By JIMMY D / Fantasy hockey hot and cold, global warming | Jimmy's archive

Hot and cold.

The fantasy dilemma, and the reason for many Jimmy D columns over the years, is all about who is hot and who is cold.

But Jimmy is getting a bit tired of this banter, just like he wearied of all the bird flu talk last year.

The sky is falling! The end of the world cometh! Run for your lives!
No, this is not the mantra of fantasy GMs who own Philadelphia Flyer players, although it should be.

This is the demented cry of the global-warming crowd out there, who just couldn’t leave well enough alone. Hot and cold debated again.

Hey, I don’t mind a mild winter. It’s easy on Jimmy’s wood pile and makes him forget about his malfunctioning snowblower.

Be happy. It doesn’t mean Earth is toast or that the oceans will rise by 20 feet in the next five years, like some kooky poker players might warn you.

Nope, we used to have mild, rainy winters ‘round here in the old days. Slushy, rainy, windy crappy winters when you couldn’t toboggan, you couldn’t have an outdoor rink and you could fish for trout in ice-free lakes on April 1.

They were sprinkled in amongst winters where the snow piled high, the mercury plunged and the same whiners decried a coming ice age.

Just like global warming caused the wicked hurricanes and the Florida panhandle would surely be swept away. What, not a single major storm in 2006? How can that be?

Now folks in Vancouver and Colorado are sure that global warming is clobbering them, although Canuck and Avalanche owners have certainly warmed up to the improved play of their players.

The Canucks have won eight of nine, including that 6-1 humbling of the Make Beliefs in Toronto Saturday. The run has pushed the Sedins into point-per-game range and even slumping Markus Naslund has picked it up. Little-known Kevin Bieksa continues to impress with power-play production from the point.
So, while you look out the window today at the snow and bundle up against the cold wind, remember that last week everyone was wishing for snow because it would forestall Armageddon.

Hope you’re happy.

Maybe Joe Thornton happiness is the reason he became a pacifist (or is that passivist) set-up man. Big Joe, all 6 foot 4, 240 pounds of formerly ill-tempered nasty weather, has just eleven goals and 24 penalty minutes in San Jose.

Fantasy owners usually counted on him for 30+ goals and 100+ pims.
He leads the league in power play points with 34, which means he has generated just 22 points at even strength.

Speaking of grim forecasts for even-strength production, look at some of the players most reliant on power-play time for points:

Sergei Zubov – Stars – Overall: 30 Even Strength: 7
Andrei Markov – Canadiens – Overall: 31 Even Strength: 11
Tom Poti – Islanders - Overall: 21 Even Strength: only 5 assists all year
Darcy Tucker – Leafs - Overall: 31 Even Strength: 12 (just 6 goals and a -13)
Sheldon Souray – Canadiens - Overall: 38 Even Strength: 11 (3 goals and 8 assists in 44 games)

King for a few days
With injuries to Dan Cloutier and Mathieu Garon (neither of whom are fantasy stud material this season), Japanese-born Yutaka Fukufuji got into the cage for the Kings on Saturday, giving up a goal and getting a loss against the Blues. You-talka about a difficult name to pronounce, Yutaka Fukufuji is one of the best. Or worst.

He was recalled from Manchester of the AHL to back up Barry Brust, who got shelled and yanked. Neither is forecast to be the silver lining in the injury cloud hanging over Los Angeles.

In the meantime, we watch to see if those lucky Patriots can Houdini their way to another Super Bowl and while we watch to see if the Saints can march to Miami to meet them.

Sorry folks. It’s just some wild weather, the same stuff Jimmy D’s great-grandfather would have talked about.

Stay busy, stay lucky and stay away from commenting on global warming. It makes Jimmy shudder.

Jimmy D