Instead of coming up with a semi-accurate, half-hearted definition of what constitutes a superstar, let’s consult a dictionary.  Since it’s 2009, let’s thumb through an on-line edition.

Superstar, according to Merriam-Webster Online:

• Function: noun
• Date: 1924

1 : a star (as in sports or the movies) who is considered extremely talented, has great public appeal, and can usually command a high salary
2 : one that is very prominent or is a prime attraction <a diplomatic superstar>

When the Dany Heatley trade to San Jose was finally completed over the weekend, a number of sports news services identified Heatley as being a superstar.

A superstar?  Really?  Sure, only two other NHL players have scored more goals since the lockout than Heatley, but does he meet all the qualifications required in order to wear the superstar crown?

From my vantage point, a superstar in any milieu transcends their surroundings.  In other words, even your dear Aunt Gertie that doesn’t like sports knows who, say, Alexander Ovechkin is, and probably has an opinion about him.  Don’t get her going on the hot stick celebration.

Following that line of thinking, I propose that there are currently only two NHL players that are bigger than the sport.

Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.  The ying and the yang.  The Beatles and the Stones.  Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.

Evgeni Malkin should be considered, if only because his on-ice talents are so immense, and only getting stronger, but I haven’t seen any tangible evidence that supports his inclusion into the select club of superstars.  If on-ice talent were the only yardstick being applied, then Pavel Datsyuk or Ilya Kovalchuk, and maybe Dany Heatley, would have to be included.

Where these gentlemen fall short for serious consideration of being called a superstar is this section of the definition:

has great public appeal

Keep-in-mind every individual franchise has a player or two that is held very close to the bosom of the local fanbase, and as such, their respective values are usually inflated.  For instance, Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets can be one of the most exciting players in the league today.  His YouTube-ready goals, where he dekes through half the team, and some of the guys up in the press box, are a beauty to behold, and understandably, the faithful in Ohio would clamour that Nash is a superstar.

The argument is all context.  Within the world of the Blue Jackets, Nash is the face of the franchise, thus he is a superstar.  Within the expanded world of the National Hockey League, Nash is one of the young stars that make the game so exciting to watch.  You could make a credible argument that Nash is an NHL superstar.

You would have to work awfully hard to convince me that Nash, or Heatley or Datsyuk or Roberto Luongo, are true superstars.  They do not transcend the game of hockey.  Within the hockey world, they are larger-than-life.  Outside of those cozy borders, they would be lost, unrecognizable to the average person walking down the street of any American city.  For that matter, the majority of non-hockey fans in Canada wouldn’t recognize them either.

Put Ovechkin or Crosby in downtown Manhattan (without the Zamboni in Ovechkin’s case), or on Manhattan Beach in Southern California, or in surburban St. Louis or at the Steak ‘n Shake in Battle Creek, Michigan, and most likely both of these dudes would be recognized.

For a variety of reasons, Ovechkin and Crosby are currently bigger than the game of hockey.

That doesn’t mean they’re better or smarter.  That doesn’t mean we should all bow down and praise them (though maybe we should for all the attention they bring to the game).  That doesn’t mean that their opinons are sacrosanct.  So before the mouthbreathing bloggers of the cyberworld get their shorts all in a knot, keep this sobering thought in mind.  Most likely your favourite player is a nobody outside of the world of hockey.  That’s not the case with Ovechkin and Crosby.

Why these two?  Well, we’ve already listed awesome on-ice talent as one major factor, but they have to have more than that.  Both young men have been marketed very successfully, in particular Crosby, who became the face of the NHL as it emerged from the 2004-05 lockout.

Ovechkin basically elbowed his way onto the marquee, and his fun-loving flair that he paints everything he touches with cannot be denied.

The camera likes both of these guys, for different reasons.  The media likes both of these guys, for different reasons.  Hockey fans are drawn to these two guys, for different reasons.  Love them or hate them, you’re talking about them.

Thus it comes as no real surprise that the sports media sought out Crosby and Ovechkin to get their opinions on the recent firing of NHLPA head Paul Kelly.  Some hockey fans ridiculed the need to ask these two particular players their personal opinions.  Where did they get off thinking they were bigger and better than the game?

Well, they don’t think that.  Neither player put out a press release saying “come and talk to me about Paul Kelly”.  It was only natural for the media to beat a path to their doors, because when these two young men speak, people listen.

Much like when a young Wayne Gretzky, after another blowout win over the woeful New Jersey Devils, called the Devils a Mickey Mouse organization.  No truth to the rumour that’s what got Michael Eisner interested in hockey.

Much like when a younger Mario Lemieux, tired of carrying a couple of clutching-and-grabbing defencemen on his back almost every time he broke into the offensive zone, openly questioned the NHL about their lack of enforcement of their own rule book.

The hockey, and sports world, listened.  And yes, some people complained then that Gretzky and Lemieux should just shut up and play the game.  What makes these whippersnappers think they’re bigger than the game?

(There are reactionaries everywhere).

Both players were right. Bang on.  And both were right to speak out.

So when Ovechkin tells espn.com that even if the NHL decides not to participate in the 2014 Winter Olympics, he still plans to go…well folks, that’s news.  Washington Capitals’ owner Ted Leonsis, one of the more progressive owners in the league, did his best to downplay the comments, but the desired effect was already achieved.  It got people, and no doubt the players, thinking about the issue.

Once again, Ovechkin elbowed his way in.

With all due respect, Dany Heatley does not have that same ability.  Nor has he asked for it; if anything, he seems rather happy not to be in the spotlight.  Ovechkin craves it, while Crosby understands he’s been thrust into it since an early age.  Both men handle the spotlight differently, and they handle it well.

Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are the only two true superstars in the league today.  Now what remains to be seen is if they can transcend North American popular culture.  Arguably, only two NHL players have ever reached those lofty heights.

Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky.

Particularly Wayne Gretzky.  The Great One is still the face of hockey for most of the world.

We tend to throw around words carelessly.  The word great has been mostly stripped of its power.  Anyone that is in the public eye is a star.  In the sports media, we have also devalued the word superstar.  I am trying to reclaim it for those few worthy enough to wear the crown.

Ovechkin and Crosby.

If you don’t like it, deal with it.  You might want to start by shunning all popular media in North America.  No doubt you’ll be seeing the faces of these two men plastered all over television, and magazines, and posters, and websites for the better part of the next decade.

- Mick Kern

Ohh man.  This week, Eric Gage and Mick Kern discuss the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, with Eric making the contention that Sidney Crosby is now The King of The World.  They also talk about marketing the NHL in the aftermath of Game Seven, how Wayne Gretzky transcended the game of hockey, and female names that begin with the letter J.   A little Ozark Mountain Daredevils will do the trick, only on The One Percentile Podcast.  Now available on itunes in Canada and certain parts of Belgium.

The sweetest words to a hockey fan?

Game Seven.

Even better than that?

Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final.

Thanks to the Penguins edging the Red Wings 2-1 on Tuesday night, we’re headed back to Detroit for just such a scenario this Friday evening; a scenario that’s only happened fourteen previous times in the long history of the National Hockey League.

Strangely enough, having a Game Seven in the Cup Final has been a rather common occurrence since the turn of the century.

The Avalanche beat the Devils in 2001, the Devils topped the Mighty Ducks in 2003, the Lightning outlasted the Flames in 2004, and the Hurricanes edged the Oilers in 2006.

Of those four series, Carolina’s first Cup win was not only an exciting series, it was a riveting Game Seven.  The underdog Oilers, an 8th seed, fell a few inches short of upending the 2nd seed Hurricanes, falling 3-1 in Game Seven.

Tampa Bay and Calgary played an intense Cup Final, though during the dead puck era, once a team established a lead in a game that series, the other team was unable to mount a comeback, so that somewhat negated the entertainment value of that pairing, though Lightning fans would differ with that opinion.

One of the best Game Seven’s was the now-legendary match between the hometown New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks in 1994.  New York had a 3-1 lead in that series, only to watch the Trevor Linden and the Canucks claw their way back into things, before falling 3-2 in a tight Game Seven on Madison Square Garden ice.  It would be the only Game Seven in the Stanley Cup Final during the 1990’s.

The run-and-gun 1980’s also featured only one Game Seven in the big show, the 1987 clash between the Edmonton Oilers and the Philadelphia Flyers.  This series tracked much like the Rangers-Canucks tilt, with Mike Keenan’s Flyers forcing a deciding game after being down 3-1 to the high flying Oilers.  Wayne Gretzky and crew took Game Seven at home 3-1, winning their third Cup in four years, and their second Final series victory over Philly.  It was a memorable moment when Gretzky held the Cup high, and then passed it to defenceman Steve Smith, who a year earlier had scored an own-goal on Grant Fuhr during the third period of their series deciding game with bitter rivals the Calgary Flames.

Before that, you have to go way back to 1971, the last year Jean Beliveau played in the NHL, to find another Stanley Cup Final Game Seven.  That season, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, and the Big Bad Bruins bashed and crashed their way to an impressive regular-season record, and were looking to defend their 1970 Cup crown.  The trouble was, they took the Montreal Canadiens a tad too lightly, and found themselves on the losing end in the first round.  The Habs, anchored by rookie goaltending sensation Ken Dryden, got by the Minnesota North Stars in six games, and then faced Bobby Hull and the mighty Chicago Black Hawks.

This series was a homer series for the first six-and-a-half games.  Chicago had home-ice advantage, and capitalized on it, taking the first two games.  Montreal responded with a couple of wins back on Forum ice.  Game Five in Chicago went to Chicago.  Game Six in Montreal went to Montreal.

Which set up Game Seven, in Chicago, for all the marbles.  The Black Hawks were nursing a 2-0 lead when Jacques Lemaire fired a slapshot, from about centre ice, towards goalie Tony Esposito.  Maybe he didn’t have his contacts in that game, as the shot eluded him, and provided Montreal with the sliver of hope they needed.  Captain Henri Richard took care of the rest, scoring two goals as Montreal upset Chicago 3-2.  Frank and Peter Mahovlich played together on the same NHL team for the first time in their career that season, and they combined for nine goals during those seven games.

The 1960’s had two Game Sevens in the Cup Final; Montreal over Chicago in 1965 (Gump Worsley finally wins a Cup), and Toronto over Detroit in 1964, the third Cup in-a-row for Punch Imlach and his Maple Leafs.

The 1950’s featured two dynasty’s, Detroit and Montreal, and fittingly, they were both involved in two Game Seven’s in the Cup Final that decade.

Detroit edged the Canadiens in seven in 1955, in what would be the Red Wings’ last Stanley Cup victory until 42 years later, when Steve Yzerman hoisted the mug in 1997.

It was the year before, in 1954, a Detroit Cup win in seven over the Habs, which remains notable because the deciding game went into overtime, only the second time in NHL history that has occurred.

Tony Leswick shot the puck towards the Canadiens net.  All-Star defenceman Doug Harvey went to knock it down with his glove…and ended up redirecting it into the net past Jacques Plante.  Would love to have known what was said in the Montreal dressing room after that gaffe.  Apparently not all that much, as the core of that team would go on to win five straight Stanley Cups from 1956 to 1960, a record that may never be broken.

Detroit was also involved in the other Game Seven in the Cup Final during the 50’s, right at the beginning of the new decade.  This time, (without Gordie Howe, who missed most of the playoffs due to a serious injury) they beat the hard-luck New York Rangers 4-3 in the deciding game, in overtime, on a Pete Babando goal in the second extra period.  It was the Rangers’ first Stanley Cup Final appearance since their Cup win in 1940, and they wouldn’t get back to the Final again until 1972, when they fell to the Bruins in six games.

The 1940’s was the time of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and they took both Game Seven’s played in the Cup Final during that decade, and both times, they upended the Red Wings, in 1945 and 1942.  Rookie Leaf netminder Frank McCool (only the greatest goalie name ever) posted three shutouts that round.

As most hockey fans know, 1942 stands out because it was the only time in NHL history a team rallied from a 3-0 deficit in games, and came all the way back to win the next four, and the Stanley Cup, taking Game Seven 3-1.  The 1975 New York Islanders are the only other NHL team to win a series after losing the first three games, but that series victory against the Penguins was not in the Stanley Cup Final.

What’s not usually remembered is that the Maple Leafs finished higher in the regular-season standings than the Red Wings, who were below .500 that year.

Not all Game Seven’s have been exciting.  The New Jersey Devils’ 3-0 whitewash of the Anaheim still Mighty Ducks in 2003 was a snoozefest for all but New Jersey fans. 

The Detroit win in 1955, the Montreal win ten years later, and the New Jersey Cup in 2003 share in common the importance of home ice, as the visiting team failed to win a single game those three Final series.  No doubt Detroit looks to repeat that accomplishment Friday night.

Overall, of the fourteen Game Seven’s played in the Cup Final in NHL history, only two of them have gone into overtime.  We may be well overdue for another Game Seven OT thriller.

- Mick Kern

You know the details by now.  On Tuesday, former NHL’er Peter Zezel passed away, far, far too early. 

I met the man once, when he was booked to appear on “Live From Wayne Gretzky’s”.  I was working the technical board that afternoon, and Zezel walked into the booth at the front of the restaurant and introduced himself before the show.

Had a handshake like a vice grip.  Was a gentleman and a good guest, to boot.

Here in Toronto, his passing has resurrected memories of the Maple Leafs of the early 1990’s.  Zezel was a big part of that team.  Yet for me, he’ll always be a Philadelphia Flyer.

When I think back to those Mike Keenan-coached teams, I think of Rick Tocchet, Murray Craven, Scott Mellanby, and Peter Zezel first.  Don’t really know why, but those four guys struck me as the Young Guns of that squad.  That’s in no way a slight to sniper Tim Kerr, or Brian Propp, or one of my favourite players of all-time, Dave Poulin.  And, but of course, the anchor of that 1987 team, the crazy man in net, Ron Hextall.

As we sit here, maybe a day away from a Pittsburgh Penguins-Detroit Red Wings rematch in the Stanley Cup Final, it brings back some memories of Finals from the 80’s.  The last two teams to do the rematch back-to-back dance were the Oilers and Islanders, in 1983 and 1984.  Yet the Oilers also went twice with the Flyers, in 1985 and then in 1987.

It was the ‘87 Flyers team that intrigues me the most.  I have never been a fan of the franchise, but have always respected them.  That year, Philly fell behind three-games-to-one to the heavily favoured Oilers, who were looking to take back the Cup, after faltering against Calgary the year earlier.

Somehow, the young Flyers willed themselves back into that series.  Maybe it was Keenan uncrating the Stanley Cup before the game, and placing in the centre of the dressing room.  Maybe it was a young team that had been there two years earlier and had come up a bit short, looking to right that wrong.  For whatever reason, the Flyers refused to bow down to the mighty Oilers.

May 31st of that year, Game Seven was played.  My roommate at the time was hosting a pre-wedding party for a lawyer buddy of his, one in which spouses were invited, so it wasn’t a boys-only stag.  There would be no TV on during the party.

Not knowing the wedding party, I retired to my room and fired up the old black-and-white Consumer’s Distributing TV set I had bought brand new for 75 bucks.  As the first period progressed, one-by-one the guys attending the party all found an excuse to tiptoe over to my door, and inquire about the score. 

To a man, each guy was pulling for the Flyers.  Not one of them were Philly fans.  Yet not one of them had anything against Edmonton.  And, it wasn’t the same old same old about cheering for the underdog.  No, the motivation ran deeper than that.

Each guy there that night was pulling for the Flyers, because each guy knew the Edmonton Oilers were a dynasty for the ages, the Steve Smith own-goal from 1986 be damned.  This Oiler squad, with their embarrassment of roster riches, would be talked about for decades to come.  They already had two Stanley Cups to their name, and only the Hockey Gods knew how many more times Edmonton would carve their name on the side of the chalice.  It’s not like they were going to go and trade Wayne Gretzky or something.

We all recognized that the Flyers stood one game away from doing the impossible, stopping the unstoppable object.  And, as the Hockey Gods would have it, it indeed proved to be impossible.

The Flyers fell 3-1 that night.  The score was close, and Philadelphia played well, but as the game progressed, every guy in that by now cramped room knew that the Oilers were not going to let the Cup elude their grasp for a second straight year.

After the game, everyone returned to the wedding soiree, the atmosphere a little glum.  A motley collection of Habs, Jets and Leafs fans all felt an opportunity had been squandered.  The juggernaut Oilers had slain an impressive collection of young Flyers.  If they could do that to that team, what chance did our respective teams have?

Peter Zezel played in 25 games that spring, scoring 3 goals and adding 10 assists.  His O-Pee-Chee hockey card made mention of the fact he played soccer as a kid, the reason he was so good with the puck around his feet.

The kid from Toronto would go on to suit up for the Blues (twice), Capitals, Maple Leafs, Stars, Devils, and Canucks, yet it was his 4 1/2 seasons with the Flyers that remain fresh in my mind, in particular a warm spring night when anything seemed possible.

- Mick Kern