NHL Central

It seems there is some confusion about the current state of health of Red Wing hockey hero Gordie Howe.

Clarification was reported yesterday to ensure that Howe's fans knew the truth. 

The Chicago Blackhawks left Western Canada on a less than positive note for the second time this season. As they did in November, the 'Hawks dropped three straight games to Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.

Every team approaches the new season differently. With All-Star festivities wrapping up last weekend, the NHL season is now well past its half-way point—many teams who were picked for great things before the first game have failed to live up to expectations.

In a year in which seemingly every team can make a run for a play-off spot, there are a handful of teams who have managed to anchor themselves in the bottom-feeder club.

Here's a look at the NHL's most poorly managed franchises:   

What a year the Blues are having. After starting out the season 6-7, the team has stormed back with a 23-6-7 record since Ken Hitchcock took the helm. The Blues have the lowest allowed shots per game, and the fourth best point percentage. All of these statistics are a huge improvement for the team. However, the team needs to keep working in order to stay the course for the playoffs, and needs to be active in order to have a chance at Lord Stanley's Cup.

The All-Star break marks the beginning of the end of the NHL's regular season.

With most teams having already played 50 games, the remaining schedule becomes even more important for every club with hopes of making the postseason. With so many teams having a statistical possibility of making the playoffs, this point in the season is the most competitive of the year.

No one has clinched, no one has been eliminated, and yet every team is running out of race track.

Patrick Kane delivered a goal for the ages on Saturday night, courtesy of the NHL All-Star Skills Competition.

The Chicago Blackhawks star was taking part in the Breakaway Challenge, giving the league's best scorers the chance to show off what they can do one-on-one against the goalie. 

The NHL All-Star Media day in Ottawa on Friday was a great opportunity to hear the All-Stars voice their feelings on how happy they were to be playing and participating in the weekend.

Jimmy Howard was no different in his tone.

The NHL All-Star break is upon us. It is another checkpoint in the season that is ideal to gaze into our collective crystal balls and predict how the season will turn out.

This is particularly challenging in the Western Conference, where the top six teams are within two games of one another. Adding to the difficulty, four of those teams are in the Central Division.

Translation: A single point could separate someone from a division title and a sixth seed.

There has been a lot of criticism towards Patrick Kane as of late. Most of it is coming as Kane is currently in one of the worst slumps of his NHL career.

Fans have speculated that Kane could be traded for a player with more "grit" and more "determination." But the simple truth is Kane is an elite player in his own way, and many teams would love to have the abilities that he brings to the table.

Earlier this week, the NHL announced the roster for this year's All-Star Game. The goalies making the trip to Ottawa are as follows:

- Brian Elliott (Blues)

- Jimmy Howard (Red Wings)

- Henrik Lundqvist (Rangers)

- Carey Price (Canadiens)