Special thanks to Gary Bettman for letting the guys out of the Quiet Room long enough for us to snap this pic. Enlarge. (Photo illustration by Ian Oland)

The stars of the All-Star Game were a little less bright this year. Some of the familiar faces that fans expect were absent for reasons that are becoming all too familiar in the modern NHL: head injury. Approximately 85 head injuries have been reported this year, meaning that nearly ten percent of all active players have been injured. 28 of 30 teams have reported at least one head injury, while some franchises have dealt with as many six or seven. With star center Nicklas Backstrom now sitting out due to concussion, the issue has hit close to home for Caps fans.

While Brendan Shanhan has doled out 26 regular-season suspensions — which some think have gone too far, hits targeting of the head continue. The face of the NHL, Sidney Crosby, lasted just nine games in his latest comeback before being sidelined yet again with post-concussion syndrome. His return to the ice and excellence is still uncertain.

Even worse, a season after seeing three of its enforcers die in one summer, the NHL faces mounting questions about player safety. Some players, celebrated for their toughness, bristle at league mandates regarding concussions.

One such example came on December 17th, when the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Colby Armstrong suffered a concussion after colliding with Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler. However, Armstrong did not report the concussion, choosing instead to hide his condition from trainers, who discovered it only when they found Armstrong vomiting in the locker room. While no one would question Armstrong’s toughness and grit, this is the last place that an NHL player should be expected to show his bravery.

Below the jump, we’ve chosen to highlight 12 All-Star caliber players — six each for the Eastern and Western Conferences — who’ve struggled with head injury this year. We hope that this brings attention to concussions in sports and specifically in hockey, where the problem has grown too big to be ignored.

Western Conference Head Injury Starters

Mike Richards, Los Angeles Kings

Story: Mike Richards took a Sean Bergenheim shoulder to the head on December 1st. He went to IR on the following day and missed eight games with a head injury. Bergenheim did not receive any supplemental discipline.

Penalties on the play:

LAK Mike Richards: 2 Minutes for Slashing (Served by Trent Hunter)
LAK Mike Richards: 2 Minutes for Roughing (Served by Trent Hunter)
FLA Sean Bergenheim: 2 Minutes for Roughing
LAK Jarret Stoll: 2 Minutes for Roughing

Richards told LA Times that it was not for the first time he’s suffered a concussion:

“I’ve been injured like this before,” he said. “Like I said, it’s just time. It’s nothing you can rush. It’s a hurry-up-and-wait sort of thing.” [...] “Obviously it’s something that you’re used to playing every day,” he said. “And going out there and having fun. It’s just not the same. You’re not with the guys in the dressing room. You always feel like you could be doing more.”

Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Story: One of three Kings’ star forwards to suffer concussions this season, Kopitar was injured on a hard hit by Dallas Stars power forward Brenden Morrow behind Dallas’ net. Kopitar left the game for precautionary reasons, but thankfully for Kings fans, did not miss a single game afterward.

Penalties on the play:

LAK Mike Richards: 10 Minute Game Misconduct
LAK Mike Richards: 2 Minutes for Instigator – Face Shield (Served by Trent Hunter)
LAK Mike Richards: 2 Minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Served by Trent Hunter)
DAL Brenden Morrow: 5 Minute Major for Fighting
LAK Mike Richards: 5 Minute Major for Fighting

A day after the hit, Kopitar described his condition to Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider:

“Feeling good. Nothing special to say, really. It was just precautionary reasons last night. I’m sure you guys know, even better than I do, what it takes after you get hit like that, what you’ve got to do (with) the quiet room and stuff. But I’m feeling good this morning, and that’s about it.’’

Taylor Hall, Edmonton Oilers

Story: Taylor Hall took a Corey Potter skate to the face in warm-ups before a game against the Blue Jackets, and it didn’t look pretty. Hall only missed two games – one against the Blue Jackets and the next against the St. Louis Blues.

Hall talked about the injury with the Edmonton Journal’s Joanne Ireland:

“I looked a lot better before, but what can you do?” Hall said on Thursday. “You can say that I’m lucky I didn’t get my eye taken out or that I didn’t get my throat sliced. Or, I’m just unlucky because something like his has never happened in the history of the sport with how many guys who have not worn a helmet in warm-up.”

Shea Weber, Nashville Predators

Story: Shea Weber, the Nashville Predators hard-shooting All-Star defenseman, took a forearm to the head from the Dallas Stars’ Mark Fistric and missed four games with “concussion-like symptoms.” No penalties were called on the play, nor did Brendan Shanahan suspend Fistric, who had already been suspended that month for an illegal hit on Islanders forward Nino Niederreiter. The hit on Neiderreiter also resulted in a concussion.

Shea Weber also sometimes drops the gloves. Fox Sports Tennessee’s John Manasso wrote an interesting article on why he shouldn’t:

It’s understandable that you don’t want your opponents to know that you won’t fight. Keep the secret to yourself. You don’t have to disavow fighting publicly. Just don’t fight. You have too much to risk and too little to gain.

Sami Salo, Vancouver Canucks

Story: In one of the most controversial hits this season, Brad Marchand caught Sami Salo with what seemed to be a borderline hit somewhere between a hip check and a clip. This earned Marchand a lengthy suspension from Brendan Shanahan, missing five games; Salo is yet to return.

Penalties:
BOS Brad Marchand: 5 Minute Major for Clipping (Served by Shawn Thornton)
BOS Brad Marchand: 10 Minute Game Misconduct

Salo told Vancouver Sun what he thinks about the hit:

“I’m lucky I didn’t break my neck,” Salo said Friday, answering questions for the first time since landing heavily on the back of his head and neck when upended by Marchand during the Canucks’ 4-3 win in Boston two weeks ago. “You can’t play the game thinking about what other guys might do. You can’t play the game… thinking this guy might elbow me or something.

Josh Harding, Minnesota Wild

Photos by PointNShoot

Story: Minnesota goaltender Josh Harding was accidentally elbowed in the head by his teammate, Nick Schultz, while battling with the Sharks’ Joe Pavelski in front of the net. The elbow left Harding with a concussion. He became the fourth Wild player to suffer from a concussion this season joining Guillaume Latendresse, Marek Zidlicky, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard on the sidelines.

Western Conference Honorable Mention

Forwards: Alex Tanguay, Simon Gagne, R.J. Umberger, Ryane Clowe, Alex Steen, Andy McDonald, Mike Fisher. Defensemen: Brent Seabrook, Ian White, Radek Martinek, Michal Roszival, Carlo Colaiacovo. Goalie: Steve Mason.

Eastern Conference Head Injury Starters

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

Story: You’re probably already sick of reading about Crosby’s collision with then-Capital David Steckel and hit by Lightning d-man Victor Hedman, so we won’t elaborate on it. Sid’s comeback from those two hits lasted all of nine games. In the last game he played, he collided with the Bruins’ David Krejci and that is believed to be a reason of his latest concussion. He also collided with teammate Chris Kunitz, which as the National Post so elegantly said, “finished him.” It was revealed during All-Star Weekend that Crosby suffered a broken neck as well.

Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers

Story: Another friendly-fire incident that resulted in injury, Giroux was accidentally kneed by teammate Wayne Simmonds, who tried to jump over the fallen Giroux. Giroux missed only four games and at first it looked like he never missed a beat, recording a four-point performance in the very first game back, but then…

PhillyBurbs.com sums it up best:

The conspiracy theory is that the concussion he suffered back on Dec. 10 against Tampa Bay (in a collision with teammate Wayne Simmonds) hasn’t completely healed yet and that there might be some residual effects.

Giroux did return after missing four games and put together a four-point night at Dallas on Dec. 21. But in the 13 games since then, just one goal (in the Jan. 2 Winter Classic) and eight assists.

Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals

Story: The Washington Capitals first-half MVP, Nicklas Backstrom, was elbowed by Rene Bourque, who was later suspended five games by Shanahan for the incident (and beaten up by us video-game style). Backstrom has no timetable for a return, and the Capitals’ success and overall mobility has declined with him out of the lineup. The Caps with and without Backstrom are two entirely different teams. Backstrom’s health will likely influence George McPhee’s trade strategy come the deadline.

Chris Pronger, Philadelphia Flyers

Story: One of the scariest injuries in awhile, because of its seriousness and because of its effect on a player who has been a measuring stick for toughness. Chris Pronger was hit high by an errant Mikhail Grabovski stick. Right away, the injury didn’t look good with concerns mostly focused on damage to his sight. However, Pronger returned from what was called an “eye injury” and played six games. After that, he had a knee injury that required surgery, and it was only at this time that the Flyers organization revealed that he was suffering from post-concussion syndrome, and would likely be out for the rest of the season.

The Flyers’ captain told NHL.com:

“I just didn’t feel well, I didn’t know what it was,” Pronger said that day. “I never felt like that before with headaches and nausea, and that stuff. I had a concussion baseline test and passed that … I got lightheaded, had headaches, you’re nauseous.”

Pronger’s wife Lauren also offered her perspective on the injury:

“It’s a tough go at home,” she said. “We’re going day-to-day right now — good days, bad days. It’s been a lot of trauma going on. We’re just praying right now. He’s battling. He wants to be out there more than anybody. It’s tough for all of us to watch him go through this.”

Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

Story: Kris Letang was injured in the third period of a Canadiens – Penguins game on November 25. He returned in that game and scored the OT game-winner, but missed 21 games afterwards. Though there was no penalty call on the play, Pacioretty was suspended three games by the Department of Player Safety.

Sidney Crosby gave Letang advice before he returned to the ice. Letang told the media:

“Pay attention to how your body reacts out there and make sure I’m 100 percent ready, not taking any chances because you need your head for the rest of your life. It was a question of feeling good and being confident that I can do the job out there.”

Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres

Story: Ryan Miller was hit by Milan Lucic in a race for the puck. Lucic was not suspended for the hit and only got two minutes of penalty time for charging. Later this season, Jordin Tootoo collided with Miller and was suspended for two games. The concussion Miller sustained after the Lucic hit was his second in a year.

Miller told Yahoo! Sports what it felt like to have a concussion:

“My issue every time has been, it affects your focus and concentration,” Miller said. “You feel like you have ADD. You feel like you have extreme ADD when you have the headaches and you have the uncomfortable ‘off’ feeling. I mean, I think history can kind of show I’m a very intense, focused person, and when I can’t even get through a 10-, 15-minute task at home, which I can usually sit down and do, something’s wrong.”

Eastern Conference Honorable Mention

Forwards: Jeff Skinner, Martin St. Louis, Daniel Alfredsson, Milan Michalek, Danny Briere, Evander Kane. Defensemen: Zbynek Michalek, Joni Pitkanen, Marс Staal, John-Michael Liles, Victor Hedman. Goalies: James Reimer, Al Montoya, Rick DiPietro.

Layout, graphics, and introduction by Ian Oland.
Additional reporting by Ana Hansen.

Photo credit: Chris Gordon

Over the summer, General Manager George McPhee started snatching players like a rabid mom snatching groceries on Supermarket Sweeps. In are gritty NHL veterans like Joel Ward, Roman Hamrlik, and Jeff Halpern. Out are fan-favorites like Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon.

Beyond the discounted signing of Tomas Vokoun, there may have been no better addition to the line-up than the Draft-night trade McPhee swung with the Chicago Blackhawks in which he landed Troy Brouwer for a first-round pick. Brouwer, who signed an affordable two-year deal worth $2,350,000 per year on July 6, was part of the Blackhawks’ 2010 Stanley Cup Champion squad and is known in part for his physical, hard-hitting game. The 26-year-old right wing has also been a proven scorer at every level he’s played, tallying 20 goals in the NHL, 40-plus goals in the AHL, and 100-plus points in Juniors.

So with Opening Night only a few days away, what can Caps fans reasonably expect offensively from Brouwer? Also, how about some bizarre facts about Troy that only RMNB can dig up? Follow me past the jump to find out.

How do you pronounce Troy’s last name?

Brow-er, not Brew-er. And I’m talking with experience here because I’ve actually been guilty of butchering his last name for the last three months or so. Peter seems committed to re-naming the Capitals’ man-advantage “the Brouwer Play”, so I’ll learn.

What number will he be wearing in Washington?

#20. Troy will be the first player to wear the number full-time for the Capitals since Rico Fata did in 2005-06. Other notables who wear the #20 include Gary Rissling (1979-80), Michal Pivonka (1986-99) and Robert Lang (2002-04).

What interesting fact about Brouwer is going to blow my mind?

In Troy’s first NHL game with the Blackhawks on December 23, 2006, a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, he was put on the same line with a former Caps great. “I’d like to see him and say hi to him. I don’t know if he’ll remember me because it was six or seven years ago. But it’d be cool to see him again.” The player he’s referring to? None other than Peter Bondra.

So he’s won a Stanley Cup?

Yeah, dude. In 2010. Troy had four goals and four assists in 19 games during that fateful playoff run, his only goal in the Finals coming in Chicago’s 6-5 win over the Flyers in Game 1.

What did he do on his day with the Stanley Cup?

I’ll let Troy explain: “We had a full day with it. For me, I had it at my house early in the morning and ate some cereal out of it – Fruit Loops. My wife’s sister wanted to do that so we did. My dad was in the hospital throughout the playoff run so we took it to the hospital that he was staying at to say thank you to all the nurses and doctors. Hopefully, it brought some cheer and happiness to everyone else that was in his ward. Then I brought it to the Minor Hockey League rink for the minor hockey league kids to see just because their numbers have been spiraling downwards a little bit lately. So hopefully it brought some enthusiasm to hockey there. And then afterwards, I had it at my Parents’ house. A nice big yard, we had a barbecue and partied with about 200 people.”

Does Troy own a pet?

Yes. Troy has two dogs. Above, Brouwer introduces the world to Ari, a beagle mix (we think). We find out that “some of Ari’s favorite things to do are chase squirrels and cats” and that she has “designer clothes,” like any good princess would. The video’s worth watching just to see her play dead.

Was Troy Brouwer cuter than me as a child?

Yes. Though that Sharks jersey gots to go.

Is Troy Brouwer better than me at Poker?

I wouldn’t bet your wife’s wedding ring on a good hand with him. Brouwer was the last Chicago Blackhawk standing at teammate Brian Campbell’s charity poker tournament two years running.

Any injuries I need to know about?

Brouwer had to have surgery this past May to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, an injury that he suffered sometime in 2009-10. “It was pretty ugly,” Brouwer said of his shoulder. Troy avoided the surgery two summers ago, because the recovery time would be four months, four months that he didn’t have because of the Blackhawks Stanely Cup win in June. So he played through the pain last season and reaggravated the injury in April after flying into the Montreal boards on a missed check. Troy’s first pre-season game came against his former team two Monday’s ago.

Does Brouwer fight?

Ask Mike Richards how that right hand tastes and you’ll get your answer. Hockeyfights.com has credited Brouwer with 43 career bouts, 13 of them at the NHL level.

Why did Chicago trade him in the first place if he’s so good?

Brouwer was a restricted free agent and due a hefty raise from the $1.025 mil he was making in the final year of his two-year contract with Chicago. Plus, he also struggled to find consistency last season and wasn’t a factor in the playoffs, where he went pointless in seven games against the Vancouver Canucks. In the Blackhawk’s final 22 regular season games, Troy failed to tally a goal and had only three points. How much that can be blamed on his wonky shoulder we’ll never know.

Where does Brouwer score most of his goals?

In the bakery. 10 of Brouwer’s 17 goals last year were scored within 15 feet of the net, mostly off rebounds and deflections.

But 20 Goals is a lock right?

Not so fast. Neil wrote a great piece about this for Capitals Insider. Here’s a sampling.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound forward scored 22 goals during the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup-winning season in 2009-10, and he potted 17 goals last year.

But those numbers came in some of the most optimal conditions possible.

[. . . ]

Brouwer’s even-strength shifts started in the offensive zone almost two thirds of the time, and a third of those were with Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, three of the league’s best players.

Is Brouwer going to play on the first line?

Yes, at least for the season opener. Brouwer will play with Marcus Johansson and Alex Ovechkin, while Nicklas Backstrom will most likely center Alex Semin and Mike Knuble on line two.

Where can I see every goal Brouwer scored last year?

Right here, just step over my passed out body and its cramped and worn-down typing hands.

Goal #1 – 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, October 30, 2010

Troy corrals the rebound and scores on the backhand.

Goal #2 – 7-2 loss to the Calgary Flames November, 19 2010

Brouwer knocks in a rebound from the waist area past Mikka Kiprusoff.

Goal #3 – GWG, 7-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks, November, 20 2010

Brouwer puts his shoulder down, takes the puck strong to the net, and puts one past Roberto Luongo. Goals in back-to-back games.

Goal #4 – 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, November, 26 2010

A big hit by Brouwer starts the Blackhawks on an odd man break. Brouwer takes a pass from the boards and rifles a slapshot from the middle of the circles past Jonas Hiller.

Goal #5 – PPG, 7-5 win over the St. Louis Blues, November 30, 2010

Joe B.’s commentating! The goal is a gimme. Puck takes weird bounce off the boards on a dump-in. Brouwer collects and rifles it into a yawning net. This marks four goals in six games for Troy.

Goal #6 – GWG, 5-3 win over the Dallas Stars, December 8, 2010

Brouwer takes a slick pass from Bolland on a 2-on-1 who then takes the puck in, dekes to the backhand, and roofs it past Andrew Raycroft.

Goals #7 and #8 – 2 PPG, 7-5 loss to Colorado, December 13, 2010

A fortunate bounce finds Troy in front of the net on the Brouwer play.

This goal gives the Blackhawks a 5-4 lead. Brouwer tips a shot from the point into the net from about waist-high.

Goal #9 – 4-3 loss to Colorado, December 15, 2010

Brouwer scores a meaningless goal in front of the net with a second left on the clock. Props for the reserved goal celebration. He currently is enjoying 8 goals in 12 games at this point.

Goal #10 – PPG, 5-3 loss to San Jose, December 30, 2010

Brouwer’s centering pass on the powerplay redirects off of Niemi into the net.

Goal #11 – GWG, 4-0 win over Colorado, January 12, 2011

Brouwer jams the puck towards the net and in after a good battle along the boards.

Goals #12 and #13 – PPG, GWG, 6-3 win over the Preds, January 16, 2011

Brouwer scores on the powerplay after taking a rebound and jamming it home.

Brouwer scores 40 seconds later. Takes the puck from the corner, uses his speed to curl to the middle of the ice and wrists a shot past a helpless Anders Lindbeck. It ends up standing up as the game-winning goal and is potentially Brouwer’s most impressive individual play on the year.

Goal #14 – 4-1 win over the Red Wings, January 22, 2011

Jonathan Toews sets Brouwer up in front of the net, and Troy snaps her home.

Goal #15 – 4-2 loss to the Wild, January 25, 2011

Puck finds Brouwer in the crease. Five goals in six games streak.

Goal #16 – PPG, 3-2 (OT) loss to Phoenix, February 12, 2011

Brouwer takes a pass from Marian Hossa and one-times the puck past Ilya Bryzgalov.

Goal #17 – GWPPG, 3-1 win over the Wild, February 16, 2011

Hawks keep the puck in at the blue line. Play breaks down and Brouwer ends up having a 2-on-1 with Hossa from close range. Brouwer tries to send the puck to Marian Hossa but instead the biscuit deflects in past Jose Theodore. Goals in back-to-back games.

In the end, Troy scored his goals from 6ft, 15ft, 7ft, 31ft, 14ft, 7ft, 12ft, 11ft, 11ft, 10ft, 20ft, 16ft, 21ft, 23ft, 10ft, 22ft, and 11ft away from the net. The more you know.

Ovi sports his new gear. Click to enlarge. (Photo credit: Bauer)

Photo credit: Chris Gordon

The world’s most famous hockey player has got some new gear. After dropping CCM over the summer, Alex Ovechkin unveiled a new six-year sponsorship with rival manufacturer Bauer, whose equipment Ovi used for the first three years of his career. This is Ovechkin’s second new sponsorship of the week after news of his long-term deal with superpower Nike for “lifestyle” and “performance” products surfaced on Thursday night.

“I think that CCM treat me well,” Ovechkin told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “They help me a lot and without that project I can’t score 65 goals. But in that kind of moment and that kind of situation right now, I feel that Bauer is company who I’m looking forward to work with. I played with this stick a couple years ago and I like it.”

The move doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. With Ovi’s ditching CCM — and therefore their parent company Reebok — that left Bauer as the only company with the cash to pickup a superstar endorsement.

The move was also teased on Bauer’s Web site over the holiday weekend, with their home page sporting a picture of skates with the Great Eight’s trademark yellow laces and the banner “This year will be different.”

And the biggest giveaway? Well that would be the fact that Ovechkin has been sporting Bauer gear for the last week during informal practices at Kettler Capitals Iceplex.

Ovi showed displeasure with CCM equipment at times — especially their frangible sticks — leading him to switch to Bauer twigs that were simply spray painted over before CCM’s corporate overlords put a stop to it.

“He’s very, very confident in his new equipment and we think that’s half the battle,” Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said of the switch. “It’s like a golfer with new clubs. He’s been trying his hardest to try to break a stick and so far they seem indestructible and that makes us all smile.”

Bauer and Ovechkin are also donating 108 full sets of youth hockey equipment to the Ketter Capitals Iceplex and Potomac Valley Amateur Hockey Association in the DC area, along another 108 sets to the Dynamo Hockey School in Moscow. In addition, the Caps presented the PVAHA with a donation of $25,000.

Ovi and Uncle Ted laugh after the press conference. (Photo credit: Chris Gordon)

Ovechkin will be featured in the company’s upcoming marketing campaign for their new Vapor APX stick, along with Bauer’s “growth strategy” for expanding their brand in Russia and other parts of eastern Europe.

“That sport is as iconic to that country as it is in other areas of the world where it’s really, really important,” Bauer President and CEO Kevin Davis said. “We know that there’s a tremendous amount of population of players out there and we know how much business that we do so, from a market share perspective, there’s lots of opportunity in that country.

Ovi is just the latest player added to Bauer’s list of star sponsorships which already includes his buddy Nicklas Backstrom plus Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos, Henrik Lundqvist, Eric Staal, Mike Richards, and Ryan Kessler.

But there is a sad aspect to all this, and that is the end of the ridiculous decapitated head series of CCM commercials. We only hope that Bauer’s — and Nike’s — PR firms can come with an equally terrible idea that perfectly matches Ovechkin’s acting skills.

Photos

Ted Leonsis speaks to young hockey players in attendance. (All photos by Chris Gordon; click to enlarge)

Alex Ovechkin greats Bauer President and CEO Kevin Davis.

The Capitals’ new radio voice John Walton MCs the event.

Ted Leonsis, PVAHA President John Coleman, Alex Ovechkin, and George McPhee present a check for $25,000 to the PVAHA on behalf of the Capitals.

Ovechkin and Leonsis share a laugh.

Alex Ovechkin, Bauer President and CEO Kevin Davis, and George McPhee pose for a photo with the kids.

Adrian Dater had an interesting post naming the top 10 centers in the NHL. As you would expect with 30 teams, each with 4 centers, some big names were omitted. The ranking is also subject to much debate. Take a look:

1. Sidney Crosby, PIT
2. Pavel Datsyuk, DET
3. Henrik Sedin, VAN
4. Jonathan Toews, CHI
5. Mike Richards, PHI
6. Evgeni Malkin, PIT
7. Mikko Koivu, MIN
8. Joe Thornton, SJS
9. Nicklas Backstrom, WSH
10. Ryan Getzlaf, ANA

Nicklas Backstrom's favorite shirt: Your girlfriend loves wearing my jersey

You would think that Nicklas Backstrom being 9th out of all NHL pivots would be cause for celebration! Instead I am ready to fight for the guy – even if my girlfriend wears his jersey. Well, if I had a girlfriend. But that’s a post for another day.

So where should Backstrom rank in this Top 10?

The center position is one of the tougher positions to quantify: They are defensively responsible for two opposing wingers, they try to win faceoffs and they have to put points on the board. Then there is the burning question: How many Cups have they won?

We should also not limit ourselves to just one season. For this exercise I am going to look at the 3-year averages to help smooth the curve a bit.

Let’s start with the easy one: Did they win a Cup? Crosby, Malkin, Datsyuk and Toews have all kissed The Cup while Malkin and Toews have also won the Conn Smythe as Playoffs MVP. Without a ring, Backstrom still has some work to do to be the #1 center in the league.

Next we will analyze their offensive numbers.

I had a tweep remark: When Nick wins more faceoffs then you can bitch about him being #9. Well, here I am so . Seriously though, just because you don’t win faceoffs doesn’t mean you’re not helping your team’s offensive production. That’s why statistics like CORSI and others at Behind the Net are so valuable: They help put everything in context.

Sure he doesn't win all his faceoffs, but Nicky joined Sid and Henrik as the only three centers in the NHL last year to score over 100 points.

So yes, I agree Backstrom doesn’t win a huge amount of faceoffs. But he’s averaged 2.48 points per 60 minutes over the past 3 years (good for 6th on this list behind Crosby, Sedin, Malkin, Thornton and Datsyuk). He also was third among centers (behind Hart and Ross Trophy winner Sedin and 50 goal scorer Crosby) in points per 60 minutes in 2010.

Defensively only Mike Richards and Evgeni Malkin have averaged a negative CORSI ON, meaning more shots have been directed to their own net while they were on the ice. Richards has an excuse: He started only 46.8% of the time in his own offensive zone (next lowest was Mikko Koivu at 50.4%!), while playing with below average teammates against decent competition. Malkin’s poor play came despite starting a whopping 58.17% of the time in his OWN offensive zone. Only Toews (60.9%) and Backstrom (59.17%) were higher, but both of those players had positive CORSI’s.

Backstrom’s CORSI ON (17.18) is behind only Datsyuk (22.1) and Toews (18.38). Simply put, when Nicklas Backstrom is on the ice his team gets the puck to the net – a lot. And before we throw the “Of course he does, he plays with Ovechkin” argument out there, let’s keep in mind that both Toews and Datsyuk played with better linemates statistically over the past 3 years. So they too had help yet are ranked ahead of Backstrom on Dater’s Top 10. This means we can’t discount the play of Backstrom’s wingers if we are not ready to do so for the others.

If we look at Goals For and Goals Against differential as a defensive indicator, Backstrom shines here as well. He ranks second (1.31) in this group over the past 3 years trailing only Datsyuk (1.63) – who won the last three Selke awards. Last year, Backstrom led all centers (60+ games played) with 2.15.

To summarize: offensively Backstrom is middle of the Top 10 pack at 2.48 points per 60 minutes while defensively falling behind only Pavel Datsyuk and perhaps Jonathan Toews.

Now that we have the context settled: Where should Backstrom actually rank?

Some would say he is “still not [a] Top 5” center but they would be wrong. Without a Cup, sure Nicky takes a back seat to Crosby, Datsyuk and now perhaps Toews. But after that, it would be tough to argue that Nicklas Backstrom is undeserving of a Top 5 slot.