Hockey Hall Class of 2011: Howe, Gilmour, Nieuwendyk, Belfour

There must be some mistake: Mark Howe never played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Oh, right: He was a Marlie.

Mark Howe is also a Hockey Hall of Famer, ending a lengthy wait for the call (since 1998!) to immortality for a defenseman whose career spanned from the Houston Aeros in the WHA to the Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings in the NHL over the course of 929 games. He's the story today: The player that many hoped would get the call but who was perpetually a runner-up for the selection committee.

The Class of 2011:

Ed Belfour, G (stats)

The mystery today wasn't if Belfour would be a Hall of Famer, because two Vezinas, a Stanley Cup and third in career wins (484) necessitates it. It was if he'd be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, given some of his off-ice foibles.

That turned out to be secondary to his numbers and his impact. He may not be Patrick Roy, he may not be Dominik Hasek, but he can easily lay claim to having been the best goalie in the game in two different years and being in the conversation for top three in his position during his prime, which is a handy measure for the Hall of Fame.

Doug Gilmour, C (stats)

He had 450 goals, 1,414 points, one Stanley Cup and a Selke Trophy, along with being tied for seventh in career playoff points (188). A complete player and a tenacious competitor. Should have gone in last year.

Mark Howe, D (stats)

Why Howe? Bill Fleischman's 2008 piece from the Flyers website makes the case:

He's a three-time first-team NHL all-star defenseman. In his first six seasons with the Flyers, he scored 115 goals operating from the blue line. During his 22-year pro hockey career, he collected 405 goals and 1,246 points and has a +400 rating. He is the youngest hockey player to ever win an Olympic medal.

Yet, Mark Howe is still not in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He is now. More from Bill Houston back in 2006. This is a long, long time coming.

Joe Nieuwendyk, C (stats)

As we said in our Hall of Fame preview, Nieuwendyk has the prestige. Three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe and a Calder to go along with his being 11th all-time in power-play goals at 215. Best at his position? Hardly. A model player in the NHL? Totally.

The snubs? No Eric Lindros or Pavel Bure or Adam Oates or Dave Andreychuk. No Pat Burns, which remains a tarnish on this process.

What's interesting about this Class of 2011: No builders for the first time since 1981, and we get four players after getting only one last season. Was this due to the incredible Class of 2012 first-ballot guys (Sakic, Sundin, Shanahan,Roenick, Joseph, Gary Roberts among others) coming up?

"The committee are so involved and serious about their job. They do look at the candidates that are up, and I do not believe that they take into consideration the people that are coming up in the following year," said HHOF selection committee co-chair Jim Gregory.

The full release from the NHL and the Hockey Hall of Fame. More coverage later:

TORONTO� (June 28, 2011) ? Bill Hay, Chairman and CEO of the Hockey Hall of Fame,� Jim� Gregory and Pat Quinn, Co-Chairmen of the Hockey Hall of Fame's Selection� Committee,� announced� today Ed Belfour, Doug Gilmour, Mark Howe and� Joe� Nieuwendyk� have� been� elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Player� Category.� The� vote took place today at the annual meeting of the Selection Committee in Toronto

"The� Hockey� Hall of Fame is proud to welcome these four hockey legends as Honoured� Members,"� said Jim Gregory.� "Their contributions to the game of hockey are well documented and their election to the Hockey Hall of Fame is richly deserved."

Ed Belfour, a native of Carmen, Manitoba, played on five NHL teams from the 1988 to 2007 seasons, winning the Stanley cup in 1999 as a member of the Dallas Stars.� A two-time Vezina trophy winner, he also won a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

"It� is� hard� to� put into words what this means to me," said Belfour.� "I would like to thank all of my teammates and people along the way who helped me achieve my hockey dreams."

Doug� Gilmour was born in Kingston, Ontario and played Junior hockey nearby as� a� member of the Cornwall Royals, winning a Memorial Cup in 1981.� Doug played� 20� years in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989.

"This� is� an overwhelming honour and one that makes me reflect back on the teammates and coaches I have had over years," said Gilmour.� "Larry Mavety, who� gave� me� a chance in Tier II hockey and Gord Wood who drafted me into Junior� at� Cornwall,� are� two� people who were instrumental in helping me establish myself as a player".

Mark� Howe� played his Junior hockey in Toronto before turning professional with the Houston Aeros in 1973.� He stayed in the WHA until the merger with the� NHL,� playing� with� the Hartford Whalers, the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings before retiring in 1995.

"I� was� elated� to have this dream come true given that it is a tremendous honour� just� to� have my name mentioned with the upper echelon of hockey," said� Howe.� "To actually have my name in the Hall of Fame with my Dad will mean so much to my family."

Joe� Nieuwendyk� played� three seasons at Cornell University before turning professional� with� the Calgary Flames, winning Rookie of the Year in 1988.

Joe� went� on� to win the Stanley Cup with Calgary the following season and twice more ? with Dallas in 1999 and New Jersey in 2003.

"Every player does their best year after year and strives to play at a very
high� level," said Nieuwendyk.� "I truly love the game and love to compete,

and I'm pleased to be honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame."

The 2011 Induction Celebration will be held on Monday, November 14th at the Hockey� Hall� of Fame in Toronto.� For more information regarding the 2011 Induction Weekend/Celebration, visit http://www.hhof.com.

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UFC 132 Fight Card: Will George Sotiropolous Get Back to His Winning Ways?

Before losing a decision to German kickboxer Dennis Siver in his native Australia at UFC 127, George Sotiropoulos had strung together seven straight victories in the UFC.

There are only an elite handful of fighters able to claim such a feet.

The loss to underdog Siver destroyed all of that momentum.

Where does he go from here? Can he get back to his winning ways?

His first chance to bounce back is against Rafael Dos Anjos.

Like Sotiropoulos, Dos Anjos is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert—an absolute demon on the mat.

They are also both in crucial rebound positions as Dos Anjos is coming off of a significant loss and jaw injury, while Sotiropoulos is coming off of the aforementioned momentum derailment.

The biggest difference between the two fighters is their age. Sotiropoulos is 33, while Dos Anjos is probably just entering his prime at 26.

Will Dos Anjos be hungrier to get his career back on track, or will the composure of the older Sotiropoulos prevail?

We have seen Sotiropoulos out-grapple fellow submission specialists, so it is possible that he will do it again.

Submitting Dos Anjos, however, seems highly implausible.

Sotiropoulos may very well get back to his winning ways, but if he does, my opinion is that it will not be by explosive finish, but rather by a calculated and relatively conservative game plan that is based on control.  

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in 2010, photos change, words not so much.
MLS Superdraft breakdown - you know you’re not getting that here. But every year the draft marks the beginning of a new soccer season. Beyond the MLS hot stove, it means the first USMNT game of the new year is around the corner, with the Gold Cup just [...]

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Ville Leino moves to Pegulaville, signs 6-year deal with Sabres

When the Philadelphia Flyers moved Mike Richards and Jeff Carter around the draft, the general assumption was that the monetary savings were going to allow them to sign Ville Leino, the 27-year-old left winger who posted 53 points last season.

Yet on July 1, Ville Leino isn't a Flyer. He's with the Buffalo Sabres, for the next six years, for $27 million of owner Terry Pegula's dollars.

What happened with the Flyers? Sarah Baicker of CSN Philly explained the stalemate earlier on Friday:

After multiple meetings between the Flyers and Ville Leino's agent Bill Zito failed to result in a deal, the Flyers' winger hit the open market Friday, when NHL free agency kicked off at noon.

The Flyers appear unwilling to pay Leino more than about $3.5 million a year, but the 27-year-old believes he's capable of bringing in more. Considering the Florida Panthers just signed Tomas Kopecky (a similar player, two years Leino's senior, who had poorer stats) to a four-year, $12-million deal, Leino is probably right.

After the Flyers signed Jaromir Jagr for $3.3 million, that spelled the end for Leino.

It's a $4.5 million cap hit, which is a ludicrously high number for Leino ? unless, of course, Leino is entering his prime and can blend with a Derek Roy (or, potentially, a Brad Richards) and starts posting 65-70-point seasons. He also has 26 points in his last 30 playoff games, which can't be underestimated.

If he's still a 0.65 points-per-game player in Buffalo ? well, they've just made him the third-highest paid forward on the team, so it better damn well be higher than that.

On paper, it's overpayment. Like Christian Ehrhoff was overpayment at 10 years and $40 million. But for a team that's seen talent leave for the dollars instead of using the same bait to attract talent for decades, why not let the Buffalo Sabres have their shopping spree, right?

(Please note this is the sort of thing one writes before seeing Leino flop in Buffalo, thus becoming a symbol of a novice billionaire hockey owner spending money haphazardly in his first summer.)

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Sami Salo signs with Canucks for 1 year of inevitable injuries

The immediate reaction to defenseman Sami Salo's re-signing for 1 year and $2 million with the Vancouver Canucks, prior to becoming an unrestricted free agent at noon ET, is that it's a hometown discount.

But that would do a disservice to his age (37 in September), his declining numbers (0.26 points per game last season, down from 0.41 in 2009-10) and the fact that he's suffered more freak injuries than Wile E. Coyote during his time in Vancouver (seriously, floorball?).

Salo no doubt tested the market, but found it a tough nut to crack.

As first reported by Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, Salo became the second of the Canucks' three key free agents on the blue line to remain with the Western Conference champs. Kevin Bieksa signed a 5-year, $23 million deal on June 27. After having his rights traded twice, Christian Ehrhoff agreed to a 10-year, $40-million with the Buffalo Sabres that will pay him $37 million in the first seven years. (Signed, bitter Devils fan.)

This is a win for GM Mike Gillis, as Salo's reps were looking to swap salary for an extra year on his contract. From the Vancouver Sun:

Salo made $3.5 million last season and likely will have to accept a significant pay cut -probably something in the neighbourhood of $1.5 to $2 million -to return to play his ninth season with the Canucks. In return for taking a financial haircut, Salo would like an additional year.

From June 17, here's Gillis on Salo:

Welcome back, Sami Salo. Please step inside this bubblewrap for the rest of the summer ...

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Ed Belfour, ?flabbergasted? 1st-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer

It's often said that goaltenders are a different breed of player, so it should come as no surprise that Ed Belfour was taking a nap before his beer league game when the Hockey Hall of Fame was trying to inform him of his impending immortality.

This should also not come as a surprise because he is, after all, Crazy Eddie.

"My brother-in-law came over to the house, knocked on the door and woke me up," was his recollection of the historic moment, as Belfour was announced with Doug Gilmour, Mark Howe and�Joe�Nieuwendyk�as the Hall of Fame Class of 2011 on Tuesday afternoon.

Belfour competes on two men's league teams in the Dallas area ? one of them named Rex's Seafood, the other with a temporary name ? but doesn't play goal. He's a defensemen for his teams, which sounds a bit like Dave Grohl's decision to be singer/guitarist for the Foo Fighters rather than a drummer.

All of this differentiates Belfour from the rest of his Hall of Fame class. They're position players, he's a goaltender. Nieuwendyk�is the GM of the Dallas Stars. Gilmour is the general manager of the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. Mark Howe is Director of Pro Scouting for the Detroit Red Wings. Belfour is still in hockey, advising and supporting the Winkler Flyers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League where his son plays, but by no means does he have the shirt-and-tie gigs of the his classmates. He works on cars and plays in men's leagues.

But there's another significant difference between the four players. Nieuwendyk waited a year before his induction. Gilmour had been eligible since 2006. Mark Howe had waited for the call since 1998.

Ed Belfour is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

"I didn't expect it in any way. I feel like it was a real surprise," he said. "Obviously, a real honor. It's even more an honor to be picked right away. I was just flabbergasted."

Belfour has the goods for the Hall of Fame, stats-wise. He's third in the NHL in career wins (484), fourth in games played (963) and minutes (55,695). His save percentage (.906) and goals-against average (2.50) are top 30.

He won the Stanley Cup in 1999. He won the Calder in 1991. He was nominated for the Hart in 1991. He's got Vezina Trophies in 1991 and 1993 as the best goalie in the NHL, and four Jennings Trophies (91, 93, 95 and 99) for the fewest goals allowed by a goaltending tandem.

Oh, those tandems. Belfour was always a player never lacking in motivation, like being undrafted or being unceremoniously stashed in the minors for three seasons by the Chicago Blackhawks. Marty Turco pushed him in Dallas. Dominik Hasek pushed him in Chicago. Jeff Hackett pushed him out the door in Chicago, as Belfour was eventually traded to the San Jose Sharks in 1997.

"I still remember the day we had the conversation about leaving the team, and how emotional that was. It was at the time the worst day of my career, being traded," said Belfour.

After 13 games and 43 goals-against in San Jose, he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars and played there for five seasons, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999 and backstopping them to the Cup Final in 2000 before losing to the New Jersey Devils.

"For me, the most important thing was winning the Stanley Cup every year. You start that as a little boy, watching Hockey Night in Canada, the Original Six teams, and watching them win the Stanley Cup as a little kid," he said. "I always prepared myself during the regular season to peak in the playoffs."

That he did: His career playoff goals-against average was 2.17, better than Patrick Roy's (2.30).

"Eddie, I've said it before, he took his job really serious. He was one of the [best] big game goaltenders that I've ever been able to play with," said Nieuwendyk, his teammate in Dallas, with whom Belfour played in Toronto and Florida, his last two NHL stops.

But unlike his Hall of Fame classmates, Belfour had off-the-ice questions surrounding his candidacy. From the Toronto Sun:

In March of 2000, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge when he was tackled by police after a woman he was with became frightened by his intoxicated behaviour in a Dallas hotel. While under arrest and in the squad car, he allegedly told the officers he'd pay $1 billion US for his release without charges. He later apologized to the team and police and paid a $3,000 fine for resisting arrest.

Before joining the Leafs in '02, he was pulled from a Stars' road game in Vancouver and was so upset, he trashed the visitors room at GM Place, resulting in a hefty personal bill.

In April of 2007, Belfour and Florida Panthers' teammate Ville Peltonen were arrested outside a South Florida nightclub. Belfour was charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence, but was released the same day on a $1,500 bond.

Belfour was asked if he had any regrets during his career.

"I think there's always little things here and there that you wish you could have done differently. There are those things. But I'll keep them to myself," he said.

But those incidents are a part of who Eddie the Eagle was, as inseparable from his legacy as any postseason accolade or stat. He's a rough-around-the-edges goalie who wouldn't mind smacking you in the how-do-you-do if you crowded his crease. Ask Martin Lapointe:

How would Belfour like fans to remember him?

"I would like them to remember me as a competitive player," he said. "Remember me as one of the best goalies in the game."

Now, they'll remember him as a part of an elite group (goalies) within an elite group (Hall of Famers). One who went to sleep as a Hall of Fame hopeful and woke up on the first ballot.

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USA Live Blog: U17s and USMNT

Join MFUSA for a full day of American soccer live blogging.



Starting at 3:45 ET, MFUSA US Youth National Team writer Ben McCormick will host a live blog of the US U17 World Cup team's match against Uzbekistan (ESPN3, kickoff at 4 ET).



*Update*



Looks like Ben will be tied up until the 20th minute or so. If you want to step in for Ben until he arrives, shoot me an email at matchfitusa@gmail.com.



We'll roll on from there to the senior side's Gold Cup semifinal showdown with Panama (FSC...

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