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Teddy Purcell's excellent performance in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs has gotten the chins of Kings fans wagging. I always was a vocal fan of Purcell and have posted updates on his progress in Tampa ever since he was dealt two trade deadlines ago in exchange for Jeff Halpern. It hasn't helped ease the frustration of Kings fans that Halpern was not useful in his handful of games for the Kings, not to mention the fact that Halpern rebounded nicely this year for the Canadiens. Halpern's production took a dip with the Kings in what is, unfortunately, a recognizable pattern for Kings fans. Purcell's production in the AHL did not translate to the big league until he left the Kings. Ditto Matt Moulson and Brian Boyle.

This feeds the assumption that doesn't need much food to thrive: that it's all Terry Murray's fault, or Dean Lombardi's, or both. I have, to some degree, not helped matters, as I am fond of pointing out the fact that Terry Murray's system by its very nature will suppress the offensive numbers of everyone (Anze Kopitar, for example), and young prospects even more so. 

I think I have not been clear. Yes, Purcell's (Moulson's, Boyle's, Moller's) numbers are harder to earn under Murray's system. Yes, it is paradoxical to insist (as Murray did with Alexei Ponikarovsky) that a player play tougher defensive minutes with weaker linemates employing a rigorous defensive system and yet still score like you used to.

But that's not why Purcell did not stick with the Kings. He didn't stick because

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Teddy Purcell, second goal of the game. Same shot, from the other side. Practice makes perfect. Wrist shot both times. As Brett Hull says, it's not how hard you shoot, it's how fast you get the shot off. 

Nice shot, Teddy. I remember watching you stay after practice, working on just that shot with Kompon feeding you from the corner, over and over and over. 

Bolts' Teddy Purcell no longer a spare part - Cross Checks Blog - ESPN

Teddy Purcell was taping his stick in the visitors' dressing room in Nashville on March 3, 2010, when he looked up at the television to find his life had taken a dramatic turn. Undrafted, perhaps under-appreciated and definitely a spare part, Purcell was traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the Tampa Bay Lightning for veteran center Jeff Halpern.

[...] The Lightning aren't facing elimination in Monday's Game 5 due to a host of circumstances, not the least of which is Purcell's two goals 1:03 apart in the second period of Game 4 that helped the Lightning erase a three-goal, first-period deficit en route to an unlikely 5-3 victory.

[...] "Players are made in the playoffs, [...] and you never know what to expect going in, so I think it's good for your confidence to know that you can play and contribute," [said] Purcell, who had never played an NHL playoff game until this spring but has chipped in four goals and 11 assists and ranks third in team scoring. [...]

Yes, but also a mere two points behind the league leaders in playoff points, who happen to be his teammates Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier. Purcell is tied with that loser Pavel Datsyuk and that washed-up fool Henrik Sedin. Three points ahead of pathetic Daniel Sedin. etc. etc. [big laugh that turns seamlessly into sobs a la Yosemite Sam.]

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TGC member No. 18 retires

Despite a splendid career which has included an IIHF World Championship gold medal (1998), a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2004) and Olympic gold (2006), Fredrik Modin is one of the least conspicuous members of the Triple Gold Club, currently at 24 members. But the numbers tell the true story. Apart from collecting the three biggest team prizes in hockey, Modin played 898 NHL games, scoring 232 goals while adding 230 assists. He also represented Sweden in the IIHF World U20 Championships (silver in 1994), the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and in three other IIHF World Championships, where he added the 2001 bronze to his 1998 gold. Modin also took part in the Vancouver Olympics last year, and along with 21 other Triple Gold Club members was officially honored and inducted during an unforgettable ceremony on February 22 in the House of Hockey. [...] His trade mark was the booming shot, one of the hardest and most precise in the business. "It is not an easy decision to make," said Modin to the Swedish Dagbladet newspaper. "But it the right decision for the future. The most important thing is to be healthy and my back has been hurting for a while now. After all, I am soon 37 and things don’t get any easier." Modin looks proudly back on his career: "It’s amazing to be mentioned among the other players who are on the Triple Gold Club. It’s nothing you think about when you are playing, but now when you are reminded and you think about it, it’s a fantastic thing," said Modin, who ranks the Stanley Cup win as his greatest achievement. [...] Fredrik Modin is the 16th Triple Gold Club member to retire. The still active ones are: Jaromir Jagr, Nicklas Lidström, Chris Pronger, Niklas Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg, Mikael Samuelsson, Eric Staal and Jonathan Toews. 

Modin played great for the Kings after Lombardi nabbed him from Columbus in one of my favorite Lombardi trades ever. You may recall that Lombardi sent the Blue Jackets a conditional 7th round pick, the condition being that they get the pick (which would have been literally the last pick in the entire draft) if the Kings win the cup. 

I recently went back to look at the Kings playoff highlights from the Vancouver series, and saw a lot of Freddie Modin. he led the team in playoff goals (3), and was third in power-play PTS/60, tied with Alex Frolov, behind Handzus and Brown. The absence of Modin and Frolov, maybe even more than the absence of Kopitar, is the striking difference between this year's playoffs and last year's.

Thanks, and good luck, Fredrik Modin. 

NHL notes: Robitaille could lose house | Hockey | Sports | Toronto Sun

Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille is in danger of losing his L.A. home now that a bank has begun to foreclose on the property, TMZ reported Tuesday. [...] Robitaille and his wife stopped paying the $975,000 mortgage on their home in Santa Monica. [...] Robitaille, 45, made a total of more than $34 million in salary during his NHL career from 1989 to 2006.  

Teddy Purcell is second in playoff assists with 10. Pavel Datsyuk and Claude Giroux have 11, but I think Teddy will pass them since they're both playing golf now. Purcell's eleven points is four behind the playoff leader, Ryan Kessler. Also with 11 points: Joe Thornton and Ryane Clowe. Daniel Sedin and Alex Ovechkin are right behind with 10. 

Teddy is getting a point a game in the playoffs, which is not quite double what he did during the season.