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I urge ever reader who has the option to watch the World Junior Hockey Championships, which are currently going on in my hometown of Ottawa . This is the finest collection of young talent that you will ever see, and you also get the chance to show off your national pride.

Now, onto your queries. Like before, The Captain is unrelenting in his incessant questions, and here are two of his best of this week:

Where exactly did the Red Wings get their logo from? What does the foot on the Avalanche jersey mean?
         -The Captain, Saint Leo

I'll handle these one at a time...

The Detroit Red Wings logo has a very interesting history. The team was originally named the Falcons and the Cougars, yet new owner James Norris decided to put his mark on the team in 1933. The logo is an adaptation of that of the Montreal AAA, a hockey team Norris played on, who were nicknamed the Winged Wheels. There is also thought that the logo is an homage to Detroit 's automotive industry, but that seems to be unfounded.

As for the Avs, the foot is representative of a Yeti, the mythical snow creature. This is due to the Avalanche taking for themselves everything to do with snow after their relocation to Denver from Quebec City .

While I'm touring through the annals of hockey history, here come a question from my favourite Wisconsin source that truly gets to the roots of the game...

When was hockey founded? Who was it founded by? Where was it founded?
         -The Rookie, Germantown

Hockey wasn't founded, per se, like basketball. Rather like baseball and football, it sprung up, evolving from other ancient ball and stick games like hurling and shinty into what it is today.

Hockey first moved to the ice in, predictably, Canada . The first players of what we would now recognize as hockey were British soldiers, who were faced with frozen ponds when they moved to Canada and decided to move their beloved ball and stick games there.

The first officially recognized hockey games were played in Kingston , Ontario , in the 1840's, leading it to be designated as the birthplace of hockey. However, Windsor, Nova Scotia has pushed for it to be named as the birthplace of hockey, thanks to author Thomas Haliburton's recollection of "ice hurley" being played there in 1796. In any event, the first official hockey game was played between university students on March 3, 1875, in Montreal .

Now, here's a question from a new contributor to this blog...

Who will be good first: Maple Leafs, Thrashers, Lightning, or Isles?
         -Hockey Fan in Maryland

This is an extremely interesting question. I'm assuming your definition of good is top-four in the conference with reasonable playoff success. To me, the answer is clear... and extremely painful for me to say. The next one of these teams that will be good is...

GULP

...the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The hallmarks of great teams is great management. Detroit is always a powerhouse because they have a great coach in Mike Babcock and general manager in Ken Holland, San Jose is improving because of new coach Todd McLellan coupled with GM Doug Wilson, and Boston is rising to the top of the East thanks to Claude Julien and Peter Chiarelli. The Leafs already have a great management team in place. Ron Wilson is an excellent motivator and strategist, and Brian Burke is one of the top general managers in the league.

Wilson 's efforts are already paying off with their very young and untested roster; the Leafs are hustling all across the ice and are picking up wins that they shouldn't. They have many promising pieces for the future in Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, John Mitchell, Luke Schenn (who is going to be absolutely superb), and goalie Justin Pogge. They are teamed with in-their-prime contributors who shouldn't be too over the hill by the time the Leafs are ready to make a run, such as Nikolai Antropov, Matt Stajan, and Tomas Kaberle.

All the other teams have major flaws that will keep them from competing. The Thrashers have made very little effort to build around their star, Ilya Kovalchuk, and have a less-than-sterling management team. The Lightning really shot themselves in the foot this summer by overpaying mediocre free agents, and won't be able to improve as long as co-owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie are smearing their fingers all over the team. As for the Isles, they will never compete as long as owner Charles Wang surrounds himself with yes-men who have little to no hockey intel.

Please, if you would kind sir, give us a history on the Winter Classic and your take on this year's matchup.
         -Putting On The Foil in California

The Winter Classic, also known as the NHL's annual outdoor game, is a relatively new phenomenon in the NHL. Technically, it's only in it's second year. However, if you're looking at the Winter Classic, you first have to recognize the Heritage Classic.

The Heritage Classic was the very first regular-season outdoor hockey game, which took place on November 22, 2003, in Edmonton . The match, pitting the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens, was preceded by a game featuring some of the legendary players on each team, hence the moniker "Heritage Classic". The NHL game is remembered mainly thanks to Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore wearing a toque over his goalie mask.

The NHL decided to revive the outdoor game idea in 2008, though, thinking that it would be an excellent opportunity to showcase hockey across the United States . The game, which pitted the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins in Ralph Wilson Stadium, was also an excellent opportunity to showcase young Penguins star Sidney Crosby. Despite being played on New Year's Day, at the same time as many Bowl games, it was a smashing success. The Penguins won 2- 1 in a shootout, and the game got the highest ratings for a regular-season game since 1996.

I think this year's matchup will be a great one. Not only does it match two Original Six Teams, but it matches two teams that will attract new hockey fans. The Red Wings have been incredible, and the Blackhawks are an up-and-coming team featuring young stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. This will really help the league grow. Of course, I like the Wings to win 4-2.

Who has the hardest slap shot ever recorded?
         -The Captain, Saint Leo

That honour goes to Sheldon Souray. Souray has always been noted as having one of the hardest shots in the NHL, and he backed it up, clocking a 106.7 MPH slapper at an Edmonton Oilers' skills competition on January 4th, 2008.

Souray grew up in small-town Alberta , and is one of very few Metis players in the NHL. His father, Richard, was an alcoholic but kicked the bottle when he realized that his son was going to get drafted. After his parents divorced when he was nine, he was shuttled around Alberta , but settled down when his hockey career blossomed. However, he is known best for marrying Baywatch star Angelica Bridges. Sadly, they divorced in 2006.

Now, here comes a simple question with a length answer...

What are all the awards/trophies in the NHL, and who are they given to? And why is it called the Stanley Cup?
         -The Rookie, Germantown

There are four team trophies, and lots of individual trophies. I'll list them all, along with their current holder:

Stanley Cup- awarded to the NHL playoff champion (Detroit Red Wings)
Prince of Wales Trophy- awarded to the Eastern Conference playoff champion (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl- awarded to the Western Conference playoff champion (Detroit Red Wings)
Presidents' Trophy- awarded to the team who records the most points in the regular season (Detroit Red Wings)

Hart Trophy- awarded to the league's most valuable player (Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals)
Lady Byng Trophy- awarded to the NHL's most gentlemanly player (Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings)
Vezina Trophy- awarded to the NHL's top goaltender (Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils)
Calder Trophy- awarded to the NHL's top rookie (Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks)
Art Ross Trophy- awarded to the NHL's top points-scorer during the regular season (Ovechkin)
Norris Trophy- awarded to the NHL's top defenseman (Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings)
Conn Smythe Trophy- awarded to the NHL's most valuable player in the playoffs (Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings)
Bill Masterton Trophy- awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey (Jason Blake, Toronto Maple Leafs)
Lester B. Pearson Trophy- awarded to the NHL's most valuable players as voted on by the members of the NHL players' association (Ovechkin)
Jack Adams Trophy- awarded to the NHL's coach of the year (Bruce Boudreau, Washington Capitals)
Selke Trophy- awarded to the NHL's top defensive forward (Datsyuk)
Jennings Trophy- awarded to every goalie playing at least 25 games for the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season (Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek, Detroit Red Wings)
King Clancy Trophy- awarded to the NHL player who best shows leadership on and off the ice (Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning)
Rocket Richard Trophy- awarded to the NHL player who scores the most goals during the regular season (Ovechkin)

Now, time for this thing...

The Stanley Cup is named after its creator and donator, Lord Frederick Stanley of Preston . Stanley was a British nobleman who was appointed by Queen Victoria to be the Governor General of Canada in 1888. During his tenure, his sons became avid hockey players in Ottawa , and he became a fan of the new game. He became so much of a fan that he dedicated the trophy (originally just the cup at the top) to the top amateur hockey team in Canada . Eventually, it became contested by professional teams, which led it to where it is today. Which is most certainly jolly good.

Time for another question...

After seeing scores like 7-1, 8-5, and 9-2, do you think the NHL should stop limiting goalie's equipment sizes and stop talking about expanding the goals?
         -Hockey Fan in Maryland

I don't think those scores you mention are a problem. Nothing needs to be adjusted, in my opinion.

I was never a fan of expanding the goals. When you're watching hockey, you likely don't feel the need for more scoring, and expanding the nets would make the game almost cartoonish. It would actually turn off some potential fans, because the vastly higher scoring would make the game choppier and not let people see as much of the hard-hitting end-to-end action.

As for the goalie equipment, I think what they have now is fine. You make the goalie equipment too big, and the game would get bogged down. Nobody wants to see every team play a trapping game with absolutely no goals.

G'day! What are your thoughts on overtime losses? Should they stay as they are or not garner a point at all? I feel that it rewards mediocrity.
         -The Aussie Hockey Fan from Warragul

I definitely have very strong feelings on this issue. I truly believe that all losses should be created equally, which means that overtime losses and shootout losses should not be rewarded with one point.

Like you said, giving teams points for losing later rewards mediocrity. This can create unfair situations, especially in playoff races. Let's say two teams are vying for a playoff berth. One is 41-38-3, the other is 38-32-12. The first team won 41 times and lost 41 times, the second team won 38 times and lost 44. Yet, the first team only has 85 points, while the second team has 88. In a playoff race, how is it fair that a team who clearly has fewer losses will get nudged out by a team that held on longer in a few more games? The NHL doesn't reward more points for a 9-2 win than a 3-2 win, so why should they reward more for one 3-2 loss as opposed to another 3-2 loss?

Then, they're the fact that not all games have equal weight. It becomes confusing to the casual fan when some games are worth two points and others are worth three. In the playoffs, they don't give out "half-wins" for losing later. Creating a system where all games are worth the same amount of points yet still rewarding OT losses would make the standings way too complicated and far more confusing than they are now.

Not only that, but no other major sports leagues reward losers. There is absolutely no precedent for this, and there's no reason for the NHL to set one. You either win, or you lose. That's my ideal scenario.

HOCKEY GLOSSARY!

This is where I define basic hockey terms for the uninitiated. If anybody has any request for any definitions, please tell me.

Neutral Zone- the space between the two blue lines on the ice surface
Poke check- when a defender pokes the puck away from a carrier using his stick
Hooking- a penalty that is called when a player uses his hockey stick to prevent another player from moving freely
Cross-checking- a penalty that is called when a player hits another player with his stick while holding it, normally parallel to the ice, with both hands

Submitted 2008

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