I have eye black and a stick that says "Hitman." Fear me.

What is the main objective for every player in the NHL? No matter what anyone says, the most important job a player has is to help his team win. Usually, when it’s a forward they are depended on to score goals—to help the team win. When it’s a defenseman, they’re usually counted on to keep the puck OUT of the net—again to help the team win. It’s from this perspective that demonstrates Chris Pronger’s true value in the NHL.

It seems like every single time I see his name mentioned, it’s in a negative light. When a player is about to be suspended and they are looking at prior history, you’ll hear something like “He’s not Chris Pronger, he’s not that type of player.” When someone drops a vicious elbow (even in Juniors), you’ll hear people say things like “Apparently a wannabe-Chris Pronger -in-training, Cormier and his elbows were at it again Sunday afternoon.” Needless to say, he’s the current gold standard when talking about dirty elbows.

But something that gets lost in all the flying elbows, skate stomps and cheap shots is that he’s good. Really good. And when he joins a team, they end up being pretty good as well. Sometimes it seems like the reputation of Captain Hook’s dirty ways have overshadowed the talented defenseman that would be an asset to every team in the league. The man has won a Cup, a Hart, a Norris and twice led the league in plus/minus. I know the plus/minus might be an inherently flawed statistic, but when you lead the league in any category TWICE, then you’re doing something right.

Just look at some of the selections for next month’s Olympics in Vancouver. Team Canada had a plethora of amazing defensemen to choose from—yet Chris Pronger was one of the guys that was a lock. He was being compared to guys like Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty, Jay Bouwmeester, Scott Niedermayer and Shea Weber and HE was the one that was a sure thing. That might be more impressive than any plus/minus stat or Hart Trophy.

Let’s bring this a little closer to home. Stop and think about YOUR team right now. For the VAST majority of teams out there, he would be the best defenseman on the team the MINUTE he stepped off the plane. Even if he wasn’t the BEST blueliner, he would certainly be on the #1 pairing in all 30 cities in the NHL. There aren’t many of those guys around.

I love looking at the effect a single player can have on a team. What happens to teams when they get Chris Pronger? Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Finals. Ducks won a Cup. And he’s been one of the best defensemen in the league this season with the Flyers. I’d challenge you to find one player that has been that big of a “difference maker” for his new team. And this is the 3rd time he’s doing it.

Just as intriguing is the fate of a hockey team when Chris Pronger LEAVES their city. How far off the map did the Oilers fall? The Ducks this season? The Blues when he left? Let’s take a quick look at some of the split statistics for each of his teams comparing the last season he plays with a team and the first season WITHOUT him. In each and every case, the team dramatically falls in the standings and gives up substantially more goals against.

The Blues rode one of the best stretches in franchise history during his last few years in St. Louis. They finished 1st or 2nd in their division 6 consecutive years. They were such a mess that after making the playoffs for 25 straight years, they didn’t start to fully recover until last season’s playoff berth. The first season after Pronger’s departure was the worst season for the Blues in 27 years. Coincidence? Here’s a look at difference between his last season in St. Louis and the Blues first season without him:

No example demonstrates his worth better than his single season in Edmonton. He came in, played for a season, led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals and just as quickly requested a trade. As quickly as the success came to Alberta, he took it with him to Orange County. The Oilers have never really been the same since. They are still looking for that elite, shutdown defenseman that they’ve been missing since he left. Fittingly, they’re still looking for another playoff experience as well. I’m going to go out on a limb and say those two things may go hand in hand.

And then there was his last stop in Anaheim. I have no doubt that Scott Niedermayer was the undisputed captain in the Ducks locker room over the last few years. But when I look back to the 2007 Stanley Cup champs, the one player that symbolized what they were all about was unquestionably Pronger. The entire team took on his nasty personality and managed to win their Cup through talent and intimidation. I’m willing to bet that Joffrey Lupul, and all the draft picks that were sent to Edmonton seemed like chump change after he led them to their only Cup victory. Just take a look at where the Ducks stand now compared to last season (and keep in mind they’ve won 6 of their last 7 to make it this close).

There are always multiple factors that lead to a team’s demise. Of course, Chris Pronger isn’t the ONLY reason that his former teams struggled upon his departure—but you have to admit that there’s a running pattern here. They’re good when he’s there and they’re not nearly as good when he leaves.

As much as Oilers fans want to forget him, they don't want to forget the season he was a part of...

One of the reasons teams suffer so dramatically upon his departure is that he plays in ALL situations. With his booming shot, he’s a capable defenseman on the power play. With his size, grit and reach, he’s one of the best penalty killers in the league. Combine that with even strength play and he was the ice-time leader for the entire 2000s decade. When a team loses the guy who’s ALWAYS on the ice, it’s going to negatively affect every part of their game.

There are a million ways to describe his career path in the NHL. When he was in Edmonton, everyone in Calgary hated him. When he LEFT the Oilers, everyone in Edmonton hated him and his wife. When he won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim, EVERYONE in North America hated him. And now that he’s in Philadelphia, it seems like he’s finally with the team that he’s always belonged–with an entire team that people love to hate.

But next time you see Chris Pronger and you’re overcome with the regular emotions of hate, disgust and annoyance—stop and think about how GOOD of a player he is when he’s not being an asshat. Chances are—if you wanted to win, you’d take him in a heartbeat.

You always remember your first time. It doesn’t matter if it was good, great or even left something to be desired (very rare). You remember the way it feels. You reminisce about the excitement pumping through your veins. I’m talking about the first hockey game that you ever attended. Sometimes I really wonder about our readers around here.

Last weekend, one of my friends attended his first hockey game ever. He had listened to me talk about it ad nauseum—talking about how all he had to do is see one game IN PERSON and he’d be hooked. For years he resisted. Not really actively resisted—more of the passive resistance that said, “I don’t care enough to make the effort to see what I might be missing.” But when free tickets dropped into his lap from a friend, any effort (and excuses) disappeared and the scene was set.

Yep, he's now one of us...

You have probably heard a million stories and read just as many articles about people and their first experience at a game. They’ll talk about the smell of the ice or how much colder the arena was than they expected. They might talk about how many people were wearing jerseys and even how much everyone was “into” the game.

Think back to YOUR first game! Do you remember who was playing? Do you remember that FIRST feeling that you had when you saw a bodycheck? A goal when the arena went nuts? When you realized how DIFFERENT it is in person than it is on TV? If you were familiar with hockey on TV, were you amazed with how much better it was when you were there? How much faster it was? How much harder the hitting was?

Did you fall in love the very first time you went to a game? I did.

My first game was with my best friend and his family. They had season tickets so it was just like any other game for them. I was a huge sports fan, but I didn’t really know anything about hockey. It’s supposed to be like soccer, only with ice, sticks and skates, right? When we got to The Forum, I remember going down through the Whistle Stop and watching the visiting team step onto the ice. The game was so much faster, so much brighter, just so much MORE than I had ever imagined. I walked in as someone that couldn’t care less about hockey—and left as a Kings fan for life. After the game, we waited outside the Forum Club for autographs while wearing our puckheads. I think I still have that puckhead somewhere.

My Mom has told me her story more than a few times. She went with her brother back in the 80’s to see her first game. She got there late just before the 2nd period. When the 2nd period ended, they thought that was the end of the game. They didn’t know there were 3 periods. If she only knew what her son’s life had in store for her.

But how many times have you heard the story of the FRIEND that is going? When I heard that my friend was going, do you know how badly I wanted it to be a great game? I wanted great saves, huge hits, amazing goals, a fast pace and even a fight. I wanted it all—and I wanted it all wrapped up into in single game to validate everything I’d been claiming for the last few years. I was actually nervous that the game might turn into a boring, 2-1 game that was filled with a couple of flat teams, trapping and no flow at all. Hell, I even thought about the kind of crowd that was going to be at Staples Center! I just wanted it to be a great experience. I wanted the game to put its best foot forward. I wanted it to be ENTERTAINING.

Sooner or later, we all end up at this place...

I have a friend that went to his first game against the St. Louis Blues. Will he remember the 3 fights? What about the goal by the Bad Guys 14 seconds into the game? Would he remember the quality of play for 53 minutes that left a lot to be desired or the furious comeback in the last 7 minutes that came up 1 goal short? His answer: All of it. And it was AWESOME!

A million things have been written about someone’s very first game. But what about the person that is TAKING their friend to their first game? How badly do you want your friend to enjoy the game that you love?

I thought I was going to be the one that was going to teach my friend all of these things. But when he told me about how great it was to see how fast they skate and how hard they shoot—he was the one that was reminding ME how great the game is.

As much as I over thought my friend’s first visit to a hockey game, I forgot the most fundamental thing about hockey. It’s an amazing game. It sells itself. When you’re at one of your first games, there is no such thing as a boring game. I was over thinking it when I imagined the ideal game for my friend to see.

Since then, my friend has reminded me of something else as well. Once you go to a game, you can even appreciate it more on TV! You KNOW what it’s like there. You KNOW how hard a slap shot can be. You KNOW how hard that body check was and you know that buzz in the crowd that you can almost hear on TV. He didn’t really like watching hockey on TV before, but now he’s even setting his DVR so he doesn’t miss Kings games. Nothing could have made me prouder!

How happy are you when your friend asks you, “Wow, Getzlaf is going to play tonight? I thought he was on the IR?” Not only are you happy that they are keeping up, but you’re happy that they even know who Getzlaf is. Hey, you might even be happy that they know what the IR is!

I was reminded that hockey players need to always give their 100% effort, because they never know who might fall in love with hockey that night. For every jaded season ticket holder or hockey blogger, there’s someone there for their first game. Are they going to be bored or are they going to head down to the Box Office and buy tickets to the next game?

My friend has reminded me that when it comes down to it, hockey is just a game. A great, exciting, life changing game.

I got a text from my friend the other night that was so insightful, I’m not fully convinced that HE was the one that came up with it. Here’s what he said, and here’s what we can do about it…

Don’t you just love the way that the 2 guys you know will never drop the gloves always find each other during a 10 player bunch up and hug like long lost sweethearts?”

You know what—he’s right. I don’t care if there are 8 fighters on the ice, the 2 that aren’t ALWAYS find each other. How do they do this? Is this some part of a hockey player’s DNA? Can they smell their own? Is this something that Discovery Channel needs to devote an hour to?

Whatever the reason, it’s amazing their accuracy in picking the proper dance partner. But what about the player that hasn’t learned this skill yet? What does the young, skilled guy that has no intention of fighting do in a scrum?

Since we’re all about public service around here, we thought we’d put something together and make it interactive. Here’s a quick form for you to fill out with a player from any team that you think is the LEAST likely to get into a fight. I’m sure you know the player on your team that would NEVER fight—so let us know. But I’m sure you know about your rivals and other teams as well. Tell us who comes to mind. Some might call him the biggest crybaby—but I would never say anything like that. I choose, most “fistacuff challenged.”

So let’s see if we can get people to join in here. We’ll have this up all week and we’ll list the results on Friday. If you use Twitter, Tweet about it. If you use Facebook, Share It. If you use MySpace, then grow the fuck up. Do what you got to do to spread the word. We are talking about the players’ well-being here people.

As soon as we get the results, we’ll make sure we publish them and make an easy-to-read spreadsheet for Taylor Hall next season. After all, The More You Know…

You are welcomed to nominate as many players (for as many teams) as you’d like. All you need to do is refresh

“I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” is a feature that will be posted every Saturday here at the View From My Seats. There are plenty of things going on in the hockey world (and even the sports world); and you know everyone has an opinion. This is a place for some quick hits of the week that was.

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I might just be a hockey fan in California, but:

- I haven’t seen a NO-WIN situation like Don Waddell’s situation in Atlanta in a long time. Ownership isn’t going to want to pay him what he would get on the open market, Kovalchuk doesn’t want to sign in a place that has a shaky ownership situation—yet if he trades the Russian sniper, HE will get the blame.

How would you like it if your coach said, "Go pick a fight with that guy that 6'8" guy..."

- There might have been questions on the goaltending situation in Anaheim, but Jonas Hiller has spent the last 2 weeks answering them with his play on the ice.

- Lane Kiffin’s next job (after USC) will be with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

- I think Dave Tippett is pretty ballsy. He was so confident in the Coyotes power play, he figured that it would be best to turn a 5 minute power play into an 8 minute advantage!

- When are people going to learn? You want Nikolai Khabibulin in the LAST year of his contract—not the first.

- It’s funny how Sergei Gonchar can charge and elbow a player with a headshot that is obviously in retaliation (and pre-meditated), yet doesn’t get fined or suspended. Tell me there isn’t a double standard for superstars.

- When both teams fail to score in regulation, then fail to score in overtime and also fail to put a single goal in the net for the first 3 rounds of a shootout—is that good goaltending or terrible offense?

- Scott Niedermayer isn’t going to be traded. It would be nice if everyone stopped trying to insinuate that he is.

- Remember way back in December when John Stevens looked like he was captaining the Titanic? Well, don’t look now but the Flyers are in the 7th spot in the East and have games in hand.

- Going into their game against Anaheim, the Kings had lost 7 of their last 10 games—all of them by 1 goal. It almost seems like they’re just one player away, doesn’t it?

- I see that Chicago Blackhawks President John McDonough was given a contract extension. Thankfully, there were no problems with the fax machine or US Postal Service.

- With the struggles in Edmonton this year, how badly do you think fans want to see Jordan Eberle wearing an Oilers jersey at the start of next season?

- It’s interesting how when your team is playing well, you’re much less interested in the NHL Entry Draft in June. To be honest, I don’t WANT to be interested.

- When your coach makes you go fight and your team is losing 5-2, is that adding injury to insult?

What a bad break for the Ducks (no pun intended)

- Is there an unwritten rule that states that there will be a 1st period fight in EVERY Flames game played in Calgary?

- I wonder if the Columbus Blue Jackets recent bit of (relative) success has saved Ken Hitchcock’s job for the season—or if it was just a brief reprieve from the inevitable.

- It sucks to be Teemu Selanne. After missing 17 games with a broken hand, he returned to the ice for only 3 games before going out with another injury. Of course, he won’t be the one that tells you that it sucks—because he has a broken jaw.

- Is it me, or is there more whining about officiating than ever? I get it when fans are complaining—but when announcers are doing the same every night, the train is officially off the tracks.

- It’s depressing that Versus and DirecTV may come to a resolution because of UFC on Versus. Apparently 4 months of hockey fans losing their product didn’t mean a damn thing.

- Could it be any more difficult to find Florida Panthers news? Seriously.

- Gary Bettman is a pompous little person that needs to be fired for the good of the game.

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So what were your thoughts from the NHL week that was?

Click here for our archive of past editions of our “I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” feature.

Take a look at the divisional leaders around the NHL and you’ll find a bunch of the teams you’d expect. New Jersey, San Jose and Washington won their respective divisions last season and we knew that Chicago had all the makings to be one of the best teams in the NHL. But in the Northeast, we have the non-descript Sabres dominating big 4 teams with deep pockets by a full 10 points in the standings. So what is the secret to the Buffalo Sabres’ success? As much as I want this to turn into a 1980’s movie with Michael J. Fox, I’m not sure I can muster up that much greed, selfishness and lack of height in one article. Seriously, what is it that they are doing that has them dominating their division and competing for the Eastern Conference crown?

The first thing to realize is that these aren’t the Buffalo Sabres of three seasons ago. In the 2006-07 season, the Sabres were one of the highest scoring teams of all time. Guys like Daniel Briere, Chris Drury and Brian Campbell lead an offense that was clicking on all cylinders for just about every game for 7 months en route to the Presidents’ Trophy. They reached the Eastern Conference Finals two seasons in a row and were one of the most exciting teams in the league. But tons of firepower, salary caps and a small market don’t exactly go together like hippies and veggie burritos. Whether they wanted to break it up or not, they had little choice. It was time to think about how to build the NEXT incarnation of the Buffalo Sabres.

Of course, there are a few important elements that remain from the successful teams. Head Coach Lindy Ruff is in his 12th season in Buffalo. He’s lead the team to the Stanley Cup Finals, the aforementioned President’s Trophy, four Eastern Conference Finals AND he won the Jack Adams Award following the 2005-06 season. Next month, he’ll be an assistant coach for Team Canada at the Olympics. If you were going to make a short list of best coaches in the NHL, Lindy Ruff should be one of the coaches on the list.

Interestingly enough, the complete change in team philosophy is built around another player that was part of those 50+ win teams last decade: Ryan Miller. The talented goaltender is leading the league with a .935 save percentage. He’s 3rd in the league with 2.04 Goals Against Average. He plays huge in the butterfly, has extremely good rebound control and has a team in front of him that is quick to collapse around the crease. At the halfway point of the season, he’s a strong candidate for both the Vezina and Hart Trophies.  Unless a giant meteor hits upstate New York, he’ll be the starting goaltender for Team USA. Quick question: How many times will we hear Miller’s name mentioned with Jim Craig’s?

Aside from Miller, the Sabres have other players that are still around from those powerful teams. Guys like Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Tim Connolly and Derek Roy are still wearing the banana slug Buffalo Sabres logo on their jersey—although they’re doing so with different expectations and responsibilities. While they used to make up the very powerful secondary scoring of the HSBC Center, now they are depended on to stay healthy and fill the nets every night. So far, they’re doing a good enough job of both to lead a successful team.

“Before the season I felt if Buffalo could stay healthy this year they’d be able to do a lot of damage and so far that’s the case. Of course they still have Tim Connolly and Derek Roy who will break eventually.” –Pension Plan Puppets

As those players are now the scoring leaders, something had to change. Even though they have all matured in their all-around game and become (arguably) better professionals, they were 2nd, 3rd and 4th liners for a reason. Without the salary cap space to replace the type of firepower they lost, the Sabres needed to rethink the way they approached the game. There needed to be a fundamental shift in philosophy.

“The Buffalo Sabres are the second best team in the Eastern Conference, three points back of Pittsburgh for first in the East, yet have no player with more than 32 points this season.” –StayClassy.net

Nowadays, you won’t find any Sabres at the top of the scoring list. When you look at their scoring as a team, they are right in the middle of the pack (15th). The weakest part of their team has, in fact, been their ability to score with the man advantage.

“Without question, the biggest overall weakness for the Buffalo Sabres has been their power play. The Sabres PP unit is currently humming along at 18% as of this writing, which is good for 16th in the NHL. Every other phase of the game has been excellent…” –Andy Boron from Die By The Blade

So what has been the secret to the Sabres success this year? The answer can be found in the last bit of Boron’s comment concerning the power play woes. “Every other phase of (their) game has been excellent.” Once they get a lead, they’re one of the best teams in the league in shutting down the opposition. 18-0-0 record when leading after two periods.

Even though their PP has been average at best, they don’t lose the special teams battle because their penalty kill is so good. With guys like Jochen Hecht, Mike Grier, Tyler Myers and Henrik Tallinder leading Buffalo’s PK, they are 5th in the league at 86.0% and 2nd best on home ice. They are 3rd in the league giving up only 2.25 goals per game. You aren’t sure that defense is the key to success? The only two teams holding their opponents to fewer goals per game are the Chicago Blackhawks and the New Jersey Devils (the top 2 teams in the entire NHL).

Another one of their keys to success is the way the team is built. They might not have any high-end guys that make SportsCenter every night, but they do have solid two-way players littered all over their roster. Mike Grier might not be the best player in the league, but he’s a great fit for a team that plays a defense-first system. Drew Stafford will put up points while being defensively responsible and having good size.

At last look, these were the types of lines that they were putting out on the ice for 15-20 minutes per game:

Connolly-Pominville-Hecht
Stafford-Gaustad-Roy
Vanek-Grier-Tim Kennedy.

Instead of being built around high flying guys that are going to put up 100 points, they have guys up front that are defensively sound and have the ability to score 50-60 points. Spreading the scoring responsibility has been their answer to losing the perennial all-stars they had only a few years ago.

But the most important key to success is the type of hockey they play on the ice. These days, a player like Paul Gaustad represents the type of team that the Sabres want to have. Gaustad, while flying under the radar from 99% of the sports watching public, is one of the best defensive forwards in the game. He’s among the lead leaders in faceoff percentage, has the ability to play against the oppositions’ top lines and has the type of grit that embodies a defensive oriented team.

“If GM Brian Burke is serious about building a team rather than a collection of names, then Gaustad is a quintessential role player to that end: The best faceoff man in the NHL this season and a player of impressive versatility.” –Greg Wyshynski (Puck Daddy)

On the back end, they’ve assembled a group of defensemen that can play a responsible game to protect their goaltender. Tyler Myers was supposed to be a stay-at-home guy (and very well may be throughout his career), but he’s currently 4th in all rookie scoring AS A DEFENSEMAN. The 6’8” rookie is currently one of the leading candidates to win the Calder Trophy with his stellar defense, large workload and surprising scoring.

Sabres fans: Please pray they don't concuss themselves celebrating a victory...

They have defensemen like Toni Lydman and Steve Montador that make up a solid pairing. Craig Rivet is out there trying to shut down the opponents’ superstars (recently Phil Kessel for Toronto and Paul Stastny for Colorado). But to really understand what Rivet brings to the team, look no further than his leadership qualities. He’s wearing the “C” in only his 2nd year with Buffalo.

When it comes down to it, the greatest asset the Buffalo Sabres have is that they know who they are. Look at their leadership on their team. Craig Rivet is the Captain with Derek Roy and Jochen Hecht wearing the “A”s. They are a defense first team, with guys that can kill penalties and play a quick transition game to keep their opponents on their heels. They don’t pretend to be something that they’re not—and that’s much rarer than you’d think.

Looking around the league, it appears that they have a similar formula for success as the Phoenix Coyotes. They have three lines that can play very strong two-way hockey, a defensive system that is dependent on all 5 skaters on the ice (not just defensemen) and a goaltender that is playing well enough to be considered for the Hart Trophy. If you just ignored the cities involved and thought about that kind of team, you would EXPECT them to win more than they’d lose. Buffalo and Phoenix are proving that to be true.

The Sabres will look to continue their success as they start their season long 7-game road trip. It’s a trip which includes a West Coast swing for games in Phoenix, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver. Their leadership knows that they’ll need to stay true to their fundamental principles if they want to continue their winning ways during their trip through the Pacific Division. Captain Craig Rivet pulled his team together before they left Buffalo to lead the team the way a team should be led:

“We just want to keep things going… We want to make sure that our heads are in the right place, that everybody’s on the same page and we’re all moving in the same direction. That’ll get us the best chance of picking up some wins on this road trip, so just want to make sure everyone’s on the same page.” –Craig Rivet (The Buffalo News via Sabres Edge blog)

It sounds like they have it all figured out. As long as they continue to play the way their team is designed to play and they keep getting outstanding goaltending from their netminder, they aren’t going anywhere. Sure, the Penguins, Capitals and Devils will be there like we expected—but don’t sleep on the Sabres. They might just be the best TEAM of the bunch.