Captains

So lets take a look at the 12 team captains in the Western Conference:

Jonathan Toews (Chi) - Wills his mates. Plays to win every night. Makes those around him better and the opposition worse. Money in shootouts and on the dots. Dedicated. Determined. Winner.

Shane Doan (Pho) - Not the player he once was but; Physical. Even-toned voice in room. Likes to win.

Joe Thornton (SJ) - The opposite of Captain Serious as far as demeanor. Likes to enjoy the process. Premium setup man. Playoff grit questioned in past. When he digs in, they win.

Mikko Koivu (Min) - The Wild's best player. Touches every aspect of the game. Covers teammates imperfections

Ryan Getzlaf (Ana) - As he goes, Ducks go. Not a great face off man but is consistently physical and has wonderfully soft hands for setting teammates up.

Henrik Sedin (Van) - The Playmaking twin. Unfair, as he has his brother to aid him - always, and forever.

David Backes (Stl) - Big bruising center who draws head to head assignments. Hitch pushing him to push others. Nasty night for opposing centers.

Shea Weber (Nsh) - The Preds best player by a mile. He logs tough minutes and owns a frightening shot. Type of captain who has mates backs, but right now he doesn't have much to lead.

Dustin Brown (LA) - Too much of a phony and predatory hitter for my liking. Was terrific for Kings during their run to Cup in Spring. Dropped F-bomb on live TV after Cup clinching win - which was both endearing and dumb.

Henrik Zetterberg (Det) - Tough to takeover the 'C' from a guy like Lidstrom. Just starting tenure with rebuilding Wings. Detroit's head coach would make a great captain.

Gabriel Landeskog (Col) - Youngest captain in NHL history. Unfair to give him 'C'' with very little quality veteran leadership around him but I get sense he'll be a really good one in short order.

Shawn Horcoff (Edm) - Time for Oilers to pass it on to next gen.

Great captains set an example, establish a level of expectation, and are unwavering in doing both.

NEW YORK -- Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Brown has been suspended for two games, without pay, for elbowing Minnesota Wild forward Jason Pominville during NHL Game No. 688 in Minnesota on Tuesday, April 23, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Brown will forfeit $34,324.32. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The incident occurred at 10:04 of the second period. No penalty was assessed on the play.

For a full explanation of the decision, complete with video, please click on the following link: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/con...d=60&id=242240.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday that Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby is expected to seek medical clearance this week to resume playing.

Crosby has been out of the lineup since breaking his jaw when he was hit in the face by a deflected puck during a game March 30.

Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby
Center - PIT
GOALS: 15 | ASST: 41 | PTS: 56
SOG: 124 | +/-: 26
According to the newspaper report, Crosby is expected to meet with doctors Thursday or Friday to seek permission to play again. His return, though, likely won't be until Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Penguins, who have clinched the Atlantic Division and top seed in the Eastern Conference, have two regular-season games remaining -- Thursday at the New Jersey Devils and Saturday at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Crosby has been skating with a few other injured teammates, but has yet to go through a full practice since getting hurt. He's been skating with extra protection for his jaw, which is expected to remain part of his equipment whenever he returns to playing.

When Crosby left the lineup, he led the League with 56 points in 36 games. It took until Wednesday for him to be passed in the scoring race by Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning; he's now tied for second with the Lightning's Steven Stamkos, two points behind St. Louis