Accountability, But at What Cost?

Imagine this scenario:

Your team is down one game to zero in the Western Conference semi-finals.  It’s Saturday night, and you have a game on Sunday that could possibly make or break the series for your club.  All-season long the night before a game your coach has given you a curfew to be in your room in time to get enough sleep and be rested for game day.  You and one of your teammates decide to go out and have a good time and you miss the curfew.  You are also your team’s leading scorer in the first round of the playoffs and labeled as one of the best players in the playoffs.  The next day, your team loses again and both you and your teammate are criticized for your terrible play.  You have just one shot in the series and are a minus 3 through two games.  Even during the game the announcers go out of their way to scrutinize your “unbelievable lack of effort.”  Jeremy Roenick says:

He was terrible on both sides of the puck. “When you want to win in the playoffs you have to have your best players be your best players. Radulov right now might be the Nashville Predators’ worst player.

You are Alexander Radulov of the Nashville Predators, and your teammate is Andrei Kostitsyn.  What should your consequences be?

The Nashville Predators answered that question by suspending both Radulov and Kostitsyn for Wednesday’s game 3 for a “violation of team rules.”  Many people would say that this is the right move, as the players should have to be held accountable for their actions.  However, by sitting their best player, the Predators put themselves at a huge disadvantage and could find themselves in a 3-0 hole if they lose game three.  This begs the question, if they were caught by Head Coach Barry Trotz prior to game two, why were they not suspended for that game?  To me it seems like they are being punished for their actions only because they played bad on Sunday.  If the team had won, or Radulov/Kostitsyn put up big numbers in the game, would their still have been repercussions for breaking curfew?

The move to suspend the two players has been scrutinized around the hockey world.  Some have called the move crazy and bold, while others fear the Predators will lose more then they gain from the punishment, causing some writers to criticize the timing of the suspension.

I think that this was the right move by the Nashville organization.  Sure, you lose one of your best players for one game, but with Radulov’s past abandoning of the franchise, an extreme action had to be done to get his attention.  Hopefully he will take the punishment and use it as motivation to play better in game four, and get the Predators back in the series.  I also think that other players can use this as fuel to light their fires in game three.

With Radulov and Kostitsyn out of the lineup, it will give Coach Trotz a chance to make lineup changes, and two necomers a chance to be inserted into the lineup and make an impact they have been waiting for all year.  Jordan Tootoo known around the league for his tenacity and toughness could provide the spark the Predators need to overtake the Coyotes.  Matt Halischuk and Craig Smith are two rookies who could make in impact as well, as Halischuk had 28 regular season points for the Predators.

It will be interesting to see how the Predators respond to this, and whether or not it will be a distraction not only for game three but the rest of the playoffs as well.  Game three is Wednesday night at 9 P.M. on CNBC.

Here is the video of Keith Jones ripping Radulov:

Dangle Sauce Blog’s Guide to Celly’s

Scoring a goal in ice hockey is arguably one of the hardest things to do in all of sports. The feeling that goes through your blood when the puck hits the mesh (or in my case usually the lower pad) is indescribable, a feeling of joy that few people beyond the sports world can understand. Its not like basketball, where one made shot is a bad day, or football where they give you six points. This is hockey, where people with big sticks are trying to take your head off while you light the lamp. I’m not taking away from any of the other sports, but scoring a G-note is like hitting a grand slam every time your at the plate.

That being said, and coaches are going to hate me for this, every good hockey player knows that what happens in the 5-10 seconds after you score the goal that means as much how you scored the goal itself. This is the celebration, or celly as hockey players call it.  Of course, situation means everything, you can’t celly hard after scoring the 9th goal in a blowout, but if the time is right, you give it everything you’ve got because you never know how long its going to be until the next opportunity.

The Following is a User’s Manual for proper cellying:

1. Preparation:  Celebrations can be planned days, weeks, or even in the summer months before the season, when you are yearning for that first game the next year. Some celebrations will obviously be spontaneous, but most of the fun is shooting-the-crap with your teammates about what you have in store for the upcoming game, and then delivering on the promise.
2. The Goal: It does not matter how you score the goal, there is a celebration for every type. Remember, make sure the goal counts! There is no guy on the ice easier to chirp (make fun of) than a guy who has a pre-mature celebration, and in fact there should be a penalty for it, and in juniors/pro you probably are going to get punched in the face. Once you know you have tickled the twine, let the fun begin!
3. The Celebration: There are four things that factor in to a good celebration; time of game, opponent, fans, and type of goal you scored. If you score to end the game in overtime, pretty much all of these rules fly out the window, just go insane, a la the great Theo Fleury (Best Celebration Ever in the NHL). But here are some basic examples for each type of goal:

• Greasy– You bang home a rebound and/or get knocked on your face as you do it. Or maybe you throw one at the net and it bangs home off a D-man’s leg or the goalie’s skate. Sean Avery had a classic celebration after banking one home against Thomas Vokoun (watch here). While I wouldn’t consider Avery to be a role model hockey player, this push-up celly is one of the classic ways to properly memorialize a greaser.
• Breakaway– I have to be honest with the readers here, I probably haven’t had one of these since my junior hockey days, but hey, a lot of my teammates have. After you’ve left the goalie’s jock strap in the crease, or tucked one cheese under the bar (hitting the top of the net), you normally have lots of room and time to celebrate because you are all alone. Usually a good move here is to go long slow fist pump usually down on one knee. The longer you hold the hand at the bottom and drag it on the ice the better, and then you meet your teammates for the usual celly hug. Blake Wheeler’s recent goal against Ryan Miller is a perfect example of what I mean.
• Sick Snipe– So you bury one from a tough angle over the goalies shoulder, or you blow it by him with a clapper, or go bar-down (for a clearer definition of snipe, check out this video.) Endless possibilities here. The classic bow and arrow, the sniper like Anisimov, or maybe your stick is on fire!

4. Post Celebration- Now that you have taken the time to put the spotlight on yourself, let it fizzle and get your teammates involved. There is no better way to end a celebration than by letting your teammates tackle you into the glass, then heading down the line to bump fists with the rest of your team. The most important thing I can say here is MAKE SURE YOU TOUCH YOUR GOALIE! Without him, you guys probably wouldn’t be in the game, and he is just as excited as the rest of the boys. Another important element to use is the crowd. If you have scored a big goal and the fans are going crazy take your celebration into the glass in front of them. Something such as the EASY button celebration can also be worked out in advance as well, and is always a classic to be remembered.

There you have it, you are ready to hit the ice and start cellying with the best of them.

I will leave you with a couple of videos for some more ideas. Dangle Sauce will be taking a break for spring break this upcoming week, but look for more during the week of March 19! Thanks to everyone who has read this so far I hope you are enjoying it.