It's a Canadian Game

The Dallas Stars have lost five of their last seven games and understandably there hasn’t been much for the under-achieving team to be happy about this season. However, reminiscing about their days in junior and having the opportunity to represent their country at the IIHF World Junior Championship as teenagers does give players John Klingberg and Ales Hemsky something to smile about. “I got the opportunity to play in Buffalo and Calgary,” says Klingberg, referring to his time wearing the Sweden jersey in 2011 and 2012. “It’s a big thing over there it helps with the routines and stuff too.” During his two tournaments the 22-year-old rookie for the Stars recorded five points in 12 games. The 2011 team finished fourth in Buffalo, but the 2012 had much greater success, which would make it no surprise that it was his time in Calgary that highlighted his World Junior career. “Obviously when we won the gold,” says Klingberg, simply. Though this winter will mark three years since the 6-foot-1 blueliner, put on the blue and gold jersey, Klingberg admits that he still tries to make time to watch the tournament when he can. “Yeah of course, last year was in Sweden and I was playing, so I was trying to watch all the games when I wasn’t playing,” says Klingberg. “It’s growing in Sweden, it’s probably one of the biggest sports events of the year there. Of course I try to keep up with it.” He also admits that during his earlier career he has found that many players around the league still talk about the tournament and admits he has come to expect some trash talking from his teammates. “Yeah probably a little a bit,” says Klingberg, about whether guys will be giving each other the business. “I talk to a lot of the young guys about it and guys on other teams about it, obviously it's a big thing in Canada and in the USA for two weeks.” Unlike Klingberg, who has played just a dozen games in the NHL, Hemsky has played a dozen seasons, but to the first-round pick in 2001, he also feels the tournament is something really memorable. “It was very special for a young guy like me or anybody else,” says Hemsky. “It’s special to represent your country and just to build your career.” Hemsky suited up for the Czech Republic at the 2002 installment of the tournament, and though he and his fellow countrymen finished seventh, the fact that the tournament was played in his hometown of Pardubice made it that more special for the 31-year-old. “It was nice, I think I was 18 or 19 and my first World Juniors was in the Czech Republic and was in my home city,” says Hemsky. “So it was pretty cool spending time with my family and just playing in front of them.” Hemsky didn’t disappoint playing in front of his loved ones, finishing tied for second in the tournament in scoring with three goals and nine points in seven games. The Stars right winger, like Klingberg, admits that the tournament still gets a lot of attention from NHLers, which of course has a lot to do with the fact that he has played his entire career, before signing with Dallas this off-season, in Canada. “I’ve played in Canada for a long time and World Juniors is huge here, everybody watches it on TV all the time,” say Hemsky. “So with the guys in the room, we have a lot of young guys, a lot of guys that played at it. They’re still young so they’re really into it, we all watch it.” However, the one downfall Hemsky has had with playing in Canada and with the teammates watching and teasing each other is, Canada historically has done so well at the tournament. “Yeah, the Czech’s didn’t really have good teams, but I think they’re getting better,” says Hemsky. “I can’t even fight with anyone, Canada always wins. It’s a big country; they make a lot of players and they always have a special team so, it’s hard to beat them.” As the Boxing Day kick-off to the tournament approaches, countries have started to name their camp rosters and so the hype once again is starting to build for the special time of the year. And though fans of the tournament might get excited, Hemsky sums up perfectly why the tournament means so much to the players lucky enough to participate. “It was the first big tournament where you put that jersey on, your country’s jersey,“ says Hemsky. “That’s why it was so special.” Follow me on Twitter: @Craig_Hagerman Photo Courtesy of Bruce Bennet/Getty Images North America

He is a stud, spoke with him following the Leafs game last Tuesday. But he is a defenceman so can't expect him to carry a ton of the load offensively.

If you search the league leaders on NHL.com among goaltending stats, his name might not even come up, but the best goalie in the NHL this season may very well be Martin Jones. The Los Angeles Kings back-up has only found the net seven times this season, but best believe he could very well get more starts the way his season is going. Jones might not appear among some of the league leaders in stats simply for the fact he doesn’t have many starts, but when he has had the chance to suit up, he has been a wall. In seven appearances this season Jones has a record of 3-2-1, which is alright, but he has a save percentage of 0.947% and a goals against average of 1.42. How good are those numbers? Well his 0.947% save percentage would tie him with Winnipeg’s Michael Hutchinson for first overall in the NHL while his goals against average is better than any tender in the league. The NHL takes into account Hutchinson’s numbers among leaders though he has only played one more game than Jones. So, one more start and Jones may become the man to beat. Jones also has two shutouts and oh yes, they are in his last two games. He currently has a shutout streak of 146:01. What’s more amazing, for a goalie in just his second season, as a back-up go figure, is that that isn’t even his longest shutout streak. Last season Jones played a stretch of 163:12 without giving up a goal. Following his shutout Thursday night in a 4-0 routing of the Arizona Coyotes, Jones tied Hall of Fame tender Tony Esposito as the third fastest goalie to record six shutouts. The North Vancouver, BC native broke into the NHL last season backing-up Jonathan Quick and was as durable as one can be as a number two. In 19 games he went 12-6-0 with numbers of 0.934% and a 1.81 GAA with four shutouts. The 24-year-old was never drafted, but rather joined the Kings organization after being signed as a free agent in October of 2008. The move seems like a stroke of genius now. Looking back at his career, it’s actually difficult to find a season where Jones hasn’t put up miraculous numbers. His worst year of junior was his first season with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League, which for his first season is understandable. The thing is though; his numbers aren’t even bad. He had a 3.03 GAA and a 0.884% save percentage, which are both respectable numbers for junior netminders. These came as he recorded of 9-4-3 record, so he was still winning. In 2008-09, the season he was signed by LA, he put up an astounding record of 45-5-4-7. He finished four years of junior hockey with a record of 108-28-9-16 a winning percentage of .601. In 2009-10 Jones went 36-11-1-8, he was named to Canada’s World Junior team, winning silver, he was a first team WHL all-star, he was named the WHL’s top goaltender during the regular season, he earned the WHL MVP, was named to the CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team, and took home the Hap Emms Trophy as the Memorial Cup’s most outstanding goaltender. Last season, before becoming the team’s back-up, Jones started the season the Kings’ AHL affiliate the Manchester Monarchs playing 22 games going 16-3-3-2 with 0.928% save percentage and a 2.13 GAA. It was this performance that likely gave the Kings the confidence to trade away, then back-up, Ben Scrivens to Edmonton even with Scrivens posted a 0.931% save percentage and 1.97 GAA. This summer should be a very interesting time for the 6-foot-4 tender. He is in his last year of his contract that is paying him just $550,000 and with his outstanding numbers should be able to receive a nice raise. The Kings will already have over $60 million of their cap distributed among 14 players and will need to still find a way to sign restricted free agents Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson, who will deserve a pay increase. All this while also dealing with unrestricted free agents Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams. So, there is a chance that Jones might have to go elsewhere. And if Jones wants to become a number one in the league, that might just be the best thing for him, just ask Jonathan Bernier. Quick is under contract until 2023, so unless a devastating injury arises, staying in LA means minimal playing time. Jones has been a winner at every level he has played and put up unbelievable numbers along the way. He might one day be one of the premier goalies in the league, not bad for someone who as of Friday could not be found among NHL.com’s goaltending leaders. Follow me on Twitter: @Craig_Hagerman Photo Courtesy of Mark Blinch/ The Canadian Press

The New Jersey Devils haven’t made the playoffs since the 2011-12 when they fell to the Los Angeles King in six games and there seems to be a simple reason for that. The Devils have been absent from the post-season the last two seasons and why is that, it could simply be because they no longer have star left winger Zach Parise. It’s hard to put so much on one player and of course one player doesn’t make a team, but you have to at least consider the numbers. Here is a list of the years when Parise played and how the Devils finished in the standings (The first number is how they finished in the NHL, the second is how they finished in the Eastern Conference: Year-----------------Place in the League------------Place in the Eastern Conference 2006-07----------------------7th --------------------------------------------2nd 2007-08 ----------------------6th --------------------------------------------4th 2008-09 ----------------------5th --------------------------------------------3rd 2009-10 ----------------------6th --------------------------------------------2nd 2010-11 ----------------------23rd -------------------------------------------11th 2011-12 -----------------------9th --------------------------------------------6th Since the 2011-12 season the Devils have finished 10th and 12th in the Eastern Conference without the Minneapolis, MN native. The success the team had with Parise in the lineup is kind of incredible, never finishing lower than sixth in the eastern conference. “Yea, but what about in 2010-11?” Well this is what makes the argument even more concrete; during the 2010-11 season Parise was limited to just 13 games after suffering a devastating knee injury. In that year Martin Brodeur also missed 13 games of the season with an injury, but in doing so Johan Hedberg filled in and he ultimately finished the season with a higher winning percentage, goals against average, and save percentage with half the amount of starts as Brodeur, who still started 59 times. So, once again the loss of Parise seems like the key factor. What has also plagued the Devils the last few years is that they have had one of the worst shootout records in the league. This season they are 1-4 in the skills competition, last season the Devils didn’t win a single shootout, and the year prior to that the team had a shootout winning percentage of 22 per cent. Once again, you can’t put that all on the shoulders of the 5-foot-11, 197 pounder, can you? Well Parise is currently tied for the most shootout goals since the shootout was introduced back in the 2004-05 season. Parise has taken the second most shootouts all-time only one behind Alex Ovechkin and Minnesota teammate Mikko Koivu with 85 attempts. The Devils all-time have the seventh most shootout wins and are tied for first with the most games in which they’ve gone to a shootout with 109. The Devils have a career winning percentage of 52 per cent. Since Parise has left, the Devils have a 3-24 record in the shootout, a winning percent of just 11.1 per cent. Prior to Parise leaving, the Devils were 45-25 in the post-overtime shenanigans (dating back to 2006-07, Parise’s first year with the Devils), a winning percentage of 64 per cent. In fact Parise actually has much worse shootout numbers since he left for the Wild. In three years with the Wild he has gone 8-for-22, a success rate of 36 per cent, while with the Devils he went 29-for-43, capitalizing on 67 per cent of his attempts. Then straight up Parise had 410 points in 502 games with New Jersey good enough for a very respectable 0.81 points per game. During his seven years with the team that drafted him in the first round in 2003, he recorded 51 powerplay goals was a plus-57, and the former team captain. He was twice named the team MVP and during his time also amassed 37 game-winning goals, speaking to just how important he was with the team. What really stings is knowing last year New Jersey missed the playoffs by just five points, giving up 13 points in the shootout while in 2012-13 they missed out by seven points; points that could have been attained if they had gone perfect in the shootout. Parise was always a big part of the Devils during his seven seasons with the team, but as the Devils sit 12th in the East one really starts to see just how important he really was. Follow me on Twitter @Craig_Hagerman

The Dallas Stars made it into the playoffs last season by the skin of their teeth, edging out the Phoenix Coyotes by a single ‘w’. Being the eight seed in the West the Stars were paired up against the number-one seed Anaheim Ducks and though they made the series interesting, they ultimately fell to the Ducks in six games. So heading into the 2014-15 season, Dallas looked to improve on last season by bolstering their secondary scoring by being one of the most active teams during the summer’s free agent frenzy locking up former Ottawa Senators Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. However, 24 games into the season and they have moved in the standings, but in the wrong direction, finding themselves now tied for second last spot in the Western Conference ahead of just the Edmonton Oilers. So far this season Hemsky has just seven points through 24 games, and five of those points have come in the last six games. Hemsky even had a stretch where after recording an assist in the first game of the season, went 14 straight pointless. Spezza on the other hand has 20 points in 25 games, which is pretty good, but that has been greatly due to the fact that after a slow start Spezza was moved up to the top-line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Spezza also has been seeing more ice-time than Hemsky including more time on the power play. The inability to give the team some second-hand scoring comes somewhat of a surprise as during the final quarter of last season Hemsky was brought in at the deadline to play with Spezza and the two seemed to make magic. The two combined for 36 points in the Sens final 20 games of the season. In an attempt to try and get Hemsky going head coach Lindy Ruff has started to play Hemsky on the top-line wit Benn and Seguin, who currently leads the NHL in goals with 18, in an attempt to break him out of his offensive slump. However, Hemsky hasn’t stuck with the top-line and his ability to produce is likely why. Now Hemsky isn’t the only under-achieving Star, in fact behind Seguin’s 18 and Benn’s eight, five players have five goals and the numbers slide from there. Entering their game against Toronto Tuesday, Dallas was 10th in the NHL in goals for this season with 69 goals, but that number can be skewed since Seguin has scored a league-high 26% of his team’s goals. In fact if you were to take away Seguin’s 18 goals Dallas would find themselves 27th in the league. Benn and Seguin currently make up 38% of Dallas’ goals this season. Another problem that could be holding the Stars back is the lack of production from their veteran players. Shaun Horcoff, Eric Cole, and Vernon Fiddler. Each have all had years to forget and given their ages, they might be some of their last. The age of three combine for 106 years and this season the three have tallied a total of 23 points in 71 games. The Stars recently traded away veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar to the Montreal Canadiens for tough guy Travis Moen. The 40-year-old had recorded one assist in three games this year after missing a large portion of the season with an ankle injury. Last season Gonchar had his lowest points per game average of his career, not including his season in 1994-95 where he only played 31 games. So maybe the Stars need to be out with the old and in with the new. What also hurts the Stars is the fact that sophomore winger, and former first round pick, Valeri Nichushkin has only seen four games this season and looks like he may miss the rest of the season after having hip surgery. Nichushkin put up a respectable 34 points in his first year in the league last season and even found a spot on Russia’s roster at the Sochi Olympics. The team’s lack of secondary scoring doesn’t help when following a 5-3 loss to the Maple Leafs, have the worst goals against per game in the NHL at 3.52 Though things don't seem to be in Dallas’ favour so far it’s early and though secondary scoring has hurt the team, last season Alex Goligoski who finished third on the team in scoring with 42 points, was still 37 points off Jamie Benn for second in team scoring. Maybe Benn and Seguin are the saving grace for the Stars. Follow me on Twitter: @Craig_Hagerman Photo Courtesy of Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America

I would agree, the two of them are just insane right now, but yea Hudler has been great.. quietly putting up great numbers.