Sunday, November 30, 2008

Victor Hedman is Hurt



TSN reported yesterday that Victor Hedman has suffered a separated shoulder and could miss three weeks. This shouldn't hurt his draft stock but maybe General Managers should look at his injury history. He suffered a concussion last year at the Under-18's.I still think he will either be going first or second in the Draft. You can't pass up the size he already has. He has two goals and six assists in 21 games with MODO of the Swedish Elite League.The ISS has released their November rankings for the 2009/nhl Draft. In the top 20, there're five players from Sweden.Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi is ranked the fifth best player available for the draft. After John Tavares, he could be the best forward to come out of this draft. He's relatively unknown by most North Americans but he burst on the scene at last year's World Junior Championships. With Timira also of the SEL, he has lit the lamp twice and tallied six assists in 20 games.Jacob Josefson is ranked 17th and he's been sitting around the 17th range since the summer. He has put up similar point totals to Svensson-Paajarvi. He has four goals and three assists in 21 games with Djurgården.One Swede that I am interesting in is Carl Klingberg. He's been climbing like Frolunda teammatate Erik Karlsson did last year. The left winger has three goals and six assists with the SuperElit team.In a previous ISS ranking, Anton Lander was ranked 14th. He falls to 28th in the November ranking. He's a teammate of Svensson-Paajarvi. He has two goals and three assists in 16 matches. Iwander what's the big dropoff is for? Some players have risen but 14 spots is a big dropoff./nhl Central Scouting will be releasing their primarily rankings later today.That's My Take(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu. You can subcribe to the World of Junior Hockey by signing up for a free newsletter)Source

Friday, November 28, 2008

LeBron James sneakers inspired by legendary dancer Fred Astaire



WUNDURFULWURLD.COM-- LeBron James is poised to clean up in the smelly, sweat-soaked world of sneaker manufacturing, launching his own line of basketball shoes in collaboration with the estate of legendary Hollywood dancer Fred Astaire. "My new sneakers be called 'Freddys'," Lebron told a boisterous crowd of youths in a massive roll out of his new shoe line at a park in Los Angeles yesterday. "You go back and study up on Mr. Astaire's old movies. The guy was light on his feet, man. "Spinnin' and jivin', slippin' and slidin', always findin' the open floor. He had him some wicked mad hops." NBA Commissioner David Stern welcomed the news. "I've been trying to elevate the tenor in the Association for a number of years," he said. "I'm trying to de-urbanize the game of basketball and broaden its appeal in predominantly white, corn-fed Midwestern towns. First, I dissed the tats. Then I came down like a mother on hip hop and bling and baubles and sh*t. "We'll be playing Barry Manilow's Mandy and Copacabana during pre-game warmups, too, now that LeBron and Carmelo have admitted they've got Manilow on their iPods." LeBron said that the advertising campaign for the Freddys is stuck on hold, for now. "We're havin' a major disagreement over the slogan. I want to go with: My Ass Be Lighter Than Air in My Astaires. "The ad agency wants to go with 'I'm A Steady Eddy in My Freddys'. I mean, I ain't never wanted to be no Steady Eddy. Who is that cat, anyway? Wasn't that the sneaky white dude on Leave it to Beaver who wanted to boff the Beav's Mom?" Kobe Bryant was unimpressed with LeBron's new shoe. "I'm comin' out with my own line next week," he said. "I signed a deal with Gene Kelly's people. "That righteous mother could dance the skinny ass off any old Fred Ass-taire. Go check him out in Singin' In The Rain if you be doubtin'. He's bustin' moves all over the freakin' joint. "My slogan is gonna be 'I Got Me Some Major-Ass Talent Poppin' the Zipper in My Genes.'" Kobe declared. "The ad guys wanted to go with 'I Sure Enough Look Mighty Swell in My New Kells'. "F**k that, man. I went over to the agency to see what was up, and they was all just fakin' it, not a brother in the joint, they was a bunch of Steady Eddys." Lebron hinted that his shoe line is only the first step in his quest to transform his global brand. "I'm goin' full Freddy," promised King James. "I'm gonna be playin' ball in a serious tux from now on. Get me a nice fresh carnation for the lapel, look real sharp on my trip to the rim, swagger in there, set up house in the paint, do my business and ride my limo back on D, listen to my man Jay-Z in my Caddy right out there on the court where ain't nobody visitin' from some farm in Nebraska can hear it if they be up in the seats. "I be elevatin' the tenor, baby. David Stern oughta give me the keys to the friggin' kingdom for that one." Ain't it a Wundurful Wurld? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If you liked this post, try these: Alone in gym, Kobe Bryant hits 3-pointer to extend NBA Finals to 7th game NBA scout says top draft picks have one very strange thing in common /nhl runs out of pucks, keeps on playing Miami Dolphins draft running back born in 1903 Maria Sharapova's grunts help sea lion give birth at zoo Source

Thursday, November 27, 2008

GAMEDAY [18] -- MINNESOTA WILD



10 - 4 - 1 -- 21 PTSThey've played 15 games this season; least in the.nhl.And they've only given up 30 goals this year.PUCK THE MEDIA is doing a live blog for the game.The Pens play Minnesota about as often as John Goodman sees his own penis.Last season in October, the Pens won 4-2.Crosby had a rare breakaway goal.OUR RECAP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Quick little words about the Pens and Staal. SI.comThanks to DENSON for the link.Sabu making his first Mellon Arena start tonight.We are in love with this PS.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Nothing else going on.If you have XBOX LIVE, they're rolling out that new format and shit real soon.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Dr. Grant was pissed that we pulled him after two consecutive victories.do it.Source

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

McNab Earns Promotion with Ducks



The Anaheim Ducks announced that David McNab has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. Inaddition, McNab will also serve as General Manager of the Iowa Chops, Anaheim's AHL affiliate. "David has beena crucial member of the hockey operations staff in Anaheim since dayone," said GM Bob Murray."His invaluable knowledge of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)combined with his expertise in contract negotiation and scouting hasbeen such an asset to this organization. Being elevated to the role ofSenior Vice President of Hockey Operations seemed like the natural stepand David has certainly earned it." Anoriginal member of the Ducks, McNab is now in his 14th season with theorganization and 31st year overall in the.nhl. In addition to having avast knowledge on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and itsrelationship to the salary cap in the.nhl, McNab's responsibilities nowinclude overseeing all aspects of player development. He will continue to be theclub's expert on contract and arbitration negotiation, playerevaluation and scouting. "I appreciate Bob giving me this,"said McNab, who takes over Murray's previous title with the Ducks. "Hedidn't have to. Becoming the General Manager, you have the right to dowhat you feel. You can go outside and hire somebody yourself. Everybodyhas people that they know within the game. It isn't like he wasrequired to stay within the organization to do this. I think this isgreat." McNab's impacton the Ducks has been significant. Anaheim has appeared in Stanley CupFinal twice (2003 & 2007) in the last five.nhl seasons, including achampionship in 2007. The club has won nine playoff rounds since 2003,the most in the.nhl (Detroit is second with seven). In recent years,McNab has scouted and signed multiple collegiate free agents, five ofwhom played for the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning team, including Chris Kunitz, Andy McDonald, Dustin Penner, Ryan Shannon and Ryan Carter. "He's definitely deserving of a higher title," said Kunitz. "He does a lot of scoutingon his own to go find college guys and different players. He came andtalked to me about the hockey world. It was a major reason why I signedhere. He's a great individual." The52-year-old McNab served as Assistant General Manager of the Ducks fromDecember 1995 until today's promotion. He was the club's first Directorof Player Personnel and was largely responsible for the team'sselections in the 1994-96.nhl Entry and Supplemental Drafts. McNab alsoheld the position as General Manager of the Ducks' top farm team in theAHL for six seasons (the Baltimore Bandits during the 1996-97 seasonand the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks from 1997-2002) while also working onthe AHL's competition committee for many of those years. "He'searned this promotion," praised coach Randy Carlyle. "He's beena big part of the Anaheim Ducks for a number of years. He is gettingrecognized now with a change in management and it's deservedly so." Source

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Bill Daley/NHL reject Canucks' bid to allow Luongo to wear the "C"



From Iain McIntyre, who personally brought the petition from Nucks fans to HQ: Vive Prez Bill) Daly was impressed by the passion of Canucks fans, but unmoved. The rule stands. He said Canucks general manager Mike Gillis raised the captaincy question at GM meetings last month, but there wasn't strong sentiment either way.In case you're wondering commissioner Gary Bettman was a little busy Tuesday morning. Bettman had his three-year-old nephew in his office, where there is a Stanley Cup made of Lego, because the boy's mom was delivering him a baby brother or sister."Generally, when there's not a strong sentiment one way or another, why change the rule?" Daly said. "There are actually logistical issues around it."It primarily has to do with ... the position of the goaltender on the ice and his ability to engage the referee in conversations ... [and] the distractions and delays it could cause in the game."Daly said Durnan* caused "issues" and that the has no problem with the Canucks calling Luongo their captain, as long as he does not wear a C on his jersey or act as captain on the ice.*Over 60 years ago, goalie Bill Durnan wore the "C" and continually left his net arguing with the referees, so the passed the rule eliminating goalies from wearing the captaincy. Unfortunate. We just want Louie to wear the "C". We don't want him skating out and arguing over missed or bad calls. He already does that just fine from his crease. So chalk this up as preventitive measures by the. Bottom line here, like McIntyre stated, is that Luongo doesn't care. "It's not important," he said. "As long as I'm recognized by my team and my teammates, that's all that matters to me."Louie isn't losing sleep over it and neither should you.T Tags: Canucks+fans+petition Luongo+to+wear+captaincy+"C" rejected+by Source

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Photos of San Jose Sharks new Seagate BlackArmor third jerseys leaked online prior to Friday's unveiling



SJ SHARKS SEAGATE BLACKARMOR THIRD JERSEY LEAKED - PHOTO ICETHETICS BLACKARMOR JERSEY UNVEILING FRIDAY 10AM AT HP PAVILION - PHOTO ICETHETICS Photos of the the new San Jose Sharks Seagate BlackArmor third jersey were leaked to Icethetics today along with alternate jerseys for the Ottawa Senators and the Los Angeles Kings. The blog has been able to scoop information on 18 of 24 new.nhl third jerseys so far this season. The Sharks new BlackArmor jersey has teal and white stripes on the sleeves, the full bodied version of the new Sharks logo introduced last season, and a San Jose Earthquakes inspired SJ with fin logo on the shoulders. The previous black third jerseys were very popular in San Jose, and with the addition of the new RBK Edge jersey system and the new logo a number of fans have a strong incentive to update their gear. Chris of Icethetics says the new BlackArmor jersey makes a good use of the full body Shark logo on the front, while noting the lack of vertical piping under the arms or striping along the base. One regular reader already noted the muted use of orange, seen here sparingly on the Shark crest and fin logo. The Sharks will have an unveiling ceremony for the Seagate BlackArmor third jersey Friday November 21st at 10:00AM. The jersey will be worn for the first time at HP Pavilion Saturday night against the Washington Capitals. The Sharks will wear the black alternate jersey 14 times this season. [Update] Third jerseys getting first-rate reviews - Dan Rosen for.nhl.com.Source

Friday, November 21, 2008

ECHL Pacific Division Notes, video of Stockton Goes Pink III weekend raising money for breast cancer awareness



Notes and links from the finest division in the ECHL will be posted soon. The video above was posted online by the Stockton Record's Kirk Barron. ECHL PACIFIC DIVISION NOTES - 11/20 Fresno Falcons (1st place, 8-5-0). The Fresno Falcons dropped an I-99 rivalry game with the Bakersfield Condors 2-1 at home on Saturday. According to the Fresno Bee, a respectable crowd of 4,104 watched the Falcons outshoot Bakersfield 26-24, but turn up empty on 8 power play opportunities. Fresno will face the expansion Ontario Reign club in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. Fresno's move from the Save Mart Center on campus back to their original home at Selland Arena for the 2008-09 season should benefit from a $15 million renovation in 2006 which included a new video replay scoreboard and an updated refrigeration system for the ice surface. Right wing Matt Stefanishion, who finished third in the ECHL last season with 243 PIMS, leads the Falcons in scoring with 10 goals and 3 assists in 12 games played. Stefanishion is only second on the Falcons this season with 38 PIMS. Center Oren Eizenman, who lead Fresno last season as a rookie with 66 points and an impressive performance at the ECHL Allstar Game in Stockton, has 2 goals and 8 assists in 7 games played. Eizenman started 2008-09 with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. 6-foot-0, 225-pound power forward Igor Gongalsky, also an allstar as a rookie last season, is struggling with 3 goals and 0 assists in 13 games played. Fresno has a busy weekend with games scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Ontario Reign (2nd place, 7-5-1). The expansion Ontario Reign franchise became the fourth ECHL team in California after the recent departures of the San Diego Gulls and the Long Beach Ice Dogs. An affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, a short drive away along highway 10, the Reign play at the 11,000-seat Citizens Business Bank Arena which opened on October 18, 2008. The Los Angeles Lakers christened the new AEG-owned arena with a 105–94 exhibition win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 24th. The Ontario Reign christened the ice rink the next night in front of a sellout 8,832-strong crowd with a 4-1 win over the National Conference champion Las Vegas Wranglers. Former Team USA 2007 bronze medal winning goaltender Jeff Zatkoff, a third round draft selection by the Los Angeles Kings in 2006, leads the Reign with a 6-3-1 record and a 2.28GAA and .937SV% in 10 games played. Ontario has only scored a National Conference worst 35 goals this season, lead by center Jon Francisco with 13 points and right wing Geoff Walker with 12, but they have been stingy defensively allowing only 36 goals against. A recent home game against the Stockton Thunder was military appreciation night sponsored by the USO of Ontario, with a pre-game military fly-over, a performance by country music singer Amy Scruggs, and reduced ticket prices for all members of the military. Other than LA Times blog coverage of the arena opening, a similar arena preview article by Ben Weber in the OC Register, it is unclear which Southern California newspaper will be covering the Ontario Reign beat. Scratch that, it looks like that would be J.P. Hoornstra of the LA Daily News. More on this team will be posted in the coming weeks when I can make a visit to see Ontario play on home ice. Bakersfield Condors (3rd place, 6-7-1). The longtime independent Bakersfield Condors, now an ECHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, benefited from that arrangement with the salary cap demotion of forward Bobby Ryan and defenseman Brett Festerling earlier today. After a wild 6-4 loss to Washington on Wednesday night, and before you could inquire whether or not they would be forced to play against against the Sharks ECHL affiate Phoenix Roadrunners on Friday, both players were already recalled back to Anaheim this morning. Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield is one of the best in the league, with clear glass instead of plexiglass/stanchions that make for incredible sightlines from the stands. BakersfieldCondors.com is also one of the most innovative websites in the ECHL, with blogs, a Spanish language section, interactive multimedia content, and promotions to match. This Satuday the Oakland Raiderettes will be on hand to sign autographs and take pictures. Sharkspage favorite, goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji, was added to the active roster on Tuesday. Fukufuji became the first Japanese-born player to suit up as an.nhl goaltender Jan. 13, 2007 for the Los Angeles Kings. Also on the list of asian players who have made an impact by playing in the.nhl, Japanese-Canadian Devin Setoguchi. The second year Setoguchi leads the Sharks with 11 goals. Bemidji State alumni Matt Pope leads the Bakersfield Condors with 9 goals and 5 assists in 11 games played. According to the Bakersfield Californian, the Condors have won 3 straight games and 4 of their last 5 after a pair of Dave Bonk goals and 28 saves by goaltender Dave McKee powered Bakersfield past the Phoenix RoadRunners 5-3 on Wednesday night. McKee is the only goaltender assigned to the club by Anaheim, but the Condors have three goalies on the roster including Ryan Nie and Yutaka Fukufuji. Stockon Thunder (4th place, 5-7-2). The Stockton Thunder ice the best offense in the Pacific Division, but they are tied with Phoenix for a National Conference worst 50 goals allowed. Center Cory Urquhart, a Montreal Canadiens second round selection in 2003, leads the Thunder in scoring with 15 points after scoring 9 points in 5 games to start the season. Mike Lalonde, the Thunder's leading goal scorer in 2005-06 (29) and 2006-07 (23), is 9 points away from surpassing Nathan Martz for the Thunder franchise scoring lead according to the Raw Feed. Lalonde scored his 4th goal of the season in a 3-2 loss to the Idaho Steelheads on Wednesday. Stockon faces the Steelheads at home in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. The Thunder earned a 3-2 shootout win over the Victoria Salmon Kings on a fifth round shootout goal by center Jeff Kyrzakos in the first of two Thunder Goes Pink III games to help raise awareness for breast cancer. 9,737 fans packed Stockton Arena for the second Pink Game on Saturday November 8th, but they witnessed the home Thunder squad's 5-game winning streak in pink snapped by the Salmon Kings in a 3-1 loss. The Stockton Thunder are the 3-time ECHL attendance champions, with an average of 6,648 fans per game last season. Las Vegas Wranglers (5th place, 5-6-2). The Calgary Flames ECHL affiliate in Las Vegas currently sits in last place in the Pacific, but in the tightest division in the league they remain only 5 points behind first place Fresno. The perennial National Conference powerhouse reached the Kelly Cup Finals and the Conference Semifinals in the last two seasons, registering 46+ wins and 106+ points or more in three straight years. The Wranglers announced two roster moves earlier today. Forward Chris Korchinski was traded to the Elmira Jackals for defenseman Chris St. Croix. Defenseman Gerard Miller was also traded to the Reading Royals for future considerations. 6-foot-3 former University of Alaska-Anchorage goaltender John DeCaro has been leading the Wranglers in net, registering a 3-1-0 record in 5 games played with a 1.80GAA and a 0.926SV%. Former goaltender Marc Magliarditi, owner of the best goalie mask ever photographed on Sharkspage, holds the Las Vegas Wranglers franchise record with 1,432 total saves during the 2003-04 ECHL season.Source

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

NHL Prelim Rankings



The.nhl Central Scouting has released their primarily ranking for the 2009.nhl Draft. They rank the 30 best players in each CHL league and players playing in Europe.The big surprise in the OHL is Ryan Ellis being ranked 7th. He's second in scoring with 38 points. His size might be the factor, as he is 5'9. This is the new.nhl where size isn't as an issue like it use to be.OHL Prospects agrees with me.At this point in the season, I just can't see how Ryan Ellis can be rated number 7. Yes he's slightly undersized, but the talent level is so high. If he's still top 3 in scoring by the end of the season, I'll eat my hat if he's the 7th OHL player taken in the draft.The WHL has some great prospects for this upcoming draft. Evander Kane has been shooting up the rankings. He rated as the second best player after Jared Cowen. Tomas Vincour at 17 surprises me, he was highly touted when he came to North America last year. He has 10 goals and 20 points in 26 games. I though he would in the Top 8. Collin Bowman at 22 surprised me too.The QMJHL will probably have two sure fire first rounders. Olivier Roy will be probably the first goaltender taken in this draft. No goalie as of right now will challenge him. I do think Brandon Maxwell and Mike Lee could go in the first round but I don't believe eiher of them are in Roy's class. That could change though.The second player that will see his name called from the QMJHL ranks is Dmitry Kulikov. I am surprised he's ranked behind Simon Despres. Don't get me wrong, Drespres is a good defenseman but I see Kulikov having more upside.Other them Ellis, Jacob Josefson being ranked ahead of Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi surprises me. Josefson seems like to be the safer pick but if Paajarvi is still on the board at 7, I will be surprised.This could be a very bad year for Russia. The most hyped Russian for this draft has been Andrei Kuchin and he's ranked the 19th best Russian. They will rebound in 2010 with two high quality prospects.Finland's Toni Rajala is the third ranked Finnish player. I watched him when Finland played USA in Lake Placid a few weeks ago. He looked good but his linemate was the stard. Richard Panik who's playing in the Czech Republic but is from Slovakia is ranked the best player playing in Czech Republic. He didn't play in the Ivan Hlinka and could of came over to North America to play for the Windsor Spitfires. He would be getting more hype if he come over.One thing that.nhl Central Scouting has done in the past but didn't do this time around was compile two lists which listed all the North American players in one list and the Europeans in the other list. It gave an indicator where players playing in the USHL, Canada Junior A, and High School players fit in with the Major Junior players.Because when they list the players not playing in the CHL or Europe is misleading. For example, Brian Dumoulin who's playing for the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs was rated as a Type A player. Which means a player that could go in the Top 60. Do I think he will go in the Top 60 probably not but he's been getting some hype lately.That's My Take(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)Source

Monday, November 17, 2008

Run of the Mill



A half-hour block of C-SPAN is more exhilarating than this post.:: Philippe Boucher speaks about the trade. PENS“I’m excited to join the Penguins and bring something to the team,” Boucher said. “It’s been a pretty crazy couple of days. I found out this morning. It’s always hard to leave a team you’ve been playing for but if you have to leave, there’s no better place to go than Pittsburgh.”For now, Boucher becomes the newest Penguin and he’s excited about putting on the Penguins uniform.“Who wouldn’t be?” Boucher said. “I have experience. I’ve played in almost every situation. I’m not sure of my role but I’m excited to join the team. I can’t wait to find out.”The official suit provider of the seventh d-man in the press box.:: A inside look at the shootout drill at Pens practices. PG:: Interesting look into Pens prospect, Nathan Moon. FF ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::ICETHETICS has a look at all the new third jerseys that teams are unveiling this year.The Thrashers are only wearing these against division rivals.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::TIME MACHINENovember 16, 2005Matt Murley with a breakaway.Lyle Odelein on the blue line.John Leclair coming out of the box.Let's give Ray Shero another standing O. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Guess who has been a catalyst of the ballot-stuffing?A Montreal newspaper, The Montreal Gazette.LINKIt's basically Montreal's version of Empty-Netters over at the PG, but less witty.Now, we are jackasses, but we would have never condoned this ballot-stuffing for the Pens.Picture: Rocket Richard, after some man refused to make out with him.Speaking of which, the.nhl has stopped the javascript from being effective.They've instituted a CAPTCHA, which is one of those things that prompts you type in a word you see, every time you vote.Montreal fans can't read, so they don't even know what's going on right now.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::So as [PUCK DADDY] points out.Barry Melrose is insane.In the following interview Melrose does the following as he is being interviewed next to a highway.1.Refers to himself as Daniel Boone2. Appears paranoid.3. Throws his players under the bus.4. Throws ownership under the bus.If there is one thing you do today watch this. Sad.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::An appropriations committee is getting together on Monday to determine the gayness level of the WHAM! GoGo music video.A veritable who's-who of experts on the homosexual lifestyle will be conveningThe list of the members of the committee has been leaked:Dan Rooney, an episode of FRIENDS, and Charlie.Go Pens.Source

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Sabres at Penguins live - 11-15-08



PREGAME-Greetings from an absolutely ugly day in Pittsburgh. It's raining, winding, cloudy. It might be a great day for hockey, but it's just not a great day period.-Mellon Arena with a cab drive attempting to break the sound barrier on Washington Place:-A Jordan Staal Peterborough Pete jersey:(He just started walking when we decided to take the picture.)-We think these are supposed to be "jerseys" for fans to wear tonight in honor of the team pulling out their blue jerseys. They're free so who's complaining:The ice:-Forward Paul Bissonnette was demoted to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton today. He had not played since a 2-1 loss in San Jose Oct. 28. It's the right move for him. We're not sure how much potential he has as an.nhl player, but he's not going to reach it sitting next to us in the press box. He'll get playing time in the AHL.-A few jerseys we've seen:-There are quite a few Sabres fans in the house:-A Gilbert Perreault jersey:-We nearly passed out when we saw this Uwe Krupp Nordiques jersey:-Petr Nedved:-Ulf Samuelsson:-A Gilles Meloche Seals jersey:(This guy sits towards C-9 and he almost always has either a Meloche Seals or Penguins jersey on.)-We understand this is a Mario Lemieux Team Canada jersey but on a night when the team wears blue, why would you wear red?-As you can imagine, quite a few people are wearing their blue Penguins jerseys:-Santa Claus is early and he's a Yinzer:-Warm ups:-Cotton candy heeeee!!!! Cotton candy heeee!!! -Here's why we need a new arena in Pittsburgh. Check out this bottle neck near B-28:-Buffalo's scratches are Ales Kotalik, Tim Connolly and Nathan Paetsch.-The Penguins' on scratch is Darryl Sydor.-Ryan Miller and Marc-Andre Fleury are the starting goaltenders.-A very cool presentation set to The Who's "Baba O'Riley" is played to acknowledge the blue jerseys: -No Jeff Jimerson = No photo of the national anthem.-We would say about 50 percent of the arena is in powder blue. The other 50 percent is a little bit of everything else.(You can't really tell from that photo.)-Does anyone else feel a little off about this game from the Penguins' point of view? They're coming off two emotional, roller coaster wins against rivals (if you consider Detroit a rival now) and Buffalo is coming off a butt-kicking at home to the lowly Blue Jackets. They'll want to rebound. This just seems right for a Sabres win to us.FIRST PERIOD19:32: Miroslav Satan chops a loose puck along the boards on net. Miller fights it off.19:11: Maxime Talbot snaps a wrister off from the right wing that misses the net.18:38: The Sabres have a chance at a breakaway but Rob Scuderi is able to chase down the puck and prevent the scoring chance.17:34: Adam Mair absolutely runs over Petr Sykora in the corner. Nice check. It takes Sykora a few moments to recover to his feet.15:18: Evgeni Malkin sneaks in and snaps a wrister on net. Miller kicks it out.14:50: Jason Pominville slides a puck into the slot. A teammate tips it a bit. Fleury is able to make the save.13:42: Adam Peters steals a puck in the neutral zone, works it into the Penguins' zone and tosses a wrister on net. Fleury knocks it away.13:19: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"13:01: Tyler Kennedy tees up a slapper from the right point that Miller knocks away with ease.11:46: Mair brings the puck into the offensive zone, slides it back to Andrej Sekera. From the right point, Sekera tosses it on net. Fleury makes the sto but but gives up a rebound. Pominville is there on the doorstop to swat it in for a goal. Fleury needed to do a better job on that rebound and his defense needed to account for Pominville. A sloppy goal to give up all around. A healthy group of Sabres fans cheer. That was the first stoppage of the game. Sekera and Mair get assists. Sabres 1-0.10:34: Kennedy blasts another slapper. A Sabres defense shows some guts and blocks it.10:20: Derek Roy is nabbed for holding. Satan, Sidney Crosby, Malkin, Talbot and Alex Goligoski take the ice.9:17: Crosby chops a puck on net from the corner. Talbot appears to re-direct it on net with his skate. Miller covers it.8:20: Roy's penalty expires without much of an attack from the Penguins.7:34: The great Mike Zigomanis takes a pass in the slot and rips a wrister that Craig Rivet blocks. The puck deflects into the netting and halts play.7:20: Eric Godard swats a loose puck on net. Fortunately for the Sabres, It was Eric Godard shooting and the puck misses the net.6:43: Malkin hauls down Jochen Hecht behind the net. Two minutes. Jordan Staal, Mark Eaton, Brooks Oprik and the great Mike Zigomanis take the ice for the penalty kill.5:20: Jaroslav Spacek blasts a slapper from the left point. Fleury has a clear lane to see it and eats it up.4:51: Roy slides a pass across the crease to Spacek who whips a one-timer on net from in tight. Fleury is able to slide over and make a fantastic save.4:43: Malkin's penalty ends.4:36: Orpik dumps uber-pest Patrick Kaleta behind the Penguins net. Two minutes. Orpik says something to Kaleta about the Lofthouse Colliery disaster. We think. Staal, Eaton, Hal Gill and the great Mike Zigomanis are on for the kill.2:43: Drew Stafford tosses a puck in the crease. It hits off a skate and comes right to Maxim Afinogenov. Afinogenov whips it on net but Fleury is able to slide over again and make another great save. Afinogenov looks up into the air in disgust seemingly.2:36: Orpik's penalty expires.1:43: Ruslan Fedotenko slaps a puck on net. A Sabres player deflects out of play.1:38: Toni Lydman dumps Tyler Kennedy behind the Sabres net. Two minutes. Malkin, Goligoski, Satan, Crosby and Sykora take the ice.0:56: Satan snaps a wrister on net. Miller kicks itout.0:41: Crosby pokes a puck into the crease. Miller covers it.0:06: Kris Letang tees up a slapper at the right point. It hits a body in the slot and scoots out to Kennedy on the other side. Kennedy almost immediately shoots. Miller is able to kick it out.0:00: End of period. Joe Satriani's "Crowd Chant" brings in the intermission. Sabres 1, Penguins 0. FIRST INTERMISSION-The Sabres didn't do a lot to take a lead that period, but thankfully for them the Penguins did even less.-Buffalo has an 11-6 lead in shots.-Andrew Peters of all people leads the game in shots with three. Huh?-Kennedy and Satan lead the Penguins with two.-The Penguins have a 9-7 edge in faceoffs.-Paul Gaustad is 4-for-5.-Rivet leads the game with 8:10 of ice time.-Staal leads the Penguins with 7:22.-Lydman and Eaton lead the game with two blocked shots each.-The Penguins have a whopping three shots on the power play tonight. That dwarfs the two power-play shots the Penguins had Thursday against the Flyers.-The Penguins will have a 21-second power play to begin the period.SECOND PERIOD19:43: Goligoski fires a slapper from the left point a Sabres player deflects away.18:43: Fleury is called for slashing. Matt Cooke will serve the penalty, Gill, Staal, the great Mike ZIgomanis and Eaton are on for the kill.18:11: Staal carries the puck up ice and tosses a wrister on net. Miller traps it in his mid-section and freezes play. Talbot, Pascal Dupuis, Gil and Rob Scuderi are on for the kill.17:11: A light "Let's-Go Sab-res!" chant is drowned out by "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"16:43: Fleury's penalty ends.16:22: Pominville enters the offensive zone and blasts a slapper that Fleury gloves.15:02: Malkin steals a pass in the offensive zone, turns and whips a wrister on net. Miller fights it off.14:24: Miller covers a loose puck in the crease and ends a pretty mad rush by the Penguins in his end.14:11: Roy takes a pass in the slot then dishes it to Stafford on the left wing. Stafford shoots a rising wrister that Fleury traps against his chest.13:10: Fleury corrals a loose puck behind the net. Someone behind the net yells, "SHOOT IT FLEURY!"12:24: Goligoski whips a puck on net from the left poitn. It dribbles in on the net. Miller attempts to cover it while fighting off Talbot. Officials blow a quick whistle to halt play. The puck comes loose before a Penguins player knocks it into an empty net. The goal horn goes off for a moment. Fans cheer but it's not a goal.12:21: Right off the faceoff, Cooke is called for slashing after he knocks away Rivet's stick. He puts up quite a protest. Orpik, Eaton, Staal and the great Mike Zigomanis take the ice. Things pretty much took an 180 degree turn for the Penguins there.10:21: Cooke's penalty expires.9:58: Cooke chases a puck into the corner. A Sabres player follows him and hits him high with an elbow. The puck comes loose. Malkin tees up a slapper from the left point that someone blocks. Play is halted. That was a crazy little sequence there. Crosby fights off a Sabres player with a cross check after the whistle. Attendance is announced as 17,132. That's the 75th consecutive sellout for the team. Stafford is called for elbowing. Malkin, Goligoski, Crosby take the ice with Kennedy and Staal. Hmmm... 9:10: Kennedy and Staal are replaced by Sykora and Ruslan Fedotenko.8:53: Goligoski fires a shot from the left point. Miller saves it. Goligoski gets it back and slides the puck to Malkin at the right point. Malkin blasts a slapper. It hits something in the crease, changes direction and fools Miller a bit. He's out of place as the puck trickles by him. Crosby is there to make sure it goes in. Malkin gets credit for the goal. The "Hey Song" is played. Goligoski and Fedotenko get assists. Penguins 1, Sabres 1. 7:51: Dupuis steals a puck in the neutral zone, works it up ice and whirps a wrister on net that is deflected away.7:10: Talbot directs a puck on net that Miller has a tough time with. Satan tries to follow up on the rebound bout can collect it cleanly.6:01: Fedotenko snaps a wrister in the slot wide of the net.4:35: Cooke tries to lineup a Sabres player behind the Buffalo net but appears to get the worse of the collision.4:07: On a delayed penalty, Staal clangs a wrister off the cross bar. Gaustad is called for hooking. Crosby, Goligoski, Malkin, Fedotenko and Satan are on for the man advantage. Source

Friday, November 14, 2008

GAMEDAY [16] -- PHILADELPHIA FLYERS



5-6-3-13 pointsPhilly has been mud, but you know as well as we do, they are going to play hard tonight.Their season is a little similar to the Pens last year.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::After this whole Detroit thing, it seems strange that it is just the regular season.Normally we would be worried about a letdown, but the hate of Philly should take care of that.Some interesting talk from Shero on Staal:Shero says talks with his core players always boil down to the same issue."If they really want to be here," he said Wednesday, "we'll find a way to make it work." [TRIB]We always say we are lucky to have big-time players, but we are lucky to have a big-time GM.::::::::::::::Montreal fans are lame. Thanks to J.S. from C-blog who uncovered a huge Montreal fans scam:That's right.That is what you call a javascript, and that is the reason the Habs fans are getting all the votes through.We are in the possesion of a Penguin Javascript, but we aren't going to use it. We respect thenhl and we don't want to negatively affect the Penguins organization.However, if thenhl doesn't fix this joke, we will unleash it to the world. We'll contact every radio station, penguin blog, and message board we know.You have 48 hours.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::1-0 against PhillySource

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Something I'm Glad I'm Not Dealing With



More than likely you've already heard the story about Alexei Cherepanov, the 19-year-old New York Rangers prospect who died on October 13th after collapsing during a game. Well, there is a new wrinkle to this saga that even I find offensive, and that's saying something.You see, Cherepanov was the 1st round pick of the Rangers in 2007. However, since one of their draft picks has passed away, they are looking for a compensatory selection in the 2009 draft, citing "with all due respect to Alexei's family and his memory, he is technically eligible to be drafted again next year."Technically eligible? I think that is just cold. Here is the reasoning behind that statement, courtesy of ESPN.com:"The question is with the one parenthetical phrase in Article 8.3 (b) that refers compensation for an unsigned first-round draft pick who is '… again eligible for the Entry Draft or becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent,'" Rangers assistant general manager Cam Hope told the newspaper. "That language was inserted to clarify that a team would be owed a compensatory pick even if they were to re-draft that player or sign him as a free agent."It seems now as if that phrase is unintentionally precluding the deceased from being included as eligible for compensation. We understand that this is a sensitive issue, but with all due respect to Alexei's family and his memory, he is technically eligible to be drafted again next year."I suppose on some level they do have a point. If Cherepanov were injured to the point where he couldn't play again, or was on life support, the Rangers would be allowed that pick. Yet, it's a tough subject to bring up just shortly after the Cherepanov lost their son. I'm not sure how to react to this news, if I'm his family.It seems to me as if this is something the/nhl should have addressed behind the scenes shortly after his death, to put the Rangers at ease about their loss of a prospect. It should also have not been announced until shortly before the draft, after more time has passed. But the/nhl didn't act, and now the Rangers look pretty insensitive as they ask for compensation.Source

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Semin Speaks Up



Last week OFB joined Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Puck Daddy fame in posing questions to the then/nhl scoring leader, Alexander Semin, on an off night for the young Russian, who's enjoying a remarkable breakout season. SovetskySport's Dmitry Chesnokov joined Semin in Chinatown for some sushi and hockey talk, and Dmitry graciously posed our questions to Semin and translated the left wing's answers for us. By now most in hockey know that the dinner delivered some memorable reflections from the previously soft-spoken Siberian.OFB: Do you believe that your wristshot and stickhandling skills are the products of your hockey training and hard work or more God-given gifts? Semin: "I don't think this is something one can teach or learn. It is impossible to just learn. I think everyone will agree with me here. Of course there are things that I have learned. But when you're out there on the ice there is no time to think and remember what you have learned. There is no way to remember all the skills someone may try to teach you when you're on the ice and the game is at such a high pace that you only have a fraction of a second to think. Players I think are born with skills."OFB: How old were you when you first realized you were an elite hockey talent, and what moves or feats in a game did you accomplish that led you to this awareness? Semin: "To be honest I have never even thought about it. I am still not thinking about it. If I were one of only ten players in total in the world, then maybe I would be able to compare myself. But when there are so many great players out there."OFB: Are you at all envious of Ovechkin's fame and achievement, and does Ovi's success motivate you to become better -- for instance, was it a motivating factor in your training back home this summer? Semin: "Ovechkin deserves all the fame and attention. He proved himself. I am not at all envious. He has had the spotlight on him since his childhood: in papers, on TV, here and there. I don't really care about fame. If Ovechkin achieved what he has [fame] by just someone else "pulling him by ears" and promoting his all the time, that's different. But Ovechkin did it all himself! Look at his statistics! He deserves all of the attention and fame he has like no one else. Does it motivate me? Let's ask him. Now the situation is in reverse. Does it motivate him?" OFB: What was the earliest positive feedback you received about being in Washington from Fedorov after he arrived in the trade with Columbus? Did he know before the season ended that he wanted to return to the Capitals? Semin: "Sergei wanted to come back. He said so at the end of last season. Of course he didn't know if Washington were going to resign him. But he wanted to be back. He said he felt young again after coming over from Columbus. He likes everything here."OFB: What facet of your game do you believe you have improved the most over last season? Semin: "I am injury free and the coach trusts me more. Look at my playing time. That's the most important improvement over the previous season." Source

Friday, November 7, 2008

Quick hits



A reader pointed out this article yesterday about Derick Brassard and I wanted to make sure everyone saw it. Here are some Brass quotes:"You play against men in the.nhl," said Brassard. "My experience here last year showed me where I needed to improve to be a better.nhl player. So I worked really hard this summer in all areas, strength and skating, and now I can win battles that last year I didn't win."There has always been a premium placed on skating in Quebec, and through the years some of the.nhl's best skaters, Denis Savard, Jean Beliveau, Jacques Lemaire, Perreault, Danny Briere and too many others to name, have hailed from La Belle Province. It was surprising to learn that Brassard was taken aside at 15 and told his skating might be the reason he couldn't fulfill his.nhl dreams."It was an issue, so I took power-skating classes that summer and ever since," Brassard said. "The most important thing I learned was that my feet must always be moving. At least then you look fast! I needed, as a center, to be better at getting back and assisting my defensemen, especially with pucks below the goal line."I'm playing with one of the fastest players in the.nhl in Jason Chimera and that pushes you to be faster. What makes our line work is that Jason's speed opens a lot of ice for Jakub and I, and Jakub is a great playmaker. Jason and I like to shoot." You can read the rest here.-LTLSource

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Jaromir Jagr and the Freedom of Low Expectations



Although he used to wear the number 68 to commemorate Prague Spring, former://nhl star slash advocate for Russia's new ice hockey league, Jaromir Jagr, has changed his tune. This comes from the New York Times via AOL Fanhouse: "Here, it's not like in the U.S.," Jagr says at a different point. "You got such freedom, it's hard to believe. In the U.S. you have so many rules, everything's regulated and structured. When you make a mistake you pay for it - a lot." It is a theme that Jagr returns to often, the freedom of this strange place. It is not so much that his departure from New York has left a disquieting wake, but that he has discovered the unlikely and unexpected promise of Siberia. "Look at A-Rod," he says. "No matter how well you do - they always want more. Expectations only climb higher. In Russia you don't have to worry if you make a mistake. And that's what I love about living here. There's always another way to make up for it. Nothing's too serious. Nothing is a problem, and at the same time, everything's a problem. But somehow no matter how bad things are, you can always work it out." Jagr's enthusiasm to bash the United States and praise Russia is a good example of the kind of sports nationalism we talk about so often on this blog, and, in many ways, is parallel to the investment dialectic we see coming from Barclays, Eni, E.On, and so many others. Of course there's nothing wrong with preferring to live in Russia, and Jagr probably has a point about the unreasonable demands placed on high profile U.S. athletes. But it seems rather dismissive to both his fans and former teammates to just shrug off the country where he spent 18 seasons earning many millions of dollars, as well as an insult to his family's legacy (his grandfather died in a Soviet prison during Prague Spring). However, when Jagr refers to "mistakes," he could just be referring to his outstanding gambling debts and failure to pay taxes.Source

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Boston Bruins' Goalie Tim Thomas makes 30 saves en route to second 1-0 shutout



It appears Marty Brodeur isn't the only hot goalie in the/nhl at present. From AP- VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Boston coach Claude Julien didn't waste any time picking his starting goaltender against Vancouver. After watching Tim Thomas backstop the Bruins to a 1-0 win against Edmonton on Monday night, Julien ended his back-and-forth goalie rotation. He passed over Manny Fernandez and gave Thomas a second straight start. The decision paid immediate dividends. Michael Ryder scored his second goal of the season midway through the first period and Thomas made the best of his 31 saves in the frame en route to a second 1-0 win in two nights, leading the Bruins over the Canucks. "As soon as the game was over Monday, I knew who I was going with," Julien said after Boston's third straight win. "Not only did he get a shutout, but he played well. When I say something I keep my word, and my word is, if somebody is going to get hot, he's going to get the chance to take the ball and run with it." ***** "The composure we kept in the third was awesome," said Thomas, who also blanked the Canucks in their only other meeting, a 39-save, 2-0 win on Dec. 21, 2006. "Hopefully it gives us confidence that in tight games we can come out with the win, whether it s 4-3 or 1-0."At first I thought AP got it wrong. Thomas, who's 34 years old, had to played against Vancouver more than once. A check of his/nhl profile showed me he has only been a full-time/nhl goaltender since the 2005-06 season. Until a recent rule change, Eastern and Western conference teams only played the other two out of every three years. Back to back 1-0 shutouts by the same goalie happened in the 2007-08 season. Florida's Craig Anderson pulling off the feat. If I was Julien, I'd continue to play Thomas till one of three things occur- 1 The hot streak ends 2 Boston plays games on back to back nights and one of the games is played on the road 3 The next Bruin game against Florida. Thomas has been awful against the Panthers in the past. On second thought, let Thomas face my favorite hockey team. Source