Patience Makes Perfect Bolts

     The Tampa Bay Lightning has enough talent and role players to be a playoff team.

     They are well coached and managed.

     Hockey sense is in abundance in the room.

     They can be tough, mentally and physically, and they care.

     So why are the Bolts falling out of the race for the postseason, after a 6-1 start, with a precious 26 games left?

     Coach Guy Boucher finally had a chance to voice it clearly -- although he has intimated it at different times over the last two seasons -- after the debacle of a losing play at Boston on Saturday.

     “It’s coming down to the same thing that’s been going on for years and we’re trying to break, that offense-first mentality,” Boucher told reporters.

     However you term the problem, it is impatience with the puck and with the game. It’s the inconsistency of thought about certain situations. It’s hoping instead of being sure.

     Some might say that takes away aggressiveness or it limits a team that has as much creativity and skill as most, if not all, teams in the NHL. That would be incorrect.

     The creativity that leads to most of the Lightning’s defensive zone turnovers is misplaced. The creativity at their offensive blueline is misplaced.

     There are plenty of times they can use their skill and offensive ideas. They don’t need to reach into a scrum at the boards in the defensive zone and knock the puck through their legs, or without looking, into the middle of the ice in hopes of a teammate being there. They don’t need to get rid of a puck without any defender on them, when a couple more strides gets the puck out of danger. They don’t need to always skate a stride or two into the offensive zone and make a drop pass, a move that teams know they will make 75 percent of the time. Heck, I wish drop passes were banned behind the offensive circles.

     Every team turns the puck over. In fact, the Lightning are 18^th in the league in giveaways -- although 160 for the season seems very generous. The Bolts tend to turn it over in bad spots on the ice. What happens when you give the puck away without it being forced? It makes your defense work harder. It makes your forwards comes back and expend energy. It takes everyone out of position. It makes your goalies face tougher chances, more odd-man rushes, and hurts their confidence. It takes time in the offensive end away for the league’s top offense. It often eliminates long stretches of solid play with one goal against. The cumulative effect is devastating.
     People can say, well, ‘We don’t want the Lightning to be boring.’ But making the right plays, the prudent plays, only gives you more time with the puck in the long run. Limiting the types of turnovers they are making on a consistent basis, winning more puck battles, only leaves more gas in the tank for your top six forwards.

    Look at the Buffalo Sabres game recently. The Lightning recorded an early goal and had several prime chances to score. Buffalo did very little, but scored after two turnovers to win 2-1. Yes, the Lightning missed opportunities. But if they did not force two passes that did not get out of the zone, the Bolts could have won 1-0.
    The best thing about all of this? The mistakes are very correctable. In my opinion, it can be turned around without major personnel moves.

    No doubt, the Lightning could use better goaltending. But if they play solid more consistently, it won’t matter as much. Look at the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Ray Emery weren’t that good last year, were they? Reports were that the Hawks might be interested in acquiring a netminder. Why are they suddenly winning every game? Because, simply, their team is playing way better in front of them.

    The Lightning could be more physical. It would help. But they weren’t rough and tumble when they almost won the Stanley Cup in 2011.

     We don’t know if Anders Lindback will be the answer in goal. It will take time. He certainly has been great at times. He has seven of the Lightning’s nine wins. He’s 24. Like Boucher said, he just has to go through the process. The ability seems to be there. Like the best goalies, he just needs to limit the mistakes.

      The Lightning need to find a way to beat New Jersey tonight, then come home and get hot. They can certainly do that if they have the puck more often.

      Cheap hits: For a while, it seemed like the lockout had made the players more gentlemanly on the ice. Well, except for Zac Rinaldo.

      But suddenly there has been a rash of cheap shots from familiar suspects like Buffalo’s Patrick Kaleta. Then there was the debacle between Boston and Montreal on Sunday. What was Claude Julien complaining about?

      The league has to realize that track records shouldn’t matter for certain hits. Until it starts handing out 10, 15, or 20 game bans, it is going to continue. Shanny, please stop finding reasons to give these guys a break.

      Realignment: I don’t think changing the divisions around makes sense unless you have 32 teams.

      The problem with that is the most likely additions – Seattle, Quebec City, a second Toronto team, Hamilton, Kansas City Hartford (Ok, I know, just adding it for fun) -- makes it even more difficult if Phoenix has to move. If you do it by region, you end up with teams playing in divisions they shouldn’t. No doubt, the Florida Panthers better start doing better at the box office.

      But one thing’s for sure. It’s time to put Winnipeg in a different division. Why the heck can’t they put the Jets in the Northwest, Colorado in the Pacific and Dallas in the Southeast? Is that so hard?

      --Mark Pukalo

Thoughts on a new NHL Season......Finally

    It has been about nine months since I walked into the Tampa Bay Times Forum for a hockey game. It seems like nine years.

     Finally, they will drop the puck on Saturday and end an embarrassing period for the National Hockey League. We can talk about power plays and hits instead pounding our heads on the desk every time the two sides couldn’t decide when to meet next.

     You can still be mad. You should be. You can take out your anger on the owners in your own way. But boycotting the sport, even for one shortened season, doesn’t make sense to me.

     What did hockey fans miss the most? Many would say, the excitement of the game. Now that it is back, why would you turn your back on the fun that the owners, the players and their lawyers took away from you for four months? You deserve some enjoyment.

     I’ve never understood why many of my friends back in Connecticut have deserted the game since the Whalers left. They certainly have reason to be angry at the league, in particular Gary Bettman, for not helping keep the team in Hartford. But they went to the games because they loved the sport. Why blame the game they loved? To me, they are separate.

     Well, enough about the past. We have to move forward. Soon we will dive into what should be an interesting season. It’s not a marathon anymore. It’s not necessarily a sprint either. It’s more like a mile. You will have to get off to a good start, find a comfortable position and finish strong.

     There will be a lot of tough decisions to make for teams who will be on the edge of the race for the playoffs in the 48-game season. Should they try to make it or trade an expiring contract to build for the future? That will be a dilemma for some.

     No doubt, this is the toughest year to pick the playoff teams. Anything can happen, but we’ll give it a try on paper.

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

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15. Calgary – Old friend Jay Feaster will have to decide whether to keep Jarome Iginla a little longer or ship him out for some young talent. In my opinion, the Flames are not good enough now and must look to the future.

14. Columbus -- I think they will begin to turn things around with John Davidson in the front office. Brandon Dubinsky could emerge with a key role up front and the defense has a chance to be improved.

13. Colorado -- The Ryan O’Reilly holdout might hurt and I’m not sure their depth is very good. Gabriel Landeskog is one heck of a player, though.

12. Dallas -- Veterans Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr join the Stars, but Jamie Benn has yet to sign a contract. I have real questions about whether they can keep the puck out of the net consistently, even though goalie Kari Lehtonen was good last season.

11. Anaheim -- With Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf one year from unrestricted free agency and Teemu Selanne likely playing his last season, there will be a lot of – as Brendan Shanahan used to say in Hartford – “uncertainty” for the future. Still don’t think this team has enough depth.

10. San Jose – The Sharks added Brad Stuart and Adam Burish. Yawn. Just have a feeling they may be ready for a fall, unless Antti Niemi has a big year in goal.

 9. Edmonton  -- The Oilers have accumulated some great young talent in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov, Taylor Hall, Justin Schultz and others. They are likely a year away, but could slip in.

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 8. Phoenix – Coach Dave Tippett always finds a way. It will be interesting to see if old friend Mike Smith can have another big season between the pipes. Emerging defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson should help.

 7. Minnesota – Defenseman Ryan Suter and forward Zach Parise will now have to validate their gazillion-dollar contracts. The Wild should be better, but not a top contender – yet.

 6. Nashville – Overspent to keep Shea Weber on the blue line, which could hurt the Preds later. But they still have one of the best goaltenders in Pekka Rinne and a hard-working group.

 5. St. Louis -- Chris Stewart could return to form and the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko should add a spark up front. The question is whether the goaltending can be as good as last season.

 4. Detroit – Nicklas Lidstrom, the best defenseman of this generation, has retired to leave a giant hole. But there is still plenty of talent around to be a contender and if any of their young forwards emerge the Wings could be real good.

 3. Vancouver – Not sure I know what the overall plan is. But there is too much talent on the roster to not win the division and I think Cory Schneider will be good in net.

 2. Los Angeles – Starting so late should allow the Kings to avoid the Cup hangover. We’ll see if the Kings can find the same rhythm they had in the playoffs, because don’t forget that this group was the eighth seed in the West last April.

 1. Chicago – The Hawks seem to have the tools after suffering through that hangover last season. There is plenty of offense and the defense is loaded. Cory Crawford will have to come back to form in goal or they will make a move.

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EASTERN CONFERENCE

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15. N.Y. Islanders – Can’t really buy into this team, but there is certainly some good young talent led by John Tavares. The Isles are always a pest for a while, but consistency has been lacking.

14. Toronto – The Leafs are in transition after the truculent GM Brian Burke was fired. We’ll see if their young talent, like Nazem Kadri, can add some excitement.

13. Winnipeg -- The Jets give up too many goals and it isn’t often netminder Ondrej Pavelec’s fault. Not sure Olli Jokinen is the answer up front, either.

12. Montreal -- The Habs might be in a transition year. Carey Price is good in goal, but not sure they are that good in front of him and their best defenseman P.K. Subban isn’t with the team yet.

11. Florida -- Kevin Dineen will do his best with this group, but the Panthers will likely be better in 2013-14 after they settle their goaltending situation and their kids are a year older. Florida should remain patient and Roberto Luongo will fall into its lap.

10. Carolina – GM Jim Rutherford told me last year the Canes needed top-six forwards. He added two in Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin. Not sure their defense in front of Cam Ward is quite good enough though.

 9. New Jersey – Surprised? The Devils haven’t really replaced Zach Parise. I think some of their players overachieved last year as well. If Marty Brodeur can squeeze out one more real good year, maybe they sneak in.

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 8. Ottawa -- Well-coached team with good speed. The Senators need to add some defensive help, but think they will build off a good season and talented young players could emerge.

 7. Buffalo – We’ll see if coach Lindy Ruff still has it. There is an interesting mix up front and it could be a breakout year for center Cody Hodgson. It may all come down to how good goalie Ryan Miller performs.

 6. Tampa Bay – The Bolts could win the division, which will likely be close between the top four. Steven Stamkos and others will score goals. How far they go will come down to whether they can get a little better on defense, in goal and especially on the power play.

 5. Philadelphia – It’s all about goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. Will he be Pluto or Saturn? I have a feeling he settles in during year two in cheese steak city.

 4. N.Y. Rangers – Never been a big fan of Rick Nash, but he might really fit well in the Big Apple -- especially on the power play. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist will keep the Rangers in every game. They just need to score more.

 3. Washington – The reason the Capitals land here is they will be far better coached than they have been in the last few seasons. Adam Oates was a crafty player and he should put the puzzle pieces together.

 2. Boston – Man, it’s hard for me to but the Bears here. But they have depth in scoring and the defense is pretty sound. The locker room should be looser as well with the divisive Tim Thomas gone and Tuukka Rask taking over in goal.

 1. Pittsburgh -- Everyone’s healthy, for now, which makes this team hard to stop. The defense might need one more piece, but expect Marc-Andre Fleury to be way better than he was in the playoffs.

It’s just impossible to pick the Stanley Cup final now. Let’s wait until late April. Enjoy the season fans. Like I said before, you deserve it!

-     -- Mark Pukalo

Sometimes It Pays to Overpay

       My first reaction to the Matt Carle’s free-agent contract with the Lightning was -- “it’s too much.”

       A few minutes later after it all settled in, I thought, well, about the same. It really hasn’t changed since.

       However, in the final analysis, this is the NHL world we live in. When a player, especially a solid defenseman who can skate, is an unrestricted free agent they are likely to get overpaid. The job for general managers is to find the right player who can do enough things to help them win games and log enough quality minutes to ease the pressure on others. In the end, victories justify the contract.

      Ryan Suter is that type of defenseman, who does everything well. Carle isn’t Suter, but he has evolved into a pretty solid top-four rearguard since being traded by the Bolts after 12 games during the chaotic beginning of the 2008-09 season. Carle may be more worth $3.5-4 million than an average of $5.5 at this point, but there seems to be enough room for growth in his game and he fills a big need with his puck-moving prowess. Yes, he played a lot with Chris Pronger in Philadelphia. But he’s been +56 combined the last four regular seasons and has played 84 playoff games in his career.

      The Bolts also spent $7.5 million on a two-year deal for veteran defenseman Sami Salo. I’ve always been a fan of Salo, especially his work on the power play. His accurate rocket of a shot is always dangerous and his right-handed passing should make the Lightning’s play with the man advantage much better. Is he overpaid? Sure. But, again, if he can help lift the Bolts power play from the bottom to the top 10 in the league they are likely a playoff team again. The 37-year old just needs to stay healthy.

      Lightning GM Steve Yzerman could have waited for the trade market to settle in, but it was difficult to tell when teams would have made certain players available. Several hockey people also brought up a point that makes a lot of sense, something I hadn’t really thought of much before. The Bolts may have paid a little extra to sign their two free-agent defensemen, but they didn’t have to give up any assets to do it. Chicago’s Niklas Hjalmarsson might have cost a couple good young players or one player and a second-round pick. They also may have had to take on a player with one year left on a contract and then lost him.

     Instead, the Bolts gave promising, young defensemen Mark Barberio and Radko Gudas a little more time to develop. In this day an age of the NHL, injuries are going to occur and both may still get their NHL feet wet this season.

     This defense corps’ overall level of physicality is a slight concern. Keith Aulie could ease that worry if he has a breakout season. This will be a very big training camp for his career. Everyone just needs to lift their game a bit physically on the backline and the capability is there. The Bolts don’t need to be running players through the boards like some fans want. But they will have to be a little tougher to play against in their zone than last season if they are to improve their goals-against.

     Victor Hedman-Carle

     Eric Brewer-Salo/Brian Lee

     Salo/Lee-Aulie/Brendan Mikkelson/Marc-Andre Bergeron.

     That could be the defense to start, but certainly Gudas, Barberio, Evan Oberg and Matt Taormina will get looks in the preseason. My bet is Salo plays the point with four forwards on the No. 1 power-play unit. Brewer, Hedman, Lee and perhaps Aulie get the work on the penalty kill. Carle gets most of his time at even strength and perhaps duty with the second power play group. If Mattias Ohlund returns at some point, it can only be a plus.

     The Lightning is likely done adding to their roster, although anything can happen. There are plenty of young players that could battle for two or three rosters spots up front. J.T. Brown, Alex Killorn and Brett Connolly lead that group and Cory Conacher will also have a chance. Tyler Johnson had a great year in Norfolk as well and Pierre-Cedric Labrie did not look out of place in Tampa last season.  The acquisition of physical forward B.J. Crombeen on Tuesday could make J.T. Wyman's chances of making the opening night roster much more difficult. It might also give the Lightning a chance to ease Dana Tyrell into the lineup after knee surgery.
      In my opinion, the Bolts don’t need another “top-six” forward. Coach Guy Boucher has enough to work with. If I were to bet on a forward lineup right now, I think Brown and Killorn will make it while Connolly and Conacher go down to Syracuse to put up numbers, add confidence and get ready for a call-up. There’s really no set lineup with Boucher, but here’s one possible scenario:

     Teddy Purcell-Steven Stamkos-Benoit Pouliot

     Brown-Vincent Lecavalier-Martin St. Louis

     Killorn-Tom Pyatt-Ryan Malone

     Tyrell/Crombeen/Wyman-Nate Thompson-Adam Hall

     Malone would certainly get power-play time and some shifts with Stamkos in this scenario, but he seemed to play well with Pyatt for a period of time last season.

      It’s all speculation now, but the options up front are plentiful. If the defense improves and Anders Lindback grasps his opportunity between the pipes, it should be a fun 2012-13 season in Bolts Land. They also have about $7 million of cap space to work with at the deadline.

      Development Camp: When you finish a week with the prospects, you want to come out impressed – especially by your top picks.

      That was definitely the case for the Bolts last week. Defenseman Slater Koekkoek showed his skating ability, hockey sense and shot. Andrey Vasilevskiy turned heads in net with his size and tremendous athletic ability. And, he’s still just 17 for another couple weeks.

      The other 2012 draft picks looked just fine, but it was also good to see the progress of the college players. Defenseman Luke Witkowski, a real pain to play against, is a year away from a pro contract. Jimmy Mullin turned it up the second half of his freshman season at Miami and Matthew Peca had almost 40 points as a rookie at Quinnipiac. Cornell defenseman Kirill Gotovets is an outstanding skater, Brendan O’Donnell is recovering from a shoulder injury and should be ready for his second season at North Dakota and goalie Adam Wilcox starts his freshman year at Minnesota.

      Purcell signs: The Lightning wrapped up Teddy Purcell for the next four years on Tuesday, signing him to a three-year extension.

     The move avoids allowing Purcell to go on the open market after this season, when someone could throw a bloated deal in front of him. Purcell was terrific in the 2011 playoffs and had 43 points in his last 39 games last season. Reportedly, the deal is for an average of $4.5 mil. The important thing is it buys out three unrestricted years.

      The Bolts should extend Nate Thompson now as well.

Memorable Movie Lines

  

       What they were saying in the movies: There aren’t many days that go by when someone doesn’t use a famous line from a movie during a conversation. They stick with us because they make us laugh, make a great point, are delivered so perfectly or mean something to us personally. Here are just some (I know I have missed many) of the great lines that I’ll always remember.

       BRONZE MEDALS

       “I’ll see you in another life, when we’re both cats.” – Penelope Cruz delivers this with a delicious Spanish twang in Vanilla Sky.

       “Thank God….It’s the police.” – Chevy Chase says this sarcastically when crooked cop Joe Don Baker enters the room in Fletch.

       “When something works for me, I stick with it.” – John Candy explains to Tom Hanks why he dropped coins on the floor to look under women’s dresses in Splash.

       “I’m just a girl, asking a boy to love her.” – Superstar actress Julia Roberts tells book store owner Hugh Grant this in Notting Hill.

       “Love you honey bunny.” – Nervous, married robbers trade this line just before getting tough in Pulp Fiction.

       “Vegas Baby.” – Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau head to sin city in Swingers.

       “Let’s light this candle.” – Alan Shepard yells this before first Apollo launch in The Right Stuff.

       “The price is wrong bitch.” – Bob Barker says this after decking Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore.

       “We might be done with the past, but the past is not done with us.” – One of the themes of Magnolia, said many times during the film.

“What difference can you make, one man, in this madness.” – from the Vietnam War film The Thin Red Line.

“The Lord blows my trumpet.” – Joey “the lips” Fagan says this in The Commitments.

“You’ll meet them all on their long journey to the middle.” – Lester Bangs comforts young William Miller with this in Almost Famous.

“What will we be without freedom?” – William Wallace’s inspiring speech in Braveheart.

“Have the Red Sox ever loved you back?” – Kid tells this to wacky Red Sox fan Jimmy Fallon in Fever Pitch.

“We roll tonight, to the guitar bite.” – Jack Black uses an AC/DC line to inspire class in School of Rock.

       SILVER

       “You go to the box, you feel shame.” – French goalie explains a penalty in Slap Shot.

       “I’m offering the Knicks and chicks.” – John C. McGinley tries to get Charlie Sheen to go out in Wall Street.

       “Revenge is a dish better served cold.” – from Kill Bill.

       “Why did God make us all so different if he wanted us to all to be the same?” – Jena Malone delivers this in Saved!

       “Permission to shake the hand of the daughter of the bravest man I’ve ever meant” – William Fichtner tells Liv Tyler this as her lips quiver in Armageddon.

       “Clearance Clarence?” – Wacky pilots on Airplane.

       “Well, Yippee Kayay ….” – Ok, don’t want to write the obscene words, but you know what they are. McLane says this to Hans after Hans calls him a John Wayne-type character in Diehard.

      “Man looks into the abyss. There’s nothing staring back. That’s when he finds his character and that’s what keeps him out of the abyss.” – Charlie Sheen gets this advice in Wall Street.

     “Pain heals, Chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever.” – Keanu Reeves’ huddle speech in The Replacements.

     “It’s not about getting knocked down, it’s about how much you can take.” – Rocky Balboa tells his son this in Rocky Balboa.

     “Lighten up Francis.” – Colonel Hulka to Psycho in Stripes.

     GOLD

      “You like apples? How about them apples?” – Matt Damon shows his competitor Minnie Driver’s phone number that he just received in Good Will Hunting.

      “May the Schwartz be with you.” – Staple from Stars Wars spoof Spaceballs.

     “Danger, excitement, a Jedi craves not these things.” – Silent Bob channels Yoda in Mallrats.

     “Consider that a divorce.” – Arnold is suddenly single after gunning down his imposter wife Sharon Stone on Mars in science-fiction thriller Total Recall.

     “In the words of David Cassidy, I think I love you.” – Hugh Grant tells friend Andie McDowell this in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

     “Some day, you’ll be cool.” – Zooey Deschanel tells her young brother this before leaving home in Almost Famous.

     “Show me the money!” – Cuba Gooding’s finest hour in Jerry McGuire. A line that may have been repeated more than any in the movies.

     "You can't handle the truth." -- Jack Nicholson's famous line in A Few Good Men has to make this list.

     “Every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around.” Penelope Cruz says this beautifully in Vanilla Sky. Lightning coach Guy Boucher used it after a Lightning win over the Bruins last season.

     “David put his hand in the bag, took a stone and slung it, hitting the Phillistine on the head…and he fell to the ground. Amen.” The Hickory basketball team hears this from a holy man before their seemingly impossible task in the Indiana State Championship game in Hoosiers.

-      Mark Pukalo

The NHL Draft and Great Scenes

    Time will tell how well the Lightning did at the NHL Draft last weekend.

      I’m not sure why grades are done days after picks are made. How does anyone know? It’s all guesswork. Five years from now, we will see.

      The teams work hard to know everything about these players and they project the future as best they can. GM Steve Yzerman asked his scouting staff to rate athletes by what kind of NHL players they expect them to be, not what they are today. They were looking for players with tools and capacity to improve.

       That may not be a totally unique way to look at things, but it explains why the Bolts chose some players higher than the consensus ratings.

       I wrote two things over the analysis of Slater Koekkoek in The Hockey News Draft Preview earlier this month. They were “two-way d man” and “under-rated?” Few knocked his ability. There was only the fact that he had a shoulder injury that limited him to 26 games last season and others seemed to pass him because of it. THN ranked him 23^rd.

       The Lightning checked him out at the combine, saw Koekkoek was 100 percent and that was all they needed to pick him 10th.  The Bolts didn’t seem to flinch despite talented forwards Filip Forsberg, Tuevo Teravainen and Mikhail Grigorenko still being on the board. Honestly, the Lightning needed a defenseman with this pick and it looks like they got a guy with potential to be in their top four down the line.

       You always have some worry about picking talented Russians who have yet to come to Canada. It has been reported that the Lightning’s other first-round pick – at No. 19 – goalie Andrei Vasilevski wants to come to major junior and get out of his KHL contract. He was selected by Mississauga of the OHL in the import draft Wednesday. If he is able to come to Ontario, that would ease my concern. This was a risk/reward pick. Five years from now, this might be talked about as a stroke of genius. Undoubtedly, the big netminder has a load of talent.

       The rest of the draft for the Lightning was intriguing, especially the selection of Harvard-bound Brian Hart at No. 53 and third-round selection Tanner Richard at 71. Those two, plus fourth-round pick Cedric Paquette, all can be considered power forwards who can skate. That was a need in the system and the Bolts addressed it.

  

       Great scenes: Sometimes a few minutes of a movie grab you so much it turns you onto the road toward enjoying it. Others are just so well crafted they are memorable or so intelligently goofy you want to watch them over and over. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already, but it would seem a good idea to be able to download your favorite movie scenes on itunes or some other site and put them on a DVD. Here’s some of the scenes that made the biggest impressions on me for one reason or another.

       BRONZE MEDALS

       Looking out the window of the school board meeting and seeing a crowd of students chanting “We Are Marshall” in We are Marshall – Made me do the same.

       Kristen Stewart meets the vampire family in Twilight – Creepy as it was, it was entertaining.

       The kids perform at Battle of the Bands in School of Rock – It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll.

       The locker room scene in Stripes – Lighten up Francis! Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and John Candy at their best.

       Gun-legged Kate McGowan clears away the bad guys and zombies in Planet Terror – Two against the world baby.

       Dakota Johnson gets out of bed with Justin Timberlake in The Social Network – Ok, ok, sorry. The daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith is quite pretty, but the dialogue is terrific, too. Timberlake “I’m an entrepreneur.” A suspicious Johnson replies “so, what is your latest preneur?”

       Jason Lee plays Sega hockey in Mallrats and annoys Shannen Doherty – The Whalers win!!

       Phillip Seymour-Hoffman and Tom Hanks go back and forth during their first meeting in Charlie Wilson’s War – Two heavyweight actors show their talent.

       The adrenalin shot to Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction – Intense and funny. As Rosanne Arquette says “trippy.”

       Radiohead’s creepy music during a dream sequence at the start of Vanilla Sky – Sets the tone for the movie.

       The horror of looking at dead bodies loaded into a hole in Platoon – A stunning vision of war.

       Dustin Hoffman makes a toast to his daughter in Last Chance Harry – Emotional.

       Characters lip synch Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up” in Magnolia – Unique, gutsy and it works for me.

       Lucy Liu and Uma Thurman fight to Santa Ezmerelda’s “Don’t let me be misunderstood” in Kill Bill – Tremendous song and charismatic ladies.

       Indiana Jones squirms out of trouble in the first scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark – Gets you interested immediately.

       Nelson Mandella helicopters in to meet the South African Rugby team in Invictus – He knows the diverse group of players well.

       Running the picket fence in Hoosiers – Don’t get caught watching the paint dry.

       Sarah Polley acquires drugs from Tim Olyphant in Go – Intense, funny.

       The trip to the quarry in Garden State – “You’re my knight in shining armor!”

       Free Bird performed amongst the chaos in Elizabethtown – Ruckus reunites.

       Rat Matt Damon calls his undercover cop (DiCaprio) in The Departed – Nerve-wracking.

       Waking up with a chicken and Mike Tyson’s tiger in The Hangover – Craziness.
       Anthony Michael Hall has pictures taken of himself and a drunk prom queen in the back of Jake Ryan's car in Sixteen Candles -- John Cusack is one of the dweebs taking the pctures.
       

       SILVER

      Antwone Fisher meets his long-lost family in Antwone Fisher – Very, very emotional.

      Ali Larter, who goes off to the kitchen to make James Van Der Beek an ice cream sundae in Varsity Blues, comes back in a whipped-cream bikini – Sorry, again, but it is quite spectacular.

      Bill Murray and Harold Ramis join the army in Stripes – Convicted? Never convicted.

      Adam Sandler serenades Drew Barrymore on the plane in The Wedding Singer – Billy Idol helps.

      Sylvester Stallone trains hard in the morning to pulsating Bill Conti music in Rocky – About as memorable as anything in a sports movie.

      Abigail Breslin performs Super Freak in Little Miss Sunshine – Miss California liked it.

      The bishop’s great round in Caddyshack – Just short of course record.

      Sweeney Todd spoof in Jersey Girl – Ben Afleck is the hero.

      Kate Hudson over-dosing in Almost Famous – Patrick Fugit goes where MANY men have gone before.

      Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau at the casino in Swingers – You always double down on 11.

      Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson do karaoke in Lost in Translation – Murray does drunk version of Elvis Costello’s “Peace, Love and Understanding.” Scarlett steams while singing The Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket.”

      Killing the printer in Office Space – Anybody that works at an office would love to do this. Out of Toner??!!!!

      The funeral to begin The Big Chill – College friends re-unite and the Stones’ “You can’t always get what you want” makes it all come together.
      Bruce Springsteen gives John Cusack relationship advice in High Fidelity -- Thanks Boss.

      The Buffalo hunt in Dances with Wolves – Tatanka!!!

      Road trip in Animal House – R.I.P. Fawn Leibowitz.

      Meeting at the mound and Crash gets thrown out in Bull Durham – Candlesticks always makes a good gift and Crash uses the wrong words with an umpire.

      Denzel Washington as Malcolm X walks/floats to his last speech to Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” – The calm before the storm.

      Heath Ledger sings “Can’t take my eyes off of you” to Julia Stiles during soccer practice in 10 Things I Hate About You – The band joins in.

      A rollicking, crude Tom Cruise talks to a seminar room full of men about ways to fool women into bed in Magnolia – So exaggerated it's funny. "They’re not your friends." 

      Brad Davis/Billy Hayes tries to get through customs with drugs strapped to him in Midnight Express – Might be most intense scene ever

      GOLD

      Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio hang on after Titanic goes down – Stunning, moving, sad look at the aftermath of a disaster.
      Paul Newman drives the opposing goalie nuts with taunts and starts a brawl in Slap Shot -- So crude and soo funny.

      Ed Norton stares into a mirror and blames everyone in New York about his demise in 25^th Hour – But he realizes he is the only one in the mirror at the end.

      Rooftop ending in Across the Universe – Perhaps my favorite end of a movie, with the words of John Lennon: “All You Need is Love” in the background.

      Mud wrestling in Stripes – They were heading to the bingo parlor and the directions got all screwed up. Hilarious.

      Kurt Russell channels Herb Brooks for his speech to the 1980 US hockey team in Miracle – Today we skate with them, because we can!

      Melanie Laurent puts on her war paint in Inglorious Basterds to David Bowie’s “Putting out Fire” before torching natzis – Whoever picked that music for this scene is a genius.

      Mel Gibson avenges his wife’s death in Braveheart – The legend of William Wallace begins.

      Creepy drug scene in Boogie Nights with the Chinese guy setting off firecrackers – This wins for its intensity and absolute weirdness.

      John Hannah reads W.H. Auden’s poem during the funeral in Four Weddings and a Funeral – Sad, but powerful few minutes that gives this great film a big heart.

      The Statue of Liberty floats in front of Charlton Heston as he figures out he is home in Planet of Apes – I re-enacted this scene on a Cape Cod beach one night in the 90s without Nova or the horse. I got good reviews.

      The band sings Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” on the bus in Almost Famous – Goes to show you a good piece of music can cure all ills.

      John Travolta and his boss’ wife Uma Thurman go to dinner at Jack Rabbitt Slims in Pulp Fiction – Fun from the first moment to the last. If I were to pick one as the best, it would be this one.

      

-      Mark Pukalo

Yes, Another NHL Mock Draft

       There are so many mock drafts on the internet these days it almost seems pointless to add another one. Your head spins with all the different scenarios.

      But, I will do the first Hockey Tampa mock anyways. The reason? They are fun to do.

      I have done some unofficial projections in the past, but I can never remember a more difficult year to predict. Part of that is because movement is expected. The other is that the players have been universally rated very close. As Lightning Director of Amateur Scouting Al Murray said, all the teams picking in the top 12-15 could get a player they say they have ranked near the top of their board and they won’t be fibbing.

      The big story is whether Edmonton will deal the top pick or select winger Nail Yakupov. The Oilers badly need a top-level defenseman to add to an impressive group of young forwards. You wonder if Montreal or Toronto will make that big splash. I have also read Dallas might want to get up 3-5 spots to grab a big center like Radek Faksa as well. I haven’t seen this rumor, but what if Edmonton can trade Sam Gagner to Anaheim for the sixth pick in a package?

      I expect a lot of drama and may have to edit this mock in a couple days if trades are made ahead of Friday’s first round in Pittsburgh. I wish I could have traveled around to see them all, but this is just an educated guess after reading about the players, seeing highlights and a little of the Memorial Cup.

      If everything stays the same, here’s my take on the first round -- plus.

    

      Edmonton: Nail Yakupov LW, Sarnia (OHL): Whether it’s the Oilers or someone else, it’s hard to pass up this offensive wizard.

      Columbus: Filip Forsberg RW, Sweden: The Blue Jackets will likely to be leery of taking a Russian here after the Nikita Filatov debacle. They can’t go wrong with a competitive, future power forward who could take Rick Nash’s place.

      Montreal: Alex Galchenyuk C, Sarnia (OHL): The Habs need a center and they settle on the one with a little more offensive upside.

      N.Y. Islanders: Ryan Murray D, Everett (WHL): Who knows what Garth Snow is going to do? But expect him to be boring this time around by taking the solid future captain.

      Toronto: Matt Dumba D, Red Deer (WHL): GM Brian Burke could go for defenseman Jacob Trouba here, but instead takes the hard-hitting Calgary native with offensive talent.

      Anaheim: Mikhail Grigorenko C, Quebec (QHL): Some have him going second, others have him outside the top 10. We’ll put him in the middle. Saku Koivu can’t play forever and perhaps Ryan Getzlaf gets traded.

      Minnesota: Jacob Trouba D, Michigan: The Wild could go a number of ways, but circle back around to the Minnesota native who will become a Wolverine.

      Carolina: Tuevo Teravainen LW, Finland: Have a feeling the Hurricanes might trade down from here or include this pick in a Nash or Jordan Staal deal, but if they don’t the former Whalers need some offensive talent.

      Winnipeg: Griffin Reinhart D, Edmonton (WHL): The Jets have four or five defensemen to choose from here and they go with the two-way rearguard with size and NHL pedigree.

      Tampa Bay: Morgan Rielly D, Moose Jaw (WHL): A very creative offensive player, who could probably go as high as third (if Edmonton trades down) or fourth. Might slip because teams from 5-9 may be looking for a different type of defenseman. If there is no problem with his knee after recovering from an ACL, could fit nicely in Bolts future.

      Washington (from Colorado): Radek Faksa C Kitchener (OHL): This is a tough one. The Caps could go for an offensive-leaning defenseman, but think they go for the best player available if Dallas does not deal up to nab him. Faksa could make teams wonder why he went this low some day.

      Buffalo: Cody Ceci D Ottawa (OHL): The Sabres add another of the top defensemen. They have another selection later in the first that they can use on a forward.

      Dallas: Zemgus Girgensons C Vermont: If the Stars stay here and Teravainen and Faksa are gone, they either trade down or grab the Latvian Locomotive who will play at Marty St. Louis’ alma mater.

      Calgary: Olli Maatta D London (OHL): Not spectacular, but a solid two-way guy who can help in all situations down the road. The Flames need everything, so wouldn’t be surprised if they moved down to add extra picks.

      Ottawa: Hampus Lindholm D Sweden: Could grab a forward with size, but there is an organization need on the blue line and why not another Swede?

      Washington: Derrick Pouliot D Portland (WHL): If the Caps take a forward like Faksa or Grigorenko at No. 11, they likely will look to this outstanding skater. Could he replace Mike Green in the future?

      San Jose: Pontus Aberg LW Sweden: The Sharks scouts slam the table after Pouliot is picked, but might need a forward for the pipeline more anyways.

      Chicago: Malcolm Subban G Belleville (OHL): The Blackhawks are also upset Pouliot is gone, so why not pick a goalie for the future with high upside? Could go with netminder Oscar Dansk here, too, or a big center like Brendan Gaunce.

      Tampa Bay (from Detroit): Thomas Wilson RW Plymouth (OHL): Have no clue where the Lightning goes here, but could use a power forward with an edge. He appears to be the type of player that can help a team, even if he is not scoring.

      Philadelphia: Brady Skjei D Minnesota: The Flyers could take a forward like Gaunce or Sebastian Collberg, but go for the big, swift-skating defenseman.

      Buffalo (from Nashville): Brendan Gaunce C Belleville (OHL): The Sabres could go with Collberg or take a chance with a Mark Jankowski, but settle for the hulking pivot.

     Pittsburgh: Stefan Matteau LW Blainville-Boisbrand (QHL): Matteau, Matteau, Matteau. OK, sorry, with Wilson gone the Pens go with the next best power forward.

     Florida: Sebastian Collberg RW Sweden: The Panthers might add a goalie like Dansk, but grab the offensively-talented Collberg.

     Boston: Scott Laughton C Oshawa (OHL): The Bruins could use another all-around forward in the pipeline if they do not go for a goalie.

     St. Louis: Matt Finn D Guelph (OHL): The Blues are likely looking for a player who falls a bit here or to take a chance. Finn might fit the bill as a solid two-way guy who could have snuck into the top 20.

     Vancouver: Slater Koekkoek D Peterborugh (OHL): The Canucks need a young defenseman in the system. Has great upside, but was injured a lot this season.

     Phoenix: Martin Frk RW Halifax (QHL): Had concussion problems, but Coyotes take a chance on a Czech that was once thought of as a possible top-10 pick.

     N.Y. Rangers: Colton Sissons RW Kelowna (WHL): The Rangers have a choice of all different types of forwards and decide to take this versatile, solid performer. 

     New Jersey: Andrei Vasilevski G Russia: Unless the Devils have designs on trading for a young goalie who they can groom to replace Marty Brodeur or they love Scott Wedgewood, this might be a good place to take a puck stopper like this.

     Columbus (from Los Angeles): Oscar Dansk G Sweden: The Blue Jackets breathe a sigh of relief after the Devils take Vasilevski. Jackets could defer to next year for pick received in Jeff Carter deal. If this is the Kings pick, they likely take the best player available.

      SECOND ROUND

      Columbus: Tim Bozon LW Kamloops (WHL): The Jackets could go with someone who has more offensive upside, but if they take Forsberg and Dansk maybe a hard-nosed guy like Bozon adds another element.

      Edmonton: Ludvig Bystrom D Sweden: Even if the Oilers end up with a defenseman in the first round, they likely pick another here since he is probably the best player available.

      Montreal: Tomas Hertl C Czech Republic: The Habs add another playmaker, unless there is a winger like Sissons that slips down to this spot.

      N.Y. Islanders: Phillip Di Giuseppe LW Michigan: Performed quite well in his freshman season with the Wolverines, netting 11 goals.

      Toronto: Mark Jankowski C Providence: Dominated against lesser competition and the Leafs could take a chance he really is that good. He has committed to the Friars.

      Anaheim: Adam Pelech D Erie (OHL): Safe type of pick. Smart player. Could also go with California-born winger Nicolas Keridiles.

      Nashville (from Tampa Bay via Minnesota): Henrik Samuelsson C Edmonton (WHL): Ulfie’s son is said to have some good hockey IQ, has good size and needs to improve his skating.

      Carolina: Nicolas Keridiles LW Wisconsin: Power forward who goes to the net and engages well.

      Winnipeg: Tomas Hyka RW Gatineau (QHL): If Jets pick a defenseman at No. 9, they probably will want to add a skilled offensive player who can skate and this Czech fits the bill.

      Tampa Bay: Jordan Schmaltz D North Dakota: Again, the Bolts could go in any number of ways at this position, but this lanky rearguard could develop well after a few years in college hockey.

      Enough. There are several other players that are intriguing for the Bolts in the second round and at No. 71 (or 53 if Florida surrenders the conditional pick). We will see what happens.

      Can’t wait.

      Mark Pukalo