Beyond the trade deadline: Other dates to look forward to this season

I have no idea what any of these words mean.

It’s over. After weeks of nonstop speculation, swirling rumors and backroom intrigue, the trade deadline has finally passed. The dust has settled, the phone lines have gone quiet, and there won’t be another significant NHL player transaction made until the offseason.

Wait! Where are you going? Come back!

OK, it’s true that the days immediately after the deadline can feel like a letdown for hockey fans. The buildup to the big day can be so overwhelming that it can be difficult to make the sudden adjustment to a world without trade talk. It’s only natural that some hockey fans may find themselves, at least temporarily, struggling to stay interested.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. After all, there’s still plenty of excitement left to come in the 2011-12 season. So just to refresh your memory, here are some of the important moments that fans can look forward to over the coming weeks and months

February 28 – After several days of trying, Leafs goaltenders James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson finally extract themselves from under the team’s bus and head off to Ron Wilson’s office to find out which one of them is starting that night.

March 1 – As he continues to get settled in with his new team, Ben Bishop wonders why the Senators are suddenly enforcing this new “Goalies may only ever eat ice cream and soup” rule.

March 4 - A confused Jay Feaster tries to figure out why nobody seems interested in talking trade with him.

March 8 – Jeff Carter returns to Columbus for the first time as a member for the Los Angeles Kings and is greeted with a lengthy ceremony, if Rick Nash following him around and sobbing “Please take me with you!” all game long can really be considered a ceremony.

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Trade deadline day

Happy deadline day. No live blog this year, but it will still be a busy day. You can find me in a few spots:

• I’ll be joining today’s TSN TradeCentre coverage via Twitter. You can follow me here, and can follow all of TSN’s Twitter coverage by using the #TradeCentre hashtag.
  
  (And no, I won’t actually be appearing on TV. Unless there aren’t any big deals today, in which case everyone will be on TV, including you.)



• I should have a post over at Grantland later today explaining why NHL deadline day is one my favorite days on the sports calendar. Will pass along a link once I have it. Update: here's the link.



• In addition to Twitter, I’ll be checking in with thoughts on the DGB Facebook page, which you didn’t know existed until just now.



• Finally, tomorrow’s post (which you can find here or in the Post) will cover the big dates we still have to look forward to during the rest of the NHL calendar.

Enjoy the day, everyone.

A fan's guide to NHL trade deadline day

Rick Nash currently spends every waking moment
preparing to remove his Blue Jackets jersey

Did you know that there’s some sort of trade deadline happening on Monday? It’s true. Apparently, it will even be covered on TV.

Of course, this isn’t news to diehard hockey fans, most of whom have had the date circled on their calendars ever since roughly five minutes after last year’s deadline passed. In fact, the trade deadline has arguably become the most anticipated day on the entire NHL calendar. And now, finally, it’s almost here.

You have 48 hours left to prepare. If you’re a hockey fan planning on joining in on the fun, here’s a refresher course on how to conduct yourself on the big day.

Do: Try to sound convincing when calling in sick to work, while making sure to act as if your absence has nothing to do with hockey.
Do not: Blow it by insisting on describing your illness only as an “upper body injury”.

Do: Immediately assume control of any nearby TVs, mobile phones and computers to ensure that every available screen in the room is tuned in to some form of deadline coverage.
Do not: Allow yourself to become distracted just because your spouse keeps saying things like “Um, can you please change the channel back? That ultrasound screen was showing the first images of our baby’s heartbeat.”

Do: Tell the guy sitting next to you at the bar about your theory that the Blue Jackets are all talk, and won’t really be trading Rick Nash at the deadline after all.
Do not: Hesitate to offer a tissue and a sympathetic hug if that guy turns out to actually be Rick Nash.

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The DGB anonymous NHL player survey

Even though he desperately wanted
to ask if Dion was really overrated,
Phil was just too intimidated.

It seems like anonymous player surveys are all the rage these days. Everywhere you look, somebody is unveiling a new poll that claims to tell us what the players really think of today’s NHL.

First up to the plate was Sports Illustrated, which has been releasing individual questions from its survey over the course of the season. This weekend saw a new survey released, with the CBC and NHLPA revealing the results of their Hockey Night in Canada Player Poll.

Well, Sports Illustrated and Hockey Night in Canada may be well-respected within the hockey world, but I don’t see why they should have all the fun. And since NHL players apparently can’t turn down an opportunity to anonymously offer up their thoughts on the state of the game, I figured I’d send out my own survey. Here’s what the players had to tell me.

Which player has the hardest slapshot?
Shea Weber – 28%
Sheldon Souray - 15%
Zdeno Chara – 57%

Which player is the fastest skater?
Marion Gaborik – 33%
Michael Grabner – 10%
Zdeno Chara – 57%

Which player is the best goalie?
Henrik Lundqvist – 31%
Pekka Rinne – 12%
Zdeno Chara – 57%

Um, is Zdeno Chara standing right behind you as you fill out this survey?
No – 43%
He just cracked his knuckles. Next question! – 57%

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Buyers and sellers at the 2012 trade deadline

The Gill for Geoffrion trade featured a player
who shares a last name with one of the greatest
players in NHL history. And also, Blake Geoffrion.

The countdown to the 2012 trade deadline has reached single digits, with just nine days remaining until the big day. Only a handful of deals have been made so far and most of the top names rumored to be in play are still available, so fans can expect plenty of teams to be busy between now and February 27.

Of course, “busy” will mean different things to different teams. Some are planning to stock up for a run at a championship. Others have thrown in the towel on the season and will be looking to rebuild for the future. And of course, there’s a third group: the ones who haven’t decided which of the first two groups they fit into yet. Those teams have nine days left to figure it out.

So where does your favorite team fit? Here’s a handy guide to which teams are likely to be buying and which ones will be selling in the days ahead.

Buyer: Chicago Blackhawks – General manger Stan Bowman has repeatedly told reporters that he isn’t looking to add a goaltender so the team will presumably focus on a more pressing need, such as a GM who realizes that they desperately need a goaltender.

Seller: San Jose Sharks – Recently acquired Dominic Moore for a second round draft pick, so as per NHL rules must now focus all their efforts on trading away Dominic Moore for a second round draft pick.

Buyer: New York Rangers – Have recently come under heavy pressure to make a major move from local newspapers, but only on the strict condition that the player they acquire have at least one syllable in his name that rhymes with “Lin”.

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