I guess in honor of Cyber Monday, the NHL wanted to get in on the action and two coaches were upgraded/replaced. The Capitals and Hurricanes have no one to blame for their coaches firing other than their lackluster efforts.
Rumors have been circulating for weeks that Bruce Boudreau of the Capitals could be on his way out the door and last night the rumblings became louder than a training rolling into the station. It was only a matter of hours before he was a goner. Dale Hunter, former Capital who has his number in the rafters of the Verizon Center, has taken over the reigns. For the past ten years he worked in the juniors and it seems on the surface he should right at home. He's inherited a team loaded with talented players who on paper should never lose, yet managed a 5-1 loss to the Sabres lineup that was ripped straight off the lineup card from the Amerks, their AHL team. When you have a lineup sporting the names of Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin and so forth, how do you lose to what is essentially an AHL squad?
Can Hunter light a fire under them and get Ovi and Semin to care again? Those are just 2 of the 3 million questions Hunter needs to begin to answer. He's used to dealing with teenagers and that's what the recent run of the Caps seems to have become: a locker room of teenagers that are very overpaid for their after-school jobs. They don't care and do the bare minimum required to keep their jobs. Ovi won't be traded, but Semin is the next to be on the sale block if the coaching change isn't enough, or if they don't respond to Hunter. The biggest issue against Hunter- he has no experience coaching close to this level. A bunch of 18 year olds are different. They are all trying to show off and get that one shot at the AHL/NHL; meanwhile these guys have been there, done that. They are already pros and won't drop lower than the AHL. Their contracts ensure they will get their millions regardless.
One side thought about the Capitals situation: Since Ovi was named the Captain, his play has suffered. Not everyone is cut out to be a Captain and guys in the past have given back the C to focus more on their own play. Not saying this is the solution, but maybe he needs to focus on himself and not have the added pressure of being Captain. Just my .02cents.
The Hurricanes couldn't let the Capitals have all the attention and fired head coach Paul Maurice and hired Kirk Muller in his place. The Hurricanes essentially asked for this to happen. They have been bringing up the end of the standings since the season commenced. Captain Eric Staal has been in a funk all season. Nothing about this team has been exciting, clearly another coaching change was in order. Best part: Maurice was fired for a second time by the same organization. Isn't there a reason you break up to being with? This was just a matter of time based on the history.
Surprised there wasn't a firing trifecta to be honest. Islanders head Coach Jack Caupuano should probably be thanking his lucky stars he can't get one healthy goalie for more than a game at a time because it takes the heat off the rest of the disaster ship that is the Islanders. Still, the plank is short and I don't see it holding on much longer.
It wasn't all coaching changes on Cyber Monday. Sidney Crosby was named first star for the week which shouldn't be all that surprising. In 4 games, he collected 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) and reminded the league why he's the best. At this pace he should be the points leader before the years out. He's already back up to an average of 20 minutes of playing time and making his mark on the season. If Crosby's return and a new coach doesn't wake Ovechkin up, I deem that his career is officially on the decline. At a whopping 26. Couldn't even try to hold on till 30 Ovi? It's ok. We will always have memories of your head floating around in lockers for that extra creepy commerical and that awesome tramp stamp tattoo.
Saturday I have come to realize is the day the most crazy stuff happens in hockey, so if you want to see a good fight, just wait for Saturday. It's a worldwide phenomenon. A Finnish team on Saturday amassed the most penalty minutes in a game and the KHL forgot to play hockey and just had line brawls and goalie fights all game.
Also James Neal decided he disliked Carey Price's goalie stick and broke it with a shot. Max Pacioretty, whose face meet the turnbuckle last season, decided to defend Price's stick with a nasty hit on Kris Letang, who was dripping blood from his broken nose. Letang on the hit, "Obviously, I had my nose broken and the doc put it in place, so I was ready to go". I've broken my nose and it's a kind of a biggie. It's dripping blood and aches like hell. Breathing is also next to impossible till it stops bleeding, but Letang came back and scored the game winner. NO BIG DEAL.
Finally December is almost here (yippee!!) and the cameras will be joining the Flyers and Rangers for their filming of 24/7. CAN NOT WAIT for this. Chris Pronger will be out for the next 4 weeks (will he miss the winter classic?) with knee surgery to fix something that has been bugging him. Meanwhile the Flyers have said he's out recently because of a virus. Knee injury or virus? Anywho, hopefully because of this we won't be seeing him as much on 24/7. No offense, I'm not sure I want to see him on tv screen up close and personal. Few hockey players are great looking but he's right down there on the bottom rungs. In fact the Flyers might be one of the worst looking teams collectively.
Max Talbot of the Flyers and Mike Rupp of the Rangers (both formally of the Penguins) will be participating for round two of 24/7. Talbot will be playing in his 3rd winter classic which earns him a new ugly Christmas sweater for this strange distinction. Catch a preview of the new series here. Can't wait to see if they are able to stifle us from the wisdom of Bryz!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
5:24
That's all it took for Sidney Crosby to remind the hockey world he's the ruler of their kingdom. 2 goals, 2 assists, just north of 15 minutes of ice time and 21 shifts. By next week he should have more points than Alex Ovechkin. And Ovi has 20 games on Sid.
He beat a rookie goalie, Anders Nilsson, who is now the trivia answer to whose life Crosby ruined his first NHL start. The Islanders make some truly baffling decisions since glass jaw DiPietro was "healthy" and on the bench for the show. Meanwhile Marc-Andre Fleury put on a goal tending clinic, stopping everything that came near him for his second shutout of the season.
If you need an article to read about the joyous occasion, just google Crosby. You'll find plenty. Avoid the Ottawa Citizen like the plague though. In an effort to cut costs, they hired a 12 year old to write their articles and fired the copy editor.
And because everything the Penguins do has to have some sort of symmetry to it, last night was no exception. Game tickets were printed in August and guess whose face was on it? Mario Lemieux made his debut post retirement against goalie Garth Snow (who happens to be the GM of the Islanders these days) and collected a goal and 2 assists (Sid managed to one up him with a second goal). Mario also asked that they make signs that say "Sid" for the fans to hold up as they did when he returned to the ice. And his dad Troy decided during the fathers trip to Florida last week (before Sid even saw the doctor) that he would hang around for the Islanders game before heading back to Canada.
I'm beginning to wonder if this was all a dream, like we were a human experiment of Inception and Sid was controlling us all, because it looked like he had never missed a shift, let alone a game.
He beat a rookie goalie, Anders Nilsson, who is now the trivia answer to whose life Crosby ruined his first NHL start. The Islanders make some truly baffling decisions since glass jaw DiPietro was "healthy" and on the bench for the show. Meanwhile Marc-Andre Fleury put on a goal tending clinic, stopping everything that came near him for his second shutout of the season.
If you need an article to read about the joyous occasion, just google Crosby. You'll find plenty. Avoid the Ottawa Citizen like the plague though. In an effort to cut costs, they hired a 12 year old to write their articles and fired the copy editor.
And because everything the Penguins do has to have some sort of symmetry to it, last night was no exception. Game tickets were printed in August and guess whose face was on it? Mario Lemieux made his debut post retirement against goalie Garth Snow (who happens to be the GM of the Islanders these days) and collected a goal and 2 assists (Sid managed to one up him with a second goal). Mario also asked that they make signs that say "Sid" for the fans to hold up as they did when he returned to the ice. And his dad Troy decided during the fathers trip to Florida last week (before Sid even saw the doctor) that he would hang around for the Islanders game before heading back to Canada.
I'm beginning to wonder if this was all a dream, like we were a human experiment of Inception and Sid was controlling us all, because it looked like he had never missed a shift, let alone a game.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Weekend Wrap Up
Lots has been happening in the hockey world and we'll get to them in a bit. First off, this Thursday is Turkey day (gobble gobble) and I'll be traveling back to NY to see my grandparents and co. As I work in retail, I'll be trekking back home while in my Turkey coma to get sleep for anyone who can justify sleeping outside my workplace for some "deal" that's just not that great. I'm not jealous (I've been asked at the register if I was one year since I looked miserable per a customer) and I am miserable, but believe me I'm far from jealous. I'm miserable because you ruined my holiday and forced me to wake up at the crack of dawn to deal with you. And I will continue to be miserable and uncaring towards you since my company throws out all complaints logged on Black Friday. You think your getting the deal of year, but really I am. Hehehe. Secondly, I am moving (yay) and have been packing and cleaning and have lots more to go. I'm being brutal (or attempting to) in my cleaning and packing and this is taking up majority of my time.
Onto hockey.
Sidney Crosby has been cleared for his first game. Oddly enough, I think this was the last of the easy steps. If you thought the media was all over him in the 10 months he hasn't played, they are just getting warmed up. No goal or assist tomorrow night and someone will question if he still IT. If he can still be THE best, but lets remember he's a human being not a robot (although you do sometimes wonder about that). He'll see probably 10-20 mins of ice time and they will tear him down as much as they've been building up his return. I almost want him to just pick up where he left off to just stick it to everyone. They also don't have a game Tuesday so that gives him a day off immediately and a chance to confer with his conference of doctors on how he's feeling. Have I ever said that this is going to be the new unofficial protocol for how teams handle concussions because it totally is.
Crosby and Malkin and Staal make up what is called the three-headed monster of centers in the league. The three-head monster of centers will be taking on the three-head goalie rotation of the Islanders. It can only be considered a monster if you look at their injury records. No team has ever been able to legitimately carry 3 goalies without being looked at like a nut, but technically they are a 4 goalie team now. The Islanders had to recall a goalie from the AHL since Rick DiPietro is the lone man standing (and we know he can't stand up for that long). Evgeni Nabokov is on the IR and Al Montoya is considered unfit to play. Do they have the Mary Poppins bag of goalies? 4 are currently on their NHL roster that has a 23 man limit. You do the math on that one!!
Puck Daddy had a headline the other day that read "Jeff Cater, Rick Nash still going down on the Columbus Titanic". You can read the story if you want to, but honestly the headline says it all. (And it's possibly the best headline in forever)
The Dallas Stars are quietly tearing up the Western Conference and got themselves an owner. Congrats kids. An owner is always helpful and he seems willing to spend some dough.
The Coyotes may not be the desert dogs next season since the NHL is holding firm that this season is the last they plan on owning the team, but Twitter superstar Paul Bissonnette scored his first NHL goal last night, and his mom was there to witness the event. Twitter star that he is, he took to his account following the game to thank everyone who kept him on their fantasy hockey team. And this is why he's a superstar. He keeps it all on perspective. The Coyotes are also holding firm on Kyle Turris and his sign or sit date of December 1. Turris might be calling Europe home soon.
Bryz gave his goalie stick to an 8 year old Winnipeg boy after warm ups and of course logic dictates he sits this game. So the fans that came to boo him, booed him while on the bench. Ouch. Even worse, the Jets won over the Flyers. Guess the lack of parks in Winnipeg means the Jets practice and ensure they play when they need to shut people up.
Back to some more cleaning and prepping for the Giants-Eagles showdown that will be taking place in my living room. I'm a Giants fan and my roommate is an Eagles fan. Should be a good one.
Onto hockey.
Sidney Crosby has been cleared for his first game. Oddly enough, I think this was the last of the easy steps. If you thought the media was all over him in the 10 months he hasn't played, they are just getting warmed up. No goal or assist tomorrow night and someone will question if he still IT. If he can still be THE best, but lets remember he's a human being not a robot (although you do sometimes wonder about that). He'll see probably 10-20 mins of ice time and they will tear him down as much as they've been building up his return. I almost want him to just pick up where he left off to just stick it to everyone. They also don't have a game Tuesday so that gives him a day off immediately and a chance to confer with his conference of doctors on how he's feeling. Have I ever said that this is going to be the new unofficial protocol for how teams handle concussions because it totally is.
Crosby and Malkin and Staal make up what is called the three-headed monster of centers in the league. The three-head monster of centers will be taking on the three-head goalie rotation of the Islanders. It can only be considered a monster if you look at their injury records. No team has ever been able to legitimately carry 3 goalies without being looked at like a nut, but technically they are a 4 goalie team now. The Islanders had to recall a goalie from the AHL since Rick DiPietro is the lone man standing (and we know he can't stand up for that long). Evgeni Nabokov is on the IR and Al Montoya is considered unfit to play. Do they have the Mary Poppins bag of goalies? 4 are currently on their NHL roster that has a 23 man limit. You do the math on that one!!
Puck Daddy had a headline the other day that read "Jeff Cater, Rick Nash still going down on the Columbus Titanic". You can read the story if you want to, but honestly the headline says it all. (And it's possibly the best headline in forever)
The Dallas Stars are quietly tearing up the Western Conference and got themselves an owner. Congrats kids. An owner is always helpful and he seems willing to spend some dough.
The Coyotes may not be the desert dogs next season since the NHL is holding firm that this season is the last they plan on owning the team, but Twitter superstar Paul Bissonnette scored his first NHL goal last night, and his mom was there to witness the event. Twitter star that he is, he took to his account following the game to thank everyone who kept him on their fantasy hockey team. And this is why he's a superstar. He keeps it all on perspective. The Coyotes are also holding firm on Kyle Turris and his sign or sit date of December 1. Turris might be calling Europe home soon.
Bryz gave his goalie stick to an 8 year old Winnipeg boy after warm ups and of course logic dictates he sits this game. So the fans that came to boo him, booed him while on the bench. Ouch. Even worse, the Jets won over the Flyers. Guess the lack of parks in Winnipeg means the Jets practice and ensure they play when they need to shut people up.
Back to some more cleaning and prepping for the Giants-Eagles showdown that will be taking place in my living room. I'm a Giants fan and my roommate is an Eagles fan. Should be a good one.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Twilight and Some Hockey Talk
In case you live under a rock, there's there mini-phenomenon called Twilight that began to sweep the nation a few years ago, first in book form and then in movie form. I read the books and enjoyed them and have slowly gotten around to seeing the movies (though I honestly can't recall if I saw the last one or not, which shows my level of commitment to this) but I would never camp outside a week before it opens to get tickets. In fact there's not much I'd camp outside for. My step-dad and I established it could be worth camping out for debt relief but when it comes to Black Friday specials and movie premieres, I just don't get it. I am just not that dedicated to anything that much.
This blog has some pictures and info about the camped out fans awaiting Twilight's latest premiere which is happening at the Nokia Theatre in LA. Incidentally the Staples Center is across the street and is home to the LA Kings, and the twi-hard fans feel hockey fans are in their way attending games while they make a tent city to see a movie. Um ok then.
The Penguins last night rebounded from what could have been a big lose into an epic winner in the 3rd period. It's rumored Aaron Asham fired up team before the 3rd. I'm not sure if he said would fight them each personally if they didn't step up or what, but Orpik, Malkin, Neal and Letang all decided to avoid the rash of Asham and each scored (to add to Staal and Dupuis' 1st and 2nd period goals) to win the game 6-3 over the Avalanche. Neal also continued his rockstar point streak to 17 points and a goal in every home game. Crosby who? Crosby still won't communicate with the media about his status and I'm trying to figure out why he didn't cut them off months ago. He was just feeding them like a drug dealer feeds his druggies. The media will still speculate on everything anyway so why bother giving them a soundbyte?
Last night I was at work doing an overnight and trying to figure out why every time I'd check my phone for the score, the battery was literally dying by the second. Turns out the latest update to NHL Game Center turned on my location services and it was constantly using my 3g and I can't use the app without location on anymore. Many other users already voiced their issues and anger so hopefully they fix this soon, as I know have to use the web to check league scores (unreal, since there's an app for that!!)
The GM's had a meeting in Toronto and many voiced concern over goalie protection. My head is spinning trying to understand how everyone is talking themselves in a circle and contradicting previous statements. What has been established is if something like the Lucic hit on Miller happens again there could be a suspension on that play. How can that be since the precedent was not set? Lucic smooth talked his way with the Hammer and said what he knew the principal wanted to hear like a perfect little boy. Read more here if you want to be more confused on the GM's stances.
Cool read on why hockey players should wear visors from The Score.
The Islanders revealed the worst kept jersey secret ever. I'm hoping tomorrow they hold a conference and say "April Fools!! Just kidding and we don't expect people to actually pay money for these, we just wanted to take some of the heat off the three-headed goalie rotation." I'm not even sure there's anything redeeming about these. It's the like Mets and Knicks decided to make a hockey jersey because they were bored in arts and crafts class.
Finally the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted 4 new players on Monday and as always, Down Goes Brown has their imagined take on the event. If your ever bored just go through their archives, you won't regret wasting your time. I promise.
This blog has some pictures and info about the camped out fans awaiting Twilight's latest premiere which is happening at the Nokia Theatre in LA. Incidentally the Staples Center is across the street and is home to the LA Kings, and the twi-hard fans feel hockey fans are in their way attending games while they make a tent city to see a movie. Um ok then.
The Penguins last night rebounded from what could have been a big lose into an epic winner in the 3rd period. It's rumored Aaron Asham fired up team before the 3rd. I'm not sure if he said would fight them each personally if they didn't step up or what, but Orpik, Malkin, Neal and Letang all decided to avoid the rash of Asham and each scored (to add to Staal and Dupuis' 1st and 2nd period goals) to win the game 6-3 over the Avalanche. Neal also continued his rockstar point streak to 17 points and a goal in every home game. Crosby who? Crosby still won't communicate with the media about his status and I'm trying to figure out why he didn't cut them off months ago. He was just feeding them like a drug dealer feeds his druggies. The media will still speculate on everything anyway so why bother giving them a soundbyte?
Last night I was at work doing an overnight and trying to figure out why every time I'd check my phone for the score, the battery was literally dying by the second. Turns out the latest update to NHL Game Center turned on my location services and it was constantly using my 3g and I can't use the app without location on anymore. Many other users already voiced their issues and anger so hopefully they fix this soon, as I know have to use the web to check league scores (unreal, since there's an app for that!!)
The GM's had a meeting in Toronto and many voiced concern over goalie protection. My head is spinning trying to understand how everyone is talking themselves in a circle and contradicting previous statements. What has been established is if something like the Lucic hit on Miller happens again there could be a suspension on that play. How can that be since the precedent was not set? Lucic smooth talked his way with the Hammer and said what he knew the principal wanted to hear like a perfect little boy. Read more here if you want to be more confused on the GM's stances.
Cool read on why hockey players should wear visors from The Score.
The Islanders revealed the worst kept jersey secret ever. I'm hoping tomorrow they hold a conference and say "April Fools!! Just kidding and we don't expect people to actually pay money for these, we just wanted to take some of the heat off the three-headed goalie rotation." I'm not even sure there's anything redeeming about these. It's the like Mets and Knicks decided to make a hockey jersey because they were bored in arts and crafts class.
Finally the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted 4 new players on Monday and as always, Down Goes Brown has their imagined take on the event. If your ever bored just go through their archives, you won't regret wasting your time. I promise.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Weekend Rage and a New Team in Miami?
Maybe since the holidays are approaching and more people are out and about, that traffic and just the general public has gotten nuts, but my rage levels are beginning to reach epic heights. Like the person sitting at the red light, with their right blinker on, with no traffic coming NOT TURNING. Or the idiot that pulls into the wrong lane in the wrong direction (the arrows on the ground I guess were guidelines, not the law). Or the person waiting for the green arrow to turn more green before making the elusive left turn that's impossible unless you go when you have that arrow. I had enough time from the light turning green and him not moving, and me noticing to remember I have a horn to honk. I NEVER use my horn. In fact I could easily be given a car with no horn and would probably never notice since I never use it.
To go along with my weekend rage, some hockey players felt they should get in on it. Like the Dallas Stars not appreciating the fact that ex-player James Neal scored on them 2 times Friday night while the Pens took the game to be number 1 in the league (for the night at least). Mr. October lives on. The Hurricanes took out their rage on the Pens Saturday night after being killed by the Rangers on Friday night. The first period of the Pens-Canes was a blood bath. Just minutes in you could see this was going to be a high penalty game as the first fight broke out minutes into it. Penguins got very angry in the 3rd and scored all the goals they could muster, but Canes were too angry to let this mean anything but they should score more goals. Poor Brent Johnson.
The worst of the rage came last night when Milan Lucic of the Bruins attempted to decapitate Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. Millers helmet goes flying and shockingly that's all. Miller had some choice words that he felt needed to be said so he stuck around to meet with the press to give his 2 cents. Watch it here. I wonder if Mr. Miller could explain just a bit more how he feels about this hit, because I'm not entirely sure if he was upset at all. WOW.
The NHL will be getting NFL film -style treatment coming to them thanks to the ever impressive Ross Greenburg, who is beyond bringing us 24/7 and Hard Knocks on HBO. He has joined NBC Sports to produce original programs that will allow fans more looks into their favorite hockey team, players and moments in the game. Greenburg has done some awesome stuff so hockey should be thankful for him.
Tomorrow the Hockey Hall of Fame will be inducting 4 people, one of which bears a famous last name. Mark Howe is the son of Mr. Hockey himself, the great Gordie Howe. Nicholas Cotsonika of Yahoo! Sports has a great write up on the younger Howe, and how he grew up with such a famous last name to be a great player in his own right.
Finally I must have missed the memo but as of yesterday the Florida Marlins baseball team died and from their ashes rose the Miami Marlins. Um ok. They are also sporting a new logo and about 1000 different colors to represent the culture and vibrancy of Miami. Right. What happened to the Florida Marlins again? Oh as part of the deal to get a new stadium, they agreed to become the Miami Marlins. Their colors are: black (boring), international orange (what?), sky blue (ahh I know this color!!), sun yellow (as opposed to sun blue?) and white (again,boring). In their first season they will also have 4 uniforms. A home, an away, an alternate and an alternate to their alternate. An alternate to the alternate? What the heck is going on? Personally this new logo makes me want to go find a street carnival more than hit up a baseball game. You can view it all here.
To go along with my weekend rage, some hockey players felt they should get in on it. Like the Dallas Stars not appreciating the fact that ex-player James Neal scored on them 2 times Friday night while the Pens took the game to be number 1 in the league (for the night at least). Mr. October lives on. The Hurricanes took out their rage on the Pens Saturday night after being killed by the Rangers on Friday night. The first period of the Pens-Canes was a blood bath. Just minutes in you could see this was going to be a high penalty game as the first fight broke out minutes into it. Penguins got very angry in the 3rd and scored all the goals they could muster, but Canes were too angry to let this mean anything but they should score more goals. Poor Brent Johnson.
The worst of the rage came last night when Milan Lucic of the Bruins attempted to decapitate Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. Millers helmet goes flying and shockingly that's all. Miller had some choice words that he felt needed to be said so he stuck around to meet with the press to give his 2 cents. Watch it here. I wonder if Mr. Miller could explain just a bit more how he feels about this hit, because I'm not entirely sure if he was upset at all. WOW.
The NHL will be getting NFL film -style treatment coming to them thanks to the ever impressive Ross Greenburg, who is beyond bringing us 24/7 and Hard Knocks on HBO. He has joined NBC Sports to produce original programs that will allow fans more looks into their favorite hockey team, players and moments in the game. Greenburg has done some awesome stuff so hockey should be thankful for him.
Tomorrow the Hockey Hall of Fame will be inducting 4 people, one of which bears a famous last name. Mark Howe is the son of Mr. Hockey himself, the great Gordie Howe. Nicholas Cotsonika of Yahoo! Sports has a great write up on the younger Howe, and how he grew up with such a famous last name to be a great player in his own right.
Finally I must have missed the memo but as of yesterday the Florida Marlins baseball team died and from their ashes rose the Miami Marlins. Um ok. They are also sporting a new logo and about 1000 different colors to represent the culture and vibrancy of Miami. Right. What happened to the Florida Marlins again? Oh as part of the deal to get a new stadium, they agreed to become the Miami Marlins. Their colors are: black (boring), international orange (what?), sky blue (ahh I know this color!!), sun yellow (as opposed to sun blue?) and white (again,boring). In their first season they will also have 4 uniforms. A home, an away, an alternate and an alternate to their alternate. An alternate to the alternate? What the heck is going on? Personally this new logo makes me want to go find a street carnival more than hit up a baseball game. You can view it all here.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Here's What We Know
1. Mark Letestu was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 4th round pick in the 2012 draft. Shero claims this has nothing to do with Sidney Crosby and Tyler Kennedy possibly getting ready to come back to the lineup. (All 3 are forwards)
2. Dustin Jeffery and Steve MacIntyre have been placed in conditioning assignments in Wilkes Barre. (Both are forwards)
3. Crosby refuses to speak to the media, while all the hockey media in North America is currently in Pittsburgh waiting to speak with him.
4. Dan Bylsma says today Crosby will not play in the next 2 games. Since when do we use numbers? Strange Disco Dan, very strange.
I have been saying for over a week now Crosby wouldn't play tomorrow nights game at home versus the Dallas Stars simply because its a back-to-back game with Saturdays being in Carolina. I don't seem them bringing him back till its a game followed by an off day or just practice because if he gets less minutes the second game of a back-to-back someone will maintain he's hurt in some way. The Penguins are far too smart to let this happen.
It seems like there's been a lot of roster space cleared this week and its all in the place where there is a log-jam, forwards. Don't read too far into it, but Shero would have held 7 draft picks without trading Letestu for one. He now has 8 in next years draft. Regardless of Letestu being a healthy scratch many nights this season, Shero doesn't trade away a healthy player like this unless he's got a log-jam. And if Crosby and Kennedy are ready to come back, it's a log-jam.
Speaking of healthy scratches, Paul Bissonnette is often one for the Phoenix Coyotes. He is also the heir apparent to the NHL's media guru position. Professor Paul has called his first two classes if Hockey 101 to session. Episode 1 Episode 2
The Washington Capitals didn't seem to respond to much from Coach Boudreau last season from what we saw on 24/7. This season he decided everyone would have to be accountable. Wow, what a concept. How do we make the players accountable? Punish them with bag skate practices when they play horrible games . Also take away minutes from players. Or not really. It really just depends on how you do the math.
Fylers goalie Bryz finally was able to speak to the media again (after a game of course since he's on lock down). This is about how he and the d-men are communicating better. “Oh, it’s wonderful. We’re starting to understand each other … from just the look.” The look? The look of what? Terror, happiness, love, sadness. Do they have that much time on the ice before needing to stop the puck that they can look into each other eyes? Such mysteries surround him....
Don't forget: 3 games is the Avalance in Pitt. It's also a televised game. Could this be the one? Do you think the media will ever leave Pitt or do you think they have bought the hotel out for the rest of the season, just in case?
2. Dustin Jeffery and Steve MacIntyre have been placed in conditioning assignments in Wilkes Barre. (Both are forwards)
3. Crosby refuses to speak to the media, while all the hockey media in North America is currently in Pittsburgh waiting to speak with him.
4. Dan Bylsma says today Crosby will not play in the next 2 games. Since when do we use numbers? Strange Disco Dan, very strange.
I have been saying for over a week now Crosby wouldn't play tomorrow nights game at home versus the Dallas Stars simply because its a back-to-back game with Saturdays being in Carolina. I don't seem them bringing him back till its a game followed by an off day or just practice because if he gets less minutes the second game of a back-to-back someone will maintain he's hurt in some way. The Penguins are far too smart to let this happen.
It seems like there's been a lot of roster space cleared this week and its all in the place where there is a log-jam, forwards. Don't read too far into it, but Shero would have held 7 draft picks without trading Letestu for one. He now has 8 in next years draft. Regardless of Letestu being a healthy scratch many nights this season, Shero doesn't trade away a healthy player like this unless he's got a log-jam. And if Crosby and Kennedy are ready to come back, it's a log-jam.
Speaking of healthy scratches, Paul Bissonnette is often one for the Phoenix Coyotes. He is also the heir apparent to the NHL's media guru position. Professor Paul has called his first two classes if Hockey 101 to session. Episode 1 Episode 2
The Washington Capitals didn't seem to respond to much from Coach Boudreau last season from what we saw on 24/7. This season he decided everyone would have to be accountable. Wow, what a concept. How do we make the players accountable? Punish them with bag skate practices when they play horrible games . Also take away minutes from players. Or not really. It really just depends on how you do the math.
Fylers goalie Bryz finally was able to speak to the media again (after a game of course since he's on lock down). This is about how he and the d-men are communicating better. “Oh, it’s wonderful. We’re starting to understand each other … from just the look.” The look? The look of what? Terror, happiness, love, sadness. Do they have that much time on the ice before needing to stop the puck that they can look into each other eyes? Such mysteries surround him....
Don't forget: 3 games is the Avalance in Pitt. It's also a televised game. Could this be the one? Do you think the media will ever leave Pitt or do you think they have bought the hotel out for the rest of the season, just in case?
Monday, November 7, 2011
This, that, and alot of Crosby yapping...
The web and the hockey world have been busy this weekend with teams throwing up baseball scores and possibility of Crosby returning soon reaching epic proportions. But first off, as I was on the Pens website, an ad for the Black Ice jersey was across the top and it's just ugly (for almost every team in the league). Who was the one who came up with this concept and which drunk executive signed off ? Really you think I'm going to pay $160 bucks for this? It looks like I took a magic marker and colored it in. If I ever catch a person wearing one, I'm totally stalking them for a picture. And maybe a reason for buying it.
Does it glow in the dark?
I'm still shocked Dan Bylsma hasn't blown a gasket over the "when will Sid return" questions. I wonder if he goes home and just screams really loud and then shoots pucks with his son all night to relieve the stress. I'd go nuts. Here is Coach's take today on his star players' absence. "We are not waiting for an epiphany to make a decision. He’s progressing. He’s going down that road. I’ll reiterate to you again, there is not a timetable or date right now that we know and you don’t. He’s continuing to practice with the team. He got back out there after the weekend. He’ll continue to practice with the team this week. There is no timetable."
Here's to believing that Sid will just skate out one night and take the first draw, with no warning. It's much more stealth mode. Also does anyone else detect the signs of annoyance from Bylsma or is it just me? Who could blame him really.
Mr. Superstitious himself had this to say about the rumor swirling about Friday being a possible date (11-11-11), "I’m superstitious, but I wouldn’t let that affect whether I came back that night or not. When I’m ready, I’ll be back as soon as I can – no matter what the date is." He talked a lot about how he wanted to come back already and how any game could possibly be the one. Like I said, stealth mode.
The Penguins walking wounded gained another member as Ben Lovejoy went down with a broken wrist Saturday and is wandering around life in a plaster cast. I wonder if the Penguins have a secret injured reserve minimum that just happens to rival a starting lineup, yet they are number 1 in the league. Are the Penguins the Hogwarts of the NHL? It seems like it's magical there and nothing ever seems to bother them. Only thing they seem to be missing is the spell to fix the injuries..
The Flyers and Bruins had some magic on their sides when they to attempt to one-up each other on Saturday night with their baseball-like scores. The Flyers attacked the Blue Jackets with 9 goals, by 8 different players. Good to know anyone can score when called upon. The Bruins dominated the Leafs while Tyler Seguin scored his first hat trick in a 7-0 shutout. I can't decide which is more impressive? 8 players scoring 9 goals (versatility) or a 19year old dominating his team.
While the Flyers and Bruins tried to be the biggest winner Saturday night, some fans on the Island were moved from their seats due to a burst water pipe. So about the new arena that was voted against this past summer....
And if Disco Dan starts to get frustrated with all the questions about Crosby, he can always try the technique of the KHL coach Andrei Nazarov. Fans started throwing plastic bottles so he threw hockey sticks. Sharp edged hockey sticks. He has been banned 2 games which is just enough time to figure out his next plan of attack. Literally.
And where the hell is the quote machine that is Ilya Bryzgalov? The Flyers media needs to loosen the strings a bit. I need someone to laugh at :)
Does it glow in the dark?
I'm still shocked Dan Bylsma hasn't blown a gasket over the "when will Sid return" questions. I wonder if he goes home and just screams really loud and then shoots pucks with his son all night to relieve the stress. I'd go nuts. Here is Coach's take today on his star players' absence. "We are not waiting for an epiphany to make a decision. He’s progressing. He’s going down that road. I’ll reiterate to you again, there is not a timetable or date right now that we know and you don’t. He’s continuing to practice with the team. He got back out there after the weekend. He’ll continue to practice with the team this week. There is no timetable."
Here's to believing that Sid will just skate out one night and take the first draw, with no warning. It's much more stealth mode. Also does anyone else detect the signs of annoyance from Bylsma or is it just me? Who could blame him really.
Mr. Superstitious himself had this to say about the rumor swirling about Friday being a possible date (11-11-11), "I’m superstitious, but I wouldn’t let that affect whether I came back that night or not. When I’m ready, I’ll be back as soon as I can – no matter what the date is." He talked a lot about how he wanted to come back already and how any game could possibly be the one. Like I said, stealth mode.
The Penguins walking wounded gained another member as Ben Lovejoy went down with a broken wrist Saturday and is wandering around life in a plaster cast. I wonder if the Penguins have a secret injured reserve minimum that just happens to rival a starting lineup, yet they are number 1 in the league. Are the Penguins the Hogwarts of the NHL? It seems like it's magical there and nothing ever seems to bother them. Only thing they seem to be missing is the spell to fix the injuries..
The Flyers and Bruins had some magic on their sides when they to attempt to one-up each other on Saturday night with their baseball-like scores. The Flyers attacked the Blue Jackets with 9 goals, by 8 different players. Good to know anyone can score when called upon. The Bruins dominated the Leafs while Tyler Seguin scored his first hat trick in a 7-0 shutout. I can't decide which is more impressive? 8 players scoring 9 goals (versatility) or a 19year old dominating his team.
While the Flyers and Bruins tried to be the biggest winner Saturday night, some fans on the Island were moved from their seats due to a burst water pipe. So about the new arena that was voted against this past summer....
And if Disco Dan starts to get frustrated with all the questions about Crosby, he can always try the technique of the KHL coach Andrei Nazarov. Fans started throwing plastic bottles so he threw hockey sticks. Sharp edged hockey sticks. He has been banned 2 games which is just enough time to figure out his next plan of attack. Literally.
And where the hell is the quote machine that is Ilya Bryzgalov? The Flyers media needs to loosen the strings a bit. I need someone to laugh at :)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Reading Rainbow Time
A few articles to pass the time while avoiding something that you really should be doing :)
Investigators believe the plane crash that killed the KHL team Yaroslav Lokomotiv in September could have been avoided. TSN has the story.
And he's back. Sean Avery and the art of avoidance. "I just want to help this team win," says Avery.
Ovi was benched last night. And it seems like he muttered some of Bruce's famous f-bombs under his breath. The video is all over the interwebs and apparently it's now water under the bridge per a media scrum today. The real questions isn't whether Bruce made a mistake in benching him over players who were playing hot, it's whether this is the new Ovi. Last season and this one (so far) have been sub-standard by his sky high standards. Could the best of Ovi already be on the highlight reel?
Speaking of sky high standards, Trib writer Dejan Kovacevic, talked with Crosby about what that first game back on the ice might be like. Apparently all is right in the the world of Crosby as he as envisioned it 10-15 different ways the first game could go. Good god, he really does dream about hockey.
Finally, only click here if you have some time to read this wacky list. Punch Drunk Love has likened each of the NHL teams to a band. In particular I like the Spice Girls as the Florida Panthers and the Coyotes as Celine Dion.
No Bryz quotes since the muzzle is on. Hopefully soon he'll be free to talk to the world again.
Investigators believe the plane crash that killed the KHL team Yaroslav Lokomotiv in September could have been avoided. TSN has the story.
And he's back. Sean Avery and the art of avoidance. "I just want to help this team win," says Avery.
Ovi was benched last night. And it seems like he muttered some of Bruce's famous f-bombs under his breath. The video is all over the interwebs and apparently it's now water under the bridge per a media scrum today. The real questions isn't whether Bruce made a mistake in benching him over players who were playing hot, it's whether this is the new Ovi. Last season and this one (so far) have been sub-standard by his sky high standards. Could the best of Ovi already be on the highlight reel?
Speaking of sky high standards, Trib writer Dejan Kovacevic, talked with Crosby about what that first game back on the ice might be like. Apparently all is right in the the world of Crosby as he as envisioned it 10-15 different ways the first game could go. Good god, he really does dream about hockey.
Finally, only click here if you have some time to read this wacky list. Punch Drunk Love has likened each of the NHL teams to a band. In particular I like the Spice Girls as the Florida Panthers and the Coyotes as Celine Dion.
No Bryz quotes since the muzzle is on. Hopefully soon he'll be free to talk to the world again.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Halloween Scrooge
So yesterday was Halloween and personally I'm not really into it. Maybe I'm a Halloween scrooge but you can buy candy at the store and not have to go door-to-door to get it off strangers in the freezing cold. I'm also really not into the whole dress up and go to parties as adults. To me it's a kids holiday that's become so overblown (thanks Hallmark). Thank god I don't live in England because they do "fancy dress" parties all the time. But since the rest of the world doesn't share in my Halloween issues, we have been graced with some hockey players donning costumes.
Raffi Torres of the Coyotes dressed at Jay-Z and his wife completed the look as Beyonce with a sparkly dress and baby bump. And since he is white, he blackened his skin to better match the look of Jay-Z. And then someone screamed racism. How exactly I don't get. I thought when you dress like someone or emulate them, it's a tribute to them as you like them in some way. Torres is supposed to be a huge Jay-Z fan, and honestly I'm shocked no one thought of this sooner. Jay-Z and Beyonce are two of the biggest superstars in the industry today. He couldn't exactly have pulled the costume off if he didn't "blackface" himself and why should only a black person be able to be Jay-Z for a costume party. Some are calling this racist, I'm calling it "I have nothing better to do with my time and needed something to complain about." I'm sorry but this is nuts. I wish Jay-Z would give a statement about it, but if he doesn't like it what would he say? And if did like it, someone somewhere would mange to contort it into meaning he doesn't see himself as black or something else equally as wacky. Props to Torres and his wife on a great and well done costume. Of course the Coyotes PR department also don't seem to get the massive controversy and they said so in defense of their player.
In the non-controversy corner of Halloween, we have a bunch of random Penguins being rather low-key in comparison. Geno went as a pimp from the 70's complete with a creepy mustache and purple satin shirt. Sid was a gladiator (fan of the movie or does he view himself like one? better question, where do you keep your wallet?), Lovejoy was a banana (and eating one in the picture he tweeted), and Kennedy and Staal teamed up to be Dumb & Dumber (one of the most over done costumes ever in my opinion). There is also a picture of Letang floating around the web where he is holding a dog dressed in some random costume that looks like half a bad superhero costume. I don't even want to know what he was supposed to be.
Moving on, I've had my fill of strange costumes and would like to talk about something more interesting. Like Mike Rupp of the Rangers hurting his knee and Torts calling up Sean Avery. The fans have been dying for this to happen and at noon today he cleared re-entry waivers, meaning no one but the Rangers will deal with him. Maybe his trip to Hartford has taught him something on how to deal with coach Torts better. Hopefully he keeps his mouth shut long enough for his trip back to the Big Apple. Of course don't doubt he might be on the first train back to the AHL once the Rangers are healthy again. I would love for him to stick around through the new year though. Torts versus Avery versus the Flyers on 24/7...it's been than a scripted comedy on NBC.
The Flyers have had enough of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's wacky comments and changed their media policy a number of times regarding Bryz talking with reporters. As of today it's that he won't talk to them the day before a game or game day. So basically after a game or 2 days before at most. Talk about a muzzle! A Sportsnet writer has pointed out this might not be allowed as some reporters don't travel with the team they cover and therefore would only talk with him limited times during the season. This is exactly what the Flyers want to do, but the Professional Hockey Writers Association is looking into the matter since they are the only team to do something this radical.
In Penguins news, Matt Cooke recorded 4 penalty minutes all month and 4 goals. If he keeps this pace up, he will have a career year, in more ways than one. Congrats to him. Staal has some sort of lower body injury but should be able to play this upcoming Western roadtrip. Crosby on the other hand will not be playing. He admits that he's probably got to get hit a bunch more times in practice but that's it. He says he can't be any more conditioned. People now think November 11 is the date. I wonder how much money is up for grabs for the person who guessed right?
And finally, today is November 1, which means the Penguins held their usual mustache boy shootout. Joe Vitale lost, so here's hoping he was planning on celebrating movember because he will be sporting a mustache for the month!!
Raffi Torres of the Coyotes dressed at Jay-Z and his wife completed the look as Beyonce with a sparkly dress and baby bump. And since he is white, he blackened his skin to better match the look of Jay-Z. And then someone screamed racism. How exactly I don't get. I thought when you dress like someone or emulate them, it's a tribute to them as you like them in some way. Torres is supposed to be a huge Jay-Z fan, and honestly I'm shocked no one thought of this sooner. Jay-Z and Beyonce are two of the biggest superstars in the industry today. He couldn't exactly have pulled the costume off if he didn't "blackface" himself and why should only a black person be able to be Jay-Z for a costume party. Some are calling this racist, I'm calling it "I have nothing better to do with my time and needed something to complain about." I'm sorry but this is nuts. I wish Jay-Z would give a statement about it, but if he doesn't like it what would he say? And if did like it, someone somewhere would mange to contort it into meaning he doesn't see himself as black or something else equally as wacky. Props to Torres and his wife on a great and well done costume. Of course the Coyotes PR department also don't seem to get the massive controversy and they said so in defense of their player.
In the non-controversy corner of Halloween, we have a bunch of random Penguins being rather low-key in comparison. Geno went as a pimp from the 70's complete with a creepy mustache and purple satin shirt. Sid was a gladiator (fan of the movie or does he view himself like one? better question, where do you keep your wallet?), Lovejoy was a banana (and eating one in the picture he tweeted), and Kennedy and Staal teamed up to be Dumb & Dumber (one of the most over done costumes ever in my opinion). There is also a picture of Letang floating around the web where he is holding a dog dressed in some random costume that looks like half a bad superhero costume. I don't even want to know what he was supposed to be.
Moving on, I've had my fill of strange costumes and would like to talk about something more interesting. Like Mike Rupp of the Rangers hurting his knee and Torts calling up Sean Avery. The fans have been dying for this to happen and at noon today he cleared re-entry waivers, meaning no one but the Rangers will deal with him. Maybe his trip to Hartford has taught him something on how to deal with coach Torts better. Hopefully he keeps his mouth shut long enough for his trip back to the Big Apple. Of course don't doubt he might be on the first train back to the AHL once the Rangers are healthy again. I would love for him to stick around through the new year though. Torts versus Avery versus the Flyers on 24/7...it's been than a scripted comedy on NBC.
The Flyers have had enough of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's wacky comments and changed their media policy a number of times regarding Bryz talking with reporters. As of today it's that he won't talk to them the day before a game or game day. So basically after a game or 2 days before at most. Talk about a muzzle! A Sportsnet writer has pointed out this might not be allowed as some reporters don't travel with the team they cover and therefore would only talk with him limited times during the season. This is exactly what the Flyers want to do, but the Professional Hockey Writers Association is looking into the matter since they are the only team to do something this radical.
In Penguins news, Matt Cooke recorded 4 penalty minutes all month and 4 goals. If he keeps this pace up, he will have a career year, in more ways than one. Congrats to him. Staal has some sort of lower body injury but should be able to play this upcoming Western roadtrip. Crosby on the other hand will not be playing. He admits that he's probably got to get hit a bunch more times in practice but that's it. He says he can't be any more conditioned. People now think November 11 is the date. I wonder how much money is up for grabs for the person who guessed right?
And finally, today is November 1, which means the Penguins held their usual mustache boy shootout. Joe Vitale lost, so here's hoping he was planning on celebrating movember because he will be sporting a mustache for the month!!
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