It seems that the fighting debate is starting up after Todd Fedoruk was knocked out cold by Colton Orr last Thursday. NHL Disciplinarian Colin Campbell said that fighting should be looked at, but NHL commish Gary "The Count" Bettman said it's a part of the game and won't change.
Personally, I think some are overreacting to Campbell's statement. Let's not fool anyone here, Campbell knows what would happen if the NHL took out fighting, much more stickwork. All this was is a PR deal to make people think that something is going to happen to fighting in the NHL. If they didn't, more scrutiny would be given to the NHL for not doing something for the safety.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for safety; but it'd be much safer to keep fighting than worry about sticks to the head.
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The Phoenix Coyotes announced that they would be inducting long-time Winnipeg Jet Dale Hawerchuk into the Coyotes "ring of honor."
Now, I have no issue with Hawerchuk being inducted because he was a great player. The problem I have is that he has no ties to the Coyotes organization other than the fact that he played for the Jets and the transfer of records and all that jazz came with it.
You can't fault the Coyotes in trying to do this, but let's not do it because you feel obligated to do so. You could probably ask 100 people in Phoenix who Dale Hawerchuk is and I bet 90% of them wouldn't have a clue. Stop trying to be like the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes-- you'll never get to that cult status.
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How bad do you have to feel for the Isles?? They have all this momentum after the trade deadline with Ryan Smyth and M-A Bergeron playing well, then Rick DiPietro goes down not once, but twice with news that he is out indefinitely with post-concussion symptoms.
Right now, it's time for Mike Dunham to earn his paycheck and help lead the Isles into the playoffs. It won't be an easy road as the Isles have to take on teams already locked in the playoffs and those who are fighting with them to get into the playoffs.
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Good news for the Flyers, they have a new savior in net. Martin Biron signed a two-year, $6.7M deal with the Flyers. Biron has been fairly consistent with what has been in front of him for the Flyers, though it should get better for next year. Paul Holmgren has put his stamp on this team more so with this move.
The question now is who do you dump?? The obvious choice is Robert Esche mainly due to his craptasticness, but is it likely that the Flyers could dump both Esche and Antero Niittymaki?? Though Niittymaki has tremendous upside, his injuries are what hinders his stock the most and may not be the best option for a rebuilding Flyers team. With cheap back-ups always available, it will be interesting to see the logjam that may occur.
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For more of this ranting and raving, including thoughts about Jack and Erik Johnson jumping to the NHL, listen to Face Off Hockey Show this Wednesday at 9 PM ET or whenever the Podcast gets up. Until then, check out the message board for all the randomness there.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Around the Rink 03.21.07
The playoffs are heating up and it's going to come down to the last week, at least in the East. Out West, we'll see if Colorado can keep their hot streak up or if Calgary keeps losing like they have been. That match-up could come down to the last day as the Avs and Flames face off against each other.
The East is going to be a gongshow to the end. The Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, and Canadiens are tied for 8th, while the Islanders are in 11th one point back. The 7th place Rangers are only one point up on the 8th seed and the Lightning are three points up. The Islanders, however, have the advantage with at least a game-in-hand advantage over the other contenders.
This is what hockey is all about.
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Jordin Tootoo was the latest player to be suspended for his actions on the ice. After checking Mike Modano, Tootoo was rushed by Stephane Robidas. Robidas was assessed a charging minor for intent, but before he could even make contact with Tootoo, Tootoo swung his right hand around and knocked Robidas out cold. Tootoo was given five games for the incident.
There's plenty of blame to go around with Robidas charging at a guy, but Tootoo punching a guy in the mush with his glove on is pretty greasy. Tootoo is an agitator and rightfully so, but he can still chuck the knuckles if need be. Sure, the thought of someone charging from behind is frightening, but you would think that bracing himself would have been the best option rather than cold-cocking someone.
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Did you catch the St. Louis Screw-Job?? Let's just say that even as an Ottawa Senators fan I was disgusted. If you didn't see it, two definite goals were waved off. The first, they didn't review it until after the puck was dropped for the face off, at which point it was null and void. The second goal, they said David Backes pushed Martin Gerber's glove into the net with the puck in it, but it was in without Gerber even having possession. Needless to say, the shots of Blues' President John Davidson weren't happy ones.
One point was brought up on a message board I frequent that the officiating this year has been the most inconsistent it has been in years. I tend to agree, mostly on the fact that everything is a shade of gray. Nothing is black or white anymore, nothing is uniformed for every game. It's a hit or miss chance depending on the referee. I don't know what Stephen Walkom can do, but something needs to be done when it comes to consistency in the calls.
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You want to know how deep the Nashville Predators are?? Even though they don't have Peter Forsberg, Steve Sullivan or Scott Hartnell in the line-up, they are still tops in the West and NHL. But I think the real question is whether or not this is a blessing or a curse for the Preds. Let's be honest, they were able to play well last year when Tomas Vokoun was out, but could this be a little too much.
The Preds are a high-power offense and may be hurt a little bit by the lack of speed and all. Plus, even if those three do come back, how much rust will be on them when they come back. The upside is that they are back and could spark a long run for the Preds.
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Make sure you check out The Show tonight at 9 PM ET or on the Podcast whenever the hamster on the wheel is able to put it up. If all else fails, check out the Message Board for some random and fun stuff.
The East is going to be a gongshow to the end. The Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, and Canadiens are tied for 8th, while the Islanders are in 11th one point back. The 7th place Rangers are only one point up on the 8th seed and the Lightning are three points up. The Islanders, however, have the advantage with at least a game-in-hand advantage over the other contenders.
This is what hockey is all about.
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Jordin Tootoo was the latest player to be suspended for his actions on the ice. After checking Mike Modano, Tootoo was rushed by Stephane Robidas. Robidas was assessed a charging minor for intent, but before he could even make contact with Tootoo, Tootoo swung his right hand around and knocked Robidas out cold. Tootoo was given five games for the incident.
There's plenty of blame to go around with Robidas charging at a guy, but Tootoo punching a guy in the mush with his glove on is pretty greasy. Tootoo is an agitator and rightfully so, but he can still chuck the knuckles if need be. Sure, the thought of someone charging from behind is frightening, but you would think that bracing himself would have been the best option rather than cold-cocking someone.
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Did you catch the St. Louis Screw-Job?? Let's just say that even as an Ottawa Senators fan I was disgusted. If you didn't see it, two definite goals were waved off. The first, they didn't review it until after the puck was dropped for the face off, at which point it was null and void. The second goal, they said David Backes pushed Martin Gerber's glove into the net with the puck in it, but it was in without Gerber even having possession. Needless to say, the shots of Blues' President John Davidson weren't happy ones.
One point was brought up on a message board I frequent that the officiating this year has been the most inconsistent it has been in years. I tend to agree, mostly on the fact that everything is a shade of gray. Nothing is black or white anymore, nothing is uniformed for every game. It's a hit or miss chance depending on the referee. I don't know what Stephen Walkom can do, but something needs to be done when it comes to consistency in the calls.
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You want to know how deep the Nashville Predators are?? Even though they don't have Peter Forsberg, Steve Sullivan or Scott Hartnell in the line-up, they are still tops in the West and NHL. But I think the real question is whether or not this is a blessing or a curse for the Preds. Let's be honest, they were able to play well last year when Tomas Vokoun was out, but could this be a little too much.
The Preds are a high-power offense and may be hurt a little bit by the lack of speed and all. Plus, even if those three do come back, how much rust will be on them when they come back. The upside is that they are back and could spark a long run for the Preds.
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Make sure you check out The Show tonight at 9 PM ET or on the Podcast whenever the hamster on the wheel is able to put it up. If all else fails, check out the Message Board for some random and fun stuff.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Around the Rink 03.13.07
Finally, closure. At least we think it's closure. Of course, I'm speaking about the Pittsburgh Penguins finally picking a place....and it's Pittsburgh. All the posturing, traveling to other cities, bickering back and forth-- it all finally came to something. The deal will be finalized this afternoon.
The deal itself will keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh for 30 years, with a new arena to be built by 2009. The arena will also be funded by the red hot slots.
Great joy for the Penguins, but heartache for cities like Kansas City and Las Vegas who were courted. Kansas City more so, because they have an arena still without a tenant. Thoughts for KC will have to turn to the Nashville Predators situation, but only time will tell with that.
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Chris Simon's suspension was handed down and it's interesting, at best. Simon was suspended the rest of the season (15 games) and the entire post-season (TBD). However, there's a minimum of 25 games-- meaning if the Isles play less than 10 games, the remaining games will carry over to the '07-'08 season. If they play more than 10 games, Simon will return, if signed, at the start of the '07-'08 season.
Good move by the NHL. It's the longest suspension in history, regardless of the playoffs happening and if the Isles max out every series-- it could turn out to be a 43 game suspension. People think that this will cut down the stick work-- but if they haven't learned from Wayne Maki or Dino Ciccarelli; they never will.
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If the NHLPA could fall further into obscurity, I don't know how. Both executive director Ted Saskin and senior director Ken Kim have been sent home on a leave of absence. This is stemming from a Toronto Star report that Saskin and Kim were tapping into players email boxes to track what they were doing.
Quite frankly, I don't see why someone would do that. Let's be honest, if the player has an NHLPA email address, they probably have a personal email address that they use more frequently. At least, you'd hope that was the case and not just imagination. There's still much to be uncovered, but in the end-- the NHLPA continues to be in shambles, one brick after another.
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Does Paul Stastny have a shot at winning the Calder Trophy?? Many assume no, mainly because that was awarded to Evgeni Malkin when he defected. Yet, Stastny must have not seen that memo. Stastny's 18-game point streak is a record in the NHL for rookies. Not only that, but Stastny has been a catalyst for the Colorado Avalanche; keeping their playoff hopes alive.
When you look at the numbers, Stastny isn't too far off Malkin's numbers; but you always have to factor in the East Coast bias, simply because Stastny plays in the West and not many writers can stay awake that long to watch his games. Stranger things have happened, though, and the Sean-O's "Second Half Surge" is in effect. It'll be an interesting awards night, that's for sure.
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That's all for now. Check out the Show this week for great guest, a whole lot of laughs, and maybe some hockey. If you can't wait-- the Message Board awaits you.
The deal itself will keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh for 30 years, with a new arena to be built by 2009. The arena will also be funded by the red hot slots.
Great joy for the Penguins, but heartache for cities like Kansas City and Las Vegas who were courted. Kansas City more so, because they have an arena still without a tenant. Thoughts for KC will have to turn to the Nashville Predators situation, but only time will tell with that.
---------
Chris Simon's suspension was handed down and it's interesting, at best. Simon was suspended the rest of the season (15 games) and the entire post-season (TBD). However, there's a minimum of 25 games-- meaning if the Isles play less than 10 games, the remaining games will carry over to the '07-'08 season. If they play more than 10 games, Simon will return, if signed, at the start of the '07-'08 season.
Good move by the NHL. It's the longest suspension in history, regardless of the playoffs happening and if the Isles max out every series-- it could turn out to be a 43 game suspension. People think that this will cut down the stick work-- but if they haven't learned from Wayne Maki or Dino Ciccarelli; they never will.
---------
If the NHLPA could fall further into obscurity, I don't know how. Both executive director Ted Saskin and senior director Ken Kim have been sent home on a leave of absence. This is stemming from a Toronto Star report that Saskin and Kim were tapping into players email boxes to track what they were doing.
Quite frankly, I don't see why someone would do that. Let's be honest, if the player has an NHLPA email address, they probably have a personal email address that they use more frequently. At least, you'd hope that was the case and not just imagination. There's still much to be uncovered, but in the end-- the NHLPA continues to be in shambles, one brick after another.
--------
Does Paul Stastny have a shot at winning the Calder Trophy?? Many assume no, mainly because that was awarded to Evgeni Malkin when he defected. Yet, Stastny must have not seen that memo. Stastny's 18-game point streak is a record in the NHL for rookies. Not only that, but Stastny has been a catalyst for the Colorado Avalanche; keeping their playoff hopes alive.
When you look at the numbers, Stastny isn't too far off Malkin's numbers; but you always have to factor in the East Coast bias, simply because Stastny plays in the West and not many writers can stay awake that long to watch his games. Stranger things have happened, though, and the Sean-O's "Second Half Surge" is in effect. It'll be an interesting awards night, that's for sure.
---------
That's all for now. Check out the Show this week for great guest, a whole lot of laughs, and maybe some hockey. If you can't wait-- the Message Board awaits you.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Simon Says Slash
Well, I figured I'd be the last one to the "weighing in on Chris Simon" party. If you didn't see Chris Simon's try-out for the Mets on Ryan Hollweg's face, you can see it here on GooTube. As of right now, Simon has been suspended indefinitely pending a hearing, which is basic stuff for the NHL after a match penalty.
This also came on the three-year anniversary of the Moore/Bertuzzi incident. Why they are commemorating three years is anyone's guess.
Anyway-- to the matter at hand. Should Simon be suspended?? Well, yeah. How long?? With the Colin Campbell doing what he does-- who knows. Personally, I'd like to see Simon sit for the rest of the regular season and maybe some of the playoffs, like so much Todd Bertuzzi. Simon, however, doesn't have the luxury of a work stoppage pending. Granted, the grit for the Isles will be gone, but his 27 points may not be missed as much.
Yet, this sparks the debate on how a suspension should be handled and what needs to be done and all these crazy schemes to see justice in the NHL.
The common one is the "player suspended until injured player comes back," which does have some signs of intelligence, but falls flat when real thought is given into it. Say someone like Alex Ovechkin or Jarome Iginla hits someone knee-on-knee or slash someone or whatever. These guys are suspended. Now, if the player is seriously injured and that rule comes into effect; what's stopping a coach from keeping said player on the IR to hurt the chances of the Caps or Flames or whomever. That's not only bad for the team, but bad for the NHL.
Granted, it seems the superstars are never really punished, but that's another entry for another time.
Another one that's out there is the ever popular "lifetime ban." Personally, I think this is the emotion of people getting the best of them, but it'll never happen. Now, I haven't read the cliff notes of the CBA yet, but I'm sure that there's something in there that is making that a non-option. Plus, the lawsuits that could stem from that would be far worse than trying to make a statement.
We'll see what happens this weekend and the beginning of next, but this has been a frantic 15 hours. The one thing the NHL really needs to consider is that this suspension should be on par with what Dale Hunter, Marty McSorley, and Todd Bertuzzi got-- the latter to a less extent because it wasn't a stick involved issue. Whatever they do to Simon WON'T, I repeat, WON'T set an example. Despite a 29-goal season way back when, Simon is a "goon" as some people would say. If the NHL wanted to make an example of someone-- they would have given Ovechkin a suspension for what he did to Danny Briere.
This also came on the three-year anniversary of the Moore/Bertuzzi incident. Why they are commemorating three years is anyone's guess.
Anyway-- to the matter at hand. Should Simon be suspended?? Well, yeah. How long?? With the Colin Campbell doing what he does-- who knows. Personally, I'd like to see Simon sit for the rest of the regular season and maybe some of the playoffs, like so much Todd Bertuzzi. Simon, however, doesn't have the luxury of a work stoppage pending. Granted, the grit for the Isles will be gone, but his 27 points may not be missed as much.
Yet, this sparks the debate on how a suspension should be handled and what needs to be done and all these crazy schemes to see justice in the NHL.
The common one is the "player suspended until injured player comes back," which does have some signs of intelligence, but falls flat when real thought is given into it. Say someone like Alex Ovechkin or Jarome Iginla hits someone knee-on-knee or slash someone or whatever. These guys are suspended. Now, if the player is seriously injured and that rule comes into effect; what's stopping a coach from keeping said player on the IR to hurt the chances of the Caps or Flames or whomever. That's not only bad for the team, but bad for the NHL.
Granted, it seems the superstars are never really punished, but that's another entry for another time.
Another one that's out there is the ever popular "lifetime ban." Personally, I think this is the emotion of people getting the best of them, but it'll never happen. Now, I haven't read the cliff notes of the CBA yet, but I'm sure that there's something in there that is making that a non-option. Plus, the lawsuits that could stem from that would be far worse than trying to make a statement.
We'll see what happens this weekend and the beginning of next, but this has been a frantic 15 hours. The one thing the NHL really needs to consider is that this suspension should be on par with what Dale Hunter, Marty McSorley, and Todd Bertuzzi got-- the latter to a less extent because it wasn't a stick involved issue. Whatever they do to Simon WON'T, I repeat, WON'T set an example. Despite a 29-goal season way back when, Simon is a "goon" as some people would say. If the NHL wanted to make an example of someone-- they would have given Ovechkin a suspension for what he did to Danny Briere.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Around the Rink 03.07.07
Well, it's the beginning of the month, which means it's time for the usual "Penguins are threatening to leave town" propaganda. This is getting a bit old, but it seems like it has some merit. Mario Lemieux called the deal with the City of Pittsburgh and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at an impasse and will look at options to move. We've heard it before, sure-- but now Gary Bettman will meet with the Penguins to see what's going down to bring closure one way or another.
Now, Bob McKenzie makes a good point, which makes me feel dirty saying that. McKenzie said that this could be an effort on making sure the Pens get everything out of the city and state that they can. With Bettman in the fold; this could be the moderator they need in order to keep the Pens in Pittsburgh for years to come.
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Another controversial hit, as Cam Janssen of the New Jersey Devils took out Tomas Kaberle on Friday night. Kaberle is out indefinitely, but wants to come back this season. Janssen received a three-game suspension.
The hit was definitely late and the flop Kaberle took into the boards made my neck hurt, but had Kaberle had been more aware of Janssen, would it be as serious as it was?? I'm not saying Kaberle didn't protect himself, but you have to wonder if he knew Janseen was coming; would he have done something differently??
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You take out the heart and the body dies. That's what biology and Mortal Kombat has taught us. It seems that the Edmonton Oilers are showing it on the ice. Since Ryan Smyth was traded, the Oilers have lost all three games since, getting shutout twice, and scoring only two goals in that span. Now, with Ales Hemsky out and any hopes of the playoffs a far reach-- some may wonder what would have happened is Smyth was still there.
Smyth, however, seems to be thriving on Long Island, as is ex-Oiler M-A Bergeron who has eight points in seven games with the Islanders. It's salt in the wound, I know-- but it's an interesting stat.
Another question is whether Kevin Lowe will be able to attract any free agents to Edmonton this off-season. With the Pronger issues, it seems that no one is willing to head to Edmonton.
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It'll be an interesting show this week, so make sure you check out FOHS live at 9 PM ET or always on the FOHS Podcast. Have you checked out the FOHS Message Boards?? You should.
Now, Bob McKenzie makes a good point, which makes me feel dirty saying that. McKenzie said that this could be an effort on making sure the Pens get everything out of the city and state that they can. With Bettman in the fold; this could be the moderator they need in order to keep the Pens in Pittsburgh for years to come.
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Another controversial hit, as Cam Janssen of the New Jersey Devils took out Tomas Kaberle on Friday night. Kaberle is out indefinitely, but wants to come back this season. Janssen received a three-game suspension.
The hit was definitely late and the flop Kaberle took into the boards made my neck hurt, but had Kaberle had been more aware of Janssen, would it be as serious as it was?? I'm not saying Kaberle didn't protect himself, but you have to wonder if he knew Janseen was coming; would he have done something differently??
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You take out the heart and the body dies. That's what biology and Mortal Kombat has taught us. It seems that the Edmonton Oilers are showing it on the ice. Since Ryan Smyth was traded, the Oilers have lost all three games since, getting shutout twice, and scoring only two goals in that span. Now, with Ales Hemsky out and any hopes of the playoffs a far reach-- some may wonder what would have happened is Smyth was still there.
Smyth, however, seems to be thriving on Long Island, as is ex-Oiler M-A Bergeron who has eight points in seven games with the Islanders. It's salt in the wound, I know-- but it's an interesting stat.
Another question is whether Kevin Lowe will be able to attract any free agents to Edmonton this off-season. With the Pronger issues, it seems that no one is willing to head to Edmonton.
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It'll be an interesting show this week, so make sure you check out FOHS live at 9 PM ET or always on the FOHS Podcast. Have you checked out the FOHS Message Boards?? You should.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Deadline Day 2007
While I was flipping between TSN and Rogers Sportsnet for the first two minutes, I knew that Sportsnet would be a gongshow. William Houston of the Globe and Mail confirmed my assumption.
Anyway, onto the day; I was a little disappointed at the moves....but at the end of the day, the last deal will be the one anyone talks about. So, we start with it.
Unable to get him signed to a new contract, the Edmonton Oilers (on Mark Messier night) traded the face of the franchise, Ryan Smyth, to the New York Islanders. In return, the Oilers get a 1st round pick, Robert Nilsson, and Ryan O'Marra. The Oilers and Smyth were working on terms of a contract, but couldn't come to an agreement. Smyth said he wouldn't take a "hometown discount" and was asking for a multi-year deal at $5.5M.
Now, this could signal the possible white flag of the Oilers. They gave up M-A Bergeron a week earlier and now with Smyth-- you have to wonder if they are giving up on the season. It should take the wind out of the sails of the team just because Smyth was the guy in Edmonton. Now, we'll see where this takes the Oilers, as they are seven points out of a playoff spot in 9th place.
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The Buffalo Sabres were busy, but also made some questionable deals. First off, the Sabres finally traded Martin Biron, but not to a contender and not out West. Biron went to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2nd-round pick. To compensate that, the Sabres picked up Ty Conklin from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fifth round pick. To compensate for front line injuries, the Sabres got Dainius Zubrus and Timo Helbling from the Washington Capitals for Jiri Novotny and a 1st round pick.
You can't blame the Sabres for trying to get a forward, but Zubrus has really benefited from having Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin on his wings. Plus, Zubrus is only a rental with his asking price being too high and the Sabres having to sign Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.
Now, for the Biron/Conklin swap.....WHAAAAAAA?!? Now, this doesn't make sense at all. That's like trading a Porsche for a Gremlin. If Ryan Miller goes down, do the Sabres think that Conklin will be the guy to carry the load?? I understand they needed to get something for Biron, but that's not the way to go about it all.
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The big name that went was Bill Guerin, who went to the San Jose Sharks for Ville Nieminen, Jay Barriball, and a 1st round pick. Guerin will bring even more depth to the Sharks offense, but defense may be the question. We'll see how it comes around with a little slump the Sharks are going through, but their offense is scary good on paper-- now they need to come through on the ice.
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As much as I hate to admit it, the Pittsburgh Penguins did pretty well during this deadline. They added muscle to the team and while it may not be enough to win a Stanley Cup, it will be enough to get their stars into the playoffs for a big run.
The Pens picked up Gary Roberts from the Florida Panthers for Noah Welch, while Georges Laraque got picked up from Phoenix for Dan Carcillo and a 3rd round pick in '08. Both Laraque and Roberts had to waive their no trade clause.
While Roberts is a great vet and Laraque the muscle; the issue with Laraque is that he has a no-movement contract. That means Laraque can't be traded, sent down or bought out unless he approves. Laraque has another season on his contract making just over a million bucks, which is a little much for a fighter.
The Pens also picked up Nolan Schaefer as a goalie for Wilkes-Barre Scranton.
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One of the interesting moves is the Detroit Red Wings taking a big chance on Todd Bertuzzi , but they didn't give up much-- just a conditional draft pick and prospect Shawn Matthias. Bertuzzi hasn't played since October and has had to deal with some back surgeries in order to get better.
That said, if Bertuzzi is healthy, he'll bring some much needed grit to the Red Wings roster and will be the muscle if he can hold out on his health.
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There were plenty of other deals to talk about, but you can check out Face Off Hockey Show for the analysis from us and Spector's Hockey's Lyle Richardson. We'll do all we can to break down the deals made, not made, the winners and the losers.
If you need all the round-up for the Trade Deadline, check out TSN's trade page for all the deals big or small.
Anyway, onto the day; I was a little disappointed at the moves....but at the end of the day, the last deal will be the one anyone talks about. So, we start with it.
Unable to get him signed to a new contract, the Edmonton Oilers (on Mark Messier night) traded the face of the franchise, Ryan Smyth, to the New York Islanders. In return, the Oilers get a 1st round pick, Robert Nilsson, and Ryan O'Marra. The Oilers and Smyth were working on terms of a contract, but couldn't come to an agreement. Smyth said he wouldn't take a "hometown discount" and was asking for a multi-year deal at $5.5M.
Now, this could signal the possible white flag of the Oilers. They gave up M-A Bergeron a week earlier and now with Smyth-- you have to wonder if they are giving up on the season. It should take the wind out of the sails of the team just because Smyth was the guy in Edmonton. Now, we'll see where this takes the Oilers, as they are seven points out of a playoff spot in 9th place.
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The Buffalo Sabres were busy, but also made some questionable deals. First off, the Sabres finally traded Martin Biron, but not to a contender and not out West. Biron went to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2nd-round pick. To compensate that, the Sabres picked up Ty Conklin from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fifth round pick. To compensate for front line injuries, the Sabres got Dainius Zubrus and Timo Helbling from the Washington Capitals for Jiri Novotny and a 1st round pick.
You can't blame the Sabres for trying to get a forward, but Zubrus has really benefited from having Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin on his wings. Plus, Zubrus is only a rental with his asking price being too high and the Sabres having to sign Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.
Now, for the Biron/Conklin swap.....WHAAAAAAA?!? Now, this doesn't make sense at all. That's like trading a Porsche for a Gremlin. If Ryan Miller goes down, do the Sabres think that Conklin will be the guy to carry the load?? I understand they needed to get something for Biron, but that's not the way to go about it all.
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The big name that went was Bill Guerin, who went to the San Jose Sharks for Ville Nieminen, Jay Barriball, and a 1st round pick. Guerin will bring even more depth to the Sharks offense, but defense may be the question. We'll see how it comes around with a little slump the Sharks are going through, but their offense is scary good on paper-- now they need to come through on the ice.
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As much as I hate to admit it, the Pittsburgh Penguins did pretty well during this deadline. They added muscle to the team and while it may not be enough to win a Stanley Cup, it will be enough to get their stars into the playoffs for a big run.
The Pens picked up Gary Roberts from the Florida Panthers for Noah Welch, while Georges Laraque got picked up from Phoenix for Dan Carcillo and a 3rd round pick in '08. Both Laraque and Roberts had to waive their no trade clause.
While Roberts is a great vet and Laraque the muscle; the issue with Laraque is that he has a no-movement contract. That means Laraque can't be traded, sent down or bought out unless he approves. Laraque has another season on his contract making just over a million bucks, which is a little much for a fighter.
The Pens also picked up Nolan Schaefer as a goalie for Wilkes-Barre Scranton.
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One of the interesting moves is the Detroit Red Wings taking a big chance on Todd Bertuzzi , but they didn't give up much-- just a conditional draft pick and prospect Shawn Matthias. Bertuzzi hasn't played since October and has had to deal with some back surgeries in order to get better.
That said, if Bertuzzi is healthy, he'll bring some much needed grit to the Red Wings roster and will be the muscle if he can hold out on his health.
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There were plenty of other deals to talk about, but you can check out Face Off Hockey Show for the analysis from us and Spector's Hockey's Lyle Richardson. We'll do all we can to break down the deals made, not made, the winners and the losers.
If you need all the round-up for the Trade Deadline, check out TSN's trade page for all the deals big or small.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Overpaying In Atlanta
It didn't take long before the dominos started to fall, and it looks like those in the ATL are ready to make a serious playoff run. First, the Thrashers picked-up defenseman Alexei Zhitnik from Philadelphia and then this morning, they finalized a deal to get Keith Tkachuk.
The Zhitnik deal was announced after the early games last night. It sent Zhitnik to his third team this year, while Philadelphia got defensive prospect Braydon Coburn. Zhitnik has 23 points this season with the Isles and Flyers, but we basically picked-up to help the awful puck moving defense in Atlanta and bring some veteran leadership to the fold. The Flyers will enjoy Coburn, who never found his nitch in the Atlanta organization. Coburn is a definite upgrade over Freddy Meyer IV who was traded to the Islanders to get Zhitnik.
Tkachuk waited a little bit to give Atlanta an answer, considering his no-trade clause; but he eventually lifted it. In return, the St. Louis Blues got Glen Metropolit, a 1st and 3rd round pick in the 2007 Draft, and a 2nd round pick in the 2008 Draft. Tkachuk has done well with the Blues with 20 goals and 43 points on the season and will add much needed depth to the Thrashers front line. Metropolit was in his first year back from three years overseas, and didn't do too shabby with 12 goals and 28 points, including a +9.
Now, the Zhitnik trade may be mortgaging the future for the here and now, but I can understand what the Thrashers wanted to. They needed someone on defense who knows how to play the position and can move the puck around too.
The Tkachuk deal is leaving me scratching my head. Draft picks, nowadays, are just a goldmine of talent. And considering that the Thrashers could be fighting for a spot, the Blues could have two nicely positioned first-round spots. Not only that, but the Thrashers will probably only get Tkachuk's services for the remaining 18 games and whatever playoff games they have, since Tkachuk is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. This is a scenario where it is mortgaging the future.
Let's be honest, the Thrashers have been in free-fall mode for the past couple of weeks, and the odds of them making the playoffs on this pace is not really a guarantee. If they spent all this for nothing; then the ownership may have to question the future of GM Don Waddell and head coach Bob Hartley.
When all is said and done, you really can't fault the Thrashers for trying....even if they do fall flat on their face.
The Zhitnik deal was announced after the early games last night. It sent Zhitnik to his third team this year, while Philadelphia got defensive prospect Braydon Coburn. Zhitnik has 23 points this season with the Isles and Flyers, but we basically picked-up to help the awful puck moving defense in Atlanta and bring some veteran leadership to the fold. The Flyers will enjoy Coburn, who never found his nitch in the Atlanta organization. Coburn is a definite upgrade over Freddy Meyer IV who was traded to the Islanders to get Zhitnik.
Tkachuk waited a little bit to give Atlanta an answer, considering his no-trade clause; but he eventually lifted it. In return, the St. Louis Blues got Glen Metropolit, a 1st and 3rd round pick in the 2007 Draft, and a 2nd round pick in the 2008 Draft. Tkachuk has done well with the Blues with 20 goals and 43 points on the season and will add much needed depth to the Thrashers front line. Metropolit was in his first year back from three years overseas, and didn't do too shabby with 12 goals and 28 points, including a +9.
Now, the Zhitnik trade may be mortgaging the future for the here and now, but I can understand what the Thrashers wanted to. They needed someone on defense who knows how to play the position and can move the puck around too.
The Tkachuk deal is leaving me scratching my head. Draft picks, nowadays, are just a goldmine of talent. And considering that the Thrashers could be fighting for a spot, the Blues could have two nicely positioned first-round spots. Not only that, but the Thrashers will probably only get Tkachuk's services for the remaining 18 games and whatever playoff games they have, since Tkachuk is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. This is a scenario where it is mortgaging the future.
Let's be honest, the Thrashers have been in free-fall mode for the past couple of weeks, and the odds of them making the playoffs on this pace is not really a guarantee. If they spent all this for nothing; then the ownership may have to question the future of GM Don Waddell and head coach Bob Hartley.
When all is said and done, you really can't fault the Thrashers for trying....even if they do fall flat on their face.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Around the Rink 02.24.07
Alright, let's get the Brawl in Buffalo out of the way. Now, it was an interesting piece to see, considering the history these two teams (Buffalo and Ottawa) have had in the past two seasons. However, the debate of "late hit" or "dirty hit" is really subjective. Looking at the video replay, you could make the case for Chris Neil's hit on Chris Drury as being a touch late, but no stride was made before impact and no elbow was up, which would have been obvious since they are the same size.
The aftermath of that, with Ray Emery going with Martin Biron and then Andrew Peters was bizarre; but the question on my mind is why put your top line out there after the hit?? Let's be honest, sure the Sabres have last change; but isn't that the point where you waste your time-out to put your third or fourth line guys in??
The result of the hit is Drury being placed on IR indefinitely for a concussion and a must-watch scenario for tonight.
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Anson Carter is on the move again, as Carter was traded from Columbus to Carolina in exchange for a 5th Round Pick in '08. Carter has 27 points in 53 games and was brought in as a precautionary measure assuming that Nikolai Zherdev wasn't going to come over to North America.
Carter has had a season to forget, which is why most people are shocked that the Canes went out in got him. Sure, he's a depth player while Erik Cole is out, but Carter has only 24 games experience in the playoffs; which won't help the Canes out at all. We'll see if having some true talent on a line with him will help his cause, but this move is quite the odd one, for sure.
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Georges Laraque could be on the move soon, as he was a healthy scratch on Thursday; sparking speculation of his departure. Pittsburgh radio stations were already saying Laraque to Pittsburgh was a done deal; which is going on 48 hours without it going down. This is due to Laraque's no-trade clause.
However, shouldn't the Penguins have gotten some muscle earlier in the season?? When you look at what has happened this season with Sidney Crosby; you would think that after the first time, they would get the picture and get right on it. Fact of the matter is, if they trade for muscle; the Pens will only use him for whatever is left of the regular season (may include some healthy scratches) and that's it, unless they can provide otherwise.
We'll see where Laraque goes, because he's sure he'll be heading somewhere come Tuesday.
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We talked about some of the GM meetings during the last show, but it's interesting about the teams not wanting to deal with the three-point games. Some say that it wouldn't create much excitement and would water down the game or whatever other party line they were spouting off.
Look, are you trying to tell me that a divisional match-up, where you could get three points over a rival, wouldn't create more passion or parity?? My god, that could change the landscape of the game and really bring passion to it. Let's be honest, if you could get a three-point advantage over the other teams compared to the one-point if it goes to overtime....why wouldn't you do it; it just make sense.
Of course, you'll have the smart-ass Bettman bashers going, "Of course he wants to bring in three-points, he's a basketball guy." Shut up, stupids.
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That's my time, unless something big happens; I'll be back on Tuesday to maybe do some "live blogging" for the trade deadline. We'll see how well that goes over, though. Until then, check the message boards for the hilarity happening over there or if you missed a show, check out the Podcast.
The aftermath of that, with Ray Emery going with Martin Biron and then Andrew Peters was bizarre; but the question on my mind is why put your top line out there after the hit?? Let's be honest, sure the Sabres have last change; but isn't that the point where you waste your time-out to put your third or fourth line guys in??
The result of the hit is Drury being placed on IR indefinitely for a concussion and a must-watch scenario for tonight.
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Anson Carter is on the move again, as Carter was traded from Columbus to Carolina in exchange for a 5th Round Pick in '08. Carter has 27 points in 53 games and was brought in as a precautionary measure assuming that Nikolai Zherdev wasn't going to come over to North America.
Carter has had a season to forget, which is why most people are shocked that the Canes went out in got him. Sure, he's a depth player while Erik Cole is out, but Carter has only 24 games experience in the playoffs; which won't help the Canes out at all. We'll see if having some true talent on a line with him will help his cause, but this move is quite the odd one, for sure.
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Georges Laraque could be on the move soon, as he was a healthy scratch on Thursday; sparking speculation of his departure. Pittsburgh radio stations were already saying Laraque to Pittsburgh was a done deal; which is going on 48 hours without it going down. This is due to Laraque's no-trade clause.
However, shouldn't the Penguins have gotten some muscle earlier in the season?? When you look at what has happened this season with Sidney Crosby; you would think that after the first time, they would get the picture and get right on it. Fact of the matter is, if they trade for muscle; the Pens will only use him for whatever is left of the regular season (may include some healthy scratches) and that's it, unless they can provide otherwise.
We'll see where Laraque goes, because he's sure he'll be heading somewhere come Tuesday.
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We talked about some of the GM meetings during the last show, but it's interesting about the teams not wanting to deal with the three-point games. Some say that it wouldn't create much excitement and would water down the game or whatever other party line they were spouting off.
Look, are you trying to tell me that a divisional match-up, where you could get three points over a rival, wouldn't create more passion or parity?? My god, that could change the landscape of the game and really bring passion to it. Let's be honest, if you could get a three-point advantage over the other teams compared to the one-point if it goes to overtime....why wouldn't you do it; it just make sense.
Of course, you'll have the smart-ass Bettman bashers going, "Of course he wants to bring in three-points, he's a basketball guy." Shut up, stupids.
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That's my time, unless something big happens; I'll be back on Tuesday to maybe do some "live blogging" for the trade deadline. We'll see how well that goes over, though. Until then, check the message boards for the hilarity happening over there or if you missed a show, check out the Podcast.
Friday, February 16, 2007
The Forsberg Deal
It finally happened. After month of build-up, meeting after meeting with Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, and countless Lyle Cherry appearances, Peter Forsberg was dealt to the Nashville Predators for Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent, and two picks. Forsberg is said to be suiting up for tonight's game against St. Louis.
Now, this deal can work one of two ways-- first, it can work out that the Preds get a healthy Forsberg which will help them get that much closer to the Cup. Or, it could mean that the Preds get an injured Forsberg after a couple of games, then lose him back to the Flyers due to the UFA deal he has going on.
There are plenty of people who think the Preds overpaid for a rent-a-wreck like Forsberg, and they could be right. However, Upshall really hasn't reached the potential that was build up for him and has been passed over numerous times during the camps. Secondly, the Preds are so deep in young defensemen, they needed to do something or else there would be a huge logjam that no team would want. They would have been traded off eventually, but to do it for someone who is considered to be the best player in the world when healthy-- you take the risk.
Even if Forsberg gets injured, what would it matter to how the Preds are doing now?? They are second in the entire league in points, they have forward depth coming out of everywhere (like a 3rd line center with 20 goals, right David Legwand??), and neither Parent nor Upshall really had much to do with their success. So, should this whole experience go flat, it's not really a loss in the grand scheme of things.
Another theory is that Forsberg's skate boot problems will magically disappear now that he's in Nashville. That's a decent one, but I don't think Forsberg was really holding out to play in Music City, USA-- he is legitimately hurt.
As it stands, the Predators are a better team now then they were 24 hours ago, on paper. The sad thing is-- Forsberg alone outscores the Predators roster in playoff points. If he can stay healthy throughout, the Preds could become the front-runners....more so.
Now, this deal can work one of two ways-- first, it can work out that the Preds get a healthy Forsberg which will help them get that much closer to the Cup. Or, it could mean that the Preds get an injured Forsberg after a couple of games, then lose him back to the Flyers due to the UFA deal he has going on.
There are plenty of people who think the Preds overpaid for a rent-a-wreck like Forsberg, and they could be right. However, Upshall really hasn't reached the potential that was build up for him and has been passed over numerous times during the camps. Secondly, the Preds are so deep in young defensemen, they needed to do something or else there would be a huge logjam that no team would want. They would have been traded off eventually, but to do it for someone who is considered to be the best player in the world when healthy-- you take the risk.
Even if Forsberg gets injured, what would it matter to how the Preds are doing now?? They are second in the entire league in points, they have forward depth coming out of everywhere (like a 3rd line center with 20 goals, right David Legwand??), and neither Parent nor Upshall really had much to do with their success. So, should this whole experience go flat, it's not really a loss in the grand scheme of things.
Another theory is that Forsberg's skate boot problems will magically disappear now that he's in Nashville. That's a decent one, but I don't think Forsberg was really holding out to play in Music City, USA-- he is legitimately hurt.
As it stands, the Predators are a better team now then they were 24 hours ago, on paper. The sad thing is-- Forsberg alone outscores the Predators roster in playoff points. If he can stay healthy throughout, the Preds could become the front-runners....more so.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Around the Rink 02.12.07
Oddly enough, the Calgary Flames are making the biggest splash, first with Craig Conroy; now they acquired Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau from the Boston Bruins for Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew. This came as a surprise as it seemed that the Edmonton Oilers were the front runners for the services of Stuart, but the team from down the QE2 ended up being the big winners.
However, personally, I have to wonder if they gave up too much. Granted, Kobasew can't stay healthy and Primeau is decent as a 3rd or 4th liner-- that's a push. The thing that gets me is why trade a defensively solid player like Ference for a guy who had the third lowest plus/minus in the league before being traded?? They already have some two-way defensemen in Dion Phaneuf, Roman Hamrlik, and more recently, Mark Giordano. We'll see if this move pays off, but if it doesn't-- there will be plenty of angry fans.
As for the Bruins, they are continuing to re-build; but if you're scoring at home-- the deal last December is now Joe Thornton for Marco Sturm....not something you want to see.
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Another move made is Ladislav Nagy being traded to the Dallas Stars for Mathias Tjarnqvist and a first-round pick. Nagy has eight goals and 41 points through 55 games and has been in Wayne Gretzky's doghouse for a good chunk of the season. Tjarnqvist had four points and averaged 10 minutes a game.
However, to trade away a first-round pick is what makes this deal a little bit crazy in my eyes. Nagy has all the tools to be a big star, but either rarely displays them or is injured most of the time. However, with the Stars "goals by committee", anything that seems like it could be an upgrade may help in the long run.
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Some sources are now saying that the NHL will be playing in London, England to start off the 2007-08 game, as it is rumored that the LA will make the trek across the pond to debut the O2 Arena, one that was developed and created by Anschutz Entertainment Group, the same group that owns the Kings. Their rumored opponent is the Anaheim Ducks, who back in 1998, played the Vancouver Canucks in Japan.
This is not the worst idea in the world, though you'll have people yelling and screaming about taking a home game away from both teams-- but if you want to expand the game; this is the way. As many of you know, we have plenty of fans in the UK and their dedication to the game deserves to be rewarded and this could be the thing to do it.
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The NHL is laying the wood to Ray Emery, who laid the wood to Maxim Lapierre. Emery was suspended three games by the NHL after a vicious slash to the head and face area of Lapierre. Lapierre was knocked into Emery, who took exception. When Lapierre and Emery were trying to get up, Emery took the heel of his stick and hit Lapierre at the top of his visor. Luckily, no serious injury occurred.
However, I say good on the NHL for this one. I'm a Sens fan and I still think that Emery deserved something. You can't condone these sort of head shots. I understand that some goalies are complaining about being protected, but once martial law occurs, something has to be done-- which is what happened in this case.
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There's a lot of people making a stink about what's going on with Gary Bettman after it was revealed that he's not looking to step down, despite rumors on the contrary. You know, I'm not the biggest fan of Bettman, but since his tenure-- he has given some relevance to the league in terms of expansion (maybe too much) and profit (373% raise since his coming in). However, people still hate Bettman, and some with good reason.
The problem I have with it is that no matter what happens-- it's all Bettman's fault. Penalties, no penalties, sky being blue-- all Bettman's fault. Hockey fans claim to be the most dedicated, which is true-- but they also seem to be the most fickle. No matter what happens, nothing is ever good enough. It's not just Bettman, but I'm sure whoever his successor is; he'll get the same scrutiny. Not even that, but people underestimate the power that the Board of Governors has over Bettman and the entire NHL, but that's for another day.
Bettman contract runs out at the end of the CBA term, which is after the 2010-11 season. As long as the money is rolling in-- Bettman will stay in power. Get used it and get over it.
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That's all for now, but make sure you check out FOHS Wednesday from 9 PM ET to 11 PM ET live. There's always the Podcast if you can't make it or the Message Board for good waste of time.
However, personally, I have to wonder if they gave up too much. Granted, Kobasew can't stay healthy and Primeau is decent as a 3rd or 4th liner-- that's a push. The thing that gets me is why trade a defensively solid player like Ference for a guy who had the third lowest plus/minus in the league before being traded?? They already have some two-way defensemen in Dion Phaneuf, Roman Hamrlik, and more recently, Mark Giordano. We'll see if this move pays off, but if it doesn't-- there will be plenty of angry fans.
As for the Bruins, they are continuing to re-build; but if you're scoring at home-- the deal last December is now Joe Thornton for Marco Sturm....not something you want to see.
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Another move made is Ladislav Nagy being traded to the Dallas Stars for Mathias Tjarnqvist and a first-round pick. Nagy has eight goals and 41 points through 55 games and has been in Wayne Gretzky's doghouse for a good chunk of the season. Tjarnqvist had four points and averaged 10 minutes a game.
However, to trade away a first-round pick is what makes this deal a little bit crazy in my eyes. Nagy has all the tools to be a big star, but either rarely displays them or is injured most of the time. However, with the Stars "goals by committee", anything that seems like it could be an upgrade may help in the long run.
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Some sources are now saying that the NHL will be playing in London, England to start off the 2007-08 game, as it is rumored that the LA will make the trek across the pond to debut the O2 Arena, one that was developed and created by Anschutz Entertainment Group, the same group that owns the Kings. Their rumored opponent is the Anaheim Ducks, who back in 1998, played the Vancouver Canucks in Japan.
This is not the worst idea in the world, though you'll have people yelling and screaming about taking a home game away from both teams-- but if you want to expand the game; this is the way. As many of you know, we have plenty of fans in the UK and their dedication to the game deserves to be rewarded and this could be the thing to do it.
---------
The NHL is laying the wood to Ray Emery, who laid the wood to Maxim Lapierre. Emery was suspended three games by the NHL after a vicious slash to the head and face area of Lapierre. Lapierre was knocked into Emery, who took exception. When Lapierre and Emery were trying to get up, Emery took the heel of his stick and hit Lapierre at the top of his visor. Luckily, no serious injury occurred.
However, I say good on the NHL for this one. I'm a Sens fan and I still think that Emery deserved something. You can't condone these sort of head shots. I understand that some goalies are complaining about being protected, but once martial law occurs, something has to be done-- which is what happened in this case.
---------
There's a lot of people making a stink about what's going on with Gary Bettman after it was revealed that he's not looking to step down, despite rumors on the contrary. You know, I'm not the biggest fan of Bettman, but since his tenure-- he has given some relevance to the league in terms of expansion (maybe too much) and profit (373% raise since his coming in). However, people still hate Bettman, and some with good reason.
The problem I have with it is that no matter what happens-- it's all Bettman's fault. Penalties, no penalties, sky being blue-- all Bettman's fault. Hockey fans claim to be the most dedicated, which is true-- but they also seem to be the most fickle. No matter what happens, nothing is ever good enough. It's not just Bettman, but I'm sure whoever his successor is; he'll get the same scrutiny. Not even that, but people underestimate the power that the Board of Governors has over Bettman and the entire NHL, but that's for another day.
Bettman contract runs out at the end of the CBA term, which is after the 2010-11 season. As long as the money is rolling in-- Bettman will stay in power. Get used it and get over it.
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That's all for now, but make sure you check out FOHS Wednesday from 9 PM ET to 11 PM ET live. There's always the Podcast if you can't make it or the Message Board for good waste of time.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Around the Rink 02.06.07
Sean Avery is on the move again, this time to the New York Rangers. Along with Avery, the LA Kings sent John Seymour to New York for Jason Ward, Marc-Andre Cliche, and Jan Marek. Avery had 28 points and 116 PIMs on the year, while Ward has 10 points.
Another move for the Kings to rebuild their team. Added to it, Avery will get a chance to play on a real contender and either show what he's got or fail miserably on the world's biggest stage. Aside from depth, Avery was probably brought in to be the agitator for the Rangers and maybe spark the Rangers a bit. One thing is for sure, if Avery tries anything stupid on or off the ice, you can bet guys like Brendan Shanahan will be all over him.
Also, good to see a Cliche on the move.
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Obviously Sidney Crosby is going to be a target on the ice, to which he has been in the past month or so. With a spear from Jason Blake, a suspected butt-end from Maxim Lapierre, and an inadvertent high-stick from Francois Bouillon; Crosby has gotten attention both on a off the ice. Many feel that he goes down like a ton of bricks whenever he is touched. Granted, on the Blake and Lapierre happenings, they were in Mellon Arena; which could mean Jean-Claude Van-Damme is on the case.
However, a couple things need to be addressed in this situation: (1) The Pens need someone to protect Crosby before it's too late. One of these time, it won't be an embellishment and could destroy the Pens season. (2) If it's such an embellishment, why don't the refs call it or the NHL fine him?? I know Crosby is trying to get the calls with the Pens power-play being lethal; but still-- they shouldn't treat Crosby or Alex Ovechkin or Joe Thornton any differently than they treat Dominic Moore, Kris Beech, or Mike Grier.
Finally, for any reporters to read this (I doubt many, but still), stop giving him a free pass, like Bob McKenzie has. I don't care if he's 19 or 91, if you're going to play in this league, you should face the same amount of ridicule and scrutiny whether you're a rookie or in your final year. Sure, the maturing process will take longer, but the quicker you whip someone like Crosby into shape, the better player and person he'll become in the long run.
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The Flames will retire Mike Vernon's #30 tonight. Vernon lead the Flames to their only Stanley Cup in 1989, going 16-5 in that run to the Cup. Vernon won the Cup and Conn Smythe while in Detroit in 1997, then pretty much faded into oblivion.
Now, the question is-- will the Flames be like other teams and take what seems to be two hours to raise the jersey to the rafters?? We'll find out tonight.
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Brandon Bochenski is another player on the move again-- this time to Beantown. Bochenski was traded from Chicago for a conditional draft pick. Bochenski had 33 goals and 33 assists in the AHL this season. However, that's the knock on Bochenski; he does really well in the AHL, but when it comes time to perform in the show, he disappears. With the Bruins dealing with injuries, now is the time for Bochenski to make an impact.
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That's all for now, but make sure you check out Face Off Hockey Show, every Wednesday at 9 PM ET. If you miss out, check out the FOHS Podcast or the FOHS Message Boards to see what you may have missed.
Another move for the Kings to rebuild their team. Added to it, Avery will get a chance to play on a real contender and either show what he's got or fail miserably on the world's biggest stage. Aside from depth, Avery was probably brought in to be the agitator for the Rangers and maybe spark the Rangers a bit. One thing is for sure, if Avery tries anything stupid on or off the ice, you can bet guys like Brendan Shanahan will be all over him.
Also, good to see a Cliche on the move.
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Obviously Sidney Crosby is going to be a target on the ice, to which he has been in the past month or so. With a spear from Jason Blake, a suspected butt-end from Maxim Lapierre, and an inadvertent high-stick from Francois Bouillon; Crosby has gotten attention both on a off the ice. Many feel that he goes down like a ton of bricks whenever he is touched. Granted, on the Blake and Lapierre happenings, they were in Mellon Arena; which could mean Jean-Claude Van-Damme is on the case.
However, a couple things need to be addressed in this situation: (1) The Pens need someone to protect Crosby before it's too late. One of these time, it won't be an embellishment and could destroy the Pens season. (2) If it's such an embellishment, why don't the refs call it or the NHL fine him?? I know Crosby is trying to get the calls with the Pens power-play being lethal; but still-- they shouldn't treat Crosby or Alex Ovechkin or Joe Thornton any differently than they treat Dominic Moore, Kris Beech, or Mike Grier.
Finally, for any reporters to read this (I doubt many, but still), stop giving him a free pass, like Bob McKenzie has. I don't care if he's 19 or 91, if you're going to play in this league, you should face the same amount of ridicule and scrutiny whether you're a rookie or in your final year. Sure, the maturing process will take longer, but the quicker you whip someone like Crosby into shape, the better player and person he'll become in the long run.
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The Flames will retire Mike Vernon's #30 tonight. Vernon lead the Flames to their only Stanley Cup in 1989, going 16-5 in that run to the Cup. Vernon won the Cup and Conn Smythe while in Detroit in 1997, then pretty much faded into oblivion.
Now, the question is-- will the Flames be like other teams and take what seems to be two hours to raise the jersey to the rafters?? We'll find out tonight.
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Brandon Bochenski is another player on the move again-- this time to Beantown. Bochenski was traded from Chicago for a conditional draft pick. Bochenski had 33 goals and 33 assists in the AHL this season. However, that's the knock on Bochenski; he does really well in the AHL, but when it comes time to perform in the show, he disappears. With the Bruins dealing with injuries, now is the time for Bochenski to make an impact.
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That's all for now, but make sure you check out Face Off Hockey Show, every Wednesday at 9 PM ET. If you miss out, check out the FOHS Podcast or the FOHS Message Boards to see what you may have missed.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Around the Rink 01.30.07
To the surprise of no one, the US broadcast of the All-Star Game dropped 76% from 2004. Many people blame the network it was on (OLNVS), while others blame it being in the middle of the week, being a rather meaningless game, and pitting itself up against "American Idol", which anyone will watch to see a British man berating glorified Karaoke singers. Good news is that viewship in Canada was up 6%.
Look, it's an All-Star Game in the middle of the week. Let's not get all up in arms about it. It's a meaningless game that people probably didn't want to stay up to watch. I think the Show will also take credit for stealing some viewers.
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Ken Dryden had his number retired last night. I've mentioned this before about the ceremonies and with Ken Dryden being a long-in-the-tooth man, this thing seemed to drag on. However, I'll spare you that rant.
However, how many numbers will the Habs have when all is said and done?? CBC's cartoon The Instigator has it spot-on when it comes to what could happen in the future of the Habs jerseys. Word is Dryden didn't want a retirement, but an honoring; much like the Toronto Maple Leafs do. With all the greats the Habs have had; there's really very few you should RETIRE-retire. Maurice Richard is one of them, while others are up for debate.
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Craig Conroy is heading back to Calgary, after the Kings dealt him there for Jamie Lundmark and a pair of draft picks. Conroy has had a brutal season with only 16 points, but the hopes of magic between himself and Jarome Iginla has Flames fans all warm and tingly inside.
More off, Conroy brings a cool demeanor into the room; with the uncanny ability to relax people in the room without losing the intensity factor. That's what gave the Flames a great run in '04-- a nice balance. Leadership is what Conroy can bring to the table and should help the Flames out both on and off the ice.
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Some crazy happenings this weekend in all of hockey; here's a rundown:
-The Saginaw Spirit beat the Oshawa Generals. It may not seem like much, but because of it-- Stephen Colbert will have a "Stephen Colbert Day" in Oshawa. for the whole story, TSN really helps out a lot in explaining it all.
-Robbie Bina is in the running for "Goal of the Year." This past weekend, the North Dakota defenseman shot it from the bottom of the circle in his own end and beat Jeff Frazee for a short-handed goal and the first of five unanswered goals in a North Dakota win. Thanks YouTube-- you're the best.
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That's all for now, but for more-- check out Face Off Hockey Show Wednesday night at 9 PM ET or catch us on the Podcast or even Message Board.
Look, it's an All-Star Game in the middle of the week. Let's not get all up in arms about it. It's a meaningless game that people probably didn't want to stay up to watch. I think the Show will also take credit for stealing some viewers.
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Ken Dryden had his number retired last night. I've mentioned this before about the ceremonies and with Ken Dryden being a long-in-the-tooth man, this thing seemed to drag on. However, I'll spare you that rant.
However, how many numbers will the Habs have when all is said and done?? CBC's cartoon The Instigator has it spot-on when it comes to what could happen in the future of the Habs jerseys. Word is Dryden didn't want a retirement, but an honoring; much like the Toronto Maple Leafs do. With all the greats the Habs have had; there's really very few you should RETIRE-retire. Maurice Richard is one of them, while others are up for debate.
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Craig Conroy is heading back to Calgary, after the Kings dealt him there for Jamie Lundmark and a pair of draft picks. Conroy has had a brutal season with only 16 points, but the hopes of magic between himself and Jarome Iginla has Flames fans all warm and tingly inside.
More off, Conroy brings a cool demeanor into the room; with the uncanny ability to relax people in the room without losing the intensity factor. That's what gave the Flames a great run in '04-- a nice balance. Leadership is what Conroy can bring to the table and should help the Flames out both on and off the ice.
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Some crazy happenings this weekend in all of hockey; here's a rundown:
-The Saginaw Spirit beat the Oshawa Generals. It may not seem like much, but because of it-- Stephen Colbert will have a "Stephen Colbert Day" in Oshawa. for the whole story, TSN really helps out a lot in explaining it all.
-Robbie Bina is in the running for "Goal of the Year." This past weekend, the North Dakota defenseman shot it from the bottom of the circle in his own end and beat Jeff Frazee for a short-handed goal and the first of five unanswered goals in a North Dakota win. Thanks YouTube-- you're the best.
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That's all for now, but for more-- check out Face Off Hockey Show Wednesday night at 9 PM ET or catch us on the Podcast or even Message Board.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Around the Rink 01.25.07
After watching the new RBK Edge jerseys in game action, I have to say that not many will see the obvious if they are a causal fan. The jerseys looked to be great out on the ice and many of the players raved about the jerseys after the ASG, which was won by the West 12-9.
They definitely aren't as bad as they could have looked or as many perceived them to look. Right now, the verdict is still out on the look of the 30 teams; thought Uni Watch's Paul Lukas said on last night's show that the teams had the option to look the same as they do now and many will pick-up on that option.
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Though Lukas did say that six teams will make total overhauls. The Dallas Stars being one of them, with a description of the possible look being put out in the Dallas Morning News. Other teams that have been speculated in the overhaul have been the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, and Boston Bruins.
There will be some changes next season, as the Minnesota Wild announced they would ditch their green uniforms for next season, while their expansion cousin Columbus Blue Jackets said they would use their current third jersey logo on all their jerseys next season.
The fun of waiting for the jerseys to come out now is to see who will have a new identity and what the "traditional" designs look like on the new template.
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Speaking of All-Star Games, Montreal was awarded their bid in the 2008-09 All-Star Game, which also helped them celebrate the 100th year of the franchise. Montreal was looking to get the All-Star Game, World Junior tournament, and NHL Draft to help the celebration, but they'll have to settle for the ASG for now, as the WJC went to Ottawa and the Draft is to be determined.
Next season, Atlanta will host the ASG, getting it after their original plans to have it in 2004-05 was dropped due to the lockout.
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Once again, the NHL Board of Governors have said they won't change the schedule for this season coming up. This was after they could not get a two-thirds majority over how the schedule should look. Many though that the BoG would approve something similiar to what the NHL had pre-lockout, but the debate will rage on.
Right now, I think it would be better to just go through with the three-year plan that they have now and then change it. It gives them the whole year to figure out what they want to do afterwords, and no team misses out on exclusive viewing rights to five teams this coming season. You can also bet that should the Penguins move west, then there could be a drastic flop of how the schedule is done.
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Speaking of the Penguins, the drama for your mama continues. First, Mario and the gang went to Houston to see what they had going on down there. All the while, officials in Pittsburgh were upset that Lemieux wouldn't take their "sweet" offer. Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell actually thought of talking to the NHL about blocking any deal that the Penguins could make in moving the team. That changed, as he is now more than optimisitc about a deal being done.
Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Mario and the Penguins, but to block the move is pretty bush league. You can't strong-arm someone into keeping a team in a place that isn't going to get the support. I said that about the Jim Balsillie deal and I'll continue saying it. It's not the best way to do business and it's not the way to go to attract prospective buyers. You can't force a market if there isn't one to be had.
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That's all for now, but check out the archive of Face Off Hockey Show if you missed anything from last night. Also, check out the message boards to keep up to date on all the randomness that could occur.
They definitely aren't as bad as they could have looked or as many perceived them to look. Right now, the verdict is still out on the look of the 30 teams; thought Uni Watch's Paul Lukas said on last night's show that the teams had the option to look the same as they do now and many will pick-up on that option.
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Though Lukas did say that six teams will make total overhauls. The Dallas Stars being one of them, with a description of the possible look being put out in the Dallas Morning News. Other teams that have been speculated in the overhaul have been the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, and Boston Bruins.
There will be some changes next season, as the Minnesota Wild announced they would ditch their green uniforms for next season, while their expansion cousin Columbus Blue Jackets said they would use their current third jersey logo on all their jerseys next season.
The fun of waiting for the jerseys to come out now is to see who will have a new identity and what the "traditional" designs look like on the new template.
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Speaking of All-Star Games, Montreal was awarded their bid in the 2008-09 All-Star Game, which also helped them celebrate the 100th year of the franchise. Montreal was looking to get the All-Star Game, World Junior tournament, and NHL Draft to help the celebration, but they'll have to settle for the ASG for now, as the WJC went to Ottawa and the Draft is to be determined.
Next season, Atlanta will host the ASG, getting it after their original plans to have it in 2004-05 was dropped due to the lockout.
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Once again, the NHL Board of Governors have said they won't change the schedule for this season coming up. This was after they could not get a two-thirds majority over how the schedule should look. Many though that the BoG would approve something similiar to what the NHL had pre-lockout, but the debate will rage on.
Right now, I think it would be better to just go through with the three-year plan that they have now and then change it. It gives them the whole year to figure out what they want to do afterwords, and no team misses out on exclusive viewing rights to five teams this coming season. You can also bet that should the Penguins move west, then there could be a drastic flop of how the schedule is done.
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Speaking of the Penguins, the drama for your mama continues. First, Mario and the gang went to Houston to see what they had going on down there. All the while, officials in Pittsburgh were upset that Lemieux wouldn't take their "sweet" offer. Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell actually thought of talking to the NHL about blocking any deal that the Penguins could make in moving the team. That changed, as he is now more than optimisitc about a deal being done.
Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Mario and the Penguins, but to block the move is pretty bush league. You can't strong-arm someone into keeping a team in a place that isn't going to get the support. I said that about the Jim Balsillie deal and I'll continue saying it. It's not the best way to do business and it's not the way to go to attract prospective buyers. You can't force a market if there isn't one to be had.
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That's all for now, but check out the archive of Face Off Hockey Show if you missed anything from last night. Also, check out the message boards to keep up to date on all the randomness that could occur.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Slipping at the Top
We're at the midway point of the NHL season and there could be cause for concern on both coast. First, the Anaheim Ducks, who were very dominate in the first quarter of the season, have fallen to the #2 team in the Western Conference, while losing seven of their last nine games. In the East, the Buffalo Sabres continue to be atop the conference, but haven't seem as dominate as they did at the beginning of the season.
The main question now is what is the problem with both sides??
With Anaheim, the easy excuse is injuries. Chris Pronger has been out for almost a month, J-S Giguere is still out with a groin injury, Francois Beauchemin's spleen issue, and Scott Niedermayer not at 100% with a stress fracture. However, the main issue is inconsistency. They haven't been scoring at the torrid pace they started with, which could be a cause for concern when your goaltending is suspect and your defense depleted. Veterans like Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald need to lead by example to show the young kids like Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry how to fight off adversity.
The Sabres have an issue with some consistency as well, this time it's in goal. Ryan Miller has been a great goalie for the Sabres, yet there are some parts of his game that need help. He seems to let in very late goals and loses confidence into the next game. Martin Biron hasn't been much better as of late in net, though he can get wins. It also seems that the goal-scorers at the beginning of the season aren't producing that much heading into the break. Chris Drury and Thomas Vanek have slowed their pace, which I'm sure the Sabres would love to have back coming down the stretch.
It's much to early to tell if this trend will continue for the Sabres and Ducks. I know fans of both teams don't like to see the slumping happen, but in this game-- it's inevitable. I'm sure once the walking wounded are back and the consistency returns; these teams should become dominant again, hopefully sooner, rather than later.
The main question now is what is the problem with both sides??
With Anaheim, the easy excuse is injuries. Chris Pronger has been out for almost a month, J-S Giguere is still out with a groin injury, Francois Beauchemin's spleen issue, and Scott Niedermayer not at 100% with a stress fracture. However, the main issue is inconsistency. They haven't been scoring at the torrid pace they started with, which could be a cause for concern when your goaltending is suspect and your defense depleted. Veterans like Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald need to lead by example to show the young kids like Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry how to fight off adversity.
The Sabres have an issue with some consistency as well, this time it's in goal. Ryan Miller has been a great goalie for the Sabres, yet there are some parts of his game that need help. He seems to let in very late goals and loses confidence into the next game. Martin Biron hasn't been much better as of late in net, though he can get wins. It also seems that the goal-scorers at the beginning of the season aren't producing that much heading into the break. Chris Drury and Thomas Vanek have slowed their pace, which I'm sure the Sabres would love to have back coming down the stretch.
It's much to early to tell if this trend will continue for the Sabres and Ducks. I know fans of both teams don't like to see the slumping happen, but in this game-- it's inevitable. I'm sure once the walking wounded are back and the consistency returns; these teams should become dominant again, hopefully sooner, rather than later.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The New Uniform Debate
The NHL revealed the new uniforms, team-by-team, to a small portion of media folks yesterday. On Monday, they will put it all out to the public. USA Today, however, put up a nice piece about what the new uniform will do with aiding the players and making the game move. They also had a picture of Sidney Crosby in the Eastern Conference uniform, which is the take for the new uniforms to be rolled out. The picture is below.
There has been plenty said, because everyone is a critic. Now, SportsLogos.net Message Boards have been both the most critical and the place with the most converts. There have been other places more critical without giving it a chance.
Personally, I was skeptical, but gave it a chance. Looking at it, they don't seem too shabby for the All-Star Game. How that will translate with the team uniforms and what they look like will have to wait. Yet, it's not as bad as I thought it could be, much better than the first prototype that had the jerseys tucked into the pants.
The real test will be on Monday when all the teams are shown.
But, now it's your turn. What do you all think of the first look at the new uniforms?? Email comments@faceoffhockeyshow.com to voice your opinion; good, bad, indifferent. Keep it clean and keep it on topics. To quote an intelligent man, "Have a take. Don't suck." Just put the subject like something "New Uniforms" or something like that.
There has been plenty said, because everyone is a critic. Now, SportsLogos.net Message Boards have been both the most critical and the place with the most converts. There have been other places more critical without giving it a chance.
Personally, I was skeptical, but gave it a chance. Looking at it, they don't seem too shabby for the All-Star Game. How that will translate with the team uniforms and what they look like will have to wait. Yet, it's not as bad as I thought it could be, much better than the first prototype that had the jerseys tucked into the pants.
The real test will be on Monday when all the teams are shown.
But, now it's your turn. What do you all think of the first look at the new uniforms?? Email comments@faceoffhockeyshow.com to voice your opinion; good, bad, indifferent. Keep it clean and keep it on topics. To quote an intelligent man, "Have a take. Don't suck." Just put the subject like something "New Uniforms" or something like that.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Around the Rink 01.09.07
The Penguins are getting calls. After the Kansas City venture, the Penguins have received calls from other cities about moving to their city. Oklahoma City has called with interest and, as always, so has Houston and Portland. However, owner Mario Lemieux has said that meetings with the Pittsburgh government have gone well and is confident that they can hammer out a deal.
Of these cities, I think that Kansas City has a slight edge over Houston; but if Portland can get a new arena in place; they could in the hunt. Lemieux has to be loving this because he has all the leverage in the world right now to get something done in Pittsburgh, barring they actually want to keep the team there. Lemieux has all the cards right now and waiting for someone to call his bluff.
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Rory Fitzpatrick isn't going to be in the top-2 when All-Star Voting is revealed tonight, says the Vancouver Sun. Citing NHL sources, Fitzpatrick was on the outside of the top-2, probably Scott Niedermayer and Niklas Lidstrom. It avoids an awkward situation that Fitzpatrick may have had to endure.
Some people are too happy that Rory didn't get in. Listen up people-- The All-Star Game sucks. All-Star Voting is a joke; this showed how much of a joke it is and how powerful the intraweb is. Look, the ASG voting is all a popularity contest and really needs to be taken out of the hands of the fans. If the NHL wants to put the top guys in; hand the votes over to the GMs and a select number of players to pick who they want in. It's just that simple. For Rory and those who supported him-- rock, rock on; for those who has their panties in a bunch about this-- lighten the eff up.
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Talk about a resurgence. Both the LA Kings and Phoenix Coyotes have woken up from the dead and are making themselves look pretty good as of late. The Kings can attribute that to the return of Mathieu Garon, who has played like a monster as of late. You can bet that Garon should get more starts than Cloutier from here on out.
The Coyotes finally told Curtis Joseph the season has started, which got him off his duff for three straight wins. Jeremy Roenick is playing like he wants to and Shane Doan continues to be the leader on and off the ice. Who knows, both these teams could sneak into the playoffs if the rest of the conference is not careful.
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If you are in Canada and you need something to do to prep yourself for Face Off Hockey Show (9 PM ET), then you need to check out OLN and a show called Road Hockey Rumble. The premise is that two captains, Mark McGuckin and Calum MacLeod, head for one side of Canada to another playing road hockey (street hockey for our American readers) to see whose team reigns supreme, like so much Iron Chef.
Looking at the trailer on their website, the show looks pretty damn funny, whether that's the intent or not, I don't know. However, if you have the chance, check it out. I don't know what to tell our droves of American readers; but bug the hell out of Versus and tell them to get this on the stations.
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That's all for now, check out Face Off Hockey Show this Wednesday at 9PM and as always you can check out the Message Board and our MySpace for other happenings.
Of these cities, I think that Kansas City has a slight edge over Houston; but if Portland can get a new arena in place; they could in the hunt. Lemieux has to be loving this because he has all the leverage in the world right now to get something done in Pittsburgh, barring they actually want to keep the team there. Lemieux has all the cards right now and waiting for someone to call his bluff.
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Rory Fitzpatrick isn't going to be in the top-2 when All-Star Voting is revealed tonight, says the Vancouver Sun. Citing NHL sources, Fitzpatrick was on the outside of the top-2, probably Scott Niedermayer and Niklas Lidstrom. It avoids an awkward situation that Fitzpatrick may have had to endure.
Some people are too happy that Rory didn't get in. Listen up people-- The All-Star Game sucks. All-Star Voting is a joke; this showed how much of a joke it is and how powerful the intraweb is. Look, the ASG voting is all a popularity contest and really needs to be taken out of the hands of the fans. If the NHL wants to put the top guys in; hand the votes over to the GMs and a select number of players to pick who they want in. It's just that simple. For Rory and those who supported him-- rock, rock on; for those who has their panties in a bunch about this-- lighten the eff up.
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Talk about a resurgence. Both the LA Kings and Phoenix Coyotes have woken up from the dead and are making themselves look pretty good as of late. The Kings can attribute that to the return of Mathieu Garon, who has played like a monster as of late. You can bet that Garon should get more starts than Cloutier from here on out.
The Coyotes finally told Curtis Joseph the season has started, which got him off his duff for three straight wins. Jeremy Roenick is playing like he wants to and Shane Doan continues to be the leader on and off the ice. Who knows, both these teams could sneak into the playoffs if the rest of the conference is not careful.
---------
If you are in Canada and you need something to do to prep yourself for Face Off Hockey Show (9 PM ET), then you need to check out OLN and a show called Road Hockey Rumble. The premise is that two captains, Mark McGuckin and Calum MacLeod, head for one side of Canada to another playing road hockey (street hockey for our American readers) to see whose team reigns supreme, like so much Iron Chef.
Looking at the trailer on their website, the show looks pretty damn funny, whether that's the intent or not, I don't know. However, if you have the chance, check it out. I don't know what to tell our droves of American readers; but bug the hell out of Versus and tell them to get this on the stations.
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That's all for now, check out Face Off Hockey Show this Wednesday at 9PM and as always you can check out the Message Board and our MySpace for other happenings.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Around the Rink 01.04.07
It appears that the Penguins could be Kansas City bound. Mario Lemieux has met with Kansas City officials over the past couple of days in order to "kick the tires", if you will, regarding the Sprint Center. Lemieux has also had some brief discussions regarding how they will be able to get an arena deal in Pittsburgh. To sweeten the pot, Kansas City has offered free rent for the Penguins, should they move to KC. Lemieux has told them that he would make his decision in 30 days.
We've heard 30 day a lot in this Penguins saga, like 30 days to get a deal done after a letter of intent. If KC does get the team, that will pretty much force a realignment situation, that we talked about last time. We'll see in a month's time if Lemieux was serious or just using this as leverage to get the City of Pittsburgh to get their act together.
As an aside, is it just me or does the Sprint Center look like a giant disco ball??
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Mike Comrie helped relieve some of the Ottawa Senators' center woes when he was acquired yesterday. He netted two assists, got plenty of power play time, and seemed like he wanted to play again. This has been a knock on Comrie since his run-in with the Oilers' front office. We'll see if Bryan Murray can keep Comrie movtivated or if he'll just fall by the wayside again.
Comrie is going to be key for the Senators this season. Not so much because of the injuries, but the Senators forwards are either finesse or grinders. There's really no inbetween. With Comrie, you get a little of both; which should make for some exciting games.
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Were you as amazed at the Petr Nedved word as I was?? Reports came out Monday that the Ottawa Senators were going to pick Nedved off re-entry waivers, but before they could get to it, Kevin Lowe and Edmonton Oilers snatched him up. That brings into question what's going to happen now with the Oilers?? It doesn't make sense for them to pick up another forward (who has a -20 rating and only a goal on the season) when they need defense.
So, now we play "Who's leaving Edmonton now??" We get to speculate which of the Oilers will be traded to get a defenseman for the team. You have some of the obvious thoughts like Shawn Horcoff and Petr Sykora; one for underachieving and one for overachieving. Yet, no one knows if this will mean anything at all, this could just lead to nothing. I'm sure the Oilers thought they could rangle someone away from the Sens for a Horcoff; but now with Comrie, the Oilers could be stuck.
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The man who was voted the "Best Hair" in Denver 1996, Mike Ricci, is considering retirement. Ricci has been a healthy scratch for seven straight games and suffered a serious neck injury in training camp. Ricci returned home to Phoenix to talk things over with his family about this future in the game.
Ricci has always been a pest, but is one of the guys who personifys what people like about hockey. He has some scoring prowess, but always will get on the physical side of things happening on the ice. Whatever happens, best of luck to Mike.
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That's it for now, check out the FOHS Website, FOHS Podcast, FOHS Message Boards, and FOHS MySpace for all the fun that's bound to happen.
We've heard 30 day a lot in this Penguins saga, like 30 days to get a deal done after a letter of intent. If KC does get the team, that will pretty much force a realignment situation, that we talked about last time. We'll see in a month's time if Lemieux was serious or just using this as leverage to get the City of Pittsburgh to get their act together.
As an aside, is it just me or does the Sprint Center look like a giant disco ball??
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Mike Comrie helped relieve some of the Ottawa Senators' center woes when he was acquired yesterday. He netted two assists, got plenty of power play time, and seemed like he wanted to play again. This has been a knock on Comrie since his run-in with the Oilers' front office. We'll see if Bryan Murray can keep Comrie movtivated or if he'll just fall by the wayside again.
Comrie is going to be key for the Senators this season. Not so much because of the injuries, but the Senators forwards are either finesse or grinders. There's really no inbetween. With Comrie, you get a little of both; which should make for some exciting games.
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Were you as amazed at the Petr Nedved word as I was?? Reports came out Monday that the Ottawa Senators were going to pick Nedved off re-entry waivers, but before they could get to it, Kevin Lowe and Edmonton Oilers snatched him up. That brings into question what's going to happen now with the Oilers?? It doesn't make sense for them to pick up another forward (who has a -20 rating and only a goal on the season) when they need defense.
So, now we play "Who's leaving Edmonton now??" We get to speculate which of the Oilers will be traded to get a defenseman for the team. You have some of the obvious thoughts like Shawn Horcoff and Petr Sykora; one for underachieving and one for overachieving. Yet, no one knows if this will mean anything at all, this could just lead to nothing. I'm sure the Oilers thought they could rangle someone away from the Sens for a Horcoff; but now with Comrie, the Oilers could be stuck.
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The man who was voted the "Best Hair" in Denver 1996, Mike Ricci, is considering retirement. Ricci has been a healthy scratch for seven straight games and suffered a serious neck injury in training camp. Ricci returned home to Phoenix to talk things over with his family about this future in the game.
Ricci has always been a pest, but is one of the guys who personifys what people like about hockey. He has some scoring prowess, but always will get on the physical side of things happening on the ice. Whatever happens, best of luck to Mike.
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That's it for now, check out the FOHS Website, FOHS Podcast, FOHS Message Boards, and FOHS MySpace for all the fun that's bound to happen.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Realignment Assignment
As I mentioned the last "Around the Rink" post, the NHL is looking into realignment coming up. This will be brought to the attention of the board of governors, which will then be voted on and all that fun stuff. The inital thought is that instead of six divisions, there will only be four in each of the conferences.
Granted, there's 30 teams in the league, 15 in each conference-- you're going to have uneven division settings. This could (and probably will) stir the talk of expansion (or even contraction) in the NHL, but the short term effect this could have is getting rid of the ridiculous division match-ups that were a good idea in theory, but somewhat poor in execution. That, or you can have what the MLB has with 16 teams on one side and 14 in the other....which really, when thought about-- isn't too bad an idea.
Due to a lot of time on my hands, I have developed three possible scenarios, with surely many more to come. These scenarios are pretty much easy to follow, but I'll map them out anyway in order to no confuse the whole lot of you.
SCENARIO ONE: The first scenario is basic. It just divides up what the Conferences are now. In the East, the Southeast would be the same with the addition to Philadelphia and New Jersey, while the other divsion will mix the other teams in the current Atlantic with those in the Northeast. The West would get Dallas out of the Pacific and Minnesota out of the Northwest and put them with the Central. The rest of the Pacific and Northwest would join their own division.
SCENARIO TWO: This sees the Pittsburgh Penguins moving to Kansas City, which would move them out West. Columbus would tolley out to the East. That's just a flip-flop from scenario one. Now, if the Pens move to Houston or Winnipeg, this wouldn't effect it much. If the off-chance they move to Portland, Colorado would move to the more Eastern Western Division (see Scenario 2a).
SCENARIO THREE: This is a copy off the MLB situation where 14 teams are on one side (Eastern) and 16 teams are on the other (Western). This is used with the KC Penguins model and would be adjusted as they moved. Basically, the Blue Jackets would move back to the West and each Western Conference division would have eight teams in them. Now, this would probably bring about more divisional play, but what can you do.
Playoff wise, it should be like it was in the old days, where you actually had to play out of your division in order to get to the Conference Finals. If you want to increase the rivalry set, don't worry about making all these games in the regular season; put it to the test in the playoffs, because that's where true rivalries are born.
If you have your own take on what the divisons should look like, either leave a comment here or join the discussion on the FOHS Message Boards powered by FantasyHockey.com.
Granted, there's 30 teams in the league, 15 in each conference-- you're going to have uneven division settings. This could (and probably will) stir the talk of expansion (or even contraction) in the NHL, but the short term effect this could have is getting rid of the ridiculous division match-ups that were a good idea in theory, but somewhat poor in execution. That, or you can have what the MLB has with 16 teams on one side and 14 in the other....which really, when thought about-- isn't too bad an idea.
Due to a lot of time on my hands, I have developed three possible scenarios, with surely many more to come. These scenarios are pretty much easy to follow, but I'll map them out anyway in order to no confuse the whole lot of you.
SCENARIO ONE: The first scenario is basic. It just divides up what the Conferences are now. In the East, the Southeast would be the same with the addition to Philadelphia and New Jersey, while the other divsion will mix the other teams in the current Atlantic with those in the Northeast. The West would get Dallas out of the Pacific and Minnesota out of the Northwest and put them with the Central. The rest of the Pacific and Northwest would join their own division.
SCENARIO TWO: This sees the Pittsburgh Penguins moving to Kansas City, which would move them out West. Columbus would tolley out to the East. That's just a flip-flop from scenario one. Now, if the Pens move to Houston or Winnipeg, this wouldn't effect it much. If the off-chance they move to Portland, Colorado would move to the more Eastern Western Division (see Scenario 2a).
SCENARIO THREE: This is a copy off the MLB situation where 14 teams are on one side (Eastern) and 16 teams are on the other (Western). This is used with the KC Penguins model and would be adjusted as they moved. Basically, the Blue Jackets would move back to the West and each Western Conference division would have eight teams in them. Now, this would probably bring about more divisional play, but what can you do.
Playoff wise, it should be like it was in the old days, where you actually had to play out of your division in order to get to the Conference Finals. If you want to increase the rivalry set, don't worry about making all these games in the regular season; put it to the test in the playoffs, because that's where true rivalries are born.
If you have your own take on what the divisons should look like, either leave a comment here or join the discussion on the FOHS Message Boards powered by FantasyHockey.com.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Around the Rink 12.28.06
It looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins will hold their own destiny in the hands of Mario Lemieux. Lemieux took the team off the market last Thursday, which you would have known if you weren't living under a rock. The drama for the Penguins continue as Lemieux said he would explore other options, including relocation. However, Mario said that if the City of Pittsburgh would buy a new arena, the odds are better that the Pens will stay in Pittsburgh.
With some sightings of Mario in Kansas City and in Houston this past week, one has to wonder when the announcement of whether they are staying or going will come. You have to figure that if the City of Pittsburgh doesn't break ground soon on an arena project; then the Penguins will learn to fly, especially away from Pittsburgh.
In other news, Jim Balsillie is still interested, but I doubt that he's a player right now in this game.
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If you're an Ottawa Senator center; take cover because you're probably next. First, Jason Spezza sustains a knee injury that will keep him out 4-6 weeks, now Mike Fisher has a MCL injury that will keep him out for the time being. It's not what the Ottawa Senators needed to hear, especially with the season they have been having.
The big question now is whether or not the Sens will make a trade for an affordable center. Looking at the depth chart, they have Chris Kelly, Dean McAmmond, Antoine Vermette, and Josh Hennessy. Not the big names you would expect on a team like the Sens. Keep an eye on John Muckler and what he may do next.
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Does it strike anyone else as odd that Don Cherry and Kelly Hrudey are too upset that Rory Fitzpatrick could be starting the All-Star Game?? Especially for Cherry, who was in the running for "Greatest Canadian", when many though he shouldn't have been. Maybe they forgot to have a sense of humor about it, maybe they forgot it's a glorified shinny game. The issue is they are too obsessed with this whole thing that it's making them look foolish and bitter.
Memo to Mr. Cherry and Mr. Hrudey-- lighten up. If the All-Star Game was supposed to be a great big thing, if it was supposed to be who the NHL wanted in there-- then the NHL would pick the All-Star team. This is what you get with fan balloting; movements like this to get someone in. When it's left up to a popularity contest; then why would you even worry about something as meaningless as this. And to Kelly Hrudey-- get over yourself. Don Cherry worked very hard to get the respect he gets. You're just some jobber to mold Scott Oake into the next Ron MacLean minus the puns. You sit there, be the token goalie analysis, and stop acting like everyone cares about what you're saying.
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The NHL has talked about re-alignment, dropping the divisions from six to four; which would make the divisions uneven, which would spark the debate of expansion (or even contraction) coming into play to even them out.
I'll rant on this tomorrow when I get the nog out of my head, but it will include what I would re-align the divisions in every scenario (ie: Pens moving; Pens not moving).
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Hope everyone had a good holiday. If you missed anything on the show, check out the FOHS site, the FOHS Podcast, the FOHS Message Boards, and if you're bored, the FOHS MySpace.
With some sightings of Mario in Kansas City and in Houston this past week, one has to wonder when the announcement of whether they are staying or going will come. You have to figure that if the City of Pittsburgh doesn't break ground soon on an arena project; then the Penguins will learn to fly, especially away from Pittsburgh.
In other news, Jim Balsillie is still interested, but I doubt that he's a player right now in this game.
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If you're an Ottawa Senator center; take cover because you're probably next. First, Jason Spezza sustains a knee injury that will keep him out 4-6 weeks, now Mike Fisher has a MCL injury that will keep him out for the time being. It's not what the Ottawa Senators needed to hear, especially with the season they have been having.
The big question now is whether or not the Sens will make a trade for an affordable center. Looking at the depth chart, they have Chris Kelly, Dean McAmmond, Antoine Vermette, and Josh Hennessy. Not the big names you would expect on a team like the Sens. Keep an eye on John Muckler and what he may do next.
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Does it strike anyone else as odd that Don Cherry and Kelly Hrudey are too upset that Rory Fitzpatrick could be starting the All-Star Game?? Especially for Cherry, who was in the running for "Greatest Canadian", when many though he shouldn't have been. Maybe they forgot to have a sense of humor about it, maybe they forgot it's a glorified shinny game. The issue is they are too obsessed with this whole thing that it's making them look foolish and bitter.
Memo to Mr. Cherry and Mr. Hrudey-- lighten up. If the All-Star Game was supposed to be a great big thing, if it was supposed to be who the NHL wanted in there-- then the NHL would pick the All-Star team. This is what you get with fan balloting; movements like this to get someone in. When it's left up to a popularity contest; then why would you even worry about something as meaningless as this. And to Kelly Hrudey-- get over yourself. Don Cherry worked very hard to get the respect he gets. You're just some jobber to mold Scott Oake into the next Ron MacLean minus the puns. You sit there, be the token goalie analysis, and stop acting like everyone cares about what you're saying.
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The NHL has talked about re-alignment, dropping the divisions from six to four; which would make the divisions uneven, which would spark the debate of expansion (or even contraction) coming into play to even them out.
I'll rant on this tomorrow when I get the nog out of my head, but it will include what I would re-align the divisions in every scenario (ie: Pens moving; Pens not moving).
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Hope everyone had a good holiday. If you missed anything on the show, check out the FOHS site, the FOHS Podcast, the FOHS Message Boards, and if you're bored, the FOHS MySpace.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Penguins Crap Out
The future of the Penguins in Pittsburgh was dealt a severe blow, as the Isle of Capri lost its bid to gain the only slots license in Pittsburgh; thus giving the Penguins a new arena. The winning bidder, PITG Gaming, has said they would provide $7M a year for 30 years towards a new arena; but the city, county, taxpayers, and Penguins would have to contribute as well in order to make it work.
After the announcement was made, both the Penguins brass and NHL were very pessimistic about the Penguins future in Pittsburgh. Commissoner Gary Bettman said that they would support the Penguins in whatever they decide to do, while the Penguins stated that they'll exhaust every option. TSN's Bob McKenzie said that it could be another four to six weeks before the real decision comes down to really see what's happening.
So right now, it comes down to who will be the person to save the Penguins. Obviously, the names come out of the woodworks; like Mark Cuban, Frank D'Angelo, etc. The real question is whether or not the Penguins would be a viable option for Pittsburgh. If there's a more lucrative deal to be had somewhere else, why wouldn't an owner want to go where the money's at?? If somewhere like Kansas City, Winnipeg, Houston, or wherever will give a better deal-- then you know that someone would want to head out there.
We'll see how this all pans out, but right now-- it doesn't look good for Penguins fans.
After the announcement was made, both the Penguins brass and NHL were very pessimistic about the Penguins future in Pittsburgh. Commissoner Gary Bettman said that they would support the Penguins in whatever they decide to do, while the Penguins stated that they'll exhaust every option. TSN's Bob McKenzie said that it could be another four to six weeks before the real decision comes down to really see what's happening.
So right now, it comes down to who will be the person to save the Penguins. Obviously, the names come out of the woodworks; like Mark Cuban, Frank D'Angelo, etc. The real question is whether or not the Penguins would be a viable option for Pittsburgh. If there's a more lucrative deal to be had somewhere else, why wouldn't an owner want to go where the money's at?? If somewhere like Kansas City, Winnipeg, Houston, or wherever will give a better deal-- then you know that someone would want to head out there.
We'll see how this all pans out, but right now-- it doesn't look good for Penguins fans.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Around the Rink 12.18.06
The Pittsburgh Penguins are up for another bidding war. It seems that Frank D'Angelo, owner of Steelback Brewery, is looking to purchase the team and keep them in Pittsburgh. D'Angelo has said that if the Isle of Capri doesn't win the Wednesday bid, his group would build an arena with their own money and use the Steelback name for the arena name and sell Steelback beer in the arena. Our buddy James Mirtle doesn't seem too happy about it.
Also interested is Mark Cuban, who's bid failed two owners ago, and former prospective owner Jim Balsillie, who seems to be still in the running even though he pulled his bid this past weekend. However, Mario Lemieux said that Balsillie pulled out during a crucial time, which was a breach of contract with the Penguins; so he's keeping Balsillie's deposit and has said any deal with Balsillie is dead.
The vote will come down on Wednesday whether or not the Isle of Capri will get the slots license, which will bring a new arena to Pittsburgh. If the IoC can get the license, it'll probably ease a lot of minds of prospective owners. If not....we'll see what happens.
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Alexei Zhitnik is on the move, as he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers from the New York Islanders for Freddy Meyer IV. Neither defenseman have been doin that well for their respective teams, which mades this trade even odder.
However, you would think that the Flyers would want to keep their young prospects in check, rather than get older. Yet, it seems that they are going the opposite way. Of course, the reasoning is just due to all of the injuries and lack of production on the blue line; Zhitnik was a prime, yet expensive choice. We'll see if this pays off in the grand scheme of things, but I doubt it'll have any help at all.
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What has happened to the New York Rangers?? Within a span of two games, they have given up 15 goals. Henrik Lundqvist was left in for eight goals in Saturday's loss to Toronto and Kevin Weekes was in for the other seven. They only scored three goals in that span as well, which doesn't make sense considering who they have on their team.
Now, if the Rangers are going to revert back to their old form of not caring and letting teams walk all over them; I wouldn't be surprised to see some guys being moved before the end of the season hits. It has started already, with Sandis Ozolinsh being placed on waivers today. Though I have plenty of respect for Tom Renney and his crew; they need to do something quick before it's too late.
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The dream of having every NHL have an AHL affiliate seems to be one step closer to become a reality. This weekend, the Colorado Avalance announced that they will have their primary affiliate with the incoming Cleveland hockey team that starts in 2007-08 AHL season. A name for the team has yet to be announced.
With the deal as it is, there are only two teams without a primary affiliate, the Florida Panthers (two teams) and Edmonton Oilers (five teams). The Avalanche haven't had their own affiliate since 2004-05 when they were with the Hershey Bears. Some people discount how important it is to have a primary affiliate, especially when it comes to developing players. It's much easier to get a kid into the line-up who knows the system from the AHL team, as opposed to using someone else's primary affiliate, who may have a different system than what you're trying to impose.
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That's all for now, but make sure to check out the FOHS site, FOHS Podcast, the FOHS Message Boards powered by FantasyHockey.com, and the FOHS MySpace, if you're not already on it. And if you are-- tell all your friends.
Also interested is Mark Cuban, who's bid failed two owners ago, and former prospective owner Jim Balsillie, who seems to be still in the running even though he pulled his bid this past weekend. However, Mario Lemieux said that Balsillie pulled out during a crucial time, which was a breach of contract with the Penguins; so he's keeping Balsillie's deposit and has said any deal with Balsillie is dead.
The vote will come down on Wednesday whether or not the Isle of Capri will get the slots license, which will bring a new arena to Pittsburgh. If the IoC can get the license, it'll probably ease a lot of minds of prospective owners. If not....we'll see what happens.
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Alexei Zhitnik is on the move, as he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers from the New York Islanders for Freddy Meyer IV. Neither defenseman have been doin that well for their respective teams, which mades this trade even odder.
However, you would think that the Flyers would want to keep their young prospects in check, rather than get older. Yet, it seems that they are going the opposite way. Of course, the reasoning is just due to all of the injuries and lack of production on the blue line; Zhitnik was a prime, yet expensive choice. We'll see if this pays off in the grand scheme of things, but I doubt it'll have any help at all.
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What has happened to the New York Rangers?? Within a span of two games, they have given up 15 goals. Henrik Lundqvist was left in for eight goals in Saturday's loss to Toronto and Kevin Weekes was in for the other seven. They only scored three goals in that span as well, which doesn't make sense considering who they have on their team.
Now, if the Rangers are going to revert back to their old form of not caring and letting teams walk all over them; I wouldn't be surprised to see some guys being moved before the end of the season hits. It has started already, with Sandis Ozolinsh being placed on waivers today. Though I have plenty of respect for Tom Renney and his crew; they need to do something quick before it's too late.
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The dream of having every NHL have an AHL affiliate seems to be one step closer to become a reality. This weekend, the Colorado Avalance announced that they will have their primary affiliate with the incoming Cleveland hockey team that starts in 2007-08 AHL season. A name for the team has yet to be announced.
With the deal as it is, there are only two teams without a primary affiliate, the Florida Panthers (two teams) and Edmonton Oilers (five teams). The Avalanche haven't had their own affiliate since 2004-05 when they were with the Hershey Bears. Some people discount how important it is to have a primary affiliate, especially when it comes to developing players. It's much easier to get a kid into the line-up who knows the system from the AHL team, as opposed to using someone else's primary affiliate, who may have a different system than what you're trying to impose.
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That's all for now, but make sure to check out the FOHS site, FOHS Podcast, the FOHS Message Boards powered by FantasyHockey.com, and the FOHS MySpace, if you're not already on it. And if you are-- tell all your friends.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Another Sale Bites the Dust For the Pens
Just when it looked like things were turning around for the Pittsburgh Penguins and stability was within site....there's a swerve. The swerve this time is with potential owner Jim Balsillie, or should I say, former potential owner. According the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Balsillie has withdrew his bid to become the new owner of the Penguins; thus putting the team out on the market again. Apparently, Balsillie and the NHL couldn't reach a deal in the last minute of the consent process, thus leading Balsillie to withdraw his bid.
According to TSN's Sources, the NHL tabled the consent that Balsillie would have to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh, regardless of the circumstances. Though it's not technically dead, Balsillie and the NHL are not talking. There have been ideas of trying to eliminate the wording so Balsillie is free to do what he wants; but everything right now is in limbo.
Obviously, this isn't going to sit well with Mario Lemieux's camp, who thought this was all sign, sealed, and delivered. However, the one stumbling block that would keep anyone for seriously pursuing the team is the whole deal with gaming licenses and the new arena. Gary Bettman, understandably, would want to keep the team where they are at, so he wouldn't be facing an outcry like Winnipeg and Quebec City had. Yet in terms of reality, you can't force a market if there isn't one to be had.
The Penguins are a talented team and are one or two signings away from being a big time contender, yet there seems to be no buyers out there due to the constraints that are put in place before the sale even happens. I'm sure Balsillie didn't think much of the plan when he tabled his purchase, nor did Sam Fingold who tabled a price beforehand. Sad to say, but it seems like the lame-duck ownership, as well as the City of Pittsburgh have the Penguins held hostage. Should someone not meet their demands; the team won't be sold. Pretty craptastic business management if you ask me.
So, we get back into the fun, fun speculation on what's going to happen next for the Penguins. Who's going to be the big guns to swoop in and save the team. Mario isn't going to do it, who knows what Mark Cuban could be thinking, and we never know-- maybe the NHL will have a change of heart and realize that if there's not a market in Pittsburgh, it's just best to let it go.
According to TSN's Sources, the NHL tabled the consent that Balsillie would have to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh, regardless of the circumstances. Though it's not technically dead, Balsillie and the NHL are not talking. There have been ideas of trying to eliminate the wording so Balsillie is free to do what he wants; but everything right now is in limbo.
Obviously, this isn't going to sit well with Mario Lemieux's camp, who thought this was all sign, sealed, and delivered. However, the one stumbling block that would keep anyone for seriously pursuing the team is the whole deal with gaming licenses and the new arena. Gary Bettman, understandably, would want to keep the team where they are at, so he wouldn't be facing an outcry like Winnipeg and Quebec City had. Yet in terms of reality, you can't force a market if there isn't one to be had.
The Penguins are a talented team and are one or two signings away from being a big time contender, yet there seems to be no buyers out there due to the constraints that are put in place before the sale even happens. I'm sure Balsillie didn't think much of the plan when he tabled his purchase, nor did Sam Fingold who tabled a price beforehand. Sad to say, but it seems like the lame-duck ownership, as well as the City of Pittsburgh have the Penguins held hostage. Should someone not meet their demands; the team won't be sold. Pretty craptastic business management if you ask me.
So, we get back into the fun, fun speculation on what's going to happen next for the Penguins. Who's going to be the big guns to swoop in and save the team. Mario isn't going to do it, who knows what Mark Cuban could be thinking, and we never know-- maybe the NHL will have a change of heart and realize that if there's not a market in Pittsburgh, it's just best to let it go.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Around the Rink 12.08.06
Mark December 20th down on your calendar Pens fans. That's the day it will be decided whether or not Isle of Capri will win the slots license and saving the Penguins in one fell swoop. New prospective owner Jim Balsillie met with the Board of Governors to give an update, but a vote on the transfer of ownership of the Penguins will take place this next week.
The big issue, aside from transfet, is the Isle of Capri bid. If that wins, then they will build a new arena; thus saving the Penguins from moving. If they don't win, the question of whether the Penguins will stay in Pittsburgh is re-visited. During the meeting with Balsillie, the conversation was pretty much having to do with exhausting every resource out there before even thinking about moving the team. The saga continues.
Also, if Isle of Capri fails and the city's plan "B" falls through; look for Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario (Balsillie's home) to be a frontrunner in getting a new team.
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The Board of Governors couldn't come to an agreement on what the schedule and playoff format should be in the upcoming season. Of course, we all know that this problem won't go away just because a consensus isn't reached at this caucus. You can bet this will be brought up again and again and again until something is done about it to benefit all teams involved.
Also at the BoG meeting, it was revealed that the Salary Cap will be raised again, possibly up to $46-$47.5M for next season. Though attendance is down, ticket prices are up, new sponsors and deals are being made, and merchendising is up. All of that, along with linkage, boost the Cap number. The thing that I want to know is how much teams will scurry if the Cap takes a drastic turn the other way.
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My AHL rant wasn't real worth of it's own post or to be published...but here's the long and the short of it. I was looking at the Hockey News and flipping through the pages and I saw the San Jose Sharks uniform. When I looked at the article that containted the picture, it was an AHL article and it was the Worcester Sharks uniform-- an exact ripoff of the parent club's uniform.
I'm not a big fan of cloning minor league teams to fit the parent club. Teams like the Houston Aeros and Bridgeport Sound Tigers have recently changed their uniforms to fit their parent club, but had pretty decent uniforms to start off with. I don't see the need or reasoning to have these drastic changes when they are not needed. Luckily, there are teams out there like the Hershey Bears, Chicago Wolves, and Rochester Americans who have kept their own identity through all their years in the league.
Now, I'm all for having some kind of idenitifiable patch or something to let people know that they are affiliated with said teams. However, to completely redo a team's logo, jerseys, and identity is just not needed and more often than not, draws the ire of fans of the team.
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That's all for now, but make sure you check out the FOHS Message Board for all the fun stuff that goes on there, and if you missed a show, check out the FOHS Podcast to catch up on whatever you missed out on.
The big issue, aside from transfet, is the Isle of Capri bid. If that wins, then they will build a new arena; thus saving the Penguins from moving. If they don't win, the question of whether the Penguins will stay in Pittsburgh is re-visited. During the meeting with Balsillie, the conversation was pretty much having to do with exhausting every resource out there before even thinking about moving the team. The saga continues.
Also, if Isle of Capri fails and the city's plan "B" falls through; look for Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario (Balsillie's home) to be a frontrunner in getting a new team.
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The Board of Governors couldn't come to an agreement on what the schedule and playoff format should be in the upcoming season. Of course, we all know that this problem won't go away just because a consensus isn't reached at this caucus. You can bet this will be brought up again and again and again until something is done about it to benefit all teams involved.
Also at the BoG meeting, it was revealed that the Salary Cap will be raised again, possibly up to $46-$47.5M for next season. Though attendance is down, ticket prices are up, new sponsors and deals are being made, and merchendising is up. All of that, along with linkage, boost the Cap number. The thing that I want to know is how much teams will scurry if the Cap takes a drastic turn the other way.
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My AHL rant wasn't real worth of it's own post or to be published...but here's the long and the short of it. I was looking at the Hockey News and flipping through the pages and I saw the San Jose Sharks uniform. When I looked at the article that containted the picture, it was an AHL article and it was the Worcester Sharks uniform-- an exact ripoff of the parent club's uniform.
I'm not a big fan of cloning minor league teams to fit the parent club. Teams like the Houston Aeros and Bridgeport Sound Tigers have recently changed their uniforms to fit their parent club, but had pretty decent uniforms to start off with. I don't see the need or reasoning to have these drastic changes when they are not needed. Luckily, there are teams out there like the Hershey Bears, Chicago Wolves, and Rochester Americans who have kept their own identity through all their years in the league.
Now, I'm all for having some kind of idenitifiable patch or something to let people know that they are affiliated with said teams. However, to completely redo a team's logo, jerseys, and identity is just not needed and more often than not, draws the ire of fans of the team.
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That's all for now, but make sure you check out the FOHS Message Board for all the fun stuff that goes on there, and if you missed a show, check out the FOHS Podcast to catch up on whatever you missed out on.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Around the Rink 12.03.06
The question du jour is whether or not Alex Ovechkin deserves a suspension from his hit on Daniel Briere. For those who missed it, during the second period, Briere dumped the puck in and went for a chance. As he was turning to the bench, Ovechkin hit Briere in the lower back with an elbow and it sent Briere head first into the player's gate. That brought out a melee, which saw Ovechkin, Adam Muir, and Paul Gaustad all ejected. The NHL doesn't seem like they will suspend Ovechkin.
Now, while Briere returned to play the rest of the game; the NHL should have at least made it one or two games to send a message. There has been far too many incidents which is showing that the NHL is almost under martial law. Too many instances of dirty hits have gone on without any repremand. If the NHL want so to get some respect, then they need to do something to get more respect into the game.
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The Edmonton Oilers got bad news when it was learned that Ryan Smyth is out indefinitely with a fractured thumb. Smyth sustained the injury Saturday night when he bent his thumb back when trying to check Rostislav Klesla in a 4-0 Edmonton loss. The Oilers are already without Ales Hemsky, who is still about a week away from returning from his shoulder injury.
The injuries are taking it's toll and it seems the Oilers are playing tired. Dwayne Roloson hasn't finished his last two games and there has been little to no scoring for the Oilers. You almost have to wonder if the high from the magical run to the playoffs is wearing off.
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The NHL Board of Governors will be meeting this week. The one thing that will be up for debate, again, is the unbalanced schedule; something that couldn't be decided when the GM met a little while back. Also on the agenda is the playoff bracketing, which would see the NHL go to an NCAA-tournament ideal, where there is set bracketing regardless of upsets.
Now, the schedules; I've gone over that. However, I'm still kind of on the fence about the bracketing. Will it work?? Possibly. Will it create less confusion?? You bet. I really can't think of any con side, though if a team makes it to the second round, loses in the round, and wouldn't have had played that team in the old standard; there could be plenty of bitching and complaining about it. We'll see how it all pans out.
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Can the NHL just give Evgeni Malkin the Calder now, because it seems it's going that way anyway. Malkin was given the Rookie of the Month for a second straight month. While impressive, there's guys like Anze Kopitar and Paul Stasny who deserve a look at the award too.
Granted, this could be traced back to the fact that both Stasny and Kopitar play in the West and aren't seen as often; which is traced back to the schedule. Yet, if the NHL really wants to give Malkin the Rookie of the Year-- just do it now so the charade can be done with and we can all move on with our lives.
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That's all for now. I'm sure that I'll have that little AHL rant done sooner or later, but we'll see. Until then, check out the FOHS site, FOHS Podcast, and FOHS Message Board to hold you over until then.
Now, while Briere returned to play the rest of the game; the NHL should have at least made it one or two games to send a message. There has been far too many incidents which is showing that the NHL is almost under martial law. Too many instances of dirty hits have gone on without any repremand. If the NHL want so to get some respect, then they need to do something to get more respect into the game.
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The Edmonton Oilers got bad news when it was learned that Ryan Smyth is out indefinitely with a fractured thumb. Smyth sustained the injury Saturday night when he bent his thumb back when trying to check Rostislav Klesla in a 4-0 Edmonton loss. The Oilers are already without Ales Hemsky, who is still about a week away from returning from his shoulder injury.
The injuries are taking it's toll and it seems the Oilers are playing tired. Dwayne Roloson hasn't finished his last two games and there has been little to no scoring for the Oilers. You almost have to wonder if the high from the magical run to the playoffs is wearing off.
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The NHL Board of Governors will be meeting this week. The one thing that will be up for debate, again, is the unbalanced schedule; something that couldn't be decided when the GM met a little while back. Also on the agenda is the playoff bracketing, which would see the NHL go to an NCAA-tournament ideal, where there is set bracketing regardless of upsets.
Now, the schedules; I've gone over that. However, I'm still kind of on the fence about the bracketing. Will it work?? Possibly. Will it create less confusion?? You bet. I really can't think of any con side, though if a team makes it to the second round, loses in the round, and wouldn't have had played that team in the old standard; there could be plenty of bitching and complaining about it. We'll see how it all pans out.
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Can the NHL just give Evgeni Malkin the Calder now, because it seems it's going that way anyway. Malkin was given the Rookie of the Month for a second straight month. While impressive, there's guys like Anze Kopitar and Paul Stasny who deserve a look at the award too.
Granted, this could be traced back to the fact that both Stasny and Kopitar play in the West and aren't seen as often; which is traced back to the schedule. Yet, if the NHL really wants to give Malkin the Rookie of the Year-- just do it now so the charade can be done with and we can all move on with our lives.
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That's all for now. I'm sure that I'll have that little AHL rant done sooner or later, but we'll see. Until then, check out the FOHS site, FOHS Podcast, and FOHS Message Board to hold you over until then.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Around the Rink 11.30.06
Some interesting news out of Pittsburgh, as John LeClair was placed on waivers today. LeClair has seven points in 21 games, has been demoted to the fourth line, and has since his minutes shrink. Whether or not a team will pick him up with his $1.5M contract remains to be seen.
However, you almost wondered when something like this would happen. Unlike Mark Recchi, LeClair doesn't have a dynamic upside as an older player. Especially considering the work done to his back, the fact he has lasted this long is amazing. Though he can bring veteran leadership to the team, right now his salary and place on the roster is just clogging it up for one of the young guns to come up and take their hack with a very young and fairly good hockey club.
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The NHL announced that during the All-Star weekend in January, the NHL will would roll out their new uniform designs. The league said that the uniforms would be streamlined and had the players in mind. The uniforms have been designed over the past two years and will be used starting next season. The uniforms will supposedly allow the players joints to move more freely.
As long as they aren't like the "all-in-one" jersey that rolled out for the GMs, then this could be a good idea. If it's anything like the Olympic Nike Swift jerseys; then it could be better for everyone involved once people get used to it. If it is anything drastically different...it could be a horrible disaster.
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So, we had issues with Alexei Kaigorodov a few weeks back not reporting to Binghamton of the AHL when Ottawa sent him there; now we have Enver Lisin not reporting to San Antonio after Phoenix assigned him there. In both cases, the players have returned to Russia.
You have to think that something isn't right when they get hear they are getting sent down. Obviously, they could make more money in Russia then they could in the AHL; but they can't get the call up and the PT in the NHL...if they are in Russia. The AHL, for all it's worth, is the best developmental tool for these types of players. I'm not saying that their decision wasn't driven by one thing or another; I'm suggesting that they should have given the AHL a try, just for a little bit, then decide from there.
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TSN will make some kind of history by doing a whole broadcast from ice level. Last season, NBC and TSN tried out having their analyst in the little space, between the benches that is usually reserved for photographers. Now, TSN will do a whole broadcast with the play-by-play man and analyst in that little space on the ice.
Personally, I don't know if this is a good idea or disaster waiting to happen. The fact that it's Chris Cuthbert and Glenn Healy, I feel a little safer, yet I'm still skeptical. Not only will they have to deal with cursing hockey players, but I'm sure the players will have side bets to see who hits them first. Unless they get a plexiglass front, I don't see this being the innovative thing TSN is hoping for.
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The Calgary Flames will be retiring Mike Vernon's #30 in February. Vernon helped lead the Flames to the 1989 Stanley Cup, as Vernon had 16 wins, including three shutouts on way to a Stanley Cup championship. In 1997, Vernon won another Cup with the Detroit Red Wings and won the Conn Smythe Award for Playoff MVP.
The thing is not Vernon getting his number retired, he derserved it. The issue I have is why Al MacInnis' #2 is not retired before Vernon. MacInnis was the Smythe winner in 1989 and was a big part of why the Flames were there in the first place. I'm sure he'll get his day, but Big Al should be up in the Saddledome rafters.
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That's it for now. My little post about the AHL will be out soon. Until then, check out the FOHS main site, the FOHS Podcast, and FOHS Message Board.
However, you almost wondered when something like this would happen. Unlike Mark Recchi, LeClair doesn't have a dynamic upside as an older player. Especially considering the work done to his back, the fact he has lasted this long is amazing. Though he can bring veteran leadership to the team, right now his salary and place on the roster is just clogging it up for one of the young guns to come up and take their hack with a very young and fairly good hockey club.
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The NHL announced that during the All-Star weekend in January, the NHL will would roll out their new uniform designs. The league said that the uniforms would be streamlined and had the players in mind. The uniforms have been designed over the past two years and will be used starting next season. The uniforms will supposedly allow the players joints to move more freely.
As long as they aren't like the "all-in-one" jersey that rolled out for the GMs, then this could be a good idea. If it's anything like the Olympic Nike Swift jerseys; then it could be better for everyone involved once people get used to it. If it is anything drastically different...it could be a horrible disaster.
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So, we had issues with Alexei Kaigorodov a few weeks back not reporting to Binghamton of the AHL when Ottawa sent him there; now we have Enver Lisin not reporting to San Antonio after Phoenix assigned him there. In both cases, the players have returned to Russia.
You have to think that something isn't right when they get hear they are getting sent down. Obviously, they could make more money in Russia then they could in the AHL; but they can't get the call up and the PT in the NHL...if they are in Russia. The AHL, for all it's worth, is the best developmental tool for these types of players. I'm not saying that their decision wasn't driven by one thing or another; I'm suggesting that they should have given the AHL a try, just for a little bit, then decide from there.
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TSN will make some kind of history by doing a whole broadcast from ice level. Last season, NBC and TSN tried out having their analyst in the little space, between the benches that is usually reserved for photographers. Now, TSN will do a whole broadcast with the play-by-play man and analyst in that little space on the ice.
Personally, I don't know if this is a good idea or disaster waiting to happen. The fact that it's Chris Cuthbert and Glenn Healy, I feel a little safer, yet I'm still skeptical. Not only will they have to deal with cursing hockey players, but I'm sure the players will have side bets to see who hits them first. Unless they get a plexiglass front, I don't see this being the innovative thing TSN is hoping for.
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The Calgary Flames will be retiring Mike Vernon's #30 in February. Vernon helped lead the Flames to the 1989 Stanley Cup, as Vernon had 16 wins, including three shutouts on way to a Stanley Cup championship. In 1997, Vernon won another Cup with the Detroit Red Wings and won the Conn Smythe Award for Playoff MVP.
The thing is not Vernon getting his number retired, he derserved it. The issue I have is why Al MacInnis' #2 is not retired before Vernon. MacInnis was the Smythe winner in 1989 and was a big part of why the Flames were there in the first place. I'm sure he'll get his day, but Big Al should be up in the Saddledome rafters.
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That's it for now. My little post about the AHL will be out soon. Until then, check out the FOHS main site, the FOHS Podcast, and FOHS Message Board.
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