Fantasy Hockey -- NHL FanHouse

Blue Jackets Give New Meaning to 'Fantasy Hockey'

Posted: Sep 3rd 2009 2:00 PM ET by Kevin Schultz (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Blue Jackets, Fantasy Hockey

It's every fan's dream to own an NHL team, and I'm sure we've all spent some time thinking about what we would do if we actually did own one. Maybe take the Zamboni out for a spin? Challenge the star player to a bit of one-on-one? Or -- if you're really thinking this one through -- you can split up your players and draft fantasy teams during training camp and have a full-on competition. That's exactly what the Columbus Blue Jackets are doing during their first two days of training camp.

Ovechkin's 85-Minute Drought Ends

Posted: Oct 12th 2008 12:09 AM ET by Ted Starkey (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Fantasy Hockey

0 COMMENTS

Never fear, Capitals fans and Ovechkin fantasy owners - last year's MVP is off his very brief season-opening slump.

There was a lot of concern around the nation's capital last Sunday when the Washington star took a Zdeno Chara shot off the foot in the Caps' final tune-up game, and worry increased when Ovechkin left practice early Wednesday with an undisclosed injury. Then, like most of his teammates, Ovechkin struggled in the team's opener in Atlanta, with the turning point being him getting turned away by Kari Lehtonen on a penalty shot early in the third period in Washington's 7-4 loss.

In that game against the Thrashers, Ovechkin didn't flash his usual speed, and last year's leading scorer was held without a single point despite a wide-open pace to the contest.

Latest NHL Photos

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks tries to catch up to the action during a NHL game on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joe Thornton

NHLI via Getty Images

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Jeremy Roenick #27 of the San Jose Sharks takes a face-off during a NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeremy Roenick

NHLI via Getty Images

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Dustin Brown #23 of the Los Angeles Kings is taken down by Dan Boyle #22 of the San Jose Sharks during a NHL game on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dustin Brown;Dan Boyle

NHLI via Getty Images

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings tries to control the puck with Christian Ehrhoff #10 of the San Jose Sharks on his back during a NHL game on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Anze Kopitar;Christian Ehrhoff

NHLI via Getty Images

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Evgeni Nabokov #20 of the San Jose Sharks makes a great save during a NHL game against the San Jose Sharks on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Evgeni Nabokov

NHLI via Getty Images

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Greene, left, checks San Jose Sharks right wing Devin Setoguchi, right, in the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. San Jose won 3-1. (AP Photo/ Tony Avelar)

San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, of Kazakhstan, deflects a shot on goal in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. San Jose won 3-1. (AP Photo/ Tony Avelar)

Los Angeles Kings left wing Alexander Frolov, of Russia, tries to keep the puck away from San Jose Sharks center Jeremy Roenick, left, in the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. San Jose won 3-1. (AP Photo/ Tony Avelar)

Vancouver Canucks' Pavol Demitra, right, from Slovakia, gets pinned to the boards by Calgary Flames' defenceman Cory Sarich, right, during second period NHL hockey action in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

Vancouver Canucks' Rick Rypien, right, knocks the helmet off Calgary Flames' Brandon Prust as linesmen pull them apart during second period NHL hockey action in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

So, after looking sluggish in the first 25 minutes of Washington's home opener against Chicago, Ovechkin does what he does best - take over the momentum of a game.

Sorry, But Fantasy Hockey is Better Than Ever

Posted: Sep 9th 2008 1:13 AM ET by Kevin Schultz (RSS feed)
Filed Under: NHL General, Fantasy Hockey

0 COMMENTS

So, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against About.com's Jamie Fitzpatrick. I'm sure he's a nice guy and has a smart hockey mind, but when I read his article entitled 'Whatever Happened to Fantasy Hockey for Regular Folks?', I get a bit confused.

When the hockey pool first gained popularity, back in the 1980s, it was considered a good excuse for drinking beer and talking trash.

Those days are long gone. For starters, it's not called a hockey pool anymore. It's a fantasy hockey league.

And it's not about drinking beer. Fantasy hockey is serious business, an all-consuming, number-crunching hobby for fans who don't get out much.

Wow. Really? I'm not even going to touch on the beer thing. There are already enough excuses to drink in today's world that fantasy hockey does not need to be one of them.

Anyway. So Jamie, you're telling me that all of a sudden fantasy hockey has become too analytical and people are obsessing over it way too much. Not fantasy football. Not fantasy baseball. No, for those leagues people just close their eyes and pick whichever player their finger lands on. For hockey, of all sports, people are going too crazy over it. Right.

And he continues:

So be warned. If you join one of these outfits, you're going up against guys who spent the summer cross-referencing power play line combos and ranking prospects in the Latvian midget league. Good luck.

The Latvian Midget League? Good one. Where have I heard these kinds of disses before? Oh that's right, every time a traditional baseball fan rails against the well-meaning sabermetrics people. And that line before about "fans who don't get out much?" That sounds like it was taken right out of the How the MSM Defends Itself Against Bloggers Playbook. It's an archaic and outdated read, if you ever get a chance.

NHL's Best Bargains: Johnny Oduya

Posted: Jul 22nd 2008 3:10 PM ET by Jes Golbez (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Devils, NHL General, Fantasy Hockey

2 COMMENTS

Johnny Oduya has a really cool name, but that doesn't get the New Jersey Devils defensemen all that much attention. After being selected in the 7th round by the Capitals way back in 2001, the Caps gave up on him fairly quickly and he headed back to Europe, probably thinking he'd never get a shot in the NHL.

The New Jersey Devils, in search of a cheap defenseman to plug into their blue line, ala Brian Rafalski, signed Oduya away from the Swedish league, and the bullish defenseman has quietly become one of the better defensive defensemen in the NHL.

Oduya had 26 points and was +27 (eighth best in the league) in 75 games last season, suggesting he is a pretty solid piece of work. There is more, however, than meets the eye.

One of my favorite bloggers, the man who runs The Puck Stops Here, crunched some numbers to come up with an Adjusted +/- stat. Basically, how does a player affect the game while he is on the ice compared to when he is off the ice?

The top defenseman on the list? Johnny Oduya! That's right, he ranks even higher than pretty boy Nicklas Lidstrom.

Does this mean that Oduya is the NHL's best defensive defenseman? No. The stat does have flaws, but it does highlight the fact that Oduya's defensive play is excellent, and his effect on the New Jersey Devils is very much understated.

And for all of this, the New Jersey Devils had to pay a paltry $600,000 in salary to Oduya last season. Kinda makes that Jeff Finger contract look even worse than it already does.

NHL Fantasy Focus: Jason Blake

Posted: Jul 18th 2008 3:54 PM ET by Jes Golbez (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Maple Leafs, NHL General, Fantasy Hockey

0 COMMENTS

Jason Blake is a player I have a lot of respect for and one that I enjoy watching. The dude plays like a border collie, bouncing around the ice with boundless energy. It's hard not to like a player that works so hard and seems to enjoy the game as much as he does.

Blake is also a very adept 2-way player, and is the type of guy a coach can feel comfortable about playing in any situation. Blake's hustle makes him a great penalty killer as well as a team picker-upper. Just look at the way he battled back from his cancer!

What Blake is NOT, however, is a big offensive producer. Yes, he once scored 40 goals for the lowly New York Islanders, but one need only look at his career history to see what an outlier that was.

Here are the numbers ...