Tributes In Boston

 

It so happened that the first game in Boston after the Boston Marathon explosions took place tonight as the Bruins hosted the Buffalo Sabres. This was a night honoring those most affected by this horrible tragedy and symbolized a city that needed something to unify everyone and show that life can go on. Superb work by Rene Rancourt, the Bruins anthem singer, to allow the Boston crowd to let their voices be heard as they sang the anthem.

 

This chant came immediately after the first goal that the Bruins scored.

 

The Sabres came back to win 3-2 in a shootout, but rarely do we see both teams raise their sticks in salute to the fans, but this was great it was the case last night. Doc Emrick had the perfect tone at the end of this call.

We are Boston Strong.

(all videos courtesy of nhl.com)

WTF Jay Feaster?!?!?!?!?

Alright everyone, let's see if we can follow this correctly. After the Bruins lost to the Canadiens in a shootout tonight, it appeared that the best news to replace the anger over losing to your archrival, as well as losing first place in the process. Aaron Ward of TSN tweeted that the Bruins were set to acquire Jarome Iginla, who's been stuck on a middling Calgary Flames team for many years now. He should have been traded years ago when his trade value was higher; now he's appeared headed to Boston for a whole lot less than he was worth. Until the press conference, when it was announced that it wasn't the Bruins who acquired him, but in fact the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ah, yes. The Pittsburgh Penguins. Owners of the longest winning streak in sports after the Miami Heat's loss tonight to the Bulls. The Penguins, who just traded for Brendan Morrow from the Stars and Douglas Murray from the Sharks. Pittsburgh, who has Sidney Crosby looking as much a lock for the Hart trophy as any player in recent memory (unless David Steckel reacquaints himself). Yes, this team needed to add a future Hall of Famer to be sure to bring the Cup back to Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh were the favorites to win the Stanley Cup (which is funny after the start of the year the Chicago Blackhawks had); now they are a team that seems like not winning a Cup will be the biggest failure in NHL history. The Bruins now must move on without an obvious player who can improve this squad (Iginla is actually more of a fit for Boston than Pittsburgh, which is the ultimate shame). As for the Flames, they basically decided that Kenneth Agostino, Ben Hanowski and 2013 first-round pick (likely pick #30) is worth more to them than Alex Khokhlachev, Matt Bartkowski and a conditional 1st round pick. All for the greatest player in their history in Iginla. Even the Blue Jackets had a better trade haul for Rick Nash and he asked out of Columbus

Martin Brodeur Returns; Scores A Goal

So Martin Brodeur has returned to the Devils from injury tonight against the Hurricanes in Raleigh. So what does he do. Just score a goal. This is the 3rd goal of his career and his first power play goal. He already has as many power play goals this year as Rick Nash and Marian Gaborik and more than Brad Richards. Fun fact about those three; they are paid more money than Brodeur and their job is to score goals. Thankfully, Brodeur saved this for Carolina instead of Tuesday against the Rangers.

This Isn't The AHL

Tonight, Ottawa Senators forward Kaspars Daugivens failed on this amazing shootout move. Pretty sure the only people upset about this are Don Cherry and apparently, David Krejci, who had the SO winner tonight for the Boston Bruins.

David Krejci on the Daugavins shootout attempt:"I wouldn't like it if someone on my team tried that move."
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) March 12, 2013

Clearly, Tuukka Rask has seen this clip.



Daugivens has to come up with some new material.

(h/t to @Ian_mendes)

The Excitement of Rick Nash

It's been a struggle for the NY Rangers this season. It was clear at the outset of this season that losing Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and Brandon Prust, plus the lack of true training camp created a slow start for a team that was two wins away from the Stanley Cup Final. It will be a struggle for making the playoffs it seems, much less win a Stanley Cup. Fortunately, it appears the Rangers end of the huge trade that brought in Rick Nash is looking good.

With Rick Nash, the Rangers have a player who is capable of not only scoring whenever he touches the puck, but also capable of doing things with the puck that no one else is capable of doing on a regular basis. A buzz is created when he touches the puck, which even with Marian Gaborik, you don't see as much. Nash creates his own offense, and for the most part, makes those he plays with better (just look at Carl Hagelin and Derek Stepan's stats since Nash played on a same line with them). His talent is so good, Ryan Callahan has become a more dangerous goal scorer because of it.

One more thing you can say about Nash is that he's come to play every night. I don't remember a game which Nash played where you forgot he played. And it's not a coincidence that Nash misses four games and the Rangers lose all four (related, Brad Richards missed last night's game and the Rangers don't miss a beat). Rangers have been 7-0-1 in the last eight games with Nash in the lineup.

The Rangers have had guys like Nash who are wizards with the puck and scary towards the opposing goaltender, but they are few and far between. He still needs to prove himself in the stretch run of the season, much less the playoffs which he never won a game yet. Let's worry about that when that happens, for now, enjoy Nash's brilliance.

History In Chicago

After winning the Stanley Cup back in 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks have been disappointing, finishing with first round losses in the last two years. Clearly, they made it a point to correct this and have started the NHL season with an 19-0-3 record, which is an NHL-record for consecutive point to begin a season. Dating back to last season, the Hawks have got at least a point in 28 straight games, which is 7 short of the record set by the 1979-80 Flyers who went 30-0-5 at one point that year. That Flyers team lost in the Stanley Cup Finals, time will tell what will happen to these Blackhawks.

Until then, we should enjoy the great play by Chicago. Watch the highlights from Sunday's win over the Red Wings and hopefully start watching their games whenever they're on. Tonight, they play the Wild and coverage will join in progress on NBCSN, then they're on NBCSN again for Wednesday Night Rivalry facing the Avalanche of all teams. The schedule says they could reach the Flyers mark; I'll definitely be watching to see them go for the record.

Team USA Shows Hockey Still Exists

If you're a hockey fan like me, I hope you woke up at odd hours in the morning here in the Western Hemisphere for the World Junior Championships, being held in Ufa, Russia. We saw the last four gold medals in the final four for this year's championship: Canada, USA, Russia and Sweden. Led by John Gibson in net, Seth Jones, Jake McCabe at the blue line and John Gaudreau and Rocco Grimaldi up front, the USA were able to beat Canada 5-1 in the semifinal and defeat Sweden today 3-1 to win the gold.

The most noticeable thing about the World Juniors is that it gave many people on Twitter a chance to tweet about actual hockey games. Aside from a couple tweets about an OHL, AHL or NCAA game, all the hockey tweets include discussions about the lockout. There are still plenty of people who do care enough about the sport that continue to be upset with all the posturing by both the NHL and NHLPA throughout this negotiation (this is my first mention of the lockout on the blog). There is a window of one week where the hope is for the NHL to resume playing and the focus goes back on the ice. If not, we will have the second cancelled season in 9 years.

Should the season get cancelled, us hockey fans will have to think of the World Juniors, the NCAA Tourney and the Memorial Cup as the biggest events that could bring hockey fans together, aside from their hatred of Gary Bettman. For that, I will thank the USA team for making me care about hockey again and demonstrating how great the game is when bickering isn't involved (unless the bickering is like this).

Playoff Time

Tonight is the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the best playoffs in sports BY FAR. This will be pretty short as there will be tons of reaction every night of the playoffs. There is plenty to look forward to for any puck head; Flyers-Pens, every game airing on TV (NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, NHL Network), the Bruins quest to repeat, playoff beards, the Rangers trying to grab the latest New York bandwagon, the Canucks to avenge last year (especially if it's against Boston), and plenty more to when that Cup is presented.

As for my series picks, I'm going with Rangers in 6, Bruins in 5, Panthers in 7 and Flyers in 7 for the East. In the West, I have Canucks in 6, Sharks in 6, Blackhawks in 7 and the Red Wings in 7. The puck drops tonight and I can't wait. Enjoy the hockey, everyone.

2012 NHL Trade Deadline

It's that day for hockey fans, as we see teams potential build Stanley Cup teams, though in reality, they don't in today's moves (at least in recent history). Even still, I'll be here to update my blog all day long as the moves roll in and perhaps a move is there for someone to win. Not to mention updating anything that happens in the TSN that's interesting. Happy Trade Deadline Day!!!

UPDATE: 8:19 AM: First Alyonka Larionov sighting of the day. Good to start a morning. What's a bad start; the image of Pierre McGuire.

8:30 AM: Michael Peca's argument for picking any player is that they've "been there". Glad he's here.

9:08 AM: Absolutely nothing is going on. Time to go grab a bagel and coffee.

9:20 AM: Every time I see Pierre, I think of ESPN's NBA Draft coverage when they show Dick Vitale. No point to be there and definitely makes the coverage more irritating.

9:25 AM: Pierre LeBrun tweeted the Sabres want a 1st round pick for Paul Gaustad. Either they don't wanna move him, or I should have what Darcy Regier is having this morning.

9:26 AM: Sorry, Jeff Marek and Greg Wyshynski, you guys were debating on Sportsnet just as TSN had James Duthie and Alyonka Larionov on camera together. TSN wins there.

9:44 AM: Now I'm seeing that P.A. Parenteau is worth a 1st and a player. Can anyone break the story that each teams' war room have a more cocaine on their table than Tony Montana had?

10:02 AM: TSN with a montage of Stephane Matteau. Warms this Ranger fan's heart. Something tells me we won't see a deadline day like the Rangers had in 1994.

10:28 AM: Bob McKenzie tweeted that Andrei Kostitsyn is close to going to Nashville to rejoin his brother. Also, notice that whenever SNET has Wyshynski on camera, TSN counters with Larionov.

10:34 AM: We can officially call this week Reunion Week if/when Kostitsyn to Nashville is official. Kostitsyn's back together, after Jeff Carter reunited with Mike Richards. What could go wrong?

10:39 AM: Sportsnet is saying Alexander Radulov might be going the other way to Montreal for Kostitsyn. If they can get him to leave Russia, this could be a major coup for the Canadiens.

10:47 AM: Sportsnet is wrong, as TSN goes into the ESPN well (LeBrun) to report that Nashville only gives up a second rounder and the conditional pick from the Hal Gill trade. No Radulov.

11:09 AM: One thing I'm impressed with by Sportsnet; their GM room. Even though Doug MacLean is the one doing the most talking.

11:33 AM: All quiet along the trade front, so I'm watching clips of The Room on YouTube. This really is the funniest movie I've ever seen.

12:12 PM: So I go get a sandwich and I miss the beginning of Brian Burke telling James Duthie "None of your business" in regards to why he was at Mastercard Center. Awesomeness.

12:40 PM: Thank you Nick Kypreos for reporting a trade. Mike Commodore goes from Detroit to Tampa. Real life trade!

12:45 PM: Upon hearing the trade, James Duthie: "Sigh...I guess that's worthy of a bell; barely." Sounds about right.

12:58 PM: Sportsnet reports Tom Gilbert goes from Edmonton to Minnesota for Nick Schultz. TSN decides to look at the 2014 Canadian Olympic Roster.

1:03 PM: Seems to me, Gilbert for Schultz is a shuffling deck chairs type of move. Might be better fits in the other organization. Though, Schultz has been a Wild since 2001. Just tossed aside seems wrong to me.

1:11 PM: Rumor of the Rangers being interested in Brad Stuart is interesting, but nowhere close to confirmed.

1:17 PM: Seems like Stuart is staying in Detroit. Wild locker room is completely stunned about the Schultz trade, according to Michael Russo's tweets. And Jaro Spacek is about to be traded somewhere, not Bryan Allen by Carolina.

1:36 PM: Someone needs to fix Pierre McGuire's makeup. We know he's a clown; today he looks like one.

1:42 PM: Another depth move, Keith Aulie from Toronto to Tampa for Carter Ashton. Of course, last year the Leafs traded John Mitchell in a similar trade in last year's deadline and is now in the Rangers lineup.

2:03 PM: Trades are flying now: Sharks pick up Daniel Winnik and T.J. Galiardi from Colorado, Ottawa gives Brian Lee to Tampa for Matt Gilroy and Vancouver picks up Sami Pahlsson, crushing Scotty Hockey's dream move.

2:08 PM: Blackhawks have picked up Johnny Oduya from the Jets. Chicago needed a defenseman and he's as good as there is in the market.

2:12 PM: Rick Nash is once again heating up as TSN says he's 50% likely moved. Means the Rangers are involved. Rangers should still be looking at a depth forward and a defensive defenseman instead. 45 minutes left.

2:37 PM: TSN is saying Nash to the Rangers is dying. 25 minutes away.

2:46 PM: 14 minutes left, nothing since Oduya.

2:48 PM: BREAKING NEWS: GEICO trades the gekko to Progressive for Flo.

2:55 PM: Kypreos is saying that Brian Rolston is now a Bruin. 5 minutes until the deadline.

2:58 PM: Rolston had the news broken to him on Sportsnet. 2 minutes away...

3:00 PM: WE'VE REACHED THE DEADLINE!!!

3:02 PM: Paul Gaustad to Nashville, let's see if David Poile had some of the stuff Darcy Regier was taking this morning and gave up a 1st rounder. Rick Nash is staying in Columbus for now.

3: 06 PM: Mike Mottau was in the Rolston trade. Islanders get rid of bad contracts; Bruins are hoping for some lighting in a bottle.

3:17 PM: Bruins get Greg Zanon from the Wild. Rangers get John Scott from Chicago. Bruins win (though Scott would knock Zanon out).

3:24 PM: Scott to the Rangers is such a blah move. They needed a 3rd D-man pairing. Meanwhile, 1st and 4th for Gaustad. Poile loved Regier's stuff.

3:38 PM: Biggest trade of the day; Vancouver trades Cody Hodgson to Buffalo for Zack Kassian. Sabres might be a playoff team now. Look out if you're Florida, Washington, Toronto and Winnipeg. More could be in this deal.

3:50 PM: Two other minor leaguers in this trade. Canucks will love Kassian.

Lundbelivable Linsanity Is SHU Cray

Valentine's Day 2012. No, it wasn't the first time the Knicks, Rangers and Seton Hall Pirates won on the same day, but it was the first time that you can say that it was reasonable to be hopeful for good things to come from all three at the same time (at least since I decided to commit to Seton Hall as the school of my choice, which is when I officially became of Pirates fan).

Consider that Seton Hall had lost six in a row, yet they still hadn't officially knocked themselves out of the NCAA Tournament list. A fact like that in it of itself is surprising as a six game losing streak is more or less typical for a Seton Hall team that always seems to have the deck stacked against them. One tourney appearance in the last seven years and they were the first team eliminated that year against Wichita State (perhaps I was lucky I had a test that day and couldn't just skip class to watch it). That lose in fact started the Gonzo Era, which if you're a SHU alum, student or fan, you wish you can forget existed. It was a time when our school became a laughingstock, punctuated by the time Bobby Gonzalez was arrested for shoplifting a manpurse.

However, out of the rubble from those teams is Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope, both men seniors, both have had terrific years that allowed the Pirates to dominate non-conference play, against a pretty tough schedule. Going 11-1 with wins over St. Joes, VCU on neutral sites and Dayton on the road gave the Hall some breathing room. That breathing room expanded when they beat West Virginia and UConn, starting Big East play 4-1. Then, a missed FT by Theodore in the closing seconds against South Florida started that six-game tailspin. However, when they needed a win against Rutgers, Theodore wouldn't allow them to lose. He did everything possible to win that game, one that would allow him to finish with a perfect 4-0 record at the RAC. Add a comeback win against Pitt and a completely dominant performance over St. John's and now the Pirates are right in the hunt for tourney bid.

While Seton Hall was running St. John's off the gym, I was more concerned with the NY Rangers, who were battling the defending Cup champion Bruins in a game that may have told us who the best team in the East is. Instead of allowing the Bruins to maintain momentum early, the Rangers struck first with a power play goal by Ryan Callahan, then Ryan McDonagh scored on a shot from the boards that tipped in off Zdeno Chara. When the Bruins came out flying in the second period, the Rangers defense gave them so little room to make great chances, and when they did, Henrik Lundqvist was there for the challenge.

The post-lockout Rangers always had a chance to win because of Hank. That's the kind of goalie he is. However, we are witnessing the greatest season for a goaltender in Rangers history. Hank will win the Vezina when it's all said and done and the Hart trophy is also a possibility. His improved play (from regular excellence to unreal greatness) is why the Rangers are tops in the East and why it will be hard to knock them off that perch come playoff time.

When the Rangers had taken control over the Bruins, it was time to flip the Knicks on. They were in Toronto and I knew they were losing for most of the night. Yet, somehow, they came back again and now Jeremy Lin had the ball with seconds left. Instead of finding an open man, he took the shot, swished it and stole a game from the Raptors. It made the fact I had tickets to yesterday's game against the Kings even more anticipated.

Knicks fans for 9 years had nothing to cheer about. No luck in the draft, no competence in the front office in regards to Scott Layden and Isiah Thomas and a horrible roster of players. Until Lin showed up, we were about to rule out the Melo-Stat Era as more of the same. Now? The promise of this team is now wide open. One might think this is just a few games, but what NBA just dominates out of nowhere after a few games? If a player is drafted in the first round, he has pedigree and a level of expectation that won't allow him to sneak up on anyone. While a second round pick generally doesn't have same expectation, it gets nullified if he went to a major college and we remember him (like Gilbert Arenas at Arizona and Carlos Boozer at Duke). Jeremy Lin went to Harvard, was undrafted and bounced around a couple teams and was the 12th man on their bench before he started against the Nets. It's mind-blowing how he can be this good this quick and just fell through the cracks.

I really look forward to Carmelo Anthony returning. Either he will thrive with Lin or he won't, but Lin is here to stay and Melo better understand that. If he doesn't, we'll see what the team looks like as a result. If he does, then the Knicks are about to become interesting.

So here we are, three teams, three examples of the inspiration of hope. The hope of breaking through into the world of relevant for Seton Hall; the hope of becoming contenders for the Knicks and the hope of becoming champions for the Rangers. One things for sure, and with the afterglow of the Giants Super Bowl still there; New York (and New Jersey) can continue to be optimistic. Isn't it a funny feeling?

Thanks For Nothing Dolan

I went to last night's Rangers game against the Penguins. It seems like every time I show up for a Rangers game, they lose. Pittsburgh showed up for 60 minutes and the Rangers didn't and with the way the Penguins play north-south, that's not a good ingredient for winning.

The reason I'm writing about last night's game though is it was the first one since Rangers and Knicks owner James Dolan decided to actually take part in a Rangers press conference and essentially proclaim that the Rangers are Stanley Cup contenders. It was a quote that John Tortorella threw some water on when he said "I have my owner up here talking about a Stanley Cup. That's a bunch of bull----" once Dolan left the room.

Nice try, Torts. Dolan has given your team some interest and when he gets involved, bad things happen. He involved himself in the Carmelo Anthony trade, and now the Knicks seem stuck in neutral (Frank Isola had it right when he tweeted this). My favorite example of this was back in 2007 when the Knicks weren't embarrassing New Yorkers every night and had a team that was winning games in exciting fashion (watch this, this and this for examples of this). So what happens; Dolan proclaims that Isiah Thomas had a successful year and signs him to an undisclosed contract extension. At the time of the extension, the Knicks were 29-34 and in 8th in the East. Afterwards, the Knicks only won 4 more games.

So last night's results, unfortunately was foretold in my eyes once Jim Dolan opened his big mouth, especially after watching how sure of himself he was in that presser. Hopefully (at least for me as a Rangers fan), this won't be a trend that continues, but history isn't on their side.

24/7 Episode Two Review

Part Two of 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic aired last night it's becoming clear to me that the Rangers are more interesting than the Flyers (with the obvious exception to Ilya Bryzgalov, who's more interesting than anyone). Last year, no one on the Caps and Pens talk about themselves on the show and the Rangers didn't either. Why are the Flyers? Seems like the Flyers are forcing Bryzgalov to be Bryzgalov, instead of it being natural. I fully agree with Steve Lepore from Puck The Media's point about the Flyers, that they are almost too aware of being on camera when not on the ice.

The best part on-ice part of last night's episode was anything that dealt with the officials. We see Peter Laviolette say "typical Montreal" on his perceived bias in some calls against the Flyers. Something my father has said on more than one occasion. Then you have the refs locker room during last week's Rangers-Coyotes game, which was like last year when the refs discussed a goal disallowed in a Rangers-Penguins game. And the interaction with the players, like when Tim Peel tells Raffi Torres it was a clean hit that Mike Rupp made and when Max Talbot gets warned he's going to get a penalty, then after getting called for one, is told it was a bad call.

More random thoughts:

-Tortorella looked very good on the show, very much like Bruce Boudreau as we see him absolutely pissed during the first intermission when he laid into the Rangers for a lackluster first period. Then we see him and Liam who has cerebral palsy and we see he has a heart of gold. Now all he has to do is look for a Haagen-Daaz and it would be good. Also, Liam is in my dream bedroom (though mine would include some Giants stuff as well).

-Favorite part of Torts' rant;"If you're not going to be stiff, you're not going to play". I expect a line like that to show up on Cinemax at midnight. Also, I'd like to thank HBO for not letting us know if Brian Boyle was stiff before the game in his hotel room scene with Brandon Prust.

-Bryzgalov was great again as he compares the husky to a hot blonde in his typical (Montreal) style. Then you see his thoughts about goaltending and defensemen, which I won't quote, but instead will leave the video here. Tell me if your mind that exploded last week didn't just burst again.

-It's nice to see Danny Briere take in young players to live with him, but having new teammate with his old, divorced teammate and his kids together is very sitcomish (even though Sean Couturier.

-Landon Girardi is adorable. Better scene than Hank playing guitar with John McEnroe, though my mother will love both equally (huge McEnore fan back in the day and probably the one person in the world who watched his show on CNBC).

-Tough to take as a Rangers fan, but all those shots with Mike Rupp getting cut (great editing to have the thud when the blood dripped on his face) as well as Ruslan Fedotenko and the injured shoulder to Steve Eminger are just more evidence to why 24/7 is the best reality series on TV.

-Liked the soundtrack HBO played tonight. I'm not entirely sure why.

-What I want to see next time; all three Rangers games (particularly the Devils win), Peter Laviolette to show that he's more than a hockey coach, some more natural interaction off the ice by the Flyers.

Rushed for time because of work (can't wait for holiday to be over), so I'm sure I left out other great and not-so-great footage in need of discussion. Meanwhile, the Colts will cover tonight against Houston.

24/7 Review

Tonight was the return of 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic. This year, my favorite team is involved as we get to follow a month in the season of the New York Rangers, as well as one of my most hated teams, the Philadelphia Flyers. I'm not here to tell if this is good or not, because everyone who watches it knows this is the best hockey will ever look. Instead, I'll just give you my random thoughts on what we saw from HBO's access.

-No documentary can ever match 24/7 unless they are allowed to leave expletives unedited.

-Speaking of, while expecting the F-bombs to fly from John Tortorella, Peter Laviolette stormed out of the gate with 5 F-bombs during the intro. Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy tweeted that he found 43 F-bombs tonight, a good start.

-That intro, is as epic as anything that HBO has done. I'm dead serious, very well done.

-It was clear to me that we got to know more Rangers than Flyers in the first episode. The specific players profiled was about even (maybe an edge to the Flyers), but we get to see the Rangers as a group interact amongst themselves. This wasn't true with the Flyers.

-Not enough words can be said for Ilya Bryzgalov. The man who was the star of this interview, stole the show with his first interview. One of the two reasons he's my favorite Flyer (the other being as last playoffs showed, can turn into a sieve at the worst time). He also warned me to never come in contact with a tiger ever. Either the tiger will kill me, or the government will after I kill it to save my own life.

-The Rangers locker room scenes were definitely more compelling, but that's because the Rangers lost some games, while the Flyers are on a winning streak. Flyers didn't find their compelling scene until the Claude Giroux concussion. Probably the reason their comeback win in Buffalo was bumped.

-Fun to see Matt Cooke call Scott Hartnell a "piece of shit", while Hartnell calls Cooke the "dirtiest player in the league". Also smart, since both are right.

-I enjoyed everything that resulted from Artem Anisimov's goal celebration. From the brawl, to the reaction to the penalties that were called, to Sean Avery and Marian Gaborik's reaction upon seeing Anisimov in the locker room. All I saw last week was how everyone tried to tell Arty that it's wrong; turns out it was able to be mocked and brought out the humor of Anisimov. I now expect Russians to be funny if their in the NHL.

-Tortorella is as fiery as I thought he is behind the scenes, while Laviolette seems very serious. While the Flyers seem to have the personality of their coach (seem very boring outside of Bryzgalov), Rangers don't, but are very tight-knit, which help them succeed. Once thing is for sure, his calling out of players makes me think of Bill Parcells (best case Rangers fans, Torts wins a 2nd one like Tuna; worst case, he doesn't win in his remaining coaching stops, including here). Plus, he taught me not to "shit my pants" in regards to Phil Kessel.

-Torts: "...if you start changing some things around because there's some struggles, everyone second-guessing. It's a matter of not losing your patience." I hope he thinks of this quote the next time he decides to switch up the lines again.

-Who knew that we would find a worse victory song then the Washington Capitals "Beat Dat Beat" from last year, but the Flyers found it with Mac Miller.

-I'm pretty sure we won't see Brad Richards again unless something happens to him (the anti-Bryzgalov). I do want more Brandon Prust instead of the quick punchlines he said tonight.

-Finally, I had to end with Ryan Callahan with his family, particularly his 95-year old grandma. You can make a case that she stole the show tonight; her and Bryzgalov. If I was Cally, when I'm arguing with the refs, I'd bring her down to help out. By the way, if you don't feel any type of emotion when Cally embraces her, then you don't have a soul.


So ends the first episode of 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic. I'll be back for each of the 3 episodes with my thoughts. Until then, as Artem Anisimov would say, go reload your weapon.

Realignment Talk, Part II

Yesterday, I gave a more rational idea for realignment of the NHL teams starting next season. Now, I'm going to get creative. I get that it's almost certain that you won't see a true transformation of the divisions, but I wanted to get this out there since I couldn't find any hockey writer/blogger that I know suggest this. Let me start with the division that I find most unique to this plan. Oh, and by the way, I'm doing away with geographical names with updated NHL legends named as divisions.


Howe Division: Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Rangers, Islanders, Devils

That's right, a division with Original Six teams. I hate to include the Islanders and Devils, but what's the point of a division of just Original Six teams if they can't play more often. Since the Islanders and Devils basically are aligned with the Rangers, they are included so we see more divisional play. Besides if/when the Islanders move, they are out of here.

Gretzky Division: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Minnesota, Buffalo

Now here is where the rest of the Canadian teams will join together. And the addition of Minnesota and Buffalo make sense because those are arguably your two most hockey-crazed American cities with the exception of Pittsburgh (obviously no Original Six teams count here) Also, since the division has seven teams, there's room for Quebec City whenever a team comes in.

Lemieux Division: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Columbus, Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville

Now this division is more or less based on geography. It more or less pairs all the rest of the teams in the Eastern time zone, as well as Nashville, who while in the Central share a lot more in common with Florida and Tampa, than Dallas and St. Louis.

Orr Division: Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Phoenix, Colorado, Dallas, St. Louis

Here's the division that might have the most gripes because it doesn't solve the problem of travel for the Stars and now gives the Blues the same problems. It's made to pair up all the U.S. based teams west of the Mississippi. It has an open slot for a team to move to Seattle, though if the team that moves is someone like the Islanders, then you can move the Blues to the Howe Division to reignite their Red Wings and Blackhawks rivalries.

More than likely, the same split of games will occur as in yesterday's post (8-team divisions would play 5x in the division, everyone else home and away and 3 games against a team in the other 8 division team; 7-team divisions play 6x in the division, and everyone else home and away). We'll add a divisional first round, then reseed for the rest of the playoffs. How's that for creative?

Realignment Talk, Part I

The day is coming when the NHL will realign again as the Winnipeg Jets would have to leave a division that includes Washington, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Florida. However, last night, Bob McKenzie started tweeting that the only realignment that might occur is a swap of the Jets to the Central Division and the Red Wings into the Southeast. I know the Red Wings are desperate to leave the Western Conference, but it seems wrong that they are abandoning their rivals in Chicago and St. Louis (at least without re-energizing their rivalries with the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs). How about the Dallas Stars, still stuck in the Pacific Division, even though they are geographically closer to each team in the Central. Shouldn't the NHL scrap the six-division format in it's entirety? Yes, it needs to be at least 4 divisions (or conferences where Greg Wyshynski called at in this Puck Daddy post). And I have two ways for the NHL to align them. Here's the first one, which does the job, but it seems ordinary:

Western: LA, Anaheim, SJ, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Phoenix, Colorado.

Yes, I'm not leaving the Jets in this division. Travel benefits all these teams and each game can be played no earlier than 9 PM EST.

Central: Dallas, Winnipeg, Minnesota, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville.

Sorry Detroit, you still play in a more Western division, but my plan will have an equal amount of games between non-divisional opponents, so there will be less travel; which is your compromise for staying sorta West.

Northeast: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia

Splitting the East teams was the hardest chore, as it's either the Rangers in the Northeast with the Islanders and Devils, or the Penguins with the Flyers. This is one where I can go either way with.

Atlantic: Rangers, Islanders, New Jersey, Washington, Columbus, Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay.

Columbus gets to move to the East because of this format. They are another team which I can see in the Northeast instead, in order to start a rivalry with the Penguins, but you can always have Pittsburgh and Philly in this division in order to do so.


Figure that each team is guaranteed to play their division foes 5 times, and a home and away against everyone else. Since that leaves an uneven amount of games (8-division teams are at 79, 7 -div at 76), I figure will use what the NHL does now and add some random games. The 7 division teams will have 6 games against one another. The 8-division teams will fill the last 3 games with games against the opposite 8-team division. As for the playoffs, you do either a 1 vs 16 format, or you start with divisional playoff round, like in the 80s, then reseed at that point. That is probably a sensible way to realign the NHL for the 2011-12 season. However, there are more way to arrange the league and I will have another realignment option that fortunately, I'm not really seeing as of yet and think can work out. This will be done for tomorrow, so comeback for Part II.

NHL Preview

Tonight is the start of the NHL season, with the puck dropping in Toronto, Vancouver and Boston (who will see the banner raise). I wanted to write a quick list of 10 things to expect to see in the 2011-12 season.

1. I basically agree with everything Steve Lepore from Puck The Media wrote the other day. The NHL will take advantage of the NBA not being around this year. Especially come playoff time, since college basketball will get its share of attention most of the year. Expect the biggest ratings ever for Versus/NBCSN as well as the games on NBC.

2. This is something we are already seeing, as now there is more accountability in terms of headshots. Brendan Shanahan is already upping the suspensions for players targeting the head. Plus, his video explanations on why someone is suspended is must-see TV.

3. I've seen a bunch of experts saying that Henrik Lundqvist will win the Vezina this season. I have no choice but to agree with them.

4. I think Jeff Skinner sees a little sophomore slump, while Logan Couture will be just as good as last year. However, Tyler Seguin will be the breakout star this year. Expect him to play more consistent this season for the defending champs.

5. Shea Weber will be your Norris winner. He's the best defensemen in the league and getting some national spotlight (at least in Canada) during the playoffs will give him a chance at winning, not just being a finalist. I also have Barry Trotz as my Adams winner, another one long overdue for his award.

6. I see too many people picking Adam Larsson for the Calder. Can't get myself to pick the Devil, so Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is my guy.

7. No repeat for Corey Perry in terms of being the Hart winner. I think Jonathan Toews has his best regular season, and adds a Hart trophy to his already extensive trophy case.

8. Sidney Crosby returns in January, but doesn't help the Pens win the Atlantic. Instead, it's Hank and the Rangers winning the division. My East standings: 1. Caps 2. Bruins 3. Rangers 4. Bolts 5. Pens 6. Sabres 7. Flyers 8. Canes 9. Leafs 10. Habs 11. Isles 12. Devils 13. Panthers 14. Jets 15. Sens.

9. You would think the Canucks would drop off, but I still say they are the best team in the regular season, since they still have plenty of depth. 1. Canucks 2. Sharks 3. Hawks 4. Kings 5. Wings 6. Preds 7. Jackets 8. Blues 9. Oilers 10. Ducks 11. Flames 12. Wild 13. Yotes 14. Avs 15. Stars.

10. The Caps reach their first Stanley Cup Final with Alex Ovechkin, but it's not enough as the Blackhawks win their second Cup in three years. Enjoy the hockey everyone!

The Eve of Free Agency

Tomorrow is the start of NHL Free Agency (it should also be the start of NBA Free Agency, but they will begin a lockout that will wipe out the 2011-12 season instead). As we go into the signing period, here's some thoughts I have on the goings on.


-The Brad Richards Sweepstakes is very unique; you have the best FA forward on the market, and it's not even close. You would think that everyone would want the guy. Instead, at least in the case of the Rangers and the Leafs, no one seems to want him aside from the teams themselves. The reason is clear; Rangers and Leafs fans are afraid that either Brian Burke or Glen Sather will spend like a drunken sailor on the guy, and they're right. I guess I must get used to the fact that Richards will be a Ranger on Friday after an 8 year/$56 million contract.


-Everyone can talk about the Islanders putting it all together all they want; the fact is, as long as a guy like Christian Ehrhoff leaves in no uncertain terms that he won't play there, they aren't a threat, just a nuisance (if you're a Rangers fan).


-Meanwhile, the Sabres take the rights to Ehrhoff and get him signed, for 10 years/$40 million contract. Once again, the Terry Pegula era is completely different than before and now Buffalo will spend like everyone else on July 1.


-No new news on where Jaromir Jagr will sign, whether Pittsburgh, Detroit, Montreal. JagrWatch '11 continues.

-If the Flyers sign Brad Richards, they will officially have given up their future. Claude Giroux and James vanRiemsdyk will both be up for raises in a few years and they're ability to sign both guys with Chris Pronger, Ilya Bryzgalov and Richards will handcuff them.

-Adrian Dater is absolutely right, I'd be shocked if Tomas Vokoun isn't wearing an Avs sweater by Monday.

-So Tomas Kopecky signs for $12 million/4 years and Jonathan Ericsson signs for $9.75 million/3 years. This only makes me fear the Ryan Callahan/Brandon Dubinsky negotiations even more, especially if someone swoops in with an offer sheet.


-Dale Tallon's mistakes always seem to repeated. This week we saw it twice, as Nashville apparently forgot to qualify their RFA's (Shea Weber isn't included in this list, otherwise this becomes the biggest story in hockey), while Tallon takes another shot at Brian Campbell. This time, something tells me Florida won't be forced to sell off their roster as a result.


-Who offers Steven Stamkos an offer sheet? Philly? Detroit (not after signing Ericssson, I'd believe)? If I was the Panthers (assuming I have the literal cash to do so), I'd sign him to a 12 year/$132 million offer sheet. Might actually give the NHL a reason to care about a Bolts/Cats game.


-Carolina resigned Chad LaRose and Jussi Jokinen before July 1. Two guys who are only good with the Canes. My question: What is Erik Cole waiting for?

There is plenty more to talk about, but for now, we wait until noon for the Free Agent Frenzy to begin. Unfortunately, there won't be the amount of updates from me like on last July 1, but a review post will be written. Happy Canada Day everyone!

Stanley Cup Final Preview

The theme of this year's Stanley Cup Final is the exercising of postseason failure. Both the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins have experienced losing, not just in the history of both franchises, but recent memory as well.

For the Bruins, it's a history of losing to the Montreal Canadiens almost every spring, plus the years of 1988-92 which they reached the Cup Final twice and two Wales Conference Finals as well and couldn't win. It also includes the last two springs which include a Game 7 home overtime loss to Carolina and the loss to the Flyers after leading the series 3-0.

Vancouver's past include losing Game 7 to the Rangers in the 1994 Final, coming within a Nathan Lafayette shot off the post from tying the game. It also includes the Markus Naslund-Todd Bertuzzi years which they were the most entertaining team, yet dealt with playoff failures in the early 2000s. Their recent failures are the back-to-back series losses to the Chicago Blackhawks, which saw the worst of Roberto Luongo by the end of each series.


Now these two teams are set to take the ice tonight in Rogers Arena to begin a Stanley Cup Final which the matchup on paper might mean nothing. Then again, this is hockey, the matchup on paper doesn't always mean anything. The best three players in this series are probably both Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler. Boston can counter with Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton, who might not be as good as the Vancouver three, at the very least are playing as well right now.

Just rewatch both series; the Sedins regained their scoring touch as particularly Henrik dominated the series with his passing. When he gets going, then brother Daniel starts to score, then Alex Burrows and before long, a more confident Canucks team emerges, which is troublesome for the entire league. That doesn't include Kesler, who's a jack of all trades for the Canucks, with his scoring, playmaking, and special teams ability. As for the Bruins, all three men carried the Bruins at times late in the series. Krejci, alone, has been the Bruins catalyst for the last 3 years, only no one really thinks of this as true. When they lost to the Flyers last year, it was due to Krejci's injury and no one else being able to score consistently for them. Along with Horton, who's been the sniper that Boston fans have wanted for years, not so much in huge goal numbers, but just a plain ability to get the puck past the goaltender. Meanwhile, Lucic just seems to be everywhere, skating hard and no one on the ice will take a run at him, for fear of how he'd answer back.

The rest of both teams' rosters are full of depth; players who are willing to step up when needed. It's no different than any other hockey team, only the quality of the depth. Zdeno Chara is the best defensemen in the series and almost certainly will be on Sedin duty this series. Tyler Seguin is the Bruins x-factor, who can carry the Bruins when they aren't scoring with his ability. Mark Recchi, Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley all provide big minutes and timely plays for Boston and Dennis Seidenberg has been key as Chara d-line mate. The Canucks depth includes Kevin Bieksa, a defensemen who while isn't a Chara on the blueline, can do anything that's needed by Vancouver. Chris Higgins has really led the team with his scoring because he's more a grinder than scorer. And then there's Raffi Torres, a man who will be called apon to give big hits to the Bruins, countering what Boston thinks as how they would win this series.

Finally, the goaltenders, where this series story will be told. Roberto Luongo has had all the expectation to reach this stage and after some tough times in the Chicago series, he's really carried the Canucks past the Predators in a low-scoring series and past a more high-octane Sharks squad. Meanwhile, what hasn't already been said about Tim Thomas. The man just competes in goal. He reminds me of Mike Richter to be honest, as both men were battler's in net and while both guys were at times susceptible to a soft goal, also can't be beat if they play at their best. The Tampa series is really what you need to know from Thomas, following up each loss with a near unstoppable performance (yes, I know he gave up 5 goals in Game 2, but followed that game with a shutout). My warning for anyone picking Vancouver; that means you're picking against Tim Thomas.

I've thought this series is a lot like a reverse 1994 with the Canucks in the Rangers role and Boston in Vancouver's role. Vancouver, like the Rangers, probably can do more of what they want to do on the ice, only that goaltender is there to shut them down, and when he does, Boston will counterpunch. This is a series that will go seven, only I see the home team losing and waiting another year.

Predicition: Bruins in 7

Randomness While I'll Gladly Hit 9th

Crazy week in Yankeeland (legitimately so, not the fake kind that New York likes to think of). Jorge Posada asking out of the lineup because he was slotted ninth in the order appears to be the beginning of the end for his career. Interestingly, it grabs the spotlight on the real problem; a Yankees team that all of a sudden looks old and no longer have the consistent offense to help win games. Doesn't help that the Yankees bullpen isn't the shutdown bullpen that was imagined and it's only a matter of time before the starting pitching comes undone. And the problem, unless they start looking very different in the next two months, no trade would be enough to save them. This is starting to feel like 1965 for those Yankee fans who remember that year.


Meanwhile, the Red Sox, who were left for dead, have now just pulled over .500 after that comeback win tonight over the Orioles. They've won 5 of 6 against the Yankees, mainly by playing a little better in each phase of the game in their wins.


Nice to see the Indians and Royals playing well. Too bad I didn't write this last week, or I can include to Pirates.


I'm thinking the Mavs beat the Thunder in 6. Here's the first series which Oklahoma City faces a team with a legitimate crunch-time scorer in Dirk. The Dallas big's in Chandler, Dirk and Haywood are better than Perkins, Ibaka and Nazr Mohammed. Finally, too much depth the Mavs have, as evident by the series against the Lakers. Yes, Durant and Westbrook can turn the series, but this is the last opportunity for the Mavs championship window. They'll get it done.


As for the other series that have started, the Heat need to find a way to make the rebound disadvantage against the Bulls look less so. If only Chris Bosh would play as a guy who just bangs bodies and grabs boards. The two hockey conference finals are too soon to gauge anything as the Sharks lost energy in the 3rd period of Game 1 and the Boston had a very sloppy 1st period they couldn't recover from.


It's very close that the Atlanta Thrashers are on it's way to Winnipeg (read Elliotte Friedman and Bruce Arthur's columns for further on that story, good reads), but I have a question. If the Coyotes can't sell the team to someone who wants to keep it in Glendale and with no Winnpeg available and Quebec City wouldn't be ready until 2015, where would they go? Does Jim Balsillie reenter the picture and moves them to Hamilton? Does another U.S. market pick them up?


Derek Boogaard's death is still shocking to me. Even though he didn't play well with the Rangers, the stories about his work off the ice show how much a gentle giant he was. The real shame is no one cares enough about players who contribute to the community if they don't play well, at least that's true in places like New York. Adam Graves was the most humanitarian Rangers of all, yet no one would have known had he not been one of 3 Rangers to score 50 goals in a season, leading them to a Stanley Cup.


Listening to the ESPN guys talk about Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak inevitably lead to discussion between his record and Ted Williams hitting .406 in the same year. Which led to a conversation between my father and I about probably the greatest Yankees/Red Sox what if: What if Williams and DiMaggio are traded for each other when Tom Yawkey and Dan Topping get drunk that one night? The obvious answer is you give Ted Williams the short porch in right and DiMaggio gets to swing at the Green Monster, both guys get more inflated stats.


But here's the kicker; if Ted Williams, not DiMaggio is a Yankee in 1951, Mickey Mantle doesn't hurt his knee on that drain pipe in the '51 World Series. I guarantee it. You want to know why; because Mantle plays CF in his rookie year, not RF. The story goes, Mantle hard charges a ball and DiMaggio late calls it and Mantle's knee shatters when he steps on that drain. Well, no Joe D, no Mantle in right tearing his knee. Now, Mantle might still end up with the alcohol problems because of the effect of his father dying (we'll never know), but I guarantee you, Mantle doesn't have the injury problems to the extent that he does without his first major injury in 1951. His career as a result, likely one of the five greatest careers of all time.

Quick Stanley Cup Preview

Due to real life, I don't have time for a lengthy preview of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So here's my quick take on each series.

Rangers-Caps: Basically, we get to see if the Caps are truly committed to their defensive gameplan of the past few months. We also see how much regular season success carries over to the playoffs. I still remember when Tampa played the Islanders in 2004, the Islanders won the season series, but still lost in 5 games. The Rangers have the goalie advantage, the advantage at the blueline (which they didn't have in '09), but without Ryan Callahan, some needs to step up (Marian Gaborik?) to put the puck in the net. No prediction, because I'm a biased Rangers fan, may as well get that out of the way.

Flyers-Sabers: The key to this series is will Chris Pronger play. If he does and plays well, the Flyers will win. If not, the Sabres are more dangerous on offense and Ryan Miller can be the difference maker. I still say the Flyers win, because they have better forwards and just need their goalie(s) not to lose it. Flyers in 7.

Bruins-Canadiens: The best series of the first round. Montreal has the history and they have the season series edge, 4-2. The Bruins have the psychological edge after their 7-0 win in March. Who wins? Boston has clear advantages at forward and the blueline, and goaltending is a wash. Unless the Bruins either don't play their physical style, or play it too much, they should win in 6.

Penguins-Lightning: Once again, the question is about a player coming back. This time, it's Sidney Crosby. I don't think he comes back and Pittsburgh has to make due without him. While the Lightning have terrific players such as Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Vinny LeCavalier, I don't think they're ready to win yet. Pittsburgh, with Marc-Andre Fleury leading the way, grinds out a series win in 6.

Canucks-Blackhawks: Are the Canucks capable of finally beating the Blackhawks. Everyone was saying that Vancouver should be upset to play the Hawks again. I think they should be thrilled. To become the champ, you must beat the champ and the Canucks must get over this hill if they are to win. I think it's a challenge they accept and the fact that they have the deepest team in the playoffs, best scoring, best in goals against and they should win. Canucks in 5.

Sharks-Kings: The Kings had a chance to do big things this year, until losing Anze Kopitar. Now they are stuck with a San Jose team who's lurking as a sleeper to win, instead of a favorite. Sharks win in 6.

Red Wings-Coyotes: Until this afternoon, I was willing to make the Coyotes are my upset of the round. Then came the news they could be moving back to Winnipeg after the playoffs (sorry for no link, but I have no time to get one). This means the crowds in Phoenix, which weren't bad last year, will be either empty or full of Wings fans. Plus, it's never smart to pick against Detroit. Wings in 6.

Predators-Ducks: Barry Trotz should be commended for the job he does with a Nashville team who can't score, but seem to make the playoffs every year. If they played 10 years ago like this, they'd have a Cup. Unfortunately you need to score and the Ducks can with Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne. Not enough firepower again for the Preds. Ducks win in 7.