Clarkson said forcefully. "Do I think people doubted me scoring 30 goals? Yes, I do." 

"For Clarkie to score 30 was no fluke," said goaltender Marty Brodeur. "I see him in practice every day. He's around the puck. It could be behind the net, a chaotic position in front of the net, he can get a quick shot off. He wants to score, he wants to go to the net with the puck.

"It's tough for a goalie when you have a guy hanging around your goal all the time."

Vintage David Clarkson, the undrafted free agent, who played for Devils coach Peter DeBoer in Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey Association. 

DeBoer is proud of Clarkson and his accomplishments as an NHLer. Clarkson and DeBoer won together in junior, including a Memorial Cup championship with the 2002-03 Kitchener Rangers.

But, there is more to it. When he was 18, Clarkson, in fact, credits DeBoer with talking him out of quitting hockey.

Clarkson did quit ... in fact.

Devastated by the loss of two grandparents within three months, Clarkson lost his passion for the game and was set to walk away from his junior career with Kitchener. It was his coach at the time, DeBoer, who convinced him to return.

"I lost two of my grandparents in one year. I lost them both within three months. I was a young kid, 17- 18-years-old, and it was tough to swallow," Clarkson recalled. "He convinced me to come back. I ... wasn't sure I wanted to play after that."

Both of his parents worked when he was growing up. Thus, his grandparents were like second parents to him. Neither of them was ill ... it was ...

His grandmother woke up one morning with a cough and died of cancer a month later of complications from the cough. His grandfather had a seizure in a washroom and wasn't found until three days later.

Those were both devastating ... especially to a young kid. He wanted to quit living.

Said DeBoer, "I'm sure he'll tell you he's been good for me and saved my career and I'll probably tell you I saved his."

But DeBoer naturally sees a different player other than the 28-year-old Clarkson from his junior days?

"He's more mature," the Devils coach said. "He's found his identity and role as a player. In Kitchener, he did a lot more fighting, a lot like he did early in his NHL career.

"He's established to everybody in the league what he is now and he's a valuable guy on the ice. There's only a handful of guys in the league -- Milan Lucic, James Neal, Scott Hartnell, David Backes, Ryan Malone, Clarkson, those type of players that can score the type of goals they score and are willing to do the dirty work, too."

That to DeBoer is the difference in David Clarkson.

Said DeBoer, "He's a big game ... big goal scorer."

Taylor Hall's development -- No. 1 with a bullett

By Larry Wigge

Taylor Hall thinks his blinding speed and competitive attitude with the puck on the wing is his calling card. Others will argue that winning is his ultimate DNA.

"It's still hockey, it's about winning battles in the offensive zone," said the Calgary, Alberta, native. 

There never was a night like this for Hall -- the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Three times in the first two periods the Edmonton Oilers dashed into the St. Louis zone on breaks or semi-breakaways and each time it was the line of Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins neatly tossing the puck deep in the Blues zone.

All three resulted in goals, two by Eberle and one by Hall in the Oilers 3-0 victory over St. Louis March 26.

Hall, who had one goal and two assists, was now a point-per-game-plus player with 30 points in 29 games. He has produced two points or more in each of the last eight games.

No wonder the Oilers took Hall with the first pick overall in 2010. It was no secret why Hall was taken over Tyler Seguin in the competitive draft.

"He's such an imposing young man," Oilers GM Steve Tambellini said. "I don't think I've ever met a more focused, competitive athlete. He was the best player on a good team for a long time."

It's key to note that Hall became No. 1 overall because of his being on the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. Windsor won back-to-back Memorial Cups and Taylor was MVP of both tournaments.

At 24, Hall's play is a robust game.

The 6-1, 194-pound left wing comes up big in big games. He's hungry. He wants it. He has true grit in his game. And plays it with flash and dash.

"We felt like with Taylor, if you look at his resume of playing with the best team and being the best player, back-to-back Memorial Cup MVP's, prominent in the World Junior tournament, prominent on his own team for his entire junior career," Tambellini said. "I haven't met a more competitive player than this young man."

Said Hall, "I'd like to think I'm an exciting, fast offensive player. I'm pretty good in my own end. I love to play offense and create opportunities for my teammates."

After an overtime win, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said: "Hall always gets to the net. That's as good as I've seen Taylor Hall since I've seen him in the league."

That's a positive sign for this third-year pro. There was a move in the Hall household in 2005.

Steve Hall and Kim Strba, however, were great contributors to Taylor's development. Steve -- former receiver in the Canadian Football League (1983-86, Winnipeg and Ottawa) and former member of the Canadian bobsled team (1987-96). His mother signed her boy up in organized hockey when he was five.

"I just saw the registration in the paper," Kim said. "I remember when his dad came home, I said, 'I signed Taylor up for hockey today.' "

Steve Hall remembers another episode in Calgary, where father and son went to see the movie 'Miracle.' They got home at 10 p.m. "By 10:30, Taylor was out playing hockey."

Great going mom and dad.

There wasn't a free moment when Taylor Hall was working out on his backyard rink -- built by Steve. Hall and his friends practiced on relentlessly. He never forgot how rabid and passionate the fans were in Edmonton where the Oilers won five Stanley Cups.

"I remember my dad and I drove up from Calgary and went to the Heritage Classic in November 2003," Hall recalled. "It was such a unique experience. I remember sitting in the seats that day, trying to figure out how people were still out there drinking beer. It was so cold. Me, I was drinking hot chocolate."

Injuries have ended his season each of the first two years -- he busted an ankle in the first season and suffered a concussion and had shoulder surgery last year.

Still, he had 22 and 27 goals in sixty-some games.

The reckless style had causes some of those injuries. He dismisses those notions, but admits he needs to protect himself a little better out there.

"I've run into some bad luck," he said. "Two years in a row you start to think about things. But I just need to get a full year under my belt and that will all go away. Once I do that, the whispers will go away."

You can's teach a competitor like Hall to lose some physical battles.

"Taylor's not afraid to take the puck to the net," said Ryan Smyth, whose made a living out of crashing the crease. "He isn't afraid of charging the blue paint. That's really an asset you can't teach a player.

"He got a taste of it last year ... how hard it was, what the level of compete is in the NHL ...

Smyth took a time to pause and then went on to say. "He can be an elite player."

It's been fun to watch and see Taylor Hall develop.

And there's much more to come.

Hodgson is smart, clever , playmaking center

By Larry Wigge

You are going into the draft and are looking for a quality playmaking center.

You look for speed. But Wayne Gretzky, Ron Francis and Adam Oates weren't the fastest and they were in the top four playmakers of all-time. Only Mark Messier had the speed and power to work his way into the top five. 

The key to scouting playmakers is puck skills and energy and a quarterbacking mentality on the half-boards and deep into the offensive zone. Like a wide receiver, you must have the escapability to pull past a defenseman to make a play. Instinctive. Innate ability.

To see a play happening is like a mindset of a quarterback to seeing a wide receiver working his way to get open. There's more under the center helmet to making a playmaker.

Cody Hodgson is on the ice, his opponents look like pawns on the chessboard. He a creative center who possesses terrific puck skills and a high hockey IQ.

A chessboard? Yes, that picture I get.

"There are a lot of similarities between chess and hockey," said the Toronto, Ontario, native. "You're always planning your attack beforehand and when you're moving up the board you should always attack with more than one piece."

Now, Hodgson is a unique talent.

"When I was younger I would compete in tournaments," smiled Hodgson, who met Pope John Paul II, also a chess master of sorts.

Sometimes you slot one of these playmakers into a role. The Vancouver Canucks drafted the 6-foot, 185-pound center with the 10th pick overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. But, they had Henrik Sedin and a Ryan Kesler playing ahead of Hodgson. So, in the final minutes of trade deadline day they dealt Cody off to Buffalo for some size, great size, in Zack Kassian -- the Sabres had picked the right wing 13th overall in the 2009 draft.

The Sabres won out in this deal because they got the smarter and more clever playmaker.

Hodgson's favorite player when he was growing up Steve Yzerman. In fact, he wear Yzerman's No. 19 today. But, he patterned himself after ...

"Chris Drury is obviously an incredible hockey player," said Hodgson. "From the Little League World Series to a Stanley Cup in Colorado in 2001."

Drury just happened to play behind Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg with the Avalanche. Or another three-center system that worked in Pittsburgh with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal who won a Cup in 2009.

Hodgson is a complete player. He plays good away from the puck. He scores big goals and he's a good leader on and off the ice. He's the whole package.

Pat Quinn, longtime NHL coach who directed Philadelphia to the Stanley Cup finals in 1980 and Vancouver in 1994, only to lose out in the finals, had seen a lot. In the Under-18 World Championships in April of 2008, Quinn coach Canada's best junior players to the gold -- and had Hodgson as his team MVP, while tying an all-time Canadian scoring record by Pierre-Marc Bouchard with two goals and 10 assists in seven games.

"You always wonder where your leadership will come from in a tournament like this," Quinn said. "Cody had the characteristics of a leader, especially for a guy his age. 

"He's a special young man and he had a lot to do with our success. I've had a lot of guys a lot older than him who don't conduct themselves like he does. We played him against the other teams' top lines and he didn't leave us short in any area."

Hodgson was centering the Buffalo Sabres top line of Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. In 32 games, he had 12 goals and 16 assists, including 25 points (nine goals and 16 assists) over his last 26 games.

To say that Hodgson's instincts take over on the ice is like saying Wayne Gretzky, Ron Francis and Adam Oates weren't smart.

Brains run in the Hodgson family. His father, Chris, president of the Ontario Mining Association and a former Ontario provincial Progressive Conservative cabinet minister. His mother, Marie, is executive director of a nursery school and his older brother, Clayton, is a business student at Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario.

"What makes a smart player is the ability to read the game, to know where the puck is going to be before it gets there," said Hodgson. "That's what they always said about Gretzky, he's always two steps ahead of everyone else. He can get in and out of the corner before anyone else even knows the puck was in the corner. He stays out of a lot of the physical battles."

Not that Hodgson shies away from physical play. He's just smart enough to know when to avoid it.

He has the big, strong hands of a bricklayer and thick, muscular legs.

"He's a strong skater, strong on his skates and has a thicker body," said Sabres former coach Lindy Ruff. "He's fairly solid. The core area is really what makes a lot of good players go. It's an area where he's really strong."

Teammates talk about Hodgson in international terms.

"He was probably one of the best guys in the tournament and a huge reason why we won the gold medal," Tyler Ennis said. "He was just all-around skill, a really good passer, but he was good all over the place; D-zone, killed penalties and stuff. I just remember him dominating that tournament."

Knowing how to find a good playmaking center is essential.

Cody Hodgson is a clever puckhandler. Just watch him.