Though Mark Giordano had the counting numbers to legitimize his Norris Trophy candidacy last season, with 14 goals and 33 assists in 64 games, the crux of the argument in support was tied up in Calgary’s Corsi% splits. With Giordano on the ice last season at 5-on-5, Calgary controlled 53.4% of the play – the mark of an elite hockey team. With Mark Giordano off of the ice last season, Calgary controlled just 43.1% of the play – the mark of a lottery-bound hockey team. The difference isn’t anything we have seen since Corsi% started being collected in the 2007-2008 season. To illustrate this, I went ahead and compiled the widest on-ice/off-ice Corsi% splits for defensemen over the last seven years. Relative Excellence Year Player Team Corsi% Corsi% Off RelativeCorsi% 2013-14 Mark Giordano Calgary 53.4% 43.1% +10.3% 2010-11 Dustin Byfuglien Winnipeg 54.3% 45.0% +9.3% 2013-14 T.J. Brodie Calgary 51.5% 43.3% +8.2% 2012-13 Christian Ehrhoff Buffalo 50.1% 42.1% +8.0% 2009-10 Carlo Colaiacovo St. Louis 56.8% 48.9% +7.9% 2012-13 Anton Stralman N.Y. Rangers 57.3% 49.6% +7.7% 2011-12 Alex Goligoski Dallas 54.3% 46.8% +7.5% 2010-11 Lubomir Visnovsky Anaheim 48.9% 41.4% +7.5% 2013-14 Matt Niskanen Pittsburgh 53.4% 46.1% +7.3% 2013-14 Marc-Edouard Vlasic San Jose 58.2% 51.1% +7.1% These players are sorted by differential (or RelativeCorsi%), so at least in the hockey analytics era, Giordano’s performance is without parallel. It’s also worth noting that frequent defence partner T.J. Brodie – who Calgary just locked up on a team-friendly five-year deal – is also on the list. The data speaks quite well of how impactful the players are relative to their team’s performance when they are on the ice, but it also speaks to how poorly the teams perform when they are off of the ice. This point is one that shouldn’t be lost. If last year’s Flames team had ample depth that pulled their weight when Giordano was taking a breather, Giordano would have never appeared on this list. The disparity is just as much Giordano’s dominance as it was Calgary’s futility. This is precisely the reason why you don’t see elite possession guys like Drew Doughty, or Nicklas Lidstrom, or Zdeno Chara in the above group. They always drove play favourably, but also had competent teammates that pulled their weight when they were off the ice. This gets into Calgary’s bigger issue – a stunning lack of depth at the NHL-level away from the players assigned to handle tough opponents. To Calgary’s credit, it’s a problem they’ve identified, though I don’t know if they’ve went about addressing it in the best manner possible. They signed Deryk Engelland and Raphael Diaz in the off-season, and traded for Ladislav Smid a few months prior. Kris Russell, who feels something of a Flames veteran by current standards, has logged all of 76 games with the team and he’s another player also acquired via trade, in the summer of 2013. Dennis Wideman’s best years are behind him now, but I’m sure the team still sees him as a serviceable back-end guy who can give them twenty minutes a night. To test if there’s been any improvement early this year from the run of blue-line changes, we can pull out Corsi% again for Calgary with Mark Giordano on the ice v. Mark Giordano off of the ice. With or Without Giordano Status CorsiFor CorsiAgainst Corsi% Giordano On-Ice 116 115 50.2% Giordano Off-Ice 173 290 37.4% As a quick reminder here, Calgary’s Corsi% with Giordano off of the ice last season was 43.1% -- a ‘we are quite interested in the upcoming draft lottery’ sort of number. This year, it’s down to a pitiful 37.4%. Though it’s only been eight games, I find it hard to legitimize a small sample size argument from this set of data, if only because it’s just a continuation of what we witnessed all of last season. What’s interesting about Calgary is troubleshooting the team’s issues isn’t a particularly difficult task. The team glaringly lacks depth and competency, but does have a small group of fantastic players who seem to engage in playoff-caliber hockey when they are on the ice. That’s more than you can say for some of the teams who already hold a vested interest in the upcoming draft lottery. It might be in Calgary’s best interest to let the anchors drag the team down, putting them in a position to bid for one of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, or Noah Hanifin. The point of interest here is seeing whether or not the majority of Calgary’s lineup – which is emphatically poor – can drag down a small group of excellent players and a decent duo in net between Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo. It’s a fascinating internal battle, and ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see how the Calgary management group handles this going forward – especially if they’re considerably outside of a playoff position come the trade deadline. Tramaine Brock Jersey . 1 Pete Sampras. Speaking ahead of an exhibition match against Andre Agassi in London on March 3, Sampras said on a conference call Wednesday that he is impressed by Federers longevity. DaeSean Hamilton Jersey . The 17-year-old had four goals and four assists in 38 games for Liberec in the Czech pro league this past season. Zacha had three goals and two assists in seven games at the world mens under-18 championship in April when the Czech Republic took the silver medal. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/You...roncos-Jerseys/. They have homered once every 27.3 at bats, which just happens to be the third best mark in the American League, albeit just 10 games into the season. Isaac Yiadom Broncos Jersey . The Toronto Argonauts (11-7) look for an opportunity to repeat as CFL champions when they host the surging Hamilton Tiger-Cats (10-8) on Sunday. Marquette King Jersey . Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stood tall with 41 saves between the pipes, but it was defenceman Ryan McDonagh who got the first star of the game as he had a goal and an assist and now has two goals and four assists for six points in two games.BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- The International Olympic Committee went for a familiar, trusted host, selecting Tokyo for the 2020 Games and signalling that playing it safe was preferable to more risky picks like Sochi and Rio. With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reassuring IOC members on the Fukushima nuclear crisis, Tokyo defeated Istanbul 60-36 Saturday in the final round of secret voting. Madrid was eliminated earlier after an initial tie with Istanbul. Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, billed itself as the "safe pair of hands" at a time of global political and economic turmoil -- a message that clearly resonated with the IOC. With Madrids bid dogged by questions over Spains economic crisis and Istanbul handicapped by political unrest and the civil war in neighbouring Syria, Tokyo offered the fewest risks. "The certainty was a crucial factor -- the certainty that they could deliver," IOC vice-president Craig Reedie of Britain said. The choice of Tokyo bucked the IOCs recent trend of taking chances on host cities -- Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Winter Games, Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics and Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the 2018 Winter Games. Preparations for Sochi have been overshadowed by cost overruns, a record $51 billion budget, security worries and an international outcry over Russias anti-gay legislation. There are mounting concerns among the IOC over construction delays in Rio. The IOCs desire for a reliable, dependable host in 2020 was a crucial factor for Tokyo. "For better or worse, we picked Sochi followed by Rio followed by Pyeongchang," Canadian member Dick Pound said. "Maybe we need to say, All right, whether its the most exciting city in the world or not, they will deliver." Tokyo had been on the defensive in the final days of the campaign because of mounting concerns over the leak of radioactive water from the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. In the final presentation, Abe gave the IOC assurances that the Fukushima leak was not a threat to Tokyo and took personal responsibility for keeping the games safe. "Let me assure you the situation is under control," Abe said. "It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo." Abe gave further assurances when pressed on the issue by Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg. "It poses no problem whatsoever," Abe said in Japanese, adding that the contamination was limited to a small area and had been "completely blocked." "There are no health-related problems until now, nor will there be in the future," he said. "I make the statement to you in the most emphatic and unequivocal way." IOC members said Abes answers were critical and helped dispel any doubts. "People wanted to hear it and needed to hear it," Pound said. "And he delivered on that. I think that was a real knockout answer." Tokyo Electric Power Co., Fukushimas operator, has acknowledged that tons of radioactive water has been seeping into the Pacific from the plant for more than two years after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami led to meltdowns at three of its reactors. Recent leaks from tanks storing radioacttive water used to cool the reactors have added to fears that the amount of contaminated water is getting out of hand.dddddddddddd Tokyos bid benefited from Japans large economy and link to Olympic sponsors. Asia offers a huge market for the IOC. "There are a lot of commercial advantages for the IOC going to a country with the third-biggest GDP," Australian member John Coates said. "And then compare that to the economic uncertainty facing Spain and the political unrest that Istanbul experienced a few months ago and more particularly the unrest at the Middle East at the moment. "The IOC, weve taken the safe bet." Tokyo delegates in the hall screamed with joy, jumped in the air, hugged and waved small flags after Rogge opened a sealed envelope and read the words: "The International Olympic Committee has the honour of announcing that the games of the 32nd Olympiad in 2020 are awarded to the city of Tokyo." Even though it was 5 a.m. Sunday in Japan, about 1,200 dignitaries and Olympic athletes who crowded into a convention hall in downtown Tokyo celebrated the news. Cheers of "Banzai!" filled the hall when the announcement was made. In Istanbuls old city, a groan went through a gathering of hundreds of people. In the first round, Istanbul and Madrid tied with 26 votes each. Tokyo had 42 votes, six short of a winning a majority. Istanbul then beat Madrid 49-45 in a tiebreak to advance to the final, which Tokyo won easily. After Madrid lost the tiebreak, a deathly hush fell over a crowd that had assembled in the Spanish capitals Puerta de Alcala square and the music stopped. "I am in shock," said Marta Castro, a housewife in the square. "I thought that it was a tiebreaker to see which city won and it turns out that it was to see which lost, and Madrid went out first. How sad! I hadnt imagined it." In their final presentations, Madrid made its case as the least-expensive option and Istanbul spoke of the historic opportunity to bring the Olympics to a predominantly Muslim country for the first time. Madrid, bidding for a third straight time, had seemed to have gained the most momentum in recent weeks despite Spains economic crisis and 27 per cent unemployment rate. The Madrid team claimed the games would pose no financial risk because most of the venues were already built. The Turkish delegation pressed its case of taking the games to a city linking the continents of Europe and Asia. With the civil war in Syria posing a major issue, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said selecting Turkey "will send a very meaningful and strong message, not only to the world, but to our broader region." "At this critical moment, we would like to send a strong message of peace to the whole world from Istanbul," Erdogan said. Madrid said 80 per cent of its venues were ready and only $1.9 billion was needed for construction, a fraction of the other two bids. "Madrid has perhaps the most reasonable and responsible financial foundation in recent Olympic history," Spanish Prime Minster Mariano Rajoy said. "We can host the Olympics in 2020 with no risk to the Olympic movement." ' ' '