Posted by Joy Russo
It was great to see all of the responses to our NHL Power Rankings. Check back next Monday and let us know what you're thinking, Puck Nation.
For now, here are some of your e-mails from our debut. (P.S. -- ListRanker returns Monday, as well!)
Meltdown on Manchester? The Los Angeles Kings haven't played at the Forum this century. Morons.
-- Joe
Thanks for dogging our Kings ... hey, smart guy, get your facts straight, the Staples Center is nowhere near Manchester. The Miracle on Manchester took place at the Forum. Perhaps you want to try and pun on a more current piece of Kings history: "Frenzy on Figueroa."
-- Steve, L.A.
First, I prefer, "Hey, smart chick." Second, we know we're not perfect with our rankings, but give us a little credit. We know the Kings have moved, we were just trying to have a little fun. You know, creative license, a JOKE?! Obviously, it didn't go over well with some of you, but we like Steve's suggestion. We've even included a picture to take you all down memory lane!
As for the Kings' placement in the rankings, we can see why it would come as a shock and we might have been a bit kind to the Islanders, but the Kings had lost nine of their last 10 games when we wrote the rankings. The Islanders are 5-3-2 in their last 10. Please don't go there with the East Coast bias stuff, either. We are equal opportunity rankers. The season is young.
I find your bottom three teams of Phoenix, L.A. and Philly to be an interesting answer to a Jeopardy question. "What are the last 3 teams Jeremy Roenick played for?"
-- Jason, Vancouver
Another question, although not for Jeopardy: Which one of these NHLers retired first -- Roenick or Chris Chelios?
Thanks for bringing back the hockey power rankings! But please include the date of your power rankings. After a while, it's going to be too hard to remember if we're in Week 19 or 20. So can you include the date for power rankings please? Thanks!
-- Brian, San Jose, Calif.
Brian, done and done. Check back Monday.
You mentioned how weak the East is? I don't get it. Carolina won the Cup, the East has 12 of top 20 ... 4 of top 10? Ottawa, Buffalo, Pitts. How weak is the East?
-- Capt. Giggles
Captain, love that name. But we ask you, how many legitimate playoff contenders do you see out of the East right now? Teams that could enter the playoffs right now and win a seven-game series? Buffalo and Atlanta, heck, maybe Pittsburgh given Marc-Andre Fleury's start. Ask that same question for the West? Anaheim, Minnesota, Nashville, Dallas, San Jose, Vancouver and Edmonton, at least.
There are some who will argue it's too early to ask that question, that teams need more time to find their bearings. Sure, we hear you. But, that's all we have to go on right now, right? Last season means nothing in the here and now.
Take note of where you have the Blue Jackets now and compare their position at the end of the season. I'm sure you will be quite surprised.
-- Tom, Columbus
Tom, our Linda Cohn agrees with you.
As a diehard Avs fan, i must say that i actually have to agree with your ranking for the Avs. However, i stand by the fact that Theodore is our solid #1. The difference between the games he started and the ones Budaj did is simply defense. A goalie can only do so much when his defense is standing around. If we can keep up our puck movement and overall movement in the defensive zone, I see this Avs team winning a bigger percentage of games than you guys think.
-- Tucker, Arvada, Colo.
Theodore posted a strong win against Minnesota and the haphazard "D" could be a reason for some of his woes. But many believe he has yet to be a consistent force in net. We'll be watching.
You've got the Flyers last at 30? I can't say that's arguable. These guys are so bad that, as a loyal Philly fan, I wish there was snow inside the Wachovia Center and the team wore Santa Claus uniforms.
-- Charlie, Philadelphia
My Islanders may be 20th, but their ownership is definitely 30th.
-- Seth, New York
Putting the Flames behind the Blues, Islanders, Lightning and Capitals. Seriously, does anyone at ESPN ever watch Flames games? They are among the toughest teams in the league to play against. Just look at any teams that play them in their postgame interviews. They look beaten and dejected. I am sick of this one-man-show business. The Flames have the best goalie in the league, one of the most dominating defensive cores, and one of the most brutal forechecks. Just because they don't win games 5-2 or 6-1 every night, they are constantly underrated. They are team built for a best-of-seven series. They wear down opponents. That is their game. How many teams have been as successful over the last two years & just a handful. Yet they never get respect because no one in the media watches. By the way, in their one meeting last year, the Flames manhandled your No. 1 team (Sabres).
-- Evan, Calgary, Alberta
Last year?!?!?! Evan, who came within one game of the Cup finals last year? It wasn't Calgary. It was that team from Buffalo you mentioned. Miikka Kiprusoff is a stud, everyone and their mother expects that night in and night out. Jarome Iginla has six goals in 10 games. But what else do the Flames have to look forward to at this point? Do you think, after just one month of play, right now, they are a playoff team?
We watch the Flames plenty (thanks, Center Ice). We watched them get man-handled by weak East teams, like the Boston Bruins. We watched them plummet in the first month (as of Wednesday morning, only Phoenix is worse than Calgary in the ENTIRE Western Conference). And we're going to watch them struggle in November when the schedule gets tougher.
I liked it better when everybody showed Buffalo no respect. Under the radar suits me just fine.
-- Scott Neuscheler
Never satisfied, just like the competitive Sabres.
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