As Americans sit down to celebrate Thanksgiving, we take time to do the same with a few NHLers.
All is not well with the NHL.
We have players trying to decapitate one another; franchises for sale with no apparent new owners in sight and attendance woes that the league rarely acknowledges.
Then there's the New York Islanders. Yikes!
But, in the wake of the Canadian Thanksgiving and on the eve of the American celebration, let us pause and be thankful for:
NICKLAS LIDSTROM
I thought both the Red Wings and Lidstrom were a little too long in the tooth to be serious Stanley Cup contenders this season. I was wrong, wrong & wrong. Lidstrom, 40, has been nothing short of spectacular thus far recording 20 points in 18 games. He's on pace for 14 goals and 91 points which is significantly better than the nine goals and 49 points he managed last year.
MARTIN ST-LOUIS
Steven Stamkos gets most of the headlines in Tampa Bay, and with 20 goals in 21 games, why wouldn't he? But it's his running mate, little Martin St-Louis who does most of the grunt work. The NHL's most valuable player and top scorer in 2003-04 continues to be the driving force behind Tampa Bay's re-emergence in the Eastern Conference.
SIDNEY CROSBY/ ALEXANDER OVECHKIN
This is one of the great individual rivalries off all-time. Without question Crosby and Ovechkin are the two most supremely talented players in the NHL and their drive and desire for success fuels a race for success that promises to continue for years to come. Crosby has a leg up on Ovechkin because he has a Stanley Cup ring, but that could all change after this season.
JAROME IGINLA
They had him traded away from Calgary a few weeks ago, but the Flames captain has enjoyed a recent revival with seven goals in his last five games - all without a playmaking centre to feed him the puck. Iginla is old school - he scores and he fights. For the record, Jarome Iginla's play is not what is wrong with the Calgary Flames.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
The Blues have endured hardships over the years and have never won the Stanley Cup since entering the NHL in 1967-68. Still, the NHL just seems like a better place when the Blues are thriving and having missed the playoffs last year (and four of the past five seasons) it's nice to see thanks in part to an 8-0-1 record.
DAVE TIPPETT
The NHL's reigning coach of the year is not resting on his laurels. Tippett was a hard-working, honest-to-goodness grinder during his 12-year NHL career and he has been able to get the simple lessons of playing successful hockey through to his Coyotes who, in case you haven't noticed, have climbed second in the Western Conference and are riding a seven-game winning streak.
TIM THOMAS
After winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender, seemingly the cap to his fairytale professional career, Thomas stumbled and lost his starter's job with the Bruins to Tuukka Rask. Still, the ever-present smile that is Thomas's trademark never left his face and now he's back with a vengeance. What an inspiration.
DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN
Too slow to play defence, they suggested, and made expendable by a championship team with salary cap issues, Byfuglien has proved last spring's playoff heroics with the Chicago Blackhawks were no fluke. Now a scoring force in Atlanta, Byfuglien is tied for third in defenceman scoring with a league-high (for defenders) seven goals to go with 19 points in 21 games. If he continues at this pace he'll finish with 27 goals and 71 points. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
CAREY PRICE
The much-maligned Canadiens goaltender told fans to chill after a bad performance in the pre-season and that didn't exactly cause his stock to rise in Montreal where many fans were outraged the team kept him ahead of playoff hero Jaroslav Halak. Well, as it turns out, Halak has played great for the St. Louis Blues, but Price has been even better for Montreal. He is tied for the league lead in wins with 12 and shutouts with four. So the next time Price says to relax, listen up.
TEEMU SELANNE
He has talked about retiring the past few years and actually took that concept out for a test drive after Anaheim won the Stanley Cup in 2007, but Selanne continues to play the game with the skill and passion of a youngster. Still averaging a point per game, Selanne looks like he could play another decade.
