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The last time that the New York Islanders clinched the playoffs on THE last day of the season, it didn't come without a price. Going back to March 31, 1990; the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins were all vying for the fourth and final playoff position in the Patrick Division. The Islanders were playing the Flyers and the Penguins were playi...
For the last couple of months after the Thursday night brawl in Buffalo it has bothered me that Lindy Ruff has received criticism for his actions in that fabulous hockey game...Lindy sent out his fourth line to get revenge on what many believe to be a dirty play by Chris Neil, is it Lindy's fault that Brian Murray sent out the Spezza line who has no backbone???I believe th...
I thought that with the Stanley Cup playoffs right around the corner it might be kind of interesting to share some the Stanley Cups rich and exciting history with you.
The Stanley Cup is the only professional trophy where each member of the winning team is allowed to have possession of the trophy for 24 hours. This has lead for some very interesting adventures for the S...
A freak blizzard on December 21, 2007 which postponed the Flames and Avs game could potential turn into much more than a one day issue but instead a year ending disaster. With the Flames and Avs going to the wire, this could be one of the greatest finishes in NHL regular season history.
There is also the very real possibility that it could be, depending on how you lo...
I’ve been a Sabres fan since I’ve been knee-high to a grasshopper (as my mom always says). My earliest memories are of hearing Rick Jeanneret roaring “LALALALALAFONTAINE!” and “Alexander the Great!” I even remember one time my babysitter didn’t believe my brother and me that we were allowed to listen to the Sabres game and I locked myself in the bathroom. M...
Over the past few months we've been planing and developing My Hockeybuzz. One of our primary goals was to give the incredible hockey fans that frequent HockeyBuzz an outlet for their own personal rants are raving without having to start from scratch with few readers like you'd have to do on a site like Blogger.com. We were also looking to build a place where hockey fan...
Even when including pre-season and playoff games, a pro hockey team generally uses its home arena for no more than sixty dates in a season thus leaving 300 or more days a year available for each building to host countless other events of all kinds. While many of those dates are filled by other indoor sports or entertainment bookings, these multipurpose arenas also host a v...
Since my team the Carolina Hurricanes started floundering and eventually missed the playoffs, I made it a point to help some people out (including myself) and made a spreadsheet of the free agents that should make it a little easier to figure out who exactly is out there to be had.
Over the last couple years I had to hunt down websites that had some of the free agents, ...
It seems that it is us against the world. Yeah, the Thrashers are the SE Division champs, but the Tampa Bay Lightning is getting more respect against a 2nd seeded Devils than the Thrashers are getting against a 6th seeded Rangers team. This blog is not bashing the Rangers. I respect what they have and how they got to playoffs. It seems that the majority of the sports w...
Everyone knows that the Buffalo Sabres are 1st seed. Everyone knows that the Buffalo Sabres won the Presidents Trophy. Everyone knows that every Buffalo fan says "This is our year!". I am pretty sure the upstart New York Islanders will have something to say about that.
Coming in 8th seed with a thrilling shootout win over the New Jersey Devils, the Isles rode 3rd str...
jeffyjones writes...
Habs - Out of the playoffs for the 5th time in 8 NHL seasons
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Ok right the Habs missed the playoffs... again.
But there are positives to get out of this NHL season. Seriously.
Let's start with [b]Guillaume Latendresse[/b].
This kid has shown a lot of grit and skills at different times this year and has managed to score 16 goals in his first NHL season (and he is 19 years of age!) He is not the next Sidney Crosby but he could p...
LISabresFan61 writes...
ARE GRIT AND PHYSICAL PLAY REALLY BUFFALO'S WEAKNESS?
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Many people are quick to pull out this little gem regarding the Buffalo Sabres playoff hopes. Gritty forecheck and physical play throughout a series will wear down the Buffalo Sabres and dash their Stanley Cup run! Right?
No.
This seems to be a misconception that has spread and become a generally accepted rule of thumb.
Look at the 05-06 Philadelphia Flyers. T...
Saturday, April 7, 2007
For a sports fan this time of year is like Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving and a birthday all wrapped into one. With the start of the baseball season, March Madness, and the Masters, Tivo’s and VCR’s (for those still living in the Stone Age) aren’t being given very many nights off. But out of all of this quality television is there any...
This season, Calgary fans have seen two teams. The Flames at home and the Lames on the road. For some reason Calgary sometimes comes out flat in a game, and considering the look of their roster, it is unacceptable. The Flames are completely capable of pulling off an upset against The Detroit Red Wings, barring an appearance by the much dreaded Lames. Their last 4 performan...
Forget 2004. The teams are radically different in makeup, coaching, style, what have you. The rules are different. The on ice focus is different. This is 2007.
I didn't have an intro blog. I don't believe in well written accounts, supported by facts and sources. I have my opinion, and I give it straight forward and fast.
We are younger. We are faster. We are ...
Sixteen teams are about to explore uncharted territory. Whatever’s behind them doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is the treasure ahead – somewhere, to be found. No one has any idea what it will take to get there. Some think they might, but there’s no way of knowing the exact path, knowing what's ahead.
It all starts tonight. The 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs....
SmokingChicken writes...
What the Off-Season Holds for the Predators, Part 1 of 3
Posted Wednesday | Comments 1
Just like Imus' comments on the Rutgers women's basketball team, I'm sure I'll take some major heat from hockey purists with what I'm about to say.
[b]To be honest, I'm not much of a fan of the playoffs.[/b] It's actually quite uninteresting to me(probably because of the old days of watching the Wings and Coyotes play each other for two or three years in the mid-90's) unt...
I am looking forward to the start of the playoffs like no other year I have followed hockey. The excitement that I feel for the Sabres is incredible. I am a typical Buffalo fan who has a tough time visualizing a championship. We have been disappointed so many times in our lives with our two pro teams, the Sabres and Bills, it makes it hard to jump the gun and assume anythi...
The Montreal Canadiens are one of those teams in the league that has a serious image problem. Nobody on there roster sticks out as the leader of the pack. All of their current players are at best mediocore players. Koivu is exponentially overated, Kovalev has lost his scoring touch, and Samsonov...Oh yeah he was a complete flop. This team needs a serious makeover in ev...
My name is David Reddekopp, and I'm a Habs fan. But even more than that, I'm a hockey fan, so while I will talk about my team, I won't always. One thing I can guarantee you though, I am very opinionated and will make my point whether you agree with it or not.
Well, with the introductions out of the way, I'll start my initial blog post with an overview of the first rou...
Yeah that's right I said it, and let me say it again: Women's hockey is crap. It's the same deal every single damn year, Canada and USA in the finals and Canada wins. What the hell is exciting about that? They always win, there is no fun or suspense embedded in the games. I am Canadian, but I always cheer for the opposing teams because I despise Canada's women's hockey tea...
Well im not sure how many fellow flyers fans this applies to but this is new for me..a season where there is no Flyers playoff hockey. The last time the flyers failed to make the playoffs I was in the third grade and number 88 was my hero.
So now that hockey is pretty much over in Philly (even the Phantoms failed to make the playoffs) what do we do? I myself am going t...
During my time at the Hockey Hall of Fame, I usually spend at least 2 hours a day upstairs in the Great Hall with the Stanley Cup. On a slow day, I'm usually completely alone with the great trophy. During this time I think to myself "I am really lucky, I'm right now alone with the most prestiges trophy in the world for about an hour." A lot of people would kill to have tha...
As a last minute decision I put together a playoff pool together. I invited a solid amount of hockey fanatics to the draft and ended up with enough for a good time. The draft was a very good time as it lasted over an hour and was pretty much solid hockey talk. The contrast in opinions, the intense loyalties, the fake loyalties and indecision were all omnipresent to the par...
Hours away from the start of the 2007 N.H.L. playoffs, coach Bryan Murray, was presented with the questions and concerns of past playoff disappointments. The media around these parts, asked about “chocking”; it was Bryan Murray’s response that was of epic proportions and sent a message to those questioning the Ottawa Senators. When asked about an article ran in the l...
In a week, you will choke down wings, drink lots of beer, and scream at your television sets. In a week, you will throw your Wii controllers aside, and watch small animals grow from the faces of your hockey heroes and heels. In a week, the season travails will wash away to a giant magnifying glass and pressure-cooker called the [b]NHL Playoffs[/b].
Our blood will boil, ...
Missing the playoffs for the first time in years, the Flyers need to begin looking towards their future. They've already addressed this somewhat in-season by trading away veterans for younger players and draft picks. They've acquired their new #1 goaltender in Martin Biron, fiesty winger Scottie Upshall and three solid defensemen in Lasse Kukkonen, Braydon Coburn and Ryan ...
On the eve of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Calgary Flames there are many questions to answer. Can Kipper put this team on his back and take down the mighty Wings in Round 1? Can Jarome Iginla be the superstar he is and light it up against a talented Red Wings Team? Can Calgary outmuscle and outscore the #1 Seed in the West? Can Alex Tanguay be the complim...
As much of a disappointing result the end of the Canes season was, I can honestly say I cannot wait to watch the playoffs and not be as emotionally drained as I was last year...I think the entire post season last year took a couple of years off my life!
Now who would a Canes fan pull for in this years post season?
In the East
Sabres - Not a chance....from the pers...
Yes the playoffs are here! And like every other Canadian I am ready for some good ol' time hockey. I've already plastic wrapped the tv to keep it protected from the spit and anything else that might be projected at the tv in anger (note to self...it will not be protected from blunt objects, keep Best Buy flyer close by just in case.) I think there are some very exciting...
Right now it is snowing outside, despite the Global Warming Monster that is stomping unchecked across the country. This snow I take as a sign, some good juju, as it were, for the Minnesota Wild.
This season, the Wild overcame adversity. Their star, Marian Gaborik, was down for what seemed an eternity with a fragile groin. Again. Pretty much every key player was out ...
Welcome fellow hockey/bruins fans. Here I will be posting my thoughts and wishes for the Bruins organization, the NHL and my thoughts on Fantasy Hockey.
I will try to update this a few times a week.
First thought, THE PLAYOFFS start tonight!
Series I am looking forward to most is San Jose vs. Nashville. This could turn out to one great series. I still think the...
I feel as excited as a geek when the new version of Everquest comes out! I live in Virginia and there are not many people who live and breathe hockey around here. If it wasn't for the boys in my men's league I might know about three true hockey fans around here.
Just to break the ice, I'll tell you that I have been around hockey all my life. I grew up in Buffalo and re...
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I...
So say it with me Wild Fans. Let's Play Hockey!!!!!!
It's the most wonderful time of the year.......(sing it). It even feels like Christmas with snow on the ground. God seems to have extended winter in honor of the Wild's post-season birth.
The playoffs are finally here and the Wild are back! Memories of 4 years ago still dancing in our heads as fans. But, in a ...
[b](Originally Posted 4/9/07 on [url]http://www.PredNation.com[/url])[/b]
Flashback to last season: the Nashville Predators were coming off their best season in franchise history and were going into the playoffs with the fourth seed and home-ice advantage against one of the hottest teams in the league in San Jose. There were questions due to the injuries to Vokoun, Su...
I am a refugee from ESPN Fantasy Hockey Correspondent purgatory. For the first three years I wrote a column there, I had something like 110K page views. I got email from all around the planet. But since ESPN got rid of hockey, fantasy hockey is the ugly duckling of fantasy sports, and I'm lucky to get one email a month. So I figured I'd give MYHB a shot. I like Ecklund's w...
PensDynasty1 writes...
The journey begins for a new generation tonight.....
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Tonight in Ottawa, there is more than just another playoff hockey game that is about to take place. There is a chance for a new generation of Pittsburgh Penguins fans to shine, and for a past generation to celebrate what was once great, and what could be great again in the near future.
With players like Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Whitney, and Fluery leading the charge, thi...
I felt it was appropriate to open my blog with these lyrics from the [b]Rush[/b] classic [b]"Limelight"[/b]. What better way to describe opening night of the 2006-07 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Especially for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans who have waited since the end of the 2000-2001 season to see the team play for a chance to hold Lord Stanley's Cup! The Pens, with Si...
Today is the day. Over 1000 days have passed since Vancouver fans have seen their team in playoff hockey! Questions marks are popping up around this team like suspensions in the NFL. No one really knows what to expect but I think I have an idea.
Dallas has the same problem as Vancouver, low scoring, defensive style and great goaltending and a poor playoff record in re...
buddyoakes writes...
I Wish I Could Be More More Optomistic about the Predators
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Thanks to Ek and Hockeybuzz for this addition to the best hockey site in the world!
As I sit on the morning of our third trip seaching for the cup I have mixed emotions. As a Preds fan, two months ago I was ready to take on the world with full confidence that we would go all the way.
All that changed on the night of March 31 when we played the most uninspired game ...
The best time of the year has arrived. PLAYOFF HOCKEY!! Every night for the next two months players will be diving in front of 90 mph slap shots, banging in the corner with people 50 pounds heavier than they are and scoring huge goals that they and their fans will not soon forget. Take a deep breathe, stock the fridge with some adult beverages and enjoy the ride.
Pred...
I know what you are thinking, the NHL isn’t going anywhere. I agree with you, I know it is here to stay as well, despite all of our WHA scares during the lock-out. What I am talking about is trying to save the NHL from becoming a marginal sport. We hockey fans have to realize that we are on the fringe of truly being a major North America sport. The negative part of t...
SabresFaninSeattle writes...
Trying to be a Sabres nut 2,500 miles away...
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Unfortunately, due to the real circumstances in the greater Buffalo area, many of us have to watch this playoff run from a distance. Since I was a kid, I've been a crazy superstitious person. Well, today is the day of change. I have to get my haircut, go get my Lipton Green Tea, get some extra laundry soap cause there is going to have to be extra laundry done, etc. This is...
What a season for the Buffalo Sabres and fans. They have taken home the President Trophy as the top team in the National Hockey League throughout the regular season. They finished with 53 wins and 113 points.
They will be playing the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday night puck drops at 7:08pm. This should be an interesting series. Ted N...
I was flipping through the Center Ice channels on Dish Network last night, and didn't find any of the games scheduled for tonight. It appears as though the only games are on Versus. There is a reason I have two TVs in the living room. I wanted to watch both early games and both late games. It's like running to the tree Christmas morning only to find that Santa took a d...
Appeared originally on PredNation.com:
To say that all eyes will be on Nashville in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs wouldn't be an understatement. Games 3 through 7 will be nationally broadcast on the Versus network, marking the first time in team history that consecutive games will be on national TV.
Contrast that schedule with the Anaheim/Minnesota seri...
I try to steer clear of playoff predictions, because anybody who loves this sport knows that you can never accurately assume what's going to happen in a hockey game. Yet, somehow I am magically drawn to articles discussing all facets of the upcoming postseason, as the thirst for playoff excitement that brews in my stomach every April is too much to ignore.
So of course...
Well folks, it finally has arrived! The playoffs are here and I couldn't be more excited. A great slate of games tonight with what will probably be one of the most exciting series being Ottawa V. Pittsburgh. So much speed and talent on the ice between both teams and two young upcoming goaltenders. Ray Emery has a lot to make up for from last year's run when he laid a f...
Canucks start round one on Trevor Linden's birthday. It's a clear day in the city that originated Towel Power, and the skies over the North Shore Mountains are a retina-burning blue. The car flags are starting to bloom, and jersey-wearing fans are popping up like daffodils and tulips.
There's an aura of great hope in town, after last year's dark and horrible failure to ...
Friday, April, 6, 2007
Over the past month it has seemed as if the individuals from the NHL office who form the yearly schedule must contain psychic abilities. With one of the greatest play off races the game has ever seen, the league has shown an eyrie ability to place all the teams involved in the race against one another coming down the stretch. Still, throughout m...
Living in Denver in the late 90s meant watching those great Avs teams wend their way through the Western Conference. Sakic, Forsberg, Roy, Bourque, Foote, Drury, Hejduk, Tanguay, Lemieux...the list seems to go on forever.
Living in Denver in the late 90s as a kid from Minnesota also meant educating the fine people of the Mile High City on the game of ice hockey. Bec...
I hope to preview and review each game...as time allows.
[b]THINGS TO LOOK FOR[/b]
[b]Crosby's next level?[/b] - Can Sidney step it up a notch...and if he does, what affect will that have on the outcome? Can he dominate a game the way Mario used to in the playoffs?
[b]Can Malkin find his scoring touch?[/b] - Malkin needs to score for the Pens to be successful. Can ...
zeke10 writes...
How the Canes Will Off Season I: Unrestricted Free Agents
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Ray Whitney said in an article in Raleigh's News and Observer Wednesday, "Same as Jimmy (Rutherford), I'd like to get something done and stay here, the sooner the better." That will be the first part of the off-season, resiging those key pieces.
First to sign will be Whitney, the team's leading scorer with 83 points. It is absoluetley neccessary, considering that Rod Brin...
I have been a hockey fan for much of 35 years and being born into the hub of hockey I think I can tell you alot about it! What we have seen from the Boston Bruins is NOT hockey. I understand owning, operating and producing a successful hockey team can all be different things. Yes it is a business. As much as we do not want to admit it. The bottom line is most owners t...
Throughout the season, the Sabres haven’t done had much to criticize. One characteristic about their play that has popped up from time to time is that at times they tend to play too cute.
It hasn’t been uncommon to see “the extra pass” from Vanek… after you just saw “the extra pass” from Roy. They are just not a team who likes to pepper the opposing goa...
We all know hockey players are superstitious. And goalies are especially goofy. I'm a goalie in beer league hockey, and I certainly have my own little rituals and stuff before and during games.
As such, I will document my endeavor to find a game day lunch that brings a victory for the Wild that night during this playoff run. I recognize the responsibility I have in t...
I realize that today is Christmas and the moment we wait for all year long...BUT... thanks to Eklund's insane love for hockey and, especially, his desire to include and reward the true fans of the game, I must first use this great new platform to honor the ALL-TIME GOAL SCORING AMERICAN! Stay tuned for more about the Stars playoff run...there is nothing better than gettin...
Yeah, I know, not a very original title, but it's the truth. It all begins tonight, the illustrious challenge for hockey's greatest prize. Enough babble. Onto the games tonight.
I'm a fan, yes, duh, of the Canucks, but sports would never be the same if there was not some fantasy or predictive element. Besides cheering for your team, how many times have you said to y...
Hey all,
I know this has been done to death by everyone who knows just the slightest bit about hockey, but thought I'd get my picks on the record!
[b][u]Eastern Conference[/u][/b]
[u]#1 Buffalo Sabres vs. #8 New York Islanders[/u]
Buffalo should make short work of the Islanders. The Isles showed great grit and determination in making the playoffs but they did it b...
With hockey fever raging through Buffalo unchecked, that can mean only one thing. We are one day from game one. Sabre players have said they are not looking beyond the Islanders and have laid very classy praise on Ted Nolan and his boys from the Island. Are the Islanders equally prepared?
[img:left]http://msn.foxsports.com/id/6198854_36_2.jpg[/img]We have not heard m...
First of all, I'd like to say hello to everyone reading this, my first blog post of many to come. Thank you for taking the time to read my posts!
My name is Jeff Smith, I am a 21 year old SFU student living in suburban neighbourhood of South Surrey, BC. Like most people around these parts, I have been a Vancouver Canucks fan ever since I can remember. I live and breat...
Ditch the razor and hide the shaving cream its playoff time! The time of year when your stomach turns to knots at every odd man rush.
As many players in the Sabres room have said, this is the "Real Season." That is the attitude they have had since dropping Game 7 of the 2006 ECF with a battered blue line.
From training camp to this past Sunday it's been all about ...
Lanny's Moustache writes...
Time to look like an idiot. Here's my fearless hockey picks.
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
WEST
[b]Detroit vs Calgary - Calgary in 6[/b]
I think Detroit is too soft to compete with Calgary if they forecheck hard all series. The older D for the Wings will get banged up early, and Hasek will look for a way out after losing 2 of the first 3 games. I would also take Calgary's Superstar players over Detroit's in a tough series. The one problem Calgary may have is...
As the regular season came to an end like a cold Labatt's 18 pack at a Bills game tailgate party, the anticipation for the post season boiled over inside of me at an unbearable rate. The sabres open up the playoffs at home hosting the Presidents cup against the Islanders. The subplots and story lines are obvious with Teddy and Satan coming home and every fan in WNY cannot ...
RayChamps2001 writes...
'Tis the Season to be Jolly: NHL Playoff Season
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
[b]The following can be found at [url]http://www.nhlnow.com[/url][/b] (with pictures).
[img:right]http://cdn.nhl.com/images/upload/2007/03/questforthecup_325x235.jpg[/img]
It's been a long break, but NHLNow.com is back for the most exciting season of the year: NHL Playoff Season. The battle for Lord Stanley's Cup is on, and with the depth in this year's playoffs, it see...
I'm writing this blog entry on my laptop from the Library at SFU Surrey Campus, having just completed a painfully easy Criminology exam.
I have two tickets to Game 1 of the playoffs tonight, thanks to [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqSMftSKnIg]my entry[/url] in the Ultimate Canucks Search contest. The game is scheduled to start at 7pm, with a tribute to the 82 cup ...
Every week I do a radio show here at Michigan Tech University talking sports with my partner Kevin. The show runs from noon-2pm on 91.9 WMTU FM. This week is obviously our playoff special for the NHL. Talk on the Eastern Conference was heated and exciting with ultimately similar results, and the Western Conference is next up. Below are the results, and if you're interested...
With the Oilers being out of playoff contention for sometime now, I've been debating who to root for in the playoffs. I thought I'd cheer for the Islanders with Smytty, my favourite player of all time,on the roster. Maybe the Sabres with them being a local team.
Islanders? With my favourite player of all time now on the roster. Sorry, not you Bergy. They beat out th...
Since the Canes aren't defending the Cup this spring, it's easy for me to make predictions. I think Buffalo and Ottawa are the two best teams in the East, and I hope there's at least one upset (probably the Rangers over the Thrash) that will allow the Sabres and Sens to meet in the East final. I think that would be a great series, and I think Buffalo will win it. So I'm go...
With the Oilers being out of playoff contention for sometime now, I've been debating who to root for in the playoffs. I thought I'd cheer for the Islanders with Smytty, my favourite player of all time,on the roster. Maybe the Sabres with them being a local team.
Islanders? With my favourite player of all time now on the roster. Sorry, not you Bergy. They beat out the ...
Three words come to mind regarding this season's shameful showing. Pride, accountability and trust. More often than not, we hear from Peter Chiarelli and Dave Lewis those three words.
[b]Pride[/b]-n. a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
“I w...
SeanSens writes...
10 players with something to prove in the playoffs...
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
1) [b]Ray Emery[/b] - Wants to prove to teammates, organization and rest of league he can be a bonafide #1 goalie.
2) [b]Joe Thornton[/b] - Can he lead his team? Can he be the leader Boston wanted him to be? Thornton wants to be the man to carry his team.
3) [b]Wade Dubielewicz[/b] - Call me crazy, but he has a lot to prove. Career minor leaguer with a chance to pu...
This morning I took my son Douglas to wal-mart to go shopping and he asked for a flames sweater now this normally its a automatic no but for some reason I decided to do it the main reason why I am writing about this is because of his reaction . He acted like I bought him the Stanley Cup, he mademe realize that life is to short sometimes. We can learn a lot by watching...
In today’s watered-down version of the National Hockey League, it can be easy to forget that in 1966-67, there were only six teams fighting for the chance to raise the Stanley Cup to the rafters. In fact, there were only 28 teams in all of professional hockey, including the American, Western, and Central leagues. That means two full teams of NHL players today would have ...
Though I didn't watch the last game of the season against the Avalanche, I noticed that McCarty was in the line-up. Ever since this guy's been injured, most Flames fans have been glad that he's stayed out of the line-up for as long as he has. Perhaps for the regular season, I felt this way as well, but come playoff time, this guy could be the difference maker that no one...
June 2004. The eve of the Stanley Cup finals. The explosiveness of the top seed Tampa Bay Lightning vs. the grit of the No. 6 seed Calgary Flames. U.S. vs. Canada, new vs. old... it couldn't get any better than this.
While most sports media and casual fans ho-hummed about two "small market" teams meeting in the finals, I was salivating with plenty of other purists who a...
It's been a while since I could sit down and enjoy a nice Canuck playoff game. It's not the same when you're team isn't in the big show. And I'm finding it very difficult to stay focused on my work as I'm anxious to get home to watch the game on the tube.
I suppose I'll watch the Pittsburgh / Ottawa game first. To be honest I'm routing for Crosby. Don't care too much f...
For the first time in years... For the first time ever, the Wachovia center will be without the thrill and rush that is Flyers playoff hockey. It truly is a sad spring in the Philadelphia area. If anything it makes me appreciate just how good we've been for the past 12+ years. The one thing that makes me excited for next fall is not the core of young guys, or the solidifi...
So, here we are on the cusp of the playoffs and I find myself in very unfamiliar territory. My beloved Sabres are the Stanley Cup favorites for the first time in my lifetime.
This isn't like '99 when it was "an average team with the world's best goaltender". This isn't like last season when no one outside of the Sabres' organization thought much of that team. This ...
While it's been agreed that the Flyers indeed need to have an outstanding offseason as far as free agent signings go, they also need to address the vacancy of a team captain. Here in Philadelphia, finding the perfect, long-term, healthy captain has been about as easy as getting Coatsey to make a comment without rambling for 5 hours. Since Lindros took over the role, ther...
For your reading pleasure:
Western Conference
Detroit over Calgary in 6
Anaheim over Minnesota in 6
Vancouver over Dallas in 5
San Jose over Nashville in 6
Eastern Conference
Buffalo over Islanders in 5 (should go with a sweep...but will throw the Island a bone)
New Jersey over Tampa Bay in 6
Rangers over Atlanta in 5
Ottawa over Pittsburgh in 7
Take t...
In honor of the Flyers 40th Season in the NHL, I decided to research into when Flyers Teams went from a good team to a bad team. The result might surprised you but there is only a four year span from not been in the playoffs and returning to the playoffs. The last time the Flyers missed the playoffs was from 1989-1990 season to 1993-1994 season, in which was the last time ...
Thursday evening at 8pm in front of a packed HSBC Arena the Buffalo Sabres will begin the 1st round of Stanley Cup Playoff action against the #8 seed New York Islanders.
Many storylines come to mind when it comes to this series. From Rick Dipietro's mysterious head injury to the well awaited Jack Adams award winning battle between Nolan and Ruff, as the Replacement look...
Eggshmeg writes...
Eggshmeg's Analysis of Andrew Raycroft (Earlier in the Year)
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
This is one of my blogs from early on during the year (on a different site obviously) about my thoughts on Raycroft. It received some very harsh feedback from Leafs fans. Now that I look back on it, it's interesting to look back at a few of the points I made.
Here it is:
Yes I know it is early in the season, and I do know that players are still getting their legs behin...
Moves at the trade deadline are always hard to evaluate. Most think that Nashville got fleeced with the Forsberg trade. And Ryan Smyth to the Island may have been the missing piece that vaulted them into the playoffs. And where was John Ferguson? Prying Yannic Perreault from Pheonix. I just don't get it. The thing the Leafs was missing was heart. Looking down the st...
I will preface this by saying that, had the Flyers not been the worst team and yet lost out on the top pick, I would not bother to even attempt to find a better method of conducting the Draft Lottery... Also, in this case, it is no major problem in being #2 as opposed to #1. That said:
I understand the reason behind the lottery... since 'tanking' games to obtain a major...
Who the hell Anointed the Buffalo Sabres Stanley Cup winners? yeah i picked them in first round but come on Buffalo, stop already!
It amazes how every publication and website has buffalo winning cup and people in Buffalo already going to arena to pick out their spot for indoor parade pep rally. Gee, one year every publication picked flyers win the cup and the got sweep...
Jeremy Roenick was on ESPN's PTI yesterday which was kind of refreshing. While I like Kornheiser and Wilbon a lot, their complete lack on interest in hockey is a huge punch in the gut to me as a sports fan let alone a hockey fan. JR was... well JR, I liked the way he poked fun at the two for actually talking about hockey for once.
The PTI guys said something interesting...
Earlier today I was casually reading the lastest edition of the Heralds Hockey section, when I came across something quite intriguing. all The headliner sports writers in the prediction section, including the ones in Calgary picked Detroit in 6 and one lady from Edmonton had them in 7.
To me this is really shocking, im fine with the Flames just sneaking into...
One of the more debated issues this summer for Maple Leaf fans will be - who's gonna back up Andrew Raycroft? Would the Leafs want a goaltender who would make a strong push for the starter job like say one Patrick Lalime or would they want someone who would still want the starting job but wouldn't make as strong a push but would still be there to mentor young Raycroft like...
Ok, Devils and Rangers listen up. We, as northern fans, demand nothing less than a swift and orderly removal of the Lightning and Thrashers from the playoffs! Anything less is unacceptable.
Nothing against the fans in Atlanta and TB. I'm sure they are very nice people. It's just that the Cup CAN NOT spend another summer in the South East! It needs to reside in a le...
The new champions are going to be the Minnesota Wild.
There's a reason the Wild is the most underrated team in the playoffs. Gaborik got injured. Have you seen their records with Gaborik in the lineup? They simply don't lose.
They also have the best defensive minded coach in the NHL, if not the best coach period. Any goalie that plays for them just... makes the sa...
The Habs finished off the season looking like they need a major overhaul and bringing in some HUGE pieces.
Let's take a step back and look at what we got(these are the positions they can play at):
LW: Higgins, Plekanec, A.Kostitsyn, S.Kostitsyn, Begin
C: Koivu, Higgins, Plekanec, Bonk, Begin, Lapierre, Chipchura, Grabovski,
...
The Habs may have missed the playoffs, but their future is vey bright, and nowhere is this more apparent than between the pipes. If anything, they have too many. Here is a rundown of the goalies they currently have.
[b]Cristobal Huet[/b] - When he is on his game, he can match anyone in the league save for save. From the last half of last year to the first half of thi...
[img:left]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/48/Flames_1980-1995.gif/150px-Flames_1980-1995.gif[/img]It's not every year you get to see a thrilling 1st vs. 8th series in the Western conference. The majority of the time the 1st place teams tends to take it without feeling any affects of displeasure. But last year, the presidents trophy winner (Detroit) was ups...
Just some quick impressions from me on the Blues Roster.
[b]Goalies[/b]
Manny Legace
His improved play was just as important to the team improving as Andy Murrays hiring. The team didnt win quite as much as soon as he was injured at the end of the year. It was the right move to re-sign him and it is key that he starts strong next year.
Curtis Sanford
He was ...
Considering the circumstances of the earlier-than-hoped-for offseason, it's nice to have some good things to talk about back here in the hockey cave. I'm talking about some of the signings the Hurricanes have made so far, inking some of our recent draft picks to contracts and getting them to Albany as a first step towards building for the future. It's something we tried (a...
[b]QUOTE:[/b]
"I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope." ...
Time to add my two cents into the play-off fray. I love the play-offs, and the addition of play-off pools has only heightened my enthusiasm for this time of year. (I have 7 play-off pools)
I've spent the last few days being bombarded by "experts" picking play-off winners and analyzing every facet of every match up. Its a toss up whether a team is better off with all...
Back on February 5th, the Rangers made a move that not only was questionable, but in the eyes of some Rangers fans (including myself), was not needed. They had acquired Sean Avery from the LA Kings for Jason Ward and a couple minor leaguers. At the time, I felt that a player like Sean Avery wasn't what we needed on this team. I thought that we needed finesse players who...
There are 2 potential upsets in this years stanley cup playoffs. Two of which would be rather large to some, especially one New York Islanders. Besides this year, what series (in any round) do you think was the biggest upset in history?
I would have to say the 1982 series between the Kings and the Oilers. The Kings finished with just 63 points, compared to 111 points e...
oilslick1018 writes...
Minny prime for annual 7th seed routing of #2 seed.
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
As you all may have heard, for the last 9 consecutive years a 7th place team has defeated the 2nd place team in the playoffs at least 1 time. This year will be no different. Marian Gaborik and Co. should be reguarded as one of the scariest teams in the Western Conference. Their lack of media exposure allows them to fly under the radar for most. However, it cannot be ignore...
It is widely publicized how evenly the Stars and Canucks match up. Excellent defense, not-so-much offense, and top-notch goalies! The series may very well go seven games with multiple overtimes in each. There will be some late nights in Dallas and extremely late nights in Vancouver...at least for us Texans! It is my opinion that in order for the Stars to win this serie...
What is it about this game that gives us all that warm, fuzzy my-favorite-player-just-scored-the-game-winner feeling? Or that cold, dark please-oh-please-let-us-come-back feeling? Really, that feeling you only get from hockey.
Like most of the hockey fans I know, I love this game. I mean love it. We sit around talking about stats, and the state of the game. Or whet...
While neither of these guys will score a goal this post season (yes I know it’s possible but highly improbable) they can, without a doubt, determine how far their teams go.
San Jose will start the series with Evgeni Nabakov between the pipes. The former Calder Trophy winner is one of the top back stops in the NHL and can be a huge difference maker in games.
TSN.CA ...
I’ve seen every Penguins game in the past two years, and most of them over the last 20 years. Soon after Michel Therrien took over last season, real structure began creeping into the Penguins’ game and their work ethic sky-rocketed. By the end of the season I felt they were the hardest working, most disciplined Penguins team I had seen since I became a season ticket ho...
I woke up this morning the this most amazing feeling. Yeah, I had to work, but that is just daily thing for me now, you know like showering (for some of us). Today is probably the single most intriguing day of hockey and up here in Canada, we get to watch all of it.
Thanks to our passion and love of the game of hockey, TSN and CBC will be showing double-headers. The ac...
One Team One Goal
Lindy and the boys have fulfilled a season long goal…………. Lock up home ice advantage throughout the playoffs!!!!
This year’s edition of the Buffalo Sabres has lived up to the high expectations of the local fan base. They have managed to do so amidst a plethora of man games lost due to injury & a league that was put on notice last spri...
Here's the deal, who do you want the Flyers to get?
Give me your top three forwards and defensemen.
If there is someone you want to aquire but they aren't a free agent, then what would you trade for them?
Good news for Fighting Sioux Fans: 2/3 of the Fighting Sioux's famous D.O.T. line (Ryan Duncan, T.J. Oshie Jonathon Toews) have said they are coming back for their Junior Years at the University of North Dakota.
Duncan and Taylor Chorney announced in today Grand Forks Herald that they were coming back. [url]http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=34057&se...
A year ago, many in the media decided the Anaheim Ducks had little chance against the Calgary Flames in the opening round of the NHL playoffs.
Although the Ducks had been one of the hottest teams in the last half of the regular season, the team flew under the radar for the most part.
This time, the shoe is on the other foot. While many feel the Ducks are the best b...
I have always hated predictions, I hate playing sports action but I decided to start this and see what people have on their mind....
Detroit vs Calgary
If the Red Wings stars show up in the playoffs, I take the Wings if not Calgary will have this over early. The Flames will undoubtably get in Hasek's face which will pretty much mean that Chelios will be kicking the...
As you can see by looking at my profile I am a long-distance fan, and at this time of the year it gets pretty dificult. The Wild were immediately thrown off of Versus radar when they were switched randomly to the Wednesday/Friday schedule instead of the Thursday/Saturday schedule they were supposed to have. For the last three days I've been walking around upset about it th...
I was at my first Wachovia Center Flyers games this weekend. What a great venue for hockey! Even though the Flyers were out of it, the fans were relativley high spirited. The Saturday game against the Islanders was a stinker for 55 minutes, but Finnegan's Wake took my mind off of it. Sunday against the Sabres was more fun. The fans and the game were very entertaining....
Great news! [b]YourTeam Online[/b] joins the [b]Buzz[/b] just in time for the playoffs. We are excited to see hockeybuzz making a move into the social network space for hockey. We all need a place to brag about our favourite teams, heckle our opponents and celebrate our victories. MyHockeyBuzz does just that!
[b]YourTeam Online Buzz [/b] doesn't plan on covering...
A complete one-sided game from start to finish for the Ottawa Senators. Game #1 of the Eastern conference quarterfinals was a brutal one to the Pittsburgh Penguins as the sens came out storming, defeating them by a score of 6-3. The Sens outshot them 37-26 and the Penguins' best period was there worst.
One point I have to throw in there was that there were WAY, and i me...
HI everyone and welcome to my blog.
I sometimes have brilliant things to say and sometimes I just muddle on through.
Right now I am suffering through hockey hell; my Flyers not being in the playoffs.
I have moved onto my secondary and tertiary teams the Preds and the Flames.
I am just glad to have Center ice and be able to watch playoff hockey.
I hope...
With the playoffs underway, I would love to hear some of your guy's predictions.
Here are mine:
[b]Buffalo Sabers vs. New York islanders[/b]
I feel the Islanders will pull it out, mainly because of Dubielewicz, but it's hard to go against the Sabers. Sorry Buffalo fans but I got to go with the Islanders.
New York in 7
[b]New Jersey Devils vs Tampa Bay Lightning...
how can anyone watch a game with that annoying voice of his? It got so bad i had to place my HDTV on Mute because of his voice was so loud. i understand why Vs. ratings are horrible...
Great game by the Senators. Insane amount of penalty calls, some of them completely horrible. That said the Senators dominated the game in all facets. Out shot them, completely out hit them. Great start for the boys.
Now for the commentary...We get stuck with arguably the worst duo. Bob Cole(asaurus) and Greg Millen, who is easily the worst ex-goalie color guy. You can'...
flyershockey81 writes...
Scott Hartnell is apart of a bigger problem......
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
after seeing his Scott Hartnell's knee to knee take out of Johnthan Cheechoo, i hope this wake's up the anti-fighting crowd in NHL. Hartnell disgraceful hit on Cheechoo was dirty and thugish. Hartnell and other no name players know they can get away with this crap throughout the NHL because of the instagator rule.
This hit also shows that players have zero respect for ...
[b]THE GOOD[/b]
[b]The Sens intensity level[/b] - they came out strong and dictated play throughout.
[b]The officiating[/b] - there were a lot of penalties called but the officals seemed to be consistent with their calls.
[b]The Sens role players[/b] - good showing by 3rd and 4th line players.
[b]Malkin and Staal[/b] - I thought both rookies were able to play a...
The members of the Toronto Maple Leafs will get together later next week to discuss certain issues, one of them forsurely being mentioned will be the future of Leaf GM John Ferguson. Don Cherry of HNIC's Coach's Corner figures Ferguson will finish off the remaining year on his contract and will likely not be fired. Do you agree with this or do you think JFJ should be fired...
A late game rally by the Nashville Predators set up a thrilling finish in game #1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals between the Preds and the Sharks. San Jose held a 4-2 lead with 10:00 to go in the 3rd but 2 goals in the last 7 minutes by Alex Radulov's 2nd of the game and J.P Dumonts 2nd of the game with just under a minute to go sent the game to overtime.
Noth...
As a Canadian I was able to watch Sens-Pens and Preds-Sharks early tonight. I have to say I was very disappointed to see that the referees went back to last fall's calls. I agree that clutching and grabbing needs to go in the game, but a majority of the calls made in those two games tonight were absolutely ridiculous. Tootoo's hit in the first period was not a penalty, Cro...
Posted earlier on www.hockey-wire.com ;
This may just be about the most exciting series the playoffs have to offer. With both teams falling victim to the rule, that division winners take up the top three seeds, both squads found themselves a rank lower than what they should have and both with 105 points.
Regardless, these two teams are as close in retrospect and in...
C'est platte quand ton équipe préférée est pas dans les séries.
Les canadiens gagneront jamais avec des cons comme Kovalev pis Samsonov dans l'équipe. Samsonov c'est sûr qu'il va partir, mais malheureusement Gainey a pas l'air de vouloir échanger Kovalev cet été, les canadiens ne seront pas tellement améliorés l'an prochain s'il garde Kovalev qui joue une game...
Hey, this is my first blog. I made these predictions for all of the playoff rounds so I thought I would share them with you. Note that these were made before the games tonight.
[u][b]Eastern Conference Quarterfinals[/b][/u]
[b]1. Buffalo (4-2)[/b] vs. 8. NYI
[b]2. New Jersey (4-1)[/b] vs. 7. Tampa Bay
3. Atlanta vs. [b]6. NYR (4-2)[/b]
4. Ottawa vs. [b]5. Pittsbur...
With another great multiple overtime game in the bag, what is your most memorable multiple OT game?
I'll have to side with game 3 in the 2nd round last season with the Sharks leading the series 2-0 heading into the game. This game proved to be the turnaround for the Oil who rolled off 7 consecutive wins after this game.
The bar we were watching at asked us to leav...
Unbelievable. Jaw dropping. What else can I say?
This is my first blog ; there will be plenty of time to complain later, to get angry, bite, stir some s***, ask questions, but not tonight. There's a magic feeling each year to Day 1 of the Playoffs, and there are games that do nothing else but confirm this magic.
As many were ready for Episode 1 of the "He saved the N...
My name is Eric, I am a hockey card collector who started collecting during the 2003-2004 season and have learned a lot since then.
When I started collecting I quickly realized that things had changed from when I last purchased hockey cards as a kid in the early 1980's. So many brands, manufactures, insert sets, subsets, etc. had me confused and overwhelmed.
I gr...
The Ducks and Wild performed to expectation in Game one of their matchup. Both teams played stingy defense, both teams had offensive control and quality opportunities, and the game ended with a digging goal and just a 1 goal differential.
Niklas Backstrom is to be commended for his outstanding play. A couple pipes saved his game but he made huge saves when he was need...
If any word describes tonight, it is the word draining. Physical, emotional, and mentally just a draining game. If the fans and media are drained, I can only imagine what it must be like for both teams right now. That was a classic game for the Nashville Predator history books. Even though the Preds lost, there is still much to be positive about:
1. Coming back ...
[b]Pit 3 @ Ott 6[/b] - The score flattered the Penguins, as the Pens were flat for all but maybe the last five minutes of the game. Crosby and Fleury looked jittery, Malkin wa kinda invisible, and there really weren't too many other players that played well for Pittsburgh. Only Jordan Staal, Mark Eaton, and Rob Scuderi stood out for me as positive contributors here. If ...
During the intermission between the 3rd and 4th overtimes, the clock struck 3 a.m. on the East Coast, and very promptly VERSUS left its Canucks-Stars coverage and flipped on some infomercial about pilates...... [b]are you kidding me?!??[/b] I know you have to pay the bills, but that is absolutely RIDICULOUS! There should be outrage from the hockey community over this and...
Quarter past midnight local time and I have just woken from a deep state of self introspective reality. As I think to myself do any of these people on the ice have any idea on the certain danger they face. "They are surly going to sink I thought to myself" it's like water "How are they doing it?" "Is it real?"
God this is still ongoing I'd better settle down and get r...
Ok that was sarcasm. Every year, I think I forget just how good playoff hockey is. The playoffs are only one day old, and we've already seen a double OT game, followed up by a Quadruple OT game. (I started writing this blog during the second OT assuming the game would end soon.)
We watched San Jose lose last years leading goal scorer, and then lose a 2 goal lead in the ...
So, just got home from the 4OT thriller at the garage tonight, WHAT A GAME. I mean, they stopped selling beer after the 2nd intermission, so I wound up paying $4 bucks for Sprite, but that's all good. Go Canucks Go... and chants of TTTUUURRCCOOO filled the evening excitement as I basically lost my voice and drank ice cubes for 2 OT's. Skytrain was reasonable on the way ...
Great game last night. A full 60 minutes of forechecking and goals. The locals will be lining up the get their free pizza today I'm sure. I can see Pizza Pizza implementing a new policy "umm...everybody who has a ticket must answer a skill testing question...recite the first 12 numbers after the decimal point in Pii" Things definitely got a little chippy at the end of ...
This is how I see this game and theseries breakdown!
Special teams throw out what we have done for the year vs everyone else lets go head to head!
Sabres PP 6 of 23
Isles PP 3 of 19
Buffalo also has added 2 Shorties into the mix! Advantage Buffalo!
Breaking down the Centers:
Drury--- Yashin...
tubbytreats writes...
Brent Sopel - Injured picking up cracker from floor?
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=270411022
[quote]Vancouver D Brent Sopel didn't play after hurting his back trying to pick up a cracker from the floor Tuesday, coach Alain Vigneault said[/quote]
If this is true, this has to hurt the image of rough-n-tough hockey players around the world... There's gotta be a typo here.
Your thoughts?
This is a very important day for the 2007-08 Philadelphia Flyers. A very, very important day. July 1st is the first day that unrestricted free agents are free to sign with the team of their choice. GM Paul Holmgren and crew will have gameplan ready to go, but it could easily be blown up within hours.
Going into next season, the Flyers most important areas of need are a ...
I'm laughing at myself as I type that title. How can I put a Shakespeare quote at the top of my hockey blog!!! It's not as if I quote him on a daily basis...or EVER...or that his world and the hockey world have much in common (hell, I had to look up the spelling of his name make sure it was correct!).
But it really is the only question that the Penguins need to answer r...
Good game all around for the Senators. They pounced on a noticeably jittery Fleury early and they kept the big Pens stars at bay.
All the Sens played great games. What should be scary for the Pens is that I didn't even notice Spezza or Heatley all night. When (I won't say if) they get going it may become a short series (of course I could say the same thing for Cro...
It all starts at 5:00MST tonight for Flames fans - the dreaded Red Wings are our first round opponent and some fans couldn't be happier.
Sure we beat them in 6 games in 2004 and sure the Oilers beat them last year...but the difference between those 2 Red Wing teams and this one is one man: Dominik Hasek.
I think the Red Wings have more confidence this year than othe...
This is it Sabres' fans. We have been waiting for this since we watched the Hurricanes raising the Cup last year. I think the team has been waiting for this since THEY watched the Hurricane's raise [i]THEIR[/i] Cup last year.
In my second blog, I wanted to just take a brief look at the series.
I think every publication has already made the world aware that Buffalo ...
It’s okay…it really is. I woke up today disappointed but not despondent. These Preds showed a ton of heart last night in coming back and forcing overtime against the Sharks.
Some things I observed last night:
[b]Evgeni Nabakov is really good[/b]:Sure I knew he was a top goalie but everyone on that team owes him a beer, protein shake or something. He stood on his ...
[b]How the Mighty Fell (and blocked a shot)[/b]
Last night, and I don't know exactly what time it was because the Canucks/Stars game went 4 overtimes, I saw Markus Naslund go down and block a shot.
I double-checked the number in my head. 19. Yep, that's him. Markus Naslund. The Captain and former runner-up for the Art Ross. Sacrificing his body to keep the, oh maybe 64...
After enduring two weak efforted playoff series by the Predators the last two seasons I’ve finally seen in person what “Playoff Hockey” really means. The Preds started the game with the same marginal at best, tired sloppy penalty filled effort that we have seen the last few weeks. Alexander Radulov’s first fist pumping slamming into the glass celebration after hi...
The Minnesota Wild is a fast team. This is a good thing especially because they're neither a big team, nor a very physical team. It is also a good thing because they reside in the Western Conference which is rife with big, physical teams that can also skate.
This has worked for the Wild if for no other reason than it has [i]had[/i] to work.
Worked, that is, until...
Alright, so a G N' R reference from the 80's isn't the most timely thing I could come up with, but it applies to the Blues right now. Blues fans, I beseach you- be patient.
I know we want to see our last two first round picks in the Blue note ASAP, but we may have to wait for both. TJ Oshie (24th pick 2005) annnounced yesterday that he's returning to North Dakota fo...
Wish I could have been at the game to cheer the nucks but I live in Calgary and my best option was CBC HD.
The game seemed tilted Dallas' way for most of the game but the Canucks have a way to score away from the flow and if you're not watching you could miss a great goal. This was the case last night. Lots of scoring and the goalies came into the game late.
Luong...
Can you believe how the Canuck/Star game ended? How many games that go into 3+ overtimes end on a nice goal? I mean really.....Hank is not a very likely hero as he barely scores any goals...but a nice looking goal? Same with the Shark victory over the Preds, great goal in overtime....not common but I am glad it happened.
Lets hope day 2 will be as good!
Same crap different day, with a few suprises. Trade the 2nd overall and a prospect like UMBERGER or RUZICKA to San Jose for PATRICK MARLEAU. SJ wont be able to resign him in a year anyways. If that doesnt work, I would have preferred DATSYUK but hes gone so i guess go for GOMEZ.
Try and Sign SAMI SALO, hes what we neeed for the PP. also go after a 3-4 guy like RIVET (is ...
The SRU Campus is about 50 miles North of Pittsburgh, but we are Black and Gold to the core up here. Last semester was my first at SRU and I was amazed to see how far Steeler Country's boundries extended. Every week my fellow students came out with a strong showing of Steeler's gear. Ocassionally I'd spy a Penguins hat or something, but for the most part the black and gold...
psycomkl writes...
Buffalo Sabres vs. Wade Dubielewicz: David vs. Goliath?
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
No. Buffalo is not David. The President's Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres take the ice at the HSBC Arena against the "projected longshot" New York Islanders tonight at 8pm. The Islanders know that tonight marks the start of their season.
3rd string goaltender Wade Dubielewicz gets the nod from coach Ted Nolan to face this powerpacked Sabre squad for game 1. Is he worr...
(Please read my blog post 'Pens Playoff Fever at Slippery Rock University' first)
The jitters. I know I had them after not watching Penguins playoff hockey in six years. I can only imagine what most of the players felt like...
Unfortunately, their butterflies showed. I had class until 7:30, so I missed the begining. On the radio during the car ride over to the bar Mi...
Well last night I talked about how Versus was leaving me in the dark by showing the Canucks game (a move that paid off well) instead of the Wild game, but really that decision isn't Versus problem, it's the NHL's. This time of the year there is four games every night, it's definetly the most exciting time of the season. The NHL should take advantage of that by showing off ...
Jany-B was here there and everywhere last night/this morning!
Much like Markus Naslund, it seems that Jan Bulis has decided to take advantage of the clean slate that the playoffs provide. If Bulis and Naslund have huge playoffs and help the Canucks go deep, no one will talk about their underachievement this regular season.
Bulis was one of the Canucks most dangerous ...
What do you do when you've invested 4 hours in a game, its 1:30am and a full workday looms 6 hours away?
There is nothing better than a Stanley Cup playoff game going into multiple overtimes. There is nothing worse than that alarm clock going off anything less than 4 hours after finally falling asleep. Vancouver and Dallas kicked of what I love most about the playoff...
I was doing great watching the games downstairs (On the nice TV). Although the Pens vs. Sens early match up wasn't what I thought it would be, the later games really were starting to heat up. I was riveted by the Sharks vs. Preds game late in the 3rd period. I was thrilled when my old buddy J.P. Dumont tied the game to send to overtime. WOW! Funny, because it almost s...
A source I have at the Preds says that Sullivan, who was at the game last night, seemed to not be feeling any ill effects of a lingering back injury. According to my source Sully was jumping around and spent most of the game standing and cheering on his team mates.
While I understand that jumping around cheering is far different from playing NHL level hockey I think the...
I predicted that the Wild will win their series with the Ducks. What do the Wild do? They went out and lost. Yikes talk about bad karma. I still think the Wild will win the series.
What's up with FSN out of MPLS, they play the Twins game instead of the Wild game. What the hell is that. There are like 155 games left, the Wild need to be on.
Last night at the Canucks-Stars game, I saw something that likely didn't show up on the TV coverage or in any post-game media write ups.
Late in the game (3rd or 4th OT): The players were all obviously exhausted and both teams were feeling the pressure. Willie Mitchell was clearing the front of the net on a Dallas rush. He gave Niklas Hagman a push off to the side of...
Just something short, since i'm in the lab right now supposedly doing homework/research, but playoff hockey makes me much too excited to think about things like that right now.
First off - Markus Naslund played his best game of the season so far. No question. I hope he can keep this up.
Kevin Bieksa - 54+ minutes and 4 penalties. This guy is amazing. I expect a Norri...
Lanny's Moustache writes...
Not Hockey related, but something I thought I should share.
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
[b]Sunday Telegraph Article From today's UK wires: Salute to a brave and modest nation - Kevin Myers, The Sunday Telegraph LONDON - [/b]
Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan , probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest ...
Even though the Preds are off tonight I will still be watching Versus and the scoreboard from around the league. Here are my PREDictions for tonight’s match ups.
[b]Calgary at Detroit[/b]: As much as I want to predict an upset here I think the Wings will come out on top tonight. I see a low scoring affair…2-1 or 3-2 Wings. (Detroit wins the series)
[b]NY Islander...
"When you stick your elbow in his face and put knee on knee that's an intent to injure. That's why he got kicked out of the game," said San Jose Sharks Head Coach Ron Wilson after Wednesday nights game against Predators.
Here’s the deal…I was at the game. I saw the hit. I knew when it happened that he was getting the 5 minute major. I did not know if a game misc...
Tonight starts the quest for the Cup
Lord Stanley will come to it's rightful place in BUFFALO, NY
Thomas Vanek will score 2 goals
Other scores: Connolly, Drury, Briere
Tonight starts the Journey that will be finished when Buffalo Wins the Stanely Cup right here in BUFFALO,
Join Sabres fans during the game at [b]www.sabreschat.com/chat.shtml [/b]to talk a...
Does anybody think that Turco plays the puck too much.... i dont really but i wuz watchin' da game with somebody who thinks so... after the long OT in game one dallas vs. nucks in that much overtime you at least have to try and not let your fatigue take advantage of you! When he got stuck behind the net and the nucks took the puck away from him he stayed back there and try...
Well, Game 1 is finally here! The past several days have inched by as I've waited for the playoffs to start. It should be a good game. I think the Islanders will really work hard and battle. The Sabres have waited for this all season, so they better be ready. I expect them to play like they were at the start of the season and during the playoffs last year. At times t...
I think having Zetterberg back will help ease the loss of Bertuzzi tonight. Of course, Zetterberg is rusty and will have to quickly get back into game shape, let alone try and recapture the chemistry he had before the disk issue. I think Calgary will try and punish the Wings physically, especially our defense. Missing Kronwall hurts. This should be a very interesting s...
Tampa's going to SPOOK the devils tonight. 4-2 probably.
NYR vs. ATL will be as exciting as the build up was for PIT vs. OTT. Then look what happened, the upper seed played like the upper seed. Kovi and crew, do yer thang!
Buffalo -- Score lots, rack up d'em points, my pool entries are count'in on it. Just another day at the office for Vanek and co.
And then t...
Mick Mcgeough (sp?) is reffing tonight. Any Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton fans will know this guy all too well. I'm interested to know what you Flame fans think of him being given game 1 in a series that is so close it could be decided by refs calling bad penalties?
I'm sorry but to say the Islanders have a good chance of winning tonight, especially being in Buffalo, is completely wrong. Dubielewicz will be nervous and the team it self cannot even come close to matching the Sabres offense. Sabres got the first 2 games besides that the Isles stand a better chance, but not much, of winning at home. Good luck tonight Islanders cause you'...
The fallout of last nights marathon is starting to be felt throughout the city. Yes, the Canucks finally ended the game in the fourth period of overtime and I am sure that everyone has a story about how they stayed awake for the entire thing or they couldn't handle it and went to bed, but how much did the game cost the Canucks.
Behind all the rumors that the Stars were...
although it was an awesome night of playoff hockey besides Hartnell's dirty hit and im still waiting for an thought from a real nashville fan instead of the kool-aid drinkers. There is too many 5 on 3's that are determing these games too early. The Sens v Pens game was a prime example. Stop calling these phantom calls like the "Abusive language - bench" against Sens.
flyershockey81 writes...
19,000 + sat through pain and misery a game....
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
that's why they call Philadelphia the best fans in hockey
It seems to me one of the major challenges the Flyers have will be determining what to do with certain players who are, at this point, "tweeners"...guys like Ryan Potulny, RJ Umberger, Dimitri Afanasenkov and Stefan Ruzicka. They aren't really muckers and grinders who should be on checking lines. They have scoring talent; but they may not be ready to take on the role of ...
10. Don Whittman and his terrible commentary. Bring back Cuthbert, for the love of all that is hockey.
9. The Flames didn't even look like they were that concerned they were being manhandled.
8. As per above, someone did mention to the Flames that they playoffs have started, right?
7. Too many penalties. Way too many. So undisciplined.
6. Simply speaking, th...
As expected, game 1 was another 1-goal game...only this time, quite amazingly, there were nine total goals! I was preparing to get some snacks ready for the 5th overtime when Vancouver finally ended it. The longest playoff game in Canucks history, the second longest playoff game in Stars history, and the sixth longest playoff game in NHL history had finally come to an en...
Sabres are up 2-1 after 2 periods. The Sabres are playing pretty well, but they aren't capitalizing on some chances that they usually would. Roy's giveaway was terrible and led to the Isles only goal so far. If the Sabres can score on the PP at the start of the 3rd, they should be in good shape. Should be a good 3rd period!
Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but it seems to me the Playoffs get better and better each year. Yet, in the United States... hockey is invisible. It's a scourge on our nation that must be eradicated.
Thankfully, I have a plan.
We all have those friends that are huge sports fans, but that don't follow hockey. These poor souls are the targets. This Saturda...
So time ticked down as I tore the hair out of my head, and somehow the Rangers eeked out a win in Atlanta.
After playing well the first two periods, the Rangers lost their edge and the Thrashers dominated the third period. Still, throughout the entire game whenever the Blueshirts would extend their lead, it was only a matter of time before they let Atlanta get the goal b...
What a game..... 4-1 score. close to the 5-1 prediction
This was a solid strong performance by the Sabres. Nothing more and nothing less.
Brian "I can score in the playoffs" Campbell brings home two goals and 1 assist.
then you have
Chris "I will lead you to the promise land" Drury who played one hell of a game and had 2 goals
and in goal
Ryan "It's Mi...
Hey guys and gals. I am the New York Rangers blogger for HockeyBuzz. If you folks have any questions, comments or just want to talk hockey, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]
Also, check out this article I wrote for www.hockejavestnesis.com:
http://www.hokejavestnesis.com/ARTICLES2007/article_rangers3.htm
It's Thursday night and the East Coast games are done. Everyone in New York State, where all four teams are miraculously in the playoffs, are done. Tonight, everyone except the Isles won. Hold on. I just included the Devils as a team from New York. Does this count? I say yes. I lived in New York in the mid-90's and was a Devil's fan. There were people like me. Sure, the ar...
Well, we saw those dreaded lames. the F-ing lames at that.
They played the game like it was a recreation league game and they just couldnt wait to go out and grab a beer after. The Flames now really have something to prove sunday as they put forth the worst effort by a team so far this season. I dont think ive ever turned a playoff game off within the first five minutes....
The only thing the Islanders did good tonight was save the embarassment. The score (4-1) was a lot better then I thought it would be and still the Sabres crushed them. Dubielewicz was the only player on New York actually keeping his team in the game. The Sabres outshot them, out hit them, out scored them, and simply out played them. It was a well deserved and expected win ...
Well, the playoffs are still young, but there are still some interesting storylines that have started to develop.
[b]Senators and Penguins game 1:[/b]
This was not the game that anybody expected. Many people thought that the Sens would take this one, but not in the way that they did. The thrashing that was handed out on Wednesday should not be any indication of how...
I've been waiting for this game since the Sabres dropped Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the RBC Center in North Carolina last summer.
Little did I know I would BE at this game.
I gambled a bit and bought my first ever Mini Pack last August, with the assumption that the Sabres would be back and have another great season. More than anything, it was good for...
Coming off an outstanding performance Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and added an assist as the Wings doused the Flames 4 - 1. People in the media have really written Datsyuk off, but he is out to prove these naysayers wrong. Some belived that Ken Holland made a huge mistake signing the playoff underachiever to a multi-year multi-million dollar deal. However, the game tonight sh...
I was listening to XM-204 tonight on my way home from work and the ice cap boys got me thinking about first round upsets. I think its safe to say after watching tonight game it looks like Calgary isn't going to be the team to knock off a top seed in this year Stanley Cup playoffs.
Detroit as of late has been known for their early exits. Last season the Edmonton Oilers...
[b]Canucks vs. Dallas -- [/b]I was there in Game 1. Dallas pressed hard, Luongo saved the day, but the Canucks did take some bad penalties and looked out of sorts at times. Game 1 jitters? Considering we've played 2 games already now, no more jitters left. The latter OT periods definitely favoured the Canucks. I don't think Dallas can play any better. The Canucks sur...
The most frequently question I get when I'm up in the Great Hall with the Cup is:
[quote]Is that the "Real" Stanley Cup or what?[/quote]
So I'm going to answer it here for you because this is a little known fact within the hockey world. The thing is there are 3 official Stanley Cups. There is the original bowl, which Lord Stanley himself bought and donated to hockey ...
Ok, yes, I am a Rangers fan and this will probably be disregarded by most as a bias whine by someone who cannot see his team play Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs but I'm going to write about it anyway because frankly, bias or not, I think I'm right.
I know Sid Crosby is supposed to be the second-coming of The Great One, I know, and I know the NHL needs a star that th...
...Outhustled, Outskated! Get the picture? This pretty much sums up game one in Detroit. The Wings pretty much won every battle. They worked harder, fought for pucks, made crisp passes and capitalized on scoring opportunities. Kipper played his butt off, but that simply wasn't enough on this night. For most of the game, the Flames couldn't muster up a decent shot and...
Watching the Sabres vs. Islanders game last night I made an observation about the Islanders that I wanted to share. I don't get to see them play too often, so I'm making this assessment based only on one game (maybe not a fair thing to do).
Anyway, the Islanders have a lot of talented players, but too few of them are actually good players. Under the heading of [i]Tale...
nickgregory writes...
The Playoffs continued (does CGY know they started?)
Posted Friday | Comments 0
God I love playoff hockey. Right before the playoffs started, my wife gave birth to our first child, a baby daughter named Abby (actually went into labor at the Canes vs. Caps game…I am guessing Abby was a bit annoyed at Johnny Grahame for letting in 3 goals on 6 shots, and wanted to give him a piece of her mind)…well, those that have kids know that the sleep is spora...
The update you have ALL been waiting for...(does anybody even read this thing?). Game 1 was a steam roller of a game for the Sens. There were squashed Pens littering the ice all night long. And yes, this is comming from a LONG TIME Penguins fan. Game 2 presents quite a challenge for our kids...will they be able to respond like we all think they can?
[b]THINGS TO LOOK FO...
Well it would seem like game 3 anyway. In game 1 they played almost a full 7 period game, and now they're heading into only game 2. This will be an exciting game to watch and you can bet your bottom dollar that it is very likely we'll be seeing yet another overtime. The Canucks lead the series 1-0 thanks to the game winning goal scored by Henrik Sedin in 4th overtime.
I...
Congratulations to the Red Wings beating the Flames 4-1 last night. However, the Flames did not come to play last night and we should be expecting a lot more from them come Sunday and when they are at home. Anyways, with it looking like Bertuzzi is going to be in the lineup Sunday (well hopefully), who is going to sit for the Red Wings? Most look to rookies Jiri Hudler and...
Game one against the Stars was an epic battle, and like all epic battles won or lost, there was a cost. With Brent Sopel already out with a non-hockey related back injury, Matt Cooke went down with a groin problem and is day-to-day. Alex Burrows very obviously got his "bell rung", wobbling to his feet and attempted to pick up his stick like a Chinatown tourist trying to pi...
Local reports in the Buffalo News seem to suggest that the NY Islanders may not have been prepared for Game 1. See Tim Graham's article in the Buffalo News at [url]http://www.buffalonews.com/111/story/52798.html[/url].
To quote the article, "[i]Signs of slapdash postseason preparations were troubling. Star winger Jason Blake peeked at the Sabres morning skate and asked...
Kim Johnsson was brought to the Minnesota Wild to attempt to give us the offensive dynamic from the blueline that has never been there.
The Wild shelled out $19M over 4 years for his services. This after he missed the majority of the previous season due to a string of injuries, though only a couple years after chipping in 13 goals and showing real promise in Philadelph...
Canucks Recall Nathan Smith & Jannik Hansen
[url]http://www.moosehockey.com/news/press_releases2.php?press_id=1135[/url]
Nathan Smith was up here a month or so ago in a game vs. Minny. 8-9minutes of play. What's the impact going to be? Dudes on the radio are right about them being more energetic. I would look for them to help the Canucks catch their second win...
This thing will not let me comment. I follow the rules it says to refresh and still it doesn't let me. What is wrong with this thing, it's pissing me off.
I did full-game recaps in the past, so how about bringing it back out for the playoffs?
[b]Notable Statistics:[/b] [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=270412002]Box Score[/url]
Powerplay: Buffalo 2/6, New York 0/3
Giveaways: Buffalo 7, New York 14
Shots: Buffalo 11-11-13 (35), New York 1-9-11 (21)
[b]J's opinion:[/b]
1. [u]Rockin' the HSBC pre-gam...
One man's search for culinary kismet continues after an initial failure.
Game 1
Main dish: Some goody-two-shoes health food garbage.
Result: Wild loss, 2-1
Game 2
Fajita burrito (chicken)
Black beans
guacamole/salsa and chips
diet Pepsi
Wow...that was a short string Lehtonen was on....It doesnt matter though as Atlanta's defense isnt good enough to beat the rangers in a 7 game series unless Brodeur was in net. You cant go goal for goal with your opponent in the post season like you can in the regular season (not to mention shootouts arent there to bail you out either)...
Somehow, some way the Toronto Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup in 2007. The Islanders will be disqualified and we'll be able to take their spot and come back from a 3-0 deficit in the series and we'll win it all. Then we play golf.
What a battle on Wednesday. That one will go down in history as one to remember. It may have put us back on course. There were periods down the stretch of the regular season that the Canucks started getting lazy. This last game was a great start.
Can we now, after losing potentially three players, keep the battle going and build on the successes of game #1? I certainly...
OK, It is not big secret that the 06-07 Boston Bruins were an utter embarrasement and huge disappointment to their fans. What to do about it so the same does not happen in the upcoming season.
The first thing I think they need to do is look at the assets, and break them down into 2 categories, veterans and prospects. Veterans are Glen Murray 4.15 M, Marc Savarad 5M, P...
Living in New York as a Lightning fan is a very interesting experience. Unless you fly down to Tampa, you're never in the majority (not even at Islander games), and you're met with such questions as "Are you [i]from [/i] Tampa?" and "Couldn't you like one of the [i]local [/i] teams?" I guess that type of question is to be expected.
So last night, my dad and I made ...
After reading Garth's blog, the Islanders certainly have a problem on their hands. Ricky D, who you'd have to think when healthy, is far and away the better of the two if not a straight up world class goalie. Dubielewicz is a young, upstart guy with a lot of potential: I really like this kid, he's not afraid of anything and challenges the shooter very aggressively. But nev...
San Jose vs. Nashville - Game 2 - 1-0 San Jose
-I say this game gets very physical as response to the Cheechoo injury. High scoring game with Nashville getting the late lead. 5-4 Nashville
(Thorton, Pavelski, Carle, Guerin)- For San Jose
(Erat, Forsbergh, Zidlicky, Radulov, Dumont with the winner)- For Nashville
Dallas vs. Vancouver - Game 2 - 1-0 Vancouver
-No ...
Why does Comcast keep replacing NHL HD Hockey with repeat PGA golf.
This is an outrage?
The more I see of Dainius Zubrus, the more I like him.
I know most of the conversations have involved the playoffs, but looking ahead a little bit, if there's any way they can re-sign this guy after the season I'd love for them to do it. I truly believe they will make an effort to sign both Drury and Briere, but if for some reason they can't get both, I'd be happy with...
I can't believe no one has commented on this yet. After the huge game 7 disappointment, the Chris Pronger kick to the collective groins of Oilers fans, ticket price increase, injury ravaged, non-puck moving D man of a season, Joffre Lupul single handedly gets the Calgary Flames into the playoffs. I know I'm a little late in posting this, but last nights utter snoozfest a...
I can't believe no one has commented on this yet. After the huge game 7 disappointment, the Chris Pronger kick to the collective groins of Oilers fans, ticket price increase, injury ravaged, non-puck moving D man of a season, Joffre Lupul single handedly gets the Calgary Flames into the playoffs. I know I'm a little late in posting this, but last nights utter snoozfest aga...
Before yesterday's atrocity, Marty Brodeur had played in 153 NHL playoff games. Out of those 153 games, he had 89 victories, and 21 shutouts. Over that time, he had a 1.88 goals against average.
We on the other hand, had Holmqvist, Denis, and Ramo. Before the game began, they had combined for all of 0 NHL playoff games, 0 wins, and 0.00 save percentage.
Very c...
You get an incident like a knee-on-knee hit from Hartnell to Cheechoo and you can figure out very quickly where somebody stands. So Hartnell is headed to jail in San Jose and Cheechoo is getting an Oscar in Nashville.
I don’t have any idea why people are so convinced that the sun rises and sets over their home teams. “Real” hockey fans know that there is ebb and...
Great game by Drury and company last night. A couple points to consider:
1) Following last night's 4-1 victory, Chris Drury made the expected, credit-deflecting comments to the media. As he usually does, he mentioned that the team felt really prepared because of Lindy Ruff's tutelage and how Lindy deserves credit because he has been drilling all of the important thing...
What is it about hockey and superstitions? Why do grown men devolve into singleminded obsession when it comes to game day success?
Do players honestly believe that how they dress, what they eat, who they talk to, or what they read prior to a game will bring them fortune and the glorious gates of Valhalla will open for them?
Stephane Quintal never spoke to anyone aft...
Ok, it has long been known in these here parts that in Canuck colours (whichever those colours may be) that wearing the number 17 comes at a price. I know, I know, the number on a players back has no reflection of his statics or play on the ice, but come on. Number 17 for Vancouver has brought on nothing but bad luck for whom ever may choose to wear it. The only exception ...
On Thursday, I took a glance at the list of possible free agent centers who could don the Orange and Black for the '07-'08 season. Here's a look at the defensemen (the Flyers other main need):
[b]Kimmo Timonen [/b](Nashville Predators) - The first thing that jumped out at me when researching Kimmo was his age - 32. Are the Flyers willing to give a four or five-year de...
what has this guy ever accomplished in the nhl besides to end careers of other players?
this guy is everything wrong with hockey. nashville is playing dirty hockey and dont be surprise if san jose decides to go dirty as the series goes back to the shark tank
Today many were wondering will Rick DiPietro play in Game 2 tommorow night at the HSBC Arena. Well we won't find that answer out until tommorow afternoon after the game day skates. Now if i was Ted Nolan i think i would go with the guy that got the islanders in to the playoffs and the hot goalie who would be Wade Dubielewicz. Nothing against the ability of US born Goaltend...
SmokingChicken writes...
What the Off-Season Holds for the Predators, Part 2 of 3
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Just got done watching the Predators pwn the Sharks, 5-2. The Sharks just didn't seem to be 100% in it after Dumont's short-handed goal and his subsequent 5-on-3 PP goal. Series is now tied 1-1, and Vokoun is playing much better.
And I am now an advocate of extending Alex Radulov's contract by an extra 15 years or so.
Now for the purpose of this blog. Free agents tha...
psycomkl writes...
Return Of The Rick - Is It Just What The Doctor Ordered?
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Rick Dipietro, Islanders first overall draft pick, Islanders number one goaltender, and generally all around good guy. Islander Nation was all smiles when it was announced that Dipietro has been cleared to play. That smile, although splitting their faces from ear to ear, was tinged with a little bit of worry.
Dipietro suffered 2 concussions within a week of each other...
I have to hit the sack tonight since I have a TV gig in the morning, but just wanted to preview what I'll talk about tomorrow, which will probably be a LONG blog:
1. A Game Recap
2. Quotes from the locker room that I got
3. My thoughts on the "bad blood" in this series
4. Ron Wilson and his now famous, "I HAVE NO COMMENT"
5. Keys to Game 3 and what I expect.....
...
(I hate to start the blog with this but c'mon...this is freaking hilarious...Turco was named the #3 star in the building and Henrik #2...LOL!!! What a joke!)
Marty Turco had 35 saves to preserve his 1st career playoff shutout, and the Dallas Stars played a full 60 minutes to win game two, 2-0, and steal the home ice advantage! The series shifts to Dallas for game 3, e...
Who needs a Zubrus Medallion?
Got a couple.
Interested?
With the playoffs in full swing and some excellent hockey on Versus, the St. Louis Blues have rarely been on my mind. Don't get me wrong. The team put in a solid Blue's collar effort this season and finished one position better in the standings than I had expected. More importantly, they played entertaining hockey and eliminated the ability of couch-coaches to easily predi...
They always say that rivalries are born and forged in the fiery pits of the playoffs. With the Sharks and the Predators, this is certainly the case.
These two teams, who had no reason to really care one way or the other about each up until last season, are in the midst of forming one of the great new rivalries of the "New NHL." Meeting each other in the 4-5 seed matchup...
Nashville Predators' forward Scott Hartnell will not recieve a suspension after taking his second game misconduct of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Cheechoo took a blow to the knee in game #1 which resulted in Hartnell's first game misconduct. In last nights games, he was involved in a scuffle, however according to TSN, the league determined that he was in fact involved in...
The phrase "Next Year" is often uttered around Columbus this time of year. As I sit here watching the Playoffs begin, I can't help but wonder if the Blue Jackets will ever make it there. It's been 6 years of great fan support, high ticket prices, and high expectations. What do we fans get for our loyalty? Doug Maclean saying, "I feel we're one or two pieces away" or "W...
Nashville Predators' forward Scott Hartnell will not recieve a suspension after taking his second game misconduct of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Cheechoo took a blow to the knee in game #1 which resulted in Hartnell's first game misconduct. In last nights games, he was involved in a scuffle, however according to TSN, the league determined that he was in fact involved in...
I believe that some of us, as Sabre's fans, have been spoiled by the most exciting team in hockey and, quite possibly, all of sports. I actually heard some disgruntled people calling into the local radio sports-talk shows complaining about last night's Sabre's convincing 4-1 victory over the Long Islanders in game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarter finals. Apparently, the...
degroat writes...
St Louis hockey fans getting left in the dark by NBC, KSDK
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
For those of you outside of St. Louis, KSDK, the NBC affliate in St. Louis, has been the top news station in the market for decades. This past summer, they purchased the network TV rights to televise St Louis Cardinals games... and hockey fans (along with golf and tennis fans) are getting collectively screwed over in the process.
Four times during the playoffs NBC's te...
Being born in New York and growing up in New Jersey I am often asked why the Bruins are my favorite team.
My dad, who was very involved in amateur and pro hockey in the NY area since the 1960's ingrained the game into my head, and believe me it was not difficult to do.
He had me on the ice at age three and I have played pretty consistently throughout the next 36 years o...
Philadelphia Flyers are my team. They have been my team my entire life and will continue to be the team I love with the most passion.
Any sports days at work where they allow you to wear sports apparel I come in sporting something Flyers. Even this year which was such a long year for Flyers fans I proudly wore my orange and black.
I do have other teams I love as I...
DarkHockeyArmy writes...
Stars Dominating Series, Get A Split To Show For It
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
While it didn't take over 6 hours to find a victor on Friday night, the game was much the same as the 7 period marathon witnessed on Wednesday- a Stars team out-skating, out-muscling, and out-playing the Canucks. Only this time, Loungo and some freak bounces weren't there to save Vancouver. Loungo still made some excellent saves. He just made 2 less than his team ...
The National Hockey League, in conjuction with CBC television would like to remind the Vancouver Canucks that Game 2 will begin at approximately 6:00pm local time.
To be honest with you, I don't think that the Canucks got this memo. 24 seconds into the first period of play the Canucks left Jeff Halpern alone beside the net and he did what every professional hockey pl...
Yestarday I woke up with the usual excitement of the playoffs, went to work and stood through eight hours of perperation for the night. I turned on my XM to listen to the Sharks/Preds game, then turned on my T.V. to watch the Nucks/Stars game. I learned last night that they were going to do the 'live look-in' to show the later games in the night, and immediately knew I'd g...
Mike Fisher writes...
A little introduction and why the Canucks lost last night.
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
OK, this is my lame attempt to write a Hockey Blog.
Keep in mind when you read it, that I am relatively poor and therefore I don't have cable. Because of this, I don't see a lot of games. My 'radio' is a little clock radio that changes reception drastically based on where I am in the room. All that white noise will definitely wake you up in the morning, but it doesn't g...
Here are how the options stand. (1) DP stands on his head, steals a game for the Isles, and Ted Nolan comes out a hero. (2) DP stands on his head, but Sabres still overpower the Isles as a team, and it's a huge risk with little reward. (3) DP comes out rusty, Sabres run over the Isles, and it's a huge risk with NO reward. (4) DP gets hurt (long- or short- term) and Ted ...
When I finally became a Hurricanes fan about 6 years ago, I never would have thought that this team would be where it is today. I never would have thought that they would become part of the community. I never would have thought that hockey would even become a sport played by the locals at any level. And I certainly never would have thought that they would ever win a Stan...
I caught Ian Mendes' blog on Sportsnet ([url]http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/ian_mendes/2007/04/13/deep_thoughts[/url]), and still wonder if he can actually address the question of why to boo Sidney Crosby. He can't seem to figure it out either. Or maybe he just can't seem to string multiple thoughts together coherently when it's not about the ultimate greatness that is the...
Nashville Predators' forward Alexander Radulov recieved a one game suspension by the NHL today following a vicious hit from behind on San Jose's Steve Bernier in last nights game. The real question here is whether or not Radulov deserved more time for the incident.
Brandon Felder writes...
Friday Fight Night - Game 2 - San Jose vs Nashville
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
I have some rest and I am now ready to tell all about the game last night. I'm breaking this blog down into sections today that way if people just want to read quotes, they can do that. If you just want a recap, you'll get that. So here are the subcategories:
1. Game Recap
2. Quotes from the Preds locker room
3. Ron Wilson
4. The rivalry and its' bad blood
5. Ga...
First off, let me say that at the beginning of the season, I said that the Islanders would make the postseason, largely on the coaching of Ted Nolan. What can I say? I love the guy. He coaches a great style of hockey. He put together my favourite Sabres line of all-time in Ray, May and Barnaby the "dog line".
Now, I have to question what Nolan, and Garth Snow are thi...
The Rangers pulled out a win today in a tightly contested game, beating the Atlanta Thrashers 2-1.
I felt the Rangers had the better of the play for the whole game tonight. The first Sean Avery goal was a fluke, but well deserved by Avery, who was easily the best player of the game. He had more shots than anyone else on the team, assisted on Shanahan's game-winner, and ...
Hey pens fans,
The Pens win game 2 and tie the series at one all. The Pens definetly shook their jitters from game one and played a solid game. Fleury was very solid in net. Crosby and Staal bothed played well and did not disappoint. Colby Armstrong was flying today. He was all over the ice and this is one of his strongest performances. Overall, the team played a ve...
FLAMESTR writes...
PUBLIC APOLOGY PLEASE ANY HOCKEY PLAYERS PLEASE READ
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
I have heard it said that players need to give the fans proper respect, while this is true but what comes to mind is a double edge sword, meaning don't the players deserve the same respect. Now don't get me wrong the fans have a right to call how it is if a player makes a mistake call him on it. But what his nationality or I Q or his up bringing have anything to do w...
What a game so far.
The Islanders have turned up the heat
But just when you thought they would turn it up higher.....
HERE COME THE SABRES
Sabres score late to come within one goal of the Islanders
remember [url]sabreschat.com/chat.shtml [/url]
Anyone watch the Ottawa/Pittsburgh game today? Pittsburgh scored a goal (not an important one -- just the game-winner) off the transition -- that was created when Daniel Alfredsson missed a glorious scoring chance. Why?
His piece-of-you-know-what stick broke.
I don't know how many scoring chances for are missed, and how many scoring chances against are created by s...
SteveBonus writes...
The Habs and the Hab-Nots: 2006-2007 Year in Review
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Another year has come to an end for the Montreal Canadiens, and dissapointingly the team was unable to make a second straight playoff appearance. Prior to Christmas, the Habs were on fire and had a shot at catching the dominant Buffalo Sabres atop the Northeast Division standings. But, with the team being hammered by the flu bug in late December, followed by a monstrous tw...
I guess we're supposed to feel bad for Mike Ribeiro.
After all, according to him in a piece featured in the Montreal Gazette earlier this year, he "was treated unfairly in Montreal." Not only that, he feels that there must have been some sort of conspiracy afoot in the off-season when he was traded to the Dallas Stars as "[the Canadiens] just wanted to get rid of me, a...
A huge boost of confidents has arose on Long Island after a stunning 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night. Goaltender Rick DiPietro stood his ground after playing in his first game in over three weeks. He was by far the best player on the ice after stopping 32 Buffalo shots. Despite the win, the Islanders were actually outshot by a margin of 34-32.
Part of...
-> Fleury doubters: (though there probably aren't many after today) Let this 22 year old guy learn and grow! He showed that he can play big for us when we need him to, and I don't think this performance was a fluke. He seems to play his best at the end of games when the other team is firing shots from all angles. The key is making the big save at the right time. I thi...
Why is it that everyone is underestimating the Canucks. All the media people keep on saying that the Dallas Stars have outworked the Canucks and have deserved to win both games well if they had they would have beta Roberto Loungo but they did not. Why is it that the media people say Lopungo is the only reason vancouver is in it. I mean is a goalie not part of the team. Als...
I'm not 19. In fact I am MORE THAN TWICE that age.
When I was 19 I was in college.
I was trying to learn how to live on my own.
Trying to figure out if I had enough money to buy a pizza on a Saturday night.
Trying to stay out of trouble and keep my grades up.
Trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life.
Nobody followed me around with cameras.
Nobody as...
What a performance by Fleury. In a game that the Penguins could have easily lost, Marc Andre was the difference. I think his play this afternoon speaks volumes about his maturity as a goaltender. While he may not be seasoned yet, he is definitely mature enough to backstop the Penguins throughout their playoff run. Don't get me wrong, a confident Thibault is good to have in...
I was a very young kid when the Flyers were winning their Stanley Cups as the Broad Street Bullies. I do remember the team, but was not as versed in the sport. They were still my Flyers, but, as much as I love those teams, when I think back on my youth, I recall more fondly the mid 1980's Flyers teams.
By 1980, the last finals run of the original Bullies teams was on. B...
It is going on 5 hours after the Sabres lost to the Islanders and I am asking myself the question: Where is the desperation and desire from this team? Perhaps they hurt more than helped themselves by winning so many games early in the season. Did this allow them to coast into the playoffs? This team seems to need a fire to be lit under them to get motivated. It has been sh...
[b]By D. Smith[/b]:
Remember a couple months ago, way back in the pre-Forsberg dark ages, when media outlets all over North America were calling for the Predators to leave Music City? Supposedly our chronic attendance problems were dooming our franchise, and simply put, our fan support was "lukewarm". We didn't deserve this team. We didn't appreciate the great product t...
Some doubted his size, others his age. Some doubted he warranted the contract he earned with an MVP season in 2004 and whether he could live up to those numbers the contract dictated.
Martin St. Louis has been doubted his entire career - some will never learn.
St. Louis scored a goal Saturday night against one of the best goalies in hockey. It wasn't just any goal. H...
After watching last nights Sabre performance against the New York Islanders, I came away with one theory. People in my beloved city worry WAY too much.
Watching the reaction of some people around Buffalo Wild Wings, you would think we just lost Game 5 to Carolina all over again. People swearing up and down cursing their performance and telling the team on the screen to ...
As a young boy in Western New York, I signed up to play baseball. It didn't do much for me. So I signed up for football. I didn't like it much. That winter my parents took me skating.
I loved it and I asked my dad to play hockey.
From the age of 7 on, it was hockey. Every day. All year long. I still remember the practices, the drills, the games, and I will alw...
As the Canucks wake up in Texas, getting ready for Game 3, I'm sure there's a few itchy chins in the Dallas area. Nobody's really sure how the playoff beard tradition got started, although [i]Wikipedia [/i]suggests it may have began with the New York Islanders.
Hockey players and fans are a superstitious lot. Personally, I'm fascinated by hockey ritual and have a few of...
Enough with the Handringing Rangers' Fans.
Believe it or not guys we are winning 2 games to None, not the other way around. From what I've been hearing from my fellow Rangers fans over the past few days you'd think that the Thrashers ran the Blueshirts out of Atlanta. The reality is our team played the same game they have been playing over the past few months and the re...
As the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators game nears the end of the first period I still haven't hardly noticed Malkin on the ice. As I think about it, the only real thing I remember him doing in the whole series was getting knocked onto his backside during the his first shift of game 1 and the Senators promptly scoring a goal. I know he was credited with an assist on...
Will one fan's search for caloric karma end in enlightenment, or a 3-0 series deficit?
Game 1
Main course: Don't remember.
Result: 2-1 loss
Game 2
Main course: terrible tex-mex.
Result: 3-2 loss
Game 3
Subway
Classic BMT (foot long)
Meatball* (6 inch)
Coca-Cola classic
*In high school, I "played" soccer. Poorly. But my buddy and I had a "luck...
Reading the headlines of the local papers here in Vancouver would lead you to believe that the Canucks are on the verge of being eliminated from this years Stanley Cup race. To that I would have to say that I totally agree.
Despite being tied at a game a piece, the Canucks have not played well in the first two games of this series. There were moments in game one that...
I got "hooked on hockey" in the fall of 1967, with the "Second Six" expansion of the NHL into my hometown of St. Louis. While my 13-year-old imagination was captured by the fact that the goalie was the most vital member of the team (the Blues had been built around the great Glenn Hall,) I [i]also[/i] noticed that players such as the Plager brothers, Noel Picard, Terry Cris...
Here's the predictions I made on my own blog. Just thought I'd share with you guys.
Well folks, it's that time of year again. Time for the 2007 playoffs. This years match ups are quite interesting and should provide some exciting hockey. Despite the amazing race in the east, the west has to have the tightest match ups. So seeing as I think I'm a know it all of hockey, a...
I guess Rick Dipietro was exactly what the doctor ordered after all. Coming off a 3 week hiatus, Dipietro backstopped the New York Islanders to a 3-2 victory over the Presidents Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres Saturday night.
The entire team looked electrified by the return of Dipietro from the drop of the puck. The Islanders shook off game 1's timid attitude and explod...
That's right... Lidstrom sucks defensively! If anyone else is currently watching the Flames-Wings game, you just saw Primeau skate around Lidstrom with ease to set up a highlight reel play, only to be stoned by Hasek...
Now we all know that Lidstrom is one of, if not the best defenceman in the league, but the point of this is to point out that every defenceman ends up o...
Here's another blog about the Canucks and their dwindling chances to get past the Stars.
I am an optimist and I feel there have been some good things that came from the last couple of games. I watched both games and for the most part haven't written the Canucks off. I like our offense in game 1 and felt our defense and goaltending came around near the end. As much as I...
I thought the "NEW NHL" is supposed to bring offensive explosion to the NHL but someone forgot to tell the Minnesota Wild.
I looked at the roster of the Minnesota Wild and i found their is great offensive gifted players on that team including names like Demitra, Parrish, Carney, Gaborik and White. These players can score over thirty goals in a season but they are handc...
The heart of this city, the passionate Flames fan, is breaking right now. You can feel the rupture resonating down the red mile, through every basement and every bar, and you can see it in every face.
Kipper is playing beyond human, as we're so accustomed to... yet it is not enough. The forwards are not creating chances, are not forechecking hard, and look as though t...
I predicted a Flames win in 7. Well, for that to happen, there needs to be drastic improvement from, oh, about 18 Flames right now...
Kiprusoff is the only reason either of the games appeared close. This reminds me of that series between Winnipeg and Detroit in 1996 when Nik Khabibulin almost stole the series for the Jets. But as in that series, Detroit has simply be...
ForeverFlyer16 writes...
It's About Time Ron Hextall is Given His Due In Flyerland.
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
I watched the Flyers 40th Anniversary DVD to see Ron Hextall's emotions, and have in me feelings rekindled that I had over the entire period that he was with the Flyers... That exuberance that he displayed epitomized what being a Flyer actually means... He, along with Bob Clarke, acted with the raw emotion that I would like to see in every Flyer, every game, every year.
...
first it was Scott Hartnell then it was Alexander Radulov and now it's Colby Armstrong.
Suspend Colby Armstrong for the rest of the series to send the message that the dirty plays wont be accpted in the NHL.
the blows to the head have to stop
NHL isnt do crap until someone is left Paralyzed on the ice......
Eggshmeg writes...
MLB Honours Jackie Robinson, Should the NHL Follow Suit?
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Today around Major League Baseball, African-American ball-players were wearing the #42 in honour of the great Jackie Robinson, known for being the first African-American baseball player to break the colour barrier. This got me thinking, should the NHL do the same for the first black hockey player, Willie O'Ree? O'Ree, in case you didn't know, broke into the league in 1958 ...
Yes the refs were horrible but the pens were as well. I really don't have any idea where Gonchar was in this game. I can honestly say that 3 of the goals may have been his fault. He stood around all night. Also he couldn't keep the puck in the zone on the power play the worst pen all night. Malkin couldn't win a faceoff for his life. Recchi just seems like the game is pass...
As a young kid, at any sport, you're taught to always give 110%. You are told to leave everything out on the playing field. It seems that a certain player has forgotten that all season. He has forgotten that he plays for the best team in the Western Conference, and he is looking out of place. I am talking about Robert Lang.
Today, I laughed at him. Sometime during ...
Hey pens fans,
Well, the game started off good with Pens scoring under a minute into the game. Roberts scored and was assisted by Crosby and Armstrong. The Senators came back and scored 4 goals. Late in the third Crosby scored and was assisted by Malkin and Recchi to make it 4-2. Fleury was in goal stopping 21 of 25 shots. Tonight, the Pens were just not with it. They pla...
I was looking forward to more behind-the-scenes video podcasts like "All-Star Game, Day 1 parts 1 and 2." What happened to day 2?
It did take Brian Wilson almost 40 years to finish SMiLE.
Well, I am up here in Cape Cod surviving the current Nor'easter. I figured I would have some fun and show Eklund the potential of what his video blogs could be. I whipped something...
Yes, I know this is a hockey site and that the title borders on sacrilege. But, stick with me here and you'll understand.
Reason #1: When your team is eliminated from playoff contention, a little piece of you dies. For me being a Hawks fan, that happened sometime in December.
Reason #2: Speaking of the Hawks, watching the games showcases just how far they are fro...
The Dallas Stars really took the game to the Canucks in the first two periods, and just as the Canucks started to come on the Dallas Stars were able to net a power play goal late in the second period.
As I sat here during the second intermission I wondered to myself, can we do it? The Canucks were outplayed in the first and just as they started to come on in the seco...
Yestarday when I got the phone call I was extatic. I got in my car and drove six hours back to Anoka to see the family before tonight's game. All day today I lived the pregame hopes and dreams. I imagined how the win would happen tonight, how the pregame festivities would go, how awesome it would be to celebrate.
I did not however imagine the Wild wiffing on at least a ...
[b]By D. Smith:[/b]
Sure I'm a member of the Nashville Loyal Legion, but it doesn't take an expert (which I'm far from) to realize that the Preds/Sharks series has had all the makings of a classic playoff series.
Fights. League reviews. Suspensions. Bad blood. Double overtime. Coaches exchanging words. You name it.
Should we really be surprised? Two 51 game winn...
I have been a fan of sports for a long time, and I have seen my share of bandwagon fans…but outside the current day red sox (they couldn’t get a guy without a boston accent to admit they were a fan until they won…now some chucklehead in Indiana is proclaiming himself a lifelong fan, yet cant remember a manager prior to Francona), nothing touches the current day Sabre...
So here we are with another Saturday loss. (Don't worry, I'm not panicking over a 3-2 loss anytime soon...) One thing I've noticed over the season was the lack of real grit or passion when playing on Saturdays. I went back through all of the games and the Sabres were a disappointing 10-13-3 when playing on Saturdays (including the loss to NYI)
I'm not a superstitious...
Is it just me or does this seem like it should be game 6 of this series!? Man the first two games have taken allot out of me as a fan I can only imagine what the players must be feeling.
The war of words continues between Ron Whiner and Barry Trotz. Whiner says he thinks that the suspension to Radulov should have been longer (whoa…what a shock!). Trotz is sticking to ...
Hello everyone- I would like to use my first blog as a place to introduce myself and my goals as a blogger.
I go by the user name Kansas City Blues because I am a hardcore Blues fan based out for Kansas City. I have followed the Blues all throughout my 17 years of life and will always bleed Blue.
Living in Kansas City it is tough being a hockey fan. I grew up with the Ka...
The premise that I've been hoping for and building on thus far in the Canucks/Stars series is that the Canucks should have another level to play. That came through yesterday in the 3rd and OT period as the Canucks dominated the puck and offensive chances. Shots were 18 vs. 9 in those periods combined.
The Dallas Stars are just the Dallas Stars. You know what to expec...
Help Me out Hockeybuzz Nation!
Seriously…a friend just came up and asked me that question. My first instinct is to say “no, of course not!” But when you hear the talking heads (Brett Hull, Barry Melrose) talk about us I begin to question it myself.
I don’t think of Hartnell as a dirty player…but ask a Sharks fan and you’ll get an earful.
Ask if they t...
I was asking in the Chat room an Idea for a blog when my favorite blogster scoop (sorry Ek) gave me idea of a hockey conversation from my son so here is the first one of maybe many depending on how many he would like to do.
[b]Today blog is on what is wrong with Hockey[/b]
Flamestr: alright Dougstr what is wrong with hockey
Dougstr
Slashing penalties in t...
Dude, wake up, you should ask D-S for some help, or volunteer to leave? Who knows... whatever you're doing, not doing, it's not working.
I mean, it must suck, though for you at the same time, no one wanted you to fail, it's just... your team isn't playing to its potential.
I'm not even a Flames fan, but it's kind of funny...
Dudes on thehockeynews.com figure the...
On a number of fronts...
1. Will Regehr be able to play tomorrow night? it was obvisious that he is currently our best defensmen. With Phanuef a close 2nd.
2. Will McCarty be the answer? If that what the team needs, I hope so! sure he will play sub 10mins, but will the locker room presence be what they need?
3. Has anyone else seen enough of Hale/Warrener in the ...
So, I’m a born and raised Edmontonian that moved to Calgary 10 years ago to work in the oil patch. Living in the heart of the enemy‘s city hasn’t been easy, but for the most part the Oiler & Eskimo’s have done as well or better than their Red Rivals…. That is up until this year.
My defending grey cup champion Eskimos ended a consecutive playoff streak th...
Yes yes, another cliche term about how we have swedish players on our team. And yet, you may be confused. No swedes scored yesterday night, you might say! That's irrelevant. The line of Naslund, Sedin, and Sedin is unbelieveable. They're making Sydor and Zubov look like children. This isn't to say i'm particularly proud of the Canucks effort last night. As the playoffs con...
So I'm busy AGAIN tonight, and this would mean missing TWO broadcasts in a row, which I don't think I can handle. Does anyone know if a radio station in New York City plays it? Normally, I listen to all the game on internet radio so I can hear Rick Jeanneret's broadcast. If RJ's play-by-play is unavailable, what is the radio station that has the Islanders' broadcast? I...
Before the Nashville and San Jose series started, I knew it would be one to watch. Two good teams with a lot of talent going back and forth. Maybe this could sell me on "the new" NHL. I didn't expect the toughness from either team that I have seen in this series though. But there's a difference in being tough and being a hack. Outside of Peter Forsberg and Shea Weber,...
When will the Stars learn to push back in this series? As soon as there is any momentum change against them, Canucks score a goal. When you dominate 50 minutes of a 60 minute game, show enough heart to not lose it in 10 minutes.
Turco should be blame-free so far for this series. He has done his part to win it. He stole the end of game 2, and was well on his way to d...
I didn't author this but I thought some you might enjoy it.
Hockey players...
will do anything just to be able to tell his teammates
a great story in the dressing room. Live the dream until they are 35
then realize they never made it. Ladies love us, guys want to be us, we
are the soul of the universe. You lace up the skates, put on the
gloves, strap on the...
Now with the Pens in a desperate situation it will be up to Michel Therrien. He has been outstanding leeding his troops all year long, but it is the real time. Right now he needs to do a major shake up in the lines and whos getting scratched and whos not. If i were Michel Therrien i would seriously think about playing Joel Kwiatkowski over a guy like Josef Melichar or Rob ...
Is it just me or does it seem like this should be game 6 of this series!? Man the first two games have taken allot out of me as a fan and I can only imagine what the players must be feeling.
The war of words continues between Ron Whiner and Barry Trotz. Whiner says he thinks that the suspension to Radulov should have been longer (whoa…what a shock!). Trotz is sticking...
In a recent article entitled "How to Rebuild the Flyers", Hockeybuzz blogger Tim Panaccio give his breakdown on the Flyers offseason outlook.
In the piece he says the following in regards to Flyers young defensman Joni Pitkanen:
"They also desperately lack a No. 1 defenseman. [i][b]Joni Pitkanen should have been able to assume that role by now.[/b][/i] Yet his inabil...
Here we are, game three of a series some Sabre fans were calling an easy sweep. With the Islanders 3-2 win on Saturday, the brooms are back in the closet and the game moves to the Island.
Led by Rick Dipietro and a suddenly re-energized roster, the Islanders know that the battle has only begun. Buffalo is known for exploding after a loss and the Islanders need to be r...
So, the Wild are down 3-0 to the Ducks, and their fate is in the envelope, as it were.
They have played pretty much as well as they could have been expected to play. In some ways this just hurts that much more, and in some ways it's a salve for my burns.
Yet today is the happiest day of the whole season for me.
Here's why.
I have two little girls. The eldest,...
I'm going to try something different and if people like it maybe I'll do it again in the future. Live updates to tonight's Sabres game...highlighting key plays and my thoughts as the game is going on. I would love to hear feedback, so please leave comments. Enjoy...
[b]10:14 p.m. EST:[/b] And that's it! Not the prettiest ending, but the Sabres hold on. The Isles po...
This edition of [b]In The Net[/b] hockey blog focuses on the Really, Really, Bad; the Really, Really, Good; Shame Shame; Good For You!(nice prices on eBay); Hockey In The Strangest Places; Mother's Day Giveaway. Sponsored by [url]www.SportsGiftNets.com[/url] - [i]In life it really is the little things.. here, they all add up to a great gift for the sports fan![/i]
Than...
Gary,
I would like to extend this open letter as fair warning for what may happen should you allow the Dallas Stars to continue to run our goaltender. Without going into extensive detail, I would like to bring your attention to such incidents as the Todd Bertuzzi hit on Steve Moore.
I understand your position on the instigator rule, but I would also like to point ...
What a shame. A goal 52 seconds into the game, and the Pens just seemed to be going through the motions until about 5 minutes left in the game. What about the 2 periods in between?? If they keep this up, we might be shaving our playoff beards come Thursday. Don't get me wrong, I think the kids can bounce back, but tomorrow nite is all but a do or die situation, since I don...
My sources are telling me that early indications point to Sutter firing Playfair.
Details to come.
Sunday's Pens and Senators game was the worst of the series for the Penguins.
They gained some momentum in game 2...and it lasted into game 3...for about 5 minutes.
Game 3 was so disappointing because the Penguins should feel they have a chance to win this series, but they are not playing like it. They should be past the "wow, we are in the playoffs" feeling, and se...
The Sabres put forth a much better effort in Game 3, resulting in a 3-2 win and the lead in the series. Finally, the Sabres forwards scored all 3 goals, including goals from Briere and Vanek. Zubrus currently leads the team in points, with 4 (all assists). He was great again tonight, providing good offense and defense along with a strong physical game. Both of the goal...
Well see how long you 2 last in the playoffs.. Your disasater of penalty calls and bogus goal calls against the Islanders, and turning your back on Sabres penalties, you have only you 2 to blame for the onslought of garbage you two got hit with in the last minute of the game. Its a simple thoguht.. either call the Campoli play, or don't call the Robataille play.. By ignori...
The Chicago Blackhawks had the NHL's fifth-worst record and only an 8% shot at drawing the 1st pick in the draft. I guess it was their lucky day. After grabbing Jonathan Toews last years draft, the Hawks get ready for a possible franchise changing decision in 2007.
Unlike some past drafts many would argue that there is not a clear cut #1 pick this season. Many are tout...
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[b]The most impressive Sidney Crosby rookie card to date is limited to 99 copies is autographed, contains a piece of patch memorabilia embedded into the card, and recently sold on eBay for just over $15K.[/b]
I recently read a news report on the Beckett web site titled, “Crosby Cup RC Snapped Up At $10K” then on April 16, 2007 I researched the card on eBay and w...
That distinction belongs to the 2006-2007 Nashville Predators. Of course, there have been teams over the years that have been much worse away from home, but this is different. We were actually led to believe that this was a team built for a serious Stanley Cup run.
No way.
The Preds were 23-15-3 on the road this year. Sure, it doesn't seem too bad at first glance, bu...
The Islanders played their best game of the year last nite. Miro Satan says "We've never played any better. We were flying." It appeard to be that the Isles were trying to play Buffalo's game in the 1st and 2nd. They had speedy forwards and their forecheck was phenomenal. Teddy Nolan is putting together a good game plan. "Captain Canada" was a horse, he was all over ...
One of the things that I always look for in the NHL playoffs is how teams play with the expectations leveled on them. Do the top point getters continue with the style of play that got them into the position they are in, or do they grip their sticks a bit tighter, when they get down a goal? Do the teams that snuck their way in, who may consider themselves to be playing wi...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Yashin to Iles - Worst trade in the history of the NHL!
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
For all the mistakes former Isles General Manager Mike Milbury made during his tenure — where do we begin? — trading for Yashin is the biggest blunder in franchise history.
New York gave up top-ticket defenseman Zdeno Chara and a first-round pick that ended up being Jason Spezza.
And on top of that... he turned around and signed him to a 10 year $90 million co...
What I don't understand with the Pittsburgh Penguins right now is why don't they play Georges Laraque. They brought Laraque in for one reason....to protect Sidney Crosby. The Senators have gotten plenty of shots in on Crosby that have not been called. If the Senators know that they will get away with it why would they stop. The Pens need someone like Laraque to make su...
Beasts. Everywhere. It's a good thing I have my trusty guide with me. We step out of our vehicle and onto the dilapidated lot in Uniondale, Long Island. Nassau Coliseum stands like some archaic ruin, except the ancient Roman and Greek ruins are far better managed. My guide carries our hidden snacks and drinks in her deep-pocketed coat. The rain bleats down like the hammer ...
Game 3, in Calgary, down 2 - 0, does it get any bigger than this? No. It's that simple. The Flames must come out with enerygy tonight. Forcheck hard, win battles, be physical and most importantly get the first goal. Tonight, I'm afraid, is do or die. Win this game and we have a series. Lose, and start thinking about the summer and next year!
43 and 51 SOG in th...
Anytime your team loses I think the first reaction is to look at your team and find fault. While I will do that in a post later today I think I first need to give credit to the Sharks for a well played game.
[b]What They Did:[/b]
[b]Played Physical[/b] - The Sharks played the physical game I expected but they did not take the penalties that I thought would come with ...
0 for 6. Nope, that wasn't the Predators' power play line from Monday night. They wish they'd gotten six power plays.
No, this stat line is far more telling of the Nashville Predators' struggles in the playoffs. The Preds have yet to win a road playoff game. Ever.
Of course, all hyperbole aside, the Preds have only been in three postseasons, but the fact of the matte...
I don't think Red Wings fans could have hoped for a better way to start this series. They have dominated the entire 120 mins of this series so far. They have been the more skilled, but maybe more importantly, the more PHYSICAL team. They are initiating the hits, taking it to the Flames, and making a statement that this years Red Wings team is a PHYSICAL hockey team. Th...
So by this point I think it's safe to say it would be 2-1 for one team rather than 3-0. But why is it that score? Games 1 and 3 were as close as they get and game 2 was all about the Stars. The Canucks won game 3 because of 2 defensive breakdowns not because of anything they really did. On the first goal Turco was telling his d-man to reverse the puck behind the net a...
It is unknown if Burtuzzi will play in tonight's game...but if he does who sits. It would be hard to sit Filipula, who would have been the obvious choice had this been Game 1. But Fillipula had scored 2 goals and his line had played extremely well with Franzen and Hudler attacking and crashing the net. Hudler is another option, but he is playing on both that line and h...
I've had the pleasure of being a Wild fan since the begining, and I've seen this team go through a lot. The team started as any new team does as the joke of the league, they've now turned it around to being a good team. However in this year's playoffs they've taken a step back in a lot of people minds not being able to get a win against Anaheim. Tonight will start the come...
Tonight should be another great night of NHL playoff hockey, with some big games going on in the East.
[b]Thrashers @ Rangers, GM 3, Rangers lead 2-0[/b]
The New York Rangers are looking to take a commanding three games to none lead over the Thrashers as they return home tonight.The Blue shirts took away home ice from Atlanta by winning a pair of one goal games, 4-3, a...
mojoworld writes...
Where are we at? + some good playoff lines (unders!) tonight
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Van-Dal: 2-1 Van leads. Good under bet opportunities here for handicappers after game 1. Still say Vancouver will just get it done and win out from here.
Ana-Min: 3-0 Ducks. Wow, really didn't see this coming and I'm not sure why I don't respect the Ducks team play more. In any case, now it's just a matter of if the Wild can make themselves look respectable. Off-season,...
I must admit, I am new to hockey. I started really watching hockey after the lockout. I always did like the sport, but never new how the game was played with the rules and such not and found it very hard to follow that puck on the tv. About seven years ago I met this lady, who this June will become my better half, who is a BIG flyers fan and, once we were able to afford...
anicecoldrink writes...
Why Playoff Hockey Is Like You and Your Girlfriend
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
One second you're in love, the next you wish you never met.
One week, 4 different possible outcomes.
Some one is always on the powerplay.
Inversely, some one is always killing off a penalty.
No matter how many saves you make, you let one slip through and it's automatically your fault.
Some one is bound to get hurt.
At the end of a hard fought battle, ther...
Hoping to help his team play with poise via palate pleasing panache, one fan's story.
Game 1
Main course: who cares?
Result: 2-1 loss
Game 2
Main course: doesn't matter
Result: 3-2 loss
Game 3
Main course: Subway double dip
Result: 2-1 loss
Game 4
Main course:
Italian cold cut hero from Samantha's Deli
Prosciutto
Salami
Pepperoni
lettuce (shredde...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Where would the Sabres be without Zubrus, Mair?
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
[img:right]http://www.gramdesign.com/images/bloody.jpg[/img]There are 8 playoff series going on right now, 7 of which are absolutely nasty. Bone-jarring hits, constant scrums, facewashes, blood, concussions, headhunting (allegedly), elbows… you name it, we’ve seen it. EXCEPT in the Sabres/Islanders series. Granted, we did get some physical play last night but this s...
By the power of Grayskull, a few points:
1) If last night was a game of Ice Hockey on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, Lindy must have gotten a hold of a Game Genie because Mair and Zubrus were able to hit like the big, fat players but also, somehow, had the agility and speed of the skinny guys that usually get run over. They were only credited with 8 hits i...
kamikazepilot42 writes...
Playoff hockey, non-playoff hockey, and other stuff
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Three topics to touch on briefly.
1. I'm thoroughly excited for the Rangers-Thrashers game tonight. It will be interesting to see how the Rangers respond to being back at home. This is an extremly important game. A win will put the series at 3-0 and put New York in a comfortable position to move on. A loss and the Thrashers gain a huge amount of momentum and could ...
With the senators in control of this series this is a very important game. If the pens lose today they will be down 3-1 and have no chance to comeback. It is a desperate situation for the pens. It worrys me that during the moring skate the pens looked so relaxed. Maybe it is a tactic that Therrien is using so the pens do not have to think about the pressure they face. The ...
I don't like to throw around the phrase "Must Win Game" very often, but I will make an exception for tonight's Game 4 against Ottawa. The Pens have been outplayed in every facet of the game and must right the ship before digging themselves a two game whole. The team must move their feet more to generate more puck possession in the offensive zone and to generate possible ...
Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, and Martin St. Louis. The Tampa Bay Lightning's Big 3.
Before the series with New Jersey, one of the best defensive teams in hockey, the story regarding the Lightning was "What's Tampa Bay going to do when New Jersey shuts down their main line - where will the scoring come from?".
Funny thing happend on the way to answering that que...
bluez brother_38 writes...
Gary Bettman and why he SHOULD follow Stern's NBA this time
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Commissioner Gary Bettman takes a lot of flack for the way he has ran and continues to run the NHL. Some of it I've always felt is undeserved. Similarly to Bud Selig and the MLB, I believe that Bettman really does things that he feels in the best interests of the league and the sport. And it's hard for me to hate someone the way plenty of fans do when I know he's got good ...
Although the Sabres don't play tonight, there are still 5 games that should be very interesting.
[b]Atlanta/NYR[/b] - [i]Rangers lead series 2-0[/i]
Atlanta must win this game to have any chance. They already gave up both of their home games to start the series. It Atlanta can play well on the road for the next 2 games, they could have a shot at winning. However, I ...
Eggshmeg writes...
The Best the NHL has to Offer, for Non-Hockey Watchers
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
This blog is for those of you who don't follow hockey all that much but have decided to watch some playoff hockey and you want to know the best games that are out there to watch this round. I'm gonna give you my suggestions of games to watch from the east and west, whichever side you're on. The games I post will be the most intriguing ones I think are out there out there. ...
Today Blog is on Dougstr opinion on what Don Cherry Said
Flamestr
Dougstr before we get into the questions how do you feel about Don Cherry himself
Dougstr
Don Cherry
I like him a lot he usually funny with his clothes like in the Stanley Cup Playoffs I like his red wig and his dress robe with the Carolina Hurricanes on it.
Mike Emery
He is a real good...
Seriously, someone took this team, tied them up somewhere, and replaced them with stiffs that would be hard up to make the ECHL. Atlanta isn't a playoff team, they're just a team that got enough points to qualify for the playoffs.
It doesn't even look like they care tonight. Lehtonen is being hung out to dry. Hossa, Kovy, and Kozlov have been invisible all series.
...
I love read thoughtless articles from writers across the country that know NOTHING about hockey. they try so so hard to write an article or talk hockey and they cant. let's look at a couple of examples. After Todd Fedrouk,"Fridge" know by Flyers Fans, was smoke in a clean fight by Orr, Gary Bettman made appreence on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia sports news show 'Daily Ne...
Ottawa's winning goal came off the stick of Anton Volchenkov. Not only is this an unlikely hero, but instead he puts the proverbial nail in the coffin. The Penguins are now forced to win three out of four games. The Senators now have a 3-1 lead in the series, with a 2-1 win in Pittsburgh.
Gary Roberts was the lone Penguin to show determination, although some would say h...
There isn't much you can say after winning your first playoff game at home in 10 years by a score of 7-0. The denizens of MSG came ready to cheer on their blueshirts, it does help coming in up 2-0 in the series vs. 0-2 without Jagr like last year, and they weren't dissappointed.
32 seconds into the game Nylander scores his first of 3 on the night and the party was just ...
Keys to Game 3:
Forecheck.
Play physical.
First to loose pucks.
Win the battles.
Discipline.
Composure.
Period 1:
There's the effort. That's how we really play. Had a few solid chances. Unlucky to not put any in. Iggy looks better. Conny is flying. Kipper looks solid again. Even Stuart is impressing. Warrener is a machine. 4minute penalty killed with ...
During last summers long off-season the Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis made two signing that may fans have questioned. The first was the signing of defenseman Willie Mitchell to a 4 yr./$3.5 million deal and the second was Trevor Linden to a 1 yr./$600,000 deal. Fans and media alike have questioned these moves all season long and in some instances the critics have made so...
briere2112 writes...
Sens, Rangers, and Canucks get 3rd win in series...
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Ottawa, NYR, and Vancouver now lead their series 3-1, 3-0, and 3-1, respectively.
The Rangers are annihilating the Thrashers. 7-0. Well, you can tell this is the first time the Thrashers have been to the playoffs, but I guess I was expecting more from Hossa.
Ottawa and Vancouver have played well and should win their series as well. The Penguins have played well ...
Dude, we're going to the Cup finals man... Nazzy wants it bad and he's showing he can/will do it. I know that one Dallas goal may have been a result of him not getting a strong hold of the puck and whipping it out of the zone, but this is an entirely different Naslund, wow, I'm so impressed.
I hope the Wild claw their way back into the series, can't make the Ducks look...
Hey pens fans,
Tonight, the Pens fell to the Sens in game 4 at the Mellon Arena. The Sens got their firsst goal on a flukey bounce off Jordan Staal's stick. It was just a bad bounce and neither Staal or Fleury can be faulted for it. In the second period, Staal tied the game and was assisted by Roberts and Ouellet. Ottawa went ahead 2-1 in the third. Fleury was in goa...
The passion. The toughness. The win.
This was Flames hockey. This was the grit we saw in '04. This is what we expected.
We were forechecking. We were winning the battles. We were making short passes and skating. We can beat the Wings. 1 down, 3 to go.
After watching the Penguins/Senators game tonight one thing was evident. The Penguins had learned what it would take to compete at the level of the Senators, but it wasn't enough as they fell short once again. The Penguins dominated the play for most of the game, and deserved a better fate than a 2-1 loss at home, but that is what played out. This loss is a backbreaker ...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Pens or Sens Will Have Nothing Left for Round Two
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
I wrote yesterday about how the Sabres need to ratchet up the “physical” play if they expect to make a serious run to the cup. After watching game 4 of the Pens & Sens… maybe the Sabres plan will work out just fine if they meet one of these teams in the ECF.
To put it simply and succinctly, these teams are absolutely KILLING each other. I have to believe that ...
With the win on Tuesday night the New York Rangers are in a position to sweep the Atlanta Thrashers right out of the playoffs.
A Big game from the number 1 line helped put a beating on the Atlanta team who, unlike in the first 2 games, came up flat footed. In game 1 the Thrashers came out fired up. Looking to hit everything in their path. Crashing and banging in an att...
An overflow crowd of 19,174 fans flooded into the Xcel Energy Center last night. 19,174 people were, quite honestly, hoping against hope that the Wild could show some life and pull out a win, though most were prepared to bid farewell to what has been a fantastic season for the white, green, and red.
What they got was a performance by the team that they should have seen...
Down 3-1 in the series, the common thought that runs through your mind, as a player or a fan, is "[b]There is NO tomorrow[/b]".
That's the kind of thinking that many will argue is needed in order to beat the odds and win game 5 in Ottawa.
While I believe the intensity level necessary to win game 5 CAN be obtained from that line of thinking, there is also a tremendous...
mojoworld writes...
It's a far cry, but if anyone can do it... I think it's the
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
WILD!!! -- Down 3-1, how do you come back. How can you come back. Are you even supposed to come back? Well duh, you have to try. This is an open invite to everyone to list reasons why the Wild should beat the Ducks 3 more times in a row. I think it's not out of the question yet, obviously if they can win Game 5, people will start thinking it's possible or rather more ...
Just looked at the morning paper and to my surprise the Rangers did beat the Thrashers 7-0 last night to take a 3 games to none lead in their opening round series. It had seemed so perfect that I thought I must've dreamt it.
That was one of the most complete wins this team has had in a long time, that it ended a 10 year home playoff win drought only made it that much sw...
ITS NEVER OVER UNTIL ITS OVER !!!!!!!!!!!!
That being said, it is pretty damn close to being over.........
Yet, as a fan, I still have hope. Hope that one of our best players can actually score a goal in one of these games.
Hope that the bounces that have not gone our way, will actually go our way. (Van has a goal off a defensemans skate and a complete fluke o...
Hey hockey fans it is wednesday again, and that means its time for another week of The Last Two Minutes with Kevin and myself. The show is a live sports talk show on our local college station. We will be talking for the next hour and 45 minutes about hockey, hockey, hockey, and maybe a little MLB or MLS. Listen in by going to wmtu.mtu.edu and click listen.
Call in with ...
1) What’s better than playoff hockey? In a series that could potentially be labeled “boring” by comparison to past playoff series and those currently underway (especially Ottawa-Pittsburgh), the Sabres and Islanders have, instead, found a way to stay interesting due to an odd debate over “shooting at the goalie’s head”, the ridiculous behavior of Islander fans...
Yitzhak writes...
The First Official Washington Capitals Blog on this Site
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Since this site is woefully prejudiced against us Capitals fans, I felt it was time to step up to the plate and fulfill the glaring need for a Capitals Blog. Granted there are only about four Capitals fans on this whole site, but that is really besides the point.
As anyone remotely familiar with the NHL knows, the Capitals were atrocious down the stretch, and in some w...
Game 4 between the Sabres and Islanders is tonight at 7:30 in New York.
Buffalo currently leads the series 2-1 and could take both away games along with a commanding lead with a win tonight. Games 2 and 3 were very close games, though I thought the Sabres were much better in Game 3 than in 2. If the Sabres come out to play from the start, I don't think they'll have any ...
Just some quick thoughts before Game 4 of the Rangers-Thrashers series.
I said yesterday that if Jagr had two points last night, the Rangers would win. He had more than that in the first period, and the game was essentially over soon after that.
Absolutely great to see Ryan Callahan score two goals last night. Congrats to him, and hopefully we see a lot more of tha...
Vancouver edged another victory away from Dallas. The series is extremely close and yet on paper now it seems different. What is it that's putting the Nucks in the win column? The obvious answer is Luongo. Turco has been good too don't get me wrong. This series has been all about the goaltending and Luongo has been outshining Turco. Could the Canucks be playing this well w...
10 Reasons the Sabres will win tonight
1 – Sabres skate like the wind, Witt and co. is just too dam slow
2 – Islanders have nothing left after giving max efforts in games 2 and 3
3 - Roy, Afinigenov, Vanek line will dominate
4 – Miller is better than Dipeitro
5 – Mike Schopp says so... and Bulldog agreed (imagine that?)
6 - Chris Drury is a hockey god and t...
Now the Penguins are down 3-1 to the Senators. Yea it seems impossible but who knows. This penguins team has done so many unexpected things all year why not. This team wasn't even supposed to make the playoffs but they proved everyone wrong. The Pens may be able to catch the Sens relaxing a bit during game 5. If so look out. If the Pens would manage a way to prevail in gam...
caveman writes...
A proposal to tweak the standings points for shootouts
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
One of the more visible changes to come out of the lockout was the institution of the shootout to decide the winner of games which remained undecided after a 4-on-4 overtime. This resulted in quite a lot of excitement for fans to be sure, but also let a few rounds of a skills competition play a large part in determining standings points for a team.
The original move to ...
In 2004, a young man (well, if you count 26 as young) got to live a dream of a lifetime and go to a Stanley Cup Finals Game. That young man was me, and being from Newfoundland where the closest NHL team is Boston (it could be Toronto, but I can't stand the Leafs) I never even got close to a pre-season game in my first 25 years of life.
That year, I experienced the grea...
I was fortunate to go to game 4 last night, and what a difference 2 days made. Even though the Pens couldn't pull it out, I can't see any real reason why fans can be too upset at the team. They gave it their all, and it was very evident and the fans responded accordingly, from the cheers during a fourth line cycle to the fans clapping after the game in the midst of defeat....
6:44
just got off the train and walked one block to the bus station and now I'm heading to the Coliseum. by the time we got to Hempstead, not many people on the train still remained -- most being SABRES FANS, which was amusing, to say the least. on the bus right now, several more. we are packing the arena!
7:07
just got into the arena ... testing it out AND I HAVE ...
Post-Dispatch reports that Erik Johnson has signed and will be introduced Thursday. He is expected to be on the opening day roster next year, woo hoo. Now lets get a forward for Backman. Next season starts soon right?
When it's been 10 years since you've won a playoff series you know your fan base is starved and that hunger was fed tonight as the Rangers finished off the Thrashers 4-2 at Madison Square Garden.
The World's Most Famous Arena was buzzing with excitement as the blueshirts looked to finish off their first playoff sweep since that year most dear to all Ranger fans 1994. Th...
The Sabres won Game 4 by a score of 4-2. However, when it was 3-2 Sabres, the Isles put the puck in the net. The refs ruled no goal on the ice and Toronto also ruled no goal. However, was this the right call? I am a Sabres fan, so I want to believe it was the correct call. But there have been too many occasions where the Sabres have been screwed by bad calls for me no...
Tonight Ranger fans got to see something that hasn't happened in the Garden in ages...a playoff sweep and a date in the second round of the playoffs. It was our first playoff series win in 10 years....and boy did it feel good. The atmosphere at the Garden the past 2 games was sensational and the Rangers fed off of it and played near perfect hockey both games.
What can...
The War Room in Toronto has gotten a lot of grief lately. But Kudos to the Hockey Operations folks that are bunkered down each night.
Matt Cullen's knuckle-puck bomb did indeed hit the ice inside the goal, millimeters (or millimetres, eh?) past the goal line for the series-sweep-clinching goal. Yeah, it took a while. But they got it right, which was the whole point of...
It may be the first reaction of any sports team that is looking for a championship to axe all of the leadership of a consistently underachieving team, and everyone knows that isn't fair. The problem for Dallas is that the front office is the problem, not the coaching staff. With all of the injuries the team sustained this year its a miracle that the team stayed competitive...
Well, goal or no goal, it doesnt matter. The Islanders drop 2 straight at home and trail Buffalo 3-1 headed to friday at the HSBC. Was it a goal? Was Miller pushed in by an Islander? It doesnt matter, does it? They are not going to start up the game again or "make it up" to the Isles in game 5. The Isles lost because they didnt bury their early chances.
Hey, remem...
(Trade Day Mishaps)
After last night, the Atlanta Thrashers management team have to be sitting there and wondering; what just happened? After giving up a big part of their future in Glen Metropolit, two first rounder’s (2007,2008), a second rounder (2007) and a third rounder (2008) for Keith Tkachuck, it’s a wonder GM’s chose to give up so much and fail at the gam...
These calls NEVER go Buffalo’s way… EVER!
Vanek’s goal – Common sense tells you it was clearly a goal… however I was fully expecting that to be disallowed.
The Afinegenov powerplay – Max somehow drew 6minutes in penalties with a hard play to the net that we see over and over again. Again, I live in Buffalo, I expected co-incidentals at best.
Game 4 N...
Okay, I just want to make a few things clear. I have now attended three Sabres games in three different arenas: HSBC Arena, Madison Sq Garden, and Nassau Coliseum. Of course, the crowd at HSBC is unbeatable when you're rooting on the home team, so I'll leave that aside. As for the MSG crowd, they were more than friendly and I struck up a good conversation with the guy n...
My evening started typically enough. Stuck in unmoving traffic to get over to JFK. My future brother-in-law was coming in for the game tonight...taking off from work as a chef in a very highly respected restaurant in Florida. I look up, half expecting to see bats, but instead the sky is thickly overcast in the gray fog which has enveloped Long Island since hockey came to t...
The sweep of the Atlanta Thrashers has been completed. New York Rangers move on to the second round and the Garden Faithful can rejoice..... For now.
The Rangers played an Atlanta team who didn't seem nearly as prepared as they should of been. Don't get me wrong. Rangers played a great series. They moved the puck well, they forechecked, they backchecked, [i][b]they shot...
...it appears that the puck was indeed across the goal line before Miller got pushed into the net. From all I'm hearing this morning, it appears the league got this one wrong and the goal should have counted. A camera angle from in front of the net shows the puck across the goal line between Miller's pads.
That being said, there's nothing that can be done about that n...
Trotz looked beaten, saying "We're going to have a mourning period for about an hour, and then we'll look forward to the next game."
What? Is this the kind of response you expect from the guy who is supposed to shape the way his team feels and reacts to a loss like this? I don't think so.
The Preds have not played well these past two games of the series and in doing...
To read Part I:
http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=567&post_id=557
[i]We last left our hero, yours truly, with his trusty guide, her brother (the former Islander fan trumpet player) watching Game 4 of the Islander/Sabres series. A man donned in a Ranger jersey has sat in the seats, and bad vibes are back in the Coliseum.[/i]
"Leave it all on the ice"
...
Manchester Monarchs 5- Worcester Sharks 2
Monarchs lead series 1-0
And so begins yet another attempt at escaping the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs for my local team.
The AHL affiliate of the LA Kings has been a strong performer in the regular season each of it's six seasons of existance. However, when the playoffs roll around, the Verizon Wireless Aren...
Will consistency bring continued gastric glory or will a repeat sandwich usher in the off-season?
Games 1-3
Main courses: DOESN'T MATTER
Results: DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT
Game 4
Main course: Italian cold cut sandwich, Doritos, Sprite
Result: 5-1* win for the Wild
Game 5
Had this one on stand-by since the final horn on Tuesday night.
Italian cold ...
The Minnesota Wild have the most daunting of tasks ahead of them.
We've all heard the constant droning on and on about the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders and their amazing comeback stories. Blah blah blah blah blah. Fact is, even though the Wild exploded for 5 goals in Game 4 (yeah, one was waved off on a bogus call on a rule that is no longer in exis...
The Pens have played better in the last game but are still down 3-1. They are looking for a way to get momentum. Well couldn't it be a huge momentum builder if the pens could pull off a dramatic win in overtime. This type of win could shift all the momentum in a penguins favor and bring the series back to the igloo. I know it may sound far fetched but i believe in the pens...
Tonight Game 4 of the Flames-Red Wings series goes at 7:30MST (9:30EST for the majority of readers on here) and to say something that is obvious - Calgary needs the win. Not only do the need the win, they need to get it in convincing fashion.
Sure they beat the Red Wings 3-2 on Tuesday night but many of the glaring errors the Flames made in Games 1 & 2 are still around...
Enough crying about how mean the Isles fans are, you would be pissed if you got screwed out of two games too. However, let's look at those two games. For one, Vanek's goal was not CONCLUSIVELY across the goal line. I know it was, you know it was in. However any camera angle did not show it to be conclusive, it was assumptive. Which it does not say in the rule book. Flash b...
I was trying to figure out what to write my next blog when my brother gave a talk on blessed be the Peace makers, when that gave me a idea on my nex t blog. So today blog is on
[b] BLESSED BE THE PEACE MAKERS. [/b]
The Linesman have to brake up break up biggest fighters. People like Derek Boogaard vs Brad May or how about Andrew Peters Vs Brian McGrattan,...
I expect the best game of the series tonight straight-up:
Both teams are really amped up for tonight: the Ducks want to finish this thing and the Wild want to continue it. The Ducks at the end of the day might have something to prove physically as they did seem to get out of control in Game 4. As I've said in the forums, this series is a lot like the WCF last year( with t...
With all of the playoffs going on, its tough being a Avalanche fan. Something is missing from the current post season... The 2007 version of the Colorado Avalanche came within 1 point of the playoffs. Putting new meaning into the old adage that every game counts. Blown leads, poor defensive play all played a part in the Avalanche missing the 'real' hockey season. Credit sh...
Hey pens fans,
Tonight, the Pens lost the series to the Senators. The score was 3-0. The game was not bad, overall. It is just hard to find the good, when the season is over. One thing to gain from this playoff experience is Experience. That is something that most of the team did not have and now they have playoff experience. This will do them a world of good in the...
When this series started, I truy believed the Penguins could compete with the Senators. The teams played such close games during the regular season that it seemed almost impossible for the series not to go 6 or 7 games. (still trying to get my foot out of my mouth from that prediction...)
What happened during the playoffs was plain and simple -- the Senators had an extr...
It was the night of nights. Everyone in town knew that we had to play better, regardless of our victory on Tuesday. The swing game was live or die. No way we could crawl out of a hole going back to the Joe. It was tonight or bust.
We've played consecutively better every game, and believe it or not, I think we still need to get better. Kipper is inhuman. I think he...
mwiles19 writes...
Dissapointing End, But Still Happy With Overall Result
Posted Friday | Comments 0
The 2006-2007 NHL season came to an abrupt end for the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight, as they were eliminated by the Ottawa Senators. The same Senators team, in name only, who the Penguins recently beat three straight times in the regular season. The reason I say in name only, is because the Senators picked it up a notch for the playoffs and simply dominated this young Pen...
My heart constantly pounds like a drum. My fists are sore from being clenched, and sweat occasionally drips from my brow. My playoff beard is itching like hell and my facepaint is all over my Flames Jersey... I couldnt ask for a better time. For the rabid hockey fans, playoffs are considered a religious event and we put players/teams in the spotlight and on a pedestal. It ...
For those of us STARS faithful that fill the American Airlines Center each home game, that movie clip is engrained in our minds! Numerous times this year, Dallas has been behind the 8-ball...and numerous times this year, they have answered the call. Tonight was no different...Marty Turco was absolutely brilliant, and they found a way to finally solve Luongo. Now, there ...
Ally and D Smith writes...
One Last Rallying Cry (hopefully until Sunday)
Posted Friday | Comments 0
[b]By D. Smith:[/b]
This has been quite a year for Predator fans. The 0-3 start. The 7 game road win streak. The climb to the top. The Al Strachan "Get Out of Nashville" article. The Forsberg trade. The Tootoo/Robidas incident. The Nashville/San Jose exchanges in the playoffs.
What a year it's been. And it seems like it's been an awfully long one. I feel like the ...
Before I even get started, I just want to make clear that, even as a Sabre's fan, I feel the Isles got the shaft on wednesday night. Not once, either, but twice; of course, the obvious shaft was the "no-goal" call that, from what I saw immediately, should have been a goal. In all honesty, when they went to the phone, I was sure the referee's call was going to be reversed. ...
Playoff elimination seems so final. Your team is done...there will be no Stanley Cup parade down main street this year.
It's a fact of life for 8 teams after round 1. Then 4 more in round 2. Then 2...then 1...
Yeah, in this crazy cup chase only ONE team gets to raise the hardware at the end of the road...and the other 15 playoff teams get to think about "what might h...
We all know tonight is do or die. Win or go home. Win or golf tomorrow. Win or pack up their lockers (and offices maybe if your Trotz) tomorrow.
With their backs to the wall the Preds have to come out and take control of this game early. The crowd will be there (all 17,113 of them) and be waiting to explode with support for their boys. Just give us a reason early. A big...
[img]C:\Documents and Settings\Greg\Desktop\gregs ringers\staalhattrick.mp3[img:right][img][/img]What do you think was the best moment of the year for the Pengins? Personally i think Staals overtime goal versus toronto that completed the hattrick was best.[img]C:\Documents and Settings\preferred customer\Desktop\evolution.jpg[/img]
Can anyone see or hear the pic?
Avenged Sevenfold blasts through my apartment, good thing the other half of my life isnt home. I am a bit more optimistic about tonights game, but believe me. . .I dont expect a win.
Instead of chewing on old soup about refereeing and no-goals/goals/beer bottles/etc, I am going to recap on what has come of our rag-tag group of boys out on Long Island this season.
[b...
For the past couple of weeks I have been enjoying the spectacle known as the NHL playoffs. As a Blues fan and only 24 years old, last year was the first time I have ever watched the post season without my team. The second time around has been a little easier since I know bright things are on the horizon. While our ownership has the people of St. Louis happy, the same can n...
So the Rangers decide to sign a few players to contract extentions. Not big news, yes I know. However with the sweep, it's left nothing for Rangers fans to disscuss about our own team. So I figured let's break the ice with a bit of a news round up.
Rangers sign first round pick Sanguinetti to a pro-contract. Sanguinetti has mostly played in the OHL. This past season he ...
Islander Sean Hill has been suspended for 20 games for violating the league's Performance Enhancing Substance Abuse policy.
Hill will not dress for the balance of the playoffs.
I am not going to apology for splitting hairs over the use of Nation when describing the fans of certain NHL teams or the co-opting of the term for profit. No, I won’t because I’m Canadian and we’ve been splitting nations and attempting to sew them back together, and to the larger fabric, since our inception.
For those of you reading this in Canada I realize inv...
Over the course of the past several days, I have heard several comment made on the radio and in general conversation that the Canucks got the lucky bounce, or the Stars got the lucky bounce etc. I myself have made the mistake, surely the Stars got a lucky bounce in Game 5 when the puck slid eerily close the their gapping net while Turco was on the bench and the Canucks had...
This is the song that never ends.
It goes on and on my friends.
Someone started singing it not knowing what it was,
and they'll continue singing it forever just because,
This song can best describe the Canucks Dallas series. Just when you think you have got a hold of what is happening then suddenly something else happends and suddenly something else pops out and i...
Now before I get flamed by every single Sabres fan on Earth this is just an opinion I've formed after watching the Sabres take out the Isles in 5 games.
The Sabres are incredibly talented, they are loaded with offense and have a pretty good back end to boot. But, they didn't run away with this series as much as some Sabres fans (and again I''m not painting them all wit...
Spork writes...
Ron Wilson, you're safe this week. Trotz, you're going home.
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
It's a shame, but I'm just not sure the Barry Trotz "no-neck" jokes will ever get old...
[b]Switched at birth?[/b]
[img:right]http://www.melindafan.net/gallery/albums/uploads/photoshoots/tvguide%20photoshoots/american%20idol%20top%2012%20tvguide%20photoshoot/AI12TVGuide_3.jpg[/img][img:left]http://images.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/_photos/2006-11-20-trotz.jpg[/img]
...
Another April, another disappointing playoff series.
But this time, this team was the most talented in the league, had the most individual season ticket holders in the NHL, was playing against a team that they matched up well against during the season, and was favored by some to win the Stanley Cup. And lest we forget Peter Forsberg, who came here because he thought we ...
I think the Sharks' intensity level was just higher. San Jose was the better team and it showed. San Jose is deeper than ever before, and they are definitely a team to be feared in these playoffs.
Where Nashville lost this series, however, was with the penalties. San Jose's power play was lousy, but the penalties to Nashville just killed their momentum. Thats one th...
As I am sitting here at 2:00am listening to Baba O'Reilly, I got to thinking. (No smart aleck remarks from a certain Stars fan either! You know who you are!) I have been called a lot of things. Some good some bad. The obvious good ones are husband, father, friend. But, one of my favorite things to be called is "Coach". It is also one of the most powerful things to b...
This is not overconfidence....anyone who knows me knows i'm as nervous as they come till the final whistle blows but I think the Lightning are in real trouble and here is why....
The Lightnings best players have been thier best players all series and yet the series was still tied, the Devils best players hadn't really showed up yet. Well tonight the Devils best players ...
[i]O Calgary Flames who skate in the Dome,
Hallowed be the ice upon which you play.
Your power rankings will climb
As your points do over time, at Sportsnet as well on TSN.
Give us this day our special teams skill.
And forgive us our tresspasses as we check those who try to do us ill.
Lead us not to the penalty box and deliver us from unreviewed goals,
For thine are...
All I have to say is that with the Stars extending the series to game 6, I sure hope that we do not have a 2003 situation on our hands. You see the Vancouver Canucks of 2002-2003 were probably the best tanlented team that has ever been put together in this city, at least for the regular season.
The west coast express was in full swing Todd Bertuzzi had 94 points, Marku...
Though I am a believer in only the one, true, God...thank-you hockey gods (and San Jose Sharks)!!! How fitting that Thugville's third major (non-fighting) penalty and countless game misconduct cost them the game and series! It could not have been more perfect. If you can blame the lack of hockey enthusiasm on any players, it would certainly include the thugs of the game...
And we should give thanks for that. The Flames came out today and played a SOLID first period. If we had played that way the whole game, we would have won. However, we stopped skating after the first period. Not only that, we kept giving the puck away, both in our own zone and at the offesive blueline. How can you expect to win when you do that? How can you even expec...
I hate the wings, but the way the Flames are acting is an embarassment to the league.
[b]WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN LIFE PART 3[b]
When I started watching the game I began to slip and began to get stressed so my wife told me to go for a walk and forget the game. So I put on my coat and went for a walk, while I was walking our beautiful streets of Calgary , I over heard some body swear when Detroit scored there second goal I was walking in a back all...
Hey pens fans,
So, about a month ago Crosby broke his left foot blocking a shot. He has been playing through it, obviously. He just announced he will miss worlds to let it heal properly. And FYI, if you don't remember him breaking his foot, don't feel bad, neither do I and it was not on the injury reports, i already checked.
[url]http://penshockey.blogspot.com[/url]
The Flames have done themselves no favors as they now head into game 6 on Sunday down a game and on the brink of elimination. The Flames started off game 5 fairly well and even outshot the Red Wings for most of the first period. But, it was a second period special teams disaster that marked the beginning of the end for Calgary. Dan Cleary roofed a penalty shot during a Fla...
Heroes:
DRURY- Captain Clutch adds 2 more GWG's to his already impressive resume 14 total GWG's in the post season.
BRIERE Line- Slow start follwed by solid game 4 & 5 performances.
AFINOGENOV- Anther slow starter... Turned disappointing series into a great ending with Series winning goal. Welcome back MAX NATION
Zeroes:
HECHT- 0 Goals, but an impressive 18 SOG ...
The Dallas STARS played their best post-season game in several years, beating Vancouver 2-0, and forcing game 7 Monday night! From a fan's point-of-view, it was the most awesome game I have been to in quite some time. The capacity crowd was rowdy the entire night, and the team played like a contender. Marty Turco finished with 21 saves for his second shutout in a row, a...
Hockey players have an annual tradition where they grow out their beards when the playoffs roll around. No one is quite sure when the "playoff beard" first sprouted roots, but it's as entrenched in the game of hockey as sudden death overtimes and the two pad stack.
Certain diehard fans take their admiration of their favorite players to the next level by mimicking their ...
The second round is set and the Rangers will be facing off with the Buffalo Sabres starting this week. I don't know if either matchup was more beneficial for the Rangers as they had a losing record against both of their potential 2nd round opponents this year.
They were 1-3 against Ottawa and a sterling 0-4 against the Sabres.
To look on the bright side they haven't ...
nephew23 writes...
"It was something I'd do in the regular season – any time."
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
That quote comes from another obvious thug, Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows. It was his response to the fierce slash he made on the back of Dallas Stars forward Brendan Morrow's knee, in the final minutes of game 6. The slash caused a twinge in a nerve and caused Morrow to limp off the ice and miss the rest of the game. I'm just curious why Burrows would be so op...
seriously, people need to take a very,very deep breath about the McLennan slash. come on, real hockey fans will tell this used to happen all the time. I remember Ron Hextall jabbing the forward infront for position to see where the puck. Hextall did slash players and faced the consequences. He would a) face the player (thats call players policing themselves or b) get a fin...
I love to hear Chico Reish brag everytime about how brouder is the greatest goalie since rice bread and when he broke Parent solidified Marty as the greatest goalie is total BS.
After going to one of my favorite website, www.flyershistory.com and looking at the both seasons, i came to the conclusion that Marty record is a total fraud as Barry Bonds breaking Home Run rec...
The second round is almost at hand.
The Devils proved that they are a cup contender by defeating the Lightning 4 games to 2 in round 1. But do the Devils have what it takes to beat the Senators?
It would be hard for me to believe that we have seen the "best" the Senators can play -- well maybe we saw it in the first period of game 1 against the Penguins --but after t...
It always hurts a little (or sometimes a lot depending on your “closeness” to a team) to see your hockey club lose. During the regular season you can soothe the pain by thinking ahead to the next game, but the playoffs hold a certain finality to them. What I mean is, once you have lost 4 games, that is all she wrote for that season, it is over, done, finis...
And with that, the Detroit Red Wings have eliminated the Calgary Flames from contention.
As much as I was pulling for the Flames, the Wings deserved to win this series. Kiprusoff was the only guy on Calgary's roster who was showing up to play every game.
A major surprise was the play of Johan Franzen in this series. I barely knew who he was prior to this series, and...
Well, as hard as this is for me, a Flames fan to say, the better team won. Calgary played this game with grit and heart, but so did the Detroit Red Wings. Half of the problem coming into this series was the fact that many flames fans, among others, had it burned in their minds that #8 seeded Calgary could easily beat the #1 seeded Detroit, as the Red Wings have struggled t...
The Flames were eliminated, and the frustrating thing is, this was a very winnable series.
The stats will tell you that Detroit nearly doubled the Flames' shot total. That is misleading. Sure, the Flames did play that badly, but they have the offensive talent and the toughness to compete with Detroit. Kiprusoff held up his end. Did anyone else?
The lack of cohe...
Ladies and gentleman, a lot of people are looking at this second round series between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers and are claiming that the Rangers are going into this thing without any pressure on them. Of course they are the lowest seed left in the Eastern Conference and they are playing the Presidents Trophy Winners and the #1 seed. If they win, people...
Hey, I'm a Flames fan (you may have already guessed that tho).
I'm a fan of the team that has been lambasted and generally scourged by almost every media outlet for the past 24hrs and frankly I'm tired of it.
Perhaps this is the part where you gasp in surprise that I could even think to disagree that they deserved all this heaping on being done by the media but you k...
While I might be a Leaf fan, I'm first and foremost a hockey fan and believe the Senators have the game to win the Cup. After watching the first round they simply look like past teams, with similar chemistry and depth, that have won the Cup. More specifically though:
Leadership
The leader is finally being a leader. After years of justifiably being the fan’s whip...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
'Sabres Only' Fantasy Hockey Leauge – Join In for Round Two!
Posted Monday | Comments 0
Sabres Fans… Join in for round 2 of the hometeamhockey.com playoff fantasy league. Below is a short description from the site's creator. I've participated for the past few "divisions" and really enjoy it. You should give it a try.
[quote][i]Fantasy Hockey for the Home Town Fan. Why a fantasy league with just one team? My thinking is this: I like Fantasy sports, bu...
The Wings win in 6 games.
Before everyone gets on my case about this blog, remember one thing - I'm a fan and I'm going to tell it how I saw it. You may disagree but this is what I saw. The reasons we lost this series:
1. Detroit was the better team. Forechecking, passing, defensive play - they played all 6 games the same and lost 2 by one goal which were winnable...
This Thursday marks the beginning of yet another battle of 100+ point regular season teams. New Jersey finished with 107 and Ottawa with 105, with the season series going the way of the Devils 3-1. Despite holding a 3-1 edge is the regular season series, there’s no doubting who the stronger of the two teams down the stretch was, it’s the Senators. That being said, this...
I am going to play GM here for a minute, and give you my 2008 Pittsburgh Penguins roster if I was in charge of the team.
[u][b]Forwards[/b][/u]
Ladislav Nagy - Sidney Crosby - Paul Kariya
Jordan Staal - Evgeni Malkin - Scott Hartnell
Gary Roberts - Erik Christensen - Colby Armstrong
Jarko Ruutu - Maxime Talbot - Michel Oulette
[u][b]Defensemen[/b][/u]
...
Eklund has his airline ticket to Nashville for the Sharks and Preds game seven but the problem is there won't be a game seven.
For the second year in a row the Preds were handed a 4 games to 1 series loss at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. Seriously...if I see anything teal right now I might just hurl!
This was a physical series (some might even say dirty...but l...
Who would have thought the series would have evolved the way it has over the last week or so. We now are back where we started. The only advantage is now to the Canucks who are at home. You could argue that Dallas has the momentum and so they have the advantage. The Canucks' inability to score on Turco has also tipped the scale towards Dallas. Dallas has been playing with ...
Flamestr
Dougstr who wins the west
Dougstr
SJ Sharks The best forwards in the west Joe Thorton and Johnathon Cheechoo
and Patrick Marleau . Good players and they can score
Flamestr
So Dougstr who do the Sharks play against ?
Buff
Three of the best forward in the NHL Daniel Brieere and Maxim Afinogenov
and Jason Pominville. Because...
i get rid of the expansion teams including panthers, predators and blue jackets. these cities are stealing valuable talent from the good teams like the flyers and cities that deserve an NHL team......
Alright Flames fans, let's forget yesterday or even this whole series ever happened. Let's get down to business for next season.
Here is the list of UFAs for the Flames:
Tony Amonte
Marcus Nilson
Jeff Friesen
Darren McCarty
Byron Ritchie
Wayne Primeau
Roman Hamrlik
Brad Stuart
Brad Ference
Jamie McLellan (G)
Here is the list for the RFAs:
Matthew Lo...
Series is over but verbal jabs are not
I found this article in today's Star and Tribune seems that there is a lot of bad blood between the two teams that will probably boil over into next season. I have posted a few of the incidents from the series.
The Western Conference quarterfinals officially ended Thursday when the Anaheim Ducks bid adieu to the Wild in five g...
Desire. Heart. Determination. Focus. It all comes down to one game, erase everything that has happened between April 11 and April 22. All that matters is tonight. How bad do you want it? Let your actions speak.
Game 7 has to be the most stressful game to watch, but not only watching the game is stressful, actually the entire day is stressful. So stressful for fans that...
[b]By D. Smith:[/b]
Well, hindsight is always 20/20, but I believe the deal was worth making. Also, you have to remember that injuries played a role that no one saw coming. Bringing in Forsberg was supposed to secure three incredibly talented lines in Nashville. (in no order) the 3 centers were supposed to be Forsberg, Arnott, and Legwand. The 6 surrounding wings were...
It has been said thousands of times...there is nothing like a game 7...win and advance, lose and go home! The Dallas Stars are one win away from pulling off the near impossible. They have finally won in overtime...they have finally won at home...and they have finally figured out how to solve Roberto Luongo. Though Marty Turco has the edge in stats, including THREE shuto...
When the Islanders acquired both Michael Peca and Alexei Yashin on consecutive days surrounding the 2001 entry draft, it signaled the dawning of a new era for the franchise. Despite paying the high price of Zdeno Chara and the draft pick that would eventually be used to select Jason Spezza (as well as throw-in Bill Muckalt) in return for Yashin, initial reactions were posi...
There are those in the media who have theorized the amount of fighting in NHL games is a big factor in the game's perceived weakness in the U.S. market.
Perhaps they are right.
Except they have the rationale wrong. It is not that there is too much fighting in the game, it is that there is not enough.
Sure, there are people who think fighting in hockey is awful. Bu...
I thought game 7's in the stanley cup playoffs were decided by the players? that third period was an embrassment to nhl. call after call was hooking or holding.
my god, even the Dave Strader was confused if There was a pentaly when Turco was pulled at the end of the game
BTW, Trevor Linden did a nice job on the hook(which was a pentaly) before scoring the game winni...
Where are you now buddy? It's a good thing that it's nice and sunny down there in Dallas so your boy's can go golfing. LMAO!
[b]East
#1 Sabres vs. #7 Rangers[/b]
I hate the sabres with a passion. i hate rangers with a passion. this is the series of picking between two evils. So i will go with a upset. Rangers are playing awesome hockey and Sabres had hiccups with Fishy Sticks.
[b]UPSET: Rangers in 7[/b]
[b]#3 Debbies v #4 Sens[/b]
This series might come down to goalies but i think...
[b]1 Buf vs 8 NYI - Buf in 5[/b] - Bang on, but I expected a better effort out of the Sabres. They'll be in tough against the white-hot Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers. DiPietro came back sooner than I thought and played well enough to keep the Islanders in the games, but could only win the one.
[b]2 NJ vs 7 TB - NJ in 6[/b] - Bang on again. Holmqvist played very we...
Not many people have seen this clip.So here is it. There is no question the hit was dirty and the punishment of three games was more that warranted.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTHg9xmsQaM[/url]
alexkay writes...
Rangers v. Sabres is Nothing More Then Lundqvist v. Miller
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Anytime you read any blog about this Ranger/Sabre series you hear the same things over and over and over again. The Sabres fan say their depth is amazing and unbeatable and remarkable and the Ranger fans come back with saying that Avery will drive Buffalo into an insane asylum and Jagr is going to net 50 goals in however many games. Thats all great and fantastic except f...
[b][Originally posted on PredNation.com 4/23/07][/b]
To begin, I must congratulate the San Jose Sharks on a well played series. I obviously felt that Nashville would win this series in six games going in, but San Jose played a much better overall game and capitalized on their chances. They played a disciplined game, worked very hard, played an aggressive forecheck, an...
As great as Marty Turco was for most of the opening round series against the Vancouver Canucks-and he was, make no mistake-he still won't shed that label of choke artist.
From this corner, he shouldn't.
Turco was mostly stellar, but the definition of choke means falling short in the key spot, which he did last night. Vancouver's second goal, the game winner, was a we...
The Sabres stay in the New York arean after eliminating the Islanders in a hard fought 5 game series 4-1. While the result is what most expected, the Sabres seemed to struggle at times against the eighth seeded Isles.
The Rangers were dominant, sweeping a struggling Thrashers team that lost most of its momentum in round 1. But this will be a much different series for bo...
Rumor has it that the Preds are picking up the one year option on Barry Trotz and his contract. This means that the coaching staff will be together one more season before the org. will decide whether or not to let Trotz and his staff go. Expect more after the 2 pm PC. Just to clarify, this is a rumor, but I did get it from a qualified media source.
Well, we're a few days out from the sad loss in 2OT to the Wings and the pain of that night has certainly dulled which is nice. It helps to still be able to go to games as our Jr team, the Calgary Hitmen, are playing in the Conference finals right now - beyond most expectations of the team this year (unlike the Flames).
My wish list for the Flames now that we're in the ...
What are your thoughts on this matchup? My recollection of the season series was that Vancity lost 3 and won 1. The one we won we played Sabourin. So maybe we should rest Luongo for the next round seeing Sabourin had the better record?? No way! I don't know why we won that one game, my guess is that it was during their injury problems. Pronger and S. Niedermayer both were ...
Well the players may like the break to help them recharge the batteries, but I sure am chomping on the bit.
I guess when your team beats expectations and sweeps the opening round series the excitement level goes up. I sure can't wait for tomorrow night, I wish they were dropping the puck as I type.
I'm looking forward to a good series and pretty much disregard how th...
Again for your reading pleasure....
Sabres over the Rangers in 6
Senators over Devils in 6
Sharks over Red Wings in 5
Canucks over Ducks in 6...maybe a homer pick but you have to follow the heart at times.
Rangers will surprise some as they are much better than advertised. Sens will do great as they are crazy hungry for the first time ever. Sharks are a damn f...
Last night, went heavy on the 4.5u and well, the Canucks won and scored TWO frigg'n empty netters in the final minute and down went my money in the drain. That's ok, because I hit a nice $20 five game parlay (won $400) thanks to a few nice free throw's by Yao Ming to clinch the over. (1xNBA + 4xMLBs).
Looking at Conference Semi-finals now and the match-ups. My initial b...
At the golf course I belong to, I walked into the clubhouse Saturday afternoon to see Jason Chimera and Duvie Westcott had just finished playing. They were talking with the head pro about Chimera leaving for the World Championships, and about Duvie's health. I couldn't help but realize it was April 21, and already the players were fully into the golf season.
Year after ...
Game 7 in any professional sport is a true testimate to all players skill but more so it is an extreme test of all players determination and their willingness to compete. On Saturday evening, after losing game 6 and after being held off the scoreboard for the third time in the series, the Canucks coach Alain Vigneault called out his players. Namely, he called out the 'play...
nephew23 writes...
I Couldn't Agree More...But I'm So Happy A Canadian Said It!
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Did I say happy?...I meant ecstatic, elated, over-joyed! I really hate to make excuses, or have to include the officiating in any writing...so thank-you so much, Mr. Gallagher, for your article...it is 100%, spot on! In fact, I used the phrase "phantom call" seconds after the penalty, as well as in a comment to my new best friend's blog ([i]What a friggin joke[/i]--Flyer...
I delayed posting a blog after our overtime defeat because it would be ridden with grief and emotional outbursts. Tears are not rare when it comes to me and my beloved Flames. Needless to say I am struggling to find my way again, as I commit so much to the team and their journey.
However, this blog is for looking forward. I would love to be in Sutter's position right...
Well, the job's open. Who wants it? There are a slew of potentials, even a few that have been vocal (Craig Patrick, Bob Clarke). Ownership will begin the interview process within the week, and hopefully now that some teams have been eliminated, the search can be narrowed. Dave Taylor from LA and Craig Button, formerly of Calgary, are rumored to be the front-runners, and th...
[b]Western Conference
#2 Anaheim vs #3 Vancouver[/b]
[b]Why Vancouver will win:[/b] Roberto Luongo is a candidate for the Hart Trophy, and he was arguably stronger yet in the first round against Dallas. There may be no tougher goalie to face in a best-of-seven series right now. Vancouver’s defense seems to know exactly when to pinch and when to retreat, and they re...
Due to your constant comment about our defence killing us, I thought I would actually have a look at some stats to see if the is validity to your tirades about our blueliners:
Vancouver
Name Pts. TOI +/- Pims
Bieksa 0 24 -1 16
Krajeck 0 15 -1 6
Mitchell 1 ...
[img]http://i18.tinypic.com/2d0j5l3.gif[/img]
This is my new signature on Canucks.com. I thought some of you folks might get a kick out of it.
WildMTUFan writes...
Round two predictions; Final Two Minutes Radio Show
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
[b]Eastern Conference[/b]
[i]New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres[/i]
I’m a firm believer in the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres and have been since I realized how incredibly good they are. They have explosive offensive talent running thick through four lines or even six lines depending on how you look at it. The team is only bettered by a solid defensive core that actually doe...
Well, folks, about 11 1/2 hours until the puck drops to begin game one of the Sabres/Rangers Eastern Conference semi-finals and for two days, already, the poop is being flung with the tenacity of the inhabitants of the primate house at the Buffalo zoo. Sean Avery began the shit slinging with some comments about how his pre-series ritual has included visualizing various (o...
sstrang writes...
Another 2nd Round Prediction Blog...with Chimpanzees
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Okay, I know everyone is tired of predicitions but hey, it's my blog!! And if you don't get the blog title, listen to "Everything to Everyone" by the Barenaked Ladies and you'll get it!
[b]Buffalo vs. New York Rangers[/b]
Buffalo in 6 - they are in playoff mode and I think Miller will be the better goalie.
[b]New Jersey vs. Ottawa[/b]
Ottawa in 6 - They believ...
Early estimates had the Predators averaging *13,600 fans this past season but Tuesday the Predators announced that the average paid attendance was in fact 13,815. That puts the Preds much closer to the magic 14k paid figure that they need by 08-09 (a stipulation set in the last CBA)to take part in the revenue sharing. On the flip side it also still has them below 14k and t...
A blog isn't journalism. However, if you're a professional commenting on an issue in your area of expertise then you should be held to a higher standard, even in a blog. Jim Kelley fails in this respect in his Sportsnet.ca blog "The Dope on Suspensions",
(http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/jim_kelley/2007/04/23/the_dope_on_suspensions/#comments ). I wish he was just being ...
So I was recently in Dallas for the first time (I'd been through the airport before, but I hadn't spent any time on the ground) and took in a Stars game. I felt pretty strange going to the game, to tell you the truth. Like I was somehow betraying my childhood.
You see, I grew up in Minnesota with the North Stars. When you grow up in Minnesota you follow hockey. End of ...
The first round of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs was very exciting, even with the lack of close series. The matchups we got were outstanding, such as Nashville-SJ, Detroit-Calgary, Vancouver-Dallas, and there was so much passion to go along. How will round 2 pan out?
[b]Buffalo vs. New York Rangers[/b]
I love the Rangers right now, they're playing with a huge amount of...
Can someone please notify the Buffalo Sabres and their respected media that they have only won one round so far in the playoffs. Buffalo is a great team and looks destined to continue their current success for many years. Heck, they might even win this year’s Stanley Cup and lay the begining piece of the “New NHL’s” first dynasty. However, heading into game one ...
Sorry for the length of this post but on the eve of the New York Rangers first second round playoff game in a decade, as a Blueshirts fan I can’t help but be excited, and the current success has got me thinking. It’s been a long time since we had a team we could be proud of. But this year’s team has overcome adversity and achieved that respect. Although only time wil...
Sabres de Buffalo vs Rangers de New York
Les Rangers ont été surprenant contre Atlanta, mais dans le fonds, si on regarde leurs récentes acquisitions - Brendan Shanahan durant l'été et Sean Avery 1 ou 2 semaines avant la date limite - c'est pas vraiment surprenant qu'il aient battus Atlanta, ces deux joueurs là ont apporté du coeur à cette équipe et le désir d...
Without question, the biggest issue surrounding the New York Islanders this off-season will be the efforts to re-sign Ryan Smyth. The Isles, as usual, have many other outstanding issues to resolve before the 2007-08 campaign, including the possible buyout of captain Alexei Yashin, re-signing leading scorer Jason Blake, and whether or not to bring back two suspended players...
Enough of the busy banter and wasted efforts on the Stars fan. The question of Monday nights game was, who will advance? The answer? Trevor Linden and Roberto Luongo answered it for everyone. Of course it was the Vancouver Canucks that were going to come through for their fans. Now, bring on the Ducks.
No one in Vancouver is going to openly admit that the Canucks are t...
[b]1 Buf vs 6 NYR[/b] - The Rangers have a fair bit of talent up front, and a slight goaltending edge, but the Sabres are simply too deep everywhere else. Sabres in 6.
[b]2 NJ vs 4 Ott[/b] - Yeah, I know it's Marty Brodeur, but the Sens will not be denied this year...at least not here. If Emery comes close to matching Brodeur, the Sens win. Ottawa in 6.
[b]1 Det v...
Rangers look so disinterested tonight... Anyways, they don't have enough defensemen to contain the Sabres. I think only the Senators can match. I hope the Rangers win a few games, that way more Sabres players can get more points for my pool :)
As mentioned previously I hate making predictions, especially when it comes to the hometown Canucks. To begin I will review my first round selections:
My predictions:
Red Wings in 7
Ducks in 6
Stars or Canucks in 6
Predators in 6
Sabres in 4
Devils in 6
Penguins in 6
Rangers in 5
Reality:
Red Wings in 6
Ducks in 5
Canucks in 7
Sharks in 5
Sabres...
Dear Santa Clause (aka: Mr. Hicks and Mr. Armstong),
As this sport very much relates to a holiday – the regular season being New Year’s through Thanksgiving and the playoffs being Christmas – here is my Christmas wish list for the off-season (in essay form!).
The Dallas Stars have now compiled three straight first-round exits after solid, promising regular-seas...
Well after a few days of reflection, I can hopefully put what happened in some sort of perspective now.
I gotta tell you though.. it's been a tough year with a lot more ups and downs than expected.
So. where are we heading? Who's most likely to stay or go? Let's start with the players.
Iggy says he wants to stay in Calgary.. He also says he has more...
Point shots and rebounds. Those are the kinds of goals we need to start with. Then once they chase after our shooters more, the space will open up for the pass pass play and the slap pass goals we're for whatever reason looking at now.
Henrik passed up an open net to shoot at in favour of passing the puck to his brother who was being checked so obviously. Sedins need...
The No Walk Rangers had much to say before game one of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, but very little to say after it. The Sabres won the opening game handily, 5-2, with two goals from Tomas Vanek, one each by Ales Kotalik, Jason Pominville, & Drew Stafford, and another solid performance by Ryan Miller. The Rangers were clearly outplayed in every facet of the game; f...
Luongo07 writes...
I won't run and hide when my team loses, it's all good
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
I will not beg for time to pout...
Tonight, after one days rest the Vancouver Canucks stepped on to the ice to face the dreaded Anahiem Ducks. Early on it looked like the Canucks had an early jump, Markus Naslund had a glorious opportunity, then Trevor Linden had a chance, and then Jeff Cowan scored the games first goal, but that was it for the visitors.
The Ducks sh...
I wish I could kick it back with some old school commentary, but my life schedule has not been kind this playoffs. While I've listened to 90% of the games on internet radio, I had to miss two whole games in the 1st round and I got back in time for the 3rd period, but I fell asleep shortly after Pominville's goal was credited. Hey, what can I say, they took awhile!
So,...
Brilliant.
No, I'm not talking about Sean Avery. I am talking about the Sabres response to Avery's comments. For those of you who missed it, Avery had the following to say prior to the series, [i]"I'm just going to go out and try to punish their (defense) and make them realize this is going to be a real long series for them. I'm going to try to hurt them and hit them ...
This season has seen nearly every team develop their unsung hero(es). It's time again to evaluate who means the most to their team. I've always felt that the Hart should encompass the regular season AND the playoffs, but the Conn Smythe isn't disappearing anytime soon. So, let's look at the candidates:
[b]1. Roberto Luongo, G, Vancouver[/b]
It's a safe bet to say that ...
This season has seen nearly every team develop their unsung hero(es). It's time again to evaluate who means the most to their team. I've always felt that the Hart should encompass the regular season AND the playoffs, but the Conn Smythe isn't disappearing anytime soon. So, let's look at the candidates:
[b]1. Roberto Luongo, G, Vancouver[/b]
It's a safe bet to say that ...
Yes, Caps fans, change is the offseason's buzzword. As the Caps' season was thankfully on its way to being put to rest, the slogan 'Change is Coming' was (for good reason) broadcasted for any fans still paying attention.
So, what changes can Caps fans expect?
[u][url=http://www.washingtoncaps.com/news/news.asp?story_id=4783]New uniforms[/url]:[/u]
The Caps will unve...
It's one game, talk to me after game 2. The first game of a series is the least indicative of what is going to happen in the series and only becomes important if the result of game 2 is the same.
Believe it or not no one is going to give the boys from upstate the Stanley Cup based on winning the opening game of the second round. So enough of the coronating the Sabres an...
If you read all the bashing that the Canucks have recieved over the past few days it is possible. Yes, the Canucks have not looked very good in the playoffs but they still managed to defeat an impressive Dallas Stars team and last night's series opener against the Ducks was not their worst effort of the post-season. Enough has been made about the loss of two of their top f...
[img:right]http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/4431/danysabourinzo8.jpg[/img]Canucks backup goaltender Dany Sabourin replaced Roberto Luongo with with 10:55 remaining, has he gotten his name on the Stanley Cup (if the Canucks win)?
I haven't been able to locate the official excerpt explaining what a goaltender must do in order to get his name on the Stanley Cup, but my u...
grapes17 writes...
Fighting revisted: Despite Fedoruk incident, it must stay
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
For some reason, we have become a society based on overreaction. If something happens once, no matter how much of a fluke the incident was, we must eliminate any possibility of it happening again.
Unfortunately, this thinking has permeated the hockey world in recent years. There was one tragic incident of a fan dying from a misdiagnosis of an injury caused by a puck, an...
> Congratulations to [url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8449545&service=page]Scott Mellanby[/url] on a very good career. Mellanby [url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2007/04/23/mellanby-retirement.html?ref=rss]announced his retirement[/url] after 21 seasons in the NHL. He finishes with 364 goals and 476 assists for 840 regular sea...
Sorry for the long length but this is a topic that has been bugging me a lot lately.
I for one am sick of people making judgments on the New York Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr. Jagr came to New York with a rep most people will never let him live down and I am sick of it. No matter how this guy plays he’s either used as a scapegoat or referred to as a selfish quitter. ...
Blah. Blah. Blah.
So I'm going to get myself in trouble with a lot of other Sabre fans for doing this, but...I've heard enough about how "great" the Rangers are after playing "playoff" hockey over their last 25 games to get into the playoffs. Let's look at those 25 games (only W/L regardless of OT points):
(N= non-playoff team, Y=playoff team)
Feb
15 W @ CAR -...
Or so Marty York said today in the Metro freebee. I didn’t even need a morning coffee after reading that headline. Wide awake, I almost screamed out loud ‘Wait a Minute!’ But given that York might have some personal insight into being “on the decline” I persisted.
York states the obvious by writing that Brodeur is a future Hall of Famer but concludes “he...
[img:right]http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/2148/toivonen774025691982nj1.jpg[/img]The [url=http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=205636&hubname=nhl]Boston Bruins[/url] announced yesterday that the club has re-signed goaltender Hannu Toivonen to a one-year deal worth $532,000 US.
This most likely is a sign-and-trade since there is no room in the Bruins organization for him....
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Looking Ahead (already) to Next Season's Sabres Lineup.
Posted Friday | Comments 0
The Rangers have NO chance. In addition to the Sabres being the overall superior team in every facet of the game, this series is a terrible match up for the Rangers. Sabres in 5 at most.
Since I’m confident that round two is “in the bag” already… Let’s spend a little time looking forward to next season. Here’s how I think the line up will look on openi...
No, I'm not jumping off the bandwagon. But I've decided to take a look at the Canucks' free agents on July 1st.
[b]Jan Bulis (III)[/b] - This guy was really unhappy with his playing time and lack of power-play time sometime in January and didn't seem like he would return to the team next year. But after a chat with Dave Nonis and getting his position in the club clarifi...
These Sharks of San Jose are a scary team this post season. They came into the playoffs as probably the hottest team and have continued their hot streak winning five of their first six playoff starts. Last night they proved just how good they are with a convincing 2-0 win on the road against Detroit.
But here is where it gets more scary for me. I don't think this team ...
Desptie the first round being over, not much has been solved in terms of a front runner to walk out of the West. Detroit, San Jose, and anheim all have a legit shot at making it to the Cup finals. Vancouve ris on the outside looking in.
San Jose has been extremely impressive though. Their young players have come through with big goals. The power play wasn't even rea...
Hey guys . . .
[b]Believe it or not[/b] nobody from Toronto is going to come to the HSBC wearing white gloves and carrying the Stanley Cup just because you won the 1st game of the series 5-2.
[b]Believe it or not[/b] the Rangers didn't expect your team to roll over like dogs and aren't demoralized from one loss.
[b]Believe it or not[/b] they actually intend on showin...
After Mr. Sutter met with Media on his state of the Franchise Speech the Media walked away just as confused if not more. He refused to comment on the future of Coach Playfair or on the Contracts of Iggy and Kipper does that mean kipper and iggy are traded and Playfiar fired? Heck no it means that Sutter is not going half cocked and firing Playfair and jumping to any co...
Bill Meltzer had an interesting post today regarding the debate over whether or not the NHL should switch to shootouts in the playoffs:
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=7179
I stand with Mr. Meltzer on this, and just want to add a thought I had. The people who are looking for a change in playoff format are clearly not hockey fans, or they would know how rid...
I mean really. I wonder if there is still doubt in the minds of the Vancouver-ites who so quickly jumped off the Stanley Cup bandwagon after Game 1. In sickness or in health. Imagine our PP once we have KB and SS back. I mean really. Seriously.
While the Canucks were not perfect, the longer the game lasted, the more tired the youngsters on the Duck line 2 (pending ...
I love NHL playoff Hockey. The first round was fabulous. I have 2 games a night every night to watch at least. There were quite a few teams that I like playing.
The 2nd round is not so easy of a thing. Less teams I enjoy. Less hockey. The other night both games were on at similar times. There was no 2nd game to stay up and watch.
Plus it does get harder to...
Has Ryan Miller finally come of age as a bonafide post-season goaltender? It's sure starting to look that way after these last two games against the Rangers. I'm certainly not one to count ANYONE'S chickens before they've hatched but, even though the last two Sabre victories were, no doubt, "team wins", Miller is the main reason that the 'bres have come out on top of their...
This has been one Jekyll and Hyde post season for one Martin Pierre Brodeur. He has shown his usual brilliance but in spurts and splashes. One thing he has also shown is an unusual vulnerability to the sharp angle goal in the last series and to the high glove in this series, something that had been a strength of Brodeurs. Till this post-season i don't think ANY book on Bro...
Here is my recap of the current chart listings for UFAs:
[b]sim[/b]- no, can't skate, inconsistent effort
[b]laaksanen[/b]- no- I'd rather have the uncle
[b]gelinas[/b]- no- too old to help a team that probably won't make the playoffs. waste of $$
[b]white[/b]- maybe [i]if [/i]he is a good f/o man, but he looks like marty murray redux
[b]markov[/b]- probably not goi...
I get the sense that some of you think the Cup is already in your possession. Believe it or not it's still early in this series and extremely early in the run to the Cup.
Would I rather that the Rangers were up 2-0 coming back to MSG, you bet I would. Would I rather that the Rangers were able to a win a game in HSBC, especially Game 2 in which they out played the Sa...
An article from the Vancouver Sun this morning maybe of interest to some....
[quote]Secret tabled at Turco dinner
Greg Douglas, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, April 28, 2007
SCENE & HEARD: It will be awhile before Dallas Stars goaltender Marty Turco has dinner again at Umberto Menghi's signature eatery, Il Giardino on Hornby Street. Not that Turco has anything ag...
Despite the media and all the nay sayers Vancouver pulled even with the Ducks and made the series look a lot more even than what it appeared after game 1.
Game 1 was tough to watch. My first thoughts were "These aren't the Canucks!". Somebody dressed the LA Kings instead. I'm glad they got that all straightened up. And now having the series return to Vancouver to win t...
I know I said I was not going talk about the officiating any longer, BUT...my dearest friend and fellow North American, Luongo07, continues to call me out and accuse me of not researching. (well, at least most of that last sentence is true!) So, as I set out to get the full scoop on the officiating in the Stars/Canucks series, I realized it was a much bigger issue than j...
Hey pens fans,
As, promised here is the team report card. I'll start with a player by player break-down.
Sidney Crosby
Regular Season 120 points (36+84) Playoffs 5 points (3+2)
Sid played in 79 regular season games. He was +10. This season was truly a breakout season for number 87. He played marvelously and we couldn't have asked for more. Sid had goals that amazed a...
[img:right]http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/9482/mitchell80ae871bt9.png[/img]The injuries on the blueline continue to mount.
Defencemen Willie Mitchell and Rory Fitzpatrick did not skate on Saturday. Mitchell is expected to play Game 3, but Fitzpatrick is questionable with the flu.
In case Fitzpatrick can't go, the Canucks have recalled veteran defenceman Yannick T...
But can they keep it up? Much depends on the availability of Tomas Holmstrom and Brett Lebda. Lebda's replacement, Kyle Quincey is a minus 1 for the series thus far, and steady, reliable defense is required against the Sharks. Unless Lebda returns soon or Quincey steps his game up, the Red Wings have a vulnerability that the Sharks can exploit.
Holmstrom, on the othe...
This is no way a blog meant to bash Nashville fans, because quite honestly, they have more to cheer about than we do in Columbus. But, the lack of hockey knowledge by these people who shell out hundreds to see a playoff game is baffling. Last night, I was watching a tape of Game 5 between San Jose and Nashville. Patrick Marleau's second goal of the game gives the Sharks th...
As has been the case since January, the Canucks All-Star goaltender rebounded from a poor performance in game one with an outstanding 43 save performance in game two. The Canucks have evened the Western Conference at one game a piece as the series head to a wild GM Place this afternoon for game three.
This has been a consistent trend of Roberto since the team began it's...
As has been the case since January, the Canucks All-Star goaltender rebounded from a poor performance in game one with an outstanding 43 save performance in game two. The Canucks have evened the Western Conference at one game a piece as the series head to a wild GM Place this afternoon for game three.
This has been a consistent trend of Roberto since the team began it's...
As has been the case since January, the Canucks All-Star goaltender rebounded from a poor performance in game one with an outstanding 43 save performance in game two. The Canucks have evened the Western Conference at one game a piece as the series head to a wild GM Place this afternoon for game three.
This has been a consistent trend of Roberto since the team began it's...
As has been the case since January, the Canucks All-Star goaltender rebounded from a poor performance in game one with an outstanding 43 save performance in game two. The Canucks have evened the Western Conference at one game a piece as the series head to a wild GM Place this afternoon for game three.
This has been a consistent trend of Roberto since the team began it's...
As has been the case since January, the Canucks All-Star goaltender rebounded from a poor performance in game one with an outstanding 43 save performance in game two. The Canucks have evened the Western Conference at one game a piece as the series head to a wild GM Place this afternoon for game three.
This has been a consistent trend of Roberto since the team began it's...
Did anyone out there notice the frank difference in the way the first two games of the Sabre/Ranger series was officiated? I can't stand to think that a series could be decided on the way certain officials are calling games. The first game, the refs called everything! The second game, the refs were much more leanient. I saw cross checks and punches in game two that would h...
I could probably write a pretty long blog about how the Rachunek goal was a goal, kicking motion my ass. I could write lettter and verse on how the refs seemed to miss so many calls on the Sabres and none on the Rangers.
Well I could write that blog, but I won't. I will just say [b]Hell Of A Game[/b].
That is what playoff hockey is all about. Same pit in my stomach...
I wished NBC cut into the Rangers-Sabres game to show that Barbaro. that game was god awful. from the miss goal and on top of that the miss hooking call on that play. to phantoms calls
Today was an embrassment for NHL. I cant believe two referees on the ice can't make the correct call on ice.
I never saw a game inwhich the calls were slided to the Gaybres. Sabres are...
Well, we all saw the controversial no-goal today by Karel Rachunek of the Rangers. Whether you think it was a goal or not, the inherent problem with the process is that it's a bad rule. The purpose of the game from its inception is to use your stick to propel the puck into the net. So in my opinion, they need to legislate this concept more firmly...
The rule should be...
The Ducks and Canucks just finished game 3 of their Western Conference Semi-Final and while some may question some of the calls during the game a further look shows you that clearly the referee's made the correct calls. Yes, the Ducks were called for 6 mins in penalties more, there were several justifiable calls made in the game.
In fact, being a Canuck fan I would que...
Jsaquella writes...
Want To Ruin A Wonderful Game Experience On Television?
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Hire a loudmouth, egotistical, jackanape former head coach, whose sole purpose as a broadcaster seems to be to hear himself talk, and put him by the glass.
Why does NBC saddle a very good-outstanding, really-play-by-play and color team of Mike "Doc" Emrick and Ed Olczyk with Pierre McGuirre? Everytime McGuirre opens his mouth he's either stepping all over Emrick or Olc...
[url]http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=10402&post_id=714[/url]
Click the link above, read that post first, and then come back and read the rest below. I'll wait......
Finished? Good.
Congratulations to the NY Rangers for their win yesterday in double OT. I thought game 3 was the most closely contested of the 3 games so far (game 1 decidedly...
I posted this as a little reply in Tim Panaccio's "On Heidi, Barbaro and the Sabres-Rangers" but my little reply kept growing until I felt that I should post it as a blog and see if I could spark some discussion.
-----------------------------------------------
Canadian fan here with some thoughts.
I can't say that I disagree with anything Tim wrote about attract...
The Rangers win. Yes I know, I know. I was jumping for joy too.
However the road is far from over. The impressive showing they brought on against Buffalo was great. They played their game. They came on tough and really left everything out on the ice and in so were rewarded by a great Rozsival shot to finally end the game in the 2nd OT.
This game had everything. Hits,...
nickgregory writes...
The life of a new father, and random hockey thoughts....
Posted Monday | Comments 0
No matter what anyone tells you, you can never fully be prepared for taking care of an infant. My daughter is now 5 ½ weeks old, and as a result, I am sleep deprived, nerves are ragged and I feel like I could snap at any moment, but the good news is I am watching a ton of hockey (while flipping between the damn Yankees proving that they should have bought some pitching i...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2854004&type=story
This is this story that brought about this little rant...
Scott Burnside is a good hockey guy, let's get that out of the way. But of course there is a 'but' here. He claims that since players can pass the puck with the skates why not allow them to deflect it with their skates? My first reason on why not ...
Eastern Conference Semi's, Game 3, Madison Square Garden, New York, New York.
The Rangers have jumped out to a surprisingly commanding 1-0 lead over the Buffalo Sabres, who have a 2-0 in the series. Jaromir Jagr put the blueshirts ahead earlier in the game, and now New York continues to dominate the game. Marcel Hossa takes a pass from Jagr and neatly gives it to Karel ...
Syntax writes...
Naslund leading the team in goal scoring; Injury updates
Posted Monday | Comments 0
[img:right]http://www.click2host.us/006/markus_naslund547346.jpg[/img]Canucks captain Markus Naslund's now leads the team goal scoring with three goals after scoring last night! Thanks to his power play goal at 19:12 of the first period on Sunday, he now has an astonishing 3 goals!
Injuries and more injuries. Taylor Pyatt, Jan Bulis, and Jeff Cowan all missed practice o...
Since the flyers are out of the playoffs and i love to look at stats after games and after brilliant jobs by the refs in yesterday's games i decided to look at one stat that should be alarming. THe Amount of Pentalies called in a playoff game
[b]27 Power Plays called in Two Playoff Games[/b]
The refs are carrying out buttman's message by continue to call the phantom ...
If you aren't yet familiar with Columbus Blue Jackets right winger Nikolai Zherdev, just take these two words as a hint: Alexei Kovalev. Same game, different body. If Zherdev could speak a word of English other than "puck" or "good", we might be talking about some of his comments in the media. But deep inside of the hearts of all Jackets fans, we know "Z" is one confused g...
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[b]The largest, best, and longest running hockey card and memorabilia expo takes place this weekend, May 4 to 6 2007, at the Toronto International Centre. The 32nd Toronto Sport Card and Memorabilia Expo will deliver over 900 tables of rare cards and nonsport items from the world of hockey and other sports.[/b]
The show boasts a heavy line up of autograph guests like...
When I was first hired by the HHOF last summer, the first question I asked was "Will I be working Induction Night?". Thats where I was told all employees work that night. Since then, that was the one night I was looking forward to. However, Induction night wasn't till November 13th, so I still had 2 and a half months to get my feet wet there.
So as I got more experience...
A “watershed moment” for pro hockey in the US? [b]Seriously?[/b] National hockey writers gushed about the Sabres/Rangers game 3 overtime game as a turning point to the TV fortunes of Hockey going forward. I couldn’t disagree more!
That game was no more than a pitiful display of soccer on ice. Sure it was interesting because of the stakes…. but the product o...
When the puck drops a little past 7 pm tonight at Madison Square Garden the boys in blue will be looking to hold serve and send the series back to Buffalo all square at 2 games apiece.
The first win against 6 losses this season against the Sabres should give a little boost in the confidence of the Rangers. They have played well the past 2 games, playing the style tha...
Would it kill Versus to spare us the scattered commentary and storytelling and just use the TSN or CBC feed for the rest of the NHL playoffs? Last night's SJ/DET was pleasure to watch because the announcers were calling the game and not talking about how one of the players grew up on a small farm in Nova Scotia and played hockey with cattle all day on the backyard pond. K...
[img:right]http://www.click2host.us/003/roberto_luongo706208.jpg[/img]The NHL announced its nominees for their annual year-end awards, Roberto Luongo was nominated for three awards and Alain Vigneault was nominated for coach of the year.
Luongo were among the nominees for the Hart Memorial Trophy (most valuable player to his team), Lester B. Pearson Award (most outstand...
I love the NHL playoffs…I really do but I guess I’m a little preoccupied with the San Jose – Detroit series for a couple of reasons. The first being that San Jose just knocked us (the Preds) out in five games in round one. You get to know another team pretty well during a playoff series. I got to know, for better or worse, these Sharks really well during round one.
...
Sunday afternoon the Canucks lost yet another home ice playoff game, dropping their record to a terrible 3 - 9 in their last 12 playoff games at GM Place., dating back to the 2003 Western Conference Semi-Final versus Minnesota. I think not. You would think that with the noise levels that are reached, the passion that is shown by the fans that the Canucks record at home wou...
Well as most Canadians may know. Especially those who follow hockey religiously.
The Politicians have way-ed into Team Canada Hockey Decisions.
Shane Doan has unproven allegations against him that in 2005 he uttered a racial slur
"F******g Frenchman did a good job" in reference to the all French Officiating staff who were working that night.
Now this is one person...
Here we go off to Buffalo all tied up 2 games apiece. Don't think many Sabres fans thought we'd be looking at a best 2 out of 3 series after game 1.
I'm sure we'll hear lots about how it was a goal, what a difference a few days make. Happen to be listening to Briere being interviewed, I guess he doesn't read the Sabre bloggers on myhockeybuzz, because he thought th...
Boy, i cant argue with the NO-Goal Call against buffalo. that was a goal. this is a disgrace for NHL on so many levels that i cant explain.
NHL needs to replace those overhead camera with HD cameras.
BTW, Lindy Ruff should be embrassed for himself foR that tirade after the game instead of doing infront of the media and make ass of himself he shouyld done infront of...
Did Jagr have a heart transplant or what? Maybe he was possessed! Maybe he sold his soul to the Devil. Whatever he did this guy was moving. Jagr has once again proven that when he wants it, he is almost unstoppable. This guy looked like a work horse the entire game. He back checked, forecheck, moved it well, passed, shot, and scored.He led this team by example. Showing why...
First of all, I'd like to thank the Vancouver Canucks for lending their tv announcers to CBC Sports for game 4! What an incredible gesture towards the people of Canada, and specifically Canucks' fans! I'm so thankful American fans, specifically Ducks fans, got to hear those announcers cheer for their team the entire game...and overtime hasn't even begun yet! I cannot wa...
Since I am from Buffalo and now live in Illinois, you would think I would enjoy the Spring time heat that has finally found its way to the Midwest, but I am feeling the heat due to this playoff season and I am not enjoying it. I am feeling so stressed during these Sabres games, it is incredible. What other Sabres fans feel this? I haven't felt like this in the playoffs unt...
I'm with Briere on the Rachunek no-goal from game 3(if you heard his post game comments, you know what i mean); it shoulda counted. I understand why it was called no-goal but i didn't agree with it. Yeah, the call tonight was crap, too, but it should never have come to that. When an offensive threat like the 'bres are giving up 2 goals a game, the series should be over by ...
When the Ottawa Senators take the ice tonight, not only can they put their opponents up against the wall, but take once step closer to silencing the critics. It is well known how the media and fans (both loyal and of other teams) feel about the Senators, but this is the chance they’ve been waiting for since 2003. In 2003, the last time the Ottawa Senators made it to the ...
To see the following story with pictures and better formatting check out [url]http://www.NHLNow.com[/url]!
CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding rookie):
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh Penguins; Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche.
NHL Jeff's Take: Malkin was amazing all season long. Yes, he started out on fire and slowed down a bit as the sea...
Over the last few years, we've seen a lot of two-headed monsters in the nets of NHL teams. We've seen Roloson and Fernandez, Miller and Biron, Giguere and Bryz, Nabokov and Toskala, Vokoun and Mason, and the list goes on...
Roloson and Fernandez were the first to split, and just a few months ago the Miller/Biron monster was broken apart. This summer, it appears we'll ...
Talk about bad calls, when it is assumed Thomas Vanek snuck one around Rick DiPietro it was called a goal, although the video was inconclusive.
Sabres fans: WELCOME TO PLAYING THE RANGERS!
The Sabres are apparently more important than the Isles, and the Rangers are more improtant than the Sabres.
The goal that Briere scored, or "was inconclusive" looked pretty da...
Jon Jordan writes...
You Break My Heart, Dad ... But That's OK (I Guess)
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
I love my family.
I love my friends.
I love hockey.
Sometimes numbers two and three on this list are in a good, old-fashioned tie. (Sorry, amigos, but you have hefty competition come playoff time. It's not your fault and, honestly, you don't stand much of a chance.)
Hockey and family, for me, have always had a tight connection. I fell in love with the Islanders la...
I am getting absolutely disgusted with what's being thrown around our Federal Government these days. Taxes, defence and other important issues are taking a backseat because - get this - Shane Doan is the captain of Team Canada. Can I please call for a by-election of any idiot who thinks this is an issue for our government to discuss?
Hockey Canada is going to address Pa...
I grew up in Mississippi in the days before minor league seeped into our southern borders. Hockey was not a sport that got much talk in my household. My childhood was surrounded by football and baseball. I don't even remember the 1980 Miracle on Ice (I would have been nearly 7 at the time). The only exposure to hockey that I got was the occasional game that may have sl...
So we'll call it over, Was it worth the ride? Damn rights.
Lets flash back a moment to the begining of training camp. The Vancouver Canucks assembled in Vernon, British Columbia with a new look. Alain Vigneault is coach, Roberto Luongo is in goal and most undoubtably Todd Bertuzzi is not in the line-up. There a several scribes across the continent saying that the Canuc...
Look, I know he's the Co-Captain, and I know he lead the team in scoring, and I know he was the All-Star Game MVP, but lets be frank: He needs to show up in the 2007 NHL Playoffs! Goal or No Goal, so what! He is supposed to be a leader on this team, and has done nothing but shy away from everything.
Every time he touches the puck, I know he's going to do one of two things...
I would like to give the Rangers credit here. They have found a way to bottle-up the explosive offense of the Sabres. Of course, most will debate the "explosivness" of the Sabres in this years playoffs. We all know it's there, look at the first game of both first and second round series! The Rangers have found a way to stop the Sabres in their tracks. If you watched all fo...
Who would've thought that the New York Rangers would hold the high flying Buffalo Sabres to 2 goals over 8 periods of hockey at Madison Square Garden to even their Eastern Conference semifinal at 2 games apiece.
The Sabres were the highest scoring team in the NHL averaging 3.75 goals/game over the course of the regular season. What many don't realize is the Rangers w...
Okay I normally don't pay much attention to what my Government does but this is nonsense come on Shane Doan had done nothing but represent his Country. It was proven that Shane Doan did not say the slur. It also happened two years ago Please lets email our MLA's and tell them on how we feel about waisting time and money, this has to be stopped Government has to know ...
The Ottawa Senators took a commanding 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference Semi-finals series against the New Jersey Devils. The team that was once the template of a team that chokes in the playoffs is finally coming of age. Their great play from the first round against the Penguins(which I think was slightly discredited because the Pens are so inexperienced) has car...
Nobody can dispute the value of Martin Brodeur. To his team, to the league and to the goaltender position, there is arguably nobody more reliable than Marty. If I wanted to build a team around a goaltender, he'd be my guy and his numbers over the last 10 year can make my case for me. Having said all that, he just does not look right in the 07 playoffs. Goals are being sc...
Ever Drink a nice ice cold [i]glass[/i] of water? Now, ever drinks a plastic bottle of water with that distinct plasticy taste??? And don't even make me bring up the beer in the plastic bottle, Blasphemy! Distinct difference in my opinion and since this is my blog, all you get is my opinion. And since this is my blog, I get to make up words like plasticy. Now imagine ...
Okay…so I was talking to my dad the other night about the Wings and Sharks (I think it was before game three) and he said something that I found very interesting. He said that he didn’t mind the Wings playing the Sharks because they don’t finish games well.
Hmmm…I thought. Let’s see. The Sharks just beat the wings in Game 1 2-0 and I thought they finished that...
I just got done reading Damien Cox's piece on ESPN.com , and it made me think. Why can't people just enjoy the playoffs and hockey in general? Everywhere you look, you can find someone complaining about the lack of goals being scored in the playoffs, but what's wrong with a hard fought 2-1 game? Of course goals are going to be at a premium in the post-season because wit...
this what i love blogging. you get to leak crap before the public see it up close
In this case, let's play a new game, leak 'New NHL' jerseys.
Today's Team, Dallas Stars
[img]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/Chazberg/starsnewunis.jpg[/img]
if you want to play along, just take advice of the almighty words of Dr. Gregory House "Well, Google It!"
The Vancouver Canucks season came to a close in dramatic fashion. Amist all the question marks at the begining of the season the Canucks made a rather impressive season out of nothing. Roberto Luongo proved that he could not only carry a team into the post-season but he also proved that he could give his team a chance. Alain Vigneault proved that he could make a bunch of '...
Calm down Ducks fans...I didn’t get confused and not give Scott the credit for his game winning goal. I gave credit to Rob because it was his huge hit on Jannik Hansen that not only turned over the puck but caused Luongo to lose his focus for a brief moment...that’s all it took. Ducks win and advance to the WCF.
"My brother got a big hit on their guy and the puck s...
A few thoughts before I move on to bigger and better issues! And yes, I fully expect the bitterness to flow from Luongo07 and Mojoworld!
(1) Roberto Luongo was absolutely brilliant throughout the playoffs...he is a monster. Without question, he is deserving of the MVP award. He played on his head last night but, as has been the case, could not score and could not ...
... of riches!
Over the last 10-15 years, there have been a number of great hockey teams. Detroit, Colorado, Ottawa, Buffalo, New Jersey, Pittsburg, etc etc. The list goes on. All of these teams excelled in a number of areas which is what made them great. Often times, though, it was their excellent offence that masked defensive shortcomings or a great defence that h...
When most people think of "athlete", they only think of someone that is actually playing a sport. I am going to dispute that. I don't think that being an athlete has anything to do with physical activity. I believe it is a mentality. Stick with me for a second here.
I know people (one is on my rec league team) that play sports but I don't consider them athletes. Ta...
[b][i]"Anticipation, it's makin' me wait...it's keepin' me wa-a-a-a-aiting"[/i][/b]
[b][i]"The waiting is the hardest part"[/i][/b]
T minus 2 hours 'til the puck drops and I can't wait, heck I was getting antsy at 9 am this morning. Truth be told I was getting antsy for this game 2 days ago.
I hope that the Rangers are as antsy to get this one started as I am, ...
The Predators picked up the one year options today on the entire coaching staff of the Preds meaning that head coach Barry Trotz, assistants Brent Peterson, Peter Horachek and goaltending coach Mitch Korn will all be back with the club next season.
Preds GM David Poile had this to say about Trotz:
“Teams and ownership change coaches, and managers, for that matt...
With the Vancouver Canucks season coming to a close many would expect that the blame game would be topic number one around town. In my mind that should not be the focus as the team accomplished well beyond our collective expectations and the only thing that allowed us to toy with the thought of a Stanley Cup parade was our goaltending. Roberto Luongo proved last night, wit...
Here is the phone number for Vs. to get them to the hockey games in HD!
1-877-VERSUS-ON
1-203-407-3613
With every passing year, the Blue Jackets miss the playoffs and I'm forced to shift my focus as a fan. Maybe I'm alone saying this, but I would much rather watch a playoff game with two random teams than watch a regular-season game featuring my own. The passion of each team fighting for the ultimate goal lights a fire in everyone, including myself. This year, I'm especiall...
Focused Senators Will Not Be Rattled!
In a series that has been all but dominated by the Ottawa Senators, it was the future Hall of Famer, Martin Brodeur that was trying to get into the heads of the Senators and attempt to throw them of their game. After letting in two weak goals himself, he tried to deflect any talk of weak play to his counterpart Ray Emery by saying,
...
As the Vancouver Canucks head into their post-season meetings there are several players on the 2006-07 roster that may or may not be in GM Dave Nonis' plans for the 2007-08 season.
Ryan Kesler - 06/07 salary: $1.9 million - Status: Restricted - Notes: 06/07 was a troubled season for Kes. First the contract squabble, then a lack of offence and just as the team was getti...
Yep that sure did hurt.
Since my last blog, I left off where I became a Hurricanes fan rather than just a general hockey fan.
Soon after, I started college a little ways down the road at NC state. A few years later I went to work for the RBC center selling concessions in the stands part time. There were a few games where I made a few bucks, but it was mostly so I could see the games for free....
After an embarrassing double-OT playoff elimination for the Vancouver Canucks fans are turning their attention to the free-agent pool. As a loyal Canucks fan I feel that our lack of offense needs to be taken care of. We have solid defense and amazing goaltending so we have built our game around that. I personally feel that we should trade away Mattias Ohlund. He is no long...
last night blog was a blog of frustration and being pissed off at the sport i love. plus i had little too much too drink last night in celebatation of cinco de mayo, which explains about everything for last night. Sorry if i oftened anyone.
For now on, im only blogging on the finals, Flyers and Ripping gary bettman to help make a change in this league and I’ll release...
With 7.7 seconds to go Drury rifles a shot over Henrik Lundqvist and pass Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi and into the net, tying the game at one. That shot had eyes. With only a few inches of open net about to be closed off by Girardi's glove Drury launched the Sabres to an OT winner and a 3-2 lead in the series. It brings back memories of Valeri Zelepukin's tying goal wit...
Power forwards...huge, hulking, “whittle-guy” killers that can skate...a goalie’s worst nightmare...and supposedly, the ghost of Christmas past. The new rules adopted my “My NHL” practically sent them to their graves. At the very least, the new rules assured a long, penalty-plagued transition. Many of the typical power forwards became a liability to their team...
The Medicine Hat Tigers even the WHL Championship final with a 3 - 2 win on Saturday night. The win was rather crucial as the series reverts to the 2-3-2 format is was important that the Tigers had at least a split at home before heading to the west coast for three. The Giants now look to close out the series at home with three games at home and the home ice crowd on their...
First I would like to take this opportunity to say congrats to Sens Fans. Your team was better than mine, and I can accept losing to a better team. Also as a whole you guys have been the classiest group of fans to invade what I am happy to say used to be our arena. Now all I ask of the Sens is they go all the way so I can comfort myself in the fact that it took the Stanley...
Originally my blog was going to be on a different topic altogether, and I'll get back to that topic in the very near future. For now, however, we have to turn our attention to the Ducks vs. Wild series.
But the Wild are already out, you say.
You're right.
You won't find one Wild fan anywhere homer enough to say we're still in it. Nor will you find one that can s...
Last summer the Vancouver Canucks traded power-forward Todd Bertuzzi to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Roberto Luongo. The trade also include several other parts including Bryan Allen and Alex Auld going to Florida and Lukas Krajicek coming to Vancouver. When all was said and done the trade appears to be a steal for the Canucks as Roberto Luongo had an MVP worthy sea...
It is probably too soon to write how it feels after watching my Rangers team go down 5-4 today, but I don't think time will change my opinion of this team.
All I can say is that I'm proud of the 2006-2007 New York Rangers. This team never gave up, not when most counted them out during the regular season and not today down 2 goals to the Sabres.
Jaromir Jagr showe...
Well it looks like Eklund and his sources are saying Paul Kariya is coming home to Vancouver! On Eklund's Chart it says Kariyas at 40% for Vancouver and 30% Nashville.
As we all know Vancouver needs some serious offence. So why not look at Kariya,
He's:
-Got offence
-Can score
-Lots of speed
-Hometown boy
-A great fit for the Canucks
The Nucks also are #1 on A...
Alright, Sharks. The time has come to put Saturday's dull performance behind you and dig deep to keep the dream alive. It's times like these that the hockey world sees leaders emerge in the face of adversity and put their team on their back. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau - this means you. Joe, let's awake from the dream that told you to seek out the miracle play and put th...
HomeIceFan writes...
Sorry Eugene: Either Have Us Full-Time, Or Not At All
Posted Monday | Comments 0
This Ottawa-Buffalo series is going to be an exciting one. Geographically, Leaf fans could easily get their hockey fix being smackdab in between these 2 towns. At the same time, it's easy for Leaf fans to hate both these teams. Do you hate the team that crushed your Cup dreams some years ago, or do you hate the team who brags about crushing your dreams, yet never has? Dani...
One can assume that as the NHL playoffs progress we will be treated to more and more intense playoff hockey, but that is not always the case. I dont think that will be a problem this year, specifically in the Eastern Conference. I am not a fan of BUF or OTT but I am familiar with the rivalry that exists between these two teams and I can assure everybody that this will be a...
During the 2005-2006 season, or as us Blues fans called it, Hell, there were few bright spots. One of those shining moments came after sending off Mike Sillinger and Doug Weight; the Blues without their top two point producers put together their best stretch of games all year. During that stretch an OT defeat of the mighty Calgary Flames brought forth a new name to the cit...
It is only fitting that the Eastern Conference will come down to the two best teams. Even better, it is two teams that really, for all intensive purposes, hate each other. The Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators rivalry has grown leaps and bounds in the past 12 months. First it was Buffalo knocking off the number 1 seeded Sens last post-season in 5 games, capped off by Jaso...
[img:right]http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/4431/danysabourinzo8.jpg[/img]Dany Sabourin spoke with the media and he said that he'd like to be Luongo's backup for at least one more season.
[quote]Sabourin, surprisingly, said he would be willing to serve as Roberto Luongo's caddy for another season, even though he started just seven times in 82 possibilities.
I'll be...
It looks like Canucks are making huge atempts for offence. For example:
Paul Kariya - 40% - Would work very well as hometown boy
Scott Gomez - 25% - Would bring some good offence to Vancouver
Anson Carter - 25% - Could work with Sedins, cheaper
Ladislav Nagy - 20% - Would bring good offence
Wes Walz - 10% - Always plays good ag...
Sabreswinthecup14 writes...
a little ottawa playoff history against the sabres
Posted Monday | Comments 0
nobody cares about the regular season anymore. playoffs is whats up. what happened to the senators last year. they killed us every game. playoffs was a different story. two words... Jason Pominville. sabre fans, no need to worry. this one line offensive team is no threat to us.
LETS GO BUFFALO!!
from The Checking Line
Thanks to a couple bad seasons and a little assistance from the lockout, it’s now been over 1,100 days since the St. Louis Blues have been part of a playoff series. So what are the chances of my beloved Note getting in the dance in 2008? Let’s just say that it’s a good thing that John Davidson and Co. have months to work their magic becaus...
The Sudbury Wolves evened the OHL league championship final with a convincing 7 - 3 victory over the Plymouth Whalers on Sunday evening. Andrew Self and Devin DiDiomete led the way for the Wolves with two tallies each while Matt Dias and Nick Foligno both tallied three assists. The four goal spread was rather strange considering the Whalers outshot the Wolves by a convinci...
[b]Second Annual Grimmy Award Winners[/b]
Note: Since my last name is Grimm, the title of the awards are a take-off on my name and the music awards of a similar name.
[b]Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins[/b]
Runners-up: Roberto Luongo (Vancouver), Vinny Lecavalier (Tampa Bay)
There have been heralded youngsters throughout the history of the NHL. Way...
Hey pens fans,
Sorry this took so long to post, but life has been hellish, as of late.
Colby Armstrong
He had 34 points this season, which included 12 goals. Colby had a strong season. He played well and is really coming into his own, as a player. I think he will only improve, as time progresses.
Grade: B+
Erik Christensen
This season he had 33 points. He pla...
Your intrepid author has called 4 of 4 Round 2, calling the exact amount of games 3 out 4. So, yes, I am tooting my own horn. Toot!
My predictions made back on April 26th
[url]http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=7150[/url]
My Pick Was: Ottawa in 6
Result: Ottawa wins in 5
I predicted that Ottawa would beat NJ in 6. They did it in 5, NJ completely unab...
Well another disappointing result for the Sharks. When will I be able to get on board with this team and really consider them a contender? This coming from a Habs fan with obviously no vested interest in this years Stanley Cup Playoffs, for obvious reasons. The Sharks seemingly had the goods to make an extended run, solid defense, good goaltending, #2 PP unit and a number...
Everyone is ripping me for the negative tone about "New NHL" but i want to let the number finally to back up my arugment themselves. these are attendence figures from games this season that are based on number of tickets distributed, not people attending. THe Actual attendance is lower.
Btw the number ever lie......
Mar-6 2007 Col @ Bos - 11,707
F...
This is what we all wanted, right hockeyfans? Arguably the two best in the East, Buffalo and Ottawa, squaring off for the right to face the Western Champs and hoist up that silvery punch bowl amalgamut trophy that brings grown men to tears. On paper, and in pure hockey terms, this couldn't get any better. Two ridiculous offenses, two solid defenses one through six, an o...
In years watching hockey this might be the best final four teams left in the NHL playoffs in YEARS.
So lets start out West
[b]#1 Detriot Red Wings v #3 Anaheim Ducks[/b]
Detriot has been playing great hockey and beat a physical Calgary team and a bottom feeder team in san jose. The ducks beat up on wild and kim johnsson's head. They also had a great series against...
So…I guess I showed my true colors last night in the Sharks – Red Wings game. It was the moment (you’ll remember it) when Grier was pursuing Lindstrom and Hasek came out to play the puck. Hasek goes to play it off the boards and Grier intercepts it and goes for a sure thing wrap around just as Niklas “faster than a speeding bullet” Lindstrom comes sailing...
The announcement came down from the IIHF today that an NHL team, the winner of the European Champions Cup and at least one other European club will participate in tournament. The big question is, which NHL team?
The AP quoted Rick Nash as expressing concern over additional toll taken on the body after an already long season.
That said, it wouldn't make much sense fo...
Well, as an avid Oiler fan I've finally wiped the tears from my face after a horrible end to the season from hell. All I can do now is wait for the summer trades to start and see how we make out in the draft. It sorta feels like Christmas when I was a kid...It seems like it's NEVER going to be Christmas Day, almost like the clocks spin backwards. But I can be patient an...
With all the fingers being pointed at Raycroft and John Ferguson Junior for missing the post-season who should be replacing the two if there not the fold for next season? Heres a list of some people for the GM and Goalie positions that could be available this summer.
GM UFA Goalies
Colin Campbell Niklas Backstrom
Mike Keenan ...
You've seen the scenario in many cartoons. The character is trying to make a decision and he has a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other, both offering advice on which way to go.
That is me with the Western Conference Final. I am a massive Oiler fan and I just don't know what to do with the Anaheim Ducks.
On one-hand, I hate the Ducks. Well not...
The off-season is fast approaching, and while I don’t want to short cut the glory of the playoffs, we’re about to be subjected to another round of rumored expansion plans and rule change proposals to boost next year’s numbers. (Remember the “buffalo” nets?)
I don’t know if you were following the recent “big” news out of NASCAR, but it bears mention. (D...
As promised...
[b]1 Buf vs 4 Ott[/b] - Total toss-up. If either team wins, I am not surprised. Buffalo has the speed edge, and they're a bit more spread out in terms of offense. Ottawa has slightly better defensive depth, and their top line has been beastly in these playoffs. Goaltending, imo, is a wash. But I feel the Sens have played better in these playoffs, and...
I'll be frank: I'm surprised how many people are picking the Wings to beat the Ducks. No, I don't think the Ducks are invincible and no I don't think they are guaranteed to advance to the SCF, but you'd have to think they are favorites by a fair margin. Detroit doesn't have Kronwall or Schneider and I doubt that Lebda is at 100%. If the Ducks play physical enough with the ...
Supernick writes...
Mes prédictions pour la 3e ronde et Lecavalier contre Price?
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Sabres de Buffalo vs Sénateurs d'Ottawa
Les sabres on eu un début de séries plûtot ordinaire contre les rangers mais ils se sont bien repris dans les deux dernières parties. ils ont la chance de compter sur 4 bonnes lignes d'attaque, leur seule faiblesse est l'avantage numérique, ils ne font pas grand chose en avantage. aussi il leur manque un jouer de caractère ...
I thought that I would let people know what the Flames Players are like and why it means so much to me when some get traded .
The year after the lockout the flames had their preseason camp at the Don Hartman arena instead of the Dome. My son and I decided that we would go down to watch them play, and to get some autographs. There is a lot of stories that I could t...
There's almost 36hrs now till the puck drops on the Conference Finals so it's time for some thoughts on life in the off-season for this Flames fan....
[u]Thought #1[/u]
It was very disappointing to see the end of the Rangers - they were the last dark horse left in the playoffs and while I didn't really expect them to make it past the Sabres, I just really miss there be...
Well, it looks like both teams of the Western Conference finals have earned their position as the top two teams in the west. A good amount of people have predicted Calgary to emerge from the first round. Even more predicted the Sharks would emerge from round two. Even if everyone were to predict the Ducks, I'd still have a source of worries from a Detroit team that abso...
Hockey is that entity that is misunderstood by so many. Is it a game? Is it a sport? Is it mayhem? It is all of those and more and this year it proved to be a beast. Many perennial favorites had great years as expected, some faltered and some just plain failed. Decade long traditional losers became winners overnight, literally in some cases. The losers, the lucky, th...
Script writers and media people alike, couldn’t have wished for a better, more exciting match-up, that the one being brought by the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres. Not only is their an obvious dislike for one another, but the match-up will also boast two of the most potent offences in the N.H.L.. The two teams do not need any fuel to light their fires, both teams app...
Here we Go!
Well with a less than sparkling season now over it was time for the Jackets to do some "splaining". At the season ticket chat with Hitch things were less than jovial. Questions came in at a fast pace and Hitch was nothing if not sincere. He was quick to let us know that he was disappointed with Zherdev's terrible season saying that Zherdev does not tru...
So the latest talk is trading Koivu away. While this makes a modicum of sense if the return is someone along the lines of Vinny, I for one cannot see it taking place. You can question his skill set, or his physical size, but I think it’s shortsighted, even ludicrous to question the heart and passion this Finn brings to the rink. In the past 3 years I have not missed o...
Coming into work this morning I was greeted with warm sunshine, a cool breeze, and the comfort of knowing the Sabres are still playing hockey. All should be right with the world, but hanging in the back of my head is a cloud of doubt. The knowledge that this could be the last couple games I watch, the fear that Ottawa will be too much for us, that again we will come so c...
Sundin has met with doctors and Sweden, and he will not need surgery. He has a small tear in his labrum, but it will NOT require surgery to repair.
When this story first broke I was sent two newspaper articles from Sweden, talking about how angry Sundin was with this. The belief around people I talked to is that one side of ownership (Tanenbaum) wanted Ferguson fired a...
The Conference Finals are upon us!
In the Eastern Conference we have the Very Goods against the Also Very Goods, with the Very Goods having home ice advantage. Both teams are mighty on offense, with the Very Goods in particular having great depth in the forward ranks. The Also Very Goods have a staunch blueline corps, and look to impart big misery on the marauding, ...
Dave Nonis' intention is to sign Cory Schneider, and have him start in Manitoba for the Manitoba Moose.
Dave Nonis says: "I believe Cory Schneider is one of the top unsigned goalies in the world, if not the top goaltender. If he's good enough to play for the U.S.A. in their system right now at the world championships, it says a lot about what kind of player he is.
...
Lets keep this as straight up as possible, the Flyers have work to do in the offseason. I'm no NHL analysis, but only a hardcore Philadelphia fan since I knew what sports were. With a disappointing season under the belt, it's one of the first times in my recent memory that I have been so excited about the offseason.
Lets get started...
[b]Current Situation[/b]
[u]Fo...
The Lewiston Maineiacs on the strength of three staller goaltending performances are proving to be way too much for Val-dO'r in the QMJHL Championship series. Maineiacs goaltender, Jonathan Bernier was also named the CHL goaltender of the week for posting an 18 save shutout on Friday, followed by a 30 save performance on Saturday and a 26 save effort in game three last nig...
grapes17 writes...
WCF Preview: Babcock-Burke only one aspect of Wings-Ducks
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
When Brian Burke took over the post as Anaheim general manager in the summer of 2005, the future of then-Ducks coach Mike Babcock immediately came into doubt.
Sure, Babcock took the Ducks to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002-03, the first of his two years in Southern California. Yet from day one, it seemed there would be a clash between Babcock and Burke.
Babcock's Duck...
Following terrible showing in game three the Vancouver Giants bounced back in game four of the WHL Championship series. The league championship is now guaranteed to return to 'the hat' for game six as the Giants are just about to clean up the finishing touches on what appears to be a 4 - 0 victory. The game remained tied heading into the third period as the two teams conti...
It was a rough finish to the rangers seaosn. They blow a 1-0 lead with 7 seconds to go in game 5. Then they lose 5-4 on home ice in game 6. Although there are a lot of "What ifs..." in this series, Rangers should be happy with what they accomplished. They didn't look like they were even in the playoff mix in February.
Bring in some young guns, add a fiesty Sean Avery, ...
This article im about to share proves part of my therory this league is a)this league is in trouble, b) Bettman still doesnt get it and c) proves that causal fan still doesnt care about NHL
Can’t Follow The NHL
http://media.www.thetowerlight.com/media/storage/paper957/news/2007/05/10/Sports/Heatin.It.Up.Without.Espn.Nhl.Playoffs.Become.Distant.Afterthought-2898728.sh...
[img]http://bp1.blogger.com/_oCmYyKF1nYg/RkMyBFMs7FI/AAAAAAAAAKo/2W51rn2Cv0A/s400/detsan.jpg[/img]
[b]
WINGS WIN!! WINGS WIN!![/b]
Game 5 and 6 showed what a champion is supposed to look like.. The Wings never looked liked they were going to lose while the Sharks looked scared.. Really, I can't even say the Sharks looked desperate. That would require SJS to have a pulse...
The canucks have been out of the playoffs, and for a while, but the team itself took a dramatic transformation. Sure, you can look at the block buster deal of the summer, with Roberto Luongo becoming a hero over a course of after one game, but there is more to the team. Alain Vigneault is up for the Jack adams trophy, and personally i think he is very deserving of this awa...
Conference Finals Predictions
Oh I wanted the Preds to be here…I really thought they would be. Man when we traded for Foppa I could have sworn I overheard a call from the NHL’s official engraver checking to make sure that Tomas Vokoun doesn’t have an ‘H’ in his name. Now I know it was the tee time manager at the Karlovy Vary Country Club asking if would need...
The NHL awards are still a ways away, but the good people over at The Hockey News just couldn’t wait.
Is this a preview of what’s to come when the NHL doles out their shiny metal? Maybe, maybe not. But a little recognition is always good thing.
The Canucks took three of THN’s annual awards announced last week.
Roberto Luongo edged Marty Brodeur for the...
i love it on VS coverage that they say that buffalo fans invented the idea of having fans partying outside while during game.
Well they are wrong.
If you buy this dvd
http://www.amazon.com/NHL-History-Philadelphia-Flyers/dp/B000M7XR7Y/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4451391-1782410?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1178840045&sr=8-1
and any flyers fan will tell you that the flyers fans wer...
Originally sent to Ek for the My Blog bit and since I wanted to share -
---
Why I am a diehard hockey fan:
1974, Flyers, Stanley Cup, Bobby Clarke. I was 4. The Flyers were in the Stanley Cup Finals. The moment came, that moment that every sports fan lives for, that moment that seals a lifelong fate, that moment that takes your breath away and stays with you f...
First off, I was at the arena tonight...Another amazing atmosphere for sure. And not the prettiest hockey game in the world (turnovers, barage of penalties in the first two periods, plenty of hits, etc.), but certainly entertaining! Here's to much more to come between these two teams!
Now..Credit goes to where credit is due. Congratulations to the Ottawa Senators on ...
Like WTF is wrong with your team. Really, seriously, what is wrong with the line up. Are the four lines just expecting each other to finish things off and score the goals and we're left in limbo land?
I've been posting this as a OTT special teams game vs. Buffalo's 5on5 game. And the special teams are winning:
OTT PP%+PK% = 22.7+86 = 108.7% points
BUF is 15.3%+79...
WILL THE BUFFALO SABRES AND THEIR SPECIAL TEAMS PLEASE REPORT TO THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS...THE BUFFALO SABRES AND THEIR SPECIAL TEAMS TO THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS....THANK YOU
That's what I heard over the HSBC p.a. tonight following an embarassing showing (or lack thereof) by the Sabres in game 1 of the ECF. Bottom line is, if their power play continues to b...
Going to my car Thursday morning I was greeted with the cold, wet blanket that can be Buffalo spring. My initial thoughts were concern about how this was going to affect the ice. I knew it was going to warm up, but would the humidity lift, and if it didn’t were the Sabres going to have problems dealing with slow, choppy ice. No matter I thought, game time was twelve h...
With the Lewiston Maineiacs completion of a four game sweep in the QMJHL Championship series, the attention of the CHL falls squarely on the WHL and OHL finals.
The Sudbury Wolves and Plymouth Whalers face off this evening in game five of the OHL Championship series. The game is just underway and the visiting Wolves scored 1:51 into the first period of play. Plymouth f...
For those of you who do not recall a fateful night in February, this is all you need to know about the Eastern Conference Finals between Ottawa and Buffalo.
These teams do not like each other.
Not even a bit. As if it was not enough the Sabres have knocked the Senators out of the playoffs three times, the two teams engaged in a compelling brawl Feb. 22 at the Hot Sau...
I am 33 years old with a 4 year old little boy and another child just days away.. As a fairly even keeled sports fan (yeah, the trashcan? ancient history) I do not get as worked up as I used to as a 20 something lunatic who would go off after every home team loss.. Keep this in mind when I tell you that I was genuinely NERVOUS in the hours leading up to today's game.. You ...
Last night I decided to spend some time with the fiancé as today happens to be her birthday and well with all this hockey lately, I am sure that you all understand. We watched an pretty good flick, Smokin' Aces, its a typical mob movie but in the end it looks like the directors wanted a 'shoot em up' movie and just threw together a story line.
Enough blabbing already, ...
Swede writes...
In Buffalo, with no radio or television? Not a problem!
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
I've learned this past week that doing yard work during a Sabres game CAN be accomplished. I had mowed my lawn the day before and I was too lazy to pick up the piles of grass that the mower had thrown across my lawn. It was the end of the first intermission of Game 1 between the Sabres and Senators when I chose to go out and rake and pick up the grass, trying to make it ba...
Every year i make a mock draft based on CSS, ISS rankings and on what i read in the Hockey's Future forum. Here's my mock draft, the ranks 1 to 26 are ok and i based the ranks 27 to 30 on my playoffs predictions (i think Anaheim will win the cup so Edmonton will draft 30th with Anaheim's pick).
A chaque année je fais un mock draft en me basant sur les classements de la...
2-0 Buffalo.... They FINALLY decided to show up.... best start of the playoffs yet, hope they can keep it up!
Hey Pens Fans,
Here is the thhird and final segmet of the team report card.
Nils Ekman
Nils only played in 34 games this injury plagued season. He was -14 and besides a few patches, his play was ineffective. I think we should be able to expect more from him, but this year was a disappointment.
Grade: C-
Josef Melichar
How is he still a Penguin? Every season I ask...
Need that Drew Stafford guy back. Like fer sho'. He needs to rip it up with Vanek and Roy again. Gaustad and Mair, pick one and drop him for one. It ain't happening enough. It's not anyone's fault, but you need to mix it up here. It's must wins in OTT because you basically can't afford the split and have Ottawa try 3 times to clinch. Great game. I need more BUF poi...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Alfredsson Fined $25k and Suspended for Game 3
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Well he SHOULD be! In the first OT, Alfredsson lept from his skates and pounded a defenseless Henrik Tallinder from behind. This one of the most egregious/dirty boarding incidents I have ever seen in my life and Alfredsson gets not even a deuce for his trouble.
Tallinder nearly broke his neck. Alfredsson should have gotten a major and been tossed from the game. Take...
After the Parent trade, wasn't this guy supposed to be the Predators' top defensive prospect?
Well, he sure hasn't shown it in the playoffs.
In 19 playoff contests, Franson has just 3 goals an 4 assists to go wth a solid +8 rating. Those are pretty solid numbers for a defensman under normal circumstances. But these aren't normal circumstances. Franson had 17 goa...
Gee, Lindy Ruff is a brilliant coach after all......
Congratulations Sabres! What a thrill to hear the spectacular voice of [b]Ronan Tynan[/b] before the Sabres/Rangers game on April 27. We don't know if he has opened any games in this current series. If he has, we haven't heard it. Why not? Through the whole long season the team owners and broadcast cognoscenti have seen fit to torture us with countless other so-call...
If the rule is the refs are supposed to blow the whistle once they lose sight of the puck, there is no friggin way they could see the puck down Dom's pad. Watching that in realtime, the whistle should have blown well before he was pushed into the goal by Neidermayer, let alone not blowing until after he was in the net and the puck fell out of the pad. How they could overt...
Canada wins another world hockey championship. Big surprise AND big deal! Why is this tournament played every year during the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Does anybody who follows the NHL care about this tournament right now while the battle for arguably the greatest trophy in sports is taking place, especially if your team is still in it? I'm still trying to figure out the poin...
Jsaquella writes...
Under Review??????? Better Than Letting The Ref Decide
Posted Monday | Comments 0
NHL fans are getting a healthy dose of all possible camera angles this off season as the league takes every possible step to ensure that goals are rewarded properly. By and large, I have to say, they have done a good job.
With apologies to Mike Ross of XM Radio, Thomas Vanek's disallowed goal was so blatantly obvious a call that Mick McGeough would have made it-and even...
While not quite as taxing as being a Chicago Cub fan, the lot in life for a Vancouver Canucks fan is, and has always been, how will “we” screw it up this time? Whether we’re talking performance on the ice, Drafting, Uniforms etc, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day Canuck fans are almost always left with disappointment and wondering what might have been.
I...
[b]Tigers 3 - Giants 2 - Final[/b]
MH Goal - Brennan Bosch (Glass)
Brennan Bosch scored the game/series/championship winning goal in double overtime to give the Medicine Hat Tigers the WHL crown for 2007. What an unbelievable game, great series, this is bare bones hockey. I feel sorry for those of you who could not watch these kids go end to end, shot for shot. Cong...
I love youtube. it has everything you want as a hockey fight fan. i want to share my top #10 fights on you tube
#10 Cam Neely TKOs Lindy Ruff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDt8pgmsfV0&mode=related&search=
your're not a hockey fan if you dont like cam neely
There is a choking situation in Buffalo....
[img]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h307/jimmywhite81/choking_1.jpg[/img]
Well Rangers fans, that’s it, another season in the books. It took some time for last week’s loss to finally sink in but what an exciting last few months it’s been for the fans. With the team forced into playing playoff type hockey since March, the intensity made it almost feel like ’94 all over again; well without the Cup of course. Still, looking back, do you ...
Again, the Sabres' special teams are a collective no-show. Senators were in complete control of what little of the game I saw(about the last 15 minute). And, if you'll remember, I called this plus another win yesterday... ;-)
And Thursday night the Buffalo Sabres and Stanley Cup will not be mentioned in the same sentence again until October.
With 10:22 left in the fi...
Let’s face facts, the Sabres are getting beaten by a better team. They need to come to grips that the mythical 2nd gear that we have been waiting all playoffs for does not exist. They are not better then the Sens, and do not have the players to beat them on talent and skill alone. This sounds defeatist, but it is just realty. The coach and players need to finally ac...
What in the hell happened here? Three games totally dominated by Ottawa. No “ifs, ands or buts” about it. No excuses. A thorough beating. PERIOD.
So… now I have to come up with a few reasons to make myself believe that the Sabres are on the verge of a monumental comeback. Here it goes.
[b]They can replace Kalinin. [/b]
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a s...
Remember the 2007 trade deadline and how the Ottawa Senators were ballyhooed for failing to make any "big moves" at the deadline? "How could they miss out on Gary Roberts?" people cried. Everyone seemed to be calling for John Muckler's head at the time. Ottawa wasn't faring too well in the standings, either. A lot of people were after Brian Murray, too. Remember when,...
Everyone spoke to how fast, talented and overpowering the Sabres were in the regular season, including yours truly. But, as I have stated before and others before me, the playoffs are a different time of year. Winning the President's Trophy means two things, you get a nice trophy and you get home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
Home ice advantage. Who cares?...
The Vancouver Giants and Medicine Hat Tigers played a Game Seven for the ages last night. This game was everything that game seven in the NHL isn't. Intensity...check...Wide Open...check...End to End Rushes...check...Every last ounce of engery on the ice...check. I brings to debate...which is the better product?
I for one have always contested that the NHL is still the ...
This isn't going to be a real Earth-shattering blog, nor is it going to be very long. Just a thought that had the misfortune of firing across my synapse gaps...
I always thought it would be sorta neat if the Stanley Cup were presented to the winning team's captain not by Mr. Bettman, but by the captain of the defending Stanley Cup Champion. So for this year, Rod Brind...
This will be my live blog while watching the game.
First Period:
1:04 - Detroit looks hungry. You know a team is outplaying their opponents when they start getting powerplays, and we are seeing that now. Pronger was just lazy on that last call.
:42 - What a shot by Holmstrom. I disagree with the commentator in this case though. He said that the Anaheim defense...
With the double elbows to the head from Pronger and Neidermayer on Tomas Holmstrom, there needs to be suspensions. Both of them should get at least a game. I know Pronger got away with out being called but the replay clearly shows both of those goons elbows up at the head.
Yes it could be seriously detrimental to the Ducks playoffs hopes but that is just to bad, you pl...
EK from hockeybuzz.com is reporting that Toews has signed. Kind of funny since [url]www.TSN.com[/url] and [url]www.NHL.com [/url] and don't have anything information on the Toews signing as of yet.
UPDATE: Brad Schlossman Grand Forks Herald sports writer for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux has confirmed that Toews has not signed a contract as of yet and the rumor was in...
Why do you not give a damn about your hockey team? Why do you not show them any due respect? Oh and...What are the Ducks gonna do when Pronger gets suspended, as he should?
The Ducks of Anaheim, formerly known as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have been one of the most successful hockey teams in recent years. Beyond the three Western Conference Final appearances and beyond...
Wow! Did the Ducks know what time the game started? I realize it is a seven game series, but they responded to the first period like it was a regular season game? There was very little real pressure throughout the game and it looked to me like they could care less to be there...just like their fans! Their one shining moment was the hit on Holmstrom. I hate the fact th...
I guess this is it – final blog of the season.
I wish I were writing this a month from now. Obviously we would have liked to keep playing, but you really need a lot of things to go your way to be successful in the playoffs.
A few reporters were asking me what I thought I had learned – that’s a tough question. I think I really realized how hard it is to win. Tho...
One thing I'm not seeing in the Conference Finals series is the geniuine hatred between the teams involved. Its not a requirement for a well-played and entertaining series, but it sure would make watching these games a bit more bearable. Every year there seems to be a series or two that is just a venemous battle between two teams, leaving most of the participants with scar...
I study hard for my test on human reproduction. Golly, how ironic. It is only too bad that the Hurricanes are not reproducing last year's victory in the playoffs. I am sure that Rod Brind'Amour shares my sentiment.
This next summer is going to be extremely boring. We wont have Cup parties, award ceremonies, photogs and other things that come with championships. Thank God ...
Hi all ! Koivu just mention to the "La Presse" journal that he want to stay, win and have success with the Montreal Canadiens till the end of his carer. The leader of the Habs realize all the potential of the prospect in Hamilton. With the future star forward like the two brother Kostitsyn, Mikhail Grabovski, Kyle Chipchura and Corey Locke, the CH will have one of the best...
The last three games you picked Buffalo and you saw the results. Our city has a curse as it is, your picking jinx doesn't help.
All kidding aside, the Sabres really are in a huge hole.
Let's hope the 3-0 gives them a HUGE wake up call.
Here's to the team showing up tonight....here's to Miller doing his stuff again...here's for lots of shots and some goals (dare I...
It's been reported in the Swedish press recently, it's [url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2007/05/backstrom_agrees_to_terms_with.html]now official[/url].
Backstrom will be flying over to DC with his family on Monday where the Caps have scheduled a press conference to announce his signing.
Backstrom's playmaking panache should make for the perfect com...
The Fat Lady is warming up if not already singing.
It's gonna kill the Sabres fans, most of them thought they already won the Cup when they went up 2-0 on the Rangers. What am I saying they thought they had it wrapped up after going up 1-0.
It looks like they will be on the Links this weekend. I guess those directions to the HHOF in Toronto will come in handy for...
Ok, I admit I am confused
To take a phrase from [b]Glen Beck:[/b] this is what we do know: Sioux Forward Jonathon Toews is still a member of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team, that's as of this moment. This could change at any time. However, Eklund from hockeybuzz.com--
Ouch, I stubbed my Toews!
For those of you unaware, Jonathan Toews name is pronounced...
(to see a video of this hit go to www.predjoe.wordpress.com)
Is there any reason that this kind of thing should happen? I think if you are a Pronger fan you can say that he is taller and Holmstrom had his head down a bit and Pronger just came in where he normally would.
However, I think, if you look at the video carefully and without bias you will find this was, wit...
Well, typically it takes a little time into the off-season, usually some time after the Cup Finals for it to get started. It even may last until just around the draft...but rest assured - before we hit July - Eklund and other hockey rumor mongers will have Vincent Lecavalier wearing the sweater of the Habs, St. Louis in St. Louis and Brad Richards somewhere else.
I like...
This is a tough blog for me to write. During his tenure in Vancouver I had several opportunities to speak personally with Brian Burke either via letter, email or in person. In fact, in the hours leading up to his dismissal as General Manager/President of the Vancouver Canucks, I keying an email to the big irishman. As I pushed the 'Send' button, I received an 'undeliverabl...
This is perfect! The stage is set... the Sabres got 'em right where they want 'em! I can already feel the pressure mounting on the Sens for game 6! Keep the faith!
Like I said before… the Sabres are on the verge of a monumental comeback! Are there any other teams you would expect to be in this scenario? Buffalo has been known for comebacks all year... Ottawa is known ...
(Believe it or not, this is written as cautious optimism and is not meant as a rant. Read on.)
Toews is not going to turn this team around and make them a playoff team. Toews is not going to make all of the disgruntled fans return. Toews is not going to make Chicago media realize that there is a sport called hockey. Toews is not going to save Chicago Blackhawks Hock...
Well, I think most of us would be surprised to think that in this series a team has a 3-1 lead, let a lone the Ottawa Senators. I think its fair to say that most hockey analysts pegged ottawa as the underdogs, but their play in the playoffs, including the buffalo sabres, should have been otherwise. Ottawa was able to deal with Pittsburgh and New Jersey quite easily in 5 ga...
Well Rangers fans, that’s it, another season in the books. It took some time for last week’s loss to finally sink in but what an exciting last few months it’s been for the fans. With the team forced into playing playoff type hockey since March, the intensity made it almost feel like ’94 all over again; well without the Cup of course. Still, looking back, do you thi...
Before this year I thought a coach’s impact was minimal. Sure he could design a system and give great pep talks, but it was up to the players on the ice to execute. Then along came the day of December 12, 2006. The Blues were scheduled to play the Blackhawks that night and it was announced that Andy Murray would be taking over the vacant head coach position for the Blues...
Fellow fans,
We have waited too long for the NHL to promote its own game. Instead 4 friends got together to show the best of hockey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDSY5-y2BRs
please let us know what you think.
t2MA
[b]Welcome to the Memorial Cup[/b]
The Memorial Cup tournament gets underway tomorrow evening with the host Vancouver Giants taking on the OHL Champion Plymouth Whalers. I will preview the game tomorrow afternoon, for now have look see at an overview of each team. If cannot get television coverage of the tournament in your area, I have included each teams website which ...
It was a tough TV night in my household: 7:30 Tigers game, 8:00 Pistons game, 9:00 Greys Anatomy season finale (for the wife), 10:15 Lost special (for me).. It was an even tougher night on the ice for the Wings.. Lets rephrase that: it was a tough night on the ice for Flop Boy.. 3 goals on 8 shots? While the rest of the team was showing the heart that has become the wings ...
That is more like it...much better effort all-around! Both game 4's were two of the most fun and frenetic battles of the playoffs...great to watch! I did not want to go back and count...but aside from missing on the Senators wrapping up their series in game 4, I was spot on every other call I made!
It took Buffalo all of nine seconds to [b]find the net[/b]. [b]Chri...
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/78531.html
A woman and 6 of her friends attended Game 4 of the ECF up at Scotiabank Place dressed in Sabres jerseys and gear. After the game, this lady was pushed down to the ground, punched, and others in her group were injured as someone attacked them.
This is absurd and utterly horrible to hear...not just ...
Every hockey web site, message board, forum, or mailing list at this point in the off-season has one Ryan Smyth rumor or another almost daily, so placing faith in any one rumor at this point is just about as sure-footed a strategy as throwing darts at a map of NHL cities. Personally, I've remained optimistic about the Islanders chances of bringing Smytty back, despite much...
The vast majority of us hockey fans are well aware of the phenomenon that is Fantasy Sports. Whether it's a free public pool or a private pool that may or may not involve an entry fee, we all know one can get lost in the fantasy realm of sports.
Case in point is the recent comments of Rogers SportsNet voice Nick Kypreos.
I believe that the reason viewership is down fo...
Hey pens fans,
That's right it is back to rumors. So, here's what I have heard. Tom Poti is again being mentioned as a good possibility of coming to Pittsburgh, but we've all heard that one before. Gary Roberts seems to be split between the Pens and the Leafs. I am unsure how this will turn out. Craig Rivet is a longhot, in my opinion, but he is rumored to be a possible P...
Okay, first things first. Following yesterday's blog "Memorial Cup Previews" I was questioned as to how I could predict the Giants to be have a fourth place finish in this years tourney. As we all know, it is very difficult to follow a junior hockey club as we are absolutely lambasted with print after print about everything to do with the NHL. Living in a Canuck crazed mar...
Well, this was certainly a much better result than Game 3. After how brutally treated the Ducks were on Tuesday night, I was quite apprehensive about how the officiating would be.
It was great to have the initial goal scored so soon in the contest. The fact that the Wings tied it up shortly thereafter did not seem to take away from the emotional lift that 1st goal gav...
Well, I haven't posted a Flyers off-season thoughts blog, yet, so I figured to combat my insomnia, I'd offer my two cents.
Right now, in goal, things seem pretty much set. Martin Biron is the starter. I expect him to play as many as 60 games. Antero Niittymaki, coming off a brutal season, will be the back-up. Biron was a breath of fresh air, on and off the ice, after co...
[img]http://www2.ottawasenators.com/_static/webUpload/265/228_1.jpg[/img]
Growing up as a child in Ottawa, ON and playing minor hockey for years, the one constant thing that remained the same throughout my childhood was the fact Saturday Night was Hockey Night In Canada. A lot has changed since then, which brings me to my point for writing this article.
With NFL, NB...
I was talking about the Sabres yesterday at work when another fan told me that he heard that Drury signed a 3-year deal and it wouldn't be discussed until after the playoffs. If this is true, a plus for Buffalo. But who will they let go to free up some money? My money is on Briere. With players like Vanek stepping up this year and Stafford looking like he will be coming up...
[b]Game Review - Giants 4 - Whalers 3 OT/Final[/b]
I will have to admit, I did not see the goal but Kendall McArdle notched the winnner in the early stages of overtime to boos the Vancouver Giants to a 4-3 victory over the Plymouth Whalers.
While watching the first period I was some what baffled at how the Whalers carried themselves. The seemed to want to try to intim...
Yup, it's key, when you stars play like stars. Wade, you rock. I'm so glad you're back and playing well. Just now on the 5on3, you dove and made sure the puck got away. You're my hero and I'm glad you gots yer A-game back! :)
You have a third period full of questionable penatlies that won't be called in real hockey game and their Network dumps their sorry asses for horse race.
it goes to show how popular NHL is really is and how screwed up this league is.
I know most people will be blogging on the NBC for the choice but I decided that I would do a blog on congrats to the Sens on a great win. Especially I am very happy with Alfie he has put up with so much from the media on his playoffs, performance well where are they now. Alfie deserves the MVP of this playoff. Its about time people give Alfie his due, he has played lik...
Well, we had an exciting playoff game, heading to overtime. Good game featuring two skilled teams, that were very evenly matched. However, NBC also owns the TV rights to a horse race, so a brief graphic and one time announcement at the end of regulation sent NHL fans scrambling to Versus.
The problem is, Versus is not available throughout the US. In a brilliant move com...
flyershockey81 writes...
Congrats to Sens...News for my Fellow Flyers Fans
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Congrats to Sens. You deserved to Win. You destory and expose the sissies the buffalo sabres are made of. This series proved that old style hockey still regins in the sport i Love. Someone needs to Bettman that phyiscal play is still apart of hockey......
[b]For my Fellow flyers fans let the debate begin.......[/b]
[img]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h307/jimmywhi...
After reading the passinate blog that TIm Panccio wrote about the hack job by NBC. Maybe TIm and other NHL writers start addressing the real problem in this league..
Gary Bettman
There is only two writers who openly goes after Bettman on his mistakes and that guy is Larry Brooks of New York Post and then Toronto Sun NHL Writer Al Strachan.
Al Strachan knew fr...
The Canucks aren't going to have much money to spend, so I don't expect any big-name free agent signings.
[b][u]Out[/b][/u]
• Jan Bulis
• Bryan Smolinski
• Brent Sopel
[b][u]In[/b][/u]
• Ruslan Fedotenko
• Wade Brookbank or any other enforcer
• Marc Chouinard (for training camp)
Daniel Sedin ($3.575M) | Henrik Sedin ($3.575M) | Taylor Pyatt ($1.5...
[b]Game Review - Tigers 1 - Vs Maineiacs 3 [/b]
I totally missed the game but the Lewiston Maineiacs scored two second period goals and added another in the third to defeat the Medicine Hat Tigers by a 3 -1 margin. It would appear that Jonathan Bernier was at his best (yet again) as he turned asided 30 of the 31 shots that the Tigers directed at the Maineiacs goal.
...
Entering our 3rd summer under the current cap systems with 2 seasons prove out the theories teams and GM's have been employing. Couple that with Buffalo’s impending FA period and am I left wondering about the rise of the sign-and-trade. Even in recent Senators history there are many examples to ponder. There were Marian Hossa, Zdeno Chara, and Martin Havlat. While the...
This will be a very short post as I am just testing this out. The better team was victorious as much as it hurts to say that but the Sabres will be good for years to come. If you want to read more than go to www.buffalosportstampede.com
NHL on NBC
Well I couldn't watch OT yesterday Buff/Ottawa on NBC and had to settle for crappy non Hi-Def TV on VS.. Bettman, you better start working harder on making this more of a main stream sport that us TRUE fans can watch without interruption!
Also, get Mike "DOC" Emerick off the air when it comes to Detroit games. How can such an esteemed broadcaster with many...
The reality is setting in that the Sabres season is over and they waisted a glorious opportunity. I’m sitting here trying to figure out what went wrong and the only conclusion I can come to is that the Ottawa Senators were better. I guess when put into perspective the disappointment is eased a bit because the Sabres didn’t deserve to win. In last years Conference Fi...
editors note: This is the first of a four part series recapping the Buffalo Sabres season and heading into the offseason.
The Buffalo Sabres enjoyed what many would say was a successful 2006-2007 season. A Northeast Division title for the first time since 1997 and the teams first Presidents Trophy were good benchmarks for the Regular Season champions.
But the s...
Luongo07 writes...
Now That's Hockey, Giants over Maineiacs, Tigers vs. Whalers
Posted Monday | Comments 0
[b]Game Review[/b]
[b]Giants 2 vs. Maineiacs 1[/b]
This is going to be a quick entry today...
Opps, I did it again! I watched a junior hockey game pretty well from begining to end, meanwhile just glancing at the NHL contest here and there. Not that I could be faulted after the show that the Giants and Maineiacs put on yesterday at the Memorial Cup tournament.
Lew...
If the Wild take anything from this offseason, it should be a lesson from the Ottawa Senators. The lesson is simple: Stay the Course. After yet another disappointing offseason, the Sens could have gone out and tried to makeover their team. Instead, they stayed the course, having confidence in the star players and role players that they had to get them back to where they...
Part 2 of the Sabres season review discusses the progression of the defenseman this season, and where the goaltenders in the organization stand.
Brian Campbell (6-42-48) Campbell enjoyed his best offensive season in 2006-2007, finishing tops among Sabres defenseman in points. Earned his first trip to the All Star Game this past season, voted a strter by the fans. His pl...
From Neil Best from Newsday:
"In an interview with WFAN, commissioner Gary Bettman said the broad audience was worth the risk of overtime, but he left open the possibility of rethinking the Saturday afternoon strategy next year."
"Why not at least move the game to, say, MSNBC, which is in about 20 million fewer homes than NBC but 20 million more than Versus? [b]Becau...
bulldog_bob writes...
An Open Letter to SVP of Sports Programming at NBC
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
This blog is in responce to the Game 5 television dabacle on NBC. I am posting the E-Mail I sent to Seth Winter - NBC-Sports SVP of Sprots Programming just in case he decided not to return to work yesterday afternoon from a three martini lunch at Rainbow Room in Lower Manhatten. I did not want my outrage missed about NBC's programming decisions on Saturday. I think my s...
I actually don't have a problem with NBC bailing on the hockey coverage on the weekend. It was a business decision plain and simple. Hockey gets a 1.3 rating and the Preakness gets 6.3. I would have made the decision to switch as well. Maybe not right away given post time was over an hour away but at some point.
What I am upset about is how Bettman rolled over and just ...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Sabres Payroll a Tight Fit For Drury OR Briere in 2007/08
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
We Buffalo Fans are doing alot of "back of napkin" figuring on the Sabres contracts and salary cap next year but not many are considering the actual dollars they spend compared to their budget. Get out your abucus and follow along.
According to [url]http://www.nhlnumbers.com/buf.html[/url]the Sabres spent $45.43 million (actual dollars) on their players salries last y...
"the BASTard makes me ILl."
http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/david_bastl/2007/05/22/bonds_great_buffalo_sucks/
For those who frequent Sportsnet, you may have seen the latest pile of horsecrap that David Bastil spewed out all over the front page today. For the second time in the last month, he wrote a completely unintelligent blog about why Barry Bonds is the greatest...
For those outside of Buffalo, just an interesting little story....
I called HSBC Arena yesterday. I was hoping to buy season tickets. The response I got: "We're all maxed out for next season. We can take your name down for the waiting list though."
What?
It's not like I waited til the last minute. Last year I ordered my tix in August and had no problem.
You...
They pulled it off! The Plymouth Whalers season will continue for at least one more game and the Memorial Cup tournament just got a lot more interesting.
With the victory, Plymouth is now guaranteed at least a date with Medicine Hat or Lewiston for the tie-breaker game that is scheduled for Thursday evening at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.
The opponent will be...
I am holding an NHL MOCK DRAFT and I need 5-6 General Managers to finish the draft that is scheduled for this Saturday. Anyone who is interested please inform me VIA PM.
more to follow on Gabe's blog
Hey pens fans,
Crosby has been named the sportsman of the year, by the Sporting News.
Rumors - Poti is rumored to have a "good possibility" of being a Penguin next year. Gary Roberts is more than likely going to wind up with Toronto and not return with the Pens, but that still holds a small possibility. I don't care what everyone says Recchi is NOT leaving Pittsburgh a...
So here we go, another off-season filled with free agents and question marks only fit for the Empire State. This year it comes down to the absolute core of the team, the two captains, Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.
I love Chris Drury, he is everything I want my captain to be. If I have a team led by Drury, backstopped by Ryan Miller, and coached by Lindy Ruff, I am ...
A valiant effort by the previously listless Wings came up just short as time ran out on them and there amazing 2007 playoff run.. The Wings just plain refused to skate for the first 36 minutes of this game and as a result found themselves down 3 - 0 coming into the 3rd period.. A quick Zetterberg goal to open the 3rd breathed life into the boys wearing red until the eventu...
Brett, you better start working on your script for the Stanley Cup Finals. You will be on TV for games 4-7. Try expanding your vocabulary, try eliminating the word TERRIBLE.
Maybe you can write the Ducks off early and whine some more about the Red Wings and why they didn't make it to the finals. They played terrible for two periods tonight. Great game tonight, dominat...
[b]1 Buf vs 4 Ott - Ott in 7[/b] - Didn't take as long as I expected, as the Sabres bowed out in five. I called the goaltending a wash...maybe I said that cuz I was cheering for the Sens. Miller is the better goalie, but not by as much as a lot of people are still thinking. However, Miller was inconsistent in the first two rounds. Of course, in this series, he was the ...
Yup, that's pretty much it. Giguere is cool and all, but at the end of the day, the Eastern teams have it more "figured out" than the western teams who are still playing scared. It's too bad the RW's couldn't do it. As much as we all love Hasek, in the end, it was not meant to be. (not sure how that came out, if it was sarcastic enough). In any case, may the best team...
Question for West Coast residents: What is Cup Finals gameday like for Ducks fans when the game starts at 5:00pm? I'm just curious because here in Buffalo if a game started at 5:00pm our city (and many of the surrounding suburbs) would completely shut down approximately 36 hours in advance and there would be about as many people at work that day as there is on Christmas Da...
Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Ducks finally played their best hockey of the playoff run!!! Only took til Game 6 of the Conference Finals, but better late than never!!
As a loyal Ducks fan, I must say that I was truly impressed with the game that Anaheim brought against Detroit last night. The passing was great, the skating was beautiful, and the Ducks made a point of send...
Courtesy of 104.5FM and News Channel Five out of Nashville. Leipold has sold the team to Jim Ballsile(or however you spell his last name), that crazy Ontarian who made a bid to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Daunic just confirmed it's an outright sale.
Leipold has stated that the Predators will play the 07-08 season in Nashville, but after that nothing is guaranteed.
...
Tonight the Vancouver Giants and Medicine Hat Tigers renew their rivalry for the 8th time in since May 4th. If this were the Vancouver Canucks meeting the Minnesota Wild for the eight time in less than a month I would be extremely depressed. Fact of the matter is, these two teams hate each other and they love telling each other that they hate playing each other...does that...
The speculation that various Canadian venues in Ontario would be chosen if the Preds were to leave Music City doesn't ask the right question: [b]If the Preds were moved[/b] to Kitchener, Brantford, Hamilton, or even The Soo or Sudbury - [b]the real question is,what conference would they be in?[/b]
Would they automatically become an Eastern Conference team with such a m...
Tonight's game started with the intense vigor that I had expected but in the end...it was dull. I think the coaches really calmed the player's down, the Tigers were able to keep the crowd out of it and the game really lacked the intensity that was expected.
In the end the Tigers scored the lone goal on a late second period power-play and the Giants could not muster much...
I am shocked. I am. But not at all surprised. Perhaps I should have taken what Trump says to heart…”trust no one.” Even as Leipold would repeat, time after time, that he had no intention of moving the franchise somewhere deep inside I did not entirely believe him. Don’t get me wrong I am not sitting here telling you that I saw this coming because I didn’t…...
Season ticket holders got an email from current (though not for long) Preds owner Craig Leipold. Here is it in it’s entirety.
[i]Dear Predators’ Season Ticket Holders:
June 25, 2007 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the awarding of the NHL franchise to Nashville that became your Nashville Predators. It’s been an incredible 10-year journey for me. I can�...
teddye03 writes...
Step1 Is Admitting You Have A Problem (My Blog From The Med)
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Mykonos, Greece. One of the largest party towns in Europe, a beautiful place, and here I am sitting in a tiny cabin room on the ship, sitting here sipping a rye and coke after our late seating dinner in the dining room writing about hockey. I’m no expert, but I think I’ve become what some people could call a hockey addict. Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying this Medit...
This will be the type of Stanley Cup final that attracts hockey fans. A true hockey town (Ottawa) against an non-traditional hockey market (Anaheim) is happening once again. Only this time, there really isn't an underdog. There will be no upset. This is a series where, truly, both teams deserve to win. Looking at the playoffs so far, both teams are about even coming i...
The 49th parallel has never looked so significant.
While Canadian fans were enjoying the standard high-quality broadcast from CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Saturday afternoon -- more on the afternoon part later -- fans south of the border were shut out as the Ottawa-Buffalo game went to overtime.
You would think American-based fans would be used to this by now. After ...
This is how I think they stack up.
[b]Goaltending[/b] - No doubt, Giguere is the more accomplished of the two, already with a Conn Smythe under his belt. He is as positionally sound as any goalie in the NHL. He is again proving to be his team's MVP on a team that boasts two Norris candidates. He is more than capable of stealing a game. An area of concern is that Gig...
Okay...the ball is in our court. Yesterday is over and there is nothing we can do about it. The Preds have been sold but it doesn't mean that they are leaving for sure. YOU can make a difference. Call the League Office at 212-789-2000 and log your complaint. I called this morning and let my voice be heard. They told me that each call will be logged and those calls will pas...
Much talk has been made of the purchase of the Nashville Predators by Research in Motion CEO Jim Balsillie. It appears the team will be transferred to him, and, with it, rumours are in the works for a team to perhaps go to Kitchener-Waterloo.
I have been debating this for some time, so I'll retierate a lot of what I thought:
Logistically speaking, in that case, it wo...
[b]Vancouver Giants vs Plymouth Whalers [/b]
[b]Time: 5:00pm PST[/b]
[b]Television: Rogers Sportsnet[/b]
The Vancouver Giants and Plymouth Whalers meet for the second consecutive Friday in the Memorial Cup Semi-Final. The Giants have looked better throughout the course of the tournament but as with every hockey game there are under-lying factors that may play agains...
this was proved by sports blog Sports Media Watch
http://sportsmediawatch.blogspot.com/
this tv rating going back to 1995. add this to bettman brilliant work as the Commish. did anyone notice the differnece one final game between two top market teams in 1997 vs. rest of the games of the following years?
[b]1995[/b]
3.2: New Jersey at Detroit, Game 1 (Saturday, Jun...
If you are heading to Southern California for game one of the Stanley Cup Finals, you might be in for a surprise.
There is no orange mile. You can drive for hours without seeing a car flag. Fans in Ducks regalia are few and far between around town. Sports shops have more merchandise from the middling Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim -- how's that for a mouthful -- than the...
So last Friday I was checking out the weekend schedule and I thought, "Great, Saturday in May must mean playoff hockey on Saturday night".
Oops, no. The 2,000,000 or so perceived hockey fans in the US say the 20,000,000 fans in Canada had to watch hockey on Saturday afternoon. Ok, it's the third round, whatever. Good game, nice OT, Ottawa wins.
Oh, you missed that in...
That noise is the pounding of the Plymouth Whalers by the Vancouver Giants and for the ninth time in the month of May the Giants will face the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Feeling the pressure of the let down with Wednesday's loss, the Giants took it to the Whalers early with Wacy Rabbit beating Michael Neuvirth on the games first shot. Before the first period was out Michal R...
Please, please tell me I'm not alone in this, in that every team has that one player who makes you cringe every time he steps on the ice. You wonder how he is even in the NHL and why, oh why does he have to be on your team. I have a solution... sort of. We can have us some fun!
In my case as a Rangers loyal and true, that player is defenseman Marek Malik(you know wha...
My devotion to the Vancouver Giants of the WHL is new. I’ve come to realize recently that it’s a selfish act, because my new hobby permits me three of my favorite indulgences.
First: It represents yet another excuse to interact with the lively swarm of personalities on HockeyBuzz chat in ways I didn’t think that simple typing allowed. A work-at-home dev...
Sunday afternoon the WHL [b]Vancouver Giants[/b] -- coached by my old friend of more than thirty years, [b]Don "Hayzer" Hay[/b] -- will be playing for junior hockey's ultimate prize, the [b]Memorial Cup[/b], against the Medicine Hat Tigers before a no doubt sold out house at the [b]Pacific Coliseum[/b] in [b]Vancouver, B.C.[/b]. Over the past few months, the Giants have be...
Supernick writes...
Mes prédictions pour la finale de la coupe stanley!
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Ottawa, pour être honnête, ils me surprennent cette année, je croyais qu'ils allaient se faire éliminer en 1ere ronde par les Pingouins. Daniel Alfredsson joue super bien cette année, mais on dirait que c'est seulement son trio (avec Heatley et Spezza) qui font de quoi, les 3 autres trios sont un peu silencieux. Il ya Antoine Vermette aussi qui fait des bonnes séries...
Mike Rathje. there is a name i havent heard for awhile in flyerland. In all seriousness, i know Mike is trying the hardest he can to come back and play for the orange and black but i think it's time for flyers to buy him out or he has to retire.
I met Rathje once, he is a great guy and a great heart for the game but it's decsion time for him......
Well, we have come to the last 7 games of the 2006-2007 NHL Year. Two teams are on the edge of the top of Mountain.
From the east we have Ottawa Senators and from the west we have Anaheim Ducks.
Both teams defy what Gary Bettman wants the NHL to be a passive, Euro league.
Lets recap how both teams got to the finals
[b]Ottawa Senators[/b]
In the first round, ...
People may ask, how does a guy living in Massachusetts get hooked onto Vancouver Giants hockey. The answer is simple really, I love hockey, and the team at the time had just gotten Wacey Rabbit in a trade from Saskatoon. You see, Wacey Rabbit and Milan Lucic are teammates on the Vancouver Giants, and both are also prospects in the Boston Bruins organization. Once Wacey ...
[img]http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p217/LeaferSutherland/devsbanner1.gif"[/img]
[b]For every beginning there has to be an end (insert Alpha-Omega reference here). So with all the major players graded....its time to take a look into next year's crystal ball. What could next season have in store for the Devils...what may they or may they not do? Sure it is all s...
According to the Raleigh News and Observer, Glen Wesley wants to return next season for his 20th season. Here's what Glen had to say:
"That was definitely not the way I wanted to finish the year off," Wesley said. "I'm really looking forward to coming back and getting a fresh start and wanting to win again. That should be everybody's objective in the locker room. We hav...
Is anyone out there watching this? You gotta love it when they let the players play! I will blog later but for now:
Comments on the game?
Well it is a long weekend here in the states. There is not much hockey going on anywhere right now. I couldn't even get people together to play a pick up game.
I am anxious for the Stanley cup finals to start and dread it all at the same time. I am not a supporter of either team. Do I have a favorite? why, yes, but neither team is in my top 10 for NHL teams to roo...
iScoop writes...
All Hail the Vancouver Giants -- 2007 Memorial Cup Champions
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
What a glorious aftrnoon of fellowship and the pure joy of hockey could be found in the [b]HockeyBuzz Chatroom[/b] today! For almost four hours, a diverse group of us HB chatters eschewed family BBQs, a day at the beach, and other recreations of a beutiful holiday weekend Sunday afternoon to huddle by our computers and join, albeit in cyberspace, the crowd of 16,281 that f...
As i am coming home from the jersey shore from the memorial hoilday on monday, i will start to watch the final 7 games of the the 2006-2007 NHL Season.
I finally give NHL credit for something....
i'll give them credit for scheduling the first game of stanley cup finals on memorial day night. the reason i will give them credit for scheduling the first game against b...
doing this on the fly...
...no gm in their right mind is going to set the precedent and go after an RFA the caliber of a player such as thomas vanek. bob clarke did this last year to test the waters with a team and gm he has rarely dealt with. i think from that reaction we saw and the spotted history of 'rfa robbing' that it is most definitely not going to continue on ...
Game 1:4-2 Ducks Selanne GWG
Game 2:3-1 Sens Heatley GWG
Game 3:6-5 Sens OT Vermette GWG
Game 4:2-1 Ducks OT Pronger GWG
Game 5:3-1 Sens Spezza GWG
Game 6:5-4 Ducks R. Neidermeyer GWG
Game 7:1-0 Ducks OT Selanne GWG in one of the most dramatic Cup Finals Ever!!!! Go DUCKS!
First and foremost congratulation to the Vancouver Giants on winning the 2007 Master Card Memorial Cup, and also a big round of applause to the 3 other teams that competed for the title the Medicine Hat Tigers, Plymouth Whalers and the Lewiston Maineiacs.
For those who do not follow Jr. Hockey the Memorial Cup is a very difficult championship to win. The C...
Game 1: Ottawa
Game 2: Anaheim
Game 3: Ottawa
Game 4: Anaheim
Game 5: Ottawa
Game 6: Ottawa
Series: Ottawa wins 4-2
Alfredsson wins Conn Smythe although Emery makes a huge push for the award with his play in the series.
[img]http://www.sportsnet.ca/images/daily/sat/emery_practice_cup_hor.jpg[/img]
It’s been a long wait for both Senator and Duck fans, but it all begins tonight (May 28th, 2007). This battle should be a good one and the physical prowess of both teams will be shown early on. The epic face off has the Senators big 3 (Alfie-Spezza-Heatley) going up against two Norris Troph...
[b]Disclaimer/Update: No need to even read this blog. It was about my streak in predicting winners of playoff games through my PS2. It was at 9 straight games, but it fell victim tonight. The streak is over. In any case, CONGRATS ANAHEIM on that first win! Happy for your fans...Also for Brad May. Still pulling for the Sens though. Gotta go with the Canadian team her...
Despite a disappointing conclusion to the Sabres season it was one of, if not the best season in Franchise history. The Sabres have played in the Stanley Cup finals twice but had never won the Presidents Trophy in franchise history. The Stanley Cup is obviously the most coveted prize but it is equally as difficult to be the best team in the league over an 82 game span. I w...
Hey pens fans,
The Pens have siged Jonathan D’Aversa to a 3 year entry level contract. He is 21 years old and has spent th last 3 years playinig for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL. He has had 150 pints in 259 games. His defense partner was Jordan Staal's brother Marc.
[url]http://penshockey.blogspot.com[/url]
What an incredible start to the Stanley Cup Finals! Game 1 had everything but overtime...numerous gigantic hits, acrobatic saves, some pretty goals, and some not so pretty goals. Though there were way too many suspect penalty calls, this game never lacked intensity. It was back and forth most of the game...even during the power plays. Like every other team the Ducks ha...
The recent problems in Nashville have brought up the whole relocation mess again, and there's a recurring theme that I keep hearing:
"[i]City A[/i] doesn't [b]deserve[/b] an NHL team. If anyone [b]deserves[/b] a team it's [i]City B[/i]"
Deserve?
Really???
I mean, we aren't talking about any Human Rights issues here. Nor are we talking about the basic needs ...
Well this is my first blog here so I thought that I would introduce myself. My name is Zac and I currently live in Vancouver. I grew up in the Toronto area for most of my life and I have followed the Leafs for as long as I can remember. The days of Wendle hitting and fighting everyone to watching Dougie work his magic behind the net. I've watched the highs and lows and...
Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste.
So now that we've got the Stones reference done with, here's the basics: I'm Kevin. I've played hockey for nigh on 15 years now, and have loved the game ever since I first strapped on skates and went around Kirkwood Ice Arena in the St Louis suburbs. I idolized Gretz, Jagr and Hull when I was a kid, and...
Nemmy700 writes...
Because teams from non-traditional markets deserve better.
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
There are two types of hockey fans, those that are irked at the concept of a Southern team winning a cup (ie. Carolina, Tampa, Dallas, to name a few) and those that aren't.
As a hockey fan, I'm tired of hearing what team "deserves" to win the cup based on the amount of fans a team has, or how devoted these said fans may be. This is professional sports. The NHL, as is ...
My apologies for avoiding the site the past few days. In fact, for once in my life hockey has not been the first thing on my mind.
Sunday afternoon has become a blur, Monday? don't even ask. Please allow a mulligan on this one...
Yesterday morning as we made our way to work, we received a phone call. Yes, a phone call at 6:00 am is usually a phone call that you are ...
It has been pointed out by much of the media that Southern California is not a hockey town.
True, the term "Southern California" seems to imply a region, not a town, but in this hyper-sensitive metropolitan area where everyone wants to be their own metro area, it is the politically correct term.
Politically correct -- that is something Anaheim general manager Brian B...
"Mad" Mike Milbury is no longer an ISLANDER. MM has stepped down from his position today, and will only be an advisor to Wang's Chineese Hockey Project. But he no longer has reign over anything Islanders Related! Did you hear that, Pierre McGuire? MM is Gone.. we don't wanna hear of any more of his draft picks or trades!
-----------------------------------------
The ...
It appears the minor stand-off between the Canucks and soon to be unrestricted free agent Taylor Pyatt may actually be coming to an end. In a good way for both sides.
TSN.ca is reporting that the Canucks who offered $1.2 million per have loosend their stance a litte, meanwhile Pyatt has also come back the other way from his previous demand of about $1.5 - 1.6 million. ...
The Nashville Predators have signed a whopping FIVE European prospects in the last week. Sources have Djurgardens forward Patric Hornqvist to an entry-level three year, two-way contract. Hornqvist posted 6 points (2g-4a) and a +2 in 9 games at the World Championships. He is also one of only a handful of players- including Peter Frosberg, Marcus Naslund, and one of the Sedi...
I'm just listening to Chuck Swirsky on the Fan590, and I hear about this pledge that Toronto's Mayor David Miller, Vancouver's Mayor Sam Sullivan, and Calgary's Mayor Dave Bronconnier, is creating to make Leaf fans, Canucks fans, and Flames fans root for the Senators during this Stanley Cup Finals.
This is absolutely ridiculous! If your a fan of the Leafs you are NOT ro...
SmokingChicken writes...
Preds Ink Finnish Enforcer/Some Required Viewing
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Per HFboards- the Nashville Predators have signed Finnish forward Antti Pihlström. An up-tempo player with great speed, a decent shot, and a hard right, Pihller complied 16 goals and 23 assists along with a +11 and 63 penalty minutes in 56 games last season with Hämeenlinna. He's been drawing comparisons to Ville Nieminen and Sami Kapanen.
From what I can gather, this...
I posted the following after the Giants Memorial Cup victory last Sunday:
[i]"What a glorious aftrnoon of fellowship and the pure joy of hockey could be found in the [b]HockeyBuzz Chatroom[/b] today! For almost four hours, a diverse group of us HB chatters eschewed family BBQs, a day at the beach, and other recreations of a beutiful holiday weekend Sunday afternoon to ...
Only a few hours to go now until game 2 starts. I am pumped.
Lots to expect out of this one. Will the Sens be able to fight back or will the Ducks just keep on hitting everyone and wear down the Sens?
I really think that this is the Ducks chance. They have a great opportunity to go ahead 2-0 in the series and forcing the Sens to win 4 in 5 games. They have a lo...
Well, after a thrilling advertisement for the game of hockey that was Game One, we've come to this: a real crossroads, with Anaheim's old-fashioned physical play (honed by a lot of WHL talent like Getzlaf, Kunitz, the Niedermayers et al) going up against Ottawa's mostly-European speed and finesse (which is no slap against Selanne for the Ducks or Neil for the Sens). It's a...
Hey, let me introduce myself i'm Ray, i'm from Belfast, Ireland (yeah there are hockey fans there!....really!) i'm 21 years old and am a huge Toronto Maple Leafs Fan! HEY STOP THE BOOING ALREADY!
This is the first of hopefully many entries in my blog. Hope you read regularly and enjoy, any feedback or comments are much appreciated.
So the Stanley Cup Finals are here ...
My record third blog of the day. I'm sure some folks are getting tired of me, but c'est la vie, as my girlfriend would say.
Manny Fernandez has made it public knowledge that he wants out of Minnesota. Manny said in the Pioneer Press that he wants out of the organization to be with "more supportive team-mates and coaches." I, for one, would've never expected that environ...
My son and I were at a park day the other day and he was playing road hockey in which he scored many goals and killed us and wore me to a frazzle. Now I am writing this blog about how much I am out of shape I am writing because of what took place at the game. One of the younger boys was playing to who had his stick up to high and my son (dougstr) was trying to teach hi...
I'd like to be the first to welcome you all to the REAL Stanley Cup playoffs...they went old-school tonight! From the opening draw to Alfredsson's final hit at the buzzer, bodies were flying...they might as well have been bumper cars! Monster hits were being laid out with the intent to hurt. The game was frenetic and raucous...it easily was as good as game 1...only they...
The first two games of this series have been probably the best playoff hockey games I've seen in a while (and I've seen a lot, from the 4OT Buffalo-New Jersey thriller that was probably one of of not THE best 1-0 games ever, to Stevie Y ripping THAT shot over Jon Casey's shoulder in 1996), mostly because for some reason the Galactic Empire (aka the NHL) has allowed its ref...
Last Friday, as I waited to board a homebound plane from Halifax, I was leafing through the Globe and Mail. Two excellent articles about the potential franchise move and the lack of print coverage for the Stanley Cup finals shared a page with…the Birth and Death Notices. Of all the ironies.
The announced sale of the Predators is nothing short of a Death Notice. Bal...
Let's face facts Sabre Nation, the boys in the suits are not going to spend to the cap next year and it seems very possible they actually spend less then last year. That is why it is virtulally impossible to keep both Drury and Briere. That being said here is what I think the roster could look like next season. This involves letting Briere and Zubrus walk, not offering Num...
I think we would agree that most players are at least a little superstitious and we can understand why they might be. But why are some fans superstitious? Do we really think that something we do can affect the outcome of games or the performance of players? Does wearing the same clothes or eating the same meal on game days affect your favourite team? Will something bad...
Okay, folks, there have been some moves in the past by some GMs that have left me scratching my head(the Gerber signing sticks out; also the entire tennure of Mike Milbury with the Islanders), but the last week has left me stunned.
David Poile has gone out and signed SEVEN European players since the playoffs ended. SEVEN of them! I've already commented on the first six,...
Montreal 1993 game 2. Marty Mcsorley gets called for and illegal stick..........Result The hockey nation of Canada gets the cup for the last time in the century.
Aniehim 2007 Danny Heatley, Jason Spezza, and daniel alfreedson.......... A once Unstopable force Turns into the highest paid turn over machine in the NHL.
Result...........well probably a Stanley cup.
...
At work today, I was listening to several of The Tragically Hip's (I still haven't purchased "World Container" yet!) albums and reminiscing about my first Hip concert experience last month at The Chameleon Club here in Lancaster, PA.
It's a small, dark, smoke-filled box that can hold about as many people as the local Tim Horton's in downtown Toronto. But the magic they ...
OK, so I leave on this ridiculously long business trip 3+ weeks ago sitting on top of the world. The Sabres had just dispatched the Rangers and were about to face the Sens (hind sight being 20/20, I wish it was New Jersey). Fans in Buffalo were crazed. You couldn't walk into a store without seeing a huge display of Sabres logo merchandise for sale.
Stop 1: Las Vegas
...
It seems everyone in Edmonton is drooling over Wade Redden. Behind Bouwmeester, he is definitely the player Oiler fans want to see manning the blueline in the Big E next year.
Speculation is that because of Redden's contract and the Sens needing to resign younger stars that a Redden to Edmonton deal makes sense. We have the young cap friendly prospects and picks to do t...
For the past several years, Samuel Pahlsson toiled as an underrated player in the NHL outpost of Anaheim.
Have things ever changed.
Considered the likely candidate to win the Selke Trophy for top defensive forward during the regular season, Pahlsson might win another piece of hardware if the Anaheim Ducks go on to win the Stanley Cup.
It sounds strange to say a ch...
[img:left]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/Zacobius/matshor_78503.jpg[/img]So it's all over the news. It looks like Sundin is a lock for a 2 year deal worth 10 to 11 million. I wouldn't really call this news as it has been speculated for a long time. There is seems to be a split amongst the Leafs Nation. I think most would agree that Mats has been amazing in his 1...
Yeah, yeah, Ottawa is behind to an American team, but the link below is the front page news (at least at C N N and E S P N). I guess that it is what's important!
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/31/spelling.bee.ap/index.html
Only second Place! Anything but gold is a disgrace. We better form some committees to re-evaluate our national program. What’s CanSpell do...
Hey pens fans,
Sidney Crosby has been named captain of the Pens. He is the youngest Captain in NHL history if I am not mistaken. This announcemnet solidifies what we alread knew. Crosby is a leader both on the ice and in the lockerroom. It is a quite a statement to his character to be given this honor at his youthful age. For anyone who didn't know, it is now clear w...
Well I am going to start off by introducing myself to the hockey world. I am JDawg and a huge hockey fan, and if there is something that I thrive on it is this time of year. Today I want to talk a little bit about the oilers, now just after reading eklunds blog i understand that there might be some big moves made this year for KL, now as much as I at times dont agree with ...
I've been fighting off frequent fits of boredom this afternoon, which will quickly be remedied when I depart for Reelfoot Lake in west Tennessee. I've never been there, but they say it's beautiful.
Here's some of the latest signings and players you can expect to see in camps:
Thrashers: Tobias Enström (D, SWE), Ondrej Pavelec (G, CZE- from QMJHL)
Coyotes: Martin Ha...
Obviously the Spezza- heatley- Alfie trio has been amazing in the playoffs for the sens this season, and to blame one line for playoff failure seems a bit weak. This line has carried the sens throughout the playoffs, and it is up for the rest of the team to step it up. Comrie 2 goals. Schaefer 1 goal. Fisher 4 goals. Of the second line, fisher has been the bright spot, whe...
raymullan writes...
The Stanley Cup Finals, Tragically Hip? and Sid gets the C!
Posted Friday | Comments 0
[b]Retreat![/b]
[img:left]http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42990000/jpg/_42990575_anaheim203.jpg[/img]I was really disappointed with Ottawa the other night, Emery was stellar as usual but the Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley line were flat, their confidence looked really shaken!
I don't agree with many hockey pundits riding Joe Corvo and putting some of the blame ...
It is not just the sight of the Rideau Canal and Parliament Hill that makes the Ottawa Senators glad to be home for games three and four of the Stanley Cup Finals.
With the home team getting the last change, the Senators will finally be able to get the line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Dany Heatley away from Anaheim's checking line of Samuel Pahlsson, Rob Nie...
I just got word today that Preds prospect center Patric Hornqvist will play his first full professional season in the Elitserien, rather than in the NHL or AHL.
I'm not surprised, but I am a bit disappointed. I really think Patric's stock peaked this year and THIS was the year he needed to come over.
Then again, he may be like Nicklas Bacstrom and use the year to fully...
Swiss League-A-Club [b]Ambri-Piotta [/b][b]signed [/b]yesterday former Bruins Stay-at-home-D-Man [b]Zdenek Kutlak [/b]to a one-year-contract. He's a gritty player with a decent shot and knows new czech Ambri-Coach [b]Jan Tlacil [/b]from czech extraliga-club [b]Ceske Budejovice[/b]. Ambri signed before [b]Toronto Marlies [/b]Topcenter [b]Erik Westrum[/b].
Kutlak will ear...
So tonight will pretty much decide this series. Ottawa are on the ropes and Alfredsson, Heatley and Spezza continue to struggle against Anaheim's checking line, the Niedermayer-Pronger unit, and JS Giguere. But they return home to the Scotiabank Place with (hopefully) rabid fans who weren't even remote thoughts the last time the Senators won the Cup(except for that one 99 ...
http://broadband.tsn.ca/tsn/?vid=8024
[i]I received the following email from my old friend of thirty years, Vancouver Giants coach Don Hay, this morning in response to my passing along the congratulations of the HockeyBuzz chatters on the Giants' MC championship:[/i]
Hi Scoop,
Thanks for your support. Joey had been keeping me informed on the two of you emailing back and forth and to still have those old...
teddye03 writes...
A hockey junky gets his fix (The price is not right)
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Thanks to free wireless internet in my hotel, combined with large quantities of caffeine, I get to do something I have not had the pleasure of doing in three weeks, watch a hockey game. After the depressing event of departing my cruise ship early this morning, the beautiful sights of Barcelona, Spain, combined with the opportunity to view a live stream and chat with my fri...
i wonder if that was buffalo or any usa team in the same exact situation would they called it a goal? dont nhl offical know how easy to revoke a usa passport
I do not know about other fans, but I really do not mind a loss. Especially in the Stanley Cups finals, it's important that teams play their best and, frankly, I want to see strong hockey on all fronts. It's nice to see streaks and sweeps, but I'm a fan of the sport, not just one team (and I'm a big fan of my team). Your team will loose sometimes. I never want to see m...
1 game for Pronger? Does the fact that he's a repeat offender play into this anywhere? I don't care if this is the Finals, that warrants more than one game, especially since Pronger is stupid enough not to learn from the Holmstrom incident.
Also, the league says they suspended him because McAmmond was hurt on the play. That shouldn't matter at all.
I wonder, if ...
if the league is going to be consistant in handing out suspendsion in regarding to blows to head, why wasn't Chris Neil suspended for his head shot in third?
Maybe because Ottawa is a team from Canada or maybe this done to by the league that desperatly needs as much prime time exposure as possible to gain any attraction it can, and is going to do anything it has to to g...
People have been jumping all over Duck's fans for complaining about the officiating. I don't recall anyone from the Ducks team complaining after game 3, though their frustration during the game was obvious. Bryan Murray, Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, etc. were complaining to the press about the officiating after each of the first 2 games. Isn't it amazing that there have no ...
OPP Constable Lyndon Slewidge delivered one of the most stirring renditions of "O Canada" in recent memory before Game 2 -- as he does every night before Senators games. The coolest part was the enormous Canadian Flag being passed around the upper deck. Quite possibly the greatest Anthem since the 1991 All-Star game by Wayne Messmer and 20,000 Chicagoans.
But no Lyndo...
For all the talk of Daniel Alfredsson's goal in game three, the issue of what a distinct kicking motion entails may be a moot point.
After watching the replay dozens of times in super-slow motion on a top-quality HDTV, it appears the puck actually went in off Alfredsson's stick.
Stationed to the left of Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Alfredsson directed t...
"It's a joke. It's a joke. It's been going on the whole series and the whole playoffs, that's a joke. Not one of those calls whether it was against Anaheim or against Ottawa was a penalty....they were bad calls and it's ridiculous at this point of the season that you have referees making these kind of bad calls....missing dives, making calls that aren't even penalties...Ra...
I cannot believe I even have to say this...but I've just lost all respect for Daniel Alfredsson. In case you think I've always disliked him, simply refer back to almost every playoff blog to see how I've talked about him. What in the world was he thinking? He went completely off the reservation. The shot at Scott Niedermayer was crazy enough...but then he goes and punc...
Well, considering the Anaheim Ducks are now 2-0 in the 2007 playoffs without stud defenseman and Mensa candidate Chris Pronger, my guess is that we can officially scratch him off the short list of Conn Smythe trophy contenders.
Pronger's hotly debated second suspension was weathered by the Ducks' remaining defensemen and especially goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who was...
As we approach the last interesting days of this hockey season some of the blogs I have read recently have given me thoughts to ponder. I wrote before that we might see the beginning of 'parity' as star talent looks like it will disperse further from the traditional concentrations. If the cap increases that may not happen but certainly it will take a few more years for t...
Which player wins the Zinedine Zidane award for a meltdown during a championship game or series? The nominees are Chris Pronger, for his game 3 Dean McAmmond headhunting excursion, and Daniel Alfredsson, for his game 4 end-of-2nd period bazooka blast at Scott Neidermayer. As with Zidane in the World Cup final, these 2 incidents happened during tied games. Todd Marchant's ...
Watch this blog over the summer for Vancouver Island hockey news, including BCHL, ECHL and the Canucks training camp in Victoria!
I didn't get to see much of Game 3 as I was on a mini vacation on the weekend. Went to Seattle to check it out and had a great time. All that I saw was the last 10min of the first, Coach's Corner and funny enough, the Pronger elbow.
Now I did get to watch Game 4 and another solid game. This has been a very good series to watch and they have all been tight games. T...
I have to say that I did like the segment after the 2nd period during game 4 last night with Don Cherry visiting the NBC booth.
As far as the opinion of both Cherry and Brett Hull I have to agree that the majority would like to see fighting as part of the NHL and I do agree that ratings wouldn't suffer, but would be better if it was more common to see a little sparring...
Yah yah, I know. I've heard all the rhetoric about why, as an Oiler fan, I have to hate Anaheim. Blah, blah Pronger. But I just can't. Hey, would I rather see Pronger wearing the Oil Drop and hoisting the Cup? Of course but it's not going to happen.
There are just too many reasons to admire the Ducks.
1) Scott Niedermeyer is as classy as it gets in the NHL. Nice to s...
WHy is there no talk about that bone-headed shot at Niedermayer at the end of the 2nd period. Captain Danny should have to sit game 5 after that classless attempt to injure the Duck's captain, a real captain.
The NHL is just showing another example of how they continue to be a mediocre league and let this headhunting go on. Does the NBA allow players to throw the bask...
Southern California -- for once, it's about the Ducks.
And hockey.
In Southern California, hockey fans often feel like they simply do not belong. The Lakers and Dodgers win championships routinely, even if it's been nearly two decades for the latter. Even the Angels have a World Series to their name, and they are a franchise considered cursed by many fans.
Sure, t...
To many fans of Canadian teams, the closest thing to seeing their team in the final rounds of the playoffs is to follow their next crop of superstars in the AHL playoffs. For the Montreal Canadiens, there couldn't be a better indication of the future of the most storied franchise in hockey history than the play of their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. While many neve...
Game 3, had less than 1 million viewers, with it peaking at a .08 Rating In the Final 30 mins of the game, with only 3 % of TV Viewers watching this game.
[i]Last year's game 3 got a 1.7 Rating. Down big time for a Saturday full of repeats or movies.[/i]
Game 4 on the otherhand had a jump up to a 2.1 Rating (2.3 Million Viewers), with only 4 % of people watching TV...
Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals resumes tonight in sunny California, but for Ottawa the it's not so much the Ducks they have to be worried about - it's the crows waiting for the dead to fall.
Is it all doom and gloom if you're a Sens fan? Of course not, but getting this far and seeing your team out-matched in every possible area raises areas for concern. Out-matched ...
Jsaquella writes...
Flyers Shuffle Staffs: Mullen, McIllhargy In, Berube To AHL
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
From the team's website:
http://flyers.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=316734&page=NewsPage&service=page
John Stevens, who took over for Ken Hitchcock last season, will have some veteran NHL players serving as his assistants next season. Joe Mullen, who until this past season was the all time leading US born goal scorer, and Jack McIllhargy, former Flyer, will be his assi...
Please [b]DON'T[/b] even think of sigining Alexei Yashin.
Front page of the Goldstream Gazette has the Canucks holding their main and prospects camp and the Bear Mountain Arena in Colwood from Sept 5-18, Len Barrie saying a decision will come in " a few weeks" with the Blue and White game scheduled for the SOFMC in Victoria
Check out VI Hockey Buzz daily for updates during the camp!
[img:left]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/Zacobius/nik_51009.jpg[/img] Well lets get this news out of th way. Antropov as been re-signed for 2 years, a little over $4 mil. Not sure what to think. Clearly this puts him as a top 6 forward and his expectations have gone up. His problems have always been injuries. It's a shame really cause you can see his talent whe...
And, in the end, after making us sweat it out for a couple of months, they got it right!
Alexei Yashin’s tumultuous tenure as captain of the New York Islanders has finally come to an end. Whatever sales pitch Ted Nolan and Garth Snow threw at Charles Wang worked, though it must have been a tough decision for the Islanders owner. Regardless, as I have written in previo...
[img:right]http://www.wgr550.com/sabres/top10/media/02_mayday.jpg[/img]
Congradulations to Brad May on his first Stanley Cup Championship. nearly 14 years and 2 months ago Brad scored one of the biggest Stanley Cup Ot winning goals in history. Now his name will enter the history books as a Stanley Cup winner. It is nice to see him get his due.
With over 900 games pl...
Congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks. An outstanding organization and a tremendous hockey team. They deserved everything they got.
And now our lives fall back to normalcy. No more puck. At least not on the ice.
It's a terribly sad time of year. At least we have the NBA Finals starting tomorrow, right? Major League Baseball is in full swing. And then football s...
I was just watching the Tonight Show and Jay was doing his stand up bit at the beginning and he made a really asinine comment. He said that there was a research study that was done that showed that people ate more while watching interesting television shows. He said that NBC's new slogan should be "watch more and take off the pounds" and he directly followed that up by sar...
Well it ended exactly as I predicted in July of last year. On July 4th I was in Las Vegas with my wife on a vacation. Due to a glitch in the reservation system on Vegas.com for the Flamingo, me and about 4 other guys got 9 rooms total for exactly $0.23.... That's 23 cents American. Yes, technology is cool. The Flamingo cancelled our reservations, but then reinstated our ro...
It’s a sad day in Sens land. The Ducks did to the Sens what the Sens had done to the Penguins, Devils and Sabres. The Ducks played their game and played in a way that made the Sens play in a way they didn’t want to. The Sens just couldn’t find a way to get back to the way they played in the first three rounds of the play-offs. They lost to a better team and there...
Obviously many great stories from this year's playoffs and the finals in particular. Ottawa finally made it to the big dance, but obviously couldn't get the job done when it mattered most. The Niedermayer's got their wish as did Chris Pronger. But one underlying story occurred to me as I was watching Niedermayer hoist the cup; no team with a European captain has ever won t...
Short blog here, just felt like getting my opinion out there into the ether. It's a common viewpoint on NHL expansion but what can i say, when theres no hockey games/trade/rumors to read about I need to let it all out somehow!
I think that in 4-5 years expansion will be more than likely. If this occurs, I would hate to see the NHL pick the wrong markets to expand into....
The Anaheim Ducks have won the Stanley Cup. Not only did they win it, they won it [i]convincingly[/i]. Three straight seasons- maybe four (did the Detroit-Carolina series go seven games?)- the Finals were decided in seven games. This was the first truly lop-sided final I've sat down and watched since the Red Wings swept the Flyers back in '97 (now THAT was a show of force)...
OnPoint writes...
Lindy Ruff is Duke Phillips and other random thoughts
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
[b]Lindy Phillips? Duke Ruff? You decide[/b]
After enjoying the final moments of the Stanley Cup presentation (congrats to the Ducks, someday I hope to enjoy a celebration in Buffalo as well), a friend and I put on a DVD of one of our favorite television shows: The Critic. A long cancelled and mostly forgotten classic, for those of you who don't know. It's a cartoon s...
No surprise that the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn't know his hockey history forgetting the beloved 1925 Stanley Cup Champs, Victoria Cougars when he proclaimed the Ducks the first Stanley Cup winners from the West Coast last night. I'm sure the press release apology is on its way.....
[img:left]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/Zacobius/nhl_blog/capt.jpg[/img] Well congrats to the Ducks. What a great playoff run and what a win in Game 5. After all those close games, it was great to see them in a blowout. After watching Cory Perry in London, it was great to see him get that goal (what a shot) and once again, no celebration looks better in sports t...
The NHL and NBC can not like this.. The Ratings from game 4 to game 5 went DOWN. A 2.1 for Game 4 went down to a mere 1.8 for the final game is not good for either the NHL or NBC.. The ratings are obviosuly down big time from last years Cup Finals..
I want to say congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks franchise, Brian Burke, Randy Carlyle, the players, staff and fans on their first Stanley Cup championship. Your organization did a fantastic job and proved that "old time hockey" can still be used to hoist that battered old mug.
It was awesome to hear the sheer excitement of the Ducks fans, both during and after the ga...
Canadian hockey fans and other hockey fans of the more established teams from the North will ultimately will hear the following comments one way or another at a NHL arena, or anywhere else NHL hockey fans gather:
"The Stanley Cup belongs in a [b]real[/b] hockeytown"
"I cannot stand when these teams from the South and the West win. It's not right"
Ask yourself thi...
The day of June 7, 2007 will be a day Islander fans will remember for a long time. The day they bought out the contract of their captain Alexei Yashin. Back in 2001 Alexei signed the ridiculous $87.5-million contract for about 10 years. In 1999 Yashin sat out the entire year because of contract problems, then in 2001 on draft day, the big trade happened. Ottawa traded thei...
There is one thing that really hits you when you see the Stanley Cup in person, and it is even more evident at the end of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The silver chalice has quite a presence.
The uninformed could walk into a room with the Stanley Cup, have no idea what hockey is, and recognize the trophy is something special.
Wednesday night in Anaheim, more than 17,00...
So I was watching Around the Horn earlier today (it was quite literally either that or Charmed at 4 central on a weekday, and...well, let's just say that there were commercials) when Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News brought up his "[url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/tcowlishaw/stories/060607dnspocowlishaw.2cb3128.html]great article[/url...
nephew23 writes...
Congratulations Anaheim Ducks! Stars Re-Sign Stu Barnes
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
What a series! Easily the best final round in several years...filled with tons of hitting, scoring, saves, and old-school hockey! The Ducks were deserving of the Cup and did not hesitate when they had the opportunity to wrap it up. It was quite an impressive performance and a helluva way to claim the prize...especially in front of the home crowd. Giggy, Selanne, the Ni...
I would like to begin with saying congratulations to the Ducks of Anahiem, their players, organization, staff and their 20,000 fans. It was a heart wreching experience to see our old GM (Brian Burke) and our old minor league coach (Randy Carlyle) and our free agent gaff (Scott Niedermayer) and our old fan favourite (Brad May)...well you get the point...it was a heart wrenc...
Leave it to my fellow Habs fans to find a dilemma or crisis at any point of the season. If its not some crisis involving Russians, it [i]has[/i] to be something involving goaltenders...
Much to my delight, I watched Game #5 of the Calder Cup Finals last night. It was the Hershey Bears vs. our very own Hamilton Bulldogs. Much fuss was made about Carey Price being poised ...
When my wife and I heard that Roger Neilson was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, we were saddened because we really enjoyed his spunk (and flashy ties). Like us, Roger was a born-again Christian and that shared faith was refreshing to see in a sport regarded as something less than holy amongst many of our peers. When we met Roger some months before, I was proud to have him...
[img]http://nhl.speedera.net/image-upload/regier_tallAP.jpg[/img]
Picture this: It is July 4th in the United States in Western New York and some Sabres fans get together for a BBQ to celebrate Independence Day. And when Buffalo sports fans have an outing, you can bet the house it is only a matter of time before the conversation turns to either the Bills or Sabres.
...
Will all due reverence for Will Ferrell, truer words have never been spoken.
Expansion? Seriously? Did I wake up yesterday in an alternate reality where Spock has a bad ass goatee and the NHL has 30 healthy teams?
First off, who would pay $150M to get into the NHL? Even if you stand to possibly make money on franchise appreciation, what about the operating losses? Or...
First blog on here, but have been following HockeyBuzz/Eklund's site since almost day one. I admit though, that I do not follow MyHockeyBuzz, so I hope I'm not stepping on the toes of other writers with these points.
I've been following hockey since I can remember (possibly even while in the womb), and I love it for millions of reasons. I love the sport side of it, th...
So the Cup has been skated, the ice has been taken up, and the Zamboni's put in storage. In most respects, this is a sad time for me. I love the game, and wish it would go on year-round. But there is an up-side to the off-season.
There is a distinct list of overused hockey cliches that incite bleeding from my aural canals and cause migraines that ache with the intens...
Well now, I've had a few days to savor all that I saw and heard at Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals, and I have some thoughts to impart.
I was a very lukewarm hockey follower for a number of years, and got more serious behind it about 4 years ago. I became a Ducks fan because they were the perpetual joke of the NHL, and a long-suffering underdog to the L.A. King...
Hi, it's me again........the relatively new hockey fan.
I want to talk about something I've been remiss in not mentioning before: The great fans of the great sport of hockey.
I've been to football games where fans cursed each other and got in fights. I've been to baseball games where the same has happened. I have yet to see such behavior in the fans I'm come in contac...
[url]http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20070609_Flyers_hold_on_to_Jonsson.html[/url]
According to Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer and HockeyBuzz blogger Tim Panaccio, the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to re-sign goaltender Antero Niittymaki this weekend.
Niity will serve as a back-up to incumbent Martin Biron, acquired at the trade deadline from Buffal...
"A wealth of riches"
That is a quote from Darren Dreger of TSN. I wonder if Darren thinks it is possible to have too much money or too many friends?
Difficult to think Boo-hoo for the poor Hab's Fans but the sudden attention to Carey Price and the desire to bring him up more quickly than originally anticipated creates a conundrum for the Habs and their faithful.
The pro...
Here is my quick breakdown of what I expect each team to do this year at the draft. I will show you what each team's weakness is and later I will post who I think each team will draft based on these facts, in the first two rounds. A mock draft if you will. Here is my breakdown:
[b]Anaheim[/b] - May need defensive help, but Brian Burke has a knack to make a good trade...
Hey pens fans,
Here are a few fast rumors.
Gary Roberts may be a Pen next season, but it is more likely he will be in Toronto.
Mark Recchi is going to be a Pen. He is not signed, but I am almost certain he will be.
Robert Lang - yeah, that name is a blast from the Pen's past - He may be coming back to the Pens, but it is not the stronggest rumor I have hear...
Okay, so with the NHL Entry Draft not too far off in the distance, I think it's time to educate some folks in what is the proper method of conducting a draft.
DO: Address your needs first. Get what you know you're going to need. If you're Bob Gainey, you don't want to draft a goalie and a wing with your two first rounders. Draft a center and maybe a blue liner like, say...
Here is my prediction of the first round basing it on each team's needs as pointed out in my previous blog. I believe this is the most accurate way you can do a mock draft, and I hope you people enjoy this. Here we go:
1. Chicago - Patrick Kane - RW
2. Philadelphia - Kyle Turris - C
3. Phoenix - Alexei Cherepanov - RW
4. Los Angeles - Sam Gagner - C
5. Washington...
From a contact close to the team:
[quote]I got a juicy one for ya......
A respected player [that won't be named] said that there is no way that the Preds are interested in resigning Hartnell, because, for one, everybody in the locker room couldn't stand him.....[/quote]
Well, folks, looks like there was more in common between Walker and Hartnell than their first n...
Since the GM meetings were held this week, I have decided to make this post to fit the scenario IF the gms decide to put in bigger nets-
October 4, 2007- The first game of the NHL season in Anaheim has been delayed because they could not get the new bigger net through the zamboni entrance and onto the slushy ice rink. Finally, the game has started at midnight eastern ti...
As we approach the draft, several teams are looking to free up cap room to either make a bigger trade, or sign a big name free agent (and if you've checked out our top 35 list, there are a lot of tem). With this activity, the rumours are starting to swirl.
The Leafs would love to move one of their two high-priced defenseman. Freeing up the 5+ million that both Kubina an...
Hockey will never be huge in so calif. I have lived here my whole life and been a puck fan as far as I could remember. The fact that 15,000 showed up at the Honda Center on a glorious saturday evening is pretty impressive. I have tried to pimp the sport to others with no avail. I dont think things will ever change because this region is soooo big geographically and there's...
This is an open question for all the NHLers out there. Unrestricted free agency is almost upon us and a handful of notable free agents such as Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, and Ryan Smyth to name a few, look like they will become UFA's.
So here's the big question. As a top level UFA how do you decide which team you will decide to sign with? For some it...
We are getting down to crunch time here. Free Agency begins July 1st and right now the Predators are not 100% sure who will own the team at that time. In order for a sale to happen the prospective buy Jim Basillie needs to appear before the NHL board of governers. A meeting is scheduled for June on June 20th…while it is not too late to get on the agenda time is runni...
I go onto hockey boards everywhere, from Canadiens.com, to Hockeysfuture.com (Montreal Canadiens, message board). On each of these sites, and many more their are always wants for big time players, through trades or free agency. Fans want Drury, Briere, Gomez.... These wants are un - realistic, except maybe Briere, but at 6 - 7 million, i don't want him. I've been proposiin...
GilPerrault writes...
The Correlation Between the Sabres and The Sopranos
Posted Monday | Comments 0
The Sabres’ past season and the final episode of the Sopranos have a few things in common. The Sabres built up the hopes and dreams of the City of Buffalo for its first ever significant national championship. We, Sabres fans, have seen this team develop over the years with big wins, strong efforts and winning streaks that led to the best record in the NHL’s regular sea...
Well here we are. We can expect that the ink will be dry on a new contract for Mats Sundin this week. At least before Friday. I still have a mixed feelings about this. I understand that he is in the twilight of his career and that he wants to do everything he can to win with the Leafs. It's a great story but will it happen? Can it happen? I would hope that part of th...
Sunday night at Anaheim Ice, the Thunderchickens defeated Le Doog 4-1 in a chippy and entertaining affair.
Odds are, you have not heard of either of these teams. The clubs play in the Gold Division of the Anaheim Ice Adult Hockey League, but they have something in common with the Stanley Cup Champions.
You see, Anaheim Ice is the practice rink of the Anaheim Ducks, w...
The top name that keeps getting thrown around town as rumours swirl is Ryan Smyth heading to the Leafs, this seems to be the Leafs #1 target this off season with the backline all shored up pending Colaiacovo's signing which should be done shortly, what seems to escape many people's minds is that the Leafs are also looking to add some much needed grit to the lineup with the...
im bored. tv during the summer sucks full of repeats and reality tv. i found myself watching wrasslin tonight, inwhich i thought was pretty entertaining.
i wish there was something to talk about related to hockey.
why cant July 1 come any faster?
how is everyone holding up before July 1?
My ongoing trivia blog -- [b]"Scoop's Trivia"[/b] -- can now be found on the [b]HockeyBuzz[/b] home page.
I will always try to keep my questions [b]unusual, intriguing, thought provoking, entertaining[/b], and most of all always [b]challenging[/b]. Even if you are not able to answer all (or even any) of the questions do not despair! They are meant to be a bit [b]off th...
Loyal Readers,
Welcome to my first blog on the Hockey Buzz site. It is that time of year. Sometimes I think it is as much fun as the season. Our beloved Oil have a lot of holes to fill, no untouchables, loads of draft picks and room under the Salary Cap. That is an equation for an exciting off season.
The biggest hole in my opinion is defensemen. The new NHL you n...
[img:left]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/Zacobius/matshor_78503.jpg[/img] Well we knew it was coming. Originally reports 2 months ago but DD at TSN, Mats was offered a 2 year deal, 11mil or so. That's what everyone was expecting and while many did not like it, they have come to accept it. So then last night, DD reports a 1 year deal. Huh?
This caught me off ...
From the Tennessean:
[i]Jim Balsillie has submitted a formal application to buy the Predators.
Balsillie’s lawyer, Toronto-based attorney Richard Rodier, said the application was sent to the NHL late Monday.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed that the league received the application Monday night.
The application, which includes a purchase agreement, ...
Here is the continuation of my series of predictions for the upcoming 2007 draft. This will be the final installment seeing as I haven't prepared a third round. I would be happy to make one up if you want me to, but as of right now this is it. Enjoy!
Round 2
31. Buffalo - Thomas Hickey- D
32. Phoenix - Stefan Legein - RW
33. Vancouver - Michal Repik - RW
34. Wa...
Wow I was surprised when I flipped up the net to see on my TSN RSS (great way to get the latest news) that Sundin had re-signed with the Leafs, Chelios w/ the Red Wings, and a couple of other small signings.
Lets start off on the Sundin signing. If Fergy thinks he could get a good deal out of 5.5 million for Sundin, he is definetely not thinking straight since Kevin Low...
They are both returning for 07-08. Details not known at this time, but they have agreed to new deals with the Sabres. This per WGRZ-Channel 2 in Buffalo, broadcasted during this evening's 5 p.m. news.
WGR-550 is also reporting that Ruff has signed this evening.
The focus of the Sabres can now move STRICTLY to free agency.
Apparently, not everybody loves a parade.
Eschewing tradition, the Anaheim Ducks did not hold a Stanley Cup parade, opting instead for a rally in the south parking lot of the Honda Center.
Turns out, it was not such a bad move.
An estimated crowd of 15,000 was getting antsy as the festivities began an hour after the scheduled time of 6:30 p.m. To make matters wors...
NucksFan writes...
Top 10 Signs You Are Going Through Hockey Season Withdrawl
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
[b]10.[/b] You are actually interested in the news that Chelios got re-signed by Detroit.
[b]9.[/b] Youtube is visited daily to find fan videos of the final seconds before The Ducks hoist the Stanley Cup.
[b]8.[/b] Your computer's desktop wallpaper is still your team's logo.
[b]7.[/b] You still sport the car flag of your team as you drive around town.
[b]6....
Buffalo has not had a captain as heartfelt as Chris Drury since Pat LaFontaine played here. Any interview you watch, you'll hear "us", "team", "we". Also, it's been a long time since I've heard a professional athlete in Buffalo speak about the city in the way Drury has in his time here. Drury said it's great to see those basketball nets vacant, and all the kids playing str...
Buffalo has not had a captain as heartfelt as Chris Drury since Pat LaFontaine played here. Any interview you watch, you'll hear "us", "team", "we". Also, it's been a long time since I've heard a professional athlete in Buffalo speak about the city in the way Drury has in his time here. Drury said it's great to see those basketball nets vacant, and all the kids playing str...
Buffalo has not had a captain as heartfelt as Chris Drury since Pat LaFontaine played here. Any interview you watch, you'll hear "us", "team", "we". Also, it's been a long time since I've heard a professional athlete in Buffalo speak about the city in the way Drury has in his time here. Drury said it's great to see those basketball nets vacant, and all the kids playing str...
Buffalo has not had a captain as heartfelt as Chris Drury since Pat LaFontaine played here. Any interview you watch, you'll hear "us", "team", "we". Also, it's been a long time since I've heard a professional athlete in Buffalo speak about the city in the way Drury has in his time here. Drury said it's great to see those basketball nets vacant, and all the kids playing str...
Ok...I will admit, the prospect of a Samsonov - Yashin - Kovalev line sounds explosive...on paper. But do we really expect the Habs to make the same mistake 3 times in a row here?
05-06 Season: Kovalev signed to a 4 year deal worth 20.25 Million (Failure)
06-07 Season: Samsonov signed to a 2 year deal worth 7.05 Million (Failure)
07-08 Season: YASHIN?!?!?!
Come on ...
Based on Ek's list of who's the best available, I'm forecasting where each player will land this summer:
#1 Centers
1. Chris Drury (7.5M) - San Jose. I think they'll sign Drury and trade Marleau. Anaheim already has McDonald and Getzlaf as their top two centers and the Kings have Kopitar and Cammalleri.
2. Scotty Gomez (7M) - Atlanta. Gomez centering a line of ...
Well here it is mid June, were getting close to the draft which might mean a couple of trades but more important it's getting close to July 1st. This might be some fans favorite time of the off season. It could even be their favorite time of the year because right now every fan feels that their team has a chance to make the necessary changes to have a shot at hoisting ...
Note to Preds fans: I don't necessarily want to see the Preds move to Hamilton because I think they have a very solid base of real fans who deserve a better fate, and because their rivalry with the Blues has been intense in the past few years.
However, if they do move, there will be an imbalance in the league and it will probably lead to the addition to 2 new teams in...
According to an article on the AHL's Website, EA Sports' NHL08 will feature all 29 teams from the American Hockey League as fully playable for the first time in video gaming history. Let's just hope the AHL doesn't opt to expand next year and make the game worthless. ;)
Still no word on Euro leagues, unfortunately. I was really disappointed that they cut them out of NHL...
I saw a Flyers blogger mention that Cory Sarich would sign in Nashville and would "replace Timonen." :? Huh!?
Cory Sarich was a second round draft selection of the Buffalo Sabres in 1996. He was traded to the Lightning in 2000. From 2002-2007, he has played every single regular season game- for those who hate math, that's 328 games. I think he's also played every playof...
Chris Gratton was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2nd round pick in 07, or 08(Florida's option) according to TSN. This deal gives the Lightning some much needed depth at center and clears 1.5 million of cap space for Florida which will further fuel rumors that they are going to make a pitch for a big name UFA.
Current Maple Leafs salary structure as counted against cap as of June 13/07
Bryan McCabe 5.75 million
Mats Sundin 5.50 million
Pavel Kubina 5.00 million
Tomas Kaberle 4.25 million
Darcy Tucker 3.00 million
Alex Ponikarovsky 2.105 million
Hal Gill 2.075 million
Nik Antropov 2.05 million
Andrew Raycroft 2.00 million
Alex Steen 900,690
Cha...
As reported on tsn.ca, it appears Mike Keenan could be back in the NHL - as the head coach of the Calgary Flames.
I'm in shock and disbelief. If this is a rumour then TSN got burnt bad but if it's true, God help Kipper!
The Anaheim Ducks changed hands for $80M two years ago. Balsille agrees to pay $220M+ less than 18 months later. Apparently NHL franchise prices are going up faster than Alberta real estate.
Even if the general business community agrees that Balsille overpaid, this significantly drives up the price of an NHL franchise. As well, if the NHL does pursue expansion, suddenly...
When asked about his approach to signing #1 RFA Tomas Vanek, Darcy Regier held firm.
“I don’t believe in operating out of fear,” said Regier. “Tomas is a Restricted Free Agent and will have a market value that we’ll go from there.”
Interesting stance by Darcy but I can;’t say I’m surprised. It’s going to take a $4million plus offer to get Vanek ou...
What do the terms EASTERN, WESTERN, Atlantic, Northeast, Southeast, Central, Northwest and Pacific mean to you?
Unless you are explaining the weather or refering to geographical locations, they don't mean anything to me.
I don't recall the exact year the division and conference names were changed (somenone help me out on that one) but I do remember thinking "WHAT?!!!...
[b]Originally posted at PredNation.com[/b]
In 1997, the NHL awarded four new expansion franchises to begin play over the next several seasons. Nashville, Atlanta, Minnesota, and Columbus were awarded franchises that first hit the ice in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2000 respectively. This expansion was on the heels of two franchises, Colorado and Phoenix, moving from Canadia...
So here we are with the NHL Awards on tonight (does anyone really care?) and most of the talk seems to be around the MVP, Goalie and Rookie.
If it was up to me, it would be Sid for MVP, Luongo for Goalie, and Staal for Rookie. We'll see how that pans out.
I'm not sure how much trade talk goes on at the awards. I'm torn on what I would like to happen. I wouldn'...
bluez brother_38 writes...
Nine Seasons Not Enough; Don't pull the plug on Nashville
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
I had this all ready to post on another message board, tried to post it, and found out the thread had been locked. RATS!
So I'm posting it here. I'd been craving having something to blog about anyways.
This is a little modified to make more sense for the blog.
Nashville simply hasn't had enough time to become a viable market. But there's no reason it still could...
So has anyone heard anything on the new Fantastic Four movie? I was considering going to see it tomorrow.
And now, what you've all been waiting for- FREE AGENT RANKINGS!!! :thumbsup:
We'll start at the back and work our way up.
[b]Goaltenders[/b]
Now before you fly off the handle and say "OMG WHERE THE HECK IS GIGUERE!?!?!?" Relax. He's not on here because I ...
Versus, the NHL's premier broadcast "partner"in the US, has seen fit to delay the Awards Show broadcast until 11:00 PM tonight. This so they can televise a bunch of gang-bangers in pajamas kicking each other in what resembles a large playpen.
Is there no limit to the league's self-loathing? How can they allow these continued slights? Are they incompetent, or is there...
The NHL awards show has been pushed back from 7:30 to 11pm EST in the United States on Versus and for what, not bull riding, not horse racing, but this time World Combat League Fighting. NHL.com has had it on there website all week that the awards show will be on Versus at 7:30 PM for all to enjoy, and again we get screwed by at network that the NHL leads us to beleive the...
Jsaquella writes...
What If You Had An Awards Show And Nobody Could Watch
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
First of all congrats to all the NHL award winners, especially Hart Trophy winner Sidney Crosby.
So, Thursday night, after a rough day at work, I get home. I get my mail and I see my wonderful-if ill gotten-HockeyBuzz hat has arrived. Immediately the day is brighter. I am going to have some chicken enchiladas and watch the NHL awards show on Versus.
Well, I get my me...
Hey pens fans,
As we all know, Sidney Crosby won the Art Ross for Leading scorer. Sidney also won the Hart for MVP and the Pearson for the player voted MVP. Sid is the youngest player to ever win the Hart. Evgeni Malkin won the Calder for Rookie of the year.
[url]http://penshockcey.blogspot.com[/url]
[b]Alain Vigneault - Vancouver Canucks[/b]
The NW is a cake walk of a division. 5 out of the 8 teams from the western conf. that made it into the playoffs had higher point totals than the NW divison winners the Canucks. Im not saying Vigneault and the Canucks didnt have a good season but there were obvious better choices for the award. Also i dont see how Randy Carlisle...
Dallas Stars goaltender Mike Smith was named to the 2006-07 NHL All-Rookie Team, it was announced on Thursday evening from the NHL Awards Ceremony in Toronto. Voting was conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the conclusion of the regular season.
Smith, 25, appeared in 23 games with the Stars, posting a 12-5-2 record with a 2.23 goals-against-avera...
When I found out about the move that versus made last night it made me wonder if the NHL wants this game to flourish in the States. I have often heard that the NHL is a regional game and not national game in the USA, and they should stay that way. Well I am wondering if the NHL is marketing to be a regional sport.
They have their awards show and half the peop...
The NHL Awards show has too strong a Canadian flavor to it. We, who grew up on the border appreciate it. But, if the NHL wants the game to appeal more to the casual fan in the states they have to make these events more cross cultural. If I'm someone who knows a little bit about the game, a show like the one last night would keep me following the more American sports like f...
Both players were signed to 2 year deals today by the Montreal Canadiens. Official financial details have not been released as of yet. Rumour has it they are both making below 2 Mil a year. This is grat news for the future of our club!
P.S....not to rub it in, but....
Ha Ha Eric....beat you to it! :P
So we had the NHL Awards last night. I didn't watch them. All that I saw was from the bar after work. Honestly, I don't even get why these are on the tv. I like that awards are given out but the whole event just seems a little over the top for me.
But that's just my point of view.
As for who got what last night, most were expected. It was nice to see Vigneau...
#1, Re-sign Drury to a 5-year deal at between $7 and $7.5 million a year.
#2, Re-sign Vanek to a 5-7 year deal at an average of $3.5-$4
million year.
#3, Re-sign Roy (about $1.5 million a year), Mair ($750,000 a year), Michael Ryan (minor league contract), Dan Paille ($750,00 a year), Nathan Paetsch ($1 million a year) to multi-year deals. Definitely lock Paetsch...
Last night, I was pretty ticked off about not being able to watch the NHL awards show. I find the awards show, with it's awful humor and poor production qualities, a great coda to the NHL season and playoffs.
Well, I wrote a blog blaming the NHL and Gary Bettman. Turns out it was a TV truck from the CBC. I still fault Bettman for a great deal of the NHL's issues, howev...
cfposi writes...
Samsonov: Don't let the door hit you on the way out...
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Another reason why I think Bob Gainey is the best GM in the league! Instead of buying out Samsonov (cap hit of 1.175 over the next 2 years), we have now traded this dissapointment to Chicago in return for Cullimore and Salmelainen (Total Cap hit of 2.65M this year). To make things better, the habs will buyout Cullimore (cap hit of 612,000 over the next 2 years). This is gr...
So it's 90 degrees now, several of the local rinks have already switched to running inline or putting turf down for soccer/lax, and I'm blogging on a hockey site. Hopeless, right? Well, this summer I'm turning this blog into a sort of stream-of-consciousness on hockey, music, film and life.
--Scott Niedermayer...if you retire on top, you'll be doing a good job, but it'l...
Wahington caps
[img]http://www.nhldigest.com/wp-admin/images/Capsnewjerseys.jpg[/img]
June 30th is the date when we will find out what the new salary cap is for the 2007-2008 season. In my opinion, it needs to be high. Higher than expected. Some of the numbers being thrown around are 48, 49, and maybe even 50. Eklund stated recently that the cap is set to rise to 52, and I don't mind that. Players want more money (obviously), teams are stuck and are willing...
Vancover Cauncks
[IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h162/flyershockey81/canucks-uniforms.gif[/IMG]
Sorry, I think another way!!!!!
Well done boys! Great news!
Hey pens fans,
Mark Recchi will most likely return to the Pens this coming season. I cannot see him leaving, though he has drawn outside interest.
Gary Roberts has drawn heavy interest from Toronto and he will either be a Leaf or with the Pens and I am not sure how this will go.
Tom Poti is drawing lots of interest from all around and the Pens threw their name in...
First off, let me start by looking at the numbers in terms of a salary cap hit for the 2007-08 season:
([i]all numbers rounded to two decimal places[/i])
SUNDIN- $5.50M
TUCKER- $3.00M
ANTROPOV- $1.95M
STEEN- $0.95M
KILGER- $0.87M
STAJAN- $0.95M
WELLWOOD- $0.95M
PONIKAROVSKY- $1.58M
POHL- $0.48M
DEVERAUX- $0.55M
ONDRUS- $0.50M
WESTRUM- $0.48M
NEWBURY- $0.4...
Hartnell and Timonen are gone. The Preds have traded the rights of All-Star defenseman Kimmo Timonen and physical winger Scott Hartnell to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a first round pick.
Well...all those in Nashville hoping the Kimmo would retire a Predator are a bit disappointed in this deal. For me I am bummed to see Scotty go. Word was that he was a ...
...but Paul Holmgren has just shown how bad of a GM he is. He has drastically overpaid for Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell.
Hartnell, 24, has a great deal of potential, and when he was drafted was pegged to be a captain some day. But in the last two years that has faded away, and he's had numerous head-on collisions with the coaching staff, and most of the locker room ...
In an article in the [url=http://calsun.canoe.ca/Sports/OtherSports/2007/06/18/4269554-sun.html]Calgary Sun[/url], it reports Martin Gelinas who is eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1 would like to sign with either the Calgary Flames or Vancouver Canucks to finish off his career.
[quote]Martin Gelinas and his family are back in town for the summer, comforted...
I think It's safe to say that Roberto Luongo is the single best thing that's happened to the Vancouver Canucks in a very long time, if not, ever. But what happens when the all-star goalie gets, dare I say, injured or gets tired of playing over seventy games a season, what then? Dany Sabourin had a mediocre start to the season but as he played a few more games he seemed mor...
ButlerGoalie writes...
Nashville is Latest Punch Line in Running NHL Joke
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Expansion, Relocation and Shootouts, oh my! When will the madness that has become the NHL ever end? Would Howie Morenz, Ace Bailey and Eddie Shore even recognize the sport they helped to create?
Did you hear the one about the priest, a rabbi and a minister going into a bar? I don't remember the rest of the joke, but the punch line is "The Nashville Predators."
Sadly,...
Craig, if you will pardon me for being so informal, I felt the need to write to you once again. I haven’t written since November 4th, 2004. The league was in the midst of the lockout at that time, and I felt compelled to write to you regarding my support of the key role you were playing in obtaining a CBA for the league that would put all franchises on near-equal footi...
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[img:left]http://www.hockeyheadquarters.com/images/hockey-cards/c55/vezina-rcx2th.jpg[/img]In April 2007 a mint graded 1911-12 C55 Georges Vezina rookie card shattered the record price ever paid for a hockey card at $100K. The April 2007 issue of Beckett Hockey magazine published an artilce titled "The Greatest Card Ever Sold" focusing on the sale of this Georges Vezina...
It's been something that I have been meaning to get to. That first blog post here on MyHockeyBuzz needed something special, a real kick in the pants to get things going. After yesterday's dramatic twist from Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, it looks like summer could be one of the most memorable ones in recent memory for the Flyers organization. Sure, the Flyers picked up Peter Fo...
It seems that the Predators-Flyers deal, much like the one at the deadline, has opened up the flood gates. Eklund has stated in his blog that the phones are ringing off the hook. Today and the subsequent two days will be quite exciting for many fans. Expect the unexpected unless it involves Bryan Berard.
--------------------------------
And now for the second batch of FA...
Im so sick reading from blogs and message boards of other teams complaining what my Philadelphia Flyers did before July 1.
Can someone please point to me in the CBA where it says where no transactions cant occur before UFA period begins? please?
People should be bowing themselves to Paul Holgram for what he did. He took a page out of the Bob Clarke School of Gm by...
I know most of us Sabre fans are upset with the possibilities of losing both Drury and Briere, but I think we will see something happen on the Briere front before Friday.
As for the draft and Drury, this is what I'd like to see if it becomes clear the Drury is not coming back (this probably won't happen, but it's fun to speculate).
1) Trade Kalinin and a forward (Kot...
Someone please tell me if this can be done. There has to be a way to manipulate the cap. So many times there are contracts given with escalating salaries through out the term of the contract, my question is, can there be declining contracts? The reason I ask is because if there is, what is stopping a GM from signing a player, or players to very long Dipietro like deals, an...
In my analysis, yes it was.
The Flyers want to be competitive as quickly as possible. Making this trade and signing these two guys, both of whom fill vital needs, sends a message that this team is going to do what it takes to ice a winner. Philadelphia is suddenly a much better team on paper, and still has $9mm or so in cap space and only one restricted free agent of an...
beerbaron writes...
Mucks, Mega Bucks and something else that rhymes with ucks..
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Yes folks the baron is back after a lenghty battle with kidney stones. Who knew a stone that was 5mm could kick the crap out of someone so badly. Anywho I digress...Lots has happened in the last month. I'm not going to rehash the cup final as that horse has been put to pasture. All I will say is congrats to both Anaheim and Ottawa for making it.
The Sens came out o...
So lots has gone down lately and lots of rumors floating around. I'm just going to take this time to go over the events and rumors leading up to the draft.
- Great move by the Flyers. I don't get why people are complaining, they get what they wanted and so did the Preds from what I can tell.
- I do think the Flyers over paid but they did something smart with the to...
I wrote earlier in my first blog about how the ratings etc. are not always what they appear, especially considering the total lack of any traditional/large US markets in the Stanley Cup Finals over the past four years compared to the other three major team sports.
I also mentioned, however, that certain things are just getting messed up by the NHL. Hence my surprise las...
[b]Washington[/b]: Ovechkin, who may very well play GM again in Columbus this year (:lol: ), is in agreement with the management staff that 07/08 should be the year the team returns to it’s mid-90s Poile-era form, or at least make a conscious effort. With Backstrom coming in, the Caps will look to acquire just a bit more depth up the middle. Expect them to get into the ...
Here's a list of my top picks for the Wild to pursue this offseason.
Forwards:
[b]1) Jason Blake[/b]
A few things stand out in my mind when I look at Jason Blake. First, obviously, that he was a 40 goal scorer last season with the Islanders and led them in points with 69, but also that he played at a +1 for them over all 82 games. Blake is a ferocious forechecke...
Per TSN, http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=211407&hubname=
In order:
Penalty Shots. Really, this just brings it in line with what all of Canada has been doing for a few years now, and I agree with it. Why should you not be allowed a penalty shot when you get tackled from behind, just because the other team's player didn't wait another two-thirds of a second? A br...
Eggshmeg writes...
Why Is It So Difficult To Put A Franchise In Hamilton?
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
We've seen different franchises move before, mainly from Canadian markets to American, and it has gone quite smoothly. Why are we seeing so much talk about the Predators possible relocation to Hamilton? Did the other franchises that moved have to sell 14,000 tickets in advance? No. Then why does Mr. Balsillie have to do it? Yes I know there are many factors why people don'...
Article concerning Emery is posted on [url]www.tsn.ca[/url].
The highlight of the article is that Ray Emery will be out for 2-3 months while rehabilitating his injury. This will cause two interesting wrinkles for Bryan Murray.
1. What to do with Martin Gerber
2. How this affects Ray Emery's contract status
On the first issue, if Bryan Murray can trade Martin G...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Drury, Briere Never in Sabres Plans From the Start
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
When the Sabres season ended, the speculation started. Would the Sabres sign Drury or Briere? How much money would they command? Questions, Questions, Questions!
In the middle of the season we thought Drury might cash in on a $6mil/year long term contract. And with “leading scorer” statistics, Briere might get more.
Now, as we close in on July 1, those sala...
BlueBloodPat writes...
Free Agents hardly a factor, Draft Day is what counts
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
For hockey fans, July 1st marks the beginning of one of the most exciting times in the hockey calendar, as hockey fans everywhere will sit in front of the computer and wait for their team along with their rival teams to overpay some of the most overrated players in the game. Year after year we do the same thing even though we already know that the free agents are not goin...
Well folks it looks like it will be slow typing for me for a while. While playing in my summer hockey league I broke my right ring finger in two places (a strange thing that could ONLY happen to me). That will be fewer blogs for at least three weeks. However, here is what is running through my head today.
The Oilers offseason plans.
Next to landing a mobile defence p...
Per TSN, 4 years, $24 million. And Ilya Bryzgalov is traded to...?
Luongo07 writes...
My 2007-2008 Vancouver Canucks...disclaimer included
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The wait is over. Since the Vancouver Canucks met thier fate in the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs I have spent several hours here and there just trying to get a feel as to where the franchise sits in terms of what their team will look like next fall. I have seen several posts both here and on the CDC message board that would lead you to believe the the Canucks have millions of...
Tout le monde le sait, le repêchage de la LNH commence demain à Columbus, la première ronde sera télédiffusée à RDS à 7hres.
voici le profil de quelques joueurs québécois qui pourraient être intéressants pour les canadiens:
Angelo Esposito
Esposito est un centre qui lance de la gauche. il patine très bien et il est très talentueux, mais il n'est pas ...
[b]Originally posted on PredNation.com[/b]
On June 21st, Damien Cox of the Toronto Star, thestar.com, wrote an article discussing the impending Predators sale and the lack of movement by the Board of Governors. What follows is my rebuttal to Mr. Cox.
I was able to read your article entitled Why is Bettman so Scared of Canada?. Let me first say that I generally ...
Patrick Cwiklinski writes...
Pittsburgh Penguins: The NHL's Next Superpower
Posted Friday | Comments 0
This season, for the first time in six years, the Pittsburgh Penguins managed to place fifth in the Eastern Conference to face the future Stanley Cup Finalists, the Ottawa Senators, in the first round of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals. Though the Penguins ultimately fell short to the Senators, they reached a goal of making the playoffs, with a team led by its young ...
With the constant rumors of the buffalo sabres loosing both of their captians who do you pick to be the next sabres captain. do you pick Hecht,Campbell,Afinogenov,Tallinder,Lydman or do you get someone from the outside to become your new captain. i believe that that wont happon because they have stressed the last few years how the core of this team is the most important th...
Hey pens fans,
Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi have been resigned. I will after draft info througout the weekend.
[url]htp://penshockey.blogspot.com[/url]
Hey pens fans,
In the first round the Pens select Centre Angelo Esposito from Quebec of the QMJHL. He is 6-1 weighing 180. Last Season with Quebe scored 27-G, 52-A, 79-pts in 60 games.
[url]http://penshockey.blogspot.com[/url]
The Vancouver Canucks traded disgrunteld prospect Jason King to the Anahiem Ducks in exchange for minor league star Ryan Shannon. Not only does this trade releave the Canucks of yet another underachieveing prospect but it also provides GM Dave Nonis some depth and the ability to make tough decisions come free agency time.
Shannon will probably secure himself a spot on t...
Hey pens fans,
The Pens traded WBS Center Stephen Dixon to Anaheim for Center Tim Brent. Brent is 23 years olds, 6' and weighs 197. He played in 15 ames for the Ducks last year.
[/url]http://penshockey.blogspot.com[url]
Hey pens fans,
Here is who the Pens drafted and their positions. If we notice our already centre-heavy team drafted 4 centres.
Round 1 ANGELO ESPOSITO - CENTRE
Round 2 KEVEN VEILLEUX - CENTRE
Round 3 ROBERT BORTUZZO - DEFENSE, CASEY PIERRO-ZABOTEL - CENTRE
Round 4 LUCA CAPUTI - LEFT WING, ALEX GRANT - DEFENSEMAN
Round 5 JAKE MUZZIN - DEFENSE
Round 6 DUSTIN JEFFR...
BlueBloodPat writes...
Toskala ready for the competition, but is Razor?
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
With the acquisition of Vesa Toskala, The Leafs are poised to enter next season with a battle for the number one spot in goal, just like last year, only this time its serious. I mean, how many people actually thought that Aubin had a shot at being the number one goaltender? Sure he played good at the end of the 05/06 season, but there was no pressure on him. He was back...
Some of you may have followed my predictions for the first two rounds of this year's NHL entry draft. Here are the results of my predictions comparing them to where they actually ended up. They are ordered in how I picked them, the number on the right is where they actually ended up, and the third number is how far off I was:
1. P. Kane - 1 = 0
2. K. Turri...
The Nashville Predators finished off last season third in the overall standings, many people expected them to make it deep into the playoffs, if not win the Stanley Cup altogether. The Predators faced the red hot San Jose Sharks in the first round of the Western Conference Quarter Finals and even with a trade deadline acquisition of Peter Forsberg they lost in a 4-1 series...
The Vancouver Canucks have acquired one piece of the puzzle that will help them go far... Ryan Shannon. This shows me that Nonis is willing to make this team a little more gritty and fortunately , A little more mean. I'm not suggesting that Shannon will play a HUGE role in a cup win , but more of a checking , scoring kind of role. Now , I suggest we keep Naslund for a year...
During the lockout, NHL pundits often pointed to the NFL as having a salary cap system that works. The difference between the NFL and NHL is that NFL contracts are not guaranteed. If you sign an NFL player to a five year deal, and they stink in the first year, they can be cut. The NFL team is only on the hook for any guaranteed/bonus money that was already paid out. Th...
The Leafs left this weekends NHL Draft with a few extra pieces then when they arrived, an impressive move by Fergusen picking up Toskala to shore up the Leafs goaltending and adding gritty winger Bell from the Sharks and still drafting Oshawa Generals winger Dale Mitchell a 40+ goal scorer this past season in the third round equals a great weekend in Leafland. The situatio...
With the recent aquisitions or Toskala and Bell, some people in leafland are still somehow on the offensiven and why? JFJ gave a clear indication that the one spot he intended to upgrade in his club was the the goaltending, and he did so in a reasonable fashion.
This draft was looked at by many as a weak draft year, so why not lose a first round pick in order to recieve...
This by far maybe the biggest week in the history of the Sabres franchise in the post lockout era. Drury or Briere? Which one do you want because you can only have one? Does Chris Drury return back to colorado to where he started his career? Does he go home to California and reunite with his best friend Mike Grier? Where does Briere go? Big big questions surrounding the fr...
It has been a tough couple months to be a fan of the Nashville Predators. It has been painful to watch great hockey fans on this site have a feeding frenzy over the possible relocation of our team, and it has been extremely frustrating watching media and bloggers embellish facts and just plain tell complete lies to help their case that the city of Nashville does not ...
why not try to trade Pavel Kubina for Ryan Smyths negotiation rights, or maybe for Gomez's negotiation rights? the devils may need to replace refalski any way. Kubina is a good player but hes making double what he should, some teams can afford him, the leafs most certanly can't unload for nothing, and sign a big name forward instead.
With rumors of a possible three way deal floating around that would see the Flyers deal away Joni Pitkanen and receive Raffi Torres, supposedly to clear up cap room to sign a UFA center like Scott Gomez or Daniel Briere to a massive free agent contract, I needed to blog and just get this much off my chest after a couple days of contemplation.
I still am not a fan of get...
First of all...I must point out that my following statement is not a negative comment about the excellent Habs brass.
Why Bother: I really do enjoy Hockeybuzz, as well as most online media sources (particularly those that focus on my beloved Canadiens). That said, I really no longer see the point of discussing Habs rumours. Bob Gainey is probably one of the most enigmat...
SabreCrazy07 writes...
Buffalo's Silence Speaks Volumes. But what does it say??????
Posted Monday | Comments 0
The recent lack of information out of the Sabres camp in regards to Daniel Breire, Chris Drury & Thomas Vanek speaks volumes. But what does it say exactly? Everyone knows Darcy doesn't show his hand to often. Are there problems amongst the troops? The brass? Or is simply they don't know what direction this team is headed?
This should be the Sabres off-season checklist:...
As July 1st approaches, it is looking more likely every hour that Chris Drury will not be returning to the Buffalo Sabres. While everyone should agree, Chris Drury is an absolute warrior, and he goes to battle for his team every night he hits that ice. He is an unbeleivable leader and a fantastic captain, but putting all that aside, it is not the end for the Sabres if he...
(A Near Flawless Prognostication Through Slightly Orange-and-Blue Colored Glasses)
So, here we are, less than a week to go before this year’s free agent frenzy. We’ll start to find out who’s going where on Sunday, if not sooner. For the New York Islanders and their fans, it’s hard to start throwing any new names out there at this point, what with very little res...
The Dallas Stars qualified a total of seven players before the deadline today: Mike Ribeiro, Joel Lundqvist, Jussi Jokinen, Antti Miettinen, Junior Lessard, Vadim Khomitski, and Marius Holtet. Ribeiro and Lundqvist will play major roles on the team next season...as will Jokinen, if he is not traded. Miettinen will almost certainly be part of a trade, and the others will...
As a Sharks' fan, I really don't see why anyone would think that the Sharks would give Marleau up for anyone on Montreal and/or Buffalo. He's only 28 and has already played in over 700 regular season games. SJ's strategy has been to build the team through the draft. Marleau as the Captain is an excellent example of that strategy being fulfilled. All of these rumors are onl...
Every year different NHL teams try to make an off season move that will change the shape of their franchise for the better, but sometimes we see the general managers of these respected teams hitting their heads over a desk asking "Why?". I've made a list of five players who, this season, didn't come as advertised and instead get paid for having a big name and nothing else....
well the 2007 draft is over and free agency is just around the corner...
waiting is the hardest part
Willie Mitchell has been mentioned in a possible trade that would send the Canucks defensive stalward back to the Minnesota Wild and the Canucks shedding themselves of the $3.5 million dollar salary. Say it ain't so!
Mitchell is extremely overpaid if you look at him for a complete game but seriously you do not look to Willie for the offensive side of his game. Mitchell'...
(Cross-posted from http://hockey.polemicmag.net)
I thought I was going to take a break from hockey post Cup, but for whatever reason, I didn't. So, I've spent an inordinate amount of time looking at cap numbers, etc., rumors, etc., and I've discovered what the Devils plans are for this summer:
Nothing.
Rafalski re-signing remains likely, Gomez leaving remains a ne...
It is very hard for me to rant about Darcy Regeir. I think he has done a very good job considering the mess the Sabres were in last year, and now this year. The one thing I wish I could illustrate to him though, is that it is not always a bad thing to ink a player to a long term deal. Long term not being 3 or 4 years; I'm talking about a franchise player, 5 or 6 years. ...
Keith Tkachuk traded back to St.Louis along with 4th round pick in 08 draft (which could be 3rd round in 09) from Atlanta for The conditional 1st round pick in 08 St.Louis would have gotten if Atlanta were to resign Tkachuk. St.Louis now has the exclusive rights to re-sign Tkachuk before July 1st.
Tony
I think the Flyers have done exceptionally well so far in terms of positioning the team for future success. Paul Holmgren & co are looking like geniuses; but right now the team is entering a most critical stage of this "restructuring", where the next couple of moves will largely determine the fate of this team over the next several years. One of these moves will likely be ...
For the most part the hockey rumor mill has been void of much discussion about Colorado and their involvement in the free agent sweepstakes. There has been a little pen given to the possible signing of Drury, but as I said, not much. However, I think Colorado may surprise everyone with a few big moves. Let me offer a few reasons why they will be players and why top free ...
I'll keep this one simple, straightforward, and to the point:
1) Chicago----Patrick Kane
Obviously the knock on Kane is size and for him he's going to have to use his agility more, which has been compared to Martin St. Louis', to continue to be productive at the next level. He runs the powerplay extremely well on the half wall and has great hands around the net. This sou...
It seems like the Vancouver Canucks are the only team in the NHL that aren't going to be jumping right into the free agent frenzy come July 1st, simply because of the salary cap. However, this doesn’t mean we won’t see the Canucks make a pitch for a quality scorer by way of trade or even by moving a big player to free up some cap space. Here are some of the big names t...
As promised a little bit earlier since I have time tonight to blog:
6) Edmonton Oilers----Sam Gagner
Sam is a deft playmaker with excellent hands as well. His knack for finding the open man and his deft hockey sense made him the best option at #6 for the Edmonton Oilers. While the Oilers could have taken Alexei Cherepanov, Gagner isn't too far off in skill and could deve...
Here we go again:
11) Carolina----Brandon Sutter
May have the best all-around game in the draft, but I still think this is a little high for him consideringCherepanov was still on the board. Needs to fill out a lot and still develop a little more grit. Yes he's a Sutter, but he isn't as Sutter-y as others. Has good character to fall back on if his skills don't make him a...
So it's about 2 in the morning, I'm suffering from severe insomnia, and what am I to do? Well, I've decided to start a series on the 13 or so (fairly well-spent) years I've had in the game of hockey. Please to enjoy.
I was about 6, 7 years old, living with my family in San Antonio, Texas (where my father had relocated after Southwestern Bell, his then-employer, shifted ...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Reunited and It Feels So Good: Peca to Sabres!
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
A few weeks ago (maybe even a few moths ago), Eklund floated a rumor out there about the possibility of Michael Peca returning to the Sabres. When I read it back then, I immediately dismissed it as nonsense (no offense Ek!).
Now however, looking through the lens of the Sabres current situation (which doesn’t looks so rosy), Peca seems like a very good option for 3r...
That is a question that all the oiler fans have and are starting to maybe even change their answer. Kevin Lowe is an amazing GM, and honestly the things he has done for the organization is pretty sweet, but not trading any of the first 3 picks of the draft for roster players might have been a great idea.
Look at it, he might still make a deal, and sources all around edm...
After the great let down that was watching our most hated rival clean our clocks in the Eastern Conference Final it was left to the commonwealth of Sabres fans to figure out what went wrong. Many comparisons to the previous year began to emerge and it gave me the idea of actually watching some taped games to see if their really was a difference between the two teams. Wh...
Despite the chatter about what free agents the Habs have in their crosshairs, I'd like to interject and remind the fan base that historically (i.e. the last 5 years at least) the Canadiens have not been key players in free agency and until they do something to make me think otherwise, I'm not holding out hope that this is the year they acquire a big name to be the face of...
Luongo07 writes...
Clarke Poached Nonis...Can We Expect More This Off-Season?
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
During "Crazy-Time" last summer Flyers GM Bob Clarke approached Ryan Kesler and made an absurd off to the underachieving restricted free agent. The offer was for a one year deal at $1.9 million dollars, to a player that had far from met any expectations and seemingly could not put the puck in the Pacific Ocean if he were standing on Honolulu Island.
Don't get me wrong, ...
The sooner, the better. The message is as follows:
Swap Souray's negotiating rights to San Jose for Hannan's. Straight up if you have to. And do it now, while there's still time to sign him. Hurry!
As reported by RDS.Ca The Phoenix Coyotes have placed 28 year old Defenseman Nick Boynton on waivers.
As everyone knows the Leafs currently have 8 Defenseman signed and would probably ask why i would even contemplate a move involving another defenseman, however this is a move that could not only maintain the competitiveness of the Leafs top 6, which can be argued as one...
I AM ALL IN FAVOR OF TRADING FOR MARLEAU, OR TRADING FOR TANGUAY, BUT, GETTING RID OF RYDER, WILL NOT MAKE ANYTHING BETTER. THERE HAS TO BE AWAY OF KEEPING THIS GUY HERE. HE HAD THE MOST GOALS THIS YEAR, AND WE TREATED HIM BETTER THAN JUST A QUALIFYING OFFER, HE MIGHT REPEAT AND GET MORE THAN 30 THIS YEAR. TRADE A GOALIE, THAT WE HAVE A FEW SPARES, IMO, HUET IS OUR #1, SOR...
I AM ALL IN FAVOR OF TRADING FOR MARLEAU, OR TRADING FOR TANGUAY, BUT, GETTING RID OF RYDER, WILL NOT MAKE ANYTHING BETTER. THERE HAS TO BE AWAY OF KEEPING THIS GUY HERE. HE HAD THE MOST GOALS THIS YEAR, AND WE TREATED HIM BETTER THAN JUST A QUALIFYING OFFER, HE MIGHT REPEAT AND GET MORE THAN 30 THIS YEAR. TRADE A GOALIE, THAT WE HAVE A FEW SPARES, IMO, HUET IS OUR #1, SOR...
To the best of my knowledge, John Ferguson Jr. is a full grown, educated adult male. So can someone explain to me, why is the hierarchy at MLSE currently headhunting for a senior executive in order to overlook and consult with Mr. Ferguson on his every move as the GM of the Maple Leafs?
Circumstances surrounding Jr.'s tenure as GM to date have been anything but the nor...
Per Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
No word on the others yet.
Congrats to a truly deserving guy!
Other deserving players are going to have to wait a year unfortunatley, and three more will hear they are in with Al.
Great news for the Blues family that Al isn't one of those who has to wait.
Way to go Chopper!
Today I thought I would talk about the differences I noticed between last year’s power play and the one that faltered for much of the time this season. As I mentioned yesterday, this years Sabres team boasted a highly skilled roster which ought to have made goal scoring on the PP a common occurrence. As we all witnessed, that was not the case. Why not?
In 2005 the Sa...
Here we go again.....
16) Minnesota(from ANA) ----Colton Gillies
A lot of people don't like this kid. I'm not one of them; I love his combination of size and skating ability. The knock on this guy is obviously the lack of offensive ability, but I think he just needs to put himself in better position to put up big offensive #s by putting on muscle so he can drive to the n...
beliveau writes...
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same.
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Welcome to the 2007 NHL off-season. That would be the new NHL. The cap-era NHL. The fiscally responsible NHL.
The $8-million per year for Scott Gomez NHL.
This would be a good time to re-read the title of this blog.
As they have before and as they always will, NHL general managers will bid all their pretty pennies on the top unrestricted free agents available t...
General Manager Dave Nonis has managed to bring back power forward Jeff Cowan after Cowan agreed to a 2-year in the '$700,000' range per season.
Cowan joined the Canucks via waivers back in December of 2006 just in time as the Canucks started their turnaround. Not expected to put up very big numbers but Cowan did experience a lengthly streak late in the season with six...
As most people have heard by now, Paul Kariya is going to be testing the free agent waters starting July 1st according to Nashville Predators GM David Poile. "He's definitely going into free agency and it's certainly looking doubtful based on our conversations and the uncertainty of our franchise that he'll be coming back here," Poile announced Thursday.
The Vancouver C...
Jsaquella writes...
OK Homer, Might Be Time To Get Away From The Big Money Table
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Sunday at noon, the NHL will start an orgy of money tossing. Clubs from New York to Edmonton will be looking to add that big name to sell extra tickets, find that last piece to a hopeful Stanley Cup puzzle or simply upset their fan base, like in the case of Toronto's John Ferguson Jr.
That brings me to my point. Paul Holmgren, GM of the Flyers has already added two key ...
I actually thought of this the night of the draft's 1st round, but couldnt think of anywhere to put it.
Although i'm sure you all remember the details, the Leafs traded a conditional 1st round, a 2nd round and a 09 fourth round to the Sharks for Toskala and Bell. The sharks then traded our 13th pick to st. louis, and opted to select a defenseman (Petrecki) 28th overall w...
[u][b]Ohlund for Ryder[/b][/u]
This trade makes sense to me. The Canadiens are not going to sign Souray (and why would they). Ohlund could come in at a good price and replace Souray. Ohlund is big and has good offensive / defensive abilities. A better package for less money.
Ryder fits the bill of a scoring winger to play with Morrison and Naslund, and probably cou...
Dear Darcy,
I want to preface this by saying I think you have had some very difficult circumstances in which to deal with these past 2 seasons, and I commend you for your hard work and efforts. I think you have done an excellent job at adding great young prospects through the draft and trades. You had a great deal of foresight as it pertained to the rule changes, an...
I admit, when I first saw the headline on TSN this morning my stomach dropped. Not that I have anything against the people of Nashville, or feel a lot of joy out of ripping a team away from them, but I was hoping that the move to Hamilton would work out because it would be good for the game, for the NHL. Nashville has proven, over the last 10 years that it is not a hockey ...
The NHL announced that the Salary Cap will be $50.3 million this upcoming season. And before we get into the rest of this blog, I say (Sarcasm On) 'good job NHL' for releasing the Salary Cap figure approximately 48 hours before the UFA period begins on July 1st, what a way to provide the teams enough time to determine who they can fit or not fit under the cap! (Sarcasm O...
The Nashville Predator story keeps getting richer and more juicy every passing instant. Gary Bettman approached "Boots" DiBaggio and made an offer that would make even Tony Soprano proud......
Simply put, "Boots" would get exclusive rights to the Predators, at a price set by the national hockey league, and would get unianimous BOG approval to move the team at the next B...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Patience is Key for the Blues: Do Not Overspend!
Posted Friday | Comments 0
The St. Louis Blues fans have been through a lot these last two years since the lockout. They experienced having the worst team in the league two years ago, injuries, and big-name salary dumps of Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight, Mike Sillinger, and of course by far the biggest name on the list, Chris Pronger. While it all seemed to be heading downhill for the Blues...
duxown writes...
The Rest of the 1st round of the 2007 Draft Analysis+Ratings
Posted Friday | Comments 0
21) Edmonton Oilers----Riley Nash
My gut tells me they could have gotten this kid later but you never know. Trading up here was a mistake IMO. You aren't going to get better talent at 21 than you are at 30 and they had to give up the #36. I had my eye on this kid for the Ducks and he should be a good third liner.
Grade: B-
22) Montreal Canadiens---Max Pacioretty
Great ...
It isn't officially the end of Danny Briere and Chris Drury's time with the Buffalo Sabres but it seems that the end is near. Briere turned down the Sabres 5 year $25 million dollar offer and Drury turned down an offer that is supposively worth about $6mil per year. I just wanted to post something to thank them for their time spent in Buffalo trying to bring a championship...
Life after death……or in Buffalo’s case, life after Drury and Briere, is it time for fans to prepare for what seems now to be our inevitable fate?
Like an Atheist afraid of death Buffalo Sabres fans must now seriously ponder what the world will look like if the two captains leave. As was reported on TSN.ca earlier today Briere looks to be gone. Combine the fact th...
After getting the announcement of the salary cap today and it going up a whopping 6 million dollars this has made things alot more interesting as teams scrabble around looking to see who they can get and who they can unload. The Leafs are in a very interesting position with around 9 million in cap room to use this offseason the interesting part of this whole time is that a...
With free agency just around the corner, there are a few major holes that the Penguins need to fill, but none more pressing than goaltending.
GM Ray Shero recently made it know that the team was no longer pursuing or bringing back last year's back up Jocelyn Thibault; Nolan Schaefer, who was acquired at the trade deadline and shined in the AHL; goaltending prospect Bobb...