The Club | The draw in tennis, the value of Artturi Lehkonen and the absence of Milos Raonic

Here is our latest batch of answers. Send us our next questions.

Why dip?

What is the reason for a draw in tennis? Why not oppose the best seed in each part of the table to the lowest ranked? This would avoid an imbalance like that of Roland-Garros this year.

Pierre St Germain

Response from Katherine Harvey-Pinard:

To answer your questions, I called on Eugène Lapierre, senior vice-president, professional tennis in Quebec, at Tennis Canada. “With its traditional drawing of lots, we can say that tennis is rather democratic in the way it establishes the eliminatory table of players for a tournament, he explains. That said, we still try that the best ranked do not compete from the start. That’s why we draw up a list of favorites (or seeds), the most likely to win the tournament according to their ranking.

“In a Grand Slam tournament of 128 participants, there are 32 favourites. Democracy really begins when all the favorites are placed. This is where we put all the other participants in a hat and, by drawing, we fill all the remaining rows of the table from top to bottom. We therefore consider that from a certain point on, the classification has its limits and we want to give the same chances to everyone. By only following the top-ranked vs. bottom-ranked method, players from the qualifiers and those who earned a bye would still compete against the tops of the tournament. Mid-pack participants would still play against each other. The method adopted in tennis breathes all that… and creates a joyful suspense with each draw. Long live the democracy of tennis! »

Where was Lehkonen?

Watching Artturi Lehkonen on the Avalanche’s first power play unit, I can’t help but think about the role he’s had for so long in Montreal: support player and penalty killer. Is he the modern version of Superman, who found his hero uniform after his day’s work? Is the CH a specialist in not exploiting the offensive potential of certain members of its staff?

Jean-Francois L’Heureux

Response from Guillaume Lefrancois:

Your hypothesis has often been raised, especially in reaction to Phillip Danault, who blew up his personal mark (13 goals) by scoring 27 goals this season. Note, however, that in terms of points, his average per game (0.65) was similar to that of his two best seasons in Montreal. Moreover, for every player who explodes elsewhere, there are opposite cases, Tomas Tatar and Max Domi, for example.

As for Lehkonen, he was missing so many chances that you had to have faith to believe in a real attacking potential. From 2017-18 to 2020-21, he scored on 7.7% of his shots. Of the 179 NHL forwards who played at least 200 games during that span, it was 171^e. In his first three years, he was also entitled to time on the power play, but there too, his points ratio per 60 minutes of play placed him at 240^e rank out of 247 forwards (source: Natural Stat Trick).

Lehkonen’s offensive awakening, however, began before he arrived in Denver. In his last 20 games in Montreal, he had 8 goals and 6 assists for 14 points. What was his playoff record? 8 goals and 6 assists in 20 games. That’s why Lehkonen has earned Kent Hughes an interesting return.

The Cup on the road

Is the Stanley Cup that walks around all summer the real cup or a fake? How many rings does the champion team provide and how much does a ring cost?

Marie Therese Pelletier

Response from Guillaume Lefrancois:

The cup that landed in Roberval this summer is the same as the one the players carry around on the ice, confirms the Hockey Hall of Fame. However, the original bowl was removed and replaced in the late 1960s. It remains in the Hall of Fame at all times.

As for the rings, their number is up to the owner of the team, unlike the names on the cup, where space is limited. In 2019, the Blues offered 139, while the 2020 Lightning ordered around 300, but it’s unclear if the 300 were the same, or if there were “economy” versions. Especially since, according to The Athletic, the retail price of these rings was $66,000. It is doubtful that the owner of the Lightning has invested 20 million dollars for jewelry, all the more so in the heart of the pandemic!

Where is Milos?

Did Mr. Raonic retire due to injuries?

Jean-Careau

Response from Nicholas Richard:

Officially, Milos Raonic is not retired. It is currently 330^e in the ATP rankings. On the other hand, it is true that his situation is worrying. Raonic has not played since his elimination in the round of 16 at the Atlanta tournament in July 2021. He has never been spared from injury and according to the latest reports, he is still working to return to the game in healthy.