We'd say "Give your head a shake," but somehow that no longer seems an appropriate thing to say in the hockey world.
This week marks the three-quarter pole in what has become the most debated season of the National Hockey League since there was no season back in the 2004-05 lockout year.
It is fascinating to go back to the quarter pole in the fall, when the experts weighed in on the surprises and disappointments in a season that was then 20 games old. The two biggest disappointments, East and West, were Ilya Kovalchuk and the Calgary Flames.
Today, they might qualify as the two biggest surprises. Kovalchuk was considered a bust after he signed a 15-year, $100-million (all currency U.S.) contract with the New Jersey Devils. He got off to such a dreadful start that coach John MacLean made him a healthy scratch for a late October game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Two weeks later, when the Devils again met the Sabres, the game came down to Kovalchuk as New Jersey's last chance in a shootout - only to have him whiff on his attempt. They said it was "symbolic" of his season.
Not so. MacLean has long since been canned, the Devils are 9-0-1-0 over the last 10 games under new/old coach Jacques Lemaire, and Kovalchuk has a 10-game scoring streak.
That story, however, pales in comparison to the Calgary Flames. Back at the quarter pole, Brent Sutter was picked as the Western coach most likely to be fired, just as MacLean was the obvious choice in the East.
But Sutter didn't follow MacLean. Instead, around Christmas, Sutter's brother Darryl was replaced as general manager by Jay Feaster, who claimed to have a rather preposterous "plan." Instead of following media advice to begin "selling" off as many players as possible prior to the Feb. 28 trade deadline, Feaster's strategy was to think three games at a time and win two.
The idea of the second last team in the West (only Edmonton was worse) suddenly playing at a .666 pace led to a lot of eye-rolling, but now, with the trade deadline less than a week away, Feaster's outlandish plan is working; the Flames hit 70 points when they defeated Montreal 4-0 in the outdoor Heritage Classic, the same number of points as fifth place Nashville.
This cries out for a new list at the three-quarter mark, a list that, given the wild fluctuations since the fall, is likely to change itself by the time Game No. 1,230 is played April 10. But here goes anyway:
Greatest Shocker Simple. Sidney Crosby out with concussion since Jan. 5. At the time, he was just coming off a 25-game points streak and was running away with the scoring race. The only greater shocker imaginable by April 10 would be that Crosby has already played his last game in what may have been his greatest season ever.
Biggest Surprise If the Flames reach the playoffs merely by changing the general manager, it would change forever the perception of what being a good GM means. If a contender from the East is required, the surprise would be the realization that, gulp, maybe Dany Heatley was right in demanding to be set free from the Ottawa Senators.
Biggest Disappointment Step aside Ilya Kovalchuk and come on down Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin may still have 61 points in 60 games, but not even cracking the top 20 in goal scoring is unimaginable. No matter what the explanation - the Washington Capitals have become more team- and defence-oriented, Ovechkin's a one-trick pony whose trick has largely been nullified - the reality is that with Crosby out, the NHL no longer has a 1A to match (and therefore fill in) Crosby's 1.
Defence shifts Washington's Mike Green, Chicago's Duncan Keith and Los Angeles's Drew Doughty were Norris Trophy finalists last year. Dustin Byfuglien, the Chicago forward turned into a rushing defenceman by the Atlanta Thrashers, had a lock on it in the fall. But at the three-quarter pole the talk is of Detroit's 40-year-old Nicklas Lidstrom, who may well win his seventh Norris come June.
Young Guns They talked of Edmonton's Taylor Hall, Boston's Tyler Seguin and Toronto's Nazem Kadri in the exhibition season, but the chatter quickly faded. Hall, however, has now found his game and is right back in contention for the Calder Trophy. They also speak of Carolina's Jeff Skinner and San Jose's Logan Couture, but what of Philadelphia goaltender Sergei (Bob) Bobrovsky, who wasn't even drafted? Or the New York Islanders' Michael Grabner, whom both the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers gave up on in 2010? The young Austrian has 25 goals and is the league's fastest skater.
MVB That stands for most valuable brothers. With Crosby incapacitated by stupidity - not his, the league's - and Ovechkin no longer quite himself, the Hart Trophy is wide open. The Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos is an obvious candidate, but now that Vancouver's Daniel Sedin seems on his way to matching his brother's victory last year in the scoring race, perhaps the league should just consider having the twins share the award for league MVP.
Just imagine the publicity.
Good publicity for a change.
Roy MacGregor