Maurice Richard Trophy

[Mel]

At this moment, it looks like the Art Ross is gonna be a two man battle between Jagr and Joe T - although we can still have a poll on it if you like.

But the most goals race is not over by any stretch, so here goes - current top ten... (notice the youth present in this elite group, including 2 rooks... that's great to see :))

[Mel]

I'm gonna be a homer again and go with Jagr... but my second pick would be Ovechkin. (Be nice to see a rookie win it).

[PDO]

Gut says Jagr, heart says Ovechkin.

C'mon AO!

[charlio lemieux]

The Cheechoo train's a comin'! WoooooWooooooo

[LiAmTrAnSdEmOn]

As much as I hate him, I think Kovalchuk will probably heat up and leave everyone in the dust.

[Amoroq]

At this moment, it looks like the Art Ross is gonna be a two man battle between Jagr and Joe T - although we can still have a poll on it if you like.

But the most goals race is not over by any stretch, so here goes - current top ten... (notice the youth present in this elite group, including 2 rooks... that's great to see :))My bad, I was going to say Joe T is not even a blip on the Maurice Richard Throphy race but then I read your post again and clued in on Art Ross. :conspire: That race is between Jagr and Thorton. The Richard trophy is also going to be close, and since there isn't an option for a tie, I will choose Jagr, he is having a fine season and I see know reason why he should all of a sudden stop scoring.

[wildboy26]

The Cheechoo train's a comin'! WoooooWooooooo

What I find amazing is this guy did not even get slight talk or consideration for the Canadian Olympic team. I am not talking about the fact that he did not make it, he wasnt even slightly considered. Of the forwards who did not make it Staal, Spezza, Crosby, Tanguay, Marleau, Shanahan, Kariya pretty much close out the list of ones considered.

[TimmyTabasco]

Jagr

[a4l]

Jagr for this one.

[leaferfan87]

Jagr will hold the rest off.

[charlio lemieux]

The Cheechoo train has picked up its 38th, 39th and 40th goals of the season. Wooooooo woooooooo!

[leaferfan87]

I've heard that Jagr has been banged up? Will that push somebody ahead of him?

[charlio lemieux]

Yes, I heard a while ago his groin was bothering him. Judging from his recent production, or lack there of, I would have to say that rumor was true. If he doesn't pick it up by the weekend he will be off my pool team. I can't have him doing nothing when guys like Elias can replace him.

Cheechoo is the hottest goal scorer in the league, and has been for a couple of months now. Cheechoo and Thornton have got to be the most dangerous duo in hockey right now.

But to answer your question, Yes I think Jagr will lose out on both the Richard and Art Ross trophies. I think they both will be finding homes in sunny San Jose.

[wildboy26]

I still think Jagr will win the goal scoring title, if not him Ovechkin. I dont think Cheechoo will win it, although he could.

[charlio lemieux]

Cheechoo is the Hat Trick leader of the league.

Oh, Look at what NHL.com has in the Spotlight.Cheechoo, Thornton
are two of a kind
By Karl Samuelson | NHL.com correspondent
Mar. 15, 2006



Great scoring duos are more than simply an assemblage of talented players. Sending out your best shooter and most adept playmaker does not guarantee success. Every team has experienced frustration when they've coupled two forwards with complimentary skills on paper, but were unable to make a smooth transition on the ice. The formula for developing a dynamic pair is not a simple one. Some believe that it has yet to be discovered.

"There's no sense sitting down and trying to analyze it," says former NHL player and coach Terry Crisp, now the color commentator on Nashville Predators telecasts. "You can't analyze it and you can't videotape it. Why? Because it's a God-given talent right off the bat. Certain guys are given the talent and they can utilize it together."

Unlike goaltending, defensive coverage, backchecking and forechecking, high-powered offense cannot be taught, yet remains the most critical ingredient for team success. Every team unites two of their best players with a view that they will feed off the skills of the other. It's a venture that will pay huge dividends if it works.



San Jose took a calculated risk when they brought superstar center Joe Thornton to the West Coast and paired him with Jonathan Cheechoo. What started out as an experiment has developed into the perfect tandem.

"Joe does a great job drawing double-teams and fighting off guys, and I just pick up the garbage in front," Cheechoo told reporters after scoring his fourth hat trick of the season and his 40th goal in a 4-3 win over Los Angeles March 13. "I just always play hard, and if it happens, it happens. ... It's amazing to play with him, and we're making up points against teams ahead of us in the standings."

Thornton has assisted on 26 of Cheechoo's 33 goals since they teamed up on the same line, usually with Nils Ekman.

"'He never gives up on a play," Thornton said. "He's just always around the net. It's great to play with him."

"Jonathan is what you term a natural goal-scorer," says Sharks assistant coach Tim Hunter. "He knows where the net is and he can shoot the puck at the net and hit his spot. Joe has been able to put the puck in the right places for 'Cheech' to shoot. 'Cheech' had to learn how to get ready for the puck and get to those spots because Joe can make those seam passes or area passes that 'Cheech' can skate into and get an open shot. There are not a lot of guys that can finish when they get that pass' but 'Cheech' is one of them. The compliment being that Joe is able to find those spots, set up a play so that he can find 'Cheech' in an area where he is not covered to get a clear shot."

Cheechoo wasn't exactly chopped liver before the arrival of Thornton from Boston in the blockbuster deal of Nov. 30, 2005. The 25-year-old native of Moose Factory, Ontario enjoyed a career year in 2003-04, finishing the campaign tied for team lead in goals (28) and tied for fourth overall in the NHL and first on the Sharks with nine game-winners. But the arrival of Thornton has ushered in the emergence of Cheechoo as a legitimate scoring threat every time he hits the ice. The talented scorer has caught fire.

"We had him on a checking and energy line with Mike Ricci and Scott Thornton last year," Hunter said. "They were the type of line that created energy and got some chances. It was more of a grinding line, down low, cycling and making little passes for shots and rebounds. Right now Joe is drawing people to himself and then Jonathan just has to find a little quiet, grey area and Joe sets the puck there for him. So it's a much different atmosphere. It was nice for 'Cheech' to be able to learn the game slowly here and understand the checking mode of the game. Now he is crafting his offensive game, which he always had, but we've never had that player to be able to set the table for him."

Cheechoo has benefited from the Sharks' patient approach to developing their young players.


Thornton, the NHL's top scorer, has thrived in San Jose since his trade from Boston earlier in the season.
"Exactly," Hunter said. "'Cheech' spent time down in the American Hockey League and Roy Sommer did a terrific job in developing him as a young professional. 'Cheech' got his feet wet down there and learned how to get through the rigors of a professional hockey career and then stepped up and learned how to play in the NHL. It's been a nice luxury to not have to force players into roles past the third and second line. Instead, they start out on the fourth line or third line and learn the game from the basics on up. 'Cheech' is definitely a gifted hockey player. It was just a matter of time and we are very lucky that we had the patience to wait for him."

The focus in recent years is more toward finding effective duos that can mesh together rather than complete lines. It's easier to get two guys to work together than three.

"No question," Hunter said. "You try to get a left-handed centerman playing with a right winger so you have somebody to get that puck to the right side. As coaches, we were trying to find players that would best fit with Joe. 'Cheech' was obviously our No. 1 choice, being a right shot and we didn't have a lot of right shots at the time that were real goal scorers. I know that the goal for 'Cheech' was to be a No. 1 winger on the top line, so their long term forecast was correct with him."

Fans in the Shark tank rate among the most lively in any building and they are completely revved up as Cheechoo and his teammates make a late-season surge to get into the playoffs.

"The fans are excited," Hunter said. "They really look at 'Cheech' as one of their own. They see him develop. They've seen him come up and play his first game and score his first goal. So they've really taken to him. When you transplant a real dynamic player like Joe Thornton, who is probably one of the top four or five players in the game, the fans really enjoy his contributions too. Joe is a guy that smiles a lot. He really enjoys coming to the rink and the fans see that. They see his enthusiasm and the excitement in his game. At the end of the game when Jonathan or Joe is a star they go across the ice and hand out the sticks that our organization makes available to the fans. They just love that."

And there's nothing more likely to ratchet up the excitement quotient than when two highly skilled performers take to the ice and think as one.

"It's like when you're married to your partner for 35 years," concludes Crisp. "You know what each other are thinking. When I look back at my playing career I think about Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert of the New York Rangers. They didn't have to think about it, they just did it. Jean Ratelle was one of the niftiest centermen ever. He was nifty like Sergei Fedorov, but was long, loping and smooth. Gilbert had a real nice soft touch around the net. They both fed off each other. One knew when the other guy was going to the opening, when he was going in for a rebound, when he was going to pass it off and not going to shoot it. It came with the knowledge of knowing each other really well."

So what factors enable two players like Cheechoo and Thornton to mesh their skills and strike such fear into the opposition?

"If I could answer that question I'd go out scouting players and starting putting them together," says Jerry Toppazzini, a hard-driving winger with the Boston Bruins in the 1950's. "I don't understand why I played better with Fleming Mackell or Don McKenny than I did with other players on my team. I don't know what made Jean Beliveau and Bert Olmstead click. Or Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri. I have no idea. Nobody knows what creates that chemistry but you know when it works."

And it's working in San Jose.

[wildboy26]

Intersting article, thanks for posting it. I still think Cheechoo, as good as he is, is playing a bit above his current level right now though, he wont be able to keep it up to the end of the year.