E-mails from Players

Since I honestly haven't caught up on hockey in a week, it's time to post a few e-mails from the EP hockey address. As always, these e-mails are completely and utterly fake.

Are we this good?
-Joe Niewuendyk, Dallas

Short answer? No, Dallas isn't good enough to win the division, or make the playoffs without some help.

Long answer? Stranger things have happened. Resident superstar Brad Richards is in a contract year, Marc Crawford has been coaching the team up and the arena is so quiet, it's distracting.

In fact, that should be the Stars motto, "The Sounds of Silence."

Side Note: Dallas has to be the front runner for Winnipeg now. No ownership, the atmosphere and fan support are horrendous, and the team is finally good. Why is this team being wasted on a group of people who don't want to watch the games? Just ship them to Manitoba in January and see if anyone in Dallas notices.

Why am I not playing forward? Didn't Craig Ramsay watch the playoffs?
-Dustin Byfuglien, Atlanta

The situation reminds me of an old hockey team that I played on. One game, after tying with a team we should have beat, the coach moved our best forward to a defensive position for the rematch. On paper, it seemed crazy, since everyone wants the best group of forwards on the ice. Why would you take the leading scorer and put him in a position where he can't score?

The result? A 4-1 win, in which the former forward scored two goals. He stayed there for the rest of the year.

With apologies to Evander Kane, Byfuglien is far and away the best forward on that team...but he's at the blueline. But from there, he's been unstoppable, to the tune of 25 points this year. He's also been a catalyst to a perennial doormat, sparking them to seventh place in the standings.

If you want a dark horse MVP, look no further than Big Buff. Speaking of MVP's...

Alright, let's settle this once and for all. I am Brett Hall, except from a center position.
-Steven Stamkos, Tampa

Thank you for that update Steve. Four quick thoughts while you're here.

1) He's 20. He was eligible for the World Junior Championships last year. He also scored 51 goals in the NHL.

2) Why does no one bring up that he's doing this from the center spot...which means his wingers(namely, Martin St. Louis) have to constantly be feeding him the puck on his forehand? It's tough to find wingers with good hands, but St. Louis is one of them.

3) If every media outlet in North America hadn't decided to jinx him, Stamkos would have been the first person to score 50 goals in 50 games since '91-'92 when Brett Hull did it with the St. Louis Blues.

4) Here are three of the players that worked with Gary Roberts in the offseason: Jeff Skinner, Steve Downie, and Stamkos. There's a reason Dallas hired him to work with their prospects.

Is my team quitting on me, or are they are they really that frustrating?
-Lindy Ruff, Buffalo

First off, losing Ryan Miller for any extended period of time was going to hurt the Sabers, no matter what. But after that...the team is just a head scratcher.

There was the "We don't want to look like we're trying" Dustin Byfuglien goal, in which he danced around the whole team before beating Ryan Miller in overtime...but they have since gone 4-1 in games that involve extra time.

They win 5 of 7...before proceeding to drop 3 of the next 4

Tyler Myers is a -10 after winning the Calder trophy...yet Derek Roy might be having a career year.

It's a mind-boggling situation. Though they might not be quitting on Ruff, they certainly aren't making his job any easier.

Am I the funniest situation the league hasn't talked about?
-Henrik Sedin, Vancouver

Far and away. The highest amount of points scored by a player who hasn't scored in double figures is the 68 that Scott Stevens put up in '88-'89. At least...that could be the record.

Sedin is currently on pace to have over 90 points this year...while only scoring 8 goals. If he did this, it would set a record for the most amount of points with the least amount of goals.

By contrast, his twin brother is fifth in the league in scoring.

(Side Note: The second most amazing stat? Jeff Carter has scored more than half of his 11 goals in games that his team won by more than three goals. Still think he's worth that extension?)

And finally,

Why did I take this job?
-Jack Capuano, New York

No idea on this one Jack. Though,,,this might lead to one of the few times that a coach is actually swapped for the guy he was asked to replace.

That would be something to write about.