Showing posts with label James Van Riemsdyk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Van Riemsdyk. Show all posts
Monday, December 20, 2010
Zherdev and JVR Silencing Critics
Early in the season, people were quick to jump on the play of Nikolay Zherdev and young James van Riemsdyk, calling them out for various reasons but those days seem to be long gone for good reason.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The "NFL Mentality" of the Hockey Fan
Recently, maybe the last two or three years, I have noticed an increasing trend in Philadelphia Flyers fans and American hockey fans in general. It seems every year they know more stats and less about hockey. Instead of talking hockey, they rattle off numbers like accountants (I assume some of them are). I blame fantasy sports and the NFL .
Fantasy sports relies on a group of individual's numbers (mostly offense) to compile a "team" result. Unfortunately that is not how sports work. Little plays, plays that do not show up on a score sheet, are sometimes more important than any goal or assist. But since these plays do not impact fantasy win/loss records, fans today are less likely to acknowledge them or take them into account when critiquing a player's performance. Fans usually just look in the goal or assist column instead.
What bothers me more than the overlooking of what I call "hockey plays" is the short-sightedness that fans use when evaluating players. I coined this as the "NFL mentality." In the NFL there are only 16 games, therefore every game means so much more than one game in the NHL. Hockey fans seem to fit the 82 schedule into 16 weeks, and one or two bad games spells catastrophe. Compounded with the fantasy sports, the "NFL mentality" leads for fans to quickly jump on players who slump for a few games, not realizing there are 70+ games more in the season.
One of these such players is sophomore Philadelphia Flyer James van Riemsdyk. JVR has 4 assists in 14 games but has been in the press box the last two games. He's struggling to find the back of the net this year and fans have been quick to label the 2nd overall pick of 2007 a bust, despite a great pre-season. JVR however has made progress adding muscle, tightening up his defensive game and working on passing.
JVR was on fire this time last year, to only fizzle out at the end as he played more games last year than he has ever played before. Moreover, JVR is a power forward and adjusting from being physical in the NCAA to the NHL is quite a leap. Power forwards tend to have a longer development than guys like Patrick Kane. Just ask Bobby Ryan, a fellow New Jersey native and 2nd overall draft pick. Ryan bounced back and forth from the AHL to the NHL for three years until he was able to adjust to the size difference. Now he is considered one of the best, young power forwards in the game.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="James van Riemsdyk looks to prove critics wrong"]
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Though JVR has not scored yet, and is probably a bust in the fantasy hockey leagues across the country, he has definitely improved. His development will surely translate into more goals one day. It is way too early to call the young man a bust. But in the time of the instant gratification world we live in, the "NFL mentality" is hard to shake for a lot of fans.
Though you should never expect superstar output from this guy. Power forwards rarely ever put up numbers like Kane, Toews, Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos, and the Sedins. Bobby Ryan put up 64 points last year, which is the ceiling I would give a power forward in this league. And JVR definitely still has time to get his points up there. I would not be surprised with 5o points from him this year, which would be very good.
So while fantasy team managers are dropping and adding players weekly, speaking in absolutes about players' performances in the first month and a half of a long NHL season, I ask you to look beyond the points column. Hockey fans should spend more time watching "hockey plays" and not just highlight reel goals. The greatness of hockey lies in the team contributions and unsung plays. Unfortunately not many fans see that anymore.
Fantasy sports relies on a group of individual's numbers (mostly offense) to compile a "team" result. Unfortunately that is not how sports work. Little plays, plays that do not show up on a score sheet, are sometimes more important than any goal or assist. But since these plays do not impact fantasy win/loss records, fans today are less likely to acknowledge them or take them into account when critiquing a player's performance. Fans usually just look in the goal or assist column instead.
What bothers me more than the overlooking of what I call "hockey plays" is the short-sightedness that fans use when evaluating players. I coined this as the "NFL mentality." In the NFL there are only 16 games, therefore every game means so much more than one game in the NHL. Hockey fans seem to fit the 82 schedule into 16 weeks, and one or two bad games spells catastrophe. Compounded with the fantasy sports, the "NFL mentality" leads for fans to quickly jump on players who slump for a few games, not realizing there are 70+ games more in the season.
One of these such players is sophomore Philadelphia Flyer James van Riemsdyk. JVR has 4 assists in 14 games but has been in the press box the last two games. He's struggling to find the back of the net this year and fans have been quick to label the 2nd overall pick of 2007 a bust, despite a great pre-season. JVR however has made progress adding muscle, tightening up his defensive game and working on passing.
JVR was on fire this time last year, to only fizzle out at the end as he played more games last year than he has ever played before. Moreover, JVR is a power forward and adjusting from being physical in the NCAA to the NHL is quite a leap. Power forwards tend to have a longer development than guys like Patrick Kane. Just ask Bobby Ryan, a fellow New Jersey native and 2nd overall draft pick. Ryan bounced back and forth from the AHL to the NHL for three years until he was able to adjust to the size difference. Now he is considered one of the best, young power forwards in the game.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="James van Riemsdyk looks to prove critics wrong"]
[/caption]Though JVR has not scored yet, and is probably a bust in the fantasy hockey leagues across the country, he has definitely improved. His development will surely translate into more goals one day. It is way too early to call the young man a bust. But in the time of the instant gratification world we live in, the "NFL mentality" is hard to shake for a lot of fans.
Though you should never expect superstar output from this guy. Power forwards rarely ever put up numbers like Kane, Toews, Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos, and the Sedins. Bobby Ryan put up 64 points last year, which is the ceiling I would give a power forward in this league. And JVR definitely still has time to get his points up there. I would not be surprised with 5o points from him this year, which would be very good.
So while fantasy team managers are dropping and adding players weekly, speaking in absolutes about players' performances in the first month and a half of a long NHL season, I ask you to look beyond the points column. Hockey fans should spend more time watching "hockey plays" and not just highlight reel goals. The greatness of hockey lies in the team contributions and unsung plays. Unfortunately not many fans see that anymore.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Game of the Night 11/7
The game of the night again features two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. The Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals will be squaring off in the first of four meetings this season today at the Verizon Center at 5:00 PM. Hopefully both teams come ready to play for this early start on a day where the clocks have been rolled back.
[caption id="attachment_187" align="alignleft" width="220" caption="Will Ovechkin score against Sergei Bobrovsky and the Flyers tonight? "]
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Washington (9-4-0) is currently riding a three game winning streak into this game including one against the Boston Bruins on Friday. They are first in the Southeast Division, second in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the entire league. They are led by who else but Alexander Ovechkin who has 17 pts (8 g 9 a) in the teams first thirteen games. Alex Semin, Nick Backstrom, Brooks Laich, and Mike Green round out the top 5 in scoring for the Caps. The Caps offense is average 3.31 G/G and 2.46 GA/G. Tonight would have been the first matchup between 22-year old rivals Sergei Bobrovsky and Semyon Varlamov, who have battled against each other growing up as top goalie in Russia, but an injury to the groin of Varlamov will keep him out of the lineup again tonight. That means Michael Neuvrith should see his twelfth start of the season. Neuvirth has been good for the Caps this season posting an 8-3 record, a .914 and a 2.41.
Philadelphia (9-4-1) is riding a six game winning streak, despite not having Danny Briere for the last three. He served his last game of his suspension last night and will be back in the lineup tonight. That means head coach Peter Laviolette has some tough decisions to make prior to the start of this one. Eric Wellwood has played very well in his first few games in a Flyers uniform, assisting on fellow rookie Andres Nodl's game winner last night. Wellwood also played an integral part in Mike Richards first period goal. James Van Riemsdyk was a healthy scratch last night as both Wellwood and Nodl played alongside captain Mike Richards on the first line. Perhaps the easiest decision that Laviolette has is who will start in goal. I would expect no one other than rookie sensation Sergei Bobrovsky who has backstopped the Flyers in every game on the current win streak and has the opportunity to tie Pelle Lindbergh for most consecutive wins by a Flyers rookie. If you don't know, Lindberg was perhaps the last great goalie the Flyers had before being tragically killed in a drunk driving accident. The Flyers offense has been firing 0n all cylinders lately, scoring 3.07 goals/game while allowing just 2.21 against/game.
Special teams could be the key tonight, but both teams have similar numbers. The Flyers powerplay is clicking at 18.5% over the season but has been connecting for about 30% during their winning streak. The Flyers penalty kill is always among the tops in the league and it is no different this year as they have killed off 87.3% of opponents opportunities. The
[caption id="attachment_188" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mike Richards has his Flyers 1st in the East, can they keep it up?"]
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Caps powerplay is 18.4% and their penalty kill is at 86.2%. I would hope the refs let them play this game though and let the teams decide who is better. It should be a good back and forth game, like it usually is between these teams. The Caps went 3-0-1 last season against the Flyers. I would say that in a close, well-fought game, the Flyers barely eke out a 3-1 victory, with the defense being the deciding factor for Philadelphia and Sergei Bobrovsky being the first star of the game as he shuts down Ovechkin and the high powered Washington offense.
[caption id="attachment_187" align="alignleft" width="220" caption="Will Ovechkin score against Sergei Bobrovsky and the Flyers tonight? "]
[/caption]Washington (9-4-0) is currently riding a three game winning streak into this game including one against the Boston Bruins on Friday. They are first in the Southeast Division, second in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the entire league. They are led by who else but Alexander Ovechkin who has 17 pts (8 g 9 a) in the teams first thirteen games. Alex Semin, Nick Backstrom, Brooks Laich, and Mike Green round out the top 5 in scoring for the Caps. The Caps offense is average 3.31 G/G and 2.46 GA/G. Tonight would have been the first matchup between 22-year old rivals Sergei Bobrovsky and Semyon Varlamov, who have battled against each other growing up as top goalie in Russia, but an injury to the groin of Varlamov will keep him out of the lineup again tonight. That means Michael Neuvrith should see his twelfth start of the season. Neuvirth has been good for the Caps this season posting an 8-3 record, a .914 and a 2.41.
Philadelphia (9-4-1) is riding a six game winning streak, despite not having Danny Briere for the last three. He served his last game of his suspension last night and will be back in the lineup tonight. That means head coach Peter Laviolette has some tough decisions to make prior to the start of this one. Eric Wellwood has played very well in his first few games in a Flyers uniform, assisting on fellow rookie Andres Nodl's game winner last night. Wellwood also played an integral part in Mike Richards first period goal. James Van Riemsdyk was a healthy scratch last night as both Wellwood and Nodl played alongside captain Mike Richards on the first line. Perhaps the easiest decision that Laviolette has is who will start in goal. I would expect no one other than rookie sensation Sergei Bobrovsky who has backstopped the Flyers in every game on the current win streak and has the opportunity to tie Pelle Lindbergh for most consecutive wins by a Flyers rookie. If you don't know, Lindberg was perhaps the last great goalie the Flyers had before being tragically killed in a drunk driving accident. The Flyers offense has been firing 0n all cylinders lately, scoring 3.07 goals/game while allowing just 2.21 against/game.
Special teams could be the key tonight, but both teams have similar numbers. The Flyers powerplay is clicking at 18.5% over the season but has been connecting for about 30% during their winning streak. The Flyers penalty kill is always among the tops in the league and it is no different this year as they have killed off 87.3% of opponents opportunities. The
[caption id="attachment_188" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mike Richards has his Flyers 1st in the East, can they keep it up?"]
[/caption]Caps powerplay is 18.4% and their penalty kill is at 86.2%. I would hope the refs let them play this game though and let the teams decide who is better. It should be a good back and forth game, like it usually is between these teams. The Caps went 3-0-1 last season against the Flyers. I would say that in a close, well-fought game, the Flyers barely eke out a 3-1 victory, with the defense being the deciding factor for Philadelphia and Sergei Bobrovsky being the first star of the game as he shuts down Ovechkin and the high powered Washington offense.
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