Ponikarovsky heads to L.A.

Alexei Ponikarovsky signed a $3 million deal with the Los Angeles Kings today. However, the Kings will not be jumping for joy over this as the Ukrainian was more or less the second or third choice.

The first choice for the Kings was of course Ilya Kovalchuk. The problem for the team was that Kovalchuk was not willing to settle for any old paycheck. Since Dean Lombardi, the Kings’ General Manager, had decide that he was not going to pay exorbitant salaries to any player, Kovalchuk eventually went off to the New Jersey Devils. The contract with the Devils is an NHL record setter; Kovalchuk is set stay with the Devils for 17 years and will be paid $102 million in that period.

However, a quick investigation by the NHL has concluded that the contract has circumvented the imposed salary caps and therefore has been deemed null and void. Kovalchuk has immediately returned to negotiations with the Devils as the team seems to be his first choice.

Lombardi’s decision to go with Ponikarovsky is not bad in retrospect. The Ukrainian has scored more than 20 goals in the last five seasons and has the potential to give the Kings some bit in their attack. The decision is also solid in the sense that Lombardi wants to spend his resources on getting back homegrown talent who have been signed up by rival teams. But if the Devil’s deal with Kovalchuk does fall through, there is a strong possibility that Lombardi will make a bid for the forward.

The Top Ten Hockey Players of All Time

Ice Hockey (known as just ‘hockey’ in areas where it is played on ice) is a perfect example of how the ‘game of life’ should be played. Known for its fast pace, physicality and the importance of ‘taking your chances’, this game has become one of the four major North American professional sports. The world of hockey has seen many players come and go. Here is a list of the top 10 players that the world has seen and acknowledged. However, this list is not a ranking of hockey players but a list of names that have been instrumental to making the game what it is today.

1. Wayne Gretzky - He is considered one of the best athletes in hockey that lived up to his nickname, ‘The Great One’. Despite his athletic skills not considered impressive, he seemed to have ‘eyes in the back of his head’ and a knack of ‘rolling with a check’, that was crucial to his performance and which led to his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999.

2. Bobby Orr - He is considered to be a perfectionist of the game whose efforts revolutionized the game with his command over the two-way game that was considered unique for hockey players who played for the position of defenseman.

3. Mario Lemieux - If he is to be described in one word that word would be ‘magnificent’. He was a gifted playmaker and skater and was considered one of the most talented players in the game by many of his peers. If not for his health problems, his on-ice achievements would be greater although his contribution as a player to the NHL and the Pittsburg Penguins was crucial to its success.

4. Gordie Howe - Many would argue Gordie Howe is the greatest hockey player of of all time due to his scoring prowess, his physical
strength that helped him achieve the unique feat of competing in the NHL in five different decades. He is popularly known as “Mr. Hockey” while receiving the first NHL Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

5. Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard - Rocket Richard was incomparable while being the most prolific goal-scorer during his era, while being the first player to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50 games, while representing the Montreal Canadiens during his entire career.

6. Bobby Hull - He hails from a long line of NHL hockey players in his family. During his career, he was known for his quick skating speed, blonde hair and possessing the fastest shot (and a feared slapshot) thus earning him the title, ‘The Golden Jet’. He is regarded to be the greatest left winger to have ever played the game.

7. Terry Sawchuk - Terry Sawchuk is the favorite of veteran fans, and is the greatest goaltender in the history of the game, playing 21 seasons in the National Hockey League.

8. Mike Bossy - He was a true goal-scoring machine for the New York Islanders and arguably was the greatest bona-fide sniper of all time, resulting in his team’s four-year reign as Stanley Cup champions in the 1980s. Despite his career being cut short by injuries, he was among the league’s top goal scorers for the duration of his career.

9. Bobby Clarke - He was both hockeys’ greatest player as well the greatest villain, depending on how you look at him. As captain of the notorious Broad Street Bullies team known for their tireless work ethic as well as a willingness to bend the rules, his infamous slash to the ankle of Valeri Kharmalov in 1972 Summit Series is still a subject of controversy even until today. However, he was a great defensive player, checker and one of the best in the face-off circle, which earned him a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.

10. Guy LaFleur - In the six year period he played during the 70’s, his goal-scoring ability and smooth skating style has earned him a reputation of being one of the most gifted and natural players in the NHL. He was affectionately called ‘Flower’ by English fans while the French nicknamed him “le Démon Blond”, and was regarded to be the cornerstone of five Stanley Cup championship teams which was good enough to induct him into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

All about Ice Hockey for Women

Probably one of the fastest growing women’s sports in the world, ice hockey has seen over a 300 percent increase in participants over the last decade. It is true that there are not many organized leagues for women as there are for men, but there do exist leagues for women. They include the National Women’s Hockey League, Western Women’s Hockey League, and various European leagues; and university teams, national and Olympic teams, and recreational teams. There have been nine IIHF World Women Championships. Today, legends such as Hayley Wickenheiser, Cassie Campbell and Cammi Granato are well known due to the popularity of the game.

According to the Canadian Hockey Association the first recorded women’s hockey game took place in 1892 in Barrie, Ontario, while other records indicate that in 1969-70, the first professional female hockey player, Karen Koch entered the arena. Close to twenty years later, the women’s ice hockey was added as a medal sport at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Women’s ice hockey differs from that of men’s as body checking is not allowed in the former; and women are required to wear protective full-face masks.

In its early days, the game didn’t receive much support. One reporter in the Toronto News penned the following poem:

When girls play hockey they can take
Some very fearsome blows
With unconcern they will receive
A “smash” on the nose.
But if, while washing dishes, one
Should cut her dainty hand
She screams and faints. The cause of it.
We cannot understand.

Women’s ice hockey is played in at least twenty-six countries. This includes a number of European countries and recent developments include places in Asia like China and Japan.

Basic Rules Of Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey is easy to understand, and once the basics are understood, it makes the game more enjoyable to follow. The rink is divided into offensive and defensive zones by red and blue lines. Both ends of the rink have a net as goal posts.

Each team has a maximum of 20 players, and only 6 players are allowed on the ice at any given moment. The game begins with the puck being dropped and players fight for the puck [faceoff]. The objective is to score more goals than the other team, by getting the puck into the opposing team’s net. The game lasts for three 20-minute periods.

The game has a few basic rules:

Offside – An attacking player entering the defending zone of the other team ahead of the puck is called offside. This causes play to be halted and a face-off takes place in the neutral zone.

Icing – This refers to a player hitting a puck from their own half, past the other team’s goal line without it coming into contact or deflecting off another player. Play is then halted, and the puck returned to where the pass was originated. A goal is not awarded.

Penalties – When a player commits any violations such as tripping or elbowing, they are sent to the penalty box. A minor penalty costs them to sit out of the game for 2 minutes, and 5 minutes for fighting. The team given the penalty must go short-handed for the penalty period.

The NHL Salary Cap

Like most other professional sports the NHL has implemented a salary cap to control competitive spending. The cap has been in effect since the 2005 season when players were guaranteed 54% of the NHL’s annual revenue. Players get a larger share of the pot of annual revenue if the league makes more money. Essentially the success of the business pays off for the players similar to an employee-owned corporation.

Team salary expenses are tallied every day through the entire NHL season. If a team has a player on the books for a contract buyout, on injured reserve or the long-term injury list they must count that players expenses against the NHL salary cap. Players designated for assignment in the minor leagues or another amatuer hockey program like the Juniors are not counted against the salary cap. If a player is moved from one team to another, the new team assumes all responsibilities to the cap.

Many aspects of the salary cap are specific to a player’s situation, time in the year and age. For entry level players the maximum salary is $850,000. Veterans can earn as much as 20% of the team’s cap in the year that the contract was signed. Players over 35 can sign multi-year deals but their salary would be counted against the cap even in the event of retirement. Bonuses can be payed out in certain situations but cannot exceed 7.5% over the cap. Unlike many other professional leagues contracts cannot be renegotiated during the agreed upon period.