Since February ends in just over a week that means the NHL trade deadline for the 2011-2012 season is fast approaching. Before we know it we will be talking about off season acquisitions, who made the most of draft day and where the Stanley Cup got to travel to and what hijinks it managed to get into (along with it's player-babysitter). But before we get to that point, we have a deadline to adhere to.
Some minor trades have been made in the past week (here is a list on ESPN that is tracking all the trades this season), but the Habs trading Hal Gill signaled the beginning of the end of Montreal's season. They are now thinking about golf shirts and where to vacation sans a Stanley Cup on their arm. Dismantling mode is in full effect for the Habs. Gill on the other hand is continuing his tour of Eastern North America. Nashville is his 5th stop on the Eastern coast, having been to Boston, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Montreal already. Wonder if he has West Coast issues? Anyway, the U.S.S. Hal Gill has been docked in Nashville - for now.
Evgeni Malkin has continued on in beast mode for the Penguins and is making a case for a nice extension when he's due. James Neal was due for an extension and he decided to dominate all Penguins wingers by being the first in a decade to break the 30 goal mark. For this feat, he inked himself a 6 year $30million contract, averaging $5million a year. Nice raise from the under $3million he's making now. I'm thinking Mario and Ray bought themselves a bottle to congratulate themselves on picking him up last year. He barely cost a human since they received Matt Niskanen (D) with Neal in the package for Goligoski and Nisky has been much more reliable than the overpaid services of Paul Martin, who can't seem to decided which Paul will play each game. Now if Shero can do something about Martin's contract, he's officially the mad scientist of building hockey teams.
An unofficially kept stat is man games lost. The teams all track this but the league doesn't (you would think they would) and currently battling it out for the number one ranking are the Penguins and Canadiens who are ranked 1 and 2 respectively. Oddly enough these teams are on different paths with the Penguins doing everything to hold on to a playoff spot and sure up their roster, while the Habs are in selling mode. Obviously the biggest reason why the Penguins are up this high is Sidney Crosby who has accounted for a bulk of missing games. Imagine if Crosby was playing, Malkin was in beast mode and Neal was playing on his current pace? The Penguins would be going toe to toe with the Rangers. Maybe its a good thing they are not because I have always liked the Rangers having grown up watching their games mainly (till I moved to PA and had no access to MSG airings and had the Baby Pens in my backyard) and that would be tough to pick a team to root for harder.
One of last seasons biggest off season signings was the Rangers signing Brad Richards, but his story was one and done. He knew he wanted New York and New York wanted him. A few teams tried to make a pitch for him and he kindly listened to them but his mind was made up before Wayne Gretzky came on screen to tell him LA was the place to finish out the next 9 years of his career. He wisely went with his gut and suddenly the Rangers chemistry this season is off the charts. They have a lead over the league and have a goalie who looks to be on his way to winning his first Vezina. They have all the right ingredients and a coach who still thinks they can elevate their game, and they have all bought in.
The big question they are asking now is should Glen Sather mess with success and chemistry by attempting to bring in Rick Nash? Do they need Nash? No. Would be a great pick up? Yes. Will he mess with chemistry? Possibly. There's no way of knowing what a trade can do. In this case he can be an asset since he is a proven scoring winger that the Rangers want, but I'm not sold that it's that needed. Plus the Rangers have a history is screwing up contracts and then needing to buyout or pray someone retires to get it off the books. I say the Rangers need to stay out of this race. Plus if Zach Parise is available this off season, he's a better pick in my opinion if the Rangers decide to go that direction.
The second biggest off season trade last season was the soap opera of them all and seems to still be going on. This one almost made the Ilya Kovalchuk trade from the then Thrashers to the Devils look tame. This trade saw the Coyotes offload "I need parks" goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to the Philadelphia Flyers who had to in turn dump the salaries and personalities of Captain Mike Richards and his co-pilot Jeff Carter to the LA Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets respectively. Richards faced his fate quite well since LA parties are in a different league than a Philly party. Carter had a much harder time facing his fate. Ohio does not sound appealing and their team record is even less appealing. A year before he was on a team battling it out against the Blackhawk's for the Cup win and now he is somewhere in Ohio. He made it clear he was not happy to be in Ohio by not making a statement for days and not showing up for a over a week. He killed any chance he had of being liked by fans there before he even showed up since he can't fake happiness and now he might be on a one-way train out of town. I'm guessing he will attempt to be nicer to the next team immediately so he doesn't wear his 4th jersey in a 2 year period. Carter seems like a sure trade from the Jackets to any team willing to give them anything half-decent in exchange. His contract for $5 million through the 2022 season will scare away most teams before his attitude even came into play. A reunion with his buddy Richards in LA might be possible because the Jackets need a goalie and the Kings have one to spare.
So this trade seems to have been 2/3's of a disaster all around. Richards seems to be the only one adjusted and happy. Carter is Charlie Brown come to life and Bryz had a staring moment in 24/7 only to not star in the Winter Classic and drink tea from his thermos while watching the action on the heated bench. Bryz could have a tv show with his thoughts and my god would be he make a great dinner buddy but he's not exactly playing the way Philly imagined when they traded away 2 young guys that have proven scoring abilities. Since Philly needs help scoring, they are interested in entering the Rick Nash derby. Could they trade away Bryz and the remainder of his 9 year, $51 million dollar contract to the Blue Jackets for Nash? Doesn't seem out of the realm of possibiity at this point. It doesn't matter who is in goal for the Flyers these days, whichever Russian it is, they have a breakdown of some sort so why not trade away another disaster contract before he poisons the team and has little upside to any team. Right now you can say Philly wasn't a good fit, but another season or 2 and you've exposed him to just not being that elite goalie he was built up to be. Trade him while his stock is still decent. Maybe Philly should invent a league in which teams don't need goalies, they'd do quite well then. I think.
Teams interesed in the Rick Nash derby: NY Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs (he's from the area) and the LA Kings. The Jackets have some interesting options since they are shopping 2 high profile names. The Nash trade will be harder since he has a no movement clause that allows him to veto any deal he doesn't like, so if he has issues with say the city the team is in, he can stay put and not be forced to leave his death sentence in Ohio. Of course since he signed the death sentence I can't say I'd be shocked if he stays put.
Moral of the story: a trade does not always translate as well in real life as it does on paper. And when it comes to Philly, it really is goalie hell.
Showing posts with label Flyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flyers. Show all posts
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
And in other news...
In the 'what took so long' category:
-Mike Comrie announced his retirement. After undergoing his 3rd hip surgery in 5 years, he has finally decided to announce what everyone else realized last season, sometime around November, that his career was done.
-Rick Nash has finally realized he will NEVER win a Cup with the Blue Jackets. Only took 6 years.
-Zac Rinaldo of the Flyers was suspended. It seems he's been hitting everything that gets in his path these days so it was only a matter of time he felt the Shanan-hammer. He had ample chances to avoid it.
In the 'still waiting' category:
-Marc Savard to announce his retirement.
-Rick Nash to say these words outloud, "I would like to explore my options with a team that can compete for a Cup before my grandkids enter the league in 50 years"
-No real word on the future of hockey in the Phoenix desert, only the same mumble jumble. But the never-say-die Coyotes are making it difficult for people to not want to pull for them. Most GM's were hoping to dismantle the team at the trade deadline and feast on key players, but instead the boys are playing for their lives and hanging on to a playoff dream, which means they are not in a selling bodies off state of mind.
-Brian Burke for the first time might not have a fire sale of players before the deadline this year. He's still got 2 weeks to work some magic, but the Leafs seem interested in playing hockey and making the playoffs which could mean Burke won't sell off assets. It's nice to see a team grow up like this. But like I said, he's still got 2 weeks.
In the 'no surprise' category:
-The Devils plan on retaining Zach Parise till he's a free agent to get last bit out of him. They dream of resigning him, but their creditors have dreams of getting their money back. He's in a line for a payday that the Devils just can't provide right now.
-Rick Nash not saying he wants out of Columbus. He's too nice to do such a rude thing, but being nice will only get you so far. Like being stuck in Columbus for the next 6 years after having already been there for 6 years.
-The Jeff Carter experiment in Columbus has gone belly up and he wants out and they want him out. (He is everything Nash is not when it comes to voicing his opinions). The problem: That lifetime contract for over $5 million a year through the 2022 season. WTF. Contracts like that (you can thank the Flyers) should never be allowed to be moved, they should be stuck with the team that wrote them for life.
-The Capitals are hot mess and continue to spiral in ways no one has seen since they picked up Ovie and co. Alexander Semin is apparently on the trade block and if he doesn't leave town before March, he will be preparing for what his most likely his last spring in the nations' Capital. The Caps are not only in danger of not winning the Southeast which they have usually dominated, they might also miss the playoffs. Then again when your goalie juggles the puck into the net to allow a goal, maybe you shouldn't be in the playoffs.
-The Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman released a statement yammering on about supporting his head coach, Joel Quenneville through Chicago's recent struggles. This translates loosely to, "Joel, brush up your resume because it might come in handy this summer". Many coaches just a few years removed from a Stanley Cup winning season have been relieved of their coaching duties and the path Quenneville is on currently looking like a one way street to unemployment.
-The Philadelphia Flyers can't find a goalie that can win a game. They paid Bryz a handsome sum of money last off season to lure him to "goalie hell" from the desert and he's spent a fair amount of time warming the bench since Bobrovsky, his backup, had the hot hand. That hot hand has lasted for a hot second it seems since Bob is just as messed up as Bryz. A goalie tandem that can't figure out who should try to be the hero- which means nothing has changed in Philly. Nothing.
-The New York Rangers want a Stanley Cup. And they want it NOW. With their roster already reading like an All-Star lineup with names like Callahan, Richards, Lundquist, Gaborik, Girardi and Staal, they are poised for a deep playoff run, but bringing in Rick Nash could be a great addition. And wouldn't it be nice to see him play for a team with some real talent? This rumor has grown some legs since the Blue Jacket scouts have been roaming around the Garden and have made no secret that they want Brandon Dubinsky. Can you imagine, NYC could potentially have a second parade down the Canyon of Hero's in one year? Get it done Rangers....Where's Messier to make "the guarantee" part deux because we all know Captain Cally isn't stupid enough to do that like his predecessor.
And in honor of this utterly ridiculous holiday (Valentines Day: also referred to as the day before the candy goes on sale and 2 months till my birthday), Puck Daddy has some Valentine candy hearts, photoshopped with saying for various players. This is a rather good use of candy hearts since I think they are rather terrible tasting. Enjoy!
-Mike Comrie announced his retirement. After undergoing his 3rd hip surgery in 5 years, he has finally decided to announce what everyone else realized last season, sometime around November, that his career was done.
-Rick Nash has finally realized he will NEVER win a Cup with the Blue Jackets. Only took 6 years.
-Zac Rinaldo of the Flyers was suspended. It seems he's been hitting everything that gets in his path these days so it was only a matter of time he felt the Shanan-hammer. He had ample chances to avoid it.
In the 'still waiting' category:
-Marc Savard to announce his retirement.
-Rick Nash to say these words outloud, "I would like to explore my options with a team that can compete for a Cup before my grandkids enter the league in 50 years"
-No real word on the future of hockey in the Phoenix desert, only the same mumble jumble. But the never-say-die Coyotes are making it difficult for people to not want to pull for them. Most GM's were hoping to dismantle the team at the trade deadline and feast on key players, but instead the boys are playing for their lives and hanging on to a playoff dream, which means they are not in a selling bodies off state of mind.
-Brian Burke for the first time might not have a fire sale of players before the deadline this year. He's still got 2 weeks to work some magic, but the Leafs seem interested in playing hockey and making the playoffs which could mean Burke won't sell off assets. It's nice to see a team grow up like this. But like I said, he's still got 2 weeks.
In the 'no surprise' category:
-The Devils plan on retaining Zach Parise till he's a free agent to get last bit out of him. They dream of resigning him, but their creditors have dreams of getting their money back. He's in a line for a payday that the Devils just can't provide right now.
-Rick Nash not saying he wants out of Columbus. He's too nice to do such a rude thing, but being nice will only get you so far. Like being stuck in Columbus for the next 6 years after having already been there for 6 years.
-The Jeff Carter experiment in Columbus has gone belly up and he wants out and they want him out. (He is everything Nash is not when it comes to voicing his opinions). The problem: That lifetime contract for over $5 million a year through the 2022 season. WTF. Contracts like that (you can thank the Flyers) should never be allowed to be moved, they should be stuck with the team that wrote them for life.
-The Capitals are hot mess and continue to spiral in ways no one has seen since they picked up Ovie and co. Alexander Semin is apparently on the trade block and if he doesn't leave town before March, he will be preparing for what his most likely his last spring in the nations' Capital. The Caps are not only in danger of not winning the Southeast which they have usually dominated, they might also miss the playoffs. Then again when your goalie juggles the puck into the net to allow a goal, maybe you shouldn't be in the playoffs.
-The Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman released a statement yammering on about supporting his head coach, Joel Quenneville through Chicago's recent struggles. This translates loosely to, "Joel, brush up your resume because it might come in handy this summer". Many coaches just a few years removed from a Stanley Cup winning season have been relieved of their coaching duties and the path Quenneville is on currently looking like a one way street to unemployment.
-The Philadelphia Flyers can't find a goalie that can win a game. They paid Bryz a handsome sum of money last off season to lure him to "goalie hell" from the desert and he's spent a fair amount of time warming the bench since Bobrovsky, his backup, had the hot hand. That hot hand has lasted for a hot second it seems since Bob is just as messed up as Bryz. A goalie tandem that can't figure out who should try to be the hero- which means nothing has changed in Philly. Nothing.
-The New York Rangers want a Stanley Cup. And they want it NOW. With their roster already reading like an All-Star lineup with names like Callahan, Richards, Lundquist, Gaborik, Girardi and Staal, they are poised for a deep playoff run, but bringing in Rick Nash could be a great addition. And wouldn't it be nice to see him play for a team with some real talent? This rumor has grown some legs since the Blue Jacket scouts have been roaming around the Garden and have made no secret that they want Brandon Dubinsky. Can you imagine, NYC could potentially have a second parade down the Canyon of Hero's in one year? Get it done Rangers....Where's Messier to make "the guarantee" part deux because we all know Captain Cally isn't stupid enough to do that like his predecessor.
And in honor of this utterly ridiculous holiday (Valentines Day: also referred to as the day before the candy goes on sale and 2 months till my birthday), Puck Daddy has some Valentine candy hearts, photoshopped with saying for various players. This is a rather good use of candy hearts since I think they are rather terrible tasting. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
24/7: Rangers - Flyers
HBO said that they can edit the episode up to about an hour before it airs sometimes and last night we were shown why that flexibility is important to making a series named 24/7 be just that. Claude Giroux was only JUST officially diagnosed on Tuesday with a concussion and that was shown last night. We got to see him entering the quiet room for testing, saw more testing the next day and then saw him with a sheet of paper that looked like some type of maze that he had to solve. At the end if this it was established he was concussed. Just think, we only saw a small portion of it and this protocol is done in full everyday to check on the status of a players brain. It was nice to get more of a feel as to what happens since the concussion epidemic is alive and well.
Other things we learned this episode along with Bryz wisdoms (he's a rockstar)
-Laviolette was the first to drop the f-bomb. The good people who unofficially track this stat said there was a total of 43 in this episode. Of the 4 coaches we have seen in 2 series, Bylsma is a boy scout.
-The f-bombs that were used were well placed and not just for the hell of it. I managed to understand what the coaches wants and they seemed to fire up the players.
-Max Talbot managed to 1-up his own ugly sweater from last year.
-Dan Bylsma made a cameo and ripped on Talbot for suddenly being a goal scorer now with the Flyers.
-Jagr has no clue whether his heart or his head made the decision to come to Philly (he said this summer his heart was in Pitt). He claims you have to follow your head not your heart sometimes and fully is aware that the odds his jersey ever hangs from the rafters with Lemieux's are slim to none since he signed with the Flyers. This was the fancy foreigner way of saying " I took the money and ran."
-Wayne Simmonds is one of twenty-eight black players in the league. There's a fact for you. He also concussed his teammate Giroux with a knee to the head. Another fact. Simmonds is going to be fact machine. Fact that I liked best: HBO refrained from playing hard-core rap music while Simmonds was driving through downtown Philly since the moment Simmonds opened his mouth he sounded just like a hipster. Have he and Sean Avery met?
-A group of Rangers took a group of kids from the Garden of Dreams program to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. They needed to wear 3D glasses. Why I would love to know. So glad I got to go before it got all wacky. Highlight for the kids: meeting the Rangers. Highlight for the Rangers: meeting the Rockettes.
-Ryan Callahan has the coolest 90 year old grandma. I hope they manage to fit in her and her fur every chance possible. Rock on grandma C.
-Bryzgalov is the greatest philosopher to ever lace on skates. He moved to Philly to tend goal while players told him Philly would be like "going to hell" and that's its a "miserable market for goalies". At least there are parks in this hell. He also said his son is his mini-me (future generations rejoice, you will still have a Bryz to receive wisdom from) and gave his two cents on the solar system and Russian liquor bottles. The solar system is "humongous" although it sounded more like hu-man-gous coming from him.
-Peter Laviolette believes Bryz "is different". You got that right sir.
Final Bryz quote, "Don't worry, be happy."
Other things we learned this episode along with Bryz wisdoms (he's a rockstar)
-Laviolette was the first to drop the f-bomb. The good people who unofficially track this stat said there was a total of 43 in this episode. Of the 4 coaches we have seen in 2 series, Bylsma is a boy scout.
-The f-bombs that were used were well placed and not just for the hell of it. I managed to understand what the coaches wants and they seemed to fire up the players.
-Max Talbot managed to 1-up his own ugly sweater from last year.
-Dan Bylsma made a cameo and ripped on Talbot for suddenly being a goal scorer now with the Flyers.
-Jagr has no clue whether his heart or his head made the decision to come to Philly (he said this summer his heart was in Pitt). He claims you have to follow your head not your heart sometimes and fully is aware that the odds his jersey ever hangs from the rafters with Lemieux's are slim to none since he signed with the Flyers. This was the fancy foreigner way of saying " I took the money and ran."
-Wayne Simmonds is one of twenty-eight black players in the league. There's a fact for you. He also concussed his teammate Giroux with a knee to the head. Another fact. Simmonds is going to be fact machine. Fact that I liked best: HBO refrained from playing hard-core rap music while Simmonds was driving through downtown Philly since the moment Simmonds opened his mouth he sounded just like a hipster. Have he and Sean Avery met?
-A group of Rangers took a group of kids from the Garden of Dreams program to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. They needed to wear 3D glasses. Why I would love to know. So glad I got to go before it got all wacky. Highlight for the kids: meeting the Rangers. Highlight for the Rangers: meeting the Rockettes.
-Ryan Callahan has the coolest 90 year old grandma. I hope they manage to fit in her and her fur every chance possible. Rock on grandma C.
-Bryzgalov is the greatest philosopher to ever lace on skates. He moved to Philly to tend goal while players told him Philly would be like "going to hell" and that's its a "miserable market for goalies". At least there are parks in this hell. He also said his son is his mini-me (future generations rejoice, you will still have a Bryz to receive wisdom from) and gave his two cents on the solar system and Russian liquor bottles. The solar system is "humongous" although it sounded more like hu-man-gous coming from him.
-Peter Laviolette believes Bryz "is different". You got that right sir.
Final Bryz quote, "Don't worry, be happy."
Monday, December 12, 2011
Videos, Jeopardy and 24/7
Shanahan has quietly cornered the market on NHL.com videos. He and his team of experts explain hits and penalties methodically, outlining the 5 W's and one lone H on what happened and what the punishment is and why it fits. But the NHL decided they needed to challenge for the video crown with this gem: The Video Rulebook. In theory this is a great idea that was executed horribly. After watching just 2, I was disappointed and felt like an intern did this to prove to his college that he really did something that didn't involve making coffee. It's just not NHL pro level; just video clips of the action that accompanies the rule. The rule is not given through a voice over, its written next to the video. Once you play the video, you can't see the written rule till its done playing. Good in theory, but bad execution. Shanahan you may keep your crown for now.
Crosby is out for the time being with concussion symptoms. He passed his imPACT test with flying colors compared to January's mess of results, but he won't play till 100% again. He believes that David Krecji's elbow in the 3-1 loss against Boston last week is what did him in. Bylsma had this to say, "It is obviously frustrating for Sid. Sid knows his body better than anybody else. He is not feeling 100 percent. He will return to practice and playing when he is feeling 100 percent." I'm thinking this is far more frustrating for Bylsma who is currently rocking a list of walking wounded that tops out at 9, with 2 listed as day to day. Of the 9, 6 are D men and of that 6, 3 were starters. If you check out the WBS transaction page, they have been one busy little team, signing guys off their ECHL team like they are candy since Pitt keeps taking the next guy on the depth chart.
The LA Kings are the next rumored team in market for a new coach. Winning one more game than they've lost on the season will tend to put a bulls eye on someone's back. At 13-12-4, something has to change and it's usually the coach. Ouch.
In case the Kings want some company in their misery, Mike Murphy of the Hurricanes boasts the strangest record in being the first goalie to lose a game while never having had allowed a goal. Brian Boucher, the Cane's backup goalie was injured so they called up AHL goalie Mike Murphy to replace him. When Ward was pulled, they were already losing 6-3 to Calgary and Murphy got to taste his first NHL action. He blocked 2 shots in 9 minutes but was pulled in favor of the extra attacker. With the net empty, Calgary scored their 7th of the night. Since Murphy was listed as the goalie, even though he was not on the ice when the goal happened, he still gets credited with allowing the goal. In conclusion, he never gave up a goal and stopped all shots he faced, but still has to take credit for Ward's disastrous 6 goal allowance. Awesome rule. This is totally going to be a Jeopardy question one day. Also under new Coach Kirk Muller, the team has gone 1-5. Wonder if that BBQ turned into a party....
Wednesday night marks the return of 24/7, this time featuring the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers. Having recently re-watched episodes 1-3 of last years series with the Penguins and Capitals, a few things stand out that I know I'm interested in seeing. Can anyone make practice seem more fun than Disco Dan and who could be more excited about ice cream at 9am than Bruce? We found that Sid is a coach in training and Ovi is learning the English language quite well. Well at least the one that includes curses thanks to a record number of f*ck's that fell out of Bruce's mouth in a speech. Green rides a Vespa and Rupp wore crazy Santa shirts. Sid is just all out crazy superstitious, while Talbot is an anything goes type guy and Ovi has an array of strange tattoos. The Penguins seemed to have been a cohesive group that shared the ups and downs, while the Capitals seemed more like a bunch of guys who just meet and decided to play some hockey.
Since the two teams being featured are a 2 hour car ride from each other, this will be an all out Atlantic Division war. Rangers coach John Tortorella might have the chance at beating Bruce's f-bomb count, though the Rangers are currently riding a hot streak so there might be less ammunition. Peter Laviolette's Flyers are currently without their Captain Chris Pronger who was suffering from a virus that turned into a knee injury that has since manifested itself as a concussion. Not confusing at all. Over the summer there were rumors that the Flyers locker room had a divide and it was Jeff Carter and Mike Richards versus Pronger and co. I wonder if part of the reason Carter and Richards were jetted off to new teams had anything to do with the fact the cameras would be catching every move this December and Ed Snider didn't want his team looking like fools. You don't tend to just trade players that you signed to crazy long contracts that had good stats. Well you do if your the Flyers and needed a goalie that held all the wisdom in the league I guess.
And in case you had any wonder about who will be providing some awesome quotes, look no further than goalie extraordinaire, Ilya Bryzgalov. This is what he told the media about leaving the game the other night. "It was an equipment issue. No, I'm a bad liar. It's an old boo-boo. It's still sore a little bit." Whatever you say Mr. Bryz.
Crosby is out for the time being with concussion symptoms. He passed his imPACT test with flying colors compared to January's mess of results, but he won't play till 100% again. He believes that David Krecji's elbow in the 3-1 loss against Boston last week is what did him in. Bylsma had this to say, "It is obviously frustrating for Sid. Sid knows his body better than anybody else. He is not feeling 100 percent. He will return to practice and playing when he is feeling 100 percent." I'm thinking this is far more frustrating for Bylsma who is currently rocking a list of walking wounded that tops out at 9, with 2 listed as day to day. Of the 9, 6 are D men and of that 6, 3 were starters. If you check out the WBS transaction page, they have been one busy little team, signing guys off their ECHL team like they are candy since Pitt keeps taking the next guy on the depth chart.
The LA Kings are the next rumored team in market for a new coach. Winning one more game than they've lost on the season will tend to put a bulls eye on someone's back. At 13-12-4, something has to change and it's usually the coach. Ouch.
In case the Kings want some company in their misery, Mike Murphy of the Hurricanes boasts the strangest record in being the first goalie to lose a game while never having had allowed a goal. Brian Boucher, the Cane's backup goalie was injured so they called up AHL goalie Mike Murphy to replace him. When Ward was pulled, they were already losing 6-3 to Calgary and Murphy got to taste his first NHL action. He blocked 2 shots in 9 minutes but was pulled in favor of the extra attacker. With the net empty, Calgary scored their 7th of the night. Since Murphy was listed as the goalie, even though he was not on the ice when the goal happened, he still gets credited with allowing the goal. In conclusion, he never gave up a goal and stopped all shots he faced, but still has to take credit for Ward's disastrous 6 goal allowance. Awesome rule. This is totally going to be a Jeopardy question one day. Also under new Coach Kirk Muller, the team has gone 1-5. Wonder if that BBQ turned into a party....
Wednesday night marks the return of 24/7, this time featuring the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers. Having recently re-watched episodes 1-3 of last years series with the Penguins and Capitals, a few things stand out that I know I'm interested in seeing. Can anyone make practice seem more fun than Disco Dan and who could be more excited about ice cream at 9am than Bruce? We found that Sid is a coach in training and Ovi is learning the English language quite well. Well at least the one that includes curses thanks to a record number of f*ck's that fell out of Bruce's mouth in a speech. Green rides a Vespa and Rupp wore crazy Santa shirts. Sid is just all out crazy superstitious, while Talbot is an anything goes type guy and Ovi has an array of strange tattoos. The Penguins seemed to have been a cohesive group that shared the ups and downs, while the Capitals seemed more like a bunch of guys who just meet and decided to play some hockey.
Since the two teams being featured are a 2 hour car ride from each other, this will be an all out Atlantic Division war. Rangers coach John Tortorella might have the chance at beating Bruce's f-bomb count, though the Rangers are currently riding a hot streak so there might be less ammunition. Peter Laviolette's Flyers are currently without their Captain Chris Pronger who was suffering from a virus that turned into a knee injury that has since manifested itself as a concussion. Not confusing at all. Over the summer there were rumors that the Flyers locker room had a divide and it was Jeff Carter and Mike Richards versus Pronger and co. I wonder if part of the reason Carter and Richards were jetted off to new teams had anything to do with the fact the cameras would be catching every move this December and Ed Snider didn't want his team looking like fools. You don't tend to just trade players that you signed to crazy long contracts that had good stats. Well you do if your the Flyers and needed a goalie that held all the wisdom in the league I guess.
And in case you had any wonder about who will be providing some awesome quotes, look no further than goalie extraordinaire, Ilya Bryzgalov. This is what he told the media about leaving the game the other night. "It was an equipment issue. No, I'm a bad liar. It's an old boo-boo. It's still sore a little bit." Whatever you say Mr. Bryz.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Cyber Monday: Coach Sale?
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!
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 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 :)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Visors, Necklaces, and a New Owner?
So much to touch on so lets just dive right in!
No visor = stick to the eye. Chris Pronger of the Flyers will now miss at least 2-3 weeks due to not wearing a visor. I will never understand the arguments to not wear one. It's clear. Of course I am semi required by life to wear contacts or glasses every day and you do adjust to the glare (and I'm sure they can develop anti-glare visors if they haven't already). Apparently this should be another thing on the agenda for the NHL to police better.
Just like they did with helmets, grandfather the guys in and require everyone entering the league to wear one. I think this has unofficially become protocol to be honest since all junior players are required to wear a visor and the AHL mandates it also. Very few guys coming up now have NOT played with a visor but the Players Association feels mandating it takes away their freedom. Freedom from what? Being blinded? This is almost as ridiculous as guys not wearing the skate guards. That little blade can slice your tendons. Jordan Staal can tell you all about that since he sliced his during the '10 playoffs and missed the beginning of the following season rehabbing. (He of course missed the second part of the first half of the season after breaking his hand in a freak accident right before he was ready to come back.)
The Penguins are playing on the Island tonight and hoping to never relive last seasons fight night after the glass-jaw incident. Since both teams would like to avoid this, the Islanders are starting last season waiver hold-out Evgeni Nabokov versus Penguins Marc-Andre Fleury. I guess they really are trying to move on. Of course, guess who the backups are? Rich "Glass Jaw" DiPietro and Brent "Knockout" Johnson. Hopefully they will stay on the benches because Eric Godard is now in Dallas manning their benches.
Speaking of the Dallas Stars, they are so popular that they received exactly one bid in bankruptcy court. This was expected and should go smoothly since everything seems to be good. Tom Gaglardi who is the winning bidder it seems even has said he wants to keep the team in Dallas. So Dallas will be owner less for less than half a season and the Thrashers managed to not only find an owner, but a new town and arena in even less time. Your move Coyotes.
Alex Ovechkin has a wax statue at Madame Tussaud's in DC. It's even missing a tooth and has shaggy hair. No offense to those that enjoy these things but I've always found this a bit creepy and I have a feeling seeing a wax Ovi would be especially creepy.
Realignment talks won't ever end. Even after the Jets no longer play in the Southeast, this issue will never be put to bed, but at least some players have the right attitude. "...Nothing is certain at this point. I just hope we won't be realigned to the KHL," Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk said in an interview on Puck Daddy. I like his attitude. Read the complete interview here and find out his potential Halloween costume and his plans for next season in case of a lock out.
Montreal Canadians coach Jacques Martin is the heavy favorite to be the first coach of the season fired. They managed one win and are off to one of the worst start in 70 years, many fans are not dealing with it well. Hopefully they find other ways to deal with their anger since I think Vancouver has dibs on that rioting stuff.
As the Rangers are heading to the City of Brotherly love to play the Flyers in this years Winter Classic, getting your hands on tickets is next to impossible. First off the game which has traditionally been on January 1st is being played on the 2nd to avoid competing with the NFL's last regular season Sunday. The alumni game will still be on the 31st of December and the AHL is throwing in an outdoor game for the festivities.....almost a week later. And if your a Flyers faithful, you will be paying a steep price. As a season ticket holder, you get first dibs but you do have to buy a ticket to each event. This schedule is sounding more like a tour schedule for a vacation, rather than a hockey game.
I can just imagine it: Welcome to our outdoor hockey extravaganza. I hope you brought at least 1 down jacket or parka since it is January in Philadelphia. Our week long festivities will being with watching the Alumni game on the 31st. After the game, I encourage you to roam the streets of our fair city for the ball drop. There are bars on every street corner in case you are frozen from earlier and cheese steaks are readily available. You will have the 1st to explore Philly or more bars to watch the NHL conclude it's regular season. On the 2nd, tailgating will begin at 12noon. Please bring extra blankets, scarves and hats because someone is going to lose something along the way. Around 8pm we shall begin the game. Pronger may or may not be wearing a visor. At the conclusion of the game, we ask you safely make your way back home or to your hotel. If it's not snowing, you may leave the area for a few days to do some individual sightseeing, but we ask you return on the 6th to watch our final game of this extravaganza as players you have never heard of would like to play on the now melted ice. I hope you all enjoyed our hockey tour of Philly and join us again next year at a location TBD.
BTW the tickets for the AHL game are about $40. I can get awesome seats at WBS for around $30 so WHY the hell would I pay another $10 per ticket to freeze my ass off in January when I can just chill indoors in a much smaller venue?
Of course if you are a Rangers fan and think you can attend this game, keep on dreaming. You won't be subjected to the tour of Philly (thank god!) but you must be season ticket subscriber from 1950 to have a shot in hell at getting a pair of tickets. The oldest subscribers are going to be asked first and then limited to 2 even if you usually have 4 seats. From one extreme to the other. Since the Rangers are the visiting team, they were already super limited on their allocation to allocate. Ya know where I'll be watching from? The couch. Without a parka, scarf, hat and gloves. Not only will I be comfortable, food and drinks will be easily accessible and won't require me to take out a loan.
"We sucked form head to toe," said John Tortella in an interview after the Rangers lost on Saturday night to the Oilers. This in my mind is a preview of whats to come out of his mouth on 24/7 this December. Can you smell the greatness brewing?? I can!
Finally jewelry and the NHL or any sport really doesn't go hand in hand in my mind, but apparently shop NHL thinks I might like a necklace with my teams logo as a pendant. Or maybe earrings. I suppose they are gearing up for the holidays with this stuff, but none of this is my cup of tea. This is like going down the road of pink jersey, which make me nuts. I understand the NHL having stuff in purple for their "Hockey Fights Cancer" campaign but the jerseys look creepy in purple. Their regular player t-shirts with the purple are acceptable in my planet but I will never understand their desire to make variations of jerseys that will never be worn on the ice. The Fair Isle jersey with its knitted look and their black jerseys that look like they should glow in the dark are also out of left field. View the goodies here. You will have to choose a team from here to really get the full picture of what strange things are made and I'd suggest you pick a more popular team as they will one of everything. Like a bikini. Never thought of shopping here for a bikini but I guess it limits your choices fast than a department store would.....I'll to my kid sized, regulation colored Crosby jersey, thankyouverymuch!
No visor = stick to the eye. Chris Pronger of the Flyers will now miss at least 2-3 weeks due to not wearing a visor. I will never understand the arguments to not wear one. It's clear. Of course I am semi required by life to wear contacts or glasses every day and you do adjust to the glare (and I'm sure they can develop anti-glare visors if they haven't already). Apparently this should be another thing on the agenda for the NHL to police better.
Just like they did with helmets, grandfather the guys in and require everyone entering the league to wear one. I think this has unofficially become protocol to be honest since all junior players are required to wear a visor and the AHL mandates it also. Very few guys coming up now have NOT played with a visor but the Players Association feels mandating it takes away their freedom. Freedom from what? Being blinded? This is almost as ridiculous as guys not wearing the skate guards. That little blade can slice your tendons. Jordan Staal can tell you all about that since he sliced his during the '10 playoffs and missed the beginning of the following season rehabbing. (He of course missed the second part of the first half of the season after breaking his hand in a freak accident right before he was ready to come back.)
The Penguins are playing on the Island tonight and hoping to never relive last seasons fight night after the glass-jaw incident. Since both teams would like to avoid this, the Islanders are starting last season waiver hold-out Evgeni Nabokov versus Penguins Marc-Andre Fleury. I guess they really are trying to move on. Of course, guess who the backups are? Rich "Glass Jaw" DiPietro and Brent "Knockout" Johnson. Hopefully they will stay on the benches because Eric Godard is now in Dallas manning their benches.
Speaking of the Dallas Stars, they are so popular that they received exactly one bid in bankruptcy court. This was expected and should go smoothly since everything seems to be good. Tom Gaglardi who is the winning bidder it seems even has said he wants to keep the team in Dallas. So Dallas will be owner less for less than half a season and the Thrashers managed to not only find an owner, but a new town and arena in even less time. Your move Coyotes.
Alex Ovechkin has a wax statue at Madame Tussaud's in DC. It's even missing a tooth and has shaggy hair. No offense to those that enjoy these things but I've always found this a bit creepy and I have a feeling seeing a wax Ovi would be especially creepy.
Realignment talks won't ever end. Even after the Jets no longer play in the Southeast, this issue will never be put to bed, but at least some players have the right attitude. "...Nothing is certain at this point. I just hope we won't be realigned to the KHL," Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk said in an interview on Puck Daddy. I like his attitude. Read the complete interview here and find out his potential Halloween costume and his plans for next season in case of a lock out.
Montreal Canadians coach Jacques Martin is the heavy favorite to be the first coach of the season fired. They managed one win and are off to one of the worst start in 70 years, many fans are not dealing with it well. Hopefully they find other ways to deal with their anger since I think Vancouver has dibs on that rioting stuff.
As the Rangers are heading to the City of Brotherly love to play the Flyers in this years Winter Classic, getting your hands on tickets is next to impossible. First off the game which has traditionally been on January 1st is being played on the 2nd to avoid competing with the NFL's last regular season Sunday. The alumni game will still be on the 31st of December and the AHL is throwing in an outdoor game for the festivities.....almost a week later. And if your a Flyers faithful, you will be paying a steep price. As a season ticket holder, you get first dibs but you do have to buy a ticket to each event. This schedule is sounding more like a tour schedule for a vacation, rather than a hockey game.
I can just imagine it: Welcome to our outdoor hockey extravaganza. I hope you brought at least 1 down jacket or parka since it is January in Philadelphia. Our week long festivities will being with watching the Alumni game on the 31st. After the game, I encourage you to roam the streets of our fair city for the ball drop. There are bars on every street corner in case you are frozen from earlier and cheese steaks are readily available. You will have the 1st to explore Philly or more bars to watch the NHL conclude it's regular season. On the 2nd, tailgating will begin at 12noon. Please bring extra blankets, scarves and hats because someone is going to lose something along the way. Around 8pm we shall begin the game. Pronger may or may not be wearing a visor. At the conclusion of the game, we ask you safely make your way back home or to your hotel. If it's not snowing, you may leave the area for a few days to do some individual sightseeing, but we ask you return on the 6th to watch our final game of this extravaganza as players you have never heard of would like to play on the now melted ice. I hope you all enjoyed our hockey tour of Philly and join us again next year at a location TBD.
BTW the tickets for the AHL game are about $40. I can get awesome seats at WBS for around $30 so WHY the hell would I pay another $10 per ticket to freeze my ass off in January when I can just chill indoors in a much smaller venue?
Of course if you are a Rangers fan and think you can attend this game, keep on dreaming. You won't be subjected to the tour of Philly (thank god!) but you must be season ticket subscriber from 1950 to have a shot in hell at getting a pair of tickets. The oldest subscribers are going to be asked first and then limited to 2 even if you usually have 4 seats. From one extreme to the other. Since the Rangers are the visiting team, they were already super limited on their allocation to allocate. Ya know where I'll be watching from? The couch. Without a parka, scarf, hat and gloves. Not only will I be comfortable, food and drinks will be easily accessible and won't require me to take out a loan.
"We sucked form head to toe," said John Tortella in an interview after the Rangers lost on Saturday night to the Oilers. This in my mind is a preview of whats to come out of his mouth on 24/7 this December. Can you smell the greatness brewing?? I can!
Finally jewelry and the NHL or any sport really doesn't go hand in hand in my mind, but apparently shop NHL thinks I might like a necklace with my teams logo as a pendant. Or maybe earrings. I suppose they are gearing up for the holidays with this stuff, but none of this is my cup of tea. This is like going down the road of pink jersey, which make me nuts. I understand the NHL having stuff in purple for their "Hockey Fights Cancer" campaign but the jerseys look creepy in purple. Their regular player t-shirts with the purple are acceptable in my planet but I will never understand their desire to make variations of jerseys that will never be worn on the ice. The Fair Isle jersey with its knitted look and their black jerseys that look like they should glow in the dark are also out of left field. View the goodies here. You will have to choose a team from here to really get the full picture of what strange things are made and I'd suggest you pick a more popular team as they will one of everything. Like a bikini. Never thought of shopping here for a bikini but I guess it limits your choices fast than a department store would.....I'll to my kid sized, regulation colored Crosby jersey, thankyouverymuch!
Friday, September 16, 2011
It's Fall..
So before I dive into anything hockey related, I need put a few random things out there because although this is centered on hockey, it's a mini diary of life, so here we go.
First off, I survived a mandatory flood evacuation in my town last week. As of this time last week, I was already 24 hours in my relocation thanks to high waters. The levees held and I was able to come home Sunday. What a nightmarish experience that was. If the levee hadn't held, I might have been swimming around my apartment. Now that would have been a sight. The water was over 42 ft which broke the record from Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Insane. Apparently the water WAS in my living room in '72 so I thank the levee gods. I'm into swimming in pools and the oceans, not the river in my living room, thankyouverymuch.
There's a bridge under there, I swear.
First off, I survived a mandatory flood evacuation in my town last week. As of this time last week, I was already 24 hours in my relocation thanks to high waters. The levees held and I was able to come home Sunday. What a nightmarish experience that was. If the levee hadn't held, I might have been swimming around my apartment. Now that would have been a sight. The water was over 42 ft which broke the record from Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Insane. Apparently the water WAS in my living room in '72 so I thank the levee gods. I'm into swimming in pools and the oceans, not the river in my living room, thankyouverymuch.
There's a bridge under there, I swear. Secondly, the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 passed this past Sunday. No words to express how hard it was to watch all of the coverage again. It just transports me back to my senior year of high school, watching it unfold from the windows. R.I.P. to everyone who lost their lives that day.
Moving onto happier news, football season has officially begun and my step-sister gave birth to her first child last weekend, so I'm an Aunt! I won't get to meet my niece for a few more weeks, but there's tons of pictures and updates in the meantime.
Finally, lets talk some hockey since the temperature has dropped and fall is clearly taking over. Training camps officially opened today (yay) with most teams dealing with trivial details like headshots, screenshots for the game boards and making sure the guys can skate across the ice without falling over.
We also heard that the Ferrari that is Sidney Crosby has been cleared to take part in non-contact practice. He's a magician since last week I'm not sure many people got the impression that he would be on the ice for any part of camp. Don't pencil him in for the first game just yet, but anything goes in planet Sid and I'm not sure even Einstein could figure out his puzzle.
Drew Doughtry and his contract issues with the Kings have now held him out of the first day of camp. What's really the issue? Contract money, length? Someone just agree to disagree already and sign on the dotted line. This was a fun topic during the summer when it was slow and players were being kicked off dry island for drinking and boating under the influence, but the season kicks off in 20 days.
Speaking of boating under the influence, Dustin Byfuglien has made it across the border, even with his legal woe's hanging over his head. Although he can't really talk much about his boating events, he did address the weight issues and apparently the Jets have on some rosy colored glasses because "he looks great" per the team. He's currently 30 lbs above last years playing weight for the record.
The Devils are still Captainless. The money is on Zach Parise or Ilya Kovalchuk, but the state of NJ is just awkward as a rule, so no Captain with a bunch of A's is a possibility. Remember this is the team that wanted to give Kovalchuk the longest contract in NHL, which might have ended the day before he dropped dead in 70 years. They are also located in a state that doesn't believe in left hand turns so no rules apply in any capacity.
Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks knocked down a little kid at a camp the other day. Not on purpose of course, but I wonder if he forget to work at half speed since they are little kids. Ekk.
The league also took an official stance on social media use this week. They basically said everything everyone already knows from other leagues policies and from common sense. They did put a blackout on using it 2 hours prior to a game that lasts till the last post-game interview is completed. Basically they took what most guys seemed to have seen as logical and said, this is now law. Since the leagues most prolific twitter user Paul Bissonnette doesn't see any issues with it, there should be few issues.
The Flyers have named Chris Pronger as Captain, which was the most obvious move since he was apparently the Captain all along, but Mike Richards was rocking the C. The real question is now that upper management spent the summer blowing up their team, how will they fare?
Ryan Callahan also got a shiny new C attached to his jersey in Ranger's land. Marc Staal and Brad Richrds got the A's. This was possibly the most predicted trio of leaders to be named this season, but is also potentially one of the most solid sets.
HBO came and started scouting out the Rangers for 24/7 and getting some shots for this years Road to the Winter Classic. I've lost track of if any of this has been confirmed by the league since they acted like it was the biggest secret for the longest time. It's happening and that's the important fact. Can't wait to see Mike Rupp rock another tux t-shirt and see Max Talbot sit on Santa's lap. Oh boy......
Moving onto happier news, football season has officially begun and my step-sister gave birth to her first child last weekend, so I'm an Aunt! I won't get to meet my niece for a few more weeks, but there's tons of pictures and updates in the meantime.
Finally, lets talk some hockey since the temperature has dropped and fall is clearly taking over. Training camps officially opened today (yay) with most teams dealing with trivial details like headshots, screenshots for the game boards and making sure the guys can skate across the ice without falling over.
We also heard that the Ferrari that is Sidney Crosby has been cleared to take part in non-contact practice. He's a magician since last week I'm not sure many people got the impression that he would be on the ice for any part of camp. Don't pencil him in for the first game just yet, but anything goes in planet Sid and I'm not sure even Einstein could figure out his puzzle.
Drew Doughtry and his contract issues with the Kings have now held him out of the first day of camp. What's really the issue? Contract money, length? Someone just agree to disagree already and sign on the dotted line. This was a fun topic during the summer when it was slow and players were being kicked off dry island for drinking and boating under the influence, but the season kicks off in 20 days.
Speaking of boating under the influence, Dustin Byfuglien has made it across the border, even with his legal woe's hanging over his head. Although he can't really talk much about his boating events, he did address the weight issues and apparently the Jets have on some rosy colored glasses because "he looks great" per the team. He's currently 30 lbs above last years playing weight for the record.
The Devils are still Captainless. The money is on Zach Parise or Ilya Kovalchuk, but the state of NJ is just awkward as a rule, so no Captain with a bunch of A's is a possibility. Remember this is the team that wanted to give Kovalchuk the longest contract in NHL, which might have ended the day before he dropped dead in 70 years. They are also located in a state that doesn't believe in left hand turns so no rules apply in any capacity.
Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks knocked down a little kid at a camp the other day. Not on purpose of course, but I wonder if he forget to work at half speed since they are little kids. Ekk.
The league also took an official stance on social media use this week. They basically said everything everyone already knows from other leagues policies and from common sense. They did put a blackout on using it 2 hours prior to a game that lasts till the last post-game interview is completed. Basically they took what most guys seemed to have seen as logical and said, this is now law. Since the leagues most prolific twitter user Paul Bissonnette doesn't see any issues with it, there should be few issues.
The Flyers have named Chris Pronger as Captain, which was the most obvious move since he was apparently the Captain all along, but Mike Richards was rocking the C. The real question is now that upper management spent the summer blowing up their team, how will they fare?
Ryan Callahan also got a shiny new C attached to his jersey in Ranger's land. Marc Staal and Brad Richrds got the A's. This was possibly the most predicted trio of leaders to be named this season, but is also potentially one of the most solid sets.
HBO came and started scouting out the Rangers for 24/7 and getting some shots for this years Road to the Winter Classic. I've lost track of if any of this has been confirmed by the league since they acted like it was the biggest secret for the longest time. It's happening and that's the important fact. Can't wait to see Mike Rupp rock another tux t-shirt and see Max Talbot sit on Santa's lap. Oh boy......
Monday, July 25, 2011
Back to the Grind...
Since the NFL has finally come to an agreement after over 4 months of chatting, I decided it's time to start paying more attention to the sporting world. I needed a little break myself (and it was nice to not check sites, the tv or anything and get lost in a solid book and then have some time at the beach) but as the calendar inches closer to August, all the puzzle pieces are falling into place. So away we go....
The NFL has finally reached a new CBA agreement. It still confuses me greatly some of the things that did and didn't get affected but you can read more here and here (thank you ESPN.com) for details because I'm just not up for deciphering it all right now. What I do understand is free-agency begins tomorrow, rosters need to be set ASAP and all teams will have their training camps open by Friday. Good stuff since as my grandpa said yesterday "I can't do this no football on Sunday stuff much longer". Direct quote. Man loves football then hockey, then whatever else is in season, and baseball is officially boring him senseless.
In the planet of Philadelphia, Michael Vick decided he would welcome Brett Favre as his backup. No word on if Favre is actually contemplating un-retiring but I can't take any of this seriously. The entire city of Philadelphia drinks the crazy water and its just not meant for the rest of us in the real world to understand. Favre playing backup would be hilarious. Playing backup to Vick would be a friggin made for TV movie. The Flyers signed Jaromir Jagr and a Western goalie for a top Eastern team. The league-owned Coyotes barely made the playoffs and then the Flyers threw a shit-ton of money at a goalie that one hopes won't crack under this pressure. Of course the Flyers owner is inching up on the crazy owner train, and he's now second in command to only Ted Leonsis, Ovie's owner. Ya know, the wacky one who employs a Coach that screams out like a 5 year old for ice cream in the mall and does interviews with hot sauce on his face. Remember he deserves a Cup because that nemesis of his in Pittsburgh has 3 of his own. The Flyers of course jetted a pair of 26 year olds out of town so your move Leonsis. Are DC and Philly on the same water supply? Seriously though, are they?? Favre needs to go hide somewhere. I don't want to hear or see his name until he can be elected into the HOF. He's already tarnished his luster by not just retiring the first time and I'm 300% over any Favre news.
Speaking of the 2 players jetted from the Flyers, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, there was an awesome article on a possible reason for sending these two party boys out of Philly. Shocking that at 26, single and insanely rich, they would enjoy drinking and going out. Who knew? I thought these guys were book worms and attended a book club on their off nights. Guess I was wrong. Seriously though, I can't figure out which is crazier, the fact that Laviolette thought he could get every guy to agree to a month of no drinking or the fact they couldn't just do the month. Power struggle much? Tell someone they can't and it's like daring them to do it just to spite you. I'm thinking the guys probably were thinking along the lines of we gave up all of high school and skipped college to play in the big league so why can't we enjoy our time. Coach is probably thinking grow up, be an example and keep it under control. Of course how he approached everyone probably played into it. Regardless the party hardy boys have left the City of Brotherly Love for greener pastures in LaLa Land and one of the biggest party campus' in the country. Since I'm a mere year older than them, I can't blame them for wanting to go out and enjoy their time. Maybe they needed to do it a bit more carefully, but if I had their money, maybe I wouldn't care either.
Richards landed himself in LA. "Hey there party city, how are you doing??? My name is Mike Richards, here's my black card, nothing is off limits. Round of shots for everyone on me!!!" Yes. The partying Mike Richards will live on. His partner in crime Jeff Carter will be corrupting the minds of young guys and girls in Columbus. Not sure who can get in more trouble. Columbus of course is home to The Ohio State University so realistically they are both going to the living it up. Potentially cheaper on Carter's wallet I'd guess. I'm sure this won't be the last we hear of them living it up. Hopefully there new teams have no dreams of "Dry Island" (seriously? is that a joke?) "Everybody's shufflin, shufflin, shufflin..." Party on boys, party on.......
In more sobering news, Aaron Boogaard was arrested in connection to the May death of his 28 year old brother, Derek, who died from a combination of drugs and alcohol. So sad for the family and I'm sure the last news they wanted to get.
The Winnipeg Jets unveiled their logos in part because a picture was leaked. The Jets ended up announcing their logos immediately once they realized the security breach, but I won't lie, I was happy someone basically forced them to do it because this was getting nuts. Still have to wait on their actual uniforms but this is better than nothing I suppose.
Personally I'm torn since I was expecting something to sing and dance for me since this was such a big secret. I get that they are teaming with the military but personally I'd expect to the see the circular logo on the left on the arm as a patch on the pilot of a jet, rather than a skating Jet. Same thing with the top right one (did everyone get their wings for flying with us today?). I like the colors and I like the fact they didn't go with the old logos and exact colors but I'm just not blown away. I can almost imagine them using an old Thrashers jersey with these colors and logos. Ugh. I thought those were supposed to be lost on the way to the 'Peg?! I picked the word Jets as my favorite logo which when it comes down to it, it's actually a font with a maple leaf. Pathetic. At least they will fit right in with half the leagues boring-ness in designs.
After 17 seasons donning a Red Wings jersey (and 3 prior with the Jets 1.0) Kris Draper has joined the retirement party of Chris Osgood and Brian Rafalski this off season. And to think Lidstrom almost joined them also. Who are the Red Wings now? They just keep getting younger which should mean they will only get better since they were one of the oldest teams in the league. But as one of the oldest, they were still one of the best so do these changes make them stronger? Better? This could be really awesome to see play out. Can't wait for the season to see how all the changes fall into place!
The NFL has finally reached a new CBA agreement. It still confuses me greatly some of the things that did and didn't get affected but you can read more here and here (thank you ESPN.com) for details because I'm just not up for deciphering it all right now. What I do understand is free-agency begins tomorrow, rosters need to be set ASAP and all teams will have their training camps open by Friday. Good stuff since as my grandpa said yesterday "I can't do this no football on Sunday stuff much longer". Direct quote. Man loves football then hockey, then whatever else is in season, and baseball is officially boring him senseless.
In the planet of Philadelphia, Michael Vick decided he would welcome Brett Favre as his backup. No word on if Favre is actually contemplating un-retiring but I can't take any of this seriously. The entire city of Philadelphia drinks the crazy water and its just not meant for the rest of us in the real world to understand. Favre playing backup would be hilarious. Playing backup to Vick would be a friggin made for TV movie. The Flyers signed Jaromir Jagr and a Western goalie for a top Eastern team. The league-owned Coyotes barely made the playoffs and then the Flyers threw a shit-ton of money at a goalie that one hopes won't crack under this pressure. Of course the Flyers owner is inching up on the crazy owner train, and he's now second in command to only Ted Leonsis, Ovie's owner. Ya know, the wacky one who employs a Coach that screams out like a 5 year old for ice cream in the mall and does interviews with hot sauce on his face. Remember he deserves a Cup because that nemesis of his in Pittsburgh has 3 of his own. The Flyers of course jetted a pair of 26 year olds out of town so your move Leonsis. Are DC and Philly on the same water supply? Seriously though, are they?? Favre needs to go hide somewhere. I don't want to hear or see his name until he can be elected into the HOF. He's already tarnished his luster by not just retiring the first time and I'm 300% over any Favre news.
Speaking of the 2 players jetted from the Flyers, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, there was an awesome article on a possible reason for sending these two party boys out of Philly. Shocking that at 26, single and insanely rich, they would enjoy drinking and going out. Who knew? I thought these guys were book worms and attended a book club on their off nights. Guess I was wrong. Seriously though, I can't figure out which is crazier, the fact that Laviolette thought he could get every guy to agree to a month of no drinking or the fact they couldn't just do the month. Power struggle much? Tell someone they can't and it's like daring them to do it just to spite you. I'm thinking the guys probably were thinking along the lines of we gave up all of high school and skipped college to play in the big league so why can't we enjoy our time. Coach is probably thinking grow up, be an example and keep it under control. Of course how he approached everyone probably played into it. Regardless the party hardy boys have left the City of Brotherly Love for greener pastures in LaLa Land and one of the biggest party campus' in the country. Since I'm a mere year older than them, I can't blame them for wanting to go out and enjoy their time. Maybe they needed to do it a bit more carefully, but if I had their money, maybe I wouldn't care either.
Richards landed himself in LA. "Hey there party city, how are you doing??? My name is Mike Richards, here's my black card, nothing is off limits. Round of shots for everyone on me!!!" Yes. The partying Mike Richards will live on. His partner in crime Jeff Carter will be corrupting the minds of young guys and girls in Columbus. Not sure who can get in more trouble. Columbus of course is home to The Ohio State University so realistically they are both going to the living it up. Potentially cheaper on Carter's wallet I'd guess. I'm sure this won't be the last we hear of them living it up. Hopefully there new teams have no dreams of "Dry Island" (seriously? is that a joke?) "Everybody's shufflin, shufflin, shufflin..." Party on boys, party on.......
In more sobering news, Aaron Boogaard was arrested in connection to the May death of his 28 year old brother, Derek, who died from a combination of drugs and alcohol. So sad for the family and I'm sure the last news they wanted to get.
The Winnipeg Jets unveiled their logos in part because a picture was leaked. The Jets ended up announcing their logos immediately once they realized the security breach, but I won't lie, I was happy someone basically forced them to do it because this was getting nuts. Still have to wait on their actual uniforms but this is better than nothing I suppose.
Personally I'm torn since I was expecting something to sing and dance for me since this was such a big secret. I get that they are teaming with the military but personally I'd expect to the see the circular logo on the left on the arm as a patch on the pilot of a jet, rather than a skating Jet. Same thing with the top right one (did everyone get their wings for flying with us today?). I like the colors and I like the fact they didn't go with the old logos and exact colors but I'm just not blown away. I can almost imagine them using an old Thrashers jersey with these colors and logos. Ugh. I thought those were supposed to be lost on the way to the 'Peg?! I picked the word Jets as my favorite logo which when it comes down to it, it's actually a font with a maple leaf. Pathetic. At least they will fit right in with half the leagues boring-ness in designs.After 17 seasons donning a Red Wings jersey (and 3 prior with the Jets 1.0) Kris Draper has joined the retirement party of Chris Osgood and Brian Rafalski this off season. And to think Lidstrom almost joined them also. Who are the Red Wings now? They just keep getting younger which should mean they will only get better since they were one of the oldest teams in the league. But as one of the oldest, they were still one of the best so do these changes make them stronger? Better? This could be really awesome to see play out. Can't wait for the season to see how all the changes fall into place!
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