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 Rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rangers. 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!
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!!
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, October 21, 2011
It's starting to become clear..
..that some teams will never learn since the Jets (the former Thrashers) and Senators are among the bottom 5 teams. The Blue Jackets currently have the honor of the worst team as they are win less. It's still early and hard to truly judge teams since some teams like the Rangers and Capitals have only played 5 games, while the Penguins will play their 10th tomorrow, but eventually it will become clearer. The Pens have played the most games in the league. Break time? I would say so.
One person who might not enjoy a break would be James Neal. He has been on fire and scored 7 goals in 9 games and is currently tied with Phil Kessel for leading goal scorer right now. Of course it's October and history says he is "Mr. October", but we hope we can be "Mr. Every month I score crazy amounts of goals" so Ray Shero can't deny him those millions come contract talks. It seems an off-season to bond with the guys, move out of a hotel and get some quality time to study their system has done him quite well.
Those who might welcome a break in play would be the $8.7 million dollar men. Malkin has sat out the past few games because of soreness to his surgically fixed knee and Crosby can't get the contact he would like since practices are so limited. Of course when Crosby is cleared, we will see the lines roll out 3 big centers again and Crosby very well could have Mr. October on his wing. Another science experiment from the lab of Dan Bylsma. This already looks better than Staalkin did on paper, let alone the actual ice. Imagine Mr. October can play the entire year this way with Crosby. And everyone stays/gets healthy. And no meltdowns.....
Brooks Orpik and Dustin Jeffery both returned last night in the lineup and suddenly the line up is looking deep but is going to be an eventual logjam. When Kris Letang returns from his suspension, they will have to decide who will be the D scratch as they only dress 6 per game. The bigger question will be roster moves as they have 4 guys on IR right now but a complete 23 man active roster. When Crosby is ready to come back, someone will have to be waived and could potentially be lost in transit on his way to Wilkes Barre due to 24 hours of being exposed to the league to be picked up. That is unless someone makes their way to the IR which is entirely possible since its seems how they like to operate these days. Brian Strait, the call up to replace Letang during his suspension was hit and has a hyper extended elbow, which puts him on the IR. Not even sure the trainers knew how to explain it to Bylsma, since even he seemed a bit confused.
In non-jersey foul but seriously questionable territory, the IHL Fighting Falcons will be hosting Star Wars night wearing these jerseys. It's awesome and terrible all rolled up into one.
Jet's Dustin Byfuglien pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his summer boating incident. He apparently passed the breathalyzer but the policeman wasn't happy with that and wanted a urine sample. Byfuglien refused and that was apparently against the law. Can't wait to see where this soap opera goes. His off ice antics are more exciting than the play of his entire team. Pathetic.
Brad Richards was the star free agent this off season and he's doing exactly what the Rangers wanted: scoring and making opportunities for Marian Gaborik. Since he's doing what has been asked, why are the Rangers still struggling? Seems the rest of the team is missing chemistry now. See saw much? Can it be the black cloud named Sean Avery who won't stop going on about being hated by Coach Torts and how he'd never get called up from the Whale. Imagine the drama we almost got to see on 24/7!! And the Oscar goes to....Sean Avery. He's done a lot this year. The police incident in LA, the talking crap on his now ex coach who controls if he ever sees the Garden again. Busy year for him.
And if anyone had any real question about how a few back to back concussions can affect your life, ask newly retired Kris Chucko, who is only 25 years old. A former first round draft pick for the Flames, he played mainly for their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. Unfortunately his last game was a year ago when he suffered his second concussion after having missed a bulk of the previous season because of the first concussion. Problem is he isn't sure if he suffered others and never knew. Glad that he is taking control and realizing living with the pain is not worth it, but is this showing the league and all sports just how serious concussions can be? When a 25 year old decides he needs a career change because of how crappy he was feeling, that's saying something. Hopefully more and more people come forward with their stories and are honest about how bad it is.
Brooks Laich might think all this "awareness crap" is well crap, but since Sidney Crosby has made it trendy to say they are not robots, I have a feeling we will continue to hear more and more from various athletes in sports.
Finally a topic that I've been semi-following is the University of North Dakota who are nicknamed the Fighting Sioux and their battling to keep their name and mascot. Of course this goes back their nickname and logo being linked to Native American's and some are finding it offensive. The school estimates it would cost around $750,000 to retire their nickname and logo. This only includes changes to practice and game day uniforms for all sports, equipment, stationary and the website. The cost could skyrocket to $20million to change the logos and names at the privately owned stadium that they use. O-M-G. That's just insane.
My high school went through a similar ordeal when our logo was deemed to be offensive. They were able to keep the Warrior name (not entirely sure how, it is truly a mystery) but they had to remove the Indian head off of everything. For 98 years my high school was the Warriors with the Indian head, but for the past 9, they have been having an identity crisis. I graduated just when this was happening, so no class after me has ever had anything that said Warrior with our Indian head underneath it. 4 years after I graduated they finally decided on a Knight in our colors (a Knight??), but within a year, the Knight was essentially deemed unworthy. It appears only on the city's website for the school, not even the school's own site (that bad huh?). I think eventually they will drop the Knight completely and just be the Warriors with no mascot. They already seem to have given up on uniforms and just go with the school name on them.
At the end of the day, this was a high school who makes no money off apparel and is only known locally, not nationally, so I can't even imagine rebranding an established and storied university. It's not the just money involved, but it's the future students who wanted to be apart of the Fighting Sioux tradition and the alumni who have invested in the school after graduating because of their memories and nostalgia. Of course since it's a powerhouse in hockey (in particular) all those banners will still hang from the rafters with the Fighting Sioux name and mascot on them as a memory for all to enjoy. I personally don't have any issue with these types of names. Better than everyone being a Charger or Dog or a Duck.
One person who might not enjoy a break would be James Neal. He has been on fire and scored 7 goals in 9 games and is currently tied with Phil Kessel for leading goal scorer right now. Of course it's October and history says he is "Mr. October", but we hope we can be "Mr. Every month I score crazy amounts of goals" so Ray Shero can't deny him those millions come contract talks. It seems an off-season to bond with the guys, move out of a hotel and get some quality time to study their system has done him quite well.
Those who might welcome a break in play would be the $8.7 million dollar men. Malkin has sat out the past few games because of soreness to his surgically fixed knee and Crosby can't get the contact he would like since practices are so limited. Of course when Crosby is cleared, we will see the lines roll out 3 big centers again and Crosby very well could have Mr. October on his wing. Another science experiment from the lab of Dan Bylsma. This already looks better than Staalkin did on paper, let alone the actual ice. Imagine Mr. October can play the entire year this way with Crosby. And everyone stays/gets healthy. And no meltdowns.....
Brooks Orpik and Dustin Jeffery both returned last night in the lineup and suddenly the line up is looking deep but is going to be an eventual logjam. When Kris Letang returns from his suspension, they will have to decide who will be the D scratch as they only dress 6 per game. The bigger question will be roster moves as they have 4 guys on IR right now but a complete 23 man active roster. When Crosby is ready to come back, someone will have to be waived and could potentially be lost in transit on his way to Wilkes Barre due to 24 hours of being exposed to the league to be picked up. That is unless someone makes their way to the IR which is entirely possible since its seems how they like to operate these days. Brian Strait, the call up to replace Letang during his suspension was hit and has a hyper extended elbow, which puts him on the IR. Not even sure the trainers knew how to explain it to Bylsma, since even he seemed a bit confused.
In non-jersey foul but seriously questionable territory, the IHL Fighting Falcons will be hosting Star Wars night wearing these jerseys. It's awesome and terrible all rolled up into one.
Jet's Dustin Byfuglien pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his summer boating incident. He apparently passed the breathalyzer but the policeman wasn't happy with that and wanted a urine sample. Byfuglien refused and that was apparently against the law. Can't wait to see where this soap opera goes. His off ice antics are more exciting than the play of his entire team. Pathetic.
Brad Richards was the star free agent this off season and he's doing exactly what the Rangers wanted: scoring and making opportunities for Marian Gaborik. Since he's doing what has been asked, why are the Rangers still struggling? Seems the rest of the team is missing chemistry now. See saw much? Can it be the black cloud named Sean Avery who won't stop going on about being hated by Coach Torts and how he'd never get called up from the Whale. Imagine the drama we almost got to see on 24/7!! And the Oscar goes to....Sean Avery. He's done a lot this year. The police incident in LA, the talking crap on his now ex coach who controls if he ever sees the Garden again. Busy year for him.
And if anyone had any real question about how a few back to back concussions can affect your life, ask newly retired Kris Chucko, who is only 25 years old. A former first round draft pick for the Flames, he played mainly for their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. Unfortunately his last game was a year ago when he suffered his second concussion after having missed a bulk of the previous season because of the first concussion. Problem is he isn't sure if he suffered others and never knew. Glad that he is taking control and realizing living with the pain is not worth it, but is this showing the league and all sports just how serious concussions can be? When a 25 year old decides he needs a career change because of how crappy he was feeling, that's saying something. Hopefully more and more people come forward with their stories and are honest about how bad it is.
Brooks Laich might think all this "awareness crap" is well crap, but since Sidney Crosby has made it trendy to say they are not robots, I have a feeling we will continue to hear more and more from various athletes in sports.
Finally a topic that I've been semi-following is the University of North Dakota who are nicknamed the Fighting Sioux and their battling to keep their name and mascot. Of course this goes back their nickname and logo being linked to Native American's and some are finding it offensive. The school estimates it would cost around $750,000 to retire their nickname and logo. This only includes changes to practice and game day uniforms for all sports, equipment, stationary and the website. The cost could skyrocket to $20million to change the logos and names at the privately owned stadium that they use. O-M-G. That's just insane.
My high school went through a similar ordeal when our logo was deemed to be offensive. They were able to keep the Warrior name (not entirely sure how, it is truly a mystery) but they had to remove the Indian head off of everything. For 98 years my high school was the Warriors with the Indian head, but for the past 9, they have been having an identity crisis. I graduated just when this was happening, so no class after me has ever had anything that said Warrior with our Indian head underneath it. 4 years after I graduated they finally decided on a Knight in our colors (a Knight??), but within a year, the Knight was essentially deemed unworthy. It appears only on the city's website for the school, not even the school's own site (that bad huh?). I think eventually they will drop the Knight completely and just be the Warriors with no mascot. They already seem to have given up on uniforms and just go with the school name on them.
At the end of the day, this was a high school who makes no money off apparel and is only known locally, not nationally, so I can't even imagine rebranding an established and storied university. It's not the just money involved, but it's the future students who wanted to be apart of the Fighting Sioux tradition and the alumni who have invested in the school after graduating because of their memories and nostalgia. Of course since it's a powerhouse in hockey (in particular) all those banners will still hang from the rafters with the Fighting Sioux name and mascot on them as a memory for all to enjoy. I personally don't have any issue with these types of names. Better than everyone being a Charger or Dog or a Duck.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
1 day....
One day before the puck drops on the 2011-2012 season. Since it's the day before the season begins some loose ends must be tied up. Like the Devils Captaincy and Sean Avery.
The Devils in a shocker named Zach Parise captain and Ilya Koalchuk and Patrick Elias as the alternates. This was almost as shocking as the Rangers announcements, except that Parise wasn't expecting it at all. Will it keep him in town beyond this season? Since he's never said anything about ever wanting to leave, I'm thinking he just wants a contract the shows his value. He's 27 and you can have him as a Devil for life, so I'm sure the Devils can find at least 27 ways to screw this up. Good god I hope they prove me wrong.
Apparently John Tortorella, head coach of the Rangers, didn't realize that HBO will be invading is rink come December and that NHL superp-pest Sean Avery was born to be on 24/7. Or maybe he did realize that HBO was coming to town and didn't want the rest of the country to be subject to the Avery show. Whatever his reasoning is, Avery will now be wearing the Hartford Whale sweater for the rest of his contract unless some foreign team picks him up since he rest of the league passed on picking him up off waivers. The Flyers really should have since they will also be featured in 24/7 and lets face it, Avery and Jagr together would be a ratings goldmine.
And in Shanahan news he released a highlight reel of legal hits from this pre-season. Most shocking, Trevor Gillies of the Islanders who tried to kill Eric Tangradi of the Penguins during fight night at the Colosseum last year was a legal hit highlight. Wouldn't you love to have Shanahan re-review that game and give us his evaluation of it?
1 day ladies and gents, 1 day.
The Devils in a shocker named Zach Parise captain and Ilya Koalchuk and Patrick Elias as the alternates. This was almost as shocking as the Rangers announcements, except that Parise wasn't expecting it at all. Will it keep him in town beyond this season? Since he's never said anything about ever wanting to leave, I'm thinking he just wants a contract the shows his value. He's 27 and you can have him as a Devil for life, so I'm sure the Devils can find at least 27 ways to screw this up. Good god I hope they prove me wrong.
Apparently John Tortorella, head coach of the Rangers, didn't realize that HBO will be invading is rink come December and that NHL superp-pest Sean Avery was born to be on 24/7. Or maybe he did realize that HBO was coming to town and didn't want the rest of the country to be subject to the Avery show. Whatever his reasoning is, Avery will now be wearing the Hartford Whale sweater for the rest of his contract unless some foreign team picks him up since he rest of the league passed on picking him up off waivers. The Flyers really should have since they will also be featured in 24/7 and lets face it, Avery and Jagr together would be a ratings goldmine.
And in Shanahan news he released a highlight reel of legal hits from this pre-season. Most shocking, Trevor Gillies of the Islanders who tried to kill Eric Tangradi of the Penguins during fight night at the Colosseum last year was a legal hit highlight. Wouldn't you love to have Shanahan re-review that game and give us his evaluation of it?
1 day ladies and gents, 1 day.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Not Enough Time in the Day...
This week is going by slowly and flying by all at the same time. In my defense, my brain is wandering around on it's own since I am leaving Friday morning for a family wedding at the beach and work is making my head spin non-stop. But enough with the excuses, the puck has FINALLY dropped on the pre-season and there's plenty of news to go around.
The Staal brothers (count 'em, there's 4) are all big, competive guys and apparently last season oldest brother Eric (Hurricanes) knocked down second oldest Marc (Rangers) during a game. All these months later, Marc is now expereincing concussion symptoms after practices. As if we needed to add someone else to the non-stop concussion list. Hopefully they are occuring simply because he hasn't skated this hard in months because this is the last thing the Rangers need to deal with. It's bad enough they are starting the season on the longest road trip ever due to renovations at MSG. Currently they are regulated to the MSG training facility and will venture to Europe for pre-season games and to actually start the season. Once they return state-side, they won't have a home game until October 27. After a month at home, they will throw HBO into the mix for 24/7. If no one has a mental breakdown in Ranger-ville, I'd consider that a successful season. Gearing up for the playoffs potentially might the least stressful aspect of their season. Good god. I'm tired just thinking about their schedule.
Mike Modano announced he is retiring as the most successful US born player. He might have left out the second part, but it's the truth. Check the stats. Everyone above him is shockingly, Canadian. Who would have thunk it?! He is hoping to get a position in the Star front office, once they have new owners.
Speaking of the Stars, I'm going to skip the fact they have declared bankruptcy since it's the first step to their potential new owners taking over in the next few months. Opppps. Moving on....
The Devils have a new coach, Pete DeBoer. They have no captain yet. “It’s down my list of priorities on things we’re trying to get done right now," DeBoer said. "For now we are at camp." That's because first on his priority list is making sure Lou Lamoriello is on his good side, so he doesn't get fired in case the team has an epic meltdown a la last season. The second would be to make sure that Jacques Lemaire is somewhere fabulous to ensure that he won't return for another stint in case of an epic meltdown.
The Winnipeg Jets have officially picked up where they left off. They sold out their arena for their first pre-season game, fans were dancing into the arena (seriously?) and Byfuglien had a fight with a Blue Jacket within the first 37 seconds. The Jets also scored 6 goals (each team played a split squad with NHLers and minor league talent mixed) so it's safe to say Winnipeg is running on pure adrenaline right about now. Hopefully the crash back to earth doesn't hurt too much.
The NHL has approved (conditionally) the green goal verification line and to use a thinner mesh on the top of the net. These are 2 changes we should see in place this season. A third change that was experimented with at the R&D camp this past summer is a shallower net. That change along with the mesh and verification line were used during the Maple Leafs-Senators game on Monday night and got the best type of feedback possible. Essentially none. The verification line never needed to be used (but its under the ice so it's not in the way, it's an aesthetic change) and the thinner mesh made no difference either. The only thing that semi mattered was the shallower net and one player thought something was different but had no clue they were testing it. He stated he had a "bit more" room behind the net to maneuver. The shallower net seems like a shoe-in for next years changes. The NHL also has acknowledged that by December they will unveil their new alignment plans.
Finally the Penguins held their Black and Gold game. Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin told the world they are healthy and ready to go by scoring 2 goals a piece for their teams. Staal played on the black team, while Malkin was on the gold side. The gold side prevailed and in a bit of friendly rivalry, the loser had to untie the winners skates after practice the following day. Hope Malkin's skates smelt good! Crosby has been skating in circles around practice. Literally. In. Circles. He showed he knows his shapes and followed the red circle on ice. He is not allowed to have contact yet, but seems to be on the verge of being in the way of another player based on the pictures the Penguins are posting. Clearly he is more ready than people knew or were letting on. He also gets to wear a nifty white helmet.
In continuing the grand tradition of acting like he barely knows who the hell Crosby is (this has only happened since he has been injured), Bylsma has said he has no clue if he is trying new helmets nor where he fits in the lineup when ready. A monkey could tell you where he fits. First line. Center. Give him 2 guys on skates with a stick and it will all magically work out. Meanwhile on the other side of the locker room, James Neal said it was exciting to be centered by Crosby during a non-contact practice drill. Neal will play on his head if it means to be on a line with Crosby (as would most of the league).
Pens are currently playing the Red Wings in their first pre-season game right now. In case you didn't know, I live in the Bermuda Triangle of sports, so although the game is being aired on NHL Network, I am blacked out since I'm expected to get Root Sports for Pittsburgh even though I live in Eastern PA. I also live in Philly, NJ, NY and Buffalo territory all depending on what map you are looking at. Maybe Bylsma drew up the map when he lived in the area for a bit just to mess with us......Pens are tied with the Wings 1-1 and I need to stop listening to whatever disgrace to my ears Simon Cowell has come up with on NBC.
Peace out....I'll try to be more on top of news next week :)
The Staal brothers (count 'em, there's 4) are all big, competive guys and apparently last season oldest brother Eric (Hurricanes) knocked down second oldest Marc (Rangers) during a game. All these months later, Marc is now expereincing concussion symptoms after practices. As if we needed to add someone else to the non-stop concussion list. Hopefully they are occuring simply because he hasn't skated this hard in months because this is the last thing the Rangers need to deal with. It's bad enough they are starting the season on the longest road trip ever due to renovations at MSG. Currently they are regulated to the MSG training facility and will venture to Europe for pre-season games and to actually start the season. Once they return state-side, they won't have a home game until October 27. After a month at home, they will throw HBO into the mix for 24/7. If no one has a mental breakdown in Ranger-ville, I'd consider that a successful season. Gearing up for the playoffs potentially might the least stressful aspect of their season. Good god. I'm tired just thinking about their schedule.
Mike Modano announced he is retiring as the most successful US born player. He might have left out the second part, but it's the truth. Check the stats. Everyone above him is shockingly, Canadian. Who would have thunk it?! He is hoping to get a position in the Star front office, once they have new owners.
Speaking of the Stars, I'm going to skip the fact they have declared bankruptcy since it's the first step to their potential new owners taking over in the next few months. Opppps. Moving on....
The Devils have a new coach, Pete DeBoer. They have no captain yet. “It’s down my list of priorities on things we’re trying to get done right now," DeBoer said. "For now we are at camp." That's because first on his priority list is making sure Lou Lamoriello is on his good side, so he doesn't get fired in case the team has an epic meltdown a la last season. The second would be to make sure that Jacques Lemaire is somewhere fabulous to ensure that he won't return for another stint in case of an epic meltdown.
The Winnipeg Jets have officially picked up where they left off. They sold out their arena for their first pre-season game, fans were dancing into the arena (seriously?) and Byfuglien had a fight with a Blue Jacket within the first 37 seconds. The Jets also scored 6 goals (each team played a split squad with NHLers and minor league talent mixed) so it's safe to say Winnipeg is running on pure adrenaline right about now. Hopefully the crash back to earth doesn't hurt too much.
The NHL has approved (conditionally) the green goal verification line and to use a thinner mesh on the top of the net. These are 2 changes we should see in place this season. A third change that was experimented with at the R&D camp this past summer is a shallower net. That change along with the mesh and verification line were used during the Maple Leafs-Senators game on Monday night and got the best type of feedback possible. Essentially none. The verification line never needed to be used (but its under the ice so it's not in the way, it's an aesthetic change) and the thinner mesh made no difference either. The only thing that semi mattered was the shallower net and one player thought something was different but had no clue they were testing it. He stated he had a "bit more" room behind the net to maneuver. The shallower net seems like a shoe-in for next years changes. The NHL also has acknowledged that by December they will unveil their new alignment plans.
Finally the Penguins held their Black and Gold game. Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin told the world they are healthy and ready to go by scoring 2 goals a piece for their teams. Staal played on the black team, while Malkin was on the gold side. The gold side prevailed and in a bit of friendly rivalry, the loser had to untie the winners skates after practice the following day. Hope Malkin's skates smelt good! Crosby has been skating in circles around practice. Literally. In. Circles. He showed he knows his shapes and followed the red circle on ice. He is not allowed to have contact yet, but seems to be on the verge of being in the way of another player based on the pictures the Penguins are posting. Clearly he is more ready than people knew or were letting on. He also gets to wear a nifty white helmet.
In continuing the grand tradition of acting like he barely knows who the hell Crosby is (this has only happened since he has been injured), Bylsma has said he has no clue if he is trying new helmets nor where he fits in the lineup when ready. A monkey could tell you where he fits. First line. Center. Give him 2 guys on skates with a stick and it will all magically work out. Meanwhile on the other side of the locker room, James Neal said it was exciting to be centered by Crosby during a non-contact practice drill. Neal will play on his head if it means to be on a line with Crosby (as would most of the league).
Pens are currently playing the Red Wings in their first pre-season game right now. In case you didn't know, I live in the Bermuda Triangle of sports, so although the game is being aired on NHL Network, I am blacked out since I'm expected to get Root Sports for Pittsburgh even though I live in Eastern PA. I also live in Philly, NJ, NY and Buffalo territory all depending on what map you are looking at. Maybe Bylsma drew up the map when he lived in the area for a bit just to mess with us......Pens are tied with the Wings 1-1 and I need to stop listening to whatever disgrace to my ears Simon Cowell has come up with on NBC.
Peace out....I'll try to be more on top of news next week :)
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......
Saturday, July 2, 2011
More Free Agency Talk
Here is a list of all the signings that have happened since the beginning of free agency. Obviously there's tons of in-depth articles on NHL.com that are worth the read to get more details on the situations. Lots of moves have happened and many rosters are starting to truly take form. For example, Terry Pegula opened his wallet for the Buffalo Sabres and suddenly they seem like a team to watch out for. Dale Tallon had no choice but to start spending some dollars because his Florida Panthers were under the cap floor, and he's managed to add some pieces that could translate to some success for him. I hope. Lots of these guys signed for unreal numbers but that's what happens when the UFA class is weak. Less supply, same demand means someone is going to get a nice payday. Hey there Max Talbot, you got yourself a sweet payday. Its overpayment for sure but can't blame the man for cashing in. He's 27, this is probably his last chance a decent contract. Moving on....
The Capitals locked up Brooks Laich for 6 years and a cool $27 million for his services. He's a solid player and as we saw on 24/7 he is a true leader on that team. Even in an overpayment market for UFA's, he was going to get a solid deal for his leadership qualities. It was really a question of if he wanted to stay with the Capitals or leave.
The Caps traded goalie Semyon Varlamov to the Colorado Avalanche, where he is expected to be their number one guy. Colorado added Jean-Sebastien Giguere who is a former Conn Symthe winner to back up and mentor the young gun. This is a great move for them and if Varlamov can stay healthy, he should be able to have a decent career in the NHL. It seems that Washington is going to roll with the tandum of Michael Neuvirth as the starter and Braden Holtbly as the back up. For now. Anything goes in the D.C. so nothing can really be a shocker at this point. The fact that they acknowledged a rotation of 3 goalies won't win a Cup was the first step in acceptance. (Edit- The Capitals have signed Tomas Vokoun to a one year deal after I wrote this originally. I would guess that Neuvirth is the starter, Vokoun the back up and Holtby gets the start in Hershey. At least that's how I see it.)
The crown Prince of free agency 2011 was Brad Richards and he has taken his talents to Broadway. Not totally shocked to be honest. It's rumored he left some money on the table to play for John Tortorella again, but after the Rangers bought out former Captain Chris Drury's contract, this seemed like a move they would make. If they hadn't bought out Drury, I'm not sure this would have happened. For 9 years and $60 million, Richards should be set for quite some time. Good for the Rangers. Hopefully this one contract that won't bite them in the ass because they have a recent trend of some serious screw-ups in that department.
The Flyers continued to dismantle their team by sending Kris Versteeg to the Panthers for draft picks. The Panthers also picked up a former Predator, Flyer, Coyote, and Bluejacket in Scottie Upshall. He's 28 and hasn't stuck with one team for a decent amount of time which is kind of baffling. He's a good player with lots of upsides to him so hopefully the Panthers are the answer for him.
Raffi Torres came within a game of raising the Stanley Cup to heading to the desert dogs of Phoenix for a 2 year deal. Talk about a change in every possibly way. He went from the Stanley Cup to a team that could be moved to another city after this season. Guess the unknown is better in his world? At least he'll have nice weather for at least one season.
Steven Stamkos still hasn't gotten a deal done. I wonder what is it that's stopping this from getting done already. Money, years, combination of both? He's 21 and already considered a top 5 player in this league so get him signed already Tampa Bay.
Speaking of years and terms for contracts, few players are truly ever worthy of a long-term, high priced contract. The names of players you pay that type of cash to are the big boys. The ones that are expected to deliver and then go and above and beyond their expectations. Few players are ever really worth banking your entire future on and when you have them, you bow down and do it. Since the fallout of Jagr and Pittsburgh, and Jagr saying other teams had more on the table (really, who the KHL?), many people have realized Jagr's ego is still in tact and Philly fans seem to be having a hard deciding if this was a good or bad move. They seem to be expecting him to shoulder a serious work-load, but today Jagr said he has no expectations for what he can really bring. There's some confidence if I ever heard it. More and more I'm glad he isn't back in Pittsburgh.
A reporter from Pittsburgh actually pointed out some interesting money facts on twitter that I have to pass along on here about Crosby versus Jagr. The league max for a players' yearly salary is $10 million. Crosby in 2007 signed his first post entry-level contract (where he made less than a million a year) to a deal through the 2012-2013 season that pays him $8.7 million annually (not obsessed with the number 87 whatsoever). He left $1.3 million on the table to continue playing for the Penguins and to ensure that there was some room to surround him with talented players to win a Cup. The money he left on the table annually is the difference that Jagr took to sign with the Flyers. He claims there were other teams with more money offered but I doubt any where in the NHL. It's interesting to also note that the $1.3 million is about 1% of all the money Jagr has already made playing hockey in the NHL alone. He says it wasn't money but the numbers prove that money actually doesn't matter to Crosby, who wanted to be sure he had teammates to win with. I think for his next contract we can probably expect him to leave some money on the table again to stay with the Penguins. Funny how actions really do speak louder than words.
The Capitals locked up Brooks Laich for 6 years and a cool $27 million for his services. He's a solid player and as we saw on 24/7 he is a true leader on that team. Even in an overpayment market for UFA's, he was going to get a solid deal for his leadership qualities. It was really a question of if he wanted to stay with the Capitals or leave.
The Caps traded goalie Semyon Varlamov to the Colorado Avalanche, where he is expected to be their number one guy. Colorado added Jean-Sebastien Giguere who is a former Conn Symthe winner to back up and mentor the young gun. This is a great move for them and if Varlamov can stay healthy, he should be able to have a decent career in the NHL. It seems that Washington is going to roll with the tandum of Michael Neuvirth as the starter and Braden Holtbly as the back up. For now. Anything goes in the D.C. so nothing can really be a shocker at this point. The fact that they acknowledged a rotation of 3 goalies won't win a Cup was the first step in acceptance. (Edit- The Capitals have signed Tomas Vokoun to a one year deal after I wrote this originally. I would guess that Neuvirth is the starter, Vokoun the back up and Holtby gets the start in Hershey. At least that's how I see it.)
The crown Prince of free agency 2011 was Brad Richards and he has taken his talents to Broadway. Not totally shocked to be honest. It's rumored he left some money on the table to play for John Tortorella again, but after the Rangers bought out former Captain Chris Drury's contract, this seemed like a move they would make. If they hadn't bought out Drury, I'm not sure this would have happened. For 9 years and $60 million, Richards should be set for quite some time. Good for the Rangers. Hopefully this one contract that won't bite them in the ass because they have a recent trend of some serious screw-ups in that department.
The Flyers continued to dismantle their team by sending Kris Versteeg to the Panthers for draft picks. The Panthers also picked up a former Predator, Flyer, Coyote, and Bluejacket in Scottie Upshall. He's 28 and hasn't stuck with one team for a decent amount of time which is kind of baffling. He's a good player with lots of upsides to him so hopefully the Panthers are the answer for him.
Raffi Torres came within a game of raising the Stanley Cup to heading to the desert dogs of Phoenix for a 2 year deal. Talk about a change in every possibly way. He went from the Stanley Cup to a team that could be moved to another city after this season. Guess the unknown is better in his world? At least he'll have nice weather for at least one season.
Steven Stamkos still hasn't gotten a deal done. I wonder what is it that's stopping this from getting done already. Money, years, combination of both? He's 21 and already considered a top 5 player in this league so get him signed already Tampa Bay.
Speaking of years and terms for contracts, few players are truly ever worthy of a long-term, high priced contract. The names of players you pay that type of cash to are the big boys. The ones that are expected to deliver and then go and above and beyond their expectations. Few players are ever really worth banking your entire future on and when you have them, you bow down and do it. Since the fallout of Jagr and Pittsburgh, and Jagr saying other teams had more on the table (really, who the KHL?), many people have realized Jagr's ego is still in tact and Philly fans seem to be having a hard deciding if this was a good or bad move. They seem to be expecting him to shoulder a serious work-load, but today Jagr said he has no expectations for what he can really bring. There's some confidence if I ever heard it. More and more I'm glad he isn't back in Pittsburgh.
A reporter from Pittsburgh actually pointed out some interesting money facts on twitter that I have to pass along on here about Crosby versus Jagr. The league max for a players' yearly salary is $10 million. Crosby in 2007 signed his first post entry-level contract (where he made less than a million a year) to a deal through the 2012-2013 season that pays him $8.7 million annually (not obsessed with the number 87 whatsoever). He left $1.3 million on the table to continue playing for the Penguins and to ensure that there was some room to surround him with talented players to win a Cup. The money he left on the table annually is the difference that Jagr took to sign with the Flyers. He claims there were other teams with more money offered but I doubt any where in the NHL. It's interesting to also note that the $1.3 million is about 1% of all the money Jagr has already made playing hockey in the NHL alone. He says it wasn't money but the numbers prove that money actually doesn't matter to Crosby, who wanted to be sure he had teammates to win with. I think for his next contract we can probably expect him to leave some money on the table again to stay with the Penguins. Funny how actions really do speak louder than words.
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