Pat Verbeek evolved from a “Little Ball of Hate… to a fountain of hockey wisdom to earn his new job as Anaheim Ducks general manager.
“Pat Verbeek is one of the brightest minds and hardest workers in the game and he has been a trusted and valued resource to me throughout my management career,… Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said.
Verbeek was nicknamed the Little Ball of Hate because he was 5-foot-9 plucky player who whirled around the ice like he was the Tasmanian Devil. He is the only NHL player with 500 goals and 2500 penalty minutes.
Verbeek was one of Yzerman's most trusted lieutenants in Tampa Bay and then Detroit.
The two men worked well together because they saw the game similarly. Yzerman also liked that Verbeek sometimes disagreed in his player evaluations and wasn’t fearful of saying that. But mostly they saw eye-to-eye.
The Verbeek hiring continues the Jim Devellano managerial tree. Verbeek is one of five active GMs whose career can be traced to the Detroit organization: Yzerman, Verbeek, Don Waddell (Carolina), Ken Holland (Edmonton) and Jim Nill (Dallas).
In addition, Devellano trained Holland who had Yzerman working for him. In Tampa Bay, Julien BriseBois worked for Yzerman. He is now Tampa Bay’s GM. Devellano mentored Neil Smith who won a Stanley Cup as GM of the Rangers. Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan played in Detroit under Holland and Devellano. NHL executive Colin Campbell also came through the Detroit organization. The Notebook:
2. At the 2012 trade deadline, the Nashville Predators were heavily criticized for giving up a first-round pick for faceoff artist/penalty killer/checking center Paul Gaustad and a fourth-round pick. That fourth pick ended up being goalie Juuse Saros. Nashville fans are quite happy about that deal today. Sometimes you have to wait to know who won a trade.
3. On this day, Feb. 3, 1944, Syd Howe scored six goals for the Detroit Red Wings in a 12-2 win against the New York Rangers. Syd retired in 1946. That’s the year Gordie Howe arrived in Detroit. The Red Wings had a player named Howe on their roster for 37 consecutive seasons. The late Gordie Howe said the No. 1 question he received when he joined the Red Wings was: Are you related to Syd Howe? He wasn’t. It was even confusing for coach Jack Adams. Gordie told a story about in his rookie season Adams called for Syd to hit the ice. When nobody moved, Adams came and yelled in Gordie's face. “Get out there, Syd.… “But I’m Gordie,… Young Howe protested. According to Mr. Hockey, Adams said: “I don’t give a damn who you are, get out there anyway!…
4. Vancouver forward Conor Garland is rumored to be available in the trade market. Having watched Jim Rutherford operate for years, I would surmise he is merely establishing the value for his players. Rutherford is a masterful trader. Would think Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson and Thatcher Demko are his only untouchables.
5. Hockey Now reported the asking price for defenseman Jeff Petry is a second-round pick and a prospect.
6. Critics believed the Los Angeles Kings overpaid ($33 over six seasons) when they signed free agent Phillip Danault last summer. But the Kings look like they can make the playoffs after a three-season absence. Danault’s presence (12 goals, 25 points, +15) is playing a big role in their improvement
7. Phil Kessel’s sister Amanda scored the U.S. Women’s Team first goal at the 2022 Olympic Game. This is her third Olympic appearance. Both Phil and Amanda are considered among the best American-born players in their sport. Impressive accomplishment for the Kessel family.
8. Defense is still king in the NHL, right? Then how come the top two teams in the Western Conference – the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild – rank 17th and 15th, respectively in goals-against average. The Avalanche are playing .773 hockey and Wild are at .720 despite giving up almost three goals per game.
9. Teams that we can count on to make a significant move before the deadline: 1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. Florida Panthers; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs. The Rangers could add both a forward and defenseman.
10. If the Stars move Joe Pavelski, don’t you think he would be a great fit for the Rangers?
11. If the Vegas Golden Knights can make Jack Eichel fit in their salary cap this season without moving a player they don't want to lose, they are practicing sorcery. The Golden Knights are in a position where they need someone significant off their roster to go on the long-term injured reserve.
12. The Columbus Blue Jackets have to be scratching their heads over what to do with Patrik Laine. He was having a miserable season. Now, he has four goals and six points in his past three games. Laine now has 10 goals on the season. Not so miserable. Pretty darn good in fact. He is making $7.5 million and will be a restricted free agent this summer. What could you get for him if you trade him this summer? Will many teams want him? Should you just re-sign him? And here's the punch line: He’s still only 23 years old. The Laine decision will not be an easy one to make.
13. For those keeping score at home, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has nine goals and 20 points in 42 games for Carolina. He’s less polished than the ‘Canes had hoped. But he could still score 18-20 goals. That’s more than acceptable for a 21-year-old.
14. New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider has 17 of his 33 goals and six of his 14 assists on the power play. That’s 51.5% of his goals on the power play. By contrast Leon Draisaitl has netted 40.6% (13 of 32) on the PP. Alex Ovechkin has netted 24.5% (seven of 29) with a manpower advantage.
15. The U.S. Women’s Team lost one of its top scorers, Brianna Decker, in the first period of its first game in the 2022 Olympic tournament. She is done for the tournament. Players said the injury was sickening to see. Injuries like these are why some NHL owners didn’t want the league’s players at the Olympics even before the COVID problem.
16. Dysin Mayo played five seasons in the minors before getting his chance to play for the Arizona Coyotes. He’s averaging almost 21 minutes per game as a rookie defenseman. Moritz Seider is the only rookie averaging more minutes.
17. Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau is tied with Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead in even-strength points with 44. Gaudreau is +30. Couldn’t be a better season for Gaudreau to be this productive. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, if the Flames don’t get him re-signed. It’s clear who has the hammer in these negotiations.
18. We’ve been talking about Moritz Seider, Trevor Zegras, Tanner Jeannot and Lucas Raymond, but Anton Lundell could end up winning Rookie of the Year. He leads all rookies with 27 even-strength points. He’s also +25. He’s been gaining confidence every game he plays.
19. Hearing the Flyers want to re-sign Rasmus Ristolainen. But their salary cap situation is such that someone else will have to be dealt if he comes back. Travis Konecny seems like a candidate to be dealt.
20. Mid-season GM of the Year: 1 Carolina’s Don Waddell. 2. Florida’s Bill Zito; 3. Minnesota’s Bill Guerin. If you want to order those three people in a different way, I have no problem with that.
21. Many GMs want to wait to make a trade to see if they end up with a player or players on long-term injured reserve. It’s the cruel reality of salary cap management.
22. Here’s a player to consider for the trade deadline: Detroit Red Wings forward Vladislav Namestnikov: he’s having a quality season with 12 goals and 10 assists. He’s a $2 million skilled rental player and the Red Wings might retain half of his salary. He has played with Dylan Larkin recently. He can provide secondary scoring, is smart defensively and can kill penalties. Yzerman likes him. He might re-sign him in the offseason.
23. Oddity: Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor is the only minus player among the NHL’s top 30 scorers. He has 45 points in 40 games and is -3 for a team that has a .512 winning percentage.
24. When the Dallas Stars retired Sergei Zubov’s number, he received a signed older stick from Alex Ovechkin. Zubov owns a stick collection that includes sticks from Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Teemu Selanne among others. He had lamented that he had never asked Ovechkin for a stick. Ovechkin is one of those players who appreciates all aspects of his sport. He probably thought Zubov's stick collection was cool.
25. Fifty-eight years ago, in the 1963-64 season, Eddie Johnston of the Boston Bruins became the last NHL goalie to play every minute of every game for his team. He turned 86 three months ago.