When an injured NHL player doesn’t take time off, he’s not only hurting himself, but his team as well. By not being as physically ready as he can be, he’s limiting himself in what he can do, and holding back another healthier (and probably younger) player from having his shot to become a playoff hero.

Ryan Fulford believes that the fans’ perception of the playoff goaltender is misguided. Heaping all of the expectations for a team on one man’s shoulders isn’t fair, regardless whether the statistics support it or not. In reality, only balanced teams with deep scoring lines and solid defense will be successful through four rounds of playoffs.

The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was one of the deepest drafts for defensemen in NHL history. Three blue liners stand out from the group: Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo and Erik Karlsson, all of whom bring very distinct skill sets to their teams. Will this summer’s draft match the shut down and scoring talent of four years ago?

Shane Doan has finally turned in his post as “Captain Canada” and has earned the right to play in the second round of the NHL playoffs for the first time in his career. “Captain Phoenix” is in the twilight of his career, and he may be closer than ever to winning the Cup. Can he follow in the footsteps of Bourque, Niedermayer and Selanne?

Despite missing out on a wealth of talent in multiple drafts, the New York Rangers made amends when they inked Girardi in the summer of 2005 as an undrafted free agent. Girardi has become a premier defenseman who, while not a goal-scorer, is a true shutdown blueliner capable of coming up big for his team when he’s needed. Ryan Fulford makes his TheGP debut to explain the legend of Girardi.