October 2009
2 posts
Blocked shots, lack of conditioning bring Habs to...
Habs vs Sens, always a good rivalry, the team i love the most vs. the team that i dislike the most (I don’t have to be unbiased, yet). The Habs showed many things this game.
1. They showed that they could compete with the much improved Sens. This was proven in the first period when they exploded out of the gate and outshot Ottawa 13-3. Montreal would have had double that if 13 of their...
First post of the season...
My first post of the season comes after watching the Montreal Canadiens home opener against the Colorado Avalanche thursday night. I sat down to watch this game pretty content with the state of the habs and of the nhl, but after the game, when I sat down at my computer to write this post, I was full of questions, and I’ll admit, a lot of anger.
I ask my first question, not as a Habs fan,...
September 2009
1 post
Back to school blues nothing compared the NHL's...
No, I’m not talking about St. Louis.
First it was the Phoenix Coyotes, then (and still) it was Dany Heatley, and now the firing of Paul Kelly. The summer for the National Hockey League has been mired in scandal and feuding between supposed “professionals”.
The Phoenix case could have easily been resolved 3 months ago if Gary Bettman and Bill Daly possessed the ability to see...
August 2009
17 posts
Nick's predictions (western conference)
Same deal as the eastern conference basically.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1: Detroit Red Wings - 51-20-11 - 113 points
2: San Jose Sharks - 49-25-8 - 106 points
3: Calgary Flames - 45-30-7 - 97 points
4: Anaheim Ducks - 47-27-8 - 102 points
5: Chicago Blackhawks - 49-30-3 - 101 points
6: St. Louis Blues - 41-26-15 - 97 points
7: Vancouver Canucks - 41-29-12 - 94 points
8: Columbus Blue Jackets...
Nick's predictions
What’s the fun of following an entire 82 game schedule in the NHL without at least making some predictions about how it will all unfold? Here’s my take on the standings for the upcoming season:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1: Philadelphia Flyers - 49-20-13 -111 points
2: Washington Capitals - 47-23-12 - 106 points
3: Boston Bruins - 44-25-13 - 101 points
4: New York Rangers - 44-29-9 -...
Dany Heatley finally speaks out?
Dany Heatley says that he is finally going to speak out about his trade request. The one question is what will he say? Will it be anything pertinent or relevant? Or will it just be the meaningless dribble that has come out of everyone recently? I am not a Sens fan, but I am an avid sports fan, and because of this the Heatley situation is very irksome. I - and most likely every other hockey fan -...
30 teams in 30 days: Washington Capitals
Finished: 2nd eastern conference
Playoffs: Lost in 2nd round to Pittsburgh
Leading scorers: Alexander Ovechkin 110, Nicklas Backstrom 88, Alexander Semin 79, Mike Green 73
Who did they add?: Brendan Morrison, Mike Knuble
Who did they lose?: Donald Brashear, Brent Johnson
Overview: The Washington Capitals have enjoyed limited success in their time in the NHL, but some of that success has come...
30 teams in 30 days: Vancouver Canucks
Finished: 3rd western conference
Playoffs: Lost in 2nd round to Chicago
Leading scorers: Daniel Sedin 82, Henrik Sedin 82, Ryan Kesler 59, Pavol Demitra 53
Who did they add?: Mikael Samuelsson, Andrew Raycroft, Aaron Rome
Who did they lose?: Mattias Ohlund, Jason Labarbera
Overview: The hockey gods smiled on the Vancouver Canucks last season and rewarded them with Mats Sundin and a 3rd place...
30 teams in 30 days: Toronto Maple Leafs
Finished: 12th eastern conference
Leading scorers: Jason Blake 63, Alexei Ponikarovski 61, Matt Stajan 55, Mikhail Grabovski 48
Who did they add?: Colton Orr, Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Wayne Primeau, Garnet Exelby, Jhonas Gustavsson, Joey MacDonald, Rickard Wallin, Colin Stuart
Who did they lose?: Pavel Kubina, Tim Stapleton
Overview: The Leafs have been stuck in a recent funk that...
30 teams in 30 days: Tampa Bay Lightning
Finished: 14th eastern conference
Leading scorers: Martin St. Louis 80, Vincent Lecavalier 67, Steven Stamkos 46, Ryan Malone 45
Who did they add?: Mattias Ohlund, Matt Walker, Stephane Veilleux, Kurtis Foster, Antero Niittymaki
Who did they lose?: David Koci
Overview: Second last in the east, in front of only the Islanders, is definitely not what the Lightning had foreseen for the 2008-09...
30 teams in 30 days: St. Louis Blues
Finished: 6th western conference
Playoffs: Lost in 1st round to Vancouver
Leading scorers: Brad Boyes 72, David Backes 54, David Perron 50, Keith Tkachuk 49
Who did they add?: Ty Conklin
Who did they lose?: Jeff Woywitka, Jay Mckee
Overview: The 2008-09 season saw the Blues finally make the playoffs for the first time since 2003, when Al McInnis and Chris Pronger were leading the defense....
30 teams in 30 days: San Jose Sharks
Finished: 1st in the western conference
Playoffs: Lost in 1st round to Anaheim
Leading scorers: Joe Thornton 86, Patrick Marleau 71, Devin Setoguchi 65, Joe Pavelski 59
Who did they add?: Scott Nichol
Who did they lose?: Travis Moen, Brian Boucher, Jeremy Roenick
Overview: Playoff disappointment, two words heard very often when talk of the Sharks arises, was once again brought up last season....
Bettman and Balsillie
As I mentioned a little in my 30 teams in 30 days: Phoenix Coyotes feature, the Coyotes have no owner, and Jim Balsillie, co CEO of RIM, is making a huge push to gain ownership. The NHL repeatedly shuts down his attempts saying that it is nothing personal, yet Balsillie is still trying to put in a bid. I might be a little biased on this because I am canadian, and Balsillie aims to bring the team...
30 teams in 30 days: Pittsburgh Penguins
Finished: 4th eastern conference
Playoffs: Stanley Cup champions
Leading scorers: Evgeni Malkin 113, Sidney Crosby 103, Chris Kunitz 53, Jordan Staal 49
Who did they add?: Michael Rupp, Brent Johnson, Jay Mckee
Who did they lose?: Mathieu Garon, Rob Scuderi, Hal Gill
Overview: Last season, the Penguins proved that years of being absolutely horrible finally pays off in the end, as they...
30 teams in 30 days: Phoenix Coyotes
Finished: 13th western conference
Leading scorers: Shane Doan 73, Matthew Lombardi 46, Steven Reinprecht 41, Peter Mueller 36
Who did they add?: Vernon Fiddler, Brian McGrattan, Adrian Aucoin, Lauri Korpikoski
Who did they lose?: Nigel Dawes, Enver Lisin
Overview: The Coyotes entered the 2008-09 season with higher expectations than usual, as a rash of prime, young talent had the makings of...
30 teams in 30 days: Philadelphia Flyers
Finished: 5th eastern conference
Playoffs: Lost to Pittsburgh in 1st round
Leading scorers: Jeff Carter 84, Mike Richards 80, Simon Gagne 74, Scott Hartnell 60
Who did they add?: Chris Pronger, Brian Boucher, Ray Emery, Ian Laperierre, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen
Who did they lose?: Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, Mike Knuble, Antero Niittymaki, Martin Biron, Andrew Alberts
Overview: One of the most...
30 teams in 30 days: Ottawa Senators
Finished: 11th eastern conference
Leading scorers: Daniel Alfredsson 74, Jason Spezza 73, Dany Heatley 72, Filip Kuba 40
Who did they add?: Alex Kovalev
Who did they lose?: Brendan Bell
Overview: Things looked so promising in hockey country after making it all the way to Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, but things took a turn for the worst after that. Starting off the next season on a blistering...
30 teams in 30 days: New York Rangers
Finished: 7th eastern conference
Playoffs: Lost in 1st round to Washington
Leading scorers: Nik Antropov 59, Scott Gomez 58, Nikolai Zherdev 58, Chris Drury 56
Who did they add?: Marian Gaborik, Donald Brashear, Chris Higgins, Ales Kotalik, Enver Lisin
Who did they lose?: Colten Orr, Fredrik Sjostrom, Nik Antropov, Scott Gomez, Paul Mara, Derek Morris
Overview: Entering the 08-09 season, the...
30 teams in 30 days: New York Islanders
Finished: 15th eastern conference
Leading scorers: Mark Streit 56, Kyle Okposo 39, Doug Weight 38, Frans Neilsen 33
Who did they add?: Dwayne Roloson, Martin Biron
Who did they lose?: Yann Danis
Overview: John Tavares. I never knew that there could be two words that could save a franchise, but here they are. The Islanders, a team who has been consistently dreadful is years past look to finally...
30 teams in 30 days: New Jersey Devils
Finished: 3rd eastern conference
Playoffs: Lost in 1st round to Carolina
Leading scorers: Zach Parise 94, Patrik Elias 78, Jamie Langenbrunner 69, Travis Zajac 62
Who did they add?: Yann Danis, Cory Murphy, Rob Davison
Who did they lose?: Scott Clemmensen, Michael Rupp, Brian Gionta, John Madden
Overview: The Devils, one of the most consistent teams in the eastern conference in recent years,...
30 teams in 30 days: Nashville Predators
Finished: 10th western conference
Leading scorers: J.P Dumont 65, Jason Arnott 57, Shea Weber 53, Martin Erat 51
Who did they add?: Ben Guite
Who did they lose?: Greg Zanon, Vernon Fiddler, Scott Nichol, Ville Koistinen
Overview: After two straight 4th place finishes after the lockout, the Nashville Predators seem to have fallen off a little bit, finishing 8th two years ago, and last season...
July 2009
28 posts
30 teams in 30 days: Montreal Canadiens
Finished: 8th eastern conference
Playoffs: Lost in 1st round to Boston
Leading scorers: Alexei Kovalev 65, Andrei Markov 64, Saku Koivu 50, Alex Tanguay 41
Who did they add?: Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Travis Moen, Hal Gill, Jaroslav Spacek, Paul Mara, Andreas Engqvist, Curtis Sanford
Who did they lose?: Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu, Mike Komisarek, Chris Higgins, Tom Kostopoulos
...
30 teams in 30 days: Minnesota Wild
Finished: 9th western conference
Leading scorers: Mikko Koivu 67, Andrew Brunette 50, Pierre-Marc Bouchard 46, Owen Nolan 45
Who did they add?: Martin Havlat, Shane Hnidy, Greg Zanon, Kyle Brodziak
Who did they lose?: Marian Gaborik, Stephane Veilleux, Kurtis Foster
Overview: The Wild’s season is indicative of the talent they have on their roster. A lot, but not enough. The Wild...
30 teams in 30 days: Los Angeles Kings
Finished: 14th western conference
Leading scorers: Anze Kopitar 66, Alexander Frolov 59, Dustin Brown 53, Michal Handzus 42
Who did they add?: Rob Scuderi, Ryan Smyth
Who did they lose?: Tom Preissing, Kyle Quincey
Overview: The Los Angeles Kings once again finished as peasants, at the bottom of the west and haven’t made the playoffs since the 2001 season. However, the Kings’ woes...
30 teams in 30 days: Florida Panthers
Finished: 9th eastern conference
Leading scorers: Stephen Weiss 61, David Booth 60, Cory Stillman 49, Nathan Horton 45
Who did they add?: Scott Clemmensen, Ville Koistinen, Jordan Leopold
Who did they lose?: Jay Bouwmeester, Karlis Skrastins, Craig Anderson, Nick Boynton
Overview: The 2008-09 season saw the Panthers perform admirably, missing the playoffs by a hairsbreadth. They finally...
30 teams in 30 days: Edmonton Oilers
Finished: 11th western conference
Leading scorers: Ales Hemsky 66, Sheldon Souray 53, Shawn Horcoff 53, Tom Gilbert 45
Who did they add?: Nikolai Khapibulin
Who did they lose?: Ales Kotalik, Dwayne Roloson
Overview: Since losing to Canes in the 06’ Stanley Cup finals, things aren’t so bright in oil country. The Oilers are best described as underachievers, a bunch of big money,...
30 teams in 30 days: Detroit Red Wings
Finished: 2nd western conference
Playoffs: Lost in Stanley Cup finals to Pittsburgh
Leading scorers: Pavel Datsyuk 97, Henrik Zetterberg 73, Marian Hossa 70, Nicklas Lidstrom 59
Who did they add?: No additions.
Who did they lose?: Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky, Mikael Samuelsson, Ty Conklin
Overview: The last two seasons have been very good to the Detroit red Wings, making it all the way to the...
30 teams in 30 days: Dallas Stars
FInished: 12th western conference
Leading scorers: Mike Ribeiro 78, Loui Eriksson 63, Brad Richards 48, Mike Modano 46
Who did they add?: Jeff Woywitka, Karlis Skrastins
Who did they lose?: Brendan Morrison, Steve Begin
Overview: Entering the 2008-09 season, many viewed the Dallas Stars as contenders. A solid lineup all the way threw, it was decimated by injuries last season, guiding the Stars...
30 teams in 30 days: Columbus Blue Jackets
Finished: 7th eastern conference
Playoffs: Lost in first round to Detroit
Who did they add?: Samuel Pahlsson, Mathieu Garon
Who did they lose?: No key losses.
Overview: The 2008-09 season saw the Columbus Blue Jackets make the playoffs for the first time in their history. The Blue Jackets organization guided the team in the right direction over the past few years, and now they finally have a...
harry potter fails
haeet potter fails
30 teams in 30 days: Colorado Avalanche
Finished: 15th western conference
Leading scorers: Ryan Smyth 59, Milan Hejduk 59, Wojtek Wolski 42, John-Michael Liles 39
Who did they add?: Craig Anderson, David Koci, Kyle Quincey, Tom Preissing
Who did they lose?: Andrew Raycroft, Ian Laperriere Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth
Overview: The avs 2008-2009 season was abysmal, to say the least. Finishing last in the western conference, their worst...
30 teams in 30 days: Chicago Blackhawks
Finished: 4th western conference
Playoffs: Lost in conference finals to Detroit
Leading scorers: Martin Havlat 77, Patrick Kane 70, Jonathan Toews 69, Kris Vertsteeg 53
Who did they add?: Marian Hossa, John Madden, Tomas Kopecky
Who did they lose?: Martin Havlat, Nikolai Khapibulin, Matt Walker, Samuel Pahlsson
Overview: The Chicago Blackhawks finally proved that they can compete with the...
7 tags
30 teams in 30 days: Carolina Hurricanes
Finished: 6th in eastern conference
Playoffs: Lost in conference finals to Pittsburgh
Leading scorers: Ray Whitney 77, Eric Staal 75, Tuomo Ruutu 54, Rod Brind’amour 51
Who did they add?: Tom Kostopoulos, Andrew Alberts
Who did they lose?: No key losses.
Overview: After their Stanley Cup win in the 05-06 season, the Canes rewarded themselves by missing the playoffs two seasons...
8 tags
30 teams in 30 days: Calgary Flames
Finished: 5th western conference
Playoffs: Lost in 1st round to Chicago
Who did they add?: Jay Bouwmeester, Fredrik Sjostrom, Brian McGrattan
Who did they lose?: Adrian Aucoin, Mike Cammalleri, Jordan Leopold
Overview: After a few years of early playoff exits and coaching changes and playoff disappointments, there seems to be some restlessness in stampede town. Nevertheless, things continue to...
30 teams in 30 days: Buffalo Sabres
Finished: 10th eastern conference
Leading scorers: Derek Roy 70, Jason Pominville 66, Tomas Vanek 64, Tim Connolly 47
Who did they add?: Steve Montador
Who did they lose?: Jaroslav Spacek
Overview: After missing the playoffs for two seasons straight, it looks as if the glory days of the 2006 season are far behind them. But there is no reason for the Sabres to turn around and look in the...
boston bruins is done… READ
30 teams in 30 days: Boston Bruins
Finished: 1st eastern conference
Playoffs: Lost to Carolina in the semi-finals
Leading scorers: Marc Savard 88, David Krejci 73, Mark Recchi 61, Phil Kessel 60
Who did they add?: Steve Begin
Who did they lose?: Steve Montador, Shane Hnidy
Overview: The 2007 season saw the Boston Bruins sneak into the playoffs with a narrow 8th place finish and almost beat the #1 seeded Montreal Canadiens in...
30 teams in 30 days: boston bruins… coming later
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5 tags
30 teams in 30 days: Atlanta Thrashers
Finished: 13th eastern conference
Leading scorers: Ilya Kovalchuk 91, Vyacheslav Kozlov 76, Todd White 73, Bryan Little 51
Who did they add?: Nik Antropov, Pavel Kubina
Who did they lose?: No key losses.
Overview: If you overlook the Thrashers’ 13th place finish last year, it is possible to see a few positives for this team going forward. Firstly, the emergence of Bryan Little. A...
5 tags
30 teams in 30 days: Anaheim Ducks
Finished: 8th in western conference, 2nd in pacific division
Playoffs: Lost in second round to Detroit
Leading scorers from last year: Ryan Getzlaf 91, Corey Perry 72, Scott Niedermayer 59, Bobby Ryan 57
Who did they add?: Saku Koivu, Nick Boynton, Luca Sbisa, Joffrey Lupul
Who did they lose?: Chris Pronger, Francois Beauchemin
Overview: Anaheim looks to be in a fantastic position for next...
30 teams in hopefully 30 days
Seeing as the NHL offseason has been pretty quiet over the past week, I have come to the conclusion that most of the big deals are probably all signed and sealed. Because of this, I have to decided to do an overview of all 30 teams and what they have done this offseason. Hope its informative.
trading Doc?
During the Blue Jays recent slide, their inability to hit and pitch is showing admirably. They Jays either get 9 runs in a game, but when this happens the other team also scores 9 runs. If they Jays get 4 runs, the other team gets 5, that is just how things are playing out lately. Amid all this turmoil on diamond, there is now the speculation that JP Ricciardi is listening to offers for Roy...
The Benchwarmers inspirational quotes
Richie: He just did that steroid free!
Clark: What's steroids?
Richie: Something that makes your 'pee-pee' smaller.
Clark: Ohh... there must be steroids in macaroni!
TSN →
4 tags
First post :) A message to Hab haters
This is just a message I came up with when i had nothing else to do, and it is directed to all the habs haters out there: Yes, i am a habs fan, so this message could be a little biased, but i still believe that i have some good points. 1. Questioning the habs lack of physicality - alright so to recap: Bob Gainey signed a bunch of small, talented players (gionta, cammalleri, just to name a few)...