The Unhumble Hockey Fan

Near End of January Post

2012-01-27T06:38:00.002-07:00

It has been a couple weeks since I last posted and there has been a lot of stuff that has happened in the NHL that I want to get to.

First off, the whole Brad Marchand low bridge situation. Honestly, I think Shanahan got this one right as Marchand got 5 games for it. Now onto stuff with it that has made me lose a ton of respect for the Bruins coaching and management. After the game, there was a ton of stuff said by both sides but the thing that bothered me was Bruins management defending the Marchand hit as self defense, if that was self defense, than I guess I can go up to someone and punch them in the face just for looking at me the wrong way.

Now onto another thing involving the Bruins with Tim Thomas refusing to go to the White House as a part of the Stanley Cup Champions as a protest of how politics is being done. It's his right whether you like it or not but I think in the future it will be something he will regret not going to.

Now onto the All-Star game. I actually like the way it played out this year where there are some definite rivalries and may actually get the crowd into the game even if it is another no contact allowed game which probably will be coming shortly to the NHL so that Bettman can continue to push his #1 ball licker in Sidney Crosby.

The only thing that I would like to see changed to the All-Star fantasy draft is that defenseman can go last so that the car doesn't always go to a forward as San Jose Shark, Logan Couture was the last pick this and receiver of the new car and $20,000 to a charity of his choice. I also think they should give something to the first overall pick in it as it would show respect like Chara did when he picked Pavel Datsyuk first, I think he should get something, but it is not up to me.

Also with the season at the All-Star break, I am going to narrow down who I think are the fron runners for the awards and who I see as teams that can make legitimate runs for the cup.

Hart Trophy

Right now I see this as the most wide open although most seem to be staying with in the NBC 7 who have a vote in this matter as it seems to be coming down between Claude Giroux and Evgeny Malkin. I give a little outside chance to one of the Sedin's due to the fact that they are the two reigning Art Ross trophy winners but I think the East Coast voters are tired of the West Coast players getting all the attention.

Norris Trophy

This is a list of the usual suspects as the list really consists of Nicklas Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, and Shea Weber being front and centre on most lists with a little attention being seen in Alex Edler and Erik Karlsson getting some looks as well.

Calder Trophy

If Ryan Nugent-Hopkins hadn't got injured, this would be a runaway right now, however he did and the race is tight. New Jersey forward Adam Henrique and Philadelphia forward Matt Read have been getting most of the attention in top 6 minutes but I think the second best rookie behind RNH is Cody Hodgson in Vancouver who is close to the top in points among rookies and getting fr less playing time than the other players mentioned.

Jack Adams

Well if injuries to star players is going to determine who gets this again, than Dan Bylsma is a shoe in to win as Crosbitch, oops Crosby is injured and has only played 8 games this season. I personally think that Paul MacLean in Ottawa right now is the #1 choice for the award.

Selke

Well I don't even know why we are bringing this up, we already know that it is going to be Datsyuk.

Stanley Cup Contenders

The way the teams are listed are the likelihood that I believe they will be in the finals representing their Conference that have a realistic shot of making the finals.

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins
NY Rangers
Philadelphia

Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
Nashville Predators

That is all I have for now and let us enjoy the unofficial start to the second half of the season.

This Should Be Interesting

2012-01-07T14:47:00.004-07:00

The rematch of the Stanley Cup finals was today in Boston and let's just say, Shanahan is just going to be busy from this game. From the question of Lucic stepping off the bench (He was half way in the door and then jumped into the fray), to Brad Marchand low-bridging Sami Salo, it has become obvious who the most hated team in hockey should be, and it is not the team located on the West coast.

Here is some of the stuff that happened from the game

Here is the 1st Period line brawl

And here is Brad Marchand's low bridge of Salo

I am also looking for the video for Dale Weise getting a penalty for not being given a green light to fight from Vigneault, when Thornton dropped his gloves off a faceoff.

There is also the big time blown non icing call on the Bruins that ended in a goal for the Bruins.

Overall, I don't know if they will or won't punish Lucic (it is a definite gray area with the one foot on ice, one foot off), but Marchand better get the book thrown at him. Also for those dumb ass morons saying that all Marchand did was what Ballard or Hamhuis does, get in line so I can high five you in the face, with a chair, and then a bat. Ballard of Hamhuis hip checks don't come when a guy is going to make shoulder to shoulder contact who doesn't have the puck, they also usually try to mainly just take a guy out of the play without injury.

Oh also, this game was at 10 am PT, could you imagine if this had been in prime time and on NBC and CBC, this could have help expand the game big time.

As I had in my last post, with the comments released by Donald Fehr about the NHLPA's refusal of the new NHL realignment. Personally, I think that Fehr raises some good points but I am concerned where this could go due to the amount of stupidity this could start due to the fact that the CBA is up at the end of the year.

That is all I have for now, until next time keep your stick on the ice.

More on the NHLPA denial of new Realignment

2012-01-06T19:57:00.003-07:00

I have found the official statement released by the NHLPA on the denial for realignment.

Toronto (January 6, 2012) – National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) Executive Director Don Fehr issued the following statement this evening regarding the League’s realignment proposal:

“On the evening of December 5, 2011, the NHL informed the NHLPA that they proposed to put in place a four-conference format beginning with the 2012-13 season. As realignment affects Players’ terms and conditions of employment, the CBA requires the League to obtain the NHLPA’s consent before implementation. Over the last month, we have had several discussions with the League and extensive dialogue with Players, most recently on an Executive Board conference call on January 1. Two substantial Player concerns emerged: (1) whether the new structure would result in increased and more onerous travel; and (2) the disparity in chances of making the playoffs between the smaller and larger divisions.

In order to evaluate the effect on travel of the proposed new structure, we requested a draft or sample 2012-13 schedule, showing travel per team. We were advised it was not possible for the League to do that. We also suggested reaching an agreement on scheduling conditions to somewhat alleviate Player travel concerns (e.g., the scheduling of more back-to-back games, more difficult and lengthier road trips, number of border crossings, etc.), but the League did not want to enter into such a dialogue. The travel estimation data we received from the League indicates that many of the current Pacific and Central teams, that have demanding travel schedules under the current format, could see their travel become even more difficult. On the playoff qualification matter, we suggested discussing ways to eliminate the inherent differences in the proposed realignment, but the League was not willing to do so.

The League set a deadline of January 6, 2012 for the NHLPA to provide its consent to the NHL’s proposal. Players’ questions about travel and concerns about the playoff format have not been sufficiently addressed; as such, we are not able to provide our consent to the proposal at this time. We continue to be ready and willing to have further discussions should the League be willing to do so.”

I will have more on this later, however I have work shortly so keep your stick on the ice.

World Junior Recap, NHLPA denies realignment

2012-01-06T16:42:00.006-07:00

Well the World Juniors wrapped up yesterday with a one against the world that ended up with Senators prospect Mika Zijanebad scored for Sweden in overtime on Sweden's 58th shot to win the game 1-0.

Here is the winner

For the first two periods of the game, this was literally a game of keep away as the shots were 39-4 for Sweden after two periods and Sweden had fifty shots after regulation. This probably will replace Roberto Luongo's gold medal game against the Russians in 1999 as the best goalie performance in a loss at this tournament as Saskatoon Blade goalie Andrei Makarov was the only reason the game didn't end in regulation.

Now onto some other stuff. Canada continued at least one streak at this tournament as they grabbed the bronze and received a medal for the 14th consecutive year with a 4-0 win over Finland. However there was questions whether we need an overhaul of the Canadian system in some newspapers. Excuse me, I need to go smash someone's brain in for thinking such a stupid thing. OK, I'm back. There are some people out there that think Canada is the only nation that can play hockey at a high level. Umm, I am not sure what to tell these idiots but there are other countries that have our similar climate and love the sport just as much and have plenty of talent. There is no other nation that can boast a 14 year medal streak at the World Juniors, no overhaul necessary.

Now onto something that is a little baffling for me. The NHL had approved a realignment system for the following season. However, that has been shot down by the NHLPA.

Here is the statement that was released on NHL.com

The National Hockey League announced today that it will not move forward with implementation of the Realignment Plan and modified Playoff Format recently approved by the NHL Board of Governors for the 2012-13 NHL season because the NHLPA has refused to provide its consent.

"It is unfortunate that the NHLPA has unreasonably refused to approve a Plan that an overwhelming majority of our Clubs voted to support, and that has received such widespread support from our fans and other members of the hockey community, including Players," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "We have now spent the better part of four weeks attempting to satisfy the NHLPA’s purported concerns with the Plan with no success. Because we have already been forced to delay, and as a result are already late in beginning the process of preparing next season’s schedule, we have no choice but to abandon our intention to implement the Realignment Plan and modified Playoff Format for next season."

"We believe the Union acted unreasonably in violation of the League’s rights. We intend to evaluate all of our available legal options and to pursue adequate remedies, as appropriate."

As a result of the League’s decision today, the NHL will maintain its current alignment and Playoff Format for the 2012-13 season.

What I take from this is that the NHLPA did not like not having a say in this to begin with, and the fact that the playoff format had yet to be formatted and the fact that the Top 8 got in with the best records and a team that could be truly terrible that finished fourth in the new conferences gets in.

This was taken from SunGarrioch on Twitter on the situation

Sources say NHLPA doesn't like increased travel and the unbalanced conferences. Statement from union soon. Will be interesting. #NHL

I think the team that is really pooched in this is the Winnipeg Jets. They only way they are considered Southeast division team is if the NHL was completely based on where they are in Manitoba. They still get the extra games versus as is with some of the bigger names in the NHL with Ovechkin and the Capitals and Crosby (If healthy) and the Penguins.

But overall, this is what I really think happened. Eastern based team players who hate time zone travel knew that they were going to have to play 13 games out of their time zone (Detroit and Columbus are in ETZ) and probably most Western Conference teams were pissed off that they still had to play Detroit so often (Well, some teams). I personally thought the realignment for the most part was good as teams were properly aligned due to where they were time zone wise. I really don't know what to expect now but I hope there isn't another lockout.

That is all I have for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

All-Star Game votes, Barch Suspension, Burke's rant, and more

2012-01-05T16:38:00.004-07:00

The NHL All-Star Game votes have been tallied, and I am happier this year than I was with them last year. For starters, they just didn't choose guys that were probably going to go anyways because they were all-stars, the chose the home town players who may not be having a good season but they knew it would be special for them.

The players that were selected were Boston goaltender Tim Thomas, Maple Leafs defenceman Dion Phaneuf, and then Four Ottawa Senators in defenceman Erik Karlsson, and all three forwards with Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Milan Michalek who had a great surge to get pushed past Leafs forward Phil Kessel in the last week.

The only one I wish that was different was the goalie as Thomas would probably be selected to go in any case as he is having a great season and I personally like to have seen a guy like James Reimer or Antti Niemi who has solid numbers butdoesn't get the exposure to get the votes.

The only guys i can say for sure that will be going to the All-Star Game that didn't get voted in are the Sedin twins, Giroux, Stamkos, Kessel and Toews.

Now onto something I touched on in my last blog with Krys Barch and his racial slur towards PK Subban. Barch admitted to saying it but he says it was in a joke, if you are going to tell a joke to the opposing team like that, make sure he is the only one who hears it, not so a linesman can hear you. Basically his one game suspension is for being an idiot.

If you have yet to hear Brian Burke's latest remarks, he had a press conference interview about placing tough guy Colton Orr on waivers. He said he had to do this move because of the way things are heading in the NHL and he is not a fan of it with players who are rats not having to stand up for themselves and not being willing to fight. For what was said in the sound clip showed on TSN, I would say I agree with everything that the GM said as I think the way the NHL is going with some of the stuff is wrong.

Also, you would have to wonder if guys like Brian Burke and Don Cherry ran the league, how much better off the play on the ice would be because you actually know where everything stands and you wouldn't have the "rats" doing what they are doing. (Sidenote: If I can find the rant or press conference so that I can post it to this blog)

Now onto some other stuff that has come up. It looked like Oilers super rookie, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was going to run away with the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year but is now injured. Even though there are some that are some what close to him in points, the only one I think that can mount a reasonable challenge to him for it is Canucks forward Cody Hodgson. Yes, there are other players that are making an impact as rookies like Adam Henrique but those guys are getting much more ice time than Hodgson and Hodgson also plays on a third line and is currently 5th in points. However, if RNH comes back and dominates, he will probably run away with the votes.

Anaheim Ducks GM, Bob Murray, has made a bit of noise by saying the only untouchables on his team are currently Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. Personally, I just think this is a way to try and spark the underachieving stars of this team in the Ducks big line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Bobby Ryan. If it is meant to say, "Hey, if you gives us a good enough offer, you can actually have one of these guys.", then he is going to have some busy phone lines. If they are to trade any of those three, I would have to parrot what lots of the "experts" are saying in that if one does move it will be Bobby Ryan.

The last thing I would like to speak on is Lars Eller spectacular 4 goal game. The only goal he scored that wasn't highlight worthy. That has to be one of the best games I have seen in recent history and hopefully there is a lot more ahead for him.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The Winter Classic and some other recent stuff

2012-01-03T12:38:00.007-07:00

*This took me a couple days to complete due to being sick, so some of this stuff may seem weird for dates on here*

Well, we are into a new calendar year and the NHL Winter Classic was yesterday and all I can say is, they really need to expand the teams in it. Even though I did enjoy the alumni game which featured many big names including Eric Lindros and John LeClair, this has got to be taken to more markets than the NBC 7 and Buffalo, who probably only got the game because they were hosting Gary Bettman ball sucker Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Even though there was some drama and a good story in the game, especially with the penalty shot late, I really couldn't care what happened in the game due to the fact that I really don't cheer for either of these teams (Although I have become a fan of Ilya Bryzgalov through his comments and open demeanour).

The way it is sounding right now is that another NBC 7 team will be hosting it next year in the Detroit Red Wings, the one thing that is interesting about this one, is that if the fans had their choice and it makes very good sense from a money standpoint is against the Toronto Maple Leafs. I honestly think that this would be the best one as they are close geographically, and if they get it into the football stadium in Detroit which seats about 100,000 and if the average ticket is $100, that is a $10M gate for one game and if the NHL isn't actually trying to make more money for all the teams, then I don't know what the hell they are doing.

The next piece I would like to speak on is a slimy piece of shit, as he will now be known to me in Pierre Gauthier. For those of you who are not aware, Gauthier on Saturday apologized to the media on Saturday for not hiring a french speaking coach. First off, way to throw the coach under the bus, second of all, I thought that the hiring of Randy Cunneyworth was because you thought he was going to give you the best chance to win. This is probably the most classless move I have ever seen when it comes to professional sports management throwing a guy under the bus because a guy is not bilingual. Personally, if I were Randy Cunneyworth I would asked to be bought out of my contract because this was absolutely tasteless and showed no respect for Cunneyworth.

If you are unaware, the sheriff of the NHL, Brendan Shanahan has been dispatching justice again and the punishments have been severe this time. Rene Bourque has been suspended 5 games for an elbow on Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals. Also, Dan Carcillo of the Chicago Blackhawks has been suspended indefinitely for a nasty hit on Tom Gilbert, and since they still suspend heavier for repeat offenders, I see Carcillo, with the NHL looking to make a severe statement trying to get back into the good graces of fans that actually know hockey, I see around 15 games coming, and the ironic thing is Carcillo may be out even longer as when he delivered the hit Gibert then fell down on Carcillo's leg.

There also is the matter for the NHL to deal with about an apparent racial slur by Krys Barch of the Florida Panthers towards PK Subban of the Montreal Canadiens. Unlike other times where there it has been a player accusing another player, this time a linesman heard it and it is probably the reason why this is taking place. I know a lot of stuff gets said but players should know better than to use racial slurs, no matter how heated it gets.

That is all for right now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

My Annoyance with All-Star Game Fan Balloting

2011-12-30T14:10:00.002-07:00

We are within a week of the NHL All-Star Game Fan Balloting being wrapped up, and there is one thing that is painfully obvious about it. No one outside the fans of the Ontario hockey teams and fans of the NBC 7 teams really cares about it.

If you don't believe me, go take a look for yourself, the first player that is not based in one of the nine markets I mentioned above is Canucks forward Daniel Sedin in 17th place for forwards. Shea Weber is the first defenceman in ninth that is outside the nine teams mentioned above. Carey price of Montreal is in fourth for goalies but I want to show the fail of this system.

If the fans were more like me, they would vote on merit, not popularity. Seriously, most stars/superstars are going to make it usually based on their performance already, the top point getters are usually already going to get the invite due to the fact that they are putting up points.

All I have left to say on this situation is that I would rether vote for guys that normally going to go because it would be special for them, not for all the guys who go there year after year.

Randy Cunneyworth's Worth to the French Speaking Media

2011-12-25T09:30:00.005-07:00

In the most pompous province in Canada, Quebec, their french speaking media has blasted him due to the simple fact he can't speak french. That is right, they have already said this guy is not the best person for the job due to the fact that he can't speak french.

I have to say this because those dumb ass reporters who believe they are above everyone else won't. It doesn't matter if the guy speaks french, english, italian, spanish, elven, klingon, or any other language, if he is who they think the best for the job, then the people who write the articles should shut the hell up. The media has got to learn that they know not as much as they think or think they are entitled to.

Bottom line when it comes to the media about Randy Cunneyworth, shut the hell up, you could't do a better job than he is.

My Lack of Faith in the NHL Officiating

2011-12-22T21:51:00.004-07:00

If you have read this blog before, you will probably know that I have many issues with the officiating and the higher ups with the NHL. But recently, it has been pushed to new limits.

Deryk Engelland, defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins was given a three game suspension for his forearm coming up after contact was made and looking like it struck the guys head. I honestly thought this hit was not a suspension, as I thought it was a clean hit, but this suspension seems justified if they are now going to start calling penalties for snowing the goalie. Yes, you read the second half of the last sentence right, a player got a penalty for snowing the goalie. If you were thinking "If that is a penalty, where the hell are all the other ones that should have been called?", trust me you are not alone. However, let's look at the facts on this play. This was in a game between Dallas and Philadelphia, when a player from the Stars snowed Philadelphia goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Considering the fact that every player in every league has snowed a goalie, for one to be called a penalty is complete and utter bull shit. Also an interesting note on this, this got the same type of penalty that Milan Lucic got for steam rolling Ryan Miller, that's right you snow Sergei Bobrovsky, you will get the same penalty if you are Milan Lucic and you run Ryan Miller (Insert Picard Facepalm Here).

It is really frustrating to see the inconsistency that we saw in the past continue, we all thought that when they got rid of Colin Campbell and replaced him with Shanahan that there would be something that resembled a standard that would look respectable, however it has become just as diluted and confusing as it was before. I really didn't think it would need to be put into simpler words but apparently penalizing illegal hits is too much to comprehend. What instead we have are players who have been taught that if a guy is coming towards you and hitting him, is now a bigger offence than running a guy from behind who does not see you coming.

That is all I have for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Doctors making fools of themselves again and some other stuff

2011-12-21T06:11:00.004-07:00

Well, we have another group of doctors who are trying to make major changes to hockey, and they are trying to the holier than thou approach, despite the fact that none of them have played hockey at any sort of actual competitive level.

The article I read was literally a bastardizing of hits in hockey that showed how little they actually are knowing of the game.

I am not going to put much more effort into showing how stupid these doctors are because they don't play hockey, but the end of their statement was this, How would you like to be 40 and dead. If there is much need to question these guys, it is right there.

Now onto some other items in the NHL that have caught my notice and the first I wish to speak of is the replacements in coaching that have happened in Los Angeles and Montreal.

Former Calgary GM and before that coach, Darryl Sutter is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings and the funny thing about this one, is that no one seems to think this is a good fit. I think this is mainly because GM Dean Lombardi is familiar with Sutter as they worked together in San Jose. I actually think that he will be good for the Kings as he is more defensive minded and will be a more disciplined team.

The other one in Montreal was a foolish mistake by a GM who should have lost his job a while ago. GM Pierre Gauthier gave Jacques Martin his walking papers and was replaced by Randy Cunneyworth. Personally I think Martin was doing the best he had with a GM who doesn't understand how to keep up with the current NHL. If you want to know why the Habs aren't winning, take a look at the size of this team, if hobbits could skate, it would be the same size as the Montreal Canadiens. The best skill lines have size as well and can perform in all pressure situation, the Canadiens can not boast this and they need to learn how to make a team for the current NHL, not the hay days they had in the past.

The other thing I would like to comment on in this blog, is probably one of my more common rants. Can we please have the media stop singing the praises of the NBC 7 and ignore the rest of the league. It has become almost nauseating how they praise the players on these teams and ignore players who play on other teams around the league. The NHL and the "experts" have got to learn that you just don't sell people one flavour of ice cream and tell them it is the best, give them all the flavours and let them decide for themselves.

That is all I have for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

First half of December rumblings

2011-12-14T06:01:00.005-07:00

If you follow hockey even casually, you are probably aware of the fact that Sidney Crosbitch, oops Crosby is out indefinitely again with more concussion like symptoms from a hit he took from David Krejci (Not an elbow, like the crybaby has suggested). The thing that surprises me most about this, after seeing the hit several times on the morning Sportscentre loop is that, there should have been nothing that would cause any type of head trauma. The other thing that I am really seeing from this, is that if Crosby is going to sit out after every hard hit that rattles his cage a little bit, if I am a head coach, I am telling my guys, you get #87 in your cross hairs for a good hard clean hit, take it, because you will be able to keep him off the ice.

The other thing that annoys me about this, is the massive fail by the NHL to promote other talented players in the NHL. Sure Tyler Seguin and Claude Giroux (ironically enough, Giroux is out with a concussion after taking a knee to the head from teammate Wayne Simmonds) are getting some recognition due to the fact that they are in what some call the "sexy" markets and I call the NBC 7. They put all there eggs into one basket not realizing it was humpty dumpty, and well, we all know how that one ended.

The other thing bothering me is a bunch of new fans and idiots who wish to make their opinions known who don't really know anything about hockey that are saying concussions are up, they are wrong. Concussions are not up, they are near the same level, just that right now, the concussions are being suffered by some of the bigger names in the NHL.

I would also like to say this on the concussion issue and hopefully that will be the last of it unless somebody makes a real stupid comment in the media. I have played all types of hockey. I have been a target of other teams, but I have never taken one of these hits that causes a concussion. It wasn't because I didn't go into dangerous areas, I just kept my head up and kept my game simple, if someone was trying to get me into a spot like that, I would adjust and do something different that wasn't going to keep in the trolley tracks and if the guy did follow through with a hit it was usually a real late hit which resulted in a penalty or they would fall back and go for defensive positioning. I played smart and always was aware of my surroundings, especially with some of the people I played with because some of them were just guys that had absolutely no reason to be playing and were just out there to try and hurt people. I honestly think that when it comes to the concussion issue, there has to be more onus put on the guy receiving the hit. If you get caught with your head down, you aren't aware of your surroundings and if you get caught with a hard hit that you weren't expecting, that should be on the guy getting hit, not the guy delivering the hit because he is just finishing his man.

I am really surprised that the Minnesota Wild are still sitting #1 in the entire NHL right now, they have yet to falter but the Canucks are starting to close the gap. I am not sure if the Wild can keep it up, they have stayed healthy, but I want to see how they play later in the season if I give them legit contender status or if they are still a pretender.

Onto the douche bag Hawks now, or should I say a certain douche bag in the form of Dave Bolland. On an interview yesterday on WGN went on a rant calling the Sedin's, sisters and saying that they would never become Hawks and he wouldn't want them on his team. This coming from a guy who is a dirty player and gets away with the stuff he does because he plays for one of the NBC 7. Let's see if he would get away with this crap if he was on a team based out of Western Canada, and the fact that he wouldn't want them on is team is simple, it would mean he is out of a job. He would later retract these words but seriously, why say them if you don't mean them. He is just lucky there is the instigator rule because if there wasn't he would be eating some Canuck fists in a hurry next time they play.

The last thing I want to comment on this blog is All-Star game voting. If you have looked at them, it is quite obvious that the only people that are voting live East of Chicago. The voting right now features mainly the NBC 7 and the local Ontario teams (the ASG is being hosted by Ottawa) and you have to look far down the lists to find guys East of Chicago. The first forward West of Chicago is Daniel Sedin in 17th. Outside of Nikolai Khabibulin in goal, the top player West of Chicago reside in Vancouver as Alex Edler is the top vote getting defenceman west of Chicago. So basically, if you think there is a problem with the voting, you are right, because people don't vote based on skill or achievements or playing well during the season, it is a popularity contest, nothing more.

That is all I have for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The Code: What is Was, and What it is Now, How I Know the Flames are Full of Fail

2011-12-09T07:04:00.003-07:00

If you saw the highlights of the New York Rangers vs the Tampa Bay Lightning, you witnessed a nice goal, and an exuberant celebration by Artem Anisimov that got the Tampa Bay Lightning all riled up and had a little scuffle on the ice.

The first thing I thought when I saw this is, "How childish are the Lightning?".

Players are going to say it went against the code but I have to ask, what all is in the code now?

Back before Bettman, it seemed pretty simple, the only time players went after you is when you delivered a dirty hit or went after the star player of a team, then you met someone along the lines of Dave Semenko or Marty McSorley.

Now, it seems you do anything that the other team doesn't like, whether it be a hard hit or as last night a goal celebration, they go after you for anything that causes anything to cause a temper to flare.

Seriously, these guys up in arms over nothing now and it makes them seem real childish. However, that is what happens now since the instigator rule has come in and I guess that is how it is going to be.

If you happen to have caught the Flames vs Av's last night you may have heard that Flames centre, Brendan Morrison drew up some plays for their PP, which at that point was 0 for 4 on the night and then goes out onto their PP and gets two assists which has given him 6 points in the last two games, before which he was a healthy scratch for five games. Yes you read that last sentence right, probably the best playmaker the Flames has was a healthy scratch.

The Flames have convinced me that they can't tell which way is up. The management and coaching squad have got no clue how to run a team in the new NHL. This team has made continually questionable moves and they haven't figured out how to do stuff in the new NHL, they need to clean house from top to bottom and do a proper rebuild it is the only way they will get out of this.

That is the way I see it, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Suspensions, Suspensions Everywhere and one that should have been

2011-12-08T23:11:00.003-07:00

Well, Sheriff Shanahan has been at it again and has been dishing out suspensions and had a major fail again.

Shanahan suspended Kevin Porter of the Colorado Avalanche for his nasty knee-on-knee on Canucks David Booth and he got 4 games for it. This was obviously a suspension and if it had not happened I think you would be seeing something similar to what happened with Bertuzzi and Moore in 2004.

Ville Leino also felt the "wrath" of Shanahan as he received a one game suspension for his chicken wing elbow to the head of Matt Read. The lightness of the suspension was due to the fact that Read was not injured on the play but it did have the chance of being dirty and I think that a two game would have been alright as well.

A suspension that is in pending right now is Andy Sutton for his high hit on Alex Ponikarovsky. Here is the hit

I don't think this should be the length of suspension that people are talking about. Yes he did leave his feet but lets look at some facts of this hit. Andy Sutton is 6'6 and if he delivers a hit standing straight up, it is always going to be considered high. The hit Sutton delivered wasn't meant to hurt, he lead with his body, not an elbow or shoulder. If Sutton gets a suspension, it shouldn't be long, but from the way it sounds, it could be.

Finally, we have the fail of the century, by Shanahan and by the NHL referees. Here is the play.

Neil lays a good hit on Ovechkin, then while skating up the ice Ovechkin spears Chris Neil in the groin and Neil gets a penalty for diving. The refs obviously blew this call big time and should face some sort of music. I figured at least this is still going to be dealt with properly by Shanahan. Boy, was I wrong. Ovechkin got nothing for this and all I can say is, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?". Seriously, I am a fan of Ovechkin but he should be suspended for this.

Also under the scrutiny of the recent calls I have taken a look at a few of the tweets on Brendan Shanahan.

Here are some of the better ones:

I guess Brendan Shanahan doesn't believe in harsh suspensions anymore.. #weak #justasbadascampbell by Connor_Thomson_

Someone wake me up when Brendan Shanahan's done ruining hockey. by Hemming5

Kevin Marshall should have a hearing with Brendan Shanahan for thinking he needed to hold MacIntyre's stick to limit his offensive potential by emptynetters

Brendan Shanahan's biography "The Metamorphosis" is a dark story about how he wakes up one day, transformed into Colin Campbell by TheStanchion

Jagr has 654 career goals, two away from Brendan Shanahan for 11th in #NHL history. (Insert Shanny suspension jokes here) #Flyers by BroadStBull

This is only the beginning of the bad, I honestly think that Shanahan is really screwing up and we are already seeing a ton of double standards. Has anything really changed in the NHL? No, all we have is a guy who is happy to be a cog in the system and keep what was the old standard and nothing has improved, just a guy who is a lot more happy to jump on what is considered a controversial hit to make it look like it has improved.

The Fail of the NHL Realignment

2011-12-06T06:09:00.005-07:00

At the general managers meeting and NHL Board of Governors meetings they have come up with what they have deemed, a good set up for how they want the conferences to be. Instead of two conferences, there are now 4, two of eight, and two of seven. However, they have failed to really balance out what is out there and trying to make it best situation possible for all teams.

Here is how the conferences will break down, they have not been named yet.

Conference A

Anaheim
Calgary
Colorado
Edmonton
Los Angeles
Phoenix
San Jose
Vancouver

Conference B

Chicago
Columbus
Dallas
Detroit
Minnesota
Nashville
St. Louis
Winnipeg

Conference C

Boston
Buffalo
Florida
Montreal
Ottawa
Tampa Bay
Toronto

Conference D

Carolina
New Jersey
NY Islanders
NY Rangers
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Washington

Along with this, the first two rounds would go back to when we had the Prince of Wales and Campbell Conference as they will have 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 in these new conferences and then when they reach the final 4 they would play another conference.

Also, the teams of seven would play each other 6 times 3 home and 3 away in inter-conference play making up 36 games of their schedule, the rest would be played against teams in the other conferences for a total of 46 and will face every team that is not in their division, twice (one home, one away). The conferences of 8 will play each other 5 or 6 times on a seasonal rotation to a total of 38 and will play games against other conferences 44 times playing every team twice (one home, one away).

While I am a fan that every team gets to play every other team twice a year, once in front of their home crowds. Some of it left me going "Really, that is the best you can do?".

My main beef in this comes from the fact that there was obviously a pull from the Eastern Conference teams to keep Detroit out of their conference, I am pretty sure they would have welcomed Columbus with open arms (both Detroit and Columbus are in the Eastern Time Zone).

The other major con I find with this is the playoff format. They are going back to the Smythe, Norris, Adams, Patrick set up of 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 then having the winners take on each other then the winners of these four conferences face off, in some fashion yet to be determined and the winners of those go to play in the Stanley Cup Finals. I say having the Top 16 just play against each other regardless of division or conference and let them play for the cup.

Now finally, we now how boring being named after a geological location division sounds, so there is the chance they are going to be renamed after legends in the sport. My personal preference would be to go back to Smythe, Norris, Patrick and Adams. However, there is some talk about naming them after some other legends with them being named after Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, and Mario Lemieux. However, what I think would be funny would be to name them after hot NHL girlfriends and wives. There could be the Hilary Duff, Kelly Kelly, Elisha Cuthbert and Rachel Hunter conferences.

That is all I have for now, until next time keep your stick on the ice.

My Grade for Sheriff Shanahan, Brian Burke vs the Toronto Media

2011-12-05T16:29:00.008-07:00

Well, it has been a couple months into Brendan Shanahan run as chief disciplinarian and my grade for him has come out. And it is an F.

When Shanahan came in, I was hoping for a change from the inconsistency that was plaguing the Colin Campbell era, however, Shanahan has failed.

It still appears that if you are part of the NBC 7, (Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia) you can still get away with stuff, and if people do stuff to you, they can expect heavier punishments.

If you don't believe me take a look at these and I will give my take.

Here is Lucic on Miller

Miller comes out to play the puck away from Lucic who then drives straight through Miller. Not to mention getting his arms up and running through him, this is definitely a suspension in my opinion.

Now we have Pacioretty on Letang

While Pacioretty does get the head on the play, I do not believe that was the way he intended as Letang even saw him coming and decided to turn a little and take the shot and Pacioretty caught the head before he got the body. Pacioretty got three games for this and says that part of the reference that Shanahan brought up for this was the Matt Cooke hit on Savard. There are a few similarities but not many, as in both guys were shooting, and that is about it. This shouldn't have been a suspension as Pacioretty wasn't trying to target the head and basically got penalized for hitting a member of the NBC 7.

Now here is Jordin Tootoo plowing through Ryan Miller

Here is another running at Ryan Miller who should have taken his blocker and made Tootoo eat it. Tootoo should easily get a few games for this, anything under 5 is a disgrace as the ruling has yet to come down on this as per every reputable hockey website I can find.

Now onto one of my favorite Gm's in Brian Burke and his battle with certain members of the Toronto based media.

The Toronto media or perhaps certain members of it feel they were lied to when they were told Jonas Gustavsson would start against Boston and it turned out to be James Reimer who got the nod.

This was said by one of the worst in the Toronto media Steve Simmons, "It's time for Burke to calm down and take a leadership role in the ongoing spat between local media and the Maple Leafs. His adding to the poisonous atmosphere benefits no one."

First off Steve Simmons, the Toronto Maple Leafs don't have to tell you jack shit. It is up for them to decide which goalie they will play and who they think will give them the best chance to win. If there decision changes from a couple day ahead to the night of the game, that is completely up to the coaches of the team, not up to you or any other member of the media that follows the Maple Leafs to decide.

Next, if the Toronto media had even a brain cell of intelligence, they would learn that they are not entitled to know as much as they think they are. Seriously, they go out of their way to find James Reimer's parents number to find out the injury status on him, seriously are you that fucking desperate for a scoop, respect what the team gives you for an answer and leave it at that, true, it may be a little vague, but that is all they have to tell you, respect the amount of info they give and don't go around trying to leech out info from other family members.

The only thing that I can say about this has already been said by Cam Cole this is paraphrased from his National Post article "Anyone who works as a reporter and has not been lied to, routinely — or simply misled, or misinformed, or had half the story given to him/her and the important part left out — is clearly covering something other than professional sports."

Bottom line I can give from you is this, since it was said by Steve Simmons the piece should be burned, whited out, ignored and just plain old not read, unless you were wanting to lose more than one hundred IQ points.

That is all I have for right now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Shortest. Unemployment. Ever.

2011-12-01T14:32:00.002-07:00

Well, shortly after being axed by the Capitals, Bruce Boudreau has already found employment as the new head coach of the Anaheim Ducks who gave Randy Carlyle his walking papers. I didn't expect to see Boudreau available for long and the Ducks took him. Now it is a matter if he can turn the struggling Ducks around and see if he can turn around this horrible streak they are on.

So for those of you who are paying attention, that is four coaches that have been given their walking papers, and I think it is only a matter of time before we see another one go. I think it is going to be either in Colombus, Calgary, or Colorado with an outside chance to the Islanders.

On to some other ramblings around the league.

Canuck forward mason Raymond makes his return tonight after fracturing a vertebrae in the Stanley Cup Finals in game 6 on what some deem a dirty hit (I don't, just awkward positioning when hitting the boards). It is nice to see him back and hopefully has an impact.

There has been a lot of rumblings about Bobby Ryan being traded from the Ducks if they continue to suck the way they have. Honestly, it would be a bad move for the Ducks if it did happen because it would be hard for them to get fair value for him as he is a first line player and potential superstar in the game and those are n't exactly a dime a dozen.

Getting back to the Canucks, Cory Schneider is making his 7th straight start leaving Roberto Luongo on the bench again. Honestly I can understand where Coach V is coming from as Schenider on the current 5 game win streak has damn near impossible to get a goal on and Vaigneault is riding the hot goalie, like anybody else would. However, if Schneider keeps going like this, Bobby Lou could become expendable and you have to wonder if they could trade Luongo due to his no trade clause.

That is all I have for now, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Crosby vs Foligno, Quarter mark thoughts, and some other stuff

2011-11-27T06:57:00.005-07:00

Sorry for my long delay between postings, but don't worry, I have returned.

I decided not to do a commentary about Sidney Crosby returning because, well it has been a horse that was already beaten to death back before the Penguins were eliminated from the playoffs last year.

However staying on the Crosby track, Ottawa Senator forward Nick Foligno had some words about Bettman's golden boy after Crosby delivered an elbow to his head. The abridged version of what Foligno said is that he talks about how head shots should be banned and then goes out and does it.

However I have to ask this about Crosby, if he was to pull this stuff off in the '80's, how long do you think that would go on before a guy like Chris Nilan or Bob Probert would make him swallow his teeth? You never saw Gretzky or Mario doing the shit he pulls on the ice, and if that is who people want to compare the golden boy to, he is miles behind, and when it comes to class and respect, it is impossible for him to catch up.

Now onto my quarter point analysis of the NHL season

I'm not going to go into an award selection already but I am going to give my surprises and disappointments, teams only, individual players would make this list a mile long.

Surprises

Florida Panthers

I honestly thought that most of the teams in the AHL would be able to use these guys as a welcome mat. Right now they are leading the division but you got to wonder how long that will last, now that the Capitals have removed Boudreau as head coach and are now headed by Dale Hunter.

Minnesota Wild

They are currently leading the Northwest because the Canucks got off to a horrid start. However, they have been playing well beyond what I expected of them.

St. Louis Blues

A team that I thought would be a team struggling to stay out of the basement of the Western Conference is right now in the thick of it a point out of home ice advantage if the playoffs were to start today.

Edmonton Oilers

I expected them to be better this year, however, the way they have played makes me think they will fight for a playoff spot. The rejuvenation of Ryan Smyth and the play of the youngsters, especially Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who has played well past his age so far.

Disappointments

Columbus Blue Jackets

Everyone expected these guys to be playing better than they are. Just going out and signing players to big contracts does not guarantee success, if that was the case, the East finals from 2000-2004 would have been the Rangers vs the Maple Leafs.

Washington Capitals

Considering the talent this team has, they have been playing awful. Bruce Boudreau got the ax earlier today and has been replaced by Dale Hunter.

Anaheim Ducks

Last year they had home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs, this year, they will be looking at the first overall pick if their play doesn't pick up.

Now onto other stuff that I felt I couldn't make into a worthy blog post.

Three coaches have already been fired, Davis Payne in St. Louis, Bruce Boudreau in Washington, and Paul Maurice in Carolina. All three of these teams really haven't lived up to their potential oh what the general managers had in mind, but as always, it usually isn't the coach it is the performance of the players.

Paul Maurice though I feel may have been given the short end of this as they are the team with the fourth lowest salary and the *cough*superstar*cough* they have in Eric Staal has been doing a better job as the invisible man.

Bruce Boudreau's firing had to do more with the stars on his team not seeming to give a damn. I think the team who picks up Boudreau will have a great coach and hopefully he has players who understand that you can win more than one round in the playoffs.

Davis Payne's firing was a bit of a surprise but I think he wasn't looking eye to eye with what the GM wanted, so he went out the door.

That is all I have for now, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Apparently the NHL revolves around Sidney Crosby

2011-11-08T05:34:00.001-07:00

If you haven't yet heard yet, Sidney Crosby may be returning this Friday to the Pittsburgh Penguins. All I can say is "I do not give a flying fuck."

Seriously, I think some of the people who cover the NHL or are involved with it would like you to think that the season begins and ends with Sidney Crosby being on the ice. I have to say this again, he is a good player, but he is not the best ever, not even close, just the amount of media coverage is more than ever before.

I understand that to newer and uneducated fans, that Crosby is a way to get people to watch, but to people like me, who have followed hockey, there are lots of players they should be promoting. My biggest question is, what happens if Crosby comes back and his second game back he gets put on the injured list again with another concussion, what are they going to do.

The NHL has to learn not to put all it's eggs into one basket,and if they keep up this lovefest with Crosby, I may be permanently sick.

End of October Post

2011-10-31T08:42:00.005-06:00

Well, the NHL season is about one moth old now and I decided to give my thoughts on what has been an interesting month to say the least.

Right now the top team point wise resides in Western Canada, but it is not the team everyone thinks it was going to be. No, it is the Edmonton Oilers who have came out of the gate strong having had the team play like a team and is actually giving something for their fans to believe in again. However, I don't see this lasting as I still think this team has got a bit of growing up to do but at least we are seeing something out of them that is high, and for once in recent history it is not the GAA (or blood alcohol level) of Nikolai Khabibulin.

Here is another positive Canadian story, the Toronto Maple Leafs are actually doing well so far this year. Once again, I don't expect them to keep this rate up but they actually look like a team this year and Dion Phaneuf looks like he is the guy that everyone was expecting when he came out of Juniors. Not to mention the fact that Phil Kessel seems to be almost able to score at will this season.

According to lots of media, the Boston Bruins are dealing with a Stanley Cup hangover. The Bruins right now are the worst in the Eastern Conference with a 3-7 record, however, I do not think it is a hangover. When you are the champs, people are gunning for you, not to mention that no matter what team wins the cup the year before, they may have slight over confidence and don't live up to their standards that they had the year before. I expect the Bruins to right the ship and make the playoffs easily in the East.

Speaking of the supposed hangover of teams that reach the finals, the Canucks have not had the best start either and are currently 5-5-1. Luongo once again has had what I call a typical Luongo October and I expect his play to pick up and look the goalie he was last year making the big saves and looking to get back to the Stanley Cup. Not to mention the team in front of the Canucks goalies have been so on and off that Canuck fans should look outside the crease first before appointing blame on Bobby Lou.

I continue to think that the Flames are still going ass backwards as these guys continue to go up and down. They either need to take a hard look at themselves and say we suck and start making moves now to improve themselves, or just clean house and start from scratch.

And finally, Sheriff Shanahan still has an incomplete grade for me to analyze yet. Even though in the pre-season Shanahan was throwing out a suspension a day it seemed, he has shown nothing so far that I haven't been able to call unfair, with possibly the exception of the Shea Weber fine.

That is how I saw it, and until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Pronger being Pronger, some other thoughts

2011-10-23T01:25:00.006-06:00

If you didn't see the highlights of the Flyers and Blues, you missed Chris Pronger, well, being Chris Pronger as he flattened David Backes with a huge hit.

That has got to be one of the hardest hits and it is clean, I already have heard some people bitching about it saying that it was a dirty hit, this was clean, Pronger went shoulder to shoulder on Backes, this just had a car wreck like impact.

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick has set a new Kings record with three consecutive shutouts and has a shutout streak of 188:10 going. However, I have to say this, the teams they have faced don't exactly scream offensive dynamos. Dallas, Phoenix, and St. Louis don't really have what I would call a fearful offensive side to them like say San Jose, Detroit or Vancouver. However, he has taken advantage of the opponents given and has some numbers that will make the novice fan scared.

The thing that seems to be one of the bigger talks of the NHL right now is the failing Montreal Canadiens right now. Les Habitants have really sputtered out of the gate this year as the only person who looks like he has been playing is Carey Price. If you have read this blog before, you have heard lots of my comments and jokes about the average height of this team being the same as hobbits and have the little guys run out of steam. Even though you hear that they haven't been playing like a team, I think the Habs management has yet to learn how to run a team in the post lockout NHL. It is good to have skill, don't get me wrong on that, but you also need guys who have size and can take more than a good lickin'.

The other that I have seen lately is the Canucks fans really getting after Luongo who has not his best game to start to the season and even a Vancouver paper said, make a trade Luongo for Lecavilier. First off on this, other than Bobby Lou's first season in Vancouver, he has been a notoriously slow starter, this is nothing new to me. Second, fans demanding the Canucks trade Luongo I think are still upset about Luongo in the finals last year. Last time I checked, scoring 8 goals in seven games doesn't really help either, true, he was horrible in Boston, but if the Canucks could have provided some offence, this wouldn't even be an issue. Third, the trade was made by the editor of a paper, not the sports department. Seriously, the trade was stupid. I would be wondering where we would put Lecavilier, the 4th line? The guy who put this into the paper should lose his job, let your sports department deal with this stuff instead of just doing something like this because you are displeased with him. I am expecting Luongo to pick it up and look like the Luongo we all know and love (Unless you like cheering against the Canucks) and all this stuff will be forgotten.

That is all I have to speak on right now, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Canucks and Panthers make a swap

2011-10-22T17:36:00.004-06:00

Apparently right after the Canucks 3-2 overtime win over the Wild, the Canucks announced that Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm were dealt to the Panthers for Stephen Reinprecht, David Booth, and a 2013 3rd round pick.

A couple things speak out on this to me.

First, with the acquisition of David Booth, it makes me think that Mason Raymond's recovery from his back injury is going slower than expected. I see him on the second line with Higgins and Kesler in which will be one of the fastest lines in the league.

Second, the Canucks are not going to let potential free agents walk away without getting anything in return. Samuelsson's contract was up at the end of the year and Sturm had only signed a one year contract, I guess he was very displeasing to the Canucks management and coaches to be shipped out this quickly.

Also, after making this deal, the Canucks sent Stephen Reinprecht to their AHL affiliate the Chicago Wolves which is probably the Canukcs way of telling Cody Hodgson that he is staying with the big club.

Personally I think this a good deal both ways as Florida actually gets some talent at a good price and the Canucks depth looks even better since Booth is an upgrade from Samuelsson and Reinprecht for Sturm just gives the Canucks an extra guy up the middle that can be called up later.

That is the way I see it, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Grapes of Wrath, Asham's Antics, Roenick's Comments & Why the Flames are heading in the wrong direction

2011-10-15T23:05:00.007-06:00

Well, we are to the second weekend of the NHL season and I thought I would give some views on what have happened so far.

If you follow Coach's Corner on CBC, Don Cherry, aka Grapes, took a shot at three former enforcers Stu Grimson, Chris Nilan, and Jim Thomson. These guys all in some manner according to Don Cherry were turncoats, pukes, and hypocrites. Cherry has since apologized for this but it got me thinking after there was the threatening of a lawsuit on the usual enforcer loving Cherry.

Cherry has insulted and got after plenty of other players calling them things I would not wish to be called and they never felt the urge to threaten Cherry with a lawsuit. Seriously, these are supposed tough guys and they can't take being called a couple names, come on, I thought you were tough guys.

I have not seen or read what Grimson has said on fighting in the NHL but this guy was one of the most notorious tough guys in the NHL, you would have to I guess when you are called the Grim Reaper.

I have read Nilan's comments and I am not sure if he only said it to the reporter but it did come off as a little derogatory by saying that enforcers now are just basically for the purpose for fighting and have no real reason on the ice outside of fighting. As I recall of watching Knuckles when he played, he pretty much did nothing on the ice other than fight and when he did get points, it wasn't because he was picking corners or making between the leg back passes, he was pretty much a bodyguard for the star players on the team and don't forget, when he played in the NHL, goalies weren't looking like they do today.

Now we move onto *cough*enforcer*cough* Jim Thomson. This guy is closing in on more appearances on Off The Record then he does in games played. This guy has been a guy who has been a hypocrite, no questions asked. This guy wasn't a feared enforcer who was respected around the league, this guy is someone who is trying to get his 15 minutes of fame and is willing to say anything he thinks has some relevance but fails to realize he is a tool.

Personally I think they had the right to be offended by his comments but to threaten a lawsuit seems a bit overboard to me.

The next thing I wish to speak my mind on is the antics of Aaron Asham after his fight with Jay Beagle where he did the its over hand swipe then put his hands together and made the good night gesture. I think TSN analyst Bob McKenzie said it right when there is no off switch to adrenaline and Asham realized his mistake after he had gotten into the penalty box by tapping his stick. However, the Capitals won't forget that and expect them to use that for motivation later on in the season.

Next is an analyst actually saying enough of Sidney Crosby, in a fashion. Jeremy Roenick is tired of hearing about how nothing has changed. Roenick's comments were weird in the fact that a guy who is working for the NHL even showed Sidney Crosby in any type of I don't want to hear about Sidney Crosby. Roenick is tired of hearing the nothing new to report, he wants to watch Crosby on the ice, not him answer the same questions about his concussion, which I have to say is the biggest headache of all time, well at least for me because they haven't finished talking about head shots yet. Personally, I am in JR's corner as he is speaking something I am sure non jaded hockey fans have been waiting to hear.

Now onto who I think is the worse team in the NHL within three years unless they change things severely in the Calgary Flames. The Flames lost 3-2 to the Leafs yesterday after having an early 2-0 lead. However, the failing of the Flames has been long term and I feel they are not doing the right things to turn the ship around.

Even though this team has had three playoff appearances and two division crowns since the lockout, this team has been poorly managed and coached. They have traded away draft picks for players that are highly praised but really have done nothing in their careers. *Point of Interest* The one time they made the playoffs and didn't win the division they had a last season collapse and couldn't even dress a full line up due to over spending on the salary cap.

Then there is the talent on the team. Even though they have some prominent names, I think most of them are over hyped or overrated by people and even though you have talent, if you don't have chemistry, you won't win. Iginla has pretty much dragged this team with him but it hasn't been enough. Other forwards of note they have are Olli Jokinen who has been over rated as long as I can remember and has really done nothing to prove to me he is worthy of being above the fourth line. They really have no one who can feed the puck to Iginla and you have to wonder if they actually know what they are doing. They had some talent on the blue line, but now they have Bouwmeester and Giordano only and a bunch of guys that will probably end up in the "Where Are They Now?" file. Now we come to either the most overworked, or overrated goalie (depending on who you ask) goalie in the NHL, Miikka Kiprusoff. Apparently goalies that are good are suppose to be able to get teams into the playoffs, last time I checked, the Flames play in a pretty weak division, they should be able to make the playoffs if they had actual goaltending.

But the bottom line for me with this franchise comes down to poor coaching and management. I personally think they have lost the players and they are too thick to realize it, this team needs to get rebooted, they barely have any prospects of note and need to learn how things work in the new NHL. If not these guys are going to be bad for a long time.

That is the way I see it, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Division Relocation, what could happen

2011-10-10T06:34:00.005-06:00

Well with the Jets having now played in Winnipeg, one thing is for sure, the league has to do some division revision, which could cause some interesting divisions. There is also some talk that the reason the division realignment did not happen was because of the unsure situation in Phoenix which tells me, if they can't get an owner this year, the Coyotes are on the move.

However I can only theorize on what has actually happened so that is what I will focus on.

It is obvious that the Jets will be in the West, but what team goes to the East. Detroit has been begging to go into the Eastern Conference for a while. I have also heard of Nashville and Columbus wanting to move to the East.

I the NHL were to keep it with the six divisions, here is how I think they will break it down.

Eastern Conference

Northeast

Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa
Boston
Buffalo

Atlantic

NY Rangers
NY Islanders
New Jersey
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh

Southeast

Washington
Tampa Bay
Florida
Carolina
Nashville

Only one change and it is strictly based on where the Predators are located compared to Detroit and Columbus

Western Conference

There is a lot of changes, stay with me.

Central

Chicago
Detroit
St. Louis
Dallas
Columbus

Northwest

Edmonton
Calgary
Winnipeg
Colorado
Minnesota

Pacific

Vancouver
San Jose
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Phoenix

As you can see, loads of changes. Vancouver moves to the Pacific which puts all teams in the same time zone. Northwest is the biggest for travel as the teams are the farthest away from each other and it has Winnipeg taking Vancouver's place. The Central Division welcomes Dallas as all teams seem to finally be in the proper division.

The other that I have heard often is that the NHL could go back to 4 divisions and the East having 16 and the West having 14. If that happens, this is how I see it.

Eastern Conference

Northeast

Toronto
Detroit
Ottawa
Montreal
Boston
Buffalo
Columbus
Pittsburgh

Atlantic

NY Rangers
NY Islanders
New Jersey
Philadelphia
Washington
Carolina
Florida
Tampa Bay

Western Conference

Central

Winnipeg
Chicago
Dallas
Nashville
Colorado
St. Louis
Minnesota

Pacific

Vancouver
San Jose
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Phoenix
Edmonton
Calgary

This is what I think the divisions would look like if they were to do the division realignment, the only obvious thing about the four division system is that Chicago would take the Central hands down for a couple years with Nashville being the only threat.

That is the way I see it, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Thoughts on the First Day

2011-10-07T06:34:00.003-06:00

Well the first day of the season was last night and I got to catch the Leafs and Habs and part of the Canucks and Penguins before I had to go to work. From what I saw the NHL officials grade so far is an F.

Schenn's boarding penalty in the first period was an absolute disgrace to the word penalty as Schenn pretty much fell into the guy when he lost an edge. From what I saw in the Canucks vs Penguins game, just goes to prove the bias towards the Penguins. The Canucks first penalty, Matt Cooke lost an edge and fell. The second Penguins goal shouldn't have counted since Pascal Dupuis took a leap at the Canucks defenceman which should have been called charging. I hate being right on stuff like this but I look at the facts, and I even have said that penalties shouldn't have been penalties when the Canucks are the beneficiaries.

Once again, I also have to state my displeasure with the shootout, basically it is a skills competition on one area of the game that actually rarely happens during the game.

Finally Don Cherry's comments on Coach's Corner has ruffled a few feathers but I think people just like going after him because he states his opinions and that is not popular according to people who think they are better. Personally, I agree with the suspension part and seeing if Shanahan will keep up the suspension length due to amount of time out or when it comes to a superstar. The thing that really bothers me on the head hits is that it came after Gary Bettman ball sucker, Sidney Crosby (It could be vice versa but these two are just nauseating, period). Why not have this stuff implemented earlier? We have seen some season ending injuries and possible career ending dirty hits that went without suspension and could have been a way of getting the suspensions rolling. The two that particularly come to mind are Matt Cooke scrambling Marc Savard's brain with a blind side hit. The other one is Evgeny Malkin's cheap shot on Willie Mitchell.

Here is the Cooke hit on Savard:

And here is the Malkin hit on Mitchell:

Sorry about the quality of the hit on Mitchell but it is the only one I could find.

As far as I am concerned, these hits were far more dangerous then the one Crosbitch received from Steckel, it just goes to show that it doesn't matter to Gary Bettman unless it hurts what he think is his golden ticket.

I don't want to continue on this right now, I am barely functioning as I am extremely sleepy, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Some Fearless Predictions

2011-10-06T14:13:00.003-06:00

With the upcoming season only a few hours away, I thought I would give some fearless predictions on things I think will happen. Please note, this entry is fully sarcasm so do not take it to heart.

Let's get these predictions started.

When Pierre Mcguire shows up on a TSN broadcast of a game, twitter will automatically explode with, WTF I thought we got rid of this fucking moron, even the mute doesn't work.

Sean Avery will take another stand on something, and since he no longer plays in the NHL, no one will take notice.

When Sidney Crosby returns to play, it will announce the return of hockey, at least according to all Pittsburgh Penguin fans, which according to Gary Bettman, are the only fans in the NHL.

Gary Bettman will appear on a jumbotron, and will proceed to get booed by everyone.

NBC's continuing coverage of the NHL will continue to suck, which really brings into question why they signed a 10 year deal with them.

According to you, your team never takes a dive, even though every team has every dive on it.

That is it for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

TSN's The Reporters

2011-10-04T17:44:00.004-06:00

These guy's should be renamed Dave Hodge and the absolute fucking morons. There was a special NHL season preview episode on Tuesday, bottom line, the ass kissing of Sidney Crosby has got to stop.

The reporters talked about Crosby and think he can walk on water. Newflash: He can't. I am sorry, but the people who mainly cheer for the Penguins and this douchebag are the biggest bandwagon jumpers you will ever meet.

Seriously, the NHL put all it's eggs into one basket and only promoted this snot rag and when he went out with a concussion (Speaking of which, the Leafs acquired David Steckel, the man who gave Crosby his first concussion) and they decide to do some head shot reform after that. I have to say this, and it is not about concussion awareness or player safety, but it is complete bull shit. Marc Savard takes a cheap shot from Matt Cooke of the Penguins, and is not likely to ever play again yet they don't start it then, only after their goose that they think lays the golden eggs do they start to do anything about it.

That is the way I see it, until next time keep your stick on the ice.

My 2011-2012 NHL Season Preview

2011-10-03T07:01:00.004-06:00

Well the season starts on Thursday and it is time for me to give what I think will happen this season. No so called "experts" helped me on this, this is what I see happening from my view.

First off a preview of all the teams

Anaheim Mighty Ducks

Last year I thought the Ducks were going to suck the big one and finish near or dead last in the NHL. I was wrong as these guys were able to secure home ice for Round 1 but were eliminated by Nashville who finally won a series. These guys still only have one line, I don't expect them to make much noise this season if they make the playoffs as the only have one line and then no real depth behind it.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins last year won it all, and due to the fact that they actually know how to manage salaries, they didn't have to dismantle the team. They could do it again as long as they have the drive and Thomas played the way he did last year.

Buffalo Sabers

They were asleep for the first bit of the season and Miller actually looked human, if they can get back to how they played a couple years ago they could be a very dangerous team.

Calgary Flames

Once again this team fails to realize what it takes to move forward in the new NHL. The only way this team makes the playoffs is if Kipper drags them in.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes choked late last season and let the Sabers get a playoff spot. Skinner is a good young player but I think most of the talent on this team is overrated, it could be a long season since the back up goalie will be in the "Where Are They Now" file in about five years and Ward I think is still over glorified from his 2006 Stanley Cup performance.

Chicago Blackhawks

After winning the cup, the Hawks had a bit of an off season that led to them getting in the playoffs on a Dallas Stars loss to the Minnesota Wild. Then in a series where they had so many calls in their favour, they loss to the Vancouver Canucks in the first round.

Colorado Avalanche

How the GM, Greg Sherman is still employed is beyond me. This team is beyond awful, not to mention the ransom they gave up for a goalie who is average, I personally think this team gave up the #1 pick.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets finally have a centre to play with Rick Nash in Jeff Carter, but two players don't make up a team. I think they will fight for a playoff spot, but if they make it, they could be in for a quick dismissal.

Dallas Stars

The Stars had to win to get in on the last game of the season against Minnesota and lost. To make matters worse, they got nothing in return for Brad Richards who went into free agency and signed with the Rangers. The Stars are going to be in tough, and if they make the playoffs, Kari Lehtonen will probably have to do it by himself.

Detroit Red Wings

The perennial contender has come into the roadblock of San Jose Sharks the last couple seasons. Jimmy Howard right now is facing the same thing Roberto Luongo had to against the Hawks as it just seems he has a mental block against them. He hasn't had the meltdowns but it just seems like there is a mental block.

Edmonton Oilers

The team that I feel will give the Canucks the biggest run for the Northwest crown in five years should be better this year, I don't think they will make the playoffs, but they shouldn't get a third straight first overall draft pick.

Florida Panthers

These guys spent a lot during the off season, but they did not spend wisely. Dale Tallon does not deserve the credit he has gotten, I think he will be out of a job possibly during the season.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings picked up Mike Richards this off season from Philadelphia and are I think going to race San Jose down to the wire for first in the Pacific. This team is nearing what they need to win a Stanley Cup, but i feel inexperience will be a factor.

Minnesota Wild

They made some major acquisitions in the off season in acquiring Powe, Heatley, and Setoguchi. However this teams lack of depth, now that they actually have some will be it's downfall.

Montreal Canadiens

This team surprised me last year as I thought that Price was still a couple of years away from being a good starter. However, Price stepped up and the only thing this team needs to learn is that you can not have a team of hobbits that will win you the Stanley Cup.

Nashville Predators

The Preds finally made it into the second round, unfortunately they met this guy.

That having been said, I still see this team making the playoffs, even though they don't have the depth, Trotz is a wizard behind the bench and is able to get more from his team than possibly any other coach in the NHL.

New Jersey Devils

The team that does not know how to sign star wingers to contracts between 2 and 14 seasons have got a new coach this year. Let's see if he last longer the MacLean or if Lamareillo will actually lose his job since the last time the Devils actually did anything was when they had Scott Stevens.

New York Islanders

They have Tavares signed for six more years, they have a good young nucleus, but I think they still need to mature and get deeper on the defensive side of the puck.

New York Rangers

The Rangers were once again able to get a big name player in to the Big Apple with a big contract, so it is basically inevitable that Brad Richards career will head down hill from here. They may make the playoffs but as far as making noise in them, minimal.

Ottawa Senators

Being the worse team in Ontario means you really had to suck hard last year, and Ottawa was able to do that, the only way they don't end up with a lottery pick is if Anderson plays the way he was when he came over to the Sens last season, and that could happen.

Philadelphia Flyers

I am willing to bet this year if the Flyers flop that Paul Holmgren is out of a job. I don't like what he did with the Flyers but at least he did keep Chris Pronger, which means they do have someone who has the ability to drag them into the playoffs, even if it was him who hurt all his teammates.

Phoenix Coyotes

The desert dogs are still owned by the NHL, because they believe that an NHL team will work in the desert. Hopefully this is the last year in the desert because I don't think it will be a season to remember for the Coyotes.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Gary Bettman's butt buddies have Malkin back for the beginning of the season, and Crosbitch is nearing return (I hope someone hits Crosbitch so hard that it makes those other two hits look like love taps with a clean legal hit). This team will make the playoffs as I know how this team has the most favourable officiating in the NHL.

San Jose Sharks

The pretenders of all pretenders think they got better, the most generous I am willing to say is that they took a step sideways. This team has great talent for regular season but choke in the playoffs.

St. Louis Blues

They acquired some experience but this team I just don't see having the depth to compete for a playoff spot.

Tampa Bay Lightning

They surprised me last year but it is obvious that Stamkos is now an elite player in the league. These guys if they keep it up from last year will be able to pressure the Caps for the Southeast throne.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs have been improving everywhere, the question is now on the goalie. If Reimer lives up to what he did last year, the Leafs will make it, if not, Leafs suffer for some more time.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks were so close to winning it all last year and I think they will repeat as Conference Champs. Their depth is by far deeper than anybody else, it is just a question if their start will choke in the Finals this year.

Washington Capitals

The Caps had a different focus last year and it still resulted in an embarrassing exit from the playoffs. They now have Vokoun at a hell of a deal and if Semin would play with some concern all the time, they could be lethal.

Winnipeg Jets

Atlanta moved to Winnipeg and the players have reacted well to the crowd that has a passion for the game. I think they will battle but they are going to have a hell of a travel schedule

My Predictions

Standings

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals
(2) Boston Bruins
(3) Pittsburgh Penguins
(4) Tampa Bay Lightning
(5) Buffalo Sabers
(6) Philadelphia Flyers
(7) Montreal Canadiens
(8) Toronto Maple Leafs
(9) New York Rangers
(10) Winnipeg Jets
(11) New Jersey Devils
(12) Carolina Hurricanes
(13) New York Islanders
(14) Florida Panthers
(15) Ottawa Senators

My Decision on this: Washington and Tampa's divisional opponents are light years behind them allowing them to accumulate lots of points. Toronto gets playoff nod over Rangers due to the fact that I don't think the Rangers don't have what it takes.

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver Canucks
(2) San Jose Sharks
(3) Detroit Red Wings
(4) Chicago Blackhawks
(5) Los Angeles Kings
(6) Anaheim Ducks
(7) Nashville Predators
(8) Columbus Blue Jackets
(9) Calgary Flames
(10) Dallas Stars
(11) Phoenix Coyotes
(12) Minnesota Wild
(13) St. Louis Blues
(14) Edmonton Oilers
(15) Colorado Avalanche

My Decision on This: Basically, The Canucks take the number one seed again due to the fact that the rest of their division sucks and they could probably put in their AHL line up and still win the division. I see Detroit and San Jose winning their division in tight races with Chicago and Los Angeles respectively. Columbus may become the first NHL franchise that needs to go into witness protection if they do end up facing the Canucks because the Canucks will have a point to prove.

Playoffs

Quarter Finals

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals vs (8) Toronto Maple Leafs
My Prediction: Caps in 5

This series will show how far the Leafs have come, and how far they still have to go.

(2) Boston Bruins vs (7) Montreal Canadiens
My Prediction: Bruins in 6

The Bruins are going to want to prove they don't need seven to get by these guys, they almost lost to them last year.

(3) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (6) Philadelphia Flyers
My Prediction: Penguins in 7

This will be a tough series, and if Pronger is healthy, could easily swing the other way, as Proner will probably use Sidney Crosby's body to hit other Penguins.

(4) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (5) Buffalo Sabers
My Prediction: Lightning in 7

This series comes down to if Ryan Miller can get this team past the first round, Lightning have a lot of skill up front that could be a problem.

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (8) Columbus Blue Jackets
My Predictions: Canucks in 4

This series could easily result in the first case of an NHL team needing to go into Witness Relocation if the Canucks roll early.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs (7) Nashville Predators
My Prediction: Preds in 6

Despite the fact that the Predators are a lower seed, there style of play would cause the Sharks fits and would send them packing, well at the normal time for the Sharks, the last two seasons, just some anomaly to make the Shark fans think there is hope.

(3) Detroit Red Wings vs (6) Anaheim Ducks
My Prediction: Wings in 6

The Wings will dispose of these guys and the one line offensive pretty easy due to the fact that I feel they are the second deepest team in the league behind Vancouver.

(4) Chicago Blackhawks vs (5) Los Angeles Kings
My Prediction: Kings in 7

Even though the Hawks added grit up front, I like the depth and talent that the Kings have to shut down the big names on the Hawks and win this in seven games.

Conference Semi Finals

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals vs (4) Tampa Bay Lightning
My Prediction: Capitals in 6

The Caps were embarrassed by the Lightning last year, this year I see them taking revenge.

(2) Boston Bruins vs (3) Pittsburgh Penguins
My Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6

Just have a feeling about this one, Penguins beneficial officiating could play a big part in this.

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (7) Nashville Predators
My Prediction: Canucks in 6

I pretty much see this as being a carbon copy of last season, defensive play with the team with more offensive juice coming out on top.

(3) Detroit Red Wings vs (5) Los Angeles Kings
My Prediction: Wings in 7

This is a series of smash mouth vs finesse, and I expect finesse to win out.

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals vs (3) Pittsburgh Penguins
My Prediction: Caps in 7

This will be a back and forth series and it is going to be hard to pick a winner, I see it 50/50 but not having the taste of the Conference title will give the drive the Caps need to take it.

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (3) Detroit Red Wings
My Prediction: Canucks in 6

This series basically comes down to depth, Canucks are No. 1 and Detroit are No. 2, it will also feature how this game is suppose to be played given all the talent on these two teams.

Stanley Cup Finals

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (1) Washington Capitals (Canucks given home ice as I believe they will win the President's Trophy again due to weaker division)
My Prediction: Canucks in 5

The Canucks return and the Capitals get overwhelmed, it won't be pretty for Caps fans and if what happened after Game 7 is any indication, it won't be pretty in Vancouver either.

Trophies

Art Ross
Daniel Sedin - VAN

Hart
Alex Ovechkin - WAS

Ted Lindsay
Alex Ovechkin - WAS

Norris
Shea Weber - NAS

Vezina
Roberto Luongo - VAN

Calder
Mark Scheifele - WIN

Jennings
Roberto Luongo/Cory Schneider - VAN

Selke
Pavel Datsyuk - DET (Due to the fact that Ryan Kesler is out for the first bit of the season recovering from surgery)

That is the way I see it unfolding this season, leave your comments below, and keep your stick on the ice.

The Doughty Deal, My Lack of Faith in NHL.com "Experts"

2011-09-30T06:49:00.003-06:00

It appears that the L.A. Kings and Drew Doughty have come to an agreement. From what is being said, from multiple sources the deal is 8 or 9 years at about $7M a season. Personally, I think that GM Dean Lombardi got his ass chewed out by someone higher up in management and said get it done. With Doughty now to be in the line up for the Kings for sure this season, I expect a dogfight between them and San Jose for the Pacific Division crown.

Now onto something that severely pisses me off, the so called experts at NHL.com, Dan Rosen, and E.J. Hradek, or better known as Gary Bettman's ball suckers have gone beyond pissing me off and have gone to permanent annoyances. Their supremely bias reviews favoring all things that seems to involve the big name American teams and give nothing to any of the other teams, and if you are on a Canadian team, forget even thinking about being mentioned. These guys do such a suck up to all things that Bettman wants them to that the only way Pittsburgh is not mentioned is if it is to do with the Western Conference only, and then it is limited to Chicago and Detroit, with the odd add in of San Jose. Seriously, if these guys were up Bettman's ass any further they would be popping out Bettman's mouth. There is a thing called integrity and these guys don't have it. I would like to see what would happen if we had independent people give the opinions and watch what they would say. It wouldn't be the Pierre McGuire rants of praise about a handful of players and ignore the rest of the league, we would actually here more about guys who don't play in the NBC 7 and we know there would be some accurate analysis.

That is all I have for know, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

2011-2012 Canadian Team Review: Vancouver Canucks

2011-09-28T06:50:00.004-06:00

Today we finish of the Canadian Team Review with the Western Conference Champions, the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks came so close to claiming their first Stanley Cup last year and the Cup is once again the goal this year. The main questions surrounding them are 1) Is Roberto Luongo actually able to lead the Canucks to the Cup, and 2) Will they be as good as last year.

To the first question, I say yes. Bobby Lou is a good enough goalie to lead the Canucks to the Cup, according to some Canuck fans, as soon as Luongo lets in a goal, he has failed to meet their expectations, but in defense of those fans, this is actually possible due to the fact that Luongo gets shutouts in every game they play on NHL 12, even though they restart the game 10 times to get the shutout.

On the second question, that may be more trickier but I think they are actually better. Even though they lost defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, he was just a luxury accessory to what is already a real deep core. The offence may struggle a little bit due to the fact that Kesler and Raymond will be out for the first part of the season unless Hodgson steps in and shows why there has been so much praise heaped on him. The depth from last year compared to starting this year is deeper and the fact that there still is no threat from any team in the division makes me think the Canucks could once again take the President's Trophy.

That is the way I see it, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The Pros and Cons of This Year's Winter Classic and some pre-season thoughts

2011-09-27T06:32:00.004-06:00

Even though most people who follow the NHL were well aware of this, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers will participate in this year's Winter Classic has been made official.

While I like the once a year outdoor game, they have failed to expand it to include a non big market team. Gary Bettman & NBC have continued to force feed hockey fans what have become known as the NBC 7, featuring Pittsburgh, the Rangers, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, Detroit, and Chicago. How are these other teams who don't have the exposure that these teams do suppose to become more popular and get bigger fan bases and get the game exposed in their area. I think the game could still be a big hit if they had a team like San Jose or Tampa and I think it would still be a success.

There is one thing I am looking to this year, and that is the Flyers/Rangers 24/7 that will be on HBO which I am looking forward to due to the fact that their are some outspoken players on both sides, especially in Pronger and Sean Avery. Knowing that neither of these players are known for subtlety and the fact that these teams hate each other, should make for some good TV.

Now onto what I have seen so far in the NHL pre season. The new disciplinarian in Brendan Shanahan has not let up on the suspensions, James Wisniewski has been suspended until game 9 for the Blue Jackets for his hit on Cal Clutterbuck after the final whistle of the game. It is nice to see that Shanahan is giving us logical and understandable explanations rather than the bull shit we got with Colin Campbell.

Also with the pre season, it seems that people aren't getting so stressed or joyous from pre season results, remember, these game are the equivalent of kissing your sister.

That is all I have for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

2011-2012 Canadian Team Review: Calgary Flames

2011-09-26T06:30:00.003-06:00

We take a quick look today at the other Alberta team, in the Calgary Flames. The Flames last year sucked so bad in the first half that even though they had a good second half, they couldn't recover.

Even though they have what I feel is some solid players, they have been making poor decisions in who they have to compliment their stars. The big question is do they take from the Vancouver playbook and give Kipper more nights off and go with their back up if they have faith in him. The other question is can they find a pair of players that will play well with Jarome Iginla, if not they could be in for another long season.

When I take an overall look at this team, short term they are screwed, long term, they need to start drafting well or they will continue to be screwed, this is a team that has been poorly managed due to the fact that they have not really been able to adapt to the new NHL.

That is the way I see it and until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

2011-2012 Canadian Team Review: Edmonton Oilers

2011-09-24T10:51:00.002-06:00

Well we come to the team who I think will be the biggest possibility to dethrone the Vancouver Canucks as Northwest Champions, in five years.

The Oilers finished dead last year and got to pick first again and took Red Deer Rebel, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The main question is will the Oilers, with their young core be able to make strides towards the playoffs as Hall, Eberle, and Paajarvi all have a full year under their belts are hopefully ready to make a step forward.

I still think though that the Oilers aare a year or two from making the playoffs as their defence and goaltending is still very sub par and I think will be the cause of them not making the playoffs.

THat is all for right now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Shanahan Brings Down the Hammer

2011-09-22T18:26:00.003-06:00

New NHL disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan brought down the hammer laying out two suspensions today, one to Philadelphia Flyers waste of ice space, Jody Shelley, and one to Calgary forward Pierre Luc Leblond (Jody Shelley is a waste of space due to the fact he never scores any goals and only plays about 20 games a season).

Shanahan suspended Jody Shelley for 10 games and suspended Leblond for the pre-season and one regular season game. I have yet to decide if these two suspensions are a showing of what is to come as both of these guys are in and out of the line up and only would play on the fourth line. I will wait and see if he does the same thing with a superstar or a guy that is the line up for all 82.

Here's hoping that Shanahan's suspensions stay at this level, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

2011-2012 Canadian Team Review: Winnipeg Jets

2011-09-22T06:56:00.002-06:00

This year we welcome back the Winnipeg Jets, as the Atlanta Thrashers moved north yet they remain in the Southeast Division for this year which is going to raise some interesting questions. How will they do with the extra travel due to the fact that they are now playing in Winnipeg and have a greater travel distance? Will the rabid crowd of Winnipeg help them make the playoffs for the second time in franchise history? There are so many questions surrounding this team it is hard to give accurate answers to any of them.

The team is pretty young for the most part with very few that have any name recognition around the NHL outside of Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, and Evander Kane which leads me to question if they have the depth to make the playoffs.

I personally think that the Jets are not deep enough to make the playoffs but they could make a good run for it, if they are able to handle the travel.

That is it for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The Doughty Saga, Some idiotic predictions given by "experts"

2011-09-21T06:28:00.002-06:00

Well, the training camps have started and the biggest name to not report is Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings. From what I have read on TSN and Sportsnet, as well as some other respectable sources, Doughty's camp is not looking for a sniff under $7M and Dean Lombardi has said that he will not go above Anze Kopitar's $6.8M cap hit.

I could understand not going above Kopitar's salary if he was the best player on the team, but the fact is, Kopitar isn't No.1, that is Doughty, and with the newly acquired Mike Richards, there is a valid arguement to say that Richards is the second best player on the team. So the Kings are faced with this problem, the best player on the Kings right now is sitting out because the GM is not willing to go above, another pretty good players salary, so Lombardi has pretty much costing himself a good chance to make a big impact in the Western Conference.

Personally, I think Lombardi is dealing with this wrong and would look to get this guy signed to about $7.5M a season and don't let pride be a factor in letting a guy of this caliber get away.

Now onto the so called "experts" and their predictions for Western Conference finalists. Of course they go with Gary Bettman ball suckers EJ Hradek and one of the worst writers for NHL.com in Dan Rosen. These guys go on to say that there choices for the Western Conference rep for the Stanley Cup Finals are San Jose and Chicago respectively. Really, I take a look at both of these teams and think, they aren't even in my Top 3 for depth in the Western Conference. San Jose didn't improve in the off season, had they also had a guy like Willie Mitchell to put with Brent Burns, they would have one of the best shut down pairs, but they don't so they might be a little more difficult to score on this year.

The argument I would give you on Chicago is, I don't think they are as deep or as better as everyone seems to think. They acquired Brunette who is good for 10 goals for sure, and two guys that will only help the PK get on the ice lots during the game. They do have lots of top end talent in Toews, Hossa, Keith, etc. but they don't have what I would consider fearful depth like the Canucks have. I would actually like to see these people that they have working on websites like NHL.com actually show some actual knowledge, it would make for a nice change.

This is all for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

2011-2012 Canadian Team Review: Toronto Maple Leafs

2011-09-20T07:42:00.001-06:00

Well the team you love, or love to hate is on the hot seat today. Brian Burke has done a lot of work since taking over from John Ferguson Jr. and I think he has got a team that will fight for the playoffs.

The Leafs have got a solid bottom six but the only legit Top 6 right now I see is Phil Kessel and if Tim Connolly can stay healthy he is Top 6 as well.

The defence of this team is one that I think can make an impact in more than one way. They have Phaneuf who can make an impact at both ends, Schenn who is one of the best young defensive defencemen in the game, newly acquired Cody Franson who will lead the charge of the defensive core of the Leafs, not to mention Keith Aulie who came into his own last year.

My biggest question for me with this season with their goaltending in that will James Reimer be able to play like he did when he came up from the farm last season or will he fold under the pressure. If he plays like he did last year, the Leafs will shock some by making the playoffs, however he could just cause the Leafs fans headaches to grow if he regresses and becomes the latest failed experiment in Toronto.

My overall result for this team is that due to the overall mediocrity of half the Eastern Conference is that the Leafs should make the playoffs, they have improved to the point that they may torment teams they face in the playoffs.

2011-2012 Canadian Team Review: Ottawa Senators

2011-09-17T22:13:00.003-06:00

The Senators last year made the Calgary Flames actually look respectable by absolutely crumbling and finishing in 13th in the East last year which cost Cory Clouston his job, yet the guy who has been doing one of the worst jobs in hockey in GM Bryan Murray.

I personally think the only part of this team that has fist line abilities is Jason Spezza. Alfredsson has been on the decline for a while and the only thing Senator fans really have to look forward to this upcoming season is Craig Anderson performing some mind blowing saves.

I don't see this team making the playoff for a few years as they have a few pretty good young prospects that will be feared in a few years, but for this one, Sens fans may have to go on anti-depressant nearing the end of the season.

2011-2012 Canadian Team Review: Montreal Canadiens

2011-09-15T07:08:00.002-06:00

Well, the Montreal Canadiens fooled me last year, I thought when they traded Halak and with Carey Price failing to live up to his potential, Montreal fans would be wanting some heads rolling. However, Carey Price had a breakthrough season and help lead the Habs to the playoffs and almost an upset of the Bruins.

They really didn't do much in the off season other than sign Eric Cole, which will guarantee at least one name that announcer Bob Cole will not screw up.

The problem with this team is that with the exception of the recently signed Cole and Hal Gill, the rest of this team you could see living in the Shire. If teams are going to be able to take advantage, it may be that they really have nothing to fear as far as toughness goes.

They have some potential as both Price and defenceman PK Subban are young and maturing and getting better and both could be superstars very soon.

I see them making the playoffs, on the lower half but overall, they could challenge for home ice but I think they will be hard pressed to do this.

The 10 Best and Worst Bang For Their Buck Players

2011-09-10T18:22:00.001-06:00

I had promised this blog, and here it is. My 10 Best and Worst deals right now currently in the NHL.I had a couple rules as to what qualified them.

1. It can not be an entry level contract as all youngsters who come into the league are subject to this contract.

2. It is based on the salary cap hit, not how much they are making the next season or else Christian Ehrhoff would be on this list, but his cap hit is $4M.

3. They have to have played part of their contract unless it is absolutely ludicrous for the type of player they are.

4. The player if i was to trade for them with their cap hit I would find to be a great deal or a player due to his cap hit and what he brings, I wouldn't trade for the time of day.
I must also say that I did not create this for fantasy pool use and based this on what I see in games featuring these payers.

Ten Worst Deals

1. Vincent Lecavalier, C, Tampa Bay, $7.5 M
He is suppose to be a big time player but really, he isn't feared by many at either end of the ice. Last year the Lightning were led by Stamkos and St. Louis and also had the best steal of a deal when they acquired Simon Gagne. Lecavalier has a horrible contract for a GM to deal with and he has not lived up to the ability lots of people believe he has.

2. Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, New Jersey, $6.7 M
He pretty much got a key to the Devils vault and his impact is already being shown, the Devils missed the playoffs last year just like almost every other team that Kovalchuk has played for (2006 he was in the playoffs with the Thrashers and he also played in the playoffs the year he got traded to the Devils). Not to mention the fact that Kovalchuk playing in a defensive system really question if the GM has all his faculties about him.

3. Martin Brodeur, G, New Jersey, $5.2 M
I think people finally came to realize at the Vancouver Olympics that this guy is not as good as he is made out to be. Also, consider the fact that the Devils have not won a playoff series since the lockout, and the fact that Brodeur looked like Andre "Red Light" Racicot last season, you understand why I would have him on this list.

4. Dany Heatley, RW, Minnesota, $7.5 M
I think it is pretty obvious why this guy made the list. As soon as you say the word playoffs, he is harder to find than Waldo. Not to mention the fact that Heatley and defence can not be said in the same sentence with a straight face.

5. Joe Thornton, C, San Jose, $7.0.M
Read Dany Heatley except when Thornton plays the Red Wings in the Playoffs, don't ask me how but he actually performs against the Red Wings, but anyone else, yor third defensive pairing can shut him down.

6. Shawn Horcoff, C, Edmonton, $5.5 M
Nothing against Horcoff, just really overpaid, if he was making $3M he wouldn't be on this list, also he is at best a second line centre for a team with any depth.

7. Brian Campbell, D, Florida, $7.1 M
Basically known for crushing R.J. Umberger and a spin-o-rama play shortly after he got traded to the Sharks, he has basically turned into a 3rd defensive pairing that could not be trusted.

8. Marian Gaborik, RW, NY Rangers, $7.5 M
When he got this, I thought, well another bad Rangers signing, I was right. This year however he could be playing with Brad Richards and his numbers could show he is worth the money, if he is able to stay healthy.

9. Sergei Gonchar, D, Ottawa, $5.5 M
I said this was a bad deal for the Sens when they signed it, I was right, Gonchar is getting up there in years and lets face it, there is a lot of stuff wrong with the Sens, and the biggest problem is still the GM of the team.

10. Patrick Marleau, LW, San Jose, $6.9 MHe may fall into the same category as Horcoff where he is just severely overpaid for the skill set he brings to the ice, but add the fact that he also does a great disappearing act in the playoffs like most of the big name Sharks and you understands why he makes the list.

Also considered for the list: Paul Martin, D, Pittsburgh, $5.0 M, Dan Boyle, D, San Jose, $6.7 M, Ryan Smyth, LW, Edmonton, $6.7 M, Mikko Koivu, C, Minnesota, $6.8 M, Eric Staal, C, Carolina, $8.3 M, Cam Ward, G, Carolina, $6.3 M

Ten Best Deals

1. Alex Burrows, LW, Vancouver, $2.0 M
Scores big goals, is on one of the best PK's in the league, and is on what many considered the best line in the NHL.

2. Niklas Kronwall, D, Detroit, $3.0 M
When I saw he only got this much, all I thought was that Ken Holland has done it again. He is good at both ends of the ice and if you get Kronwalled, well, you may be seeing some stars.

3. Peeka Rinne, G, Nashville, $3.4 M
He is one of the best goalies and he also had a Vezina nomination last year, He could cause a lot of havoc for any team who thinks that the Predators are an easy target.

4. Carey Price, G, Montreal, $2.8 M
I went into last season thinking that Carey Price was in over his head, however, he rose to the occasion and almost upset the Bruins in the first round and if he continues to improve, he will be one of the best in the league.

5. Chris Pronger, D, Philadelphia, $4.9 M
Considering the fact that he is one of the best and almost always seems to be in the Stanley Cup Finals, having him on your team at less than $5M on the cap seems like a steal.

6. Tobias Enstrom, D, Winnipeg $3.8 M
I feel this guy is really underrated, he is decent, just hasn't had the exposure, that should change this year.

7. Max Lapierre, C, Vancouver, $1.0 M
This guy gets hated alot, but considering how good he was in the playoffs, I could easily see him get more than double what he is making.

8. David Krejci, C, Boston, $3.8 M
I feel this guy is under appreciated considering how many players on the Bruins that were big for them, he pretty much went unnoticed.

9. Dustin Brown, RW, Los Angeles, $3.2 M
He may not be the biggest scoring player but the amount of other stuff this guy brings makes him a steal at this price.

10. David Backes, C, St. Louis, $4.5 M
He falls into the same category as Dustin Brown, with a bit more potential on the scoring side of things.

That is the way I see it, but until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Why the entire NHL higher ups need to go with the exception of Shanahan

2011-09-10T01:10:00.008-06:00

If you were sickened by the NHL allowing the Crosbitch concussion update to proceed, even after the tragic events that happened in Russia where 43 members of the KHL franchise, Lokomtoiv that died in that plane crash, you are not alone.

I understand that it was planned, but when a tragedy like this happens, you take the concussion update, which lets face it, this is about the biggest piece of douche baggery since Lebron James: The Decision in that something that really only needed five minutes of time was extended to fill in a full half hour of television. I'll save his ban on all head shots for another entry.

This brings me to the NHL higher ups as in, Gary Bettman, Mike Murphy, and Bill Daly.

I understand promoting the NHL with Crosby, he is talented but I don't think he is nowhere near the same breath as Gretzky or Mario. The thing is, the NHL has other highly skilled and talented players, who only airtime they get seem to come from regional ads. I am sorry but the janitor's mop at the Credit Union Centre (Saskatoon Blades home ice) has more charisma than Crosby. Other players go out and promote the game, fellow superstar, Alex Ovechkin, does a ton more publicity and promoting for the sport. Instead they go with the guy with whom they are comfortable jerking off and receiving handjobs with Crosby who does nothing to really promote the game and just acts like a little bitch.

That was problem one with Bettman, here are a few more.

The big one that stands out to me is how he turns a blind eye to the corruption in people who have the abilities to make decisions in games and if a player is able to play. Colin Campbell is gone, thank God, who had emails leak when he raised hell when a call on his son Gregory Campbell was called for a penalty for an action on Marc Savard which brought into question as to if why that was why Matt Cooke wasn't suspended by Campbell for his blindside hit. There has also been questions about Murphy but he gets his own special little section a little later. Also the fact that nothing happen to referee Stephane Auger after the Alex Burrows incident, and this isn't the first time that Auger has been involved with a controversy on ice as he was also the official that was involved in the Shane Doan alleged racist francophone remarks.

Then there is the U.S. television deal. You thought that NBC should be given an award for the lopsided deal they managed to get with the NHL just after the lockout, they got an even better one with the new one. Considering the fact that the NBA is looking at a lockout and that ESPN would be looking for something that could fill in a ton of three hour blocks, hmm, considering most games are between 2 and 1/2 and 3 hours that would have been a perfect fit. The new one has the NHL locked in for 10 years and they prefer only showing 7 NHL teams instead of promoting all of them and exposing the game to more areas, they just force feed us the same seven teams in Pittsburgh, Washington, Philadelphia, the Rangers, Boston, Detroit and Chicago and they always play against each other on NBC instead of having one of them facing a market that may not have all that much exposure, like Tampa Bay that has a couple of the best young stars in the game in Stamkos and Hedman. Not to mention the fact that we get stuck with Mike Emrick (some people like him, but I find him to be nails on a chalkboard) and Pierre Maguire which automatically makes your broadcast awful (I think you need to have more than a passion for the game to be an analyst in any sport). I haven't even mentioned that they will continue to air games at 1 p.m. on the east coast which means that hardly a hockey fan in the west will catch the game given the teams that they show or the fact that they cause games to be held at such illogical times because they only show an afternoon game which meant that the Sharks and the Canucks payed a game at noon in the Conference finals, a game that should be scheduled for near or prime time was just ignored by pretty much all Americans. Not to mention this mocking by Down Goes Brown and Bloge Salming.

The next one is the fact that Bettman keeps teams in markets that lose a lot of money. I know there are some teams that are losing money but they are at least trying to get into the black, but then you have teams like the Coyotes that are losing cash hand over fist. If I were the owner of a team owner in the NHL of a team like the Canucks or the Maple Leafs which are making major profits, I would agree to profit sharing with teams that are only losing $ 5-10 Million, that isn't a big cut into my wallet given that they are at least trying to keep in the black but teams like the Coyotes are losing more than $30M a season and have been for a long time, I say move the team, the team didn't work there, move them to a market where they will make money, plain and simple.

This has yet to mention the irrevocable damage that has been done from two lockouts and the fact that he is one of the worse businessmen ever makes me believe he is doing some "special favours" for the owners because that is the only way I can see him keeping his job.

Since Bill Daly is the 2nd in command and will keep doing stuff the same way as Bettman, Daly is gone too.

Now on to Mike Murphy. This idiot has got to go. If you recall the Daniel Sedin goal that was overrode by him when it was obvious there was no kicking motion and it clearly just deflected off his skate, that was bull shit. Not to mention Dean Lombardi calling him out on his ethics about being vengeful because he was eyeing the GM job in Los Angeles by calling a few calls against the Kings which should have been obviously the other way (I have seen these calls against the Kings, they were brutal). You also have to bring up the Aaron Rome suspension when you bring this up his controversy. Not so much for calling up Brian Burke, even though I can understand the controversy of contacting a rival team for an opinion but Burke was also league disciplinarian for the last playoff suspension which was when Claude Lemieux hit Kris Draper from behind but the fact that Rome was given four games for his hit was absolute bull shit given that his hit was barely late and if you ask anybody who has watched hockey for more than the Crosbitch era would tell you that if that is a suspension that almost every Scott Stevens hit that he delivered that had the KO effect on the victim should have been a suspendable offence. Not to mention the lame excuses he has came up with, let's take a look at what we saw from CBC and TSN on the Canucks no goal.

Here is Darren Pang after hearing the interview during a Coyotes vs Wings playoff game the day after.

And here is the interview on CBC

My favorite line on this interview was that he turned his toe.

That was the looks Milbury and MacLean were giving while hearing the explanation.

Having finished giving my reasons, I leave it up to you to decide, and the only reason Shanny gets a pass because he has yet to really do anything and has yet to cause any actions that question his abilities in his position. So until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The Silence Has Come to an End

2011-08-26T11:35:00.002-06:00

Sorry I haven't been on here updating my blog like I would be wanting to, however today is just a quick one with my season preview and predictions coming soon so this one will be short and sweet with just a few things I have thought and opinions of some people that are on the same page as me.

I think it is almost consensus right now that the Colorado Avalanche going into the season are going to be the worst team in the league, not to mention the fact that they have traded away their first and second round picks means that Washington may have the first overall pick in the draft for a team that really has no reason to have it, much like how the Leafs traded their picks for Kessel, this was a bad trade and Colorado fans will have valid reason to ask for the GM's head.

The only other thing I can say for right now is that I will be having a list come out of the 10 best and worse bang for the buck players in the NHL right now, some interesting picks, as well as some big time sarcasm in that one, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The No Returns for Team Canada in Sochi 2014

2011-08-12T18:57:00.002-06:00

Even though the Sochi Olympics are more than two years off, I am going to give my early predictions on who will not be on Team Canada in Sochi who were in Vancouver.

The Line Up in Vancouver

Forwards

Sidney Crosby
Jonathan Toews
Rick Nash
Joe Thornton
Dany Heatley
Patrick Marleau
Eric Staal
Patrice Bergeron
Mike Richards
Jarome Iginla
Ryan Getzlaf
Corey Perry
Brendan Morrow

Defence

Scott Niedermayer
Chris Pronger
Duncan Keith
Brent Seabrook
Drew Doughty
Dan Boyle
Shea Weber

Goalies
Roberto Luongo
Martin Brodeur
Marc-Andre Fleury

While there are some obvious choices that are going to be going to Sochi, I am saying who does not make the cut this time around when the Olympics are held in Russia.

Forwards

Joe Thornton - Considering he was by far the worst forward for Canada in Vancouver, and the fact that he continues to do nothing in the playoffs, leaves him with a nice two week holiday in February 2014.

Dany Heatley - Once again a guy who did pretty much nothing in Vancouver and since he is a line mate of Joe Thornton, you know he is doing nothing the playoffs as well.

Jarome Iginla - He will be in the twilight of his career, he use to be a dominating power forward, but his numbers will continue to decrease, may get to go on the fact that he has always performed when wearing the maple leaf.

Brendan Morrow - Was brought in to be the grinder on the shut down line, Canada only produces about half the draft picks based on this feature alone, just a numbers game, sorry Brendan.

Defence

Scott Niedermayer - Retired.

Chris Pronger - At the time of the Sochi Olympics he will be around 40, I think his game will have declined to much to be much of a factor in 2014, but if he is still good then, he will make the team.

Dan Boyle - Even though he does have a good amount of offensive abilities, Canada has tons of guys who can play better defensively and put up good numbers as well.

Goalies

Martin Brodeur - His shitastic performance in Vancouver followed by the fact that last year he got lit up like Andre Racicot than you follow the fact that he probably is retiring after this year makes it obvious he will not be in Sochi.

On the Bubble (I am not sure if they will make the team or not)

Rick Nash - Has played a lot for team Canada in the past and has put up solid numbers, if he can't get the Jackets into the playoffs with the added help that he has now with Carter to be a line mate, he could have a two week vacation during the next Olympics.

Patrick Marleau - Another Shark that can't seem to perform in the big games, could be the reason he doesn't go.

Patrice Bergeron - He didn't have a strong Olympics in Vancouver, he can get very streaky but might get on due to his PK abilities.

Eric Staal - Canada has a ton of depth at centre. He may just be the victim of a numbers game.

The rest of the guys I see going over to Sochi which means right now I could easily see the base of the team looking as such.

Forwards

Crosby
Toews
Richards
Getzlaf
Perry

Defence

Keith
Seabrook
Weber
Doughty

Goalies

Luongo
Fleury

I'm not sure about you other readers out there but that looks like a solid base to the 2014 team.

Let's Face Facts

2011-07-28T15:06:00.002-06:00

The New Jersey Devils earlier today sent Brian Rolston to the New York Islanders for Trent Hunter. While the trade greatly helps the Islanders over the Devils as Hunter is probably going to be soon in the "Where Are They Now?" file, we all know why this trade was made. The Devils want to have enough room for Parise's raise from the arbitration hearing.

The thing that I have got a kick out of most from the interviews after the announcement of the trade is the comments of Devils' GM Lou Lamereillo. Claiming this was a good trade for them is completely idiotic.

Even though the Devils know look like they are now keeping Parise, they still have the elephant in the room in the fact that they have Kovalchuk. I seriously think that Lamareillo is going to be soon on the way out as he is not making good decisions and is making me wonder if he actually knows how to run a team in the new NHL.

That is all for now, so until next, keep your stick on the ice.

The Arbitration Line Up

2011-07-27T10:59:00.004-06:00

With six arbitration hearings soon to happen, I thought I would give my input on what I see coming from them in the order which they will be processed. The six in the order of their hearings are Ryan Callahan of the New York Rangers, Jannik Hansen of the Vancouver Canucks, then Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators. He is to be followed by Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils, then another Devil in the form of Mark Fraser, and Blake Comeau of the New York Islanders wraps up the arbitration hearings.

We'll start at the beginning of the list and work down from there.

Ryan Callahan is at best a role player who I do not expect superb numbers out of. He does do some special teams but he is nothing to write home about either. Given that he plays usually on the Rangers top two lines I see him getting about $1.5 M in arbitration, he gets more than that it is a win for him.

Next on the list is Canuck forward Jannik Hansen. Hansen was big on their penalty kill where it reigned near the top all season and was part of why the Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, and actually did well in them, unlike most of the Canucks. Hansen should be getting a pay raise from his $850,000 he made last year and should easily be in the 1.25 - 1.5 million range for money.

The next one is the one everyone will be waiting for as the tower of power of Nashville's defense Shea Weber has his arbitration. He made $4.5M last season and he is capable of being a huge factor at both ends of the ice, whether it be a shut down defender or unleashing his 100+ mph shot from the point. I would not be surprised if he makes $8M for the next few seasons.

The other big one is Zach Parise who is the only reason the New Jersey Devils did not end up worse than the Oilers last season. Having said that, he is by far the best player on their team and I expect to see him make about 6-7 million a season. That being said, the Devils are already up against the cap so don't be surprised if he is signed and traded. My picks for probable relocation are Los Angeles or maybe Florida where Dale Tallon would actually be wise to get this guy as he actually has talent, something the Florida Panthers are sorely missing.

After Parise is teammate Matt Fraser, wait, who, I have never heard of this guy, and considering he played for New Jersey last year I think he will lose and make minimum wage.

Finally, Blake Comeau goes up for arbitration, he is good for about 20 goals and is going to help you at both ends of the ice, I see about $2M for him but wuldn't be surprised if he ends up around the same area as Jannik Hansen.

That is all for this blog, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The Stamkos Contract, some very early predictions

2011-07-19T13:47:00.004-06:00

It just came out that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos has signed a five year contract at an average of $7.5M a season. I think that it is a good deal for the Lightning as I thought Stamkos could make up to eight, possibly nine million a year.

The other big contract that is to be yet determined is Drew Doughty, I see him getting around $6.5 - $7 Million a season for a few years unless he gets one of these mega deals that sees him make a lot of money over a long contract which could be the case.

Now on to some early predictions for next year.

Right now the way the depth charts look, I think people are going to be hard pressed to go against the Canucks coming out of the West. They kept their depth and are only losing pieces that can be easily replaced, with the exception of Christian Ehrhoff but they still have a solid defensive core, the goaltending is the best duo in the league in my opinion, and for depth at the forward position, when Mason Raymond comes back, where exactly is Mikeal Samuelsson going to fit because you have Hank, Daniel, and Burrows on the 1st line, Kesler, Higgins and Raymond will most likely be the second line. The third line looks like it will have Malhotra, Sturm, and Hansen on it. Making the fourth line looking to have Lapierre, Oreskovich, and I think Volpatti will get the chance to stay with the big club making a guy who is capable of 30 goals in a season a valuable trade commodity.

The East is more wide open as I feel the Bruins may not have the same push as they did last year but are still the team to beat because they didn't have to do a dismantling of their team like Chicago. If they don't have the same drive as last year, they may end up looking like Chicago this last year or a team that everybody is coming to play against.

When I take a look at all the transactions that have happened where teams have tried to improve themselves, I see them mostly as pushes or busts with very few teams actually truly improving themselves. Even though you will here from almost every place that teams have improved, the honest facts are they haven't. More on this topic when the season gets closer.

This blog got cut a bit short before I could complete it so I continue this now, which is the next day.

I am going to close on the fact that Chris Osgood is retiring and the HHOF question is already out there. In my opinion, if Osgood goes into the hallowed halls, you might as well include any goalie who has gotten a shutout in the NHL and any player who has scored more than 20 goals in one season. This guy may have a lot of wins and 3 Stanley Cup rings to his credit, but let us look at the facts of what he actually did. The teams he were on when he did win those championships, he was the back up goalie for two of them, and in the one where he was a starting goalie, he is most known for letting in goals from outside the blue line, including an OT winner vs the Stars from centre ice. The bottom line is he had great teams in front of him, I am pretty sure if you put Andre "Red Light" Racicot behind those Red Wings teams he would have looked better as well. Bottom line is that if Osgood goes into the Hall of Fame, the place will lose all credibility.

How do they stay employed?

2011-07-12T18:18:00.003-06:00

Dear NHL.com Article Writers:

WTF?

Sincerely, Ross

Now that I probably have your attention, I will go on now to explain what I am talking about. Reading an article on NHL.com that had the most exciting players to ever play the game. Who is the first guy they have on their list, Domonic Hasek. If you did a double take at this name, you are not alone. Hasek was a goalie who had an unorthodox style that confused players, but exciting, no. He is about as exciting as a 40 year old man is as excited going in for his prostate exam.

Not only did Hasek make the list, but the guy goes onto butcher and do more of a tribute to popular players more than show us why they were exciting. The guy who wrote this article, John Kreiser, than goes on to brag about the exploits of Bobby Orr, Maurice Richard, Bobby Hull, and Guy LaFleur with not explaining how these guys were exciting (these guys were really before my time with the exception of Lafleur who played into the nineties but his glory days were before I was born). Seriously, if you are going to tell me what made these players exciting, tell us, just don't make a team of your favorite players that you would like see play together.

Finally he gives some actual props when it comes to The Waterbug, Denis Savard talking about his stick handling and his spin-o-rama but that is it, how about showing some of his abilities, it is an online article after all. So I will bail you out here and give the people what they would like to see.

Not only does he not do a good job telling us about the previous players mentioned, he then goes on to ruin the memory of Pavel Bure for me by saying nothing about Pavel Bure's playing ability or how he would do stuff in games that Stan Smyl said he couldn't even try walking through it. How about his puck control at high speed and how Gretzky would have played another season had the Rangers got the rights to Bure when Pavel wanted to be traded away from the Canucks because Gretzky thought he was an exciting player. Come on, if you are going to write an article about what makes them exciting, tell them about it, just don't state short memoirs about the players.

He goes on to add Pavel Datsyuk and Alex Ovechkin to this list and then forgets to mention anything about them that makes them exciting. Seriously, this article was a joke and you have to wonder, what credentials do you have to have to work for NHL.com as an article writer.

Stuff in Hockey That has been Humouring Me

2011-07-08T14:02:00.002-06:00

I have been reading some articles having to do with this great sport and some of it had me laughing at the sheer stupidity of it.

My first stop for hockey is the NHL website where they have a post for early returns on free agents that have signed. Ummm, I don't know how to break it to the writer, but how can there already be early returns when they HAVEN'T EVEN PLAYED A GAME! Seriously, if signing players to ridiculous deals is a guarantee on performance, players like Sheldon Souray, Wade Redden, and the list goes on here would have been effective and playing in the NHL, not on the farm team so their salaries don't hurt the salary cap.

Also on the NHL website, they have a piece for How It Will Affect Your Fantasy Draft. Seriously, when it comes to the fantasy draft, the same thing will happen as it does every year depending if they have a cap or not. Every guy who even takes it seriously does the same thing, are they getting paid what they are worth, are they on a good line, and finally, are they on a good offensive team.

A site I found right now is having an awful announcer ladder style elimination tournament. As you have probably already guessed, Pierre Maguire is in the tournament and having followed hockey all my life, he is one of the worst in any sport. This is an American based website so I am not expecting him to win but this guy should easily make the final 4 due to the fact that he is probably the only hockey name in this tournament and I think also enough people would have caught a game of his announcing in the States to tune out from hockey on NBC. Some others I would like to see in this tournament from hockey include Bob Cole, Harry Neale, Greg Millen, Kevin Weekes, Glen Healy, Elliott Friedman, Mark Lee, Ron MacLean, Kevin Quinn, Jack Edwards, Doc Emrick, the list goes on but if I was to do this I think the final would be between Maguire and Kevin Weekes.

Also along the line of announcers, I found a blog that was rating the announcer pairs for the teams, the guy had some of them accurate but I think if you really wanted to accurately determine who is good and who is bad at their job, do it individually. Take a look at it, some guys like Gord Miller are alright but get saddled with horrible help and it drags them down and you think they are bad.

That is all for now so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Free Agency hype

2011-07-06T15:17:00.002-06:00

There are a few blogs out there that have graded how teams did when it came to the free agent market and what teams did well in the free agent market which makes them apparently the front runners for the Stanley Cup. This can not be further from the truth as I am going to go on one of my rants here.

Here are my problems with these analysis:

1. Going out and signing multiple free agents to deals does not automatically improve your team.

2. It is only a team on paper, the chemistry between players can be horrible.

3. Acquiring role players doesn't mean you weren't able to land the big one, some teams only need to do this in order to improve or keep the depth they have.

4. Big names doesn't automatically make you a playoff contender. If that was the case the New York Rangers would have won a few more Stanley Cups than they have.

5. These guys who do analysis think big contracts result in automatic big results. They see the numbers that get handed out and they automatically think big results, like with Wade Redden, Sheldon Souray or Bryan McCabe. Then when these guys turn out to be over paid, they are considered a bust, I personally think it is unrealistic expectations.

I sometimes give my opinions on this stuff but I am no where near getting my name put into newspapers where you are apparently an "expert" on this stuff but I follow it and give my honest opinion on what happens and if you agree or disagree with it, it is up to you. Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Heatley and Havlat swap; What else is standing out

2011-07-04T13:49:00.002-06:00

Today the San Jose Sharks and the Minnesota Wild traded two bigger names in a one for one trade as Dany Heatley goes to Minnesota for Martin Havlat.

On initial analysis I have to say that Minnesota wins this trade due to the fact that Heatley rarely gets injured and is quite consistent in the regular season before going into hibernation unless he is playing for Canada at the World Championships.

The Sharks I feel really didn't get much except a European version of Heatley when Havlat is healthy.

I honestly think with the moves that these two teams have been making that really neither is better nad are just trying to shake things up and are going to have some tough competition coming their way as I think Minnesota will still struggle to make the playoffs and San Jose may lose it's grasp on the Pacific Division crown as both teams aren't really taking steps forward and more of steps sideways or slightly backwards.

Now onto some other stuff that has caught my eye.

Tomas Vokoun signed with the Capitals for 1yr at $1.5M for the chance to win it all this year. Personally, I feel that Vokoun is going to be a better consistent figure than Neuvirth or Holtby in the pipes and will help a team that has had a rotating door at goaltender the last couple years and give time for Neuvirth and Holtby to mature. Good move by the Capitals but considering that Boston isn't going to go through what Chicago did last year, my money is on Boston in the East right now.

I guess Chicago feels the need to put some grit into there roster to get away with more dirty play in the fact that they signed Andrew Brunette, Dan Carcillo and Jamal Mayers. Brunette will be able to provide some offense, the other two in any game that is reasonably officiated are going to get 10 minutes in penalties a night.

Another deal that has been recently made was Brett Lebda and Robert Slaney have been sent to Nashville in return for Matt Lombardi and Cody Franson.

I saw this trade and my first thought was this was a move in able to keep more than Shea Weber since he is an RFA and both Pekka Rinne and Ryan Suter who are up for contract next season. This is the only reason I think this deal gets made because giving up a top 4 defenseman for Lebda and Slaney and also giving up Lombardi who is a solid player at both ends is saying you are making room for some contracts you are going to be signing. It is quite obvious to see who won this one unless Slaney, who is a prospect goes onto become some monster on the ice because this is just considered a winning trade for Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Also right now there is a thing going on with Maxime Talbot's contract with the Philadelphia Flyers as it is in violation apparently of the deal where he is making $2.5M in the first year and is down to $1M for the last two apparently is too little. Considering the deal is for five years where he will be averaging $1.8M a season, this is a bit ridiculous. Look at some of the deals that are in the NHL right now, Kovalchuk, Pronger, Luongo, all these deals are far more obvious at the tale end for the amount of money going down and yet they are still considered valid deals and yet a guy who is no where near that price range has his contract in limbo because it is more than $1M dollars less than the early part of his contract. I side with Talbot and the Flyers on this one as it is not an attempt to do major salary cap circumvention.

I am not sure that Dale Tallon is trying to build a winner in Florida as he is trying to get to the salary cap floor. Here is a list of the signings that Tallon has made or players acquired through trade with the cap hit it will have.

Brian Campbell $7.125M/year
Tomas Kopecky $3M/year
Scottie Upshall $3.5M/year
Ed Jovanovski $4.125M/year
Marcel Goc $1.7M/year
Tomas Fleischmann $4.5M/year
Sean Bergenheim $2.75M/year

All of these deals as far as I am concerned are severe over payments, and I didn't even realize that Marcel Goc was still in the league. Here is my breakdown of the deals. Campbell was traded for and is most known for this hit on RJ Umberger.

That hit never gets old.

Kopecky has had the benefit of playing for Chicago the last couple years so he could get away with dirty stuff while being able to act like an ass. He may have some use but not at this amount of money, I would give him 1.25 to 1.5 tops.

Scottie Upshall is a solid two way player but I would be most comfortable with him on a third line and making about $2M tops.

Jovanovski had his hay day a long time ago. the fact that a team is willing to pay him this much shows it is only trying to reach the floor of the salary cap because as much as I love Jovocop, I would have offered him about $2.5M a season.

Marcel Goc, what more needs to be said than did you know he still plays in the NHL? I would have thought he would get the league minimum because that is how much you will get out of him.

Fleischmann is an up and comer but I don't think he deserves to get this type of money yet. I would like to see the numbers before I forked over a $4M+ deal for a guy who is unproven.

Sean Bergenheim is basically getting the numbers from his deal because he had a good post season. I think that was his one hit, now we are all going to wonder what happened to him in 5 years time.

Free Agent Stupidity

2011-07-02T13:41:00.003-06:00

I have been taking a look at all the deals that have been going on and I have to say that stupidity is running wild.

There are some teams avoiding this but there have been some deals that make me go hmmm.

The deals that have happened are insane and part of it has to do partially due to the fact that the salary cap floor has gone up by $5M. Although the cap has gone up, some of the deals are making me think are the GM's facing some mental faculty problems. The deals that have been signed have been making me shake my head.

I understand the fact that some teams that have to spend a bit more to attract players but some of the deals are ridiculous.

I think most of the teams are trying to spend up to the floor but not doing it wisely. The Blue Jackets signed James Wisniewski to a deal that gives him $5.5M a season for 6 years seems a bit too much. I honestly think that these teams are not truly getting better and are just trying to fill in the money space.

The one team that seems to be over spending but doing it right is the Buffalo Sabers. The owner Terry Pegula, has even gone up to Prince Albert to convince former Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr to waive his no trade clause to come play as he is trying to build a team to win the Cup now and not a few years from now.

The thing that is still bothering me about these deals is the length of these terms. These guys are getting ridiculous amount of years for guys I am not sure will have that style of play or to play up to that cap ability they have in 6 years.

That is all for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The Ehrhoff Saga Continues; Kariya Retires

2011-06-29T14:09:00.004-06:00

Christian Ehrhoff has turned down two deals now. One from Vancouver, who than traded the exclusive negotiating rights for a forth round pick to the Isles, who have had talks with Ehrhoff that have also broke down and have sent out emails to all the teams if they would like to pick up the offensive defenseman.

Personally, I think that Ehrhoff is wanting to test the free agent market because it is a shallow pool this year and with the numbers he put up last year of 50 points, he could cash in big time and get some team to pay him $6M or possibly $7M.

The one thing that I must say is BUYER BEWARE!

If you are wondering why I am saying this, remember Anson Carter when he played with the Sedin twins, 33 goals, then he signed with Columbus where he did nothing except collect a paycheck. I feel the same thing could happen with Ehrhoff who has played on successful teams who have a style that suits Ehrhoff's playing style. So for a team interested in his skill set, don't expect him to put up the numbers he did in Vancouver unless you have a deep team already.

Now onto Vancouver native and one of the most exciting players to play the game Paul Kariya. Kariya decided to call it a career and move on with his life having scored 989 points in 989 games. However, upon calling it a career, he had some words for the NHL on how to deal with dirty hits. He said 10 games for the first offense, and 20 for the second he feels would deter players from making dirty hits.

I see his point but I don't completely agree with it. While the NHL is trying to make the game safer they are not doing it in the right way.

I recently had a talk with a friend who plays badminton (trust me, there is a point to this) and it is mandatory for all players to wear goggles when playing. I thought this was a ridiculous as badminton is not that dangerous a sport. She then went on to tell me it is mainly for doubles because sometimes her teammate would hit her with the racket. My first thought was, how reckless was the team mate and putting goggles on only really makes them more careless because they can't damage something. Take the goggles off and watch where you are swinging the racket when hitting the birdie, I played in school and never once came close to hitting a teammate.

So if you have yet to figure this out, I think more concussions are coming, not due to the players, but due to the gear. Don Cherry has ranted on this for years and I tend to agree as the new equipment is probably capable of stopping a bullet. Basically, get rid of the superman equipment, take out the instigator and injuries and concussions will go down substantially. It is a shame to see Kariya retire, but hopefully we can see more speed wingers in the game.

Canada finally has some relief

2011-06-28T12:58:00.002-06:00

If you have not heard, the world's, no not big enough, the universe's worst colour commentator, Pierre Maguire has ended his tenure with TSN for doing colour commentary for NHL on TSN (I will know allow you to celebrate for a while before you finish reading this post). Maguire claims it was due to the fact he wanted to spend more time with his family and will now only be doing broadcasts for VS and NBC. Personally, I feel that the TSN broadcasts are going to improve due to the fact that you have Maguire telling us he knows someone's fifth cousin who was also a decent hockey player, or the fact that he will not tell us about what peewee team that a player played on. Seriously, if Maguire really wanted to improve hockey he would spend all week with his family who I would guess are the only people able to tolerate his voice for longer than 5 seconds (And that is on a good day).

The 2011-2012 Canucks Defence, The Draft, Trades, and the upcoming Free Agent Market

2011-06-27T13:49:00.005-06:00

Well, the Canucks signed Kevin Bieksa today and it starts to show what the Canucks defense will look like for the upcoming season.

The Canucks already have Edler, Hamhuis, Ballard, Rome, and having Bieksa signed and with the Canucks looking to sign Christian Ehrhoff, it looks like Sami Salo will be seeking employment elsewhere or retiring because this is probably the Canucks starting 6 and if Hamhuis is on the injured list to begin the season Andrew Alberts is a cheap part compared to Salo to fill the gap.

The draft pretty much as I expected. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers 1st Overall, Landeskog second by Colorado, Jonathan Huberdeau third by Florida and Adam Larsson fourth by New Jersey. However the best part of the draft was when the Canucks made their selection.

This is a true cameraman fail as he falls down, it is hard not to laugh at that.

Also, with it being the draft, there is usually a good deal of trades and I am going to break some of them down right now.

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire John Michael Liles from Colorado for a 2012 2nd Rd. draft pick.
Winner: Toronto

Toronto wins this trade in the fact that draft picks always are some what of a wager and the fact that the Leafs pick up a consistent puck moving defenceman who can do stuff on the PP doesn't hurt either.

Washington acquries Troy Brouwer from Chicago for a 2011 1st Rd. draft pick.
Winner: Chicago

Even though Chicago got a draft pick for Brouwer, the fact that it is a first round pick means they got a steal for a guy that was in and out of the Chicago line up. Don't forget, Brouwer got away with the crap he did because we know that Chicago is one of Bettman's teams he wants to push.

San Jose gets Brent Burns and a 2012 2nd Rd. Pick from Minnesota and give Minnesota Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle, and a 2011 1st Rd. pick.
Winner: Minnesota

San Jose has far bigger troubles than acquiring a shut down defenseman who is middle of the road at best. San Jose needs to get rid of some playoff choke artists (Thornton and Heatley mainly) and try to install an actual winning atmosphere. They beat Detroit the last two years, but then go into wuss mode as soon as the Conference Finals comes around by doing nothing except making their opponents look good. Minnesota gets some much needed offence up front with Setoguchi not to mention a prospect and a first round pick.

Florida acquires Brian Campbell from Chocago for Rostislav Olesz.
Winner: Florida

Brian Campbell may be overpaid since he is getting $7M+ a season, however, the last time anyone said Olesz and talent in the same sentence was before he was introduced to Dion Phaneuf at the 2004 World Juniors

The Oilers re-acquire Ryan Smyth from the Kings for Colin Fraser and a 2012 7th Rd. pick.
Winner: Edmonton

Captain Canada comes home and I think we will see a new enthusiasm from Smyth as he also helps mold the young Oilers team.

And this one just happened as the Flyers send Darroll Powe to the Wild for a 2012 3rd Rd. pick.
Winner: Minnesota

Seriously, does Philadelphia know something that everybody else doesn't about the upcoming draft, why else have they traded away Richard, Carter, and now a solid two way player in Powe and only get a draft pick back for him.Minnesota looking to make the playoffs but I don't think they will threaten the Canucks yet for the Northwest throne.

Now onto the Free Agent fun tha is on Canada Day.

With the Canucks looking to sign their defencemen the Free Agent Market for defence is now getting quite shallow because they had two of the biggest names that were going to be available (especially if they sign Ehrhoff) leaves the D looking shallow.

The forwards are headlined by Dallas centre Brad Richards who had a solid season that no one got to watch except when the Stars played your team. The only two other forwards who will probably get substantial pay checks are Erik Cole and Simon Gagne.

The goalies don`t have anyone that really stands out. The goalies that will probably get the most interest are J.S. Giguere and Tomas Vokoun because they have the name value. Dwayne Roloson may also gets some looks as he helped lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Eastern Conference Finals.

It is not a big name free agent year however there are lots of good players that are available. I am going to give a quick guide to teams that have free agents they should sign before the rest of the NHL gets a crack at them.

Anaheim Ducks

Out of the Ducks available free agents I think they should sign two and the third is a maybe. Selanne unless the Jets offer him something better for nostalgia value and Ray Emery because he actually is a good goaltender. Todd Marchant is on the fence but he is well on the wrong side of thirty but still has great wheels.

Boston Bruins

The Stanley Cup champs should sign Michael Ryder who can put up some offensive numbers. They may want to sign Kaberle but for a guy who has fogotten how to take a shot on the PP it is a bit of a risk.

Buffalo Sabers

Buffalo doesn`t really have a guy that would do much to improve their team before the player becomes a Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA). I would love to see these guys put in a bid for Richards but it really doesn`t match the owners actions.

Calgary Flames

Once again we have a team that doesn`t have any guys that I would say it is key to sign. Brendan Morrison is on the fence but I would think he will sign with another team.

Carolina Hurricanes

Erik Cole is once again the big name they should sign, however, since he was on the BBC line, he has been unable to live up to the hype. Cory Stillman is another player they should look to get to a deal as well as Joni Pitkanen because in a weak free agent market for defense, he could cash in big time.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Hawks already have all their big names inked to long contracts. That being said, they should get Jordan Hendry signed and if they want to continue their tradition of having little pansies on their team that get beaten up by Christian Ehrhoff, they will probably want Tomas Kopecky as well.

Update: Kopecky just got traded to the Panthers for a 7th round pick, so I guess they are going against having players being beat up by Christian Ehrhoff.

Colorado Avalanche

Out of all the guys that Colorado has available for free agency, the only one that even made me twitch was Tomas Fleischmann.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus mainly has grinders and a couple of goalies contracts are up. Leneveu should be signed to play in the pies and they should try and get Upshall under contract as well as players like Upshall are needed for a season to help in all areas.

Dallas Stars

The Stars have got one guy they should try to sign but everyone knows that guy is heading to free agency in Brad Richards. Can you really call this team the Stars when the biggest name t is Loui Eriksson

Detroit Red Wings

The Wings have already signed Lidstrom, the only other player heading towards free agency that i think will make a decent impact is Patrick Eaves.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have no real big names to sign, however I think that they should try and resign goalie Jeff Deslaurier.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers need to spend $25M to hit the cap floor. Signing Vokoun could help that out a bit.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have a couple Europeans they could sign that could help their club remain a team that will get eliminated in the first round if they want to sign Ponikarovsky and Handzus.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild should try to keep team staple in Andrew Brunette there, with his line mates blonde and redhead. The other free agents this team has should all be on the free agent market come July 1.

Montreal Canadiens

The Habs had quite a few D-men up for free agency, they have already signed Gill and Markov. A good move would also be to sign James Wisniewski as that would help round out their Top 4 with PK Subban.

Nashville Predators

Other than signing Steve Sullivan, the Predators biggest problem is going to be resigning Restricted Free Agent Shea Weber. I say that Weber comes first but the Predators could pick up a good deal of draft picks if they do not match the offer put in on Weber.

New Jersey Devils

No names that would even come up in being a cog for a Stanley Cup championship, but they have no shot of making the playoffs since they did acquire Ilya Kovalchuk.

New York Islanders

They do have Nabakov under contract but the chances of him signing their are about as likely as the Canucks making it to the Stanley Cup Finals and there not being a riot.

New York Rangers

All the guys they have going to free agency were overpaid and underachieved. Besides does any NHL team really want Bryan McCabe.

Ottawa Senators

The only guy on their list that even makes me think he could help the Sens next year is Marek Svatos.

Philadelphia Flyers

Considering the fact that they are trading away any talent and signing overrated Russians tells me they will sign Nikolai Zherdev and let Boynton and Leighton walk. Is it possible for a team to be worse than the Oilers this season, I am beginning to think so. Wait they still have Pronger, never mind.

Phoenix Coyotes

They have a lot of free agents, however I don`t see anyone that they would be willing to pay for or afford other than Ed Jovanovski if he takes a substantial pay cut that could play a piece in a long run in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The only name that I even think should even be considered for signing is Maxime Talbot, the other names are just part of the ongoing cycle of being unable to find Sidney Crosby good linemates.

St. Louis Blues

The fact this teams still exists comes as a shock to the players, no wonder they have no names that should be resigned.

San Jose Sharks

The only name that comes in that should be resigned from this list is Kyle Wellwood, insert food joke here.

Tampa Bay Lightning

If playoff performance means anything, Sean Bergenheim should be in for a nice raise.

Toronto Maple Leafs

They don`t have any big names that they should resign, however, Tim Brent and Aaron Voros are both guys I think Brian Burke would like to have back.

Vancouver Canucks

Christian Ehrhoff would be a great sign from the Canucks, as well as Chris Higgins who was good for the Canucks last year. Lots of free agents that were around the $1M range if they could resign Torres he would be a help, as well as RFA Max Lapierre.

Washington Capitals

The only name that could get any real interest is Brooks Laich, the rest would just refer to themselves as guys who played with Alexander Ovechkin to try and get some interest in them.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets don't have any names that would be big. They are probably going to wait till July 1 to try and make a splash by getting Selanne if they could convince him for a season in Winnipeg for some nostalgia.

The Pros and Cons of the NHL Entry Draft

2011-06-24T12:28:00.002-06:00

Well, the NHL Entry Draft is tonight and I am going to give you a guide of what to expect.

The Pros

While everyone agrees that there is no bonafied guaranteed superstar this year, the general consensus is that it is a deep draft where the 1st round is going to be players that we will eventually see in the NHL.

The Cons (Trust me there are a lot)

Since this is going to be aired all over North America with TSN having the lead, you may want to keep your TV on mute as Pierre Maguire starts to yell about how this team made a great decision on the player even though the player not be a good choice for that team and are really just trolling a team the drafts with in the next couple draft picks.

Gary Bettman on stage, enough said.

As soon as there is a trade, expect the broadcast to talk about the deal and how it will benefit both teams so much as once again Pierre Maguire will talk about how the team who traded away their draft pick just became a Stanley Cup contender.

Oh, have I mentioned Pierre Maguire yet?

Bloggers. Now you are probably thinking that, "Hey aren't you a blogger?", yes I am, but there is a difference between me and the guys that get paid to go to this. I give an honest opinion and my stuff isn't severe crap that I post like you find on Yahoo. Seriously, Puckdaddy has the occasional good blog but the other bloggers on there, you could throw a turd on a keyboard and produce better stuff than the rest of the guys who blog on hockey.

Gary Bettman announcing a trade, if he could sound any more smug he makes these, I would like to see it.

The GM's thanking people that they really don't mean. Seriously, do they need to thank the host city for having such good fans and congratulate the Stanley Cup Champions, it gets annoying after the 15th GM does this.

That is all for right now, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Blowing Up the Flyers

2011-06-23T14:14:00.003-06:00

I have been keeping up in the Twitterverse and one thing has become obvious, the Philadelphia Flyers are blowing up their roster. Philadelphia forwards Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards have been traded, and in return, the Flyers go Jakub Voracek, a 1st round and 3rd round draft pick from Columbus for Carter, and for Richards they got Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn from the Los Angeles Kings.

With the trades it is obvious that the Flyers are trying to build towards the future as Schenn hasn't even hit 20, and Simmonds is fairly young. The draft picks are obviously going to be players that will be drafted tomorrow, but my question mark comes in at Jakub Voracek. Voracek has failed to adapt to the North American style of play which is kind of necessary if you are going to play in Philadelphia.

I know Philadelphia had a pretty good nucleus and I am starting to think this is over reaction to the four game sweep to the Bruins in the second round. There main problem was in net, and I don't think Bryzgalov, who they traded for the negotiating rights for, is going to do that.

Bottom line is this, good goalies are hard to find, but getting rid of talent like Richards and Carter to sign a Russian choke artists is not the way to do it.

Update: The Flyers also got a 2nd round pick from Los Angeles for Richards.

My Thoughts on the NHL Awards tonight

2011-06-22T13:27:00.003-06:00

Well the NHL awards get awarded tonight and here are my quick thoughts if I was given a vote on who should win.

The way I would vote is based on the player who has been the best all season long, not just have a good second half. Even though games in the second half are tougher, being able to perform all year long gives you the nod in my book

Hart Trophy

Nominees: Corey Perry (ANA), Martin St. Louis (TB), Daniel Sedin (VAN)
My Winner: Daniel Sedin

If you take a look above at what I said about doing well through the entire season, Corey Perry losses out because he did turn it up in the second half but I think that all season long should be more important than half a season. St. Louis comes in second and Perry comes third with the way I vote.

Vezina Trophy

Nominees: Tim Thomas (BOS), Pekka Rinne (NAS), Roberto Luongo (VAN)
My Winner: Tim Thomas

All three of these players had great seasons all year long and Thomas had better numbers in GAA and Save % even though Luongo had more wins, so Thomas gets the nod.

Norris Trophy

Nominees: Zdeno Chara (BOS), Niklas Lidstrom (DET), Shea Weber (NAS)
My Winner: Niklas Lidstrom

Chara and Weber may have been better on the defensive side of the puck but Niklas Lidstrom finished only behind Lubomir Visnovsky in Points by a defenceman not to mention the fact he is 40 years old.

Calder Trophy

Nominees: Jeff Skinner (CAR), Micheal Grabner (NYI), Logan Couture (SJ)
My Winner: Jeff Skinner

This award usually goes to the highest rookie scorer unless a rookie preforms extremely well at defence or goalie, hence, Skinner wins.

Jack Adams Trophy

Nominees: Barry Trotz (NAS), Dan Bylsma (PIT), Alain Vaignault (VAN)
My Winner: Alain Vaignault

Vaignault wins this in my book due to the fact that this teams starting 6 defencemen only played one game, and that was game 82 of the regular season not to mention the other injuries he had to deal with and to win the President's trophy going away. Trotz get second due to the fact that he does more with less and Bylsma finishes third due to the fact that the Penguins gets beneficial officiating from having Crosby on their team even though they had high profile players out.

Frank Selke Trophy

Nominees: Jonathan Toews (CHI), Pavel Datsyuk (DET), Ryan Kesler (VAN)
My Winner: Ryan Kesler

Kesler wins this based on the fact that his defensive attributes helped the Vancouver Canucks win the President's Trophy. Also take into consideration the Datsyuk was injured for some of the year and Toews played on a team that had to rely on a loss by Dallas to make the playoffs and Kesler is the clear cut favourite.

Lady Byng Trophies

Nominees: Loui Eriksson (DAL), Niklas Lidstrom (DET), Martin St. Louis (TB)
My Winner: Louis Eriksson

The reason he wins this is because he had the least amount of penalty minutes out of all three of these guys. And basically that is what this award is about, being a goody two shoes.

Ted Lindsay Award
Nominees: Corey Perry (ANA), Steven Stamkos (TB), Daniel Sedin (VAN)
My Winner: Daniel Sedin

The players vote on this one but I am hard pressed to go against what I say in the Hart trophy, Daniel takes home three trophies tonight (Hart, Lindsay, Art Ross)

There are some awards that have already been given out due to statistical numbers in the regular season, here is the rundown of them

Art Ross (Leading Scorer): Daniel Sedin (VAN)
Rocket Richard (Most Goals): Corey Perry (ANA)
William Jennings (Least Goals Against): Roberto Luongo, Cory Schnider (VAN)
President's Trophy (Most Points in regular season by a team): Vancouver Canucks

That is all for right now, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

My Review of the 2010-2011 NHL Season

2011-06-21T10:20:00.002-06:00

Well I am going to give my review of what I remember of the last NHL season.

Well the opening day of the year, we had what I consider the goal of the off of the stick of Jordan Eberle.

There were some other beauties as well.

Here is Alex Burmistrov making the Capitals looking like a bunch of pylons

Here is Hank Sedin going one handed on the Sharks

There was a lot of talk about concussions this year, let me correct myself there was a lot of talk on concussions after this hit.

Now before we get onto more stuff on this season, there was some revealing emails which should have had Colin Campbell removed from his position immediately. Basically, a former referee, Dean Warren, was challenging his dismissal from the NHL as an on ice official and some emails that had to regard games his son, Gregory Campbell, having a penalty called on him by Dean Warren after Marc Savard took what was called a soft penalty. It was then deemed after this that any situation that included Colin Campbell's son's team that the issue would be dealt with by Mike Murphy.

After both of the previous two topics I have just talked on, this happened.

There was a call for a suspension and none was given. I personally felt that the hit was a little late and not that bad and just had a bad outcome. Chara received a five minute major and a game misconduct which I thought was the right call.

There was then a major talk at the GM meetings about head injuries and a crackdown needless to say, crappy calls ensued. I, along with anybody who has a good knowledge thought that there would be crackdowns across the board. Well try and guess what happened on these plays.

Matt Cooke got 17 games for this hit (Last 10 regular season and 7 playoff games) and got a real early start on the golf season as Pittsburgh fell to Tampa in the first round.

Clifford only got a major and a game misconduct for a dirty hit from behind and there was no suspension. I thought it should have got 4 games, but since then, we have found out that Campbell is completely incompetent at his job.

Then there was this hit by Raffi Torres

This hit resulted in a four game suspension and Eberle wasn't injured and didn't miss a shift. Now lets compare this to a Torres hit that resulted in a concussion.

The only reason I think that there wasn't a suspension is that Seabrook was skating towards Torres and his head was to the side. My take but feel free to express your own on anything on here.

Now to some hits that didn't result in suspension:

Ben Eager who cheap shots Daniel Sedin, if this wasn't enough he should have been after the rest of the shit he pulled in Game 2.

McGinn's hit from behind here did not result in suspension, even though it was quite obvious this was from behind. I say 5 games from anybody who knows how to do there job properly.

Speaking of Aaron Rome, this got him suspended for the rest of the Stanley Cup Finals

This hit was late but no worse than what Chara did, so my question is how the hell does this get 4 gmaes and Chara gets jack squat, oh wait, Chara plays on the same team as Colin Campbell's son.

Now for the part that is going to take a while (Yes I know this is a long blog), but my review of all the NHL teams.

Anaheim Ducks

I thought these guys were going to be a lottery draft team, however they managed to gain home ice for the first round before being ousted by the Nashville Predators, however it did give us a beauty goal from Bobby Ryan.

I know it was on Legwand but still a nice goal.

Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets

As I said before the beginning of the season, just because you pick up the Stanley Cup Champions discard pile, does not make you a playoff bound team, in fact the only thing they are bound for is Winnipeg.

Boston Bruins

Well, they won their first Stanley Cup since 1972, but you have to wonder about some of the non-suspensions they got and if there was an impact on how teams played them around the league.

Buffalo Sabers

Considering the fact they forgot to even play for the first month of the season, they managed to make the playoffs, had they been able to get more pucks on Bobrovsky, they may have had a good run.

Calgary Flames

This team continues to fall into mediocrity as they fail to understand how to draft good players and that you can not completely rely on Jarome Iginla.

Carolina Hurricanes

Barely missed the playoffs, so people who live in Carolina lives went on as usual. They do have Skinner who I think will win the Calder trophy being the lone bright spot after their late season collapse.

Chicago Blackhawks

Well after winning the cup last year, the Hawks got into the playoffs on a loss from the Dallas Stars on the last game. We then saw the Blackhawks then be able to commit murder on the Canucks until this.

If you listen closely, you might be able to hear me screaming from Saskatoon.

Colorado Avalanche

After making the playoffs this year, they sucked plain and simple. To make matters worse for this team, they traded away Craig Anderson and took an Ottawa goalie in return, I think we know who all won that trade, however they did get Erik Johnson from the Blues.

Columbus Blue Jackets

I don't know why this team can not get it together. This team needs to pull up it's socks and get it together because I think Nash will be leaving after his contract is up.

Dallas Stars

All they had to do in the last game of the season and they failed. I am not sure if firing Crawford was the best call but it looks like their best player in Brad Richards is going to become a wealthy man since it looks like the Stars are not going to be able to resign him

Detroit Red Wings

Even though they have an average of Methuselah, they continue to be good but have lost to San Jose in the Conference Semi-Finals the last two years. I also expect this to be the first year in a while that they do not have an award coming to their team.

Edmonton Oilers

Well the Oilers won the draft again and have #1 overall again. This team in afew years is going to be scary, so rest of the NHL, get your wins in against this team while you still can.

Florida Panthers

In the category of "What, these guys still exist?" these guys take top honours. I don't know why this team is still in Florida, wait I do, it's called Gary Bettman.

Los Angeles Kings

I was expecting more than I got from the Kings this year, but I still think they could be a force if they can stay healthy.

Minnesota Wild

Well, the team nobody seems to care about in the Northwest outside of the people in Minnesota failed to make the playoffs again. I personally think they almost need to get rid of the entire roster and start from scratch again.

Montreal Canadiens

Well, Carey Price actually showed some of his potential and the Habs were able to find a way into the playoffs, however I think this team is too undersized to make any real impact to be considered anything more than a pretender.

Nashville Predators

Well the Predators made it to the second round for the first time in their franchises history however they ran into the master of the interview bomb

New Jersey Devils

They almost made the playoffs after pretty much sucking for the first half of the year, if they were in the West they would have had a draft lottery pick before they got selected first at the draft lottery. Just goes to show the talent difference between the top and bottom of the Eastern and Western Conference.

New York Islanders

They missed the playoffs again, which seems to be the copy and paste statement most likely to be used for the next five years when it comes to this team.

New York Rangers

Made it into the playoffs, just to get to face the Capitals who disposed of them in five games. Biggest problem with this team is John Tortorella arguing with the media.

Ottawa Senators

Well, I expected these guys to make the playoffs but they finished fifth worst in the league, considering they won all their games after Craig Anderson showed up makes you wonder how weak this team actually is.

Philadelphia Flyers

After making it to the cup finals a year ago, they failed to repeat the performance and got swept by the Bruins in the second round. Just goes to show that Pronger is the reason any team makes it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Phoenix Coyotes

They managed to make the playoffs again this year. However the fact that this team loses more than $30 M a season makes you wonder why the NHL would bother to keep a team there.

Pittsburgh Penguins

They lost Crosby, they lost Malkin for most of the season, however still managed to get home ice for the first round, goes to show what you can do when you are one of Gary Bettman's teams.

San Jose Sharks

Well they made it to the conference finals for the second year in a row, in which they are now 1-8, not to mention the fact that it is clear that they have no shut down pair (As shown by the Canucks) and don't have a good defensive plays for the always tricky stanchion pass too the point for a one timer.

St. Louis Blues

After acquiring Halak, I thought they would fight for a playoff spot, but they really didn't threaten all year long.

Tampa Bay Lightning

I was surprised some what at how well they did. They made it to the Conference finals and went the distance until losing to Boston. Stamkos is now an established star, however I expect the NHL to still ignore him in favour of Crosby.

Toronto Maple Leafs

I was actually expecting the Leafs to make the playoffs this last year, especially after the start of season they had. Despite the fact that Leaf die hards are always thinking cup or bust, Burke has done a good job fixing up this team after the clusterfuck of a mess that John Ferguson Jr. left.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks came with in one game of winning the cup. Despite what people think in that they need to blow up the entire team, I think only some small adjustments need to be made. However one thing in my opinion has changed from last year and that is the Canucks should keep Kevin Bieksa as he was part of probably on of the best pairs with Hamhuis.

Washington Capitals

Even though they had a new commitment to defence they failed to make it past the second round again. I think they need an established #1 to get to the next step.

That is the way I saw it and I am going to leave on the weirdest goal of the season

Aaron Rome gets Four games and I am pissed again at the NHL

2011-06-07T19:22:00.003-06:00

Well considering last night's game, I guess the four game suspension should be the least of my worries, but I think considering that Chara got nothing for a similar play on what people consider a late hit, I think that Rome should have just got what he got in the game and leave it at that. The hit was late yes, but it just goes to show the continual inconsistency in the NHL for hits causing injury. What I see coming from this and the last game is the Canucks are going to take an us against the world approach due to the fact that if you saw Tambellini's (cough) hooking penalty that lead to the 2-0 goal, I would say throw the game in File 13 and move on. To top it all off, Mike Murphy, you know him of the no goal fame last year in Game 3 vs Los Angeles. THat is all for right now so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

2011-05-30T18:48:00.003-06:00

Well, we have our finalists and my team, the Vancouver Canucks, and one of my favourite American teams in the Boston Bruins. This series has almost everything you can want as both sides have Vezina Finalists in goal and lots of talent all over the ice.

I am going to keep this simple and get to my prediction.

Stanley Cup Finals

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (3) Boston Bruins
My Prediction: Canucks in 6

Though the Canucks have not had much success against Tim Thomas in the past, but that will end as I think Thomas has been to shaky of recent to keep them in it all the way. Also with the Bruins having Chara to go against the Sedin's, expect Kesler to once again become the monster of the series like he was against Nashville. The Cup comes back to Canada and that's the way I see it. Until next time, keep your stick on the ice

The Game 2 Goalfests

2011-05-19T19:12:00.002-06:00

If you saw either Conference Final Game 2, you were treated to lots of goals. The Bruins and Lightning played to a 6-5 victory for the Bruins and the Canucks dominated the Sharks 7-3, even though I believe that the third Sharks goal should have been disallowed.

However I am just going to talk about pretty much the douche baggery of the San Jose Sharks.

If you saw the game last night, well the Sharks might have been wanting to take penalties considering that there was a flasher there in place of the Green Men. That being said, how the hell is Ben Eager allowed to be playing still in these playoffs. If you saw what he did last night, you know what happen, I will fill in the rest who haven't. Eager boarded Daniel Sedin, stuck out a leg on Higgins, and while shooting the puck at net on Luongo from inches out, elbowed Luongo in the head which allowed the puck to go in (that is interference with the goalie, how the hell this was not called is beyond me) and then "trash" talking Luongo (His teammates tried to pull him away but they were in disbelief with him too). The "trash" talking also took place after Bieksa dropped the gloves with Marleau (props to Marleau because I know that it was his first fight in 4 years), and he also at the end of the second and late in the third. In order to shut douche bags like this guy up, I suggest either getting rid of the instigator rule or a guy who goes over the edge this badly should be suspended.

Personally, I am sick and tired of seeing guys like Eager who are allowed to get away with murder and not have to pay a toll for it, my personal preference to see something happen to this guy is similar to what Domi did to Ulf Samuelsson where he knocked him out with one punch, it may be mean, but I think it would be just desserts.

Conference Finals Predictions and Derek Boogaard

2011-05-14T10:57:00.003-06:00

The NHL Conference Finals start tonight and they are going to be interesting. In the East you have two teams that steam rolled their opponents in 4 games and in the West you have a series that features a couple sea creatures on the jerseys.

Eastern Conference Finals

(3) Boston Bruins vs (5) Tampa Bay Lightning
My Prediction: Bruins in 6

Even though the Lightning have gone through the Penguins and Capitals with their high octane offence, we have to face the facts. Pittsburgh was far from playing their best lines and Washington, despite it's new commitment to defence, still have a lot to learn when it comes to teams that apply higher pressure in the playoffs. The Bruins were the top defensive team in the East and if it comes down to a matter of goaltending, even though Dwayne Roloson is making it look like it was 2006 again when he was with the Oilers. I feel the Bruins are just too good defensively and they have the depth up front to cause havoc for Tampa's D. The Lightning have had a good year but I think it ends here.

Western Conference Finals

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (2) San Jose Sharks
My Prediction: Canucks in 5

This series basically comes down to what I have seen of these two teams and what they are capable of. Even though the Sedin's have been silent for the first two rounds mostly, I expect that will end in this series, not to mention the fact that the Canucks also have the guy who would get the Conn Smythe if the voting was to happen right now in Ryan Kesler who was absolutely dominant vs the Predators. The only positive thing I see from the Sharks is Logan Couture and once again the Sharks big names of Heatley, Marleau and Thornton have done nothing and I think that will cost them.

Now onto a sadder note. Rangers forward Derek Boogaard has past away. He was only 28 and it makes me wonder why. Boogaard was a tough guy so my concern is that he had an undiagnosed concussion that did some more damage than was known. My condolances to the Boogaard family and may be able to find comfort in this time of despair.

Avery, Canucks, and the Second Round

2011-05-10T12:06:00.002-06:00

Well, it has been a while since I have done a blog and there has been some stuff that has happened that I want to comment on.

Well, we will start with the forever spark plug, Sean Avery. Sean Avery came out and said he supports same sex marriage and that it should be legalized in the state of New York, which drew criticisms from certain people, including a sports agency called Uptown Hockey which showed it's colours as a right wing group denouncing the comments of Sean Avery.

Personally I can understand both views people are taking as if people are happy together, let them be happy, however, as far as I can tell that there has been no proof to show that same sex marriage has been to a genetic defect so I think it is a personal choice that goes against what an actual marriage should be, which is man and woman. This is the only time I will deal with this situation as I feel everyone is free to their own beliefs and should be able to respect others as well.

Well, my Vancouver Canucks are off to the Western Conference Finals after dispatching the Predators in 6 games and now await the winner of San Jose and Detroit who have some how managed to push it to Game 6 after being down 3-0 in the series. Vancouver dodged the ultimate comeback in the first round, but knowing San Jose ability for choking, Detroit may be able to pull this off.

Did the Eastern Conference's second round go quickly or what? The teams played the minimum and I was wrong on both series. Know we have the hot goalie vs the hot offence. I am going to go with the goalie because even though the Lightning ave been hot with their offence, I don't think the Lightning have faced a team as capable on the defensive side of the puck as the Bruins this year in the playoffs.

Well, that is all for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Round Two Predictions

2011-04-28T16:58:00.002-06:00

Well, Round 2 starts tonight with the Canucks and Predators and I know have a cold. However, I will power through and get my predictions to you. I went 6-2 in the first round on my predictions with Tampa and Nashville spoiling an 8-0.

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (5) Nashville Predators
My Prediction: Vancouver in 6

While the Predators were able to get through the Anaheim Ducks, they will be hard pressed to get through Vancouver. Hank and Daniel were not visible for much of the Chicago series and will be wanting to make up for that. Not to mention the fact that they have exorcised the demon that was the Chicago Blackhawks gives the Canucks the power to know that they can beat anyone.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs (3) Detroit Red Wings
My Prediction: Wings in 7

Where last year the Sharks seemed to be able to make Detroit their bitch, I expect the Wings to come out this year and make San Jose notorious for what it has done in the past and choke.

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals vs (5) Tampa Bay Lightning
My Prediction: Washington in 6

Washington is looking to make up for the mistakes they have made in the past, considering the fact that against the Rangers was the first time since the lockout that they didn't go to seven games makes these guys look even scarier.

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs (3) Boston Bruins
My Prediction: Flyers in 7

Even though this is a revenge series for Boston after the humiliation of losing the series after being up 3-0 the Flyers I think will have that edge that just gets them past the Bruins.

That is the way I see it and until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

My thoughts on Game 6 of Hawks vs Canucks

2011-04-26T16:56:00.002-06:00

I was wanting to do this sooner but lack of internet connection causes me to do this now.

Here is some of the highlights of the officiating in that game

As you can see, the officiating grade for this game can not be graded on grade scale because the English language does not have 300 letters after the letter Z.

Now this brings me to why it was officiated this way. that would be the guy who is in charge of the league, that supreme douchebag of the universe, Gary Bettman. I have often wondered if Bettman is putting bias towards certain teams but this pretty much confirms it. All I know is that if I were at the game tonight and one crappy call is made on the Canucks, i would throw the towel I would have on the ice as a sign of surrender to the poor officiating.

Foot Stomping Fun

2011-04-16T12:46:00.003-06:00

If you did not see the game last night between the Ducks and Predators, well you missed what should be a suspension no matter how little damage was done as Bobby Ryan stomped in the foot of a Nashville defenceman late in the game. These types of plays are ridiculous and Bobby Ryan should at least be suspended 3 games.

Onto other stuff now, the Canucks are up 2-0 on the Hawks and all I can do is grin. The fact that the Canucks have been controlling this and are making the Hawks look slow and disinterested at points is very impressive. So far in the series I would have to give the MVP to Jannik Hansen who just seems to be all over the place causing mayhem and scoring crucial goals.

The Lightning also layed a butt kicking on Pittsburgh last night which makes me question my original choice in that series. I don't know why but my I think I got that one wrong already.

That is all I have for this one as I can't keep my mind focused, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Chicago getting no love and some other playoff stuff

2011-04-12T18:12:00.005-06:00

Even though I made the prediction of the Canucks crushing the Hawks in five in my previous blog, I though there might have been a little bias on my part, so I figured that the analysis from the "experts" would say Vancouver in 6 or 7 and maybe a couple Chicago decisions. However, when I was watching the CBC playoff preview Kelly Hrudey said Canucks in 5 and P.J. Stock saying Nucks in 7. Milbury also saying that the Canucks could win in a walk unless Corey Crawford can pull some rabbits out of his ass.

I know this goes without saying, but thank God for Jim Hughson finally calling Canucks games again. Nothing against the Sportsnet announcers but a lot against Mark Lee and Kevin Weekes and anybody else for CBC and everyone on TSN with the exception of Chris Cuthbert. Seriously, just because you are a former player or coach, does not automatically qualify you to be a colour commentator. We have literally become a group of people who think that mediocre has become excellence. Well, I still have standards unlike the people who hire people for commentary and think that even though they may know most of the names, they don't glue me to the channel, and in the case of some of them, I can't hit the mute button fast enough.

I have been going through quite a bit of playoff predictions today and it is surprising to see some of the different ways people go about it. Some try and break down every stat there is known to man, other go on just a feeling and others just use what they have seen. Personally I think go on what you have seen from the season that is probably the best indication of what is actually going to happen.

That is it for this blog, and until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The Playoff Predictions

2011-04-11T20:09:00.004-06:00

Well, the playoffs start on Wednesday however, let's take a look at what I had predicted at the beginning of the season for standings.

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins
(3) Buffalo Sabers
(4) Philadelphia Flyers
(5) Boston Bruins
(6) Ottawa Senators
(7) New Jersey Devils
(8) Toronto Maple Leafs
(9) Atlanta Thrashers
(10) Carolina Hurricanes
(11) Montreal Canadiens
(12) New York Rangers
(13) New York Islanders
(14) Tampa Bay Lightning
(15) Florida Panthers

Western Conference

(1) San Jose Sharks
(2) Vancouver Canucks
(3) Chicago Blackhawks
(4) Detroit Red Wings
(5) Los Angeles Kings
(6) Nashville Predators
(7) Colorado Avalanche
(8) Phoenix Coyotes
(9) St. Louis Blues
(10) Calgary Flames
(11) Dallas Stars
(12) Minnesota Wild
(13) Colombus Blue Jackets
(14) Edmonton Oilers
(15) Anaheim Ducks

Now here is how it ended up

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals
(2) Philadelphia Flyers
(3) Boston Bruins
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins
(5) Tampa Bay Lightning
(6) Montreal Canadiens
(7) Buffalo Sabers
(8) New York Rangers
(9) Carolina Hurricanes
(10) Toronto Maple Leafs
(11) New Jersey Devils
(12) Atlanta Thrashers
(13) Ottawa Senators
(14) New York Islanders
(15) Florida Panthers

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver Canucks
(2) San Jose Sharks
(3) Detroit Red Wings
(4) Anaheim Ducks
(5) Nashville Predators
(6) Phoenix Coyotes
(7) Los Angeles Kings
(8) Chicago Blackhawks
(9) Dallas Stars
(10) Calgary Flames
(11) St. Louis Blues
(12) Minnesota Wild
(13) Columbus Blue Jackets
(14) Colorado Avalanche
(15) Edmonton Oilers

Other than a couple of blemishes I think I did pretty well considering that the predicting was done a month before the season began, now the awards that are known at the end of the regular season

I called Washington to win the President's Trophy and OV to also win the Rocket Richard and Art Ross, I had called Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabers to walk home with the Jennings for least Goals Against in the NHL. Well these I got all wrong as Corey Perry of the Ducks took home the Rocket Richard with 50 goals, the rest went to the Vancouver Canucks as Daniel Sedin followed in his brother's footsteps and brought home the Art Ross while Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider taking home the Jennings for least Goals Against in the league.

Now onto predicting the playoffs first round.

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals vs (8) New York Rangers
My Prediction: Caps in 5

Well, the high octane offence that we saw from the Capitals last year got them eliminated in seven games last year. So, this year they had a new focus on defence and they still finished top of the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers snuck into the playoffs after a Carolina loss only chance is Henrik does what Jaro Halak did to the Capitals last year. Capitals win based on sheer power.

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs (7) Buffalo Sabers
My Prediction: Flyers in 7

Philadelphia struggled down the stretch and their goaltending hasn't been making anybody feel confident. However, they should be getting Chris Pronger back and we all know that he can drag an entire team to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Buffalo didn't show up until November and were able to claw back into the playoffs, they can easily pull off the upset because they have Ryan Miller. Flyers win based on the fact they want to avenge their Stanley Cup Finals loss.

(3) Boston Bruins vs (6) Montreal Canadiens
My Prediction: Bruins in 6

Boston has been hot down the stretch having who I think will be the Vezina winner Tim Thomas backing them.

Montreal stands a chance in this series as long as Carey Price doesn't have a mental collapse in goal. Bruins win on the fact that Zdeno Chara will probably smash someone into a stanchion if someone makes him angry.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Tampa Bay Lightning
My Prediction: Penguins in 6

Pittsburgh was able to hold onto home ice and almost take the division minus Crosby and Malkin for half the year. However, this makes them not all that deep and may have to rely more on defence than just outscoring the opposing team.

Tampa has a ton of offensive guns, but I don't think they have what it takes to make it far in the playoffs due to the fact they give up goals quite easily. Pittsburgh wins based on the fact they actually have shown they know how to play defence.

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs (8) Chicago Blackhawks
My Prediction: Canucks in 5

Vancouver comes in as the President's Trophy winners and have actually looked like a team that can actually crush, also considering the fact that Game 82 of the regular season was the first time their Top 6 defencemen have played together on the same night and they still won the Jennings, that could be a scary defence to try and beat.

Chicago comes in as defending Stanley Cup Champions but have not looked like it during the regular season. Their offence is up and down, defence has been shaky, as well as their goaltending. However, they are one of Gary Bettman's teams to promote hockey with in the U.S. so they could get the officiating to win. Canucks win due to the fact that they want to avenge the previous two exits from the playoffs and the fact that Bobby Lou is having his best season ever.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs (7) Los Angeles Kings
My Prediction: Sharks in 7

Even though at the beginning of the season I had the Kings beating the Sharks in the second round, the Sharks I think have the advantage in the fact that they have home ice.

The way the Kings win is by doing what is done by every team that has defeated the Sharks, put decent pressure on Heatley and Thornton and they can do nothing. I have the Sharks winning but just out of the fact they have home ice, I would not be surprised if their is an upset.

(3) Detroit Red Wings vs (6)Phoenix Coyotes
My Prediction: Wings in 6

The Wings come in and even though I don't think they will make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, they should be able to get through the Coyotes easily but the Wings have not given me the fear that they have in previous years.

The way the Coyotes win is if Bryzgalov can keep the wings shut down. Wings have it based on the fact they are playing a team that is probably moving back to Winnipeg next year.

(4) Anaheim Ducks vs (5) Nashville Predators
My Prediction: Ducks in 7

Anaheim has the size and the strength to dominate but their goaltending is a huge question mark.

Nashville has once again gone silently about making the playoffs again. Rinne can steal this series and Weber should attempt to commit murder by taking slap shots at opposing players heads. I give Anaheim this series based on the fact they have home ice advantage.

That is all for this one, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

End of Season Posting

2011-04-09T19:59:00.004-06:00

I know that the NHL season doesn't end until tomorrow, but after this one I will be focusing on the playoffs so I will just jump in on what has happened recently happened and some stuff to look forward to for some of the teams that are not making the playoffs.

The biggest news over the last little bit has been the situation in Ottawa with GM Bryan Murray somehow getting a contract extension and then turning around and firing head coach Cory Clouston and two Assistant Coaches. While agree with the coaching staff getting their walking papers, I have to seriously wonder how Bryan Murray kept his job because he is just as much of the reason the Sens sucks as the coaching staff.

If you happen to catch the Penguins vs Islanders last night, you saw the reason why the Penguins are always going to be considered a Stanley Cup contender as long as Sidney Crosby has his checks signed by Mario Lemieux. The officiating in the game last night was horrible. I was aware of the fact that the last time these two teams played there was three suspensions handed out and over 300 penalty minutes. After the first goal of the game, Godard and Gillies scraped and got five for fighting and 10 minute misconducts. I could some what understand this with the referees taking the stance of "We aren't going to have another game like earlier this year" however after this, there was too much obvious bias that has me commenting on it. Later in the game there was a hip check by Haley on a Penguin. It was a great hip check and Haley got a penalty basically because of who he is. Later in the game Penguins enforcer Aaron Asham and Zenon Konopka had a fight, it was a mutually agreed to fight and they had a good dance, there is nothing that I could see that you could possibly call Konopka the instigator as Asham was a ready and willing opponent. And to kick all of this off, the Islanders had a goal called back in the last two minutes that would have given them the win because John Tavares was in the crease. This call was as bad as the old toe in the crease no-goals we use to see given the fact that Tavares was pushed in and he didn't interfere with the goalie with no kicking the puck in making me wonder how the hell can calls like this continue when these referees are suppose to be the *cough* best in the world.

Speaking of pucks being kicked in, here is the one that eliminated the Calgary Flames from the playoffs

This puck was kicked in, no touch from the stick, and upon video review, I am not completely sure that puck completely crossed the line. The Hawks went on to win this game 4-3 in OT because this no goal was allowed to count as a goal. It must be nice to be one of the team that Gary Bettman thinks they need to showcase to make hockey big in the U.S. because this was absolute garbage. As anyone who knows me can tell you, I am no fan of the Calgary Flames and have the game that eliminates you that has the NHL pretty much give you the middle finger shows how bias the NHL is towards certain teams.

I'm not sure if it's just me but does it seem like the only announcers in Canada worth listening to are Jim Hughson and Chris Cuthbert. Seriously, I can't really watch a game with complete attention unless it seems to be these two. I like my announcing to be good, not mediocre, and that is what you get with the rest of them it seems.

I have state this in this one because I know my next one is going to be a really long one, as far as I am concerned, the only thing that can cause the Canucks to not win the Stanley Cup is officiating. I have been typing this up while watching them play the Flames and the officiating is horrible. Seriously, if we want to watch something with pre-determined outcomes, we will watch pro wrestling, if we want the referee to be any sort of factor in the outcome, we watch pro wrestling, if want somebody that isn't even suppose to be involved in the match up to cause the outcome, we watch pro wrestling.

Now onto some of the teams that are out.

The Oilers will have the best chance at the #1 pick in the draft lottery, however this year's rookie crop looks pretty weak compared to recent one's, be a good chance to trade back in the draft and pick up more picks to get someone solid instead of some potential that may not pan out.

I had Colorado and Toronto both making the playoffs in my pre-season predictions, I was wrong on those two. Where I thought Colorado would have been fighting for a playoff spot and would get one, I didn't expect them to have a second half of the season that made the Maple Leafs beginning of the season last year look respectable. Where I knew it was a bit of a risk to put the Leafs in the playoffs but I thought they had to them to do it, they put up a good fight but they ended up a little short.

I called Atlanta not making the playoffs even though a lot of "experts" did. Just because you picked up the unwanted pile from the Stanley Cup champions, does not make you a playoff team.

Even though I am disappointed in the way the Flames were eliminated from the playoffs, I still think that Darryl Sutter did a horrible job with the team. I wouldn't have brought back Jokinen or Tanguay as they really never did fit in to the chemistry of the team (Jokinen more so than Tanguay).

That is it for right now, and until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

This is some bull shit

2011-04-07T17:24:00.003-06:00

Apparently you get penalized worse in the NHL if you don't injure someone on a hit. Raffi Torres received a four game suspension for his head shot hit on Jordan Eberle.

Alright let us see how many profanities I have uttered under my breath since I found out about this, I lost count at infinite.

I could understand one or two games because the NHL is anal right now about hits to the head, Torres did catch Eberle in the head, but there was extended elbow, plus Eberle was reaching for the puck, which is a dumb move because that usually lowers your body so you can get nailed hard like that. You include the fact that Eberle didn't even miss a shift, it really makes you wonder what the fuck is going on.

The following is the view of an Oiler fan on the hit who has the user name pomps11 at the tsn.ca website, "I'm a huge oiler fan as well as an Eberle fan but this is a clean hit and there is no head shot here. Eberle has to protect himself when going into a corner you never go reaching with your head down, when I played I went into the corner fully expecting a hit. Torres was committed to the hit never left his feet and kept his elbows down there was absolutely nothing dirty. The main purpose of a hit is to separate that player from the puck and that's exactly what Torres did."

Here is another Oilers fan who is also keeping his head about him on the tsn.ca website user name jeph, "As an Oiler fan, I'm slightly surprised. I thought 5 and a game was a good punishment. If the NHL plans on being consistent with this, then I'm all for it...it was an unnecessary hit (I won't call it an elbow, though...more interference), and I don't want to see stars or potential stars hurt."

And I had to add this POV from a Canucks fan that goes by the user name sinduda1, "Mr. Campbell and Murphy and the rest of the fine folks at the NHL offices are my new heroes!! It goes to show you can be incompetent and still make big$$$. There is hope for me yet.
Thanks for letting us down yet again.I did not believe it was a suspension to begion with, but to penalize 2 games of playoffs is jusy hurting the Canucks and their fans - not Torres as he doesn't get paid. Thanks for making an example of the Canucks - your consistency is underwhelming.
I am just glad that Getzlaf didn't slam Hamhuis's head into the boards - he really let up eh??? Oh wait he suffered a concussion which has led to another concussion. Thanks Mr. Campbell. Oh and then there is Tanev making himself vulnerable to a hit on the boards...glad the guy let up or Tanev might have missed some games. Oh wait...wrong again Mr. Campbell.
Enjoy your well deserved salary. Canucks fans everywhere appreciate how you keep all our players safe. After all, if they are suspended or concussed - they can't hurt themselves.
Cheers!"

The thing that bothers me the most about this is the inconsistent calls by Colin Campbell and the NHL offices. They claim to want to clean up the game and make it better, but all they manage to do is to make more of a screw up than they had before. They penalize players who commit sometimes borderline hits like Torres on Eberle and then let Kyle Clifford get away with nailing Chris Tanev from behind where Tanev was injured on the play with a concussion. I do have the clip of this hit now so I will show it to you now.

There was nothing aside from the five minute major and game misconduct Clifford received for this hit, and it was far worse than Torres hit on Eberle.

I am going to be starting a series of blogs and possibly Youtube clips called My Case vs The NHL. In it, I will go over items that shows why certain members of the NHL offices should be released from their jobs. The parties that have already been selected to be on trial include Gary Bettman, Colin Campbell, Mike Murphy, and Stephane Auger. More may come once I have all of it put together, it will becoming your way shortly so keep an eye out for it on here as it will show how poorly the NHL is being ran.

I have tried to stay away from the conspiracy stuff regarding the NHL and Canadian hockey teams but the gloves are off now and there will be a bombardment of stuff coming on that type of stuff.

This blog has taken so long for me to do I haven't even discussed the Hossa goal that was allowed that shouldn't, however,I have got a ton of stuff still to do today so that is it for this posting, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Raffi's hit and other shit

2011-04-06T17:31:00.003-06:00

Well, Raffi Torres has helped show once again that the NHL is a group of complete idiots. In the third period of the Canucks vs Oilers last night, Torres delivered a hit to Edmonton's Jordan Eberle that got him a five minute major and a game misconduct.

Here is the hit

As you can see Torres lands a huge hit on Eberle, that hits him in the head. Torres received five and a game misconduct for elbowing.

First off, I believe he got the five and game for landing it to the head of Eberle, the elbow was tucked right beside the body at the point of impact and the elbow came out afterwards.

The fact that this is going to be reviewed by the NHL and possible suspension is a fucking joke however. Seriously, Eberle got back up and played the rest of the game where the Canucks got two penalties on two different players at the same time (If I had called either of these, I would check to see if my glasses prescription was faulty) while they were already killing off the 5 minute major Torres picked up for the elbow basically giving the Oilers a four minute 5 on 3 power play.

That was severe fucking bull shit and I know Vaignault has kept his tongue silent because of how the league is when it comes to comments on officiating but that was fucking bull shit.

If Torres gets suspended, after Eberle was able to play the rest of the game and looks like he will continue to play tonight against the Flames they NHL should really be checked for an ethics committee because Tanev got hit from behind and injured, and there was no suspension there.

Onto some other stuff, possibly anger inducing as well.

Why the NHL continues to do this Mark Messier leadership award is a joke. It basically is a popularity contest done on the NHL website where fans can vote on who they think the best leader is. Here are my beefs with this, if you want to make this even close to a legitimate award, it can not be fan voted on, they will just go with the team they cheer for or the hockey player they like. Also, Mark Messier is not some great captain or leader. Messier always had a good team around him when he won those Stanley Cups, once he was on a team without that depth and also was forcing the GM to make bad moves, look at what he did, jack fucking shit.

It looks like the Jennings award will be going to the Vancouver Canucks as they will need a complete letdown in goal to lose the trophy, accompanied by Boston getting two shutouts to finish out the season.

Also taking a look at the remaining schedule of teams, you gotta wonder how intelligent the schedule maker is. It is stupid that teams have almost full weeks off during the season then get a ton of games in a short span, balance is needed and having gone away from a logical human being to a computer is a major mistake that needs to be corrected.

That is all I have for now, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

My Preliminary Playoff Preview

2011-04-05T14:07:00.003-06:00

Since I think it is more a thing now of, just teams having to clinch with the teams just having to determine seeding, and the teams that are on the outside that are looking in will just continue to be that, I thought I would give my first thoughts on what I expect to see in the playoffs.

Well it makes sense to start at the top and work my way to the bottom so, I will go that with that.

Vancouver Canucks - 113 Points

Despite the fact the Canucks have been so severely injured on the blue line that we have pretty much seen every defenceman that usually plays on the Manitoba Moose, the Canucks have been pretty much been an unstoppable force, at both ends of the ice and in the standings, having an 18 game point streak during December and January. The scary thing about the Canucks is that their defencemen are actually healing up. Expected back shortly are Alex Edler, Andrew Alberts, and Dan Hamhuis, all I can say is be afraid, be very afraid.

Having said that most of the spotlight is going to be on #1 Roberto Luongo because of the losses to the Hawks in the last two playoffs. I kind of think this was unfair by the people who cover the Canucks and fans because Chicago could pretty much murder Luongo and wouldn't get called, however no waste of protoplasm to stand in front of Bobby Lou this year to do that.

The Canucks also have offensive depth and can pretty much get offence from any of their lines but Danny and Hank will be expected to keep up what they have been doing in the regular season well into the playoffs.

The Canucks should go deep in the playoffs and are still my pick to win the Cup which I called in a blog before the season.

Philadelphia Flyers - 103 Points

Well, these guys have came back from their Stanley Cup Finals loss to be right now be tied with the Capitals for first in the East. There are only two problems I really see with the Flyers going to the playoffs, #1, the goaltending which has not got a single shutout this season, and #2, these guys have struggled down the stretch. If the Flyers can get things straightened out they could make a long run into the playoffs but I don't know if the goaltending rotation that worked for them last year will work this year.

Pronger is also out with injury and despite what you think of him, he is one of the best shut down d-men in the league.

Washington Capitals - 103 Points

The Caps didn't steamroll like I expected them to do at the beginning of the season, they have picked it up of late and are only a couple of points from clinching another division title over the Tampa bay Lightning. The Capitals made a new dedication to the defensive side of the puck, as far as that goes, they improved substantially, however their offence did suffer a bit. I am not as confident as I was at the beginning of the season that they are going to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals but it all depends on how the match ups turn out.

San Jose Sharks - 103 Points

For the first half of the season, this team looked mediocre at best, however in the second half they picked it up and have already clinched the division crown and are battling it out with Detroit to see who gets second. The question around this team are many, here are the big ones, will Joe Thornton actually have a good playoff or will he continue his disappearing act like he usually does (Same goes for Heatley and pretty much all the rest of them) and the other is will Antti Niemi repeat his success from last year where he helped the Hawks to the Cup.

However the way things are in the West, I wouldn't be surprised if they once again pulled another one of their early exits because I can easily see any other team in the West beating them.

Detroit Red Wings - 102 Points

Detroit has been alright this year, they have won some and they have lost some, none which I enjoyed more than St. Louis smashing them 10-3. However, this Detroit team just doesn't seem like one I am scared of facing like in years past. That being said I am not counting them out as they do tend to get bias officiating and are always finding ways to pull out victories.

Boston Bruins - 99 Points

Boston has been running pretty smoothly all season long, but the question from last years playoffs are still going to be there where they lost to Philadelphia in seven games after being up 3-0 in the series. However, given the way most of the other contenders in the East have played and recent history of other teams, it is very possible to see the Bruins in the finals.

Pittsburgh Penguins - 100 Points

Pittsburgh has topped the century mark in points despite no Crosby or Malkin and no confirmed return date for either of them could make them an easy target to pick off if the team they play against can shut down Jordan Staal. The star power they are lacking right now will make it easy for a team to shut them down and possibly send them packing very early.

Tampa Bay Lightning - 99 Points

Tampa is going to be in the playoffs the first year under Yzerman, having said that, I don't know if they have the defensive capabilities to keep from making an early exit in the playoffs. Roloson did take the Oilers to the finals but that team was much more defensive minded game so I don't think that the Roloson deal will really accumulate to much for the Lightning.

Phoenix Coyotes - 96 Points

I thought Phoenix would be closer to the #8 spot in the West as I thought last year they overachieved, apparently not. Having said that, the West is so tight that they will have to fight tooth and nail to make it to the second round but I don't think they have the experience to go much further than that.

Los Angeles Kings - 96 points

After struggling to get into the playoff picture for most of the season the Kings will make a second straight appearance in the playoffs, they will be just as hard pressed as last year to get into the second round as this team I feel still needs to grow, and don't forget, Anze Kopitar is gone with a broken ankle.

Nashville Predators - 95 Points

Barry Trotz continues to lead the Preds to the playoffs, but he can't get them to win a series. If they face Detroit or San Jose they may be able to do something they haven't done before, print off second round of playoff tickets.

Anaheim Ducks - 93 Points

After a horrible season last year, the Ducks made my prediction of them being the worst team in the league look stupid. They do have one good line and a solid second line, other than that, they are not deep, they may need some more time to really be able to make a run at the Cup again.

Chicago Blackhawks - 92 Points

The Hawks for the most part of this season have not looked like the team from last year, I thought even though they lost a ton of the players that helped them to the Cup that the remaining cast should have been able to continue to rock. I really don't think they have the intangibles to take the Cup this year, or the goaltending.

Montreal Canadiens - 91 Points

The Habs have cooled down as of late and I don't think they will be able to do what they did last year where they took out Washington and Pittsburgh. They did a lot better then I thought they would have but if they meet Boston in the first round, that could be a match up they could use to get revenge on Zdeno Chara by eliminating them, any other team I see eliminating them.

New York Rangers - 91 Points

The Rangers have been hot and cold, but I don't see them making any waves in the playoffs, unless they decide to go surfing directly afterwards.

Buffalo Sabers - 90 Points

The Sabers pretty much didn't show up until Mid-November and have probably the one goalie you don't want to face in the first round if you are a higher seed in Ryan Miller. They could pull of the upset because of Miller, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually went far in the playoffs.

That is all I have for now, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

How I Know I Can Do A Better Job Than Colin Campbell

2011-04-02T11:51:00.003-06:00

Ok, I must start off this blog posting with the fact that, this isn't a matter of opinion, it is a fact that I can do a better job than Colin Campbell as the league disciplinarian of the NHL.

Jan Hejda of the Columbus Blue Jackets was given a two game suspension for delivering an elbow to the head of Chicago forward who I have never heard of before this incident, Marcus Kruger. I haven't been able to find a clip of the hit but I do know that Hejda during the game was given a two minute minor for elbowing so I won't do anymore than say this for right now on the play.

However, I did see Kyle Clifford of the Los Angeles Kings run Chris Tanev of the Vancouver Canucks from behind. Clifford during the game did receive five and a game but he should have got a suspension as well because it was a dirty hit from behind and definitely a blind side hit. How the hell he does not end up with a suspension I don't know but it makes one thing clear, Colin Campbell has to go.

If you take a look at the suspensions Colin Campbell has handed out it makes you wonder about how competent he really is at his job. The fact that players get suspended for hits where the other player turns out to be alright (Like in the case where Matt Cooke got his four game suspension for a hit from behind on Fedor Tyutin), can get more of a punishment than a guy who takes someone out and the player is injured on what is clearly a dirty hit makes no sense to me.

Lets take a look at a couple of situations here, the Matt Cooke hit on Fedor Tyutin as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, and the Clifford hit on Tanev.

Here is the hit of Cooke on Tyutin

If this is a four game suspension, where Tyutin gets right back up and into the play. I haven't been able to find a clip of the Clifford hit on Tanev to put on here yet but there is a copy of it in the TSN archives if you go into their video player, they do have it.

So if you have seen both now let's go through them. Cooke's hit on Tyutin is from behind, Tyutin is not injured on the play yet Cooke was still kicked out of the game and suffered a four game suspension. if that is the case for that hit than Clifford's hit which was much worse, also on an icing (so if you are watching Coach's Corner tonight with Don Cherry you will probably get to see it there) and he injures Tanev, yet he gets nothing.

These are double standards and they are pissing me off. It doesn't matter if the player is named Matt Cooke, Sidney Crosby, Rick Rypien, or Anton Volchenkov, all players should be punished by the same set of rules, not one for the superstars and one for the rest of the league, nor should it be is the player a repeat offender, if it is a dirty play, it is a dirty play, suspend accordingly and also, lets get that fucking instigator rule out, lets see how many of these dirty hits we see continue to happen or will they actually smarten up because they know that they have to deal with guys that aren't afraid knuckles to rearrange someones face.

What aren't the Canucks leading?

2011-04-01T18:56:00.003-06:00

Well, the Canucks have not only clinched the West, but have clinched the President's Trophy for the first time in the franchises history. However, leading in points isn't thing the Canucks are leading, they are leading in almost every important statistical area.

The Canucks lead the league in goals, goals against, PP, PK, faceoff percentage, and who knows what else. The Canucks are right now the team to beat and I seriously think it is Cup or bust for them.

Also if you didn't see the Canucks game last night, some of the most notorious fans in the NHL made an appearance and created Green-a-mania.

Now that I am done with the entertainment on to some serious stuff. Kyle Clifford of the Los Angeles Kings ran Chris Tanev from behind and received 5 and a game for it. Personally, I think that Clifford should get 5-7 games for this hit as Tanev was injured on the play. So, since this new head shot and blindside hit rule has been put into effect, I have seen more dirty plays but at least the NHL has been going in the right direction as of late.

That is all for me now, so until next time, keep your stick on your ice.

Where the hell are the playoff spoilers?

2011-03-29T18:10:00.002-06:00

As we close in on the playoffs, there are usually a couple teams from each conference that ruin some chances for teams playing for playoff spots. Ottawa has welcomed this as Craig Anderson has been destroying teams confidence by giving them something different when they face Ottawa (good goaltending). However the teams that have sucked in the West, all they have done is roll over and play dead.

If you happen to have caught Calgary vs Edmonton on Saturday you watched the Oilers literally self destruct in the third period giving up a three goal lead and eventually losing in a shootout.

Seriously, I can't laugh at these teams who are fighting for a playoff spot when the teams that have nothing to play for continue to lose.

#200 Goes to the Refs

2011-03-26T11:45:00.003-06:00

I was thinking about being nice and courteous for my 200th blog post on this blog of mine, but then I decided to say fuck it and get to something that once again is really getting on my nerves, the referees.

Last night's game between the Canucks and the Thrashers had a game where the Canucks did not have a single power play and the officiating was so bad, that even the Atlanta Thrasher announcers were wonder how the hell the Thrashers weren't getting penalized on certain plays (This is one of the biggest signs when an announcing team speaks about it being a bit to obvious that the refs are being bias). John Garrett made the comment that on the close calls, he isn't so bothered if a call isn't made, but when the obvious one's are not called, it does frustrate him.

Once again I feel that it is time to make my point on what good officiating looks like.

Things to look for to see if a referee is doing a good job:

1. Is the guy consistent the entire game through?
Basically, is the guy making the same calls that he made in the first five minutes of a game as in the last five minutes of the game, sometimes that last couple minutes of a game penalty sucks, but it still needs to be called. Also, another part of consistency is that what is called on one team is called on the other, nobody likes double standards (this should also be taken into the consideration of when dealing out suspension).

2. Do you remember the referees name at the end of the game,or do you even have the urge to find out the name because of the poor officiating?
It has often been said that the best official is the one you have never heard of, which brings up the case of Dean Warren, I had never heard of this guy until the lawsuit that involved the e-mails from Colin Campbell which makes me wonder if the NHL wants to actually have good officiating in the sport. The guys who's names you remember are referees you don't want to have in a game, like Kerry Fraser, Dan Marouelli (I always called this Dan Marijuana, because of the apparent penalties this guy saw), Andy Van Hellemond, this list can go on but you get the picture.

3. Is the referee able to put his ego aside?
Players have pulled one over on referees when they dive and are able to draw penalties. The referees do have memories and usually will be a little more hesitant when the player goes down next time after they were suckered in on a dive. However, if a ref decides to get vengeful, he is not doing his job properly (Yes I am looking at Stephane Auger here), and they should receive a quick and prompt firing. Bottom line here is check your pride at the door and make proper calls.

Now some things that make up a bad ref

1. Is he known for making the long call?
Nothing pisses me off more when the referee who is 150 ft. away from the play makes a shitty call because he thought he saw something that wasn't there, this pisses everybody off.

2. Going along with the one above this, is he known for the make up call?
This usually happens after a weak ass call and this call just annoys everyone. It also makes the ref look like an idiot because it just usually continues for the rest of the game.

3. Is the ref a homer?
You wonder why some teams look good at home and mediocre or horrible on the road? Thank the refs who tend to favor home teams, this goes for pretty much every home team as long as they reside in the U.S.A. I watch a ton of games and quite often on games I can watch the home team being close to commit murder and not get called and the road team touch a home team player and they get dinged.

That is all for this blog so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Canucks are Rocking and Rolling

2011-03-25T20:28:00.003-06:00

Well my Canucks defeated the excrement of the Chicago Blackhawks (exception Andrew Ladd, the rest of the former Hawks there suck) by defeating the Atlanta Thrashers tonight 3-1 on goals from Raymond, Bolduc (his was a beauty) and Alex Burrows with an empty netter paved the way as Luongo was solid in net again making 30 saves.

With this win the Canucks once again put their lead for the President's Trophy at nine over Philadelphia and lead the West by twelve. Also with the win, the Canucks have secured their best season ever as they eclipsed their previous best season point total of 105 points as they now have 107 with seven games remaining. The Canucks also secured their best road season record with their 24th road win and have tied their team record for most wins in a season at 49.

So I have to ask, even with all these injuries, who can stop these guys? I take a quick look around the league and I can't see anyone who can keep up with them anywhere. If Bobby Lou struggles, the "Ginger Jesus" Cory Schneider can step in and it is just as difficult to score on him as it is on Luongo when he is on his game. Then consider our defense, which is best in Goals Against in the league, also consider this blue line has had, could you imagine a healthy Canucks defensive group, opposing forwards would be having nightmares. Now the offence, oh look, the Canucks are at the top there too. Special teams, top team in both PP and PK.

If this success carries into the playoffs, there is no one that can stop us, and until I blog again, keep your stick on the ice.

A War That Will NOT Come Tonight

2011-03-24T11:37:00.003-06:00

Tonight is the first match up between the Habs and the Bruins since Zdeno Chara tried to make Max Pacioretty a permanent piece of the Bell Centre and apparently, everyone is expecting blood, I on the other hand, am not.

I personally think the NHL did the right thing in this situation as there was a five and a game misconduct that went with it. I don't think that any suspension that went along with it, it wasn't a dirty play and that is part of the reason I do not think that there will be an incident like there was with Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore (Also that incident happened in a poorly officiated game with a score of 8-2 at the time).

Most of the aftermath of the Pacioretty incident was pretty much done to either quell the crowd (the police investigation), or by companies that have their headquarters in Montreal and were trying to threaten the NHL by withdrawing their sponsorship.

I personally think that the police investigation will result in nothing as it was just a hockey play that had a very unfortunate outcome.

Tough plays happen, but it depends how well he recovers as I would like to see him play in the NHL again.

That is all for right now, and if anything does happen, I think it will be a fight between Chara and Gill

This is the Fucking Anger Post

2011-03-23T20:03:00.003-06:00

As you can tell, I am a little pissed off right now, however this post is going to have a ton of anger in it because of the stupidity that I have witnessed, whether in a game by broadcasters (Surprisingly not Pierre Maguire) or some people on a panel discussing concussions.

Let's start with the broadcaters. I was watching the Canucks vs Red Wings tonight and the Canucks won 2-1 (WOOHOO). I caught the game in the internet through the Fox Sports Detroit feed and these guys were complaining about a non interference penalty with the goalie on Max Lapierre and a deserved interference penalty on Tomas Holmstrom. I saw these two plays, Lapierre was in a race for the puck when Howard went out to play it, given Lapierre positioning, I think he did as good a job as possible to avoid steam rolling the Detroit net minder. Holmstrom's penalty at the end of the game came when the puck was no where near him or the Canuck that he shoved into Roberto Luongo, and the Detroit broadcasters go "he stole my ball" level of tantrum on the game. For fuck sakes, the team that gets away with the most shit over the last few years doesn't get a call and suddenly they feel robbed, go fuck yourself Detroit broadcasters.

Onto the panel discussing concussions, this post featured Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden, Professor of Neurosurgery at U of T Dr. Charles Tator, and a fucking bitch named Mary Ormsby and a blogger, Down Goes Brown. They talk about the two major events to do with concussions which are Max Pacioretty and Sidney Crosby. Right off the bat of the roundtable debate, Ormsby and Tator say that Steckel's hit on Crosby was intent to injure and was trying permanently end Crosby's career. These two fucking idiots probably were picked last for all teams and are trying to take their vengeance on the people more talented than they are. Ken Dryden and Down Goes Brown actually use logic and reason when saying their statements and actually make you understand what they think, not just saying something that will get you airtime.

The round table is up on Down Goes Brown and I suggest just muting Tator and Ormsby, and if they make it into some sissy sport that people who just sucked at contact sports could pay, can we even call it hockey anymore?

So Called Experts and Head Shots

2011-03-22T17:51:00.003-06:00

Well, there has been outcry from hockey insiders and the so-called experts who say we need to have a penalty for head shots.

These guys think they know what is absolutely best for the game and attempt to shove it down our throat and if we disagree with them, they try and make us feel like idiots. First off, there wouldn't be this conversation if a certain player, that most of the experts see as the greatest thing in hockey, didn't have a concussion.

The other thing that bothers me, is that these guys didn't say jack shit when it was Scott Stevens laying people out or when Dion Phaneuf smashed Rotislav Olesz into pieces, all these "experts" said than was that it was a tough hockey play and the player who was on the receiving end of one of these hits was that they needed to keep there head up and be more aware.

Also, last time I checked, this is a CONTACT sport. Injuries are going to happen when people take a hit wrong or take it to a part of the body that doesn't take to well to being hit with a decent amount of force, it's simple biology people.

That is all for right now that I can think of, plus my supper is ready so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Not Sure It's Enough

2011-03-21T21:03:00.002-06:00

Well, the hammer came down on Matt Cooke and he was suspended for the remainder of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. Basically this means he will miss 10 for sure as that is how many regular season games the Penguins have left plus another 4-7 depending on how long the Penguins first round series goes.

For some reason, I just don't feel this is enough as we know Matt Cooke will come back and do the same shit. I think part of what makes me uncomfortable is that there isn't a definitive number of games set. Personally, I think it would be better if they just said a definitive number and left it at that, another thing is, what if the Penguins were to tank the rest of the season and not get another point and somehow missed the playoffs, what would happen?

I also have to bring up that the NHL has been a lot softer on suspensions since the Marty McSorley - Donald Brashear incident back in 2001. McSorley was given an 82 game suspension for the incident and since then have been weak, and have been fucking up calls since then.

So hopefully the NHL will smarten up and take the stupid shit that Matt Cooke does and punish more harshly.

The Calgary Penalty Shot Conspiracy

2011-03-20T22:30:00.002-06:00

The Flames and Ducks played tonight, and Calgary netminder Henrik Karlsson, bailed out the refs on a called penalty in overtime against Bobby Ryan. I can not find a clip on YouTube so I will tell you what happened.

The Flames turn it over in the neutral zone to Bobby Ryan, who then goes storming towards the Calgary zone, Steve Staios tries to swipe the puck away but misses and then Bobby Ryan goes crashing into the net. Here is the thing though, Staios was beside him, Ryan never had a breakaway, hence a penalty shot should not have been called. Seriously, what the fuck is gong on, the last three penalty shots against the Flames and one I could understand the penalty shot being called, the other two were complete bull shit.

Needless to say, the Ducks went on to win this game in OT 5-4 on a Toni Lydman point shot which moves the Ducks into 8th, my main question here is though, what would the outcry be if the winner was scored on a very, very questionable penalty shot?

Time To Throw the Book at Matt Cooke

2011-03-20T17:10:00.002-06:00

Well, I was planning on blogging about ownership situations in various locations. However, Matt Cooke and his elbow are taking the time on my blog today. Earlier today in the Penguins-Rangers game, Matt Cooke did his best impression of Macho Man Randy Savage by throwing an elbow at the head of Ryan McDonough.

Here is the clip

The refs actually got this one right (I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming) as they gave Cooke a five minute major for intent to injure and a game misconduct.

Personally, the NHL has a chance here to really come down hard on a guy who has just gotten worse over the years as far as his play is concerned. When he played in Vancouver he played on the edge but the dirty plays that he seems to make now were not as often back then. Since he has come to Pittsburgh, he has literally became an el grande douche bag. I would like to see the league come down hard on him and give him 10+ games but I see him getting around 4-6 because hey, he does play for a Gary Bettman favorite team.

The other thing that the NHL could do (and which most fans would actually like to see), is declare open season on Matt Cooke. Basically, this means player could do whatever they want to, to Matt Cooke and not get called, my personal favorite would be if someone made him look like a beaver by making him eat a hockey stick and knocking out his teeth, and hopefully giving him a career ending concussion in the process.

That is all for this one, and let's hope the NHL uses some common sense and throws the book at Cooke and lets face it, no one would feel very sorry if they did.

Canucks Get Ass Raped By Refs

2011-03-18T23:09:00.004-06:00

If you missed the Canucks game tonight I will show you what you missed

First we have a five minute major for Boarding handed out to Alex Burrows

I know this isn't the best angle of the hit, but I saw another angle courtesy of the Phoenix Coyotes feed and when you see it, you notice not only is Fiddler stopping, he also loses an edge on the play and Burrows barely touches him. As far as poor calls go, to say this one is horrible, is an understatement. Not to mention the fact that the Coyotes scored two PP goals on the five minute major.

Here is the Canucks goal but watch before the goal for the Canucks player that gets held and NO CALL.

Absolute fucking bullshit, and since I am speaking of awful officiating, earlier in the game when the Canucks had a 5-on-3 and then a 5-on-4, during the 5-on-4 Samuelsson was whacking at the puck and then took shots to the head from multiple Coyotes with their gloves in a fist like position, Samuelsson fires back at them and then another Coyote spears him, and there is no fucking penalty. To say that the Canucks got ass raped is actually to kind to the refs, and knowing how the NHL higher ups look upon poor officiating, these guys are likely going to get promoted instead of getting the axe that they would get if the league was run by someone who actually respected the integrity of the game of hockey. Adding to the bullshit, with the Canucks net empty, Daniel Sedin gets tripped, I think you might be catching the theme of this blog, NO PENALTY, so for those of you keeping score at home, at the referees done there job properly in this game the final score would have been Vancouver 1, Phoenix 0.

That is all for this one and if the officiating keeps up like that, the Canucks will be lucky to escape the first round.

Some Friday Thoughts

2011-03-18T19:23:00.003-06:00

Hey, it is the weekend, and I thought I would give my thoughts on some of the stuff that is coming up that will begin to get big talk in the hockey world outside of the race for the playoffs (But I will talk about that too).

Well, with the end of season coming up, the NHL awards will also become a hot topic on who will win the one's that get voted on by the GM's (Vezina) and the hockey writer's association (Every other award that other than Art Ross, Jennings, President's Trophy and Rocket Richard). However, we will start with the one's that are based on numbers.

The Art Ross Trophy once again looks to be heading to Vancouver only this time into the other twins trophy room, Daniel Sedin. Stamkos and Henrik Sedin are both in the race but Daniel has a six point lead on both of them. It also makes you wonder what this would look like if Sidney Crosby hadn't have gotten injured, he was ahead by quite a bit.

The Rocket Richard looks like it will be the sole property of Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos. He has a five goal lead over Daniel Sedin and a seven goal lead over Ryan Kesler and Corey Perry.

The Jennings is ridiculously close as there are 7 teams with in 10 goals of having the best GA in the league which is currently held by Nashville with only 168 goals against through 70 games. However, if you are to go on the average of Goals Against through amount of games played so far Vancouver is actually the odds on as they have given up 169 through 72 which gives them the lowest GA overall. However Boston, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Rangers, Washington, are all with in single digits of Nashville.

The President's trophy almost already looks like it will be residing in Vancouver as long as the Canucks keep their foot on the pedal and don't put it in cruise, the only teams that are even realistically in range are Philadelphia, Washington and Detroit, and they all have to go on a huge roll and hope Vancouver will stumble as they do have a bit of a gap on all of them.

Now to the voted awards.

Well, let's start with the big one first. The Hart is probably more open this year than most. There are lots of worthy candidates but the few that I see standing out are Tim Thomas, Steven Stamkos, Daniel Sedin, Carey Price, and Niklas Lidstrom. Thomas has been absolutely insane in the Bruins net, Stamkos has pretty much put the Lightning on his back and has led the Lightning in every way (I think he should be named captain), Daniel is leading the league in points and has a phenomenal +/-, Carey Price has lead the Habs with outstanding goaltending and has proven me wrong as I thought that with the way he played last year that the Habs were heading for a draft lottery pick, and Niklas Lidstrom who at the age of forty hasn't even come close to osing a beat from what I have seen of him this year.

On to the Norris trophy and I think this will be Niklas Lidstrom once again receiving the top d-man award however he may face competition from Lubomir Visnovsky, and Keith Yandle, however if +/- also comes into effect in this race the only other guy who I see getting some votes is Christian Ehrhoff who is Top 10 in points in defencemen and has a solid +/- as Lidstrom is only a +1.

The Calder race is looking to be pretty interesting as I think that it will be the top three point getters who will be the finalists at the end of the season in Jeff Skinner, Logan Couture, and Micheal Grabner with maybe some votes going to Tyler Ennis. A couple goalies might get some consideration in Corey Crawford and Cory Schneider however both don't have much of a chance because Crawford will barely be over fifty and even though Schneider is 14-3-2, he plays behind Bobby Lou who gets a majority of the games however the Canucks have a great talent for trade bait.

The Jack Adams trophy I personally think will go out to Vancouver again as I think Alain Vaignault will receive the award again since the Canucks look like they will be taken the President's Trophy for most points during the regular season, also doing it with a defensive core for part of the season that Manitoba Moose fans would have been more familiar with (The Canucks defensive corps have been injured a lot this season). There is always going to be some trepidation on this because some will give it to the team that any hockey writer thinks has improved the most so Guy Boucher in Tampa and Marc Crawford in Dallas will also get some votes.

The Vezina I think will be a run away for Tim Thomas who has got a big lead in GAA and Save %, but there are others who deserve some notice. Pekka Rinne in Nashville has got a solid GAA and Save %. Vancouver netminder Roberto Luongo has quietly gone about having his best year in GAA and Save % (Which surprised the hell out of me considering his 2007 season). Carey Price will also get some consideration as he has been solid this year as well.

The last award I am going to talk about for regular season excellence is the Selke for top defensive forward. This is an award I see a Canuck walking away with either it being Ryan Kesler or Manny Malhotra who have both been excellent in their defensive domination (Kesler also adding the offensive spark to his game) and with Datsyuk being injured for a majority of the season, including the fact that the Canucks are also going for the Jennings, it almost seems like this award will be coming to Vancouver.

Now to the playoff picture.

Well, one part of the picture is clear, Vancouver will definitely have home ice advantage in the first round as they have already clinched their division. Detroit and San Jose also looked like they are certain for the playoffs with my confidence fairly certain in that Detroit will also win the division, San Jose has too much close competition to be declared the winners of the Pacific division. The rest is still too close to call as there are five points that separate fourth from ninth and a quick losing streak has you on the outside looking in. However, having said that, these are the teams I see making the playoffs, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Nashville with Calgary and Anaheim both barely missing.

The East is a lot more clearer in the fact that I can comfortably say Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Montreal all going to be in the playoffs. The New York Rangers are close to me saying that they are in and Buffalo and Carolina are both tied in points but I am going to give the edge there to Buffalo due to the simple fact that they have Ryan Miller and I would want him in my net due to the fact that I think he is one of the top two goalies in the league with Bobby Lou.

I am hoping to put up another blog on the weekend having to do with all the teams for sale and the major problems of Phoenix and Atlanta and the possibility of relocation.

BOOYAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-16T22:50:00.003-06:00

Well, my Vancouver Canucks have clinched a playoff spot and the division after defeating the Colorado Avalanche tonight 4-2. The Canucks were down 2-0 after one period and 2-1 after two. However, Brian Elliot than returned to his normal form of being a sieve and the Canucks won the game with this beauty from Hank.

All I can say is that we have another goal of the year candidate from the wonder twins.

Seriously, I do not know what can stop the Canucks if they continue to play like this and get poor officiating (Hey, we all know that it is going to happen, Bettman does not want to see the Cup north of the border).

That is all for this one, and I am preparing the sympathy cards for their first round opponent already.

Questionable Hits Galore

2011-03-16T18:24:00.003-06:00

Last night there were a few questionable hits. Dany Heatley of the San Jose Sharks has already received a two game suspension for his elbow to the head of Dallas pest Steve Ott, Douglas Murray put a somewhat questionable head shot on Dallas forward Loui Eriksson, and Bruins forward Brad Marchand has a disciplinary hearing with the NHL after his hit from behind on R.J. Umberger (It is over the phone which usually no more than five games).

I personally think that the punishment will fit the crimes in the situations. I think we will continue to see these type of hits because players are looking to play closer to the edge without going over, they can't all score goals so this is how they feel they can make a difference.

New Week Thoughts

2011-03-15T20:16:00.005-06:00

Well we are starting to hit the final stretch of the season with teams having about 12 games left and things are looking pretty interesting for the most part. However I would like to start with some more follow up on the Zdeno Chara hit on Max Pacioretty. Bruce Boudreau, who is coach of the Capitals had some words for the situation and the protesters who were outside the Bell Centre tonight for the Habs vs Capitals game. This is the full article taken from tsn.ca:

Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau has a message for the group of protesters who are headed to the Bell Centre for Tuesday night's Capitals game against the Canadiens to protest head shots in the NHL.

"You don't like it, don't come to the games," Boudreau told the assembled media at the Capitals' pre-game skate on Tuesday morning.

The protest began on Mar. 9 when Canadiens fans - irate at the lack of a suspension for Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara after he drove forward Max Pacioretty's head into a stanchion - launched a Facebook campaign to gather outside the arena. The online petition had over 1,500 signatures as of Tuesday morning.

Boudreau - who has demonstrated that he has no fear on speaking his mind - also said that if situations were reversed, that the incident would have already been forgotten.

"Listen, I don't want to get into any controversy," he said. "But if that was Hal Gill that hit David Krejci, I don't think there'd be a protest going on here tonight."

Several key NHL sponsors such as Air Canada and VIA Rail have voiced their displeasure with the league following the incident, but Boudreau believes that the players themselves understand the risk that they take by choosing to play a full-contact sport.

"I think the players realize that they could get hurt," said Boudreau. "They don't want to do it, but unless you've played and see what goes on and at the speed of the game, you're not going to be able to argue with it."

Boudreau makes some statements here that are obvious but have obviously been ignored by bias Habs supporters.

Now onto the playoff picture. The Canucks are basically waiting for the outcome of the Flames game right now to see if they have clinched the division so we know they will be in as they have already have topped the century mark and have eleven games left to set some team records for most points and wins in a season (Most points in a season is 105 and most wins is 49).

Detroit is the only other Western Conference team I am 100% sure that will make the playoffs. Other teams just seem too close together to officially lay out the welcome mat for because if you lose two games in a row in that race right now you could be in 9th place.

The East is a lot more easier to determine who I can say is in without actually clinching a playoff spot yet. Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and Montreal will all make the playoffs.

Since we are on the Eastern Conference, what about the 2nd half run of the New Jersey Devils. They are now only six points out of a playoff spot, considering the start of the season they had, this is quite surprising. However I have to mention this, if they were in the West, they would be eleven points out of a playoff spot, not to mention facing a lot more tougher teams rather than the two tier system of the East (They would also be in 14th in the West with the amount of points they have, yes the West is still that much better than the East).

If you happen to catch the highlights of the Canucks game last night you probably caught this, which is probably going to go on every blooper reel.

When I first saw this, all I did was laugh my ass off and thought it was funny as hell. Personally, I was hoping that Clutterbuck had injured himself because the guy is a dirty player who I wouldn't mind seeing the whole Tie Domi-Ulf Samuelsson situation repeated with Clutterbuck playing the role of the infamous Swede.

Now on to the most money wasting events in the NHL calendar, the NHL GM meetings. At this, they come up with dumb ideas to actually increase concussions rather than decrease them. If you have yet to hear about it, it basically breaks down like this when a player may be dealing with a concussion:

A player who is dealing with a concussion will be checked by the team doctor in a quiet area free from distraction while the doctor administers the tests that need to be done.

Basically, to any player who's role is to try and shut down the top players on the other team, run them because they will be off the ice for most of the period because of the new stuff the players have to go through.

The one thing that I have heard from this meeting that I am liking is stiffer penalties for boarding and charging. Boarding usually falls into the category of hitting from behind which I think is something that has needed to be dealt with for a long time.

Onto one of my least favorite people in the game of hockey, Sidney Crosby. Sidney Crosby took to the ice this week and Pierre Maguire had 50,000 orgasms in hearing this news. In actual seriousness, Crosby did take to the ice for 15 minutes doing some skating and shooting some pucks but has said that he is far from being back in games. Crosby also stated that this has been the first week he has had no headaches. I am not sure if Crosby is babying it or just playing it safe. Overall, I am pretty sure Crosby wants to come back at 100% and wants to be able to play up to his standards.

To end off on this blog today, have you seen recent Canuck interviews, they are being Kesler bombed, they are actually quite funny.

Why Do They Prolong The Agony?

2011-03-11T17:42:00.003-07:00

Well, news came out today that douche bag extraordinaire, Gary Bettman was given a contract to stay commissioner for the next 5 years while receiving 36 million dollars over that time. (Spray water out of my mouth) $36 Million, fuck that, Bettman has about as much hockey know how as a fetus.

Other than the fact that all this fucking idiot has done since he has taken over is destroy the game of hockey, he needs to go. Let's take a look at his track record. 2 Lockouts, how many failed sunbelt teams that don't make any money, not allowing teams to go back to Canada where the NHL will actually make money, everyone questioning the integrity of everyone who works for the NHL from referees, to the war room, to league disciplinarian Colin Campbell.

Bettman also has this fetish about new arenas that makes me sick. While yes, some of the old buildings are not necessarily the best, they are a hell of a lot better for energy levels because the crowd noise doesn't disapperate it just stays in there, also the old buildings have soul, all the new buildings are just lifeless it seems.

Another Bettman qualm I have is the attitude he is taking towards the actions of Air Canada and VIA Rail and the non-suspension to Zdeno Chara for his hit on Max Pacioretty. Bettman has pretty much said we don't care and is acting like a little brat thinking that if they don't play by his rules, they aren't allowed in the tree house. However, with Air Canada and VIA Rail both withdrawing their sponsorship money out of the NHL (They are both Canadian businesses) this could make a dent in the wallet of the NHL.

Having said that however, having the CEO's or president's of corporations trying to tell someone else how to run their operation is fairly idiotic, I wouldn't tell a gynecologist how to preform a hysterectomy. What comes to mind in this situation is two kids arguing over something they both are getting wrong and each yelling at the other that they are wrong.

But for the closing, all I can say is this, the NHL is screwed until Bettman is gone.

The Chara Saga, Penalty Shots, and More Bettman Blasting

2011-03-09T16:51:00.005-07:00

Well, let's start with the big topic of the day as Boston Bruins d-man, Zdeno Chara avoided any type of punishment outside of the penalty minutes he received last night from the devastating hit he delivered to Max Pacioretty.

Here is the hit:

Pacioretty plays the puck and Chara, a man who is known for taking the body destroyed the opposing player. Pacioretty also suffered broken vertebrae and a severe concussion. Personally I think the NHL made the right call on this one as even though it was a devastating hit, I don't think there was any actual malicious intent from Chara.

Now onto a couple of things that also happened from last night, the most exciting actual play in hockey, the penalty shot. One was giving to Alex Burrows last night in overtime and one was also rewarded to the Islanders against the Leafs. The Burrows penalty shot was an actual good call for the penalty shot as he was hauled down on a break away and failed to get the shot off. The one the Islanders received against the Leafs was complete horse shit.

I can not recall who had the breakaway for the Isles but they did get hooked on the breakaway, he still got away a good shot. This is not a penalty shot, just a penalty.

Now on to douche bag extraordinaire, Gary Bettman. The guy is still hell bent on keeping a failing team in Phoenix and continue to lose a ton of money. If you also want further evidence that the NHL does not belong in the Southern States, check out the highlights of the last three Canuck games. The Canucks fans have been dominating the crowd so badly I almost think that the Pacific Division should be renamed, The Teams That Will Have Less Fans in the Crowd Than the Vancouver Canucks.

If Gary Bettman was really interested in making the NHL a more profitable organization, it would be a no brainer to move teams North into the Northern States and Canada. The sunbelt teams have been a failure and it is time to move teams that are not making money out of those weak markets and move them into more viable markets, but I think that what I have to say on that topic could fill a book.

That is all for right now, so until next time keep your stick on the ice.

How Kipper bailed out the referees

2011-03-05T12:48:00.003-07:00

Last night in the game between Calgary and Columbus, Miikka Kiprusoff stopped not one but two penalty shots. It also helped the Flames to a 4-3 win.

Where the first penalty shot was a little questionable, I could definitely understand it. The second one on the other hand, had I seen it on live TV, I would have been cursing up a storm because of the call, and let us not forget, I care less about the Flames than most of the teams.

The refs in this game were awful at best and seriously makes you wonder if all the anti-Canadian stuff people say about Bettman is true. Now if you say "Hey, he is just the head of the league, he has no real say in these matters.", I reply bull fucking shit.

Since Bettman has taken over, no Canadian team has won the cup since he has had a full year of power, two teams have left Canada and Bettman is not allowing for teams to go back to those cities without a valid explanation, and not to mention the ass raping that he does on the Canadian broadcasters for playoff coverage by giving NBC, who pays out fuck all and yet can get the games they want broad casted when they want.

Gary Bettman has been fucking over the Canadian teams and even though I have been saying this for a while it has to stop. Take a look at his work, the controversy from the '94 finals when Jim Robson actually called into the question the officiating because it was that bad, Robson had to be removed if the company that broad casted the games wanted to keep their deal with the NHL. The next big thing that comes to mind for me was when the Canucks made there return to the playoffs in 2001, however it was the year after and it was the officiating in the Detroit series where Brian Burke had his classic rant including the Swedish translation for Sedin is not headlock and punch me in a scrum.. '03 brought with it the ability for the Blues to be able to pretty much murder the Canucks and not be penalized for it until the St. Louis broadcasters called out the NHL on it. Also in 2003, the screw job the Canucks received vs the Minnesota Wild, simply put, officials who should have been fired. Then 2004 came around and the Flames run to the finals and the piss poor officiating that happen throughout the finals. The ones of prominence from this series are Game 4, officiated by Kerry Fraser where the Lightning could tackle Flames, not be called, and then the Flames being penalized any time a Lightning got hit. This game was so poorly officiated that Kerry Fraser had to be taken out of Calgary (He was also scheduled for officiating game 6 in Calgary) and then was given game 7 apparently for the "great" job he did in game 4. Game 6 of this series featured a no goal for the Flames that should have been a goal and a tripping penalty that went uncalled that lead to the OT winner by the Lightning. Then we had the lockout and afterwards The Oilers made it to the finals and where this series was better officiated than the previous two finals in this blog entry the refs still were horrible, being bailed out by a couple of great plays by the Oilers, remember the SH tally by Fernando Pisani in game 5 and the penalty that was called so that it happened, however they completely screwed the pooch in game 7 by letting the Hurricanes being able to commit murder if they had wanted to.

Also since the lockout we have seen Gary Bettman try a new tactic. Bettman has shown severe favoritism to certain teams, with the Penguins, Red Wings and Blackhawks being at the forefront of this. It has grown very wearisome as I have watched these teams being able to commit murder and the referees just stand around with their thumbs in their asses.

This is all I have for right now as this is only a small part of the exhibit, but we all know how long this could go on for.

Why is all the attention still on Crosbitch?

2011-03-04T16:43:00.004-07:00

Seriously, what the fuck? Sideny Crosby has been out now for a couple of months now with a concussion and yet all you here from certain pundits of hockey is Sidney Crosby.

I take a look at the game of hockey and realise that there is more out there than #87 of the Pittsbugh Penguins. I take around the league and see a ton of elite players out there that hardly get the recognition because of the hype surrounding that whining bitch from Pittsburgh. Even though there is Hank and Daniel in Vancouver, Steven Stamkos in Tampa, Alexander Ovechkin in Washington, Jonathan Toews in Chicago, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in Detroit, Drew Doughty in Los Angeles, this list could go on but the only thing the NHL wants you to focus on for some stupid reason is a brat that has good skills, but also gets away with a ton of stuff where if the instigator wasn't in, I am pretty sure a guy like Rypien would have made sure he wouldn't be able to have solid food ever again.

Personally, I have not missed hearing about how great Crosbitch apparently is by all the "hockey experts" out there who somehow fail to realise that there are 29 other teams out there, none of which are named the Pittsburgh Penguins. I personally think that the so-called top hockey blogs are pretty much being controlled by Bettman and telling them what to write on, and you can probably guess what Bettman and his Crosby fetish want them to talk about.

That is all I have for now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Finally The Trade Deadline Has Past

2011-02-28T17:12:00.002-07:00

Nothing that would make me go crazy from the bigness of the deals. My team, the Vancouver Canucks acquired centre Chris Higgins from Florida and Maxim Lapierre from Anaheim.

I like the Higgins deal as he can play centre as well as the wing and could provide some offence and replace Mason Raymond who has not been up to par with last season.

The Max Lapierre deal is a bit of a question mark to me. Lapierre likes to play on the edge and sometimes go over it. If he can play on the edge and not go over it he will be a great addition, if he can't stop from going over the edge, the two players who are likely to go down in Oreskovich and Hodgson would be better in the line up.

The Western Conference team that I love to mock, the Calgary Flames, gave me more to mock them about as they picked up dead weight in Fredrick Modin. My question is how many more teams are going to give this guy a shot before they realise that he sucks.

That is all for now, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Referees, Do Your Fucking Job

2011-02-27T19:04:00.003-07:00

From watching the games yesterday, one thing is obvious, the NHL referees job consists of being as piss poor as possible. The officiating was so bad that I actually switched off of every game I watched. So Gary Bettman, if you ever happen to come across my blog, here's some advice for you. Let the referees call penalties the way they should be called and not have them steal the spotlight or have it again in the war room.

The World Hockey Champonships

2011-02-26T08:33:00.003-07:00

I know it is still a ways away, but, they have got to start looking now at what they could possibly have for going into the tournament with, so I give my players that Hockey Canada should go after for this tournament.

The only teams that I can say without a second thought of thinking if they are eliminated or not are the Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, and the New Jersey Devils. Atlanta and Florida are both tight on the line for being considered done like dinner for the season given the way the teams have played recently even with Atlanta only being six out of a playoff spot the way they have played recently makes me think they are gone soon (Toronto is also 6 out of a playoff spot but have been lighting it up since the All-Star break).

Some of the players they should go after are pretty simple to figure out. Going to Edmonton and getting Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall to play for Canada shouldn't be a problem, I also think they might extend an invite to Shawn Horcoff who is a good faceoff guy and penalty killer.

In Colorado I think the olive branch should be extended to Matt Duchene as he is leading the Av's in points this year.

Ottawa, if they have anyone left at the end of the year will have Jason Spezza available who would probably be a good first line centre for the team, it may take some coaxing though to get him to play in this.

The Islanders have another highly touted forward in John Tavares that Team Canada would love to have, also he is a younger player so getting him to go over and play will probably be easier.

The Devils feature more players from other parts of the world, however, I would like to see them get Travis Zajac to go over and play for Canada as I think his skill set has been mostly wasted in the defensive systems that the Devils deploy.

That is all I have for right now, until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

So Often, It Seems Ordinary

2011-02-20T23:25:00.002-07:00

If you did not happen to catch the Canucks game on Saturday night vs the Dallas Stars, you missed a couple beauties.

Here is Hank's Tic Tac Toe goal to make it 4-2

Here is Raffi Torres making it 5-2

And here is Daniel making it 3-1

All of these goals are pretty nice and are highlight goal worthy, had this been any other team in the NHL. The Canucks this year have made getting highlight reel goals seem so common place that myself and another transplant British Columbian in Saskatchewan that cheers for the Canucks, that even though they are nice goals, we have seen them score goals like this so often that we just cheer as if it is another goal.

Personally, I would like to see the Sedin's score an ugly one every now and again, but even when they try to do that it looks like a thing of beauty.

Dumb Move by St. Louis

2011-02-19T09:56:00.003-07:00

The St. Louis Blues have traded away Jay McClement and former first overall selection Erik Johnson to Colorado and the only thing they got back that may make any sort of impact is Chris Stewart. This along with the trade of Eric Brewer to Tampa Bay tells me that the Blues are throwing in the towel for the season so if I were them, I would just start playing like the Ottawa Senators.

However, then you take a look at who Erik Johnson was drafted ahead of, you may understand that the GM may have been stupid for a long time. The players that were immediately drafted after him were, Jordan Staal to Pittsburgh, Jonothan Toews to Chicago, and Niklas Backstrom to Washington. Other players drafted that year that would have made more sense are Phil Kessel, Claude Giroux, Milan Lucic, Brent Seabrook, Artem Anisimov, Micheal Grabner, and possibly Brad Marchand.

So personally I see the Blues just continuing to suffer as their last playoff appearance just seems to be an oasis. They really need to bunker down and start getting that time pointed in the right direction.

Trades, Trades, Trades

2011-02-18T15:50:00.002-07:00

Well, there have been more trades that once again make me say, are any of these teams really improving. The only one that I see making any difference so far is Tomas Kaberle who is now a Boston Bruin, and even there, I don't know how much of an impact he will make.

I feel that most of the teams are making trades for trades sake and that none of the teams that have been trading have really been making themselves better and are really just shuffling the amount of money they spend by a little bit because teams have to deal with the salary cap.

If you take a look at the teams that are staying the course like Vancouver and Detroit, you start to wonder if these other coaches have confidence in their teams on winning the Cup.

Canucks Defenceman Health Plan and some Western Conferece havoc

2011-02-17T16:28:00.007-07:00

Seriously do they have one? The Vancouver Canucks are without another defenceman for 2-3 weeks as Kevin Bieksa is out with a foot injury. One thing that has recently came to my attention is that with the amount of injuries that the Canucks have had on their defence and to the rest of the team is that Alain Vaignault should be a shoe in for the Jack Adams trophy as the Canucks have continued to roll even with a list of injuries that is starting to get as long as the list of ailments that you have you won't be covered by insurance.

Now onto an update on the Western Conference. There is a five way tie for fourth in the Conference with the Kings only one point behind. The Coyotes are one point ahead of this pack as well and this could be one of the most entertaining runs to the playoffs if all these teams stay together.

Well, the trades are picking up and I think it is all a bunch of posing by pretenders. The trades that I have seen so far do not make any of the top teams quiver as none of the teams have truly improved.

That is all for right now, so until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

The Walking Wounded

2011-02-16T16:10:00.003-07:00

If you have taken a look at the Canucks blue line, pretty soon they are going to call up forwards to start playing defence. Andrew Alberts becomes the latest Canucks defenceman to head to the IR.

The Canucks regular defence core that is still healthy is Kevin Bieksa and Christian Ehrhoff and Sami Salo who recently got off the IR. The call ups have been very good that we have had up such as Tanev, Sweatt, and the others are doing well for the Canucks but I would like to have all the regulars like Edler, Hamhuis, Ballard, and Alberts will be moved to our seventh defenceman. If they are able to go for the playoffs the Canucks will be scary as I know nobody would want to go up against that.

It will be interesting to see whether the Canucks will be able to keep this up for the rest of the season as the Canucks are currently first overall, and if it does, How could anyone stop a healthy Canucks team.

Some stuff doesn't make sense

2011-02-15T13:41:00.002-07:00

British Columia native, Aaron Voros is now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I have watched Voros play for the last couple years and can't understand why teams don't keep this guy around. I know this guy isn't the second coming of Gretzky, but this guy is a solid player. I personally think that Burke gets a steal of a deal for a conditional 7th round pick. Personally I think that Burke got a steal of a deal here as I think Voros as he is probably good for 10 goals a year and is always a good team player.