ATD #6 Final: Milt Dunnell Cup Championship New Jersey Devils vs Montreal Canadiens

[Nalyd Psycho]

Game 1: Oates wins the first face off to Howe, as he takes the zone, he's leveled by a hip check from Shore. Park holds the line by shooting the puck to the corner. Howe and Shore battle for the loose puck, Kariya and Stewart join in. Howe uses the distractions to throw an elbow up on Shore that the ref misses. Howe comes out of the corner with the puck and tries to go five hole on Brodeur, but Brodeur gets the paddle down and covers up the rebound. Later in the period, Nedomansky takes the breakout pass from Kasatonov and uses his size leverage to hold off Cleghorn. Cleghorn uses his speed to not lose Nedomansky completely, but when Nedo starts to cut towards the net, Cleghorn trips him up and takes a penalty. Patrick uses last change to keep Nedomansky and Richard on the ice so the Chelios/Park pairing is up against the 2nd PP unit. When the Sakic line comes on a tired Chelios, covering Cleghorn, stays on with Huddy, and is too tired to keep his check, Sakic, before Sakic lets off a laser of a wrister from the face off circle to open the scoring. Using the one goal lead, Patrick slows it down for the rest of the period. In the second, Montreal uses a dump and chase tactic to try and break the trap. Howe and Shore work each other over in the corner again, anticipating another elbow, Shore crosschecks Howe when the ref's view is obscured, but the ref at the blueline gets a good view, sending Shore to the box. Gilmour capitalizes. New Jersey opens up a bit and Shore begins pinching from the point more, leaving Stewart to watch Howe. Richard scores the winner off a Shore rebound.

New Jersey wins 2-1

Game 2: Howe begins to figure out Stewart, so Shore and Stewart double team him. Olmstead, Richard and Hextall focus on the rest of the line. Nedomansky connects with fellow Czech Holik for the lead off goal. Cleghorn gets a goal by pinching from the point. Prentice gets the go ahead goal from a Smith pass. Howe gets a penalty for elbowing and Kasatonov ties it up on the power play. Goaltenders crack down for the rest of the game. Sakic gets the overtime winner.

New Jersey wins 3-2 in overtime.

Game 3: With home ice advantage, Montreal controls who Howe is up against, and it pays off big time. Howe gets a double Gordie, two goals, assists on goals by Kariya and Park and fights with Shore and Heller. Bondra adds one to really put the screws to New Jersey.

Montreal wins 5-0.

Game 4: Patrick adapts by mixing up defense pairings, trying to get White/Stewart out against Howe. It's somewhat effective, holding Howe to a goal and an assist on a Persson power play goal. No fight this game. Sakic and Hextall tie it up in the second. But in the third, Montreal blows it wide open with goals by Bucyk, Huddy and Rousseau. Luce adds a meaningless one late.

Montreal wins 5-3.

Game 5: Back in the swamp, Patrick is back in the drivers street. Adding MacKay to boost offensive output while moving Mohns to offense for more from the point, bumping Lutchenko. Paying immediate dividends MacKay and Nedomansky connect on a two on one. Ivan moves Cleghorn up to Howe's line for a shif, Cleghorn runs interference on Howe's behalf, leading to a bloody fight between Shore and Cleghorn. With two of the best defensive players in the box, the game opens up. Howe is able to score without Shore watching him and Mohns scores with a slap shot. New Jersey shuts down with a trap for the rest of the game.

New Jersey wins 2-1.

Game 6: Back on the road, New Jersey brings back Lutchenko for a tougher more physical defensive game. New Jersey plays a perfect road game strangling the life out of Montreal. Bower shuts the door on New Jersey on every opportunity they have, keeping it tight at both ends of the rink. Going to overtime, Cleghorn is able to goad Shore into a bad penalty. Howe gets the winner.

Montreal wins 1-0 in overtime.

Game 7: In New Jersey, Olmstead opens the scoring early in the first. Sakic scores late in the first, making the lead insurmountable. In the second period, New Jersey shuts the door, Brodeur robs Montreal at every turn. In the third period the monster is unleashed. Gordie Howe combines graceful skill and puck control with brute force and determination, leaving Shore in awe as he dekes Shore out while squished into the boards, plows through Stewart and gets the backhand over Brodeur. Two plays later, Howe speeds past Olmstead and fires a wrist shot through Shore's legs and passed Brodeur who was screened by Shore. The score stays tied until 2 minutes remain. Richard and Hextall on a two on one against Cleghorn, Cleghorn takes the body on Richard and Bower poke checks off Richard's stick to Park. Park does a no look pass to Oates, Oates stickhandles past Olmstead and passes to Kariya who speeds past Stewart, passing to Howe for a one timer past Brodeur. Smyl adds an empty net goal.

Montreal wins 4-2




Three Stars:
3rd: (Tie) Joe Sakic and Eddie Shore
2nd: Martin Brodeur
1st: Gordie Howe



The Montreal Canadiens defeat the New Jersey Devils 4 games to 3 to be crowned the 2007 Milt Dunnell Cup Champions

Gordie Howe is named the 2007 Charlie Gardiner Memorial winner as Playoff MVP.

Click to read more...

 

[God Bless Canada]

Trail Smoke Eaters would like to congratulate the Montreal Canadiens on becoming the first-ever all-time draft champions. HO can say that he's the best of the best on HF Boards. We'd also like to congratulate BM's New Jersey Devils for having a terrific team and coming within a game of winning the championship.

But word to the wise: Trail's coming at both of you (and everyone else) twice as hard in the next draft.

 

[BM67]

The New Jersey Devils would like to thank the Montreal Canadiens for their worthy challenge. The...

What? We didn't win?

The League would like to announce that an investigation into the officiating of the playoffs will be launched. Red Storey, Leaf Lander and Frank Patrick will chair the committee.


If you can't trust a man to stay bribed....

... Oh, and cancel the parade.

 

[shawnmullin]

Congratulations to both Montreal and New Jersey for great runs. And congrats to Nalyd on great summaries.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

I wanted to do more detail, but, it crashed while saving game 2 and then I had an opertunity to go out at the very last minute. So I rushed the middle games a bit to get it up last night. But, I still think it works well, sets the tone I wanted of Shore vs Howe being the key to the series.

 

[shawnmullin]

I had New Jersey winning personally, but congrats to Montreal. I think the Habs won in spite of a relatively weak 1/2 at centre ice. Everywhere else the team was money.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Thanks, guys. It’s an honor to win the Milt Dunnell Cup and to be named the first all-time draft champion. All of the discussions and debates during the past three or four months have been a lot of fun. Winning is great, but I’d like to emphasize what I’ve said all along: the best part was the drafting and the discussions with the most knowledgeable hockey fans I’ve had the privilege of speaking to.

Here are a few thoughts about each person who participated in the draft:

Evil Speaker: your knowledge of defensemen is unsurpassed on these boards. I can remember at least three times when you had a great steal in the later rounds, and I said to myself, “Why didn’t I think of him?†You have the best group of defensemen in the draft. Nice job re-uniting the Kraut line.

VanIslander: perhaps your biggest strength is the fact that you understand that chemistry and synergy are more important than just picking the “best†available player each time. For example, your top two lines are strong on paper, but, based on synergies, I’d imagine those lines would be even better in real life. I enjoyed all the commentaries you wrote. (Also, I regret trading Larmer to you for Worsley. I was desperate for a backup goalie and overpaid; I think you got the better end of that deal).

Leaf Lander: great group of centers, and I can’t imagine how dangerous Bure/Lemieux would have been together. A lot of your depth defensemen were good steals.

Transplanted Caper: you did a nice job balancing certain players’ weaknesses with other players’ strengths. The Coffey/Langway pair is a great example of this. They’re practically opposites, but they should be one of the best and most versatile #1 units in the draft. Also, despite criticisms about Dionne’s playoff performances, it was smart to pair him with the most clutch player of all time, Rocket Richard.

Zetterberg: I enjoyed playing against you. You have a lot of top-end talent that could cause damage to any team. Beliveau/Parent is one of the top clutch forward/goalie pairs in the draft.

Murphy2: I remember I didn’t rank your team very high in the regular season rankings, on the understanding that your team would significantly raise its level of play in the postseason. Any team with Kennedy, Anderson, Pilote, Sawchuk and Gainey is set in terms of leadership and playoff performances. I think the Anderson/Cleghorn trade was win/win. Clearly Cleghorn has played a major role on my team, but Anderson gave you some much-needed offense and was consistent with your team’s strategy for having gritty, proven playoff performers.

BM67: It was an honor to play against you in the finals. At the start of the playoffs, there were only three teams that I thought could beat me in a series… and yours was one of them. So, it’s fitting that it was a close, seven-game series. Also, I take back some of the things I said about Nedomansky, I’m actually pretty curious about how well he would have done in the NHL in his prime. (Patrick may be undefeated as a playoff goalie, but I’d give Ivan the edge due to his expertise in chemical warfare: any series with Howe/Shore may need it! ).

Raleh: I think you did a great job of getting consistently underrated players like Moore, Lach, Ratelle, Hodge and Johnson. You have excellent playoff performers among your top players at each position.

Hedberg: You have the best goaltending in the draft, and a very strong second line. Nieuwendyk was a steal.

Shawnmullin: I think Tretiak is a high-risk pick in these drafts: some people swear he’s the great goalies ever while others think he’s never proved himself at the NHL level. In fact, there’s probably not a single player on these boards who has such a wide range in evaluations. You have a very strong 1-2 punch at left-wing and a good fourth line.

Murray: You had a very strong team that was hurt by being in the league’s toughest division. The Million Dollar line is as good as any top line in the draft. You have a great (and probably underrated) group of defensemen: only a few teams in the league catch match your depth and your blueliners’ steady, consistent play. Great chemistry between the Bentley brothers and (especially) Hull/Balfour/Hay/Wharram/Vasko/Stapleton/Liztenberger, which is unmatched in the All-Time Draft’s history.

GBC: Your biggest strength is that you value playoff performers. I think I only ranked you second in your division (for the regular season), knowing that your team would kick it up a notch or three based on playoff performance. Yes, you have the record for most Cup-winners on a team; however, what’s most important is that each of those players made significant contributions to Cup champions and dynasties (as opposed to merely being along for the ride). I think the other major strength is that you value versatile players: most of your players can be used in any situation, and there are no major weaknesses on your roster. I was not looking forward to playing against you in the semis, and I honestly was not sure which of us would win. Finally, your critiques of different teams are very accurate and fun to read (so much so that, after you’ve written something, I often feel like there’s nothing else I can add!)

Wisent: Out of all the teams in the draft, I had the most fun thinking/writing about the Citadelles. I admit that there were several players on your roster who I wasn’t very familiar with, so researching your team gave me a good reason to learn about some great non-NHL players from the past. Since (for me, anyway) the draft should be about learning and discussing, your team was the most interesting. Also, Potvin/Kelly is an extraordinary top two defense pair, even better than anything I have.

Pitseleh: I was going to say that you had an excellent team considering this is your first draft… but you have an excellent team, period. Your ability to get underrated players at bargain picks (Broadbent, Schriner, Pronovost) is a real talent that often takes GMs (like me, for example) a few drafts to develop.

Kruezer: You probably had the best team in the draft after 5 or 6 rounds and your top-end talent remains among the best in the league. You stole Morrow and Ludwig from me.

Lone Elvi: I think GBC said this earlier, but it’s nice to see a team succeed even if they were a bit unconventional (ie lack of a shut-down forward line). I can’t believe you managed to get KLM line, which, due to their chemistry, makes them one of the top #1 lines in the draft. Also, you’re an extremely good debater and are very persuasive. Take this as a compliment: I’m glad I didn’t have to play against your team.

#66: Reuniting the Trio Grande was amazing, and getting two underrated players (from an all-time perspective) in Elias and Iginla was a nice move too.

HankyFourFingers: Any team with Mikita and his modern equivalent, Forsberg, is very dangerous. Zubov and Johnson were steals, while Konstantinov/Beck might be the best third pairing in the draft.

Reckoning: You had an excellent team, and it’s unfortunate that you were in such a tough division. Getting three picks in a row in round 3 was a gamble, but I think it paid off: it gave you 2/3rds of one of the best lines in the draft and a solid #1 defenseman. Lindsay was an excellent pick; there’s a big drop-off in talent after him and Hull. Also, Lindsay gives you the combination of skill and talent that is unsurpassed in any LW. Finally, your team proves that you can have a very good squad even if you wait a long time to get a goalie.

Nalyd: First, thanks for doing the hard working of collecting and tabulating the voting results. I’d imagine it’s a tedious/time-consuming job, so thanks for volunteering to do it. Second, I’ve probably wrote this a few dozen times already, but your write-ups are amazing. The way you highlight the most important themes in each series, and bring all the players to life, is outstanding. Third, given all the knowledge and insight you need to write the series write-ups, I think you have as good a chance of winning the next draft as anyone.

Thanks again to everyone who participated. The minor league draft should be fun, and ATD#7 should be even better. (It would also be nice if other knowledgeable posters here, like Trottier, Ogopogo, Classic Hockey, Canucksfan, CYM, Pnep, Cup 2007 Sens Rule—and I know I’m missing a few great posters—joined). See you there!

 

[Frightened Inmate #2]

I guess this is a bit of a wrapup thread so I thought I would share some of my opinions rather than going outside into the -20 weather to start my car.

Awards:
Vezina Memorial Trophy: Martin Brodeur
Runners Up: Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden

Rationale: Brodeur was a big factor in the winning ways of the New Jersey Devils throughout the draft, and backed by strong defensive play as well as a team that I think would do wonders for inflating his statistics in terms of an overall defensive game, I just have to give Brodeur the credit for this award. There are better goaltenders such as Plante (in my opinion at least) but when looking at a goaltender relative to any award it is important to look at more than just the goaltender but rather the entire system of the team.

Norris Trophy: Bobby Orr
Runners up: Eddie Shore, Sprague Cleghorn

Rationale: Who else could you see winning this award? Was in my opinion the main reason that the Bruins were able to come in second place in the Don Cherry Division, if you replace him with any other defenseman the team just doesn't look the same and I think this award shows that to be the case.

Hart Trophy: Wayne Gretzky
Runners up: Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr

Rationale: I just see Wayne as the catalist for the Mountaineers moreso than any other player, the entire team revolved around the Gretzky line and that is what lead the team to being #1 in the Jim Robson division. Bobby Orr was a close second but the domination of Gretzky with his right hand man in Kurri leads to Gretzky taking home the Hart.

Selke Trophy: Bob Gainey
Runners up: Guy Carbonneau, Doug Gilmour

Rationale: Once again who else but Gainey could win this award, especially on a defensive first line there is no question in my mind that Gainey would be able to dominate (at least at one end of the rink). There should be no qualms about where Gainey's abilities really are and I think that Edmonton has been able to harness these abilities quite well on their third line.

Art Ross: Wayne Gretzky
Runners up: Mario Lemieux, Charlie Conacher

Two horse race most of the way between Gretzky and Lemieux with Gretzky winning out due to more assists via his natural connection with Kurri. Conacher is the suprise third place who was able to take advantage of some of the weaker regular season goaltenders in the draft such as Belfour, Fuhr (who while clutch was known to surrender large numbers of goals) and to Broda to a certain extent given some of the defensive question marks (most notably Hatcher/Ross).

Richard Trophy: Bossy
Runner Up: Gretzky, Lemieux, Phil Esposito/Kharlamov (tie)

Rationale: Best pure goalscorer as well as the connection with Gilles and Trottier can not be ignored much like Gretzky was able to take advantage of goaltenders such as Tretiak, Holecek and Bower.

Unsung Hero: Sprague Cleghorn

 

[BM67]

I have to say that their wasn't a team in the draft that couldn't have beat any other team with a couple of bounces going their way, so even the early exits were really good teams.

As for my team's path to the final, I thought I had a clear advantage over Buffalo, but Boston, Calgary, and Montreal were all close enough that it could have come down to a coin toss.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Nice takes, HO. As I stated before, I knew that if I was going to win this thing, you were the one team I was going to have to beat. Didn't know who I would have faced in the division final, although I have a hunch it would be Nanaimo. Didn't know who I would face in the league final if I made it that far. But I knew that if I was going to make the league final, I would have to go through HO's Montreal squad.

Hopefully Montreal fans didn't celebrate in the same way that they did the last time the Habs won a championship...

 

[Know Your Enemy]

The Boston Bruins would like congratulate the Montreal Canadiens on being the first ATD champions, you deserved the victory. Also thanks alot to everyone who participated, it was certainly a privaledge speaking with the most knowledgable posters on these boards, I learned alot from all your debates and discussion.

I'm looking forward to competing with you all in the next draft.

 

[pitseleh]

Congrats to two very excellent teams. Both were well put together and thought out, and I look forward to the next draft

 

[kruezer]

Congrats as well, two fantastic teams, hopefully the next ATD will go as well as this past one has.

 

[Wisent]

Congrats for Montreal in the win. Even though I didn`t participate much in the discussions, I did lots of research on various players and followed the arguments that the participants had on many players. I am really looking forward to participate in the next draft. Have a nice one everybody.

 

[reckoning]

Congratulations to Hockey Outsider: one of the best posters on this board and worthy of the honour of having his name being the first one engraved on the trophy.

As impressive as the Montreal team looked, I admit I did vote for New Jersey as I really liked the makeup of that team (could be because they had 4 players that I had last time.)

In these drafts the first two picks are usually Orr and Gretzky. Could Gordie Howe's playoff MVP trophy possibly mean he may be the better choice? Having him on your team pretty much covers a lot of your needs at forward.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

Reckoning raised an interesting question. I had the #3 pick, and the previous GMs had already taken Orr and Gretzky. I debated Howe versus Lemieux for a while. I went with Howe because, in my mind, Howe's advantage in terms of defense, physical play and leadership would more than offset Lemieux's advantage in scoring.

I definitely would have taken Orr over Howe; number four is the greatest player ever, I think.

Gretzky/Howe is a tough call, but I'd have to go with Gretzky. There are more players in the league who can combine scoring and toughness, rather than players who can turn Blair McDonald into into an 100-point threat.

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Congratulations to Montreal on the win. Well deserved. I thoroughly enjoyed the draft and reading the analysis of the playoff matches. I'm really looking forward to participating in the next all time draft where I hope to be better prepared and ready to put forth a stronger team.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

Reckoning raised an interesting question. I had the #3 pick, and the previous GMs had already taken Orr and Gretzky. I debated Howe versus Lemieux for a while. I went with Howe because, in my mind, Howe's advantage in terms of defense, physical play and leadership would more than offset Lemieux's advantage in scoring.

I definitely would have taken Orr over Howe; number four is the greatest player ever, I think.

Gretzky/Howe is a tough call, but I'd have to go with Gretzky. There are more players in the league who can combine scoring and toughness, rather than players who can turn Blair McDonald into into an 100-point threat.

Not only is Orr the best player ever, but to me he should be a no-brainer for first pick, simply because there's such a shortage on elite defencemen who can get you 30 high-quality, well-rounded minutes a game.

I would go with Gordie ahead of Gretzky. I think Howe was the better all-round player, and centre is the one position which always has lots of available talent.

 

[Murphy]

Congrats Outsider on your Montreal Canadians taking the win, sorry this should have been way sooner but life got real hectic on me lately and I haven't had much spare time.

I'd like to add how much I enjoyed this draft and the playoffs after, you're all a bunch of knowledgable posters who know their stuff. This ATD went pretty smooth thanks to the efforts of all and I thank-you all for letting me have a part in it.

I'll be there for the next one for sure.