Put A Fork In 'Er - Regular Season Wrap Part Une

Monday March 31, 2008 @ 12:36 AM EDT

Well hockey fans, it’s that time of year again. And I’m not talking about tax returns… although a little extra scrilla would be nice. I’m talking about playoffs, or in Toronto’s case…. golf season. It’s go big or go home, literally. Make it happen, or see you on the greens. Golf bores me to tears personally, but it’s understandable for hockey players that due to contractual obligations, all the fun (read: “dangerous”) things are out of the question.


Here’s where I get to taking a look back on the regular season that was 07-08. With the post-season upon us, I thought I’d catch you up on some of the things that made MY season. First off, I’ve decided to border on boring and cookie-cutter and list a few of my favorite players that stood out for me this season. Some old, and some new. Start growing out that facial hair and let’s do this.


Craig Conroy and Owen Nolan
Two beauties from what I like to call the “old guy line”. Well not only are they my two favorite old guys, they’ve turned into two of my favorite Flames this season. Yes, Tony Amonte would have been a fantastic third on the old guy line, but even TLC attempted to survive without Left Eye. And so it goes. These two have been HUGE (and kind of underrated) factors in the Flames semi-success this season. Who could forget Owen Nolan’s Hatty-Boom-Batty-Trick during the January 30th game VS San Jose, his first in nine years (O-No also played his 1000th game this season), and my personal favorite hat trick moment of the season. Doin’ it for the old Irish guys, rock it out Owen Nolan. The Flames, in general, rarely disappoint me, but these two fellas really made the season.


Dion Phaneuf
An old (young) favorite of mine, I’ve been a big fan since his rock season, but this season he seems to be particularly ridiculous. Too many moments to recall… cue the highlight reel. NORRIS, NORRIS, NORRIS.


Joe Thornton
Big Joe can do no wrong. Being that good at hockey should be illegal, in fact in some countries it probably is. He is on an absolute tear in his career and shows no signs of stopping. They say nothing gold can stay, but no one ever said anything about teal. Godspeed Jumbo.


Mats Sundin
I know I get a lot of crap for not including Mats Sundin among my favorite players. I’ll go ahead and say that I’m really impressed by him this season. Not only because of his decision to stick it out with the Blue and White, but because he’s been phenom this season, the sun shining through a cloudy season in Leaf Land. This season was a big one for our Captain, bringing home the most points in franchise history record. Here’s a middle finger to all the unappreciative naysayers, I’m glad to have you Mats. Solidarity.


Evgeni Malkin
Now I very loosely follow the ‘Guins, but if I were to turn a head their way, it would be because of this guy right here. He would have been worth fighting a second Cold War over, I’d actually probably enlist in the military to support that cause. “Geno” is a mere 5 points behind our other favorite Eurasian (what continent is Russia on anyway?), Alex Ovechkin in the league’s point race. I am always a bit bothered to see headlines like “Crosby-less Penguins Pick up Win” or “Where’s The Cute One? And Who Are The Rest Of These Guys?”. Are you really that surprised? Evgeni Malkin is largely (like monumentally) responsible for that current top spot in the Eastern Conference. Yeah Sid The Kid’s got that marketability thing, but Evgeni’s got the Malkinabilty… and during a hockey game, guess which one is going to snipe you a win?


Evgeni Nabokov
And now for the “other” Evgeni, from the same country as Borat. Nabby has been, since the start of this season, my favorite goaltender. He is statistically the top tender in the NHL, but he is much more than stats. Nabokov has been phenomenal. If Nabby doesn’t grab the Vezina this year, I’m going to start thinking there is a conspiracy going on (just like last season when Roberto Luongo was robbed). To throw out a completely played-out phrase, Evgeni Nabokov’s 07-08 was VERY NICE.


Vesa Toskala
Wow I don’t know about you but I’m so over blaming Toronto’s goaltending, that was like so last season, literally. Vesa was a top 10 goaltender (in wins) this season, and really had his sh*t together at times when his team needed it. Say what you want, but let’s give a little credit where credit is due. Bravo Vesa Toskala, bravo.


Be lookin’ out for Regular Season Wrap Part Deux….


Check out Part Deux for my end of season awards ceremony. It’s up NOW.

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