Veterans continue to make noise in 2008
They say age is only a number. But while young superstars such as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin represent the face of the NHL these days, a number of aging veterans still are making waves.
Yes, the 21-year-old Crosby, 22-year-old teammate Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins had a coming-out party during the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, advancing to the Finals for the first time in their young careers. And the 23-year-old Ovechkin took home the Hart, Art Ross and Maurice Richard Trophies, as well as the Lester B. Pearson Award, after a brilliant 2007-08 regular season.
But many of the names making headlines in 2008 were ones that have been recognizable for the past decade or two.
Led by 38-year-old captain Nicklas Lidstrom, who also won his third straight Norris Trophy and sixth in seven seasons, the Detroit Red Wings knocked off Crosbys Penguins in the Finals to capture their fourth Stanley Cup championship in 11 campaigns.
Also on that Detroit team was defenseman Chris Chelios, who at the age of 46 is the second-oldest player in NHL history.
An 11-time All-Star, Chelios - who turns 47 on January 25 - signed a one-year contract over the summer but did not make his 25th season debut until December 13 due to a broken leg suffered during the preseason.
Fellow NHL senior citizen Jeremy Roenick, 38, also returned for one more campaign - the 20th of his career - with the San Jose Sharks, while 35-year-old Anaheim blue-liner Scott Niedermayer and 38-year-old Ducks teammate Teemu Selanne decided before the start of the season that they would forego retirement for another shot at a title. After Anaheim won the Cup in 2007, the duo contemplated hanging up their skates before electing to return midway through 2007-08.
The all-time leading scorer among United States-born players, Mike Modano still is rolling along in Dallas. Currently in his 20th season, the 38-year-old is among the Stars leaders in both goals and points, proving he still has some gas left in the tank.
Fresh off his second straight Vezina Trophy and third in four campaigns, New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur is on the verge of becoming the all-time leader in wins and shutouts. However, the 36-year-olds quest to overtake Hall of Famers Patrick Roy and Terry Sawchuk, respectively, has been stalled by a torn tendon in his elbow - an injury that will have keep him on the shelf likely until February.
Brodeur needs eight wins to pass Roy and six shutouts to eclipse Sawchuks mark.
One old-timer recently found work, while another still is searching.
Mats Sundin, who became a free agent on July 1 after 13 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on December 18.
Sundin had been offered a two-year, $20 million contract by Canucks during the summer. But the 37-year-old Swede has explored the possibilities of playing elsewhere, meeting with the Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers in recent months.
An eight-time All-Star and 13-time 30-goal scorer, Sundin was drafted first overall in 1989 by the Quebec Nordiques, the team with which he spent the first four seasons of his career.
Still hoping to find work is the 39-year-old Brendan Shanahan, who was selected with the second overall pick by New Jersey in 1987. A two-time 50-goal scorer who also eclipsed the 40-goal mark four other times, Shanahan grew impatient with New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather when asked to sit tight before he could be offered a contract to return to the team for a third season and visited the Flyers and St. Louis Blues in an effort to get back in the game.
Even a coach from the 1990s got in the act, as Barry Melrose was hired and fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning before he knew what hit him.
Melrose, who guided the Los Angeles Kings to their only Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1993 and had not been behind an NHL bench since 1995, was lured away from his cushy job at ESPN to help turn around the Lightning, who finished dead-last in the league last season. But after leading Tampa Bay to a 5-7-4 record, he was shown the door after reportedly butting heads with new owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie and returned to the studios of the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
So while Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin should carry the NHL for the forseeable future, dont count out the seasoned veterans. While they may be advancing in age, they still have the ability to make an impact.