Winter Season Wrap Up (Updated)

With the spring season looming, and the collective attention spans of fans, players, coaches, general managers, and owners refocusing on the possibility of a three-peat, I think it is important to take one last, nostalgic glance back at the winter season. Yes, a season capped off by another parade, another slew of victory t-shirts, and another ill conceived dog pile. So, if you have a glass with you, regardless of its contents, I suggest you raise it up and take a sip in honor of the Red Army, because before the team split into two, there was one, and they won... twice.

Here's to you, boys of winter.

Ben Breiterman:
What he brought to the table: What more can you say about Benny B? He wins. With Breiterman in the lineup, the Red Army is 30-10-2 in its last three regular seasons and 9-2 in its last three post seasons. He plays at both ends of the rink, and can frustrate offenseman and toy with defenders on the same shift. This season he produced more offensively, finishing 7th overall in points. That was the first time in franchise history that two Red Army players finished the season in the top 10. In the playoffs he continued to play consistently, netting eight goals en route to another championship including a dominating 5 goal performance to help the team narrowly eek out a first round victory against the Stench. He's clutch.

Why the Red Army loses without him in the lineup: The five goal game seems pretty easy, but let's go with an intangible here. With Breiterman in the lineup there is more confidence on the team, and in the playoffs, confidence is key, especially when the team plays so many close games. But yeah, if he doesn't pot 5 in the first round, this offseason would have started four weeks ago.

What NHL player he is: Uncle Raffi Brian Rafalski. Fast, versatile, and dominates the game. Rushes up the rink with the puck and can create scoring chances and also exemplifies superb defensive awareness. Has won a few championships as well.


Steve Hand:
What he brought to the table: A whole lot of forechecking and grunt work. No player on the Red Army skated harder than the Handyman did this postseason, and his pressure on the forecheck made it nearly impossible for opposing teams to break out. Throw in the fact that the Cap' scored two goals in the first round and salted round two away with a good old fashioned ENG, then baby, you got a stew going.

Why the Red Army loses without him: Like Breiterman, Hand also instills confidence is his bunch. He leads by example, not shying away from high traffic areas to create offense. You need your fearless leader to step forth in the playoffs, and that's what the Comrades got again this winter.

What NHL player he is: Thomas Holmstrom. Sets up shop in front of the net, has a knack for the physical game, and plays for a team whose first word is "Red".

Mark Hendricks:
What he brought to the table: Offense. The juggernaut that was the Red Army's offense this season was headed by Hendricks. His skill set enables him to do things with the puck that mere mortals cannot, and anytime the puck touches his blade, he is a threat to score. Even when he doesn't produce, he is taking two and sometimes three defenders away from the play to focus on him, and as evidenced with the past two seasons, one soviet left unguarded is too many.

Why the Red Army loses without him: Not enough goals. There's no sugar coating what Hendricks brings to the team, it's his goal scoring, and without it, the comrades wouldn't have repeated. He scored over half of the team's goals in the championship series, and netted four in the championship winning game. Put simply, he puts the puck in the net.

What NHL Player he is: Marian Hossa. He is shifty, speedy, always a threat coming down the wing, posses fast hands and a lethal shot, has the initials M.H., wears the number 18, and has played in back to back championship series.

Scott Hoefer:
What he brought to the table: What Hendricks is to the offense, Hoefer is to the defense. He blocks shots, seldom gets beat, and owns the corners. Hoefer has asserted himself as a leader in the dressing room, and his confidence shows on the rink. Oh, and how about the GWG in game 2 of the championship series? After scoring two goals in the entire regular season, Hasselhoef scored his second of the playoffs to force a game three. We all know how that went.

Why the Red Army loses without him: No one likes winning more than Hoefer, and that's a fact. But one play? The shot block in the ship. I don't even need to describe it, everyone knows.

What NHL Player he is: Rob Scuderi. He can play physical, he can play fast, he can play whatever game the opposing forwards don't want to play. He shuts down rushes and disrupts cycles. He sucks to play against but you'd love to him him on your team. We got him.


Tony Horton:
What he brings to the table: The Big Rig has a combination of speed and size that can be a handful for opposing defenders to contain. There is no doubt that speed is his biggest asset, and when there is a loose puck in open space, Horton gets their fast. His hands have become better as well, enabling him to get shots off quicker and keep the puck in tight spaces.

Why the Red Army loses without him: Similar to Hand, Horton did his best work on the forecheck. Countless errant passes and ill advised breakouts were forced with him pressuring, and opposing teams exhausted energy trying to correct mistakes they had made. Then again, Horton's work on the cycle was his forte. Give Horton a puck and a corner to play in, and he'll play all day. At times during the season, Horton could keep the puck along the wall for a whole minute it seemed.

What NHL player he is: Jason Chimera. Seriously, do I even have to explain?

Pat King:
What he brought to the table: King put another solid season's worth of work skating on the top line with Hendricks. Despite suffering a setback (of relatively large proportion, mind you) on the stat sheet, King didn't receive much flak from the fans or media because he still played well. King showed a willingness to get dirty in front of the net as well as his continued progression in the dangling department. And in the playoffs, well let's touch on that in a bit.

Why the Red Army loses without him: Ah, here we are. With the Red Army trailing 5-0 in the final minute of the first period against the Shockers in the second round of the playoffs (say that 5 times fast), King scored a power play goal. Fast forward ten minutes of game time and King is deking a defender and sets up Hendricks to make the score 6-5 in favor of the Soviets. In game two of the championship series, King pushes the puck to himself off of a faceoff, then beats a defender on an inside out move, and fires home a wrist shot to tie the game. Fast forward twenty seconds of game time, and the Red Army is celebrating around Hoefer, who just scored the go ahead goal late in the game from a rebound shot from King. For some reason, this kid is momentum. And without Uncle Mo on your team, you can't win hockey games, let alone four of them in two weeks.

What NHL player he is: Evgeni Malkin. Tough to knock off the puck, shifty, shows great skill with the puck in bursts, can take over a shift and alter the course of a game, has won a few championships, and finds his game in the clutch. Also, the resemblance.

Brad Lotocki:
What he brought to the table: The Mountain Man played a vital role in the championship season this winter. His veteran leadership was paramount in keeping the bench calm in trying times, and his ability to play any style of game, be it a physical, grinding game or a back and forth game, made him an important piece of the winning puzzle.

Why the Red Army loses without him: Offense wins games, defense wins championships. You want your defense to be an asset in the playoffs, and with Lotocki on the blue line, there was never any doubt of which side of the balance sheet the defense was on. Lotocki may have been the glue that held the unit together. He was comfortable playing alongside anyone, and was always smart in choosing when to join the rush. Plus, let's not forget his incredible rebound performance in game two of the championship series where after taking a penalty and scoring an own goal, he scored a pair of goals later in the game. Cool, calm, collective, and unshaven.

What NHL player he is: Nick Lidstrom. He is a staple of the blueline and seldom seems out of position. Has a knack for being physical but usually only when coming to the defense of a teammate. No matter what happens on the rink, he has seen it before.

Brian Lynch:
What he brought to the table: Speed. The speed that Lynch possesses undoubtedly makes him the fastest player on the Red Army, and several fans believe he is the fastest player in the league. At times the speed could be frustrating and lead to poor positioning, but as the season progressed, Lynch showed his ability to pick his spots to bull rush the puck carriers, and became a turnover forcing machine.

Why the Red Army loses without him: With exactly two minutes remaining in the second round game against the Shockers, Lynch took a penalty on Loges and goaded him into retaliating. The result, the Shockers were without their best player for the last two minutes of the game while trailing by one. That's a veteran move to draw that penalty.

What NHL player he is: Matthew Lombardi. Absolutely blazing speed and excellent at disrupting the opposition's play.

Andy Schram:
What he brought to the table: Kick saves, glove saves, toe saves, and well timed poke checks. The Iron Curtain, after a flaky shaky regular season, returned to his old self in the playoffs, posting a 4-1 record and allowing only 12 goals in the championship series. He has already established himself as a goalie who rises to the occasion, and appropriately won his second consecutive Conn Smyth trophy.

Why the Red Army loses without him: Besides the fact that teams would be shooting into an open net, the answer is pretty simple: Schram was the reason the Soviets won. He was the MVP. He stopped the shots he had to, and not only did he give the Comrades a chance to win in every game, in a few games, he did everything but score. He was that good.

What NHL player he is: Patrick Roy. Won a championship in his first season, showed fantastic athleticism and a fiery attitude. At some point down the road will have a son that starts a fight and becomes a youtube sensation.

Jamie Simek:
What he brought to the table: Solidity. Yes, it's a word. No player on the Red Army played as smartly and consistently as Simek did in the latter half of the season and into the playoffs. Simek was smart with his breakouts, his line changes, his dumps, and his shots. The guy seemed to always be one step ahead of the play. We all remember he started the season with a rough patch, committing a few costly turnovers that resulted in goals against. Is it me or does that seem like forever ago? Without a doubt, Simek was the most improved player this season, and quickly became a force out there.

Why the Red Army loses without him: Chemistry on the back end. Some players are forced to change their game in the playoffs. Sometimes it works, sometimes it backfires. Simek passed up the opportunity to push the puck up as much to focus more in his own end, and Mother Russia reaped all of the benefits. Breiterman and Lotocki were able to float around more while Simek acted the safety valve. It's things like that, things you don't notice, that result in wins.

What NHL player he is: Richard Park Johnny Oduya. A very strong skater who seems to always be involved in the play. Meets opposing forwards at the top of the zone and makes it tough for them to gain entry to the zone. Very composed with the puck and seems to elevate his game in the playoffs.



So there are the rink wraps for the winter season. Hope everyone enjoyed them. Time to focus on the spring, in hopes that another championship will blossom.