Bleu, Blanc et Rouge: A Fanatic's Source for Hockey

We've moved!

2007-11-25T20:09:00.001-05:00

BBeR is now officially "The Faceoff Circle" and can be found at the following location:

Click here for BBeR's new quarters.

We hope you'll continue to follow us at our new location, it's still a little shabby as we're getting everything ready.

We should be fully up and running by the end of the week, in a few days, but until then...join the forum, become a part of the community and talk hockey on a board that will hopefully grow into a large one.

Don't hesitate to email us at: bbrblog@gmail.com.

Thanks for your support!

-BBeR

It's not really goodbye, but a new beginning...

2007-11-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

When I first created this blog back in February of 2007, I had no idea it would turn out the way it did.

It started with myself, all alone, putting up several articles a day during last season's trade deadline about potential moves, rumours and just plain good old hockey talk.
I was fortunate enough to be linked by many-a-great bloggers on the net, and slowly but surely, BBeR grew...I added a few writers here, since I needed to have some diversity to my blog, I added a few new features and got serious about it.
The high point of this blog still remains the great community that has formed...from nothing, to something.
I'm struggling to write this now, as it's not really a goodbye, but a notice that BBeR is entering a new dimension...and new beginning.

I have reached an agreement with a friend to migrate this blog over to a new domain, with a new name in relation to a new hockey forum that's going to be created.
The title, "Bleu, Blanc et Rouge" was always deceiving...some thought I was a French-Canadian writing about my Habs, others, couldn't even come to pronounce it properly.
This was never a one-team blog and it never will be; BBeR is officially going to be renamed "The Faceoff Circle" and the move is going to come soon.
Do not fear, we'll all still be there...I'm going to contact the writers shortly with instructions on how to proceed with the move.

All the posts will NOT be lost; as my good friend in question, Jeff Veillette, who is going to eventually write about the Leafs on this new blog, is currently working on a bridge that would bring BBeR into a new domain, conserving everything that has already been done.

So no worries, we're not really going away, just moving into a new era...where in collaboration with "The Faceoff Cirle"'s forum, we can talk hockey on the blog, and argue as long and hard as we want in a forum dedicated for its readers and hockey fans around the world.

I've had the pleasure to write about hockey and I've had the privilege to write alongside some great hockey fans, and some great people.
I'd like to take this oppertunity to thank everyone who views the blog, and hopefully, will continue to do so in our new quarters.
I'd like to thank, in particular, writers like "The Ghost", Patrick Law, for being a presence in the blog, for meaning what he writes...."Katy", for her Caniac love..."Sherry", one of the most awesome people and hockey bloggers I've met...Bethany, for her devotion...Mike Thompson, really knows his Avs and glad I stumbled upon him...Matthew Macaskill, who doesn't write as much anymore, but who's a good buddy...Alex "Hockey Humorist" for his great long and funny Rangers related posts...others include JD Fluguy, Tracy, waffledave, Pierre St-Marie, Kopitarian14 and Norman Rochefort.

In sum, everyone on this blog has been insane to work with, and I'm thankful for the great moments we've shared talking hockey on something so unlikely as a hockey blog.

So to all our readers, writers, critics and fans...thank you for sticking around with Bleu, Blanc et Rouge, and don't fret...we're not over, and we'll be back soon, maybe as soon as today!

And who said I sucked at making emotional posts?

sniff, time to close the book on this one.

If you want to send an email for whatever reason, you can do so here: bbrblog@gmail.com or, post a comment, anything is appreciated.

We'll be back, until then,

-Bleu, Blanc et Rouge (Steve Adams)

'Hey quiet, this is not a rock concert alright?"

2007-11-24T22:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know this might be old, but I can't help but laugh at the stupidity of hockey players sometimes.

Here's Joffrey Lupul, who by the way is doing MUCH better this year in Philly out of sulky Edmonton.

And my Habs lose again, please not another downhill slide like last year, my heart condition is wobbly enough as it is.

But hey, at least my Habs didn't get pummled by the Yotes like the Leafers did tonight, hehe.

-BBeR

Jovo rejected trade to Islanders...

2007-11-23T18:32:00.000-05:00

Phoenix Coyotes defenceman Ed Jovanovski reportedly rejected a trade that would bring him to Long Island this past offseason by using his very handy no-no clause.

Rumours had been swirling for much of the offseason and heading into the new campaign that Phoenix was intent on trading the veteran pointman if he could waive his no-trade clause.

This is surprising, as the Rangers were the rumoured New York team to be seeking Jovanovski, in a rumour that was shot down several times due to cap constraints involving the overpaid Canadian's $6.5 million figure.

Why overpaid?

Simple, Jovanovski has done close to nothing to merit that kind of paycheck from the Coyotes.
He's been injured far too many times and his offensive prowess that got him this deal has suffered in the desert under the regime of Yotes' head coach, Wayne Gretzky.

A change of scenery would do him good, although, I hear players love living in Arizona and that most of their families are well settled there; and despite their not-that-unobvious hockey woes, players accept to play there, even if it means for a losing team (no offence meant) and a cool salary like JovoCop's.

As stated in the article linked above, Isles GM Garth Snow proceeded to sign both Andy Sutton and Bryan Berard instead of Jovanovski.
And despite Sutton's inconsistency, and Berard's uncertainty (of how long his decent performance so far will last), I'd take them both any day over Jovanosvki because:
a) Their salaries combined barely surpass half of Jovo's.
b) They will eventually combine for more points together
c) They're buff and gritty and look like Islanders...Jovanovski, would not look good as an Islander, it just wouldn't feel right.
d) They aren't locked into a contract that long (Jovo's got 3 more years)
e) Last time I checked, having 2 pointmen of a decent to above average caliber who can toughen out the minutes, hit hard and score on the powerplay is better than having an overpaid, aging, injury-prone and underachieving veteran.

Many are calling Jovanovski "McCabe revisited"; as the latter has struggled since signing a huge deal with the Maple Leafs as well, and is drawing criticism from fans and the media alike for his occasional brain cramps and missed opportunities.

On a happier note, happy 33rd Saku!

-BBeR

Schedule Tomfoolery

2007-11-20T08:13:00.000-05:00

Apparently, the NHL has done everything in its power to create a schedule that takes all the momentum out of a teams, and their fans, sails. For what seems the 100th time this season the Sabres have a break after a Friday night game until Wednesday. While the rest certainly never hurts I think this is part and parcel to the team's struggles right now. Like any sport a team needs to find its rhythm. This is something they seem to have struggled with a ll season.

They are hardly alone. There has been numerous instances where teams around the NHL have had 1 game in a 11 day period. I believe this has interrupted their flow as well. It is harder to stay focused and practice becomes stale, it also robs intensity from games. This leads to boring games. Also, and this is my opinion, the more practice time you have the more work a team can do on its defense. I don't think it is coincidence that scoring is down as teams have been able to be far more organized defensively early in the season. It will be interesting to see if this theory bears out when the schedule tightens up after Christmas and they start playing 4 times a week.

Maybe the league could consider tightening up the schedule by 2-3 weeks and eliminate these gaps. There has to be a better way than this.

Message to Bob Gainey: GET A GOON!

2007-11-19T17:07:00.000-05:00

Following Saturday night's 7-4 massacre of the Boston Bruins on home ice, the Montreal Canadiens had plenty to be proud of, but their lack of a quality fighter to defend those star players is evident.

Games against the B's are always intense, leading to a few fights, notably Tom Kostopoulos dropping the mits twice, Andrei Kostitsyn learning a lesson a hard way to the hands of Mark Stuart, and Guillaume Latendresse taking a few swings at the monstrous Zdeno Chara.

Besides Kostitsyn's newfound fondness of dropping the gloves at an unexpected time (just kidding) and Kostopoulos getting slapped with a 1-game suspension for instigating a fight in the final minutes of the games, Latendresse showed Habs managment they need size and they need it now.

Taking on Chara is a big feat, someting your average player wouldn't dare image to attempt in his most twisted dreams, but when the antagonist attempts to concuss Alex Kovalev, who ducked out of the way near the end of the 3rd period along the right wing boads with Chara deliberately trying to make a sandwich out of his head and the glass, and you got a sophomore like Latendresse coming to his defence, it's sending a strong message to Mr Gainey up in his posh pressbox.

GET A GOON!

I'm not a big fan of what I call useless fighters, such as former duds like Aaron Downey and Garth Murray, but rather for the Habs picking up some muscle to defend their star players, in this case Kovalev.

Sure no one really wants to get a piece of Zdeno Chara, but in the end, when a guy like Jeremy Reich, who played a total of 4:10, is sent out onto the ice with a mission to knock down Carey Price, you need to have a goon there to show him who's boss.

GET A GOON!

Pick up Todd Fedoruk, who has just been waived by new co-GM's Brett Hull and Les Jackson in Dallas, to add some punch to the puzzle on what is poised (barring another December 23rd meltdown) to be a fine Canadiens campaign, and perhaps one for the ages.

On a side note, The "Big Bird", Larry Robinson, is getting his number retired tonight by the Habs en route to their centennial 2009 season...congratulations to him!

Until next time with your biased Montreal Canadiens post,

-BBeR

Wojtek Wolski - The Forgotten Soph

2007-11-16T15:57:00.000-05:00

The unabashed and highly deserved love-fest for all things Stastny has ramped up in Colorado, along with the buzz around the sudden re-emergence of a not-totally-putrid Jose Theodore, and the discussions of the flowing mullets of Smyth and Hannan. One thing many people have overlooked is the play of the OTHER super sophomore in Colorado’s lineup, Wojtek Wolski (pronounced VOY-teck WOHL-skee). He’s been overshadowed by the phenomenal play of Paul Stastny, but has quietly improved upon the pace (7G/8A/15P in 17 games) of his stellar numbers from last season (22G/28A/50P in 76 games). Opponents who overlook his contributions tend to do so at their own peril.

He started the season on the 3rd line with Marek Svatos, but has spent time with Brunette and Sakic on the 1st line, and lately Wolski has found a home on the 2nd line with Son of Stastny and the Duke (Milan Hejduk). Apparently, Paul has some kind of Eastern European fetish, which compared to taking pictures of your junk and then posting it on the intra-webs, isn’t that bad!

Wolski, the 21st pick in the absolutely LOADED 2004 Entry Draft, is a talented skater and has great hands. He’s defensive work seems to have improved this season, and he doesn’t look or play as small as he did in his short run in the 05-06 playoffs after jumping directly from his 128 point season in the OHL. He de-jocked Kipper in a shootout this year (see above) and has had an immediate impact on every line he’s played on this year. He currently leads the Avalanche and is tied for first in the league with three game-winning goals, is tied for the team lead with a +10 rating, ranks 3rd in both goals and points, and has points in nine of his last 10 games (5G/7A). He seems to be heating up just as the Avs enter an important (some would say “must-win”) road trip. The Avalanche faithful (including myself) are excited to see if Wolski can continue his development into a dangerous NHL sniper.

Ducks recall Hiller...Bryzgalov on the way out?

2007-11-16T07:59:00.000-05:00

It looks as if there might be something brewing in California, as the Ducks recalled goaltender Jonas Hiller from the AHL early this morning, leading to speculation that long-time rumoured-to-be-on-the-way-out goalie Ilja Bryzgalov might be dealt.

Hiller is not your average minor-league goalie, he actually excelled in Europe and was signed by the Ducks after impressing performances in multiple international events.

Bryzgalov is considered a number one goalie, and at one point, he was pushing Giguere for the starting role...but since the latter won the Cup last summer plus signed a huge deal, there was no more competition.

This isn't very surprising, Bryzgalov is a good goalie and he could be a number one as he's showed in the past.

What are your thoughts on this early morning speculation?

-BBeR

Tucker the Hypocrite

2007-11-15T11:01:00.000-05:00

So, Sean Avery gets into a pre-game confrontation with Darcy Tucker and Jason Blake in Toronto on Saturday night. The confrontation between Avery and Tucker continued throughout the Rangers' shootout victory over the Leafs, including a first-period scrap.

After the game, Tucker goes all over TV and radio calling Avery classless (um, pot? Kettle?), and planting seeds in the heads of the Toronto media about what Avery might have said before the game.

Two days later, Howard Berger reports on Toronto's 590 The FAN that a Rangers' player told him that Avery made a remark about Jason Blake's recent cancer diagnosis, and a media firestorm is created.

Let's face it, Sean Avery is an easy target. Everyone who isn't a Ranger fan hates him, so it isn't exactly difficult to get the North American hockey media in a lather over this controversy. And, what do the media like more than getting up on their PC high horse to criticize someone whom no one likes? It's a no-lose proposition.

Now, no one would condone anyone making a derogatory remark about someone having cancer. Certainly not me. I lost my Grandmother to cancer when I was seven, and watched my brother beat Hodgkin's disease, just three months after he graduated college.

Having said that, is Darcy Tucker serious? Let's put aside for a second that there is not a shred of evidence that Avery actually made such a remark. Even if he did, is this where Darcy Tucker draws the line in the sand?

Tucker has made his entire NHL career on being a cheap shot artist. A man (and, I use that term so very loosely) with such little regard for his fellow players that he has no trouble putting their health and livelihood at risk each time he steps on the ice.

Is making a distasteful remark about cancer really worse than intentionally blowing out Michael Peca's knee in the 2002 playoffs?

Look, I'm not one of these people who thinks we should take fighting and hitting out of the game. Physical intimidation has been, and always should be, part of the game. But, have we become so PC that someone with a history of intentionally injuring opponents can get up in front of cameras and self-righteously pontificate about someone's allegedly insensitive remark, and no one bats an eye? Could no one in the media be bothered to point out to Mr. Tucker that he might have been the last person who should be commenting on any of this?

Since there is no proof that Avery said anything about Blake's cancer, and Blake himself has said he has no knowledge of any such remarks, I'm giving Avery the benefit of the doubt. And, even if I'm wrong, and Avery said something that I would personally find reprehensible, the last person I want to hear lecturing us about class is Darcy Tucker.

Turning Point in Rangers' Season

2007-11-15T10:50:00.000-05:00

It's been quite a while since I was able to post here, because my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world recently, and, as you can imagine, it has kept us quite busy.

During this time, the Rangers seem to have found their game, winning 7 of their last 8 games to move within one point of the first-place Flyers going into tonight's showdown in the City of Brotherly Love.

So, what turned the Rangers season around? Some might say their recent string of wins is due to Captain Jaromir Jagr re-emerging as a dominant force. Or, Scott Gomez beginning to settle in and find his game. Some might even say the emergence of the Rangers' "kids" have energized the team.

While all of that may be true, I prefer to think my daughter has made all the difference. The team's current 7-1 run just happened to coincide with her birth, and she has become the good luck charm for the season. I have posted a picture below of her enjoying (sleeping through) her first Ranger game.

Ouch...Tlusty's boner finds way onto internet!

2007-11-14T20:06:00.000-05:00

19-year old Maple Leafs prospect Jiri Tlusty is in a little bit of a of a raunchy mess, as pictures of him showing off his boner taken with his camera phone are all over the internet (and the one you see here is one of the milder ones).

They were, however removed due to potential legal action by the Leafs organization, claiming that the webiste invaded Tlusty's private life, and they had no right to broadcast the pictures he took of himself, since they are "his property".

And they're right, and thank God they're gone (since a reader had the bright idea of sending me the pics by email), but sadly, I've read they're still splattered here and there on the net.

Originally reported by Is This Happening?, a Canadian-based online gossip website, Tlustly reportedly took several pictures of himself stripped down, posted them on his facebook account and emailed them to this girl he apparently liked, to give her more than just a small glimpse of his body.

They were taken last year, according to Tlusty, while playing in Ontario, and they somehow found their way into Isthishappening.com's hands.

I'd be terribly embarrassed if this happened to me, and to make matters worse, in a media-frenzy town like Toronto where people jump to conclusions before finding out the whole story.

This here is perfectly relevant example of how people really don't respect someone else's private life, seriously, who cares if he did that?
The typical smart-Alec would say that I do because I wrote about this, but no, I really don't...but maybe some readers do, so, it's my duty as a blogger to inform thee! :)

The Maple Leafs issued a statement earlier today, and Tlusty apologized for this little controversy.

Hopefully this will go away, and fast, no need for distractions like this for Tlusty this early in his promising career.

-BBeR

Painful

2007-11-14T07:56:00.000-05:00

I have avoided writing this one. Partially out of denial, partially because it is so easy to pile on. But... well, now is the time.

This Sabres team is broken. Not broken in the sense that there are poor players or coaching. I am talking broken in the spiritual sense. I had not, I admit, seen this coming. sure all of the signs were there, especially the ones in neon lights (see Briere and Drury leaving). I thought that Miller, Gaustad, Campbell would pick up the slack. I truly did. What I have seen is an unemotional team going through the motions on most nights. I acknowledge they picked it up big time in the past two games against the Bruins and Leafs, but no one was home to score those clutch goals that They-who-shall-not-be-named used to score.

Who is to blame? Yes it starts with Regier. He was wrong, pure and simple. There is still time to right the ship but the fix is going to be expensive in the way of prospects. There are players to be had, players that can fill the Drury/Briere roles but they are going to cost Buffalo some of their exquisite depth and prized prospects.

Lindy doesn't get off easy here either. For the first time ever Lindy seems at a loss. I think part of it is a sense of betrayal. I know if I had signed a new 3 year deal at less than market value and then had my veteran leaders stripped I would feel betrayed too. I can't help but sense that it has seeped into his thinking and the room as a whole.

Tom Golisano gets a bite of the apple too. He has done tons of good while here in Buffalo, but anyone who listened to the fans and read the news knew that bringing one of those two back was critical to the perception of this team, if nothing else. Now this team must win in order to draw. Losing Briere and Drury destroyed any grace period this town was willing to give. Tom, as a business man, you should have known better than that.

The players. The players have been downright awful. What shakes me is this unwillingness to take ownership of the team. Instead of grasping the leadership role they have played hot-potato with it. It may have something to do with the fact that being the captain of this team is akin to a death sentence. Ruff's rotating captaincy has been criticized. i think it is more of a result of a locker room waiting for the other guy. A true team would DEMAND and push forward a captain. Yet, they sit back and let the opportunity sail by. This leads me to believe that the role needs to be filled from the outside. I don't know who that guy is, but he better be found and brought in soon.

“Tell her it’s not bad like last time.”

2007-11-13T15:47:00.000-05:00

The entire Caniac nation collectively held its breathe last night during the game vs. the Panthers. It had nothing to do with a goal. Nothing to do with a diving penalty. I don't think anyone remembered there was a game to be played. Most people are familiar with Erik Cole's injury that took place in March of '06. Brooks Orpik hit Cole from behind into the boards, and hard too. Even though Cole skated off the ice that day, he suffered a fractured vertebra. Most people remember holding their breathe during game 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup finals when Cole first came back from that injury. Most Caniacs still fall silent any time Cole takes a hit.

Last night was a real test for our breath-holding skills. Cole was trying to outskate one of the Panthers to get a breakaway on Vokoun with the game tied at 3-3. Cole was held up and I watched as #26's feet came out from under him and he went headfirst into Vokoun and laid face-first on the ice.
It is a really helpless feeling when you have to sit there and all you can do is plead with Erik Cole through the TV to get up, unsuccessfully I might add.
Apparently he first told Vokoun that his neck was hurting him and just kept repeating that to him as Vokoun called the trainers over to the ice.
After 10 minutes or so, he was wheeled off on a stretcher to the standing ovation of 12,000 or so Panthers fans and the tapping of both teams' sticks. When asked if he wanted someone to call his wife he told them, “Tell her it’s not bad like last time.” He later said that as he was rolled under the scoreboard his only thought was "No Penalty?! Get serious."

The 'Canes played 8 minutes of grit hockey and Cory Stillman scored his second of the night to make the final score 4-3.

At about 12am it was released that Cole's CAT scan had come out negative for any injury to his neck and he was clear to fly to Tampa Bay with the team, who had postponed their flight until their teammate could rejoin them.
Cole is getting other tests done today and he will have to have them cleared by the medical staff here in NC before he is allowed to play again.
My guess is that as long as he is cleared by the medical staff here, we will see him back on the ice for Friday night's home game against the Thrashers.

*I want to post a special thanks to the fans from many of our rivalry teams for extending their wishes for Cole and his family. All of the thoughts and prayers were greatly appreciated!

Let's go Canes!

You're not quite there yet, Jose...

2007-11-12T16:54:00.000-05:00

If you think it's weird that Colorado Avalanche goaltender Jose Theodore is letting in less than 3 goals per game in Colorado and stopping at least 9 shots out of 10, you're seriously not alone.

The former Hart and Vezina winner was dealt to the Avalanche 2 seasons ago by his hometown Montreal Canadiens, the same year he was made the richest goalie to ever tend goal by Canadiens GM Bob Gainey with a brand new 3-year/$17 million deal.

Theodore floundered in Montreal terribly, and posted mediocre numbers as the team continued its embarrassing downward slide in the standings.
With newly acquired goaltender Cristobal Huet pushing Theodore for playing time, the French media being all over him for his little Paris Hilton scandal, coach Claude Julien getting blamed for Theodore's paltry performance, costing him his job, and a newborn child on the way as well as problems related to his uncle's loansharking business, Jose Theodore was a troubled young man.
The icing on the cake came when Theodore broke his ankle by falling down the stairs in front of his home one morning in that January, putting him on the injured reserve for the rest of the season as well as sparking talk that his injury was purposely "done" for his terrible season to end, highlighted by a recent 8-2 home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that proved to be his last in the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge uniform.

At that point, it was doubtful rumours persisting that Gainey would unload Theodore and his huge contract would happen, but big G surprised us all once again.
While Huet rode the Habs net and Gainey coached his team up the standings behind the bench, Jose Theodore was a lost memory, and was written off for good the eve of the 2006 trade deadline, as he was surprisingly sent to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for equally struggling goaltender David Aebischer in a move many so called "experts" called the second coming of Patrick Roy in the Rocky Mountain state.
Gainey had successfully gotten rid of $17 million.

While Theodore tended to his injury down in Denver, Cristobal Huet carried the Canadiens to the playoffs and put up a strong performance in a series the Canadiens should have won against the eventual Stanley Cup Champs Hurricanes and in a series that dramatically saw a team fall apart as its captain did after a highstick to the orbital bone in Game 3 by Justin Williams.
That was evidently the turning point of the matchup that saw Carolina climb back from a 2-0 deficit, to beat the Canadiens in 6.

A few weeks later, the Avalanche and Jose Theodore took the plane home after losing in the Western semi-final in spectacular fashion to the San Jose Sharks.

In the month that followed, Cristobal Huet striked a new deal with the Canadiens, inking a 2-year/$5.75 million deal.
Theodore likely caused, however, then Avs GM Pierre Lacroix to resign, after wrongfully acquiring Theodore in a trade that still glares to this day in the hearts and salary cap of the Colorado Avalanche and their fans as a lopsided one.

The next season, Huet posted respectable numbers en route to a first career all-star selection while Theodore was just as bad as he had been in Montreal in a backup role to Peter Budaj.
Theodore earned the nickname of Jose "Threeofour" and was known to let in an inordinate number of goals on low shot totals (ex: 4 goals on 26 shots, 3 goals on 24 shots).
With new GM Francois Giguere manning the deck for Colorado, fans were itching for management to buy out the Quebecois goalie for his immense $5.5 million salary to be tossed out the window and forgotten.
This obviously did not happen and it is much easier said than done, as for Theodore to pass up that kind of money (knowing he likely won't ever get anything remotely close to that again) would be ridiculous.

The 2007-2008 season is just a month old, and Theodore is doing a lot more than he did in previous seasons with Colorado, pushing Peter Budaj for playing time in the Avs' goaltending tandem.
I'm trying to say this is a nice comeback, feel good story, but sorry, it's not.
The 31-year old netminder is 4-2-1 with a low GAA of 2.30 and a .920 SPCT%, both very remarkable results.
He is looking like the old Jose the Habs wished they could've had for the $17 million they invested in him at the time (actually, no, Huet rocks...and for his salary, he's a steal) and his play is looking less and less shaky, and more and more productive and confident.

It's only 7 games, I know, but (and I'm trying REAL hard to say this with a straight face) he needs to prove he can be brilliant over the course of one whole season, as you could argue that his last "great" year came in 2003-2004, in the last year of the pre-lockout era.

Formerly dubbed "The Franchise" by the Hockey news for the Canadiens, Theodore isn't quite there yet, but it's "nice" to see he's finally earning a fraction of his paycheck, at least for Avs fans.

-BBeR

Senators to trade Emery?

2007-11-10T09:42:00.001-05:00

Rumour has it that the Ottawa Senators may in fact be close to trading 24-year old goaltender Ray Emery to a Western Conference (apparently, the Los Angeles Kings) team along with forward Patrick Eaves and a prospect coming up from the Sens' farm club in Binghamton (suggested to be Josh Hennessey) in exchange for a goaltender and player.

Kevin Lee from Hockeybuzz, posted this on his blog yesterday and fans are anxiously awaiting to see if it's true or not.
To add more flame to the fire, GM Bryan Murray was reportedly in Binghamton last night to watch the prospect involved in the deal play, again, according to Lee.

Oh boy, this is interesting, is Emery on the way out? Already?!
He led his team to the Cup Final last season, was locked up to a big deal and is still young.

Have the Sens given up on him? Already?!

Interesting indeed,

-BBeR

Canadiens...is the city really hockey?

2007-11-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

An article published on the French version of Canoe has me a little troubled and perplexed at the moment.

What it basically states is that the Canadiens, le Tricolore, les Glorieux, 24 time Stanley Cup Champs, whatever you wanna call them, are overrated when it comes to their popularity around Montreal and Quebec.

The article specifically quotes like this:
"If you think that the Canadiens are as important in Montrealers' eyes as the Red Sox are for Bostonians or the Yankees for New Yorkers, you are sadly mistaken..."

It claims that, according to a study/survey done by Turnkey Sports and Entertainment, Montreal finishes a lowly 74th out of 122 sports cities in North America when it comes to exposure in their local area.
"Exposure" here meaning "being a fan" or "who really cares about the Habs", in short, the real "fans".

The Habs media group has been using the phrase "The City is Hockey", "La Ville est Hockey" as the Habs slogan, and I gotta admit, it's quite appealing, appeasing and thankful to hear as a fan, as I truly believed our city was hockey, but this newfound report, like I said, has troubled me.

Aren't the Habs supposed to be hockey's bread and butter? The greatest sports franchise to arguably exist?
The winningnest franchise in NHL and sports history? A city where people are hockey-crazy and hockeylific?

The study shows that the Sabres (4th overall); Red Wings (20th) and Penguins (30th) are the top 3 NHL teams in North America.

The Canadiens?

A very surprising finish at 74th, or 15th in the NHL rankings.

I find this extremely hard to swallow, both as a Habs fan and person.
There is no doubt in my mind that Turnkey did not ask Francophones what they though about hockey in Montreal, where it stands for them, but rather the less, but equally fanatic Anglophone side.
I don't want to start any language wars here, but seriously, to think that Turnkey probably didn't get a French speaking surveyor to communicate with the larger population of Montreal, the Francs is insanely absurd!

So if Turnkey did ask them what they thought of the Habs, they'd probably and almost certainly be a lot higher on this list.
When asked "but they sell out every game", Haynes Hendrickson (VP of Turnkey) simply answered it's not about selling out, it's whether or not people go to the Bell Centre to see the Habs or the opposing team.

Jesus Almighty.

End of story right there, the City is hockey, period, point final, that was really the final nail in the coffin for me to mark this "revelation" as understudied, ignorant and certainly illogical.

The Canadiens...the best team ever in the history of hockey, les Glorieux, 24 time Stanley Cup Champs, le Tricolore...74th?!

You must be joking Mr Hendrickson,

GO HABS GO!

-BBeR

Your 2007-2008 Eastern Conference All-Stars: The Ottawa Senators!

2007-11-06T12:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, perhaps that's a little bit optimistic, but thanks to the Senators' red-hot 12-1-0 start, a league-high 6 Ottawa players are on this year's All-Star Ballot. It includes the top line of Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza as well as defensemen Chris Phillips and Wade Redden. Ray Emery also got a nod despite only playing 2 games so far this season, which I feel is somewhat of a slight to Martin Gerber who has been absolutely on fire, but I suppose Emery does have the whole 'Helped-the-team-to-the-Finals' bit to help him out. That being said, I also think Anton Volchenkov should have also got a nod but congrats to Emery on his first All-Star Ballot nomination!

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Goaltenders

Martin Biron, Philadelphia Flyers
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders
Ray Emery, Ottawa Senators
Cristobal Huet, Montreal Canadiens
Olaf Kolzig, Washington Capitals
Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers
Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres
Tomas Vokoun, Florida Panthers
Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes

Defensemen

Jay Bouwmeester, Florida Panthers
Dan Boyle, Tampa Bay Lightning
Brian Campbell, Buffalo Sabres
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
Tomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs
Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens
Bryan McCabe, Toronto Maple Leafs
Chris Phillips, Ottawa Senators
Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators
Henrik Tallinder, Buffalo Sabres
Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers
Ryan Whitney, Pittsburgh Penguins

Forwards

Maxim Afinogenov, Buffalo Sabres
Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators
Jason Blake, Toronto Maple Leafs
Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Chris Drury, New York Rangers
Patrik Elias, New Jersey Devils
Simon Gagne, Philadelphia Flyers
Brian Gionta, New Jersey Devils
Scott Gomez, New York Rangers
Bill Guerin, New York Islanders
Dany Heatley, Ottawa Senators
Marian Hossa, Atlanta Thrashers
Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers
Olli Jokinen, Florida Panthers
Saku Koivu, Montreal Canadiens
Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
Vyacheslav Kozlov, Atlanta Thrashers
Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Brad Richards, Tampa Bay Lightning
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
Marc Savard, Boston Bruins
Brendan Shanahan, New York Rangers
Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators
Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes
Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres
Justin Williams, Carolina Hurricanes

Full list of nominees here.

Voting will take place November 13th until January 2nd and the voting will be entirely digital but their slogan is "Vote Now, Vote Often" so I guess you can vote as many times as you want.

By the way, Bryan McCabe? Her?

^{Cross-posted to Scarlett Ice}

Sabres Play Nearly Flawless Game...and Get Shutout

2007-11-06T09:53:00.000-05:00

BBR has to be smiling somewhere right now. Buffalo and the Habs played a nearly perfect game last night. Good flow, lots of chances, good hitting and way too much Cristobal Huet! It is hard to get down on the Sabres effort everyone came to play and 9 out of 10 games the Sabres win.

My quandry with this team is I have no idea how good they are. They are immensly talented, but the Habs had that something that the Sabres seem to be lacking now. What is it? Its not quite leadership, it isn't a lack of ability. I am not sure.

Thoughts?

NEWS and NOTES:

- Newly arrived defenseman Nolan Pratt hurt his groin in his first game. He is day-to-day.

- Jaro Spacek is injured again. Apparently he reinjured his shoulder against Boston. He is day-to-day as well.

- Adam Mair suffered a ankle injury against the Habs. It will be interesting to see if the Sabres make a call up. The MSG telecast highlighted Dylan Hunter. I have to wonder if my idol's son is going to get the call.

- 19 year old defenseman Mike Weber has been very solid in his 3 games in place of the injured players. He skates well and is very physical. He did a marvelous job against Kovalev and the rest of the Habs speedy forwards yesterday. Color me impressed.

- Andrei Sekera, after a rough, rough start looks like a new man. He is definitely skating with a purpose and taking more and more control. He may be here for the long haul now.

- Derek Roy may want to consider taking his head out of his butt. He has looked lost and made numerous careless mistakes with the puck lately. He has hurt the team far more than helped lately.

Out-of-Sync Gadget Transformed Into Defensive Machine

2007-11-05T23:14:00.000-05:00

After the Rangers collective contraption blew a gasket against the Ottawa Senators on October 13, when they gave up 3 goals in 52 seconds, I described them as being “like a rich kid’s rendition of an out-of-sync gadget thrown together for a science class project”. Link to October 13 article.

This description* actually made a Philadelphia Flyers fan (JD FLYGUY) write: “You have no idea how much that made my day. I think I have a new favorite quote. That's pure genius”. Link to JD FLYGUY’s quote (in comments section).

The irony is that after shutting out the Flyers 2-0 tonight, the Rangers seemingly out-of-control science project is beginning to resemble a defensive Frankenstein, which was masterminded by a mad hockey genius.

Having given up only 2 goals in their last 4 games, 8 goals in their last 8 games, and a league low 23 goals in 14 games, the Rangers find themselves as the league’s top defensive team with a GAA of 1.64.

The Rangers, who’ve amazingly also scored a league low 1.78 goals per game, have obviously found the answer to their season-long offensively offensive woes—the best offense is a good defense, combined with a royal goalie (King Henrik Lundquist).

Humorist’s Hindsight: In the NOT DEAD YET category, Brendan Shanahan is trying to bury the October 17 pronouncement by myself and former Rangers statistician, Nomar Goles, that his goal scoring ability is “dead”. Shanahan has scored 3 goals in his last 4 games, including resurrecting his patented one-timer against the Flyers tonight.

In figuratively trying to stay off the “corpses’ cart” that was immortalized in the classic film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Shanahan has not only proclaimed his goal scoring as being “not dead yet” with his recent surge, but he was also overheard after tonight’s game saying, “I feel happy. I feel happy”.

*The original quote that JD FLYGUY responded to was “like a rich kid’s rendition of a gadget thrown together for a science class project”. I later added “out-of-sync”.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

Red-Hot Senators

2007-11-04T11:57:00.000-05:00

The Ottawa Senators played by far their best hockey last night vs. Boston and they only came up with a 3-2 win. There were 81 shots total directed at the Boston net during the game. That stat is stunning. It seems like Mike Fisher is the only one who knows how to beat Tim Thomas. Can't wait till tonight to see if there will be a bigger blowout on the scoreboard at the bank. And don't forget, the sens played that game WITHOUT Spezza.

Having locked up the big 3 now gives me time to relax now that I know they should be in Ottawa for the next few years. Bryan Murray did a great job of locking up the big 3- I think he will be in the organization for a while- he hasn't done anything bad yet.

I hate the people who say," well, Murray hasn't won a cup yet ", because he has done everything except that. I would have to rank Murray right behind Hooland in the GM ranks.

Thumbs up to you, Bryan.

Cherry defends Koivu, blasts lawyer Bertrand...

2007-11-03T22:59:00.000-04:00

Yeah I know I should more objective when it comes to these things, but I vividly believe Guy Bertrand is a stupid nut case for criticizing whom Cherry calls "almost a saint".
If you remember correctly, Bertrand publicly cried out that Koviu should learn French and that "Quebecers have a right to be served in their language", clearly reffering to his "disrespect" of Bill 101.

Here's the bit on Cherry, still down that the Habs lost to the Leafs tonight, not in the mood to talk about them anymore until I cheer up tomorrow.

"I'll tell you one thing, you people that criticize him, he's almost a saint as far as I'm concerned," said Cherry. "You people that criticize him are insecure and pathetic."

Cherry lauded Koivu for his strength and courage in recovering from both non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and a serious eye injury, both of which nearly ended his career.

"He's an inspiration to all the people he came back for," said Cherry. "What do they do? They rip him and give him a hard time for you-know-what, I'm not even going to mention it."

Hope your team did better than mine tonight, but hey, it was a good game while it lasted...Habs definitely deserved to win.

And for Don Cherry to climb out of his Leaf-confined hole is somewhat miraculous, that's why I'm giving this little event its own post!

-BBeR

Paging Ryan Miller....

2007-11-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

The Sabres are struggling. No, they aren't terrible,but they aren't good either. a-number-one on my hitlist, Ryan "the franchise" Miller. I will grant you they are playing a schedule only Gary Bettman could dream up, but I expect more from Sir Ryan and so do many Sabres fans. Particularly irritating is his seeming loss of concentration at key moments and the shoulder shrug reminiscent of the days of Joe Ferguson's head hanging.

The bottom line is this:

Stop the damned puck if you want to be considered among the elite!!!!

Spezza ices huge contract with Senators!

2007-11-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

Breaking news in the nation's capital, as the Ottawa Senators finally got a deal done with their superstar-in-the-making Jason Spezza yesterday night, agreeing to a new 7-year/$49 million contract extension according to Bob McKenzie over at TSN.

Spezza and Murray have yet to announce anything to the media, but McKenzie did a good job and got the details as to how Spezza would be paid over the course of the next 7 years:

08-09: 4 M signing bonus, 4 M base salary = $8 million
09-10: 4 M signing bonus, 4 M base salary = $8 million
10-11: 4 M signing bonus, 4 M base salary = $8 million
11-12: 2 M signing bonus, 6 M base salary = $8 million
12-13: 2 M signing bonus, 6 M base salary = $8 million
13-14: no signing bonus, 5 M base salary = $5 million
14-15: no signing bonus, 5 M base salary = $5 million

For a total of a whopping $49 million.

Spezza's deal is similar to his linemate's Dany Heatley, who also signed a massive extension early in the new campaign.

The 24-year old has 1 goal and 12 assists in 10 games with the Senators so far, and he likely sat out last night's game vs the Thrashers to finalize this deal with his agent.

This signing may mean the end of the Wade Redden era in Ottawa, as the veteran blueliner is eligible to hit the unrestricted free-agent market and it's unlikly Sens GM Bryan Murray will be able to live up to yet more pressure from the fans and keep the pricey Redden in the fold.

The Missisauga native was due to become a restricted free-agent this summer, and given the recent situations that have unfolded during that period with offer sheets being thrown around (see Dustin Penner, Tomas Vanek, Ryan Kesler), Spezza would've been an attractive option to teams salivating for that God-like player.

-BBeR

-BBeR

To dive or not to dive? That is the question.

2007-11-01T12:22:00.001-04:00

I am going to start off this blog with stating that I am not placing last night's 4-2 loss on the refs. The Canes should have taken advantage in the 1st period and been up more than 1-0 going into the 3rd. They were slow on their feet for much of the 2nd and 3rd period, but in all fairness were still playing ahead of the Panthers until the middle of the 3rd.
With that said...

I am completely appalled with the things the Hurricanes were faced with in Southern Florida last night. I knew it was going to be a bad night when I tuned into "Hurricanes Live" and John Forslund and Tripp Tracy begin the night talking about the Florida papers. They show at least three articles that all read pretty much the same thing: "Carolina's diving act isn't easily forgotten"
By the way, the "diving act" they are talking about refers to the 'Canes going 7-1-0 against the Panthers last year and how they think we dove to get our wins. (Funny, because last year our PP was ranked on of the lowest in the league and we pretty much would have rather gone short handed than have to watch the mess that was our power play.) The best was one famous night where Eric Staal was tripped and because Ed Belfour thought he embellished, he put on a little show....seen here:

All of that nonsense aside, I found it humorous that they were calling us divers when Olli Jokinen was the only player to get a diving penalty before the two called on us last night. I don't find it classy at all to publish such things in a newspaper, when they don't even have any ground to stand on. Perhaps if they posted more things about their team, instead of trying to put down the Canes they would have had an attendance of more than 10,000 (although a friend who was there for the game last night said she would have put the attendance more at 3,000 tops)
You didn't see an article here in NC about Jokinen and his comments last year to run this team down and if injuries were necessary for the win, so be it. Instead you saw that Jokinen and Vokoun both play really well against us and generally just positive things.

As much as I didn't like that article, I would have never guess the refs would let media influence the way they make calls. Going into the 3rd up 1-0, we knew that we couldn't just sit on a lead of one if we wanted the two points. There was a battle for the puck along the boards and you see Jokinen nail LaRose into the boards. They say a penalty is being called and I thought it was obviously a Florida penalty...until I see LaRose yelling at the refs and head over to the box. I was REALLY confused at that point until I hear the words "2 minutes for diving"
Let me give you some stats real quick so you can understand this:
Chad LaRose is 5'9 and weighs 185 lbs. Fourth line guy, lots of energy, our "gnat"
Olli Jokinen is 6'3 and weighs 214 lbs. I am not sure what line he plays, because I saw him play with like 3 different ones last night, but he pretty much IS the team.

So LaRose got pushed from behind, fell down, and that is diving? I am surprised they even issued Jokinen a penalty at all! If anyone can explain that to me feel free to email me! That penalty is killed off.
Jokinen scores 7 minutes in. Then Erik Cole scores on a beautiful pass from Staal to make the game 2-1.

Not even 2 minutes after that, we see a play where Justin Williams checks Horton who falls over easily. (no penalty given on that one though!) Williams begins to skate away and Horton pushes himself up enough to grab around his legs (pretty much something you see in football) Williams falls over seeing as he can't move his legs.

Penalty called. Horton 2 minutes for holding. Oh wait. Big surprise here. Williams 2 minutes for diving. How is it diving when he is TACKLED?!?!! Someone, anyone PLEASE explain this to me!!!
Canes are scored on during that 4 on 4. 2-2 game.

5 minutes left and the refs called Staal for holding. I didn't see it, but okay Staal was "holding". Not a problem. Before that penalty expires Williams gets another call delay of game this time.
5 on 3, and Zednik scores no problem 3-2. THEN as the Staal penalty expires there is a rush from the Panthers and Wesley our veteran Dman throws himself down to try and stop the breakaway. Penalty for slashing. Another 5 on 3.
In a moment of desperation Cam Ward comes way out of the crease to try and poke check the puck so maybe the Canes can get a shorthanded rush. Unfortunately for him this was not our night and Horton went right around him and scored on an empty net. Final score 4-2.

Brad Watson, who was the ref who made both of the diving calls needs a strong review. He doesn't even have the excuse that he is a new ref for why he made those calls and even the Florida announcers were perplexed with where the dives were exactly. NHL: PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE OFFICIATING. And I am not even talking just about last night. I have watch some of the worst officiating I have seen in this early season.

I will leave you with Erik Cole's insights on the game last night (from the News and Observer) and why there were the two diving calls and pretty much mocking the virtually empty arena:
"An intimidating building like this? You're going to get those calls at home"

Until next time....

The team that does "Whatever it Takes" is back

2007-10-30T12:55:00.000-04:00

There has been a new feeling to the season here in Carolina. It is very reminiscent of a feeling 16 guys on his team have experienced once already.

The farther in to the season we are getting the more answers we are getting that alleviate any doubts we may have. We had three of our top forwards out due to injury (Cole, Ladd and Walker) but we had two AHL call ups that stepped in and filled the gaps that were missing for us. After a terribly disappointing loss to the Canadiens at home on the 26th, instead of pitying themselves and continuing the losing streak like we saw so many times in the 2006-2007 season, they took charge and destroyed the Islanders the next night 8-3.

The Canes have gone 7-2-3 in their first 12 games of the season sitting proudly atop the division with 17 points. So far, the are proving that 2005-2006 season wasn't just a fluke and that these "Redneck" hockey players are contenders.

The next month is very important for the Canes. With the exception of the Flyers games (on the 21st and 28th) they face their division the entire month (11 division games)
I've got to leave it at that for now, good luck to the boys as they take on their division in the coming up weeks!

Let's go Canes!

Tasty Brownie! Kings ink young phenom to 6-year extension among others

2007-10-26T17:02:00.000-04:00

The future is now for the Kings

There have been a few contract extensions handed out in the NHL recently, topping the list are the Los Angeles Kings, who signed forward Dustin Brown to a 6-year contract extension today.

The former 13th overall pick from the 2003 draft has 4 goals and 4 assists so far in 11 games with the Kings and has been a star on the rise ever since his definitive entry to the NHL in 2005-2006, putting up 14 and 17 goal seasons since then.
His points total have been on a uprise as well...from 28 to 46, and if his current pace continues, he will finish the season in the 70-point area.

Brown is poised to become a 30-40 goal scorer with huge upside, and he's a mainstay in Los Angeles for at least 6 more years.
All this at such a young age, the 22-year old Ithaca, New York native will turn 23 on November 4th.

Kings GM Dean Lombardi on "Brownie":

Dustin is an integral part of what we are building here with the Kings.
We like how he competes; we like his toughness; and we are very pleased with how his overall game has developed.

"An integral part" is not far off with guys like Mike Cammalleri (10 G, 3 A), sophomore sensation Anze Kopitar (4 G, 8 A) and star Alex Frolov (3 G, 7 A) all destined for superstardom (or at least come close to it).

On defence? They're well equiped with former Hurricanes prospect Jack Johnson (1 G, 1 A), veteran goldie Rob Blake (1 G, 4 A), the dangerous Lubomir Visnovsky (1 G, 7 A) to go along with new faces Brad Stuart (1 G, 2 A), Tom Preissing (0 G, 2 A) and another guy who's been around a while, Jaroslav Modry (0 G, 1 A).

On paper? They're awesome...but the defence has had its own problems this year totally a paltry -14 rating with Modry being the only blueliner in the plus column (+4).

Kings fans are calling for Rob Blake's head because of his shoddy defensive work and inconsistent performance on the attack...Stuart and Preissing are off to slow starts...Johnson is still adapting with Visnovsky and Modry leading the way.

The future is definitely bright in sunny LA, but can the Kings finally pull out of their misery with the younglings and big names picked up this offseason?

Their current 5-6 start could be better, but if you look at last year, it could be worse.

They have the talent, time to fully exploit it...look for the Kings to be serious contenders now or possibly in the near future

Draper stays in Detroit:
The Red Wings have retained former Selke winner Kris Draper, signing the 36-year old to a new 3-year contract that will pay him $1.6 million per season.

Kenny Holland calls Draper an essential part of the team's core:
Kris has been such an important part of this organization's success.
We are fortunate to have secured a player with his leadership qualities and work ethic for the next three seasons.

He has 5 assists to start the season and has put up double digits in goals for the past 4 campaigns.

Minnesota locks up Burns:
Brent Burns is only 22 but already a force on Minnesota's blueline.
The Wild locked him up to a 4-year contract worth about $14.2 million or an average payout of $3.55 million per season.
Minnesota's former 1st round pick is +6 this season and hopes to repeat the +16 rating he put up last year.

I like Doug Risebrough's reasoning when it comes to these big long deals being thrown around:
Long-term contracts are about projection now.
Not about what they'll make, but their ability to earn it and make things happen during the length of the contract.

Panthers sign Cullimore:
The Florida Panthers have reportedly signed defenceman Jassen Cullimore to a 1-year contract including a 2-week conditioning stint in the minors, likely to replace the injured Noah Welch as the team's 7-8 defenceman.

Markov to Russia:
The Danny Markov free-agent saga is officially over...the veteran signed a contract to play in Russia with Dynamo for the upcoming season and TSN reports that his deal includes an out clause that would allow him to come to North America and sign with another team next summer.
Markov was rumoured to be seeking between $2.5 and $3.5 million, but teams like the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders backed out because of salary cap constraints.

-BBeR

No More Nomar—With Nomar Goles to Tally, Slats' Stats Man Goes Out ... Then Sather Says Let Seymour Goles Go In

2007-10-24T23:24:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK—New York Rangers general manager, Glen Sather, announced today that team statistician, Nomar Goles, resigned shortly after the Blueshirts 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The search for his replacement, however, didn’t last very long.

Apparently Goles had been under a lot stress since the Rangers opening night’s 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Since that game, Goles was deeply concerned because the Rangers simply weren’t scoring many.

Having been shutout in two consecutive games, scoring only 8 goals in the last 7 games, and posting a league low 13 goals for the season, the only name the supposedly high-powered Rangers have been living up to is Nomar’s.

According to Goles, he felt personally responsible in some way. “It’s as though my name has put a curse on the whole team. I told Glen (Sather) on Sunday that the team might be better off not having me around. With my brother (who was an unemployed statistician) available and just as technically qualified as me, it seemed like a good idea to make a change,” said Goles.

On Tuesday night, apparently Sather agreed. Having watched Nomar Goles for the past two games, Sather said, “let Seymour Goles go in and hope that we start winning”. And with that, Nomar resigned and his brother, Seymour, immediately was in as the Rangers new statistician.

“It’s all for the best. I felt like the Maytag repairman for much of the season. Not having any work to perform is sometimes harder than having too much. I also took a lot of flack from what happened last week,” Nomar said.

Nomar was referring to having pronounced Brendan Shanahan’s goal scoring ability “dead” last Wednesday. The obituary entitled: R.I.P.—Shanahan’s Scoring Succumbs to Old Age After 19+ Seasons was published by the Hockey Humorist on October 17.

As to whether the new team statistician, Seymour Goles, might be willing to alter his brother’s findings on Shanny’s scoring ability, Seymour is uncommitted. “I’ll have my eye on Shanahan’s goal scoring, but I’ll have to see more,” said Seymour.

Meanwhile, Sather remains optimistic that this move will help the Rangers turn their disappointing season around. “Seymour Goles is a name that the whole team can rally around. It will be our new battle cry. Besides, at this point I’ll try just about anything,” said Sather.

Humorist’s Hindsight: Let’s hope that this same-day double play works out better than the last one Sather pulled. After signing both Scott Gomez and Chris Drury within hours of each other on July 1, the yearly $14+ Million dollar duo has combined to average barely over a half a point per game each (9 points in 16 combined games), while showing very little chemistry with their linemates.

I also find it quite interesting that both Nomar Goles and the Hockey Humorist received quite a bit of criticism over what was said in R.I.P.—Shanahan’s Scoring Succumbs to Old Age After 19+ Seasons.

Today, Larry Brooks of the New York Post and Dubi Silverstein of the Blueshirt Bulletin both expressed their concerns over whether Shanahan’s age is a factor in Shanny’s scoring decline. Here are the links: Post and Blueshirt Bulletin.

Brooks even quotes some of the same statistics that I used in several of my articles, such as the fact that Shanahan had only “scored six goals in 29 games before his Feb. 17 concussion” last year. Too many Ranger fans either seem to be unaware of these facts or are just ignoring them.

Although Shanahan’s scoring may have stopped, my pursuit of this subject matter will not.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

In case you missed it...Toews's unreal goal!

2007-10-22T10:16:00.000-04:00

And the best part is, it was on Jose Theodore...sorry Mike and Avs fans, hehe.

He and Kane are really doing well to start the season...

Have a good day,

-BBeR

Wild are kicking ass...it's that simple!

2007-10-21T18:10:00.000-04:00

The Minnesota Wild have been on a tear since the start of the 2007-2008 season.

A 3-1 win in St. Louis against the Blues last night pushed Minnesota's record to an outstanding and a little surpising 6-0-1, to lead the Western Conference.

Centres Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Eric Belanger and winger Brian Rolston are all tied for their team's lead in points with 7 heading into Sunday night's matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.

What's surprising about the absolutely Wild run?

Their team has only 17 goals scored in 7 games...the lowest among all division leaders in the NHL...but that isn't unexpected, as Jacques Lemaire's squad tends to focus more on the defensive side of things rather than potting goals in the other end despite having a guy like Marion Gaborik on their front (who is not doing so hot to start the year).

Lemaire and the fans can thank veteran 'tender Nicklas Backstrom for their league low 9 goals against to start the year; the 29-year old Finn has posted phenomenal numbers in his first season as the undisputed number one after the Wild parted ways with Manny Fernandez this summer with 4 of the team's 6 wins, a 1.38 average and a 0.945 SPCT% that are amongst the top 3 in each respective category.

And to add insult to injury for opposing teams, the Wild lead the league in home shutouts with 2 (both from Backstrom) to go along with 3 straight home wins and are the only team in the NHL that have yet to lose a game in regulation on home ice.
They tied the Detroit Red Wings for home victories in 2006-2007 with an astonishing 29.

The new guy in Minny, centre Eric Belanger, says the team has the city's fans to thank for their recent success at home:

"You have the Canadian cities that are pretty loud, but after that, this is top-five in the league for sure."

Belanger has clicked well with linemates Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Brian Rolston, all are tied for the team lead in points.

But one can wonder how much longer the Wild can hold back Josh Harding from taking over as the number one goalie for the team after several succesful seasons in Houston and Minnesota.
Things are looking bright for Minnesota in goal, especially with Backstrom holding the fort with his bulletproof numbers and Josh Harding pressing for playing time with a convincing 37-save shutout effort against the defending Stanley Cup Champs Ducks in his season debut one week ago.

Petr Kalus, highly-touted scoring prospect acquired from the Bruins in the Manny Fernandez deal, did not make the club out of training camp and has been melting away with the team's minor-league club Aeros in the AHL.
Kalus has yet to show why the Bruins and then Wild were so hot about his scoring potential, after potting 4 goals in only 9 games with Boston last season.

But don't forget Minnesota's fast start to the previous campaign did not last, and one can only hope that it will for the sake of hockey and its great fans in Midwestern Minnesota.

No matter which way you look at it, the Wild seem poised for great things...now only if Marion Gaborik would wake up and do what we think he could do best for a team that is goal-hungry in a city waiting for the rise from mediocrity too long.

-BBeR

Bruins & Bad Boston Ice Bounce by Blueshirts as Slap Shots Strike Down Straka

2007-10-20T23:48:00.000-04:00

BOSTON—Despite a much improved team effort, strong defensive play and another stellar performance by goaltender, Henrik Lundquist, the Rangers never got the bounce they needed (and deserved) while losing 1-0 in a shootout to the Boston Bruins.

Ordinarily the story of 1-0 shootout would be that neither goalie, Lundquist or Manny Fernandez, allowed a goal during regulation or overtime. Or perhaps it would be about the game-winning shootout goal scored by Bruins forward, Phil Kessel. However, this was no ordinary game—thanks to the maintenance crew at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Either the Garden maintenance crew never found out about the time change for today’s hockey game (from 7 pm to 4 pm) or they donated their services all day to the Boston Red Sox in preparation for night’s playoff game at Fenway Park.

Regardless of the reason, when the referee and players were ready for the drop of the puck at 4 pm, the Garden ice certainly was not. All game long (for both teams) the puck hopped, skipped, rolled and bounced over sticks, skates and everything else. In fact, during the waning seconds of regulation time, one bizarre ricochet off the boards went right through the Boston goal-mouth and nearly deflected off Fernandez into the net.

Icy gravel would have provided a better playing surface than that cold, chippy concoction of crap on which the Rangers and Bruins were forced to skate. The puck, which wouldn’t sit down or cooperate for anyone, acted like a stubborn, untrained dog who needed a good smack on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.

To put this issue in its proper perspective, today’s ice in Boston was equal or worse than the most horrid ice conditions I’ve ever witnessed at Madison Square Garden. Given that I’ve been a Rangers fan since the early 1970’s, this is an indication of how outrageous and insulting it was to watch today’s game.

Adding injury to insult, Rangers forward, Martin Straka, received an unfortunate break after bravely blocking two blasts off the big stick of Bruins defenseman, Zdeno Chara. According to the Rangers team-owned (or NHL owned—depending on who wins the lawsuit) website, Straka broke a finger on his right hand.

This is especially bad news for a struggling Rangers team that is already playing without injured forwards, Sean Avery and Marcel Hossa, and who have scored a league low 13 goals.

Despite Straka’s injury, the Rangers outplayed Boston for most of the game. After holding the Bruins at bay through three first period Boston power plays, the Blueshirts outshot the Bruins 22 to 10 the rest of the way.

This game was certainly close enough that under normal ice conditions, it is very possible the Rangers might have lost anyway. On the other hand, the Rangers might have prevailed and picked up both very-needed points. It’s a shame that a fair outcome hit a bad patch of Boston ice and hopped out of everyone’s collective reach.

With the talent-laden Pittsburgh Penguins up next for the Rangers, it will take bounces and breaks of another kind to prevent the Blueshirts from falling three games under NHL .500 this early in the season.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

Big Scoop Needed to Clean-Up Blueshirts' Bullshit After Blueland Blowout

2007-10-18T23:41:00.000-04:00

ATLANTA—Bottom-feeding Atlanta was the latest team to “kick the crap” out of the Rangers … and boy did it stink!

Bolstered by boisterous Blueland* boosters, the Thrashers thoroughly throttled the Rangers throughout tonight’s tilt. The game’s final score of 5-3 was no indication of how one-sided it was for 50 minutes.

Although one could say that Rangers goaltender, Henrik Lundquist, was good enough to keep the Rangers in the game early, it is a moot point because the Rangers didn’t bother to show up for the game at all.

Before the Rangers finally exerted themselves midway through the third period, Atlanta had already built an insurmountable 4-0 lead on goals by Pascal Dupruis, Slava Koslov, Todd White and Bryan Little. Marian Hossa later added the fifth Thrasher goal.

Third period goals by Dan Girardi, Brendan Shanahan** and Scott Gomez would have given the Rangers a respectable result, if they hadn’t just lost to an Atlanta team who came into the game with a record of 0-6-0 and a league worst 4.50 goals against average.

In reality the Rangers play dropped another level, going from the gutter to the sewer.

In trying to direct blame at specific Ranger players, the human body unfortunately doesn’t have enough fingers (or toes) to accomplish the task. But one player who simply cannot escape my finger’s poke is Rangers defenseman, Thomas Pock.

Pock, perpetually posing as a practice pylon, proved to be the perfect replacement for much-maligned, Marek Malik. Although Pock had his share of giveaways (with at least one egregious offender), he probably didn’t quite match Malik’s nightly quota. This, however, was only because Pock was too busy watching Thrashers skate around him all night, while letting other Thrashers plant themselves in front of the net as goals were being scored.

Overall, Pock had a minus 2 rating for the evening and was on the ice for 3 of Atlanta’s 5 goals.

Even the three late Ranger power play goals weren’t much consolation for the Blueshirts special teams, because the Rangers managed to give up 2 power play goals and a short-handed goal themselves.

This chemistry experiment is quickly turning into a dismal failure, while mad professors, Tom Renney and Glen Sather, desperately continue their search for the missing combination of ingredients. Should they fail to find the winning formula, the Rangers laboratory will soon be boarded-up and declared a disaster area by New York governor, Eliot Spitzer.

*Blueland is the nickname for Atlanta’s home rink, Philips Arena.

Humorist’s Hindsight: **That was no misprint—Brendan Shanahan actually scored a goal. This just goes to show you that even an old, broken clock is right twice a day. Now should Shanny net another 25 or 30 goals this season, I will be happy to issue a public apology over my last post entitled: R.I.P.—Shanahan’s Scoring Succumbs to Old Age After 19+ Seasons.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

R.I.P.—Shanahan’s Scoring Succumbs to Old Age After 19+ Seasons

2007-10-17T22:03:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK—Brendan Shanahan’s goal scoring ability has died after more than 19 highly successful seasons in the NHL.

The attending statistician, Nomar Goles, pronounced Shanahan’s scoring “dead” after a final but futile effort to resuscitate it during the waning moments of the Rangers 3-1 defeat to Ottawa last Saturday.

“Mr. Shanahan’s goal scoring ability had been in a steady state of decline for nearly a year now,” said Goles.

In his final 38 regular season games of 2006-2007, Shanahan scored only 7 goals on 154 shots—a shooting percentage of 4.5%. In this season’s first 5 games, Shanahan has scored 0 goals on 32 shots, including a goalless 13 shot performance against Ottawa on his “goal scoring deathbed” last Saturday.

“At the end, his vital statistics showed no signs of life,” said Goles.

Goles was also quick to point out that Shanahan’s concussion from last year was not a contributing factor to his scoring demise. According to Goles, in the 29 games preceding the concussion Shanahan had only scored 6 goals on 116 shots—a shooting percentage of 5.2%.

“This was just a matter of age finally catching up to a great former goal scorer,” Goles said somberly.

Shanahan’s scoring is survived by 627 regular season NHL goals and 58 NHL playoff goals. No final arrangements have been announced.

Humorist’s Hindsight: I want to make it crystal clear that the obituary (above) was figuratively referring to the “goal scoring ability” of Brendan Shanahan. It was not in any way meant to be a literal obituary for the man, Shanahan, who is physically alive and healthy.

Furthermore, I admire Shanahan as a person and still in some ways as a player. He is not only a class act, but also a great leader in the locker room, a hard working player, and a formerly great goal scorer. I wish him a long, healthy and happy life after his playing days are over.

As a Rangers fan, however, I’m hoping that his playing days are over ASAP. As the statistics prove, his goal scoring ability (at least in the regular season) has virtually disappeared since December 9, 2006.

Also, since he has been on Broadway, Shanahan has showed no chemistry with Jagr, Prucha, Gomez, or Drury—thus ruining most lines on which he’s played. Because he also can’t score on the power play and nobody is scoring goals on defections or rebounds off his power play shot, he has no business being on either power play unit.

Shanahan’s outrageously inflated salary this season of $5.3 million is a cap crippling calamity, whose effects will be felt both this season and next. With a little luck, maybe Shanny has been talking with Chuck (Charles Schwab) about structuring a “Retirement Plan for Old Man Shanahan”. And if Shanahan is the team-first person that he claims to be, then he will implement that retirement plan before his bonus sets in, because that course of action is truly in the best interest of the team.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

League Inconsistant with Flagrant Penalties

2007-10-16T10:15:00.000-04:00

Lost in all the noise of the Avalanche bouncing back from a horrible loss to the Blues by beating Columbus 5-1, of Joe Sakic bagging a hat trick, of Peter Budaj and Pascal Leclaire putting on clinics at both ends of the ice, of Rick Nash displaying the skills of the rapidly disappearing power forward genre, was ANOTHER flagrant use of the stick. In the waning moments of the third period, with Colorado in control, the role-players and depth guys for the Avs were seeing increased ice-time, including some unlikely PP time for some. Columbus blueliner Duvie Westcott was dry-humping Avs forward Wyatt Smith to the left of Leclaire well behind the play when Scott "Captain Caveman" Parker skated over to do some policing as the refs were apparently enjoying the snuff film on ice. Before Parker has time to utter any catchy one-liners he gets cross-checked in the face by Westcott. Parker was bloodied by the cheap shot, but didn't go down. He then proceeded to have an Incredible Hulk-like rage-fest. Thankfully, all-around good guy and humanitarian Ian Laperriere stepped in to prevent Parker from ending Westcott.

Westcott got 2 plus 10, Parker got 2 for apparently bleeding too much. Now, I know that it was a preventive measure to keep things from getting out of hand, and I commend the refs. A few seconds later, Columbus "tough-guy" Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (6'-2", 211 lbs) decides that with Parker off the ice he has free reign to prove his manhood. He takes a run at, and then attempts to rough up, Jaroslav Hlinka (5'-10, 185 lbs). Hlinka has great hands, but I doubt they've ever been balled up in fists in his entire life. The play further enraged Parker who had to be restrained again by teammates to prevent him from leaving the box. Tollefsen and Parker both get the gate in order to avoid incident, and the game ends shortly thereafter.

Now, anybody reading the NHL propaganda would believe that they want to protect players and keep these kind of flagrant cross-checks and stick-work out of the game, right? I mean, didn't' they just hand down lengthy suspensions for Downie and Boulerice? Therefore, a lengthy suspension for Westcott would be forthcoming, right? Wrong. No discussion immediately after the game or in the ensuing three days has indicated any meaningful penalty for Westcott's dangerous act. Instead, he gets the proverbial wrist-slap of a $1000 US fine. That'll teach him!

I have several problems with this, and none of them stem from my unabashed man-love for the Avs.

The league has effectively taken the stand that Parker is not as important as Dean McAmmond or Ryan Kessler, who also were victims of vicious cross-checks and dangerous blows to the head this season. As I've noted elsewhere, conspiracy theorists will point to this as another example of the NHL attempting to weed-out enforcers and tough-guys.

Since the only difference between the Kessler, McAmmond, and Parker hits was that Parker didn't go down in a heap on the ice due to the hit, whether the league meant to or not, they are implying that suspensions will only be handed out if damage is done. This inadvertently encourages diving in my opinion. Following the old Gordan Bombay tactic of "Take the hit, act hurt, get indignant." Not a good direction for the league.

The Avalanche broadcasters were reveling in the look of bat-crap crazy rage that Parker had following the incident. They were talking about Parker "taking notes" for the next game against Columbus. Having been on the receiving end of misplaced "revenge" just a few years ago with the Bertuzzi-Moore incident, I expected them to be better than that.

Tollefsen is leading the running for "Wuss-of-the-Year" for backing down from a fight with Parker earlier in the period and then showing his manhood against Hlinka. Tollefsen if first-class all the way...

I foresee lengthy suspensions for somebody following what will likely be ugly incidents that occur in the next Avs-BJ's tilt. Proper league action to address the first incident (the Westcott cross-check) would have prevented that, but the NHL has again missed the boat. This will INVARIABLY lead to more of the stellar, unbiased press coverage from the media that the league seems to not be able to keep away from.

To the best of my knowledge, Westcott has not sent a thank-you note to Lappy thanking him for saving his life. You figure a nice Hallmark at the least since Duvie would have likely required a closed casket if Lappy hadn't stepped in. How rude...

All-in-all, the lack of any cohesive disciplinary action by the NHL has again shown the league office's inconsistent application of the rules of the league. Don't they understand that the ACTION should warrant punishment just as much as, if not more than, the result? That is the only way that stuff like this will be weeded out of the game.

Spacek Emerging from Numminen's Shadow

2007-10-15T14:05:00.001-04:00

Jaro Spacek has started hot. He has three goals to start the season and has looked every bit the player the Sabres thought they were getting when they signed him as a free agent last year. The question is, why now?

I believe it is the simple fact that he is finally being allowed to play the role he was brought to Buffalo to fill. Lindy Ruff is a great coach, but even great coaches have their unique ways of doing things. One of Lindy's trademarks is leaning on his veterans and being generally uncomfortable with newcomers. Last year when Spacek struggled a bit early it seemed that Ruff quickly turned the page and went to his security blanket that was Teppo. Furthermore, the power play last year was dominated by shooters and the puck movement wasn't always crisp. Spacek, who is more of a shooter than a distributor seemed out of synch from the start. Unable to fill the role of PP QB he was a forgotten man on the unit by mid-season.

It is no coincidence that the powerplay is far better with Tim Connolly manning the left side halfwall. Teams genuinely fear Connolly's abilities. Though Briere and Drury are fine players neither is Connolly's equal on the power play when it comes to quarterbacking the play and distributing the puck. His reemergence has allowed Spacek and Brian Campbell to return to the roles of point man blasters that they both thrived in two seasons ago. Another bonus is the willingness of Thomas Vanek and Paul Gaustad to park in front of the net. Neither Drury or Briere seemed particularly comfortable in or were built for that area.

I expect you will continue to see Spacek thrive in his enhanced role and with the larger ice time. He is a horse and hopefully will add a larger physical presence defensively as well.

News and Notes:

- Sorry for the lag in posting. for some reason I cannot access the site at certain times of the day and that along with extended trips to Chicago and Atlanta have hampered me.

- Rumours abound that the Sabres may sign C Randy Robitaille. RDS is reporting that it is between Buffalo and Ottawa for the former Islander. It would seem he would be looked at to fill the 3rd or 4th center role in Buffalo if he signs.

- Jocelyn Thibault has yet to play for the Sabres. I expect he will get a start during one of the midweek games coming up.

Combustible Chemistry Causes Rangers to Self-In-Sen-erate in 52 Seconds

2007-10-14T18:47:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK — In one of the oddest reported occurrences of spontaneous human combustion, 19* men simultaneously blew up in front of over 18,000 horrified witnesses.

Although the entire explosive event took less than a minute, one scientist, who happened to be on hand, had a handle on how it happened.

“Whenever you combine very potent and efficient Canadian firepower with MSG ice, sloppy defensive play and too many new player combinations, there is always a small chance of having this kind of freakish result,” said Korean chemical engineer, Yu B. Sik.

Fortunately, since the fireworks finished so fast, the fire department never had to be called. Although Ranger head coach, Tom Renney, was unavailable for comment, Brendan Shanahan took “a shot” at giving the players’ explanation for the Manhattan Meltdown. Unfortunately, like all of his other shots this year, Shanahan was off target with his comments—missing the microphone by a good two feet.

Amazingly, despite the horrific happenstance, all 19* players survived and are expected to be in the lineup Thursday against Atlanta.

*I gave backup goalie, Stephen Valiquette, an exemption because he didn’t play. However, this is only an honorary exemption, because had Valiquette been in net, things might have gotten worse yet.

Humorist’s Hindsight: Let’s face it. Even if the Rangers hadn’t self-imploded by giving up 3 goals in that minute of misery, they had no chance against the vastly superior Senators. Ottawa was so clearly the better team in every phase of the game. This includes being bigger, faster, more skilled, quicker to the puck, more physical, having a better transition game, etc.

At this point Ottawa is like a well-oiled, fine-tuned industrial machine, while the Rangers are like a rich kid’s rendition of an out-of-sync gadget thrown together for a science class project. It seems hard to believe that in the next 6 months the Rangers are going to be able to catch up with their Canadian counterparts.

It also doesn’t help that the Rangers have next to nothing left in the salary cap kitty (sorry tdr) with which to purchase any meaningful machine parts before the trade deadline.

At the moment, I can only think of 2 funny aspects to the Rangers slow start to the season:

1) That anyone could have seriously believed the Rangers were Stanley Cup contenders, given that they will almost certainly have to get past Ottawa in the playoffs, and

2) That Glen Sather shelled out over $5 million to Brendan Shanahan this season, believing that he was still a formidable goal scorer—despite all the contrary evidence over Shanahan’s last 38 regular season games of 2006-2007. Details of Shanahan's "sinking ship of a scoring shot" from last season are found in the middle of this August 3rd article.

With 5 more goalless games to start this season, Shanny’s Fanny is going to get an “old” fashioned, verbal butt kicking by the Hockey Humorist in posts that will appear sometime before Thursday’s game in Atlanta.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

Goaltending woes around the NHL two weeks into the 2007-2008 season...

2007-10-14T11:48:00.000-04:00

Often, even if your team has ammassed the cream of the crop of superstars on their roster, it may not be enough to win in a new and tough NHL era.

It might be really early, and I know you cannot blame a goalie for how he performs on most nights, but let's take a look at how some goalies are faring around the league almost 2 weeks into the new campaign.

......................................

The Atlanta Thrashers have learned this the hard way, only 5 games into the season their goaltending monster of Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg have combined for a total of 23 goals against and subsequently a zero in the wins column and 5 losses despite Ilya Kovalchuk putting up his usual spectacular goal-scoring fiesta night-in and night-out.

......................................

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs and their fans have had to endure the shaky start of new acquisition Vesa Toskala in the blue and white.
The prized pickup of Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. this offseason from down in Sunny San Jose currently leads all goaltenders with 18 goals allowed in only 4 games, complimented by a 4.48 GAA and a paltry .878 SPCT%.

......................................

It's the same old story down in Tampa Bay, as the curse of Nikolai Khabibulin lives on.
With 3 wins so far this year, the Lightning have all the offence they need with Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards to compensate for their lack of a solid starter between the pipes.
The Lightning lost a game last night 6-4 to their counterpart Florida Panthers and you could argue that TB's goaltending is back to its old habits again.
After three strong consecutive performances by Johan Holmqvist in the team's first 3 wins; the Swedish sophomore let 4 goals on 15 shots go right through his body against the Panthers yesterday evening with all of them being considered in your blogger's eyes quite soft.
He was replaced by Marc Denis, originally sought for the starting role 2 summers ago (but that didn't work out either) and nothing out of the ordinary or remotely solid came of him in his 7 shot stint besides one weak goal that killed the momentum Tampa Bay had going after scoring four unanswered goals on Tomas Vokoun that period.

......................................

Manny Fernandez was supposed to be the answer for the Boston Bruins in goal, but Tim Thomas is showing why he should be the number one for the B's.
Two ordinary outings and 10 goals against have people wondering if Fernandez can get back to his previous form from 2 seasons ago with the Wild, the same season which he stole the starter's job from Dwayne Roloson.
Until he decides to play like his salary dictates, the Bruins have all the time in the world to watch Tim Thomas shine for them.
A 1.48 goals against average and a .957 SPCT% puts Thomas in the top 3 in each of those categories to start the season; and I see no reason why Fernandez and his 5.00 GAA should park their butts in Boston's crease as long as the Bear is playing like a superstar.

......................................

Jonathan Bernier had fans salivating after a stunning game against the defending Stanley Cup Champs on Opening Night in the United Kingdom, but the hype has calmed down ever since.
2 games and 11 goals later, the former first round draft choice Bernier is on the bench again and could end up in Manchester pretty soon.
Jason LaBarbera hasn't been any better the rookie Bernier with no wins and a .827 SPCT% to get his NHL career back on track.

......................................

Marc-Andre Fleury, Chris Mason, Miikka Kiprusoff, Martin Brodeur, Robert Luongo and Ryan Miller all need to be better if their teams have a chance at success this year.

Olaf Kolzig, Cam Ward, Nikolai Khabibulin, Manny Legace, Martin Biron and Cristobal Huet are carrying their teams with solid performances night-in and night-out.

Yours truly is a goaltender as well, and is only giving his two cents on this subject...things can change, it's only a few games, but here's how it's looking so far...

-BBeR

'Canes sweep Eastern Canada

2007-10-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

After an embarrassing loss to the Caps last Saturday, the Canes traveled to Toronto with a new optimism. After falling behind 1-0 early in the first the Canes came out firing and shamed the Leafs with a final score of 7-1 (Williams, Stillman, Cullen, Whitney, Walker, Hamilton, and Staal; that's right, seven different scorers) A sub-par game for the Leafs, but it was important for the Canes to get that type of offense rolling. This was the motivation they needed.

Two nights later they took on the previously undefeated Senators. After both teams testing the water and basically just scrambling to get something going, Erik Cole opened up the scoring for the Canes. 6 minutes into the 3rd and the Canes go up 4-1. With less than 5 minutes left to go the Canes defense seemed to back off and slow down. This was answered with two quick goals by Mike Fisher and Joe Corvo of the Sens. When the Sens pulled Gerber to get the extra attacker on the ice, the Canes sealed their win when Eric Staal scored the EN goal. Final score 5-3...the Senators, no longer undefeated.

Although the had won 2/2 of their Canadian roadtrip this last game vs the Habs was probably most important. 2 points we need aside, this game would be a good indicator of the consistency that the Canes lacked last season which resulted in the Canes watching the playoffs from their couches at home. The first 10 minutes of the 1st period were incredibly scary to watch as a fan. The Habs came out roaring to go for their home opener and the Canes looked like this was all of theirs first NHL game ever. Ward let's in an early goal only a minute into it. Slowly the momentum swung back to the Canes as Stillman gets an ugly garbage goal late in the third. Matt Cullen was the only tally in the 2nd. And after much struggling to control the puck in the third, our Chad LaRose gets his first EN goal with 15 seconds to go. Canes win 3-1.

The Canes now stand at 4-1-1; a huge difference from how the 06-07 season started. Ward currently stands high up on most stats list with a record of 4-0-1 (John Grahame took the loss in DC) and .942 save percentage after just over 300 minutes of ice time.

The Canes now get a break until a Friday/Saturday back to back in Pennsylvania.

Let's Go Canes!

Boulerice in and Boulerice out...simple as that!

2007-10-12T22:57:00.001-04:00

First went Downie, then fell Boulerice...

29-year old enforcer Jesse Boulerice has been suspended 25 games by the National Hockey League for his striking hit on Canucks forward Ryan Kesler's face last night in Vancouver.

The suspension bodes nicely with prospect Steve Downie's out of training camp on Ottawa's Dean McCammond (he got 20 games).

But as for Boulerice, he's in and out.

Signed October 3rd as a free-agent to a 1-year contract, Boulerice was expected to assure a depth role on the Flyers checking lines this season.
But one week and two days into his Flyers tenure, the Plattsburgh, New York native gets slapped with the longest single-season ban in NHL history.

Longest NHL suspensions ever include:

Chris Simon, NYI March 2007, 25 games
Jesse Boulerice, PHI October 2007, 25 games
Marty McSorley, BOS Februaru 2000, 23 games
Gordie Dwyer, TAM September 2000, 23 games
Dale Hunter, WAS May 1992, 21 games
Steve Downie, PHI September 2007, 20 games
Todd Bertuzzi, VAN February 2004, 20 games
Tom Lysiak, CHI October 1983, 20 games
Brad May, PHO November 2000, 20 games

"This was more than a careless and reckless play," Colin Campbell said. "It was senseless."

Paul Holmgren expected nothing less than that from Campbell on this situation.

"Is 25 the worst?" he said. "It's pretty close to what I expected."

Boulerice isn't new to massive suspensions, in fact, he was suspended one entire year in 1998 by the Ontario Hockey League for his newfound fondness for "stick-swinging", something Habs fans can remember Alexander Perezhogin for during his short-lived Bulldogs stay

The following year, now in the American Hockey League, Boulerice didn't get the nod to play until mid-November, when he was ruled "eligible" to return to action.

He will be eligilbe to be reinstated to the Flyers active roster December 13th against the Montreal Canadiens; but one can wonder if he'll ever suit up for the Flyguys ever again.
It's unlikely, in my opinion, that Boulerice gets a second chance for his infraction and if anything he'll salt the rest of the season down on the farm with the Flyers' AHL affiliate Phantoms.

It's not as if he was ever good or effective in his role to begin with.

-BBeR

Random Ranger Thoughts

2007-10-10T16:45:00.000-04:00

Some random Ranger thoughts while waiting for the first of 8 regular season installments of the Ranger-Islander rivalry:

Relax, Ranger Fans

I understand that last season's second round playoff appearance combined with the free-agent signings of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez created high-expectations for the 2007-08 season. But, it seems some Ranger fans expected their team to roll through the schedule like the 1970's Soviet national team. There's no doubt the Rangers are a good team, but it's going to take a little time for Drury and Gomez to get acclimated to their new teammates. I fully expect this team to get better as the season goes along, and should play its best hockey at the most important time.

Lundqvist off to Fast Start

The good news for the Rangers is that King Henrik seems to have picked up where he left off last year, and has kept his team in both games this season. His teammates took advantage with a four-goal rally in the season-opener against Florida, but they were unable to break through against Martin Gerber on Saturday.

Missing Avery

The Rangers must find a way to maintain their level of toughness, energy and abrasiveness during the four-week absence of the NHL's most hated player, Sean Avery. Avery suffered a separated shoulder on a tough and clean (despite all the nonsensical hysterics from Stan Fischler) hit from Ottawa tough-guy Chris Neil.You may not like Avery (chances are, if you're not a Ranger fan, you don't), but his addition to the roster last season brought the Rangers the necessary intangibles the team had been missing as it aimlessly wandered through the first two-thirds of the 06-07 season. Now that he will be lost for the next month, the Rangers must not revert to their pre-Avery form.

Jovo Not Coming to NY

Not that we should take anything Eklund reports seriously, but everyone needs to stop talking about any trade of Ed Jovanovski to the Rangers. In his blog today, John Dellapina of the NY Daily News explains why this makes no sense:

Do not, under any circumstances, consider this a precedent. Because I have no intention of spending time and space on this blog shooting down ridiculous rumors - I already have a full-time job, thank you.

But as so many of you have asked about "reports" that Ed Jovanovski is headed to the Rangers, I'll make an exception.

This makes no sense on so many different levels it's difficult to know where to start. But let's start with some simple math:

• The Rangers currently have $51.3 million committed to salary and bonuses this season. That is OVER the team salary cap of $50.3 million and is only permitted because $2.8 million of that is bonus money that Brendan Shanahan will get after playing a few more games that falls under a very specific classification of bonuses. The Rangers will be charged next season for whatever amount over this year's cap that Shanahan's bonus money puts them.

Take away Shanahan's bonus money and the Rangers have $48.5 million committed for this season -- or $1.8 million of cap room.

Ed Jovanovski has four years and a total of $25.5 million left on his whopping contract for an annual cap hit of almost $6.5 million. In order to trade for Jovanovski, the Rangers would have to shed nearly $5 million to make room (Jagr for Jovo, anyone?)

• Of course, all this presupposes that the Rangers want Jovanovski and that he'd want to come here -- because he's got a no-trade clause and just built a house in the Phoenix area and doesn't want to move. Fact is, the Rangers have no interest in paying $6.5 million per season to any defenseman not named Niedermayer or Lidstrom or maybe Pronger. With $7 million per committed to forwards Scott Gomez and Chris Drury for the next five to seven years and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist due to sign an extension for more than $6 million per in January, how can the Rangers ice four lines and three D pairs if they shell out $6.5 million more to a defenseman who isn't a Norris Trophy type?

Other than all that, it's a good rumor. After all, didn't Don Maloney recently work for the Rangers? That's enough reason to believe a deal is about to get done. Isn't it?

BBeR's Standings and Leaders predictions for the 2007-2008 season

2007-10-08T19:34:00.000-04:00

Close, but no dice.

Gritty prediction: The Habs will get their revenge in the final game of the season, with both teams inching for the final playoff spot, against the Leafs in Montreal and earn the 8th seed.

Hey loyal readers and hockey fans!

I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I can assure you the wait and the drought for hockey is now over, the season is about a week old and it's to no one's surprise that fans all around the nation are going crazy.
Well, I went crazy a few days before the Ducks and Kings dropped the puck in the UK, crazy making up predictions for the coming season.

Yes, I also know that the season's started and I'm a little late, but hey, who really cares except the people who insist over useless details?

Feel free to speak your mind or bash me to your heart's content.

New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Carolina Hurricanes
Buffalo Sabres
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
Florida Panthers
New Jersey Devils
Washington Capitals
Boston Bruins
Atlanta Thrashers
New York Islanders

Detroit Red Wings
San Jose Sharks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Calgary Flames
Anaheim Ducks
Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
Columbus Blue Jackets
St. Louis Blues
Edmonton Oilers
Phoenix Coyotes
Chicago Blackhawks

Eastern Team Leaders (PTS):
Bruins -- Savard
Canadiens -- Koivu
Capitals -- Ovechkin
Devils -- Parise
Flyers -- Briere
Hurricanes -- Staal
Islanders -- Comrie
Lightning -- St. Louis
Maple Leafs -- Blake
Panthers -- Jokinen
Penguins -- Crosby
Rangers -- Jagr
Sabres -- Roy
Senators -- Alfredsson
Thrashers -- Hossa

Western Team Leaders (PTS):
Avalanche -- Sakic
Blackhawks -- Ruutu
Blue Jackets -- Nash
Blues -- Kariya, P.
Canucks -- Sedin (pick one)
Coyotes -- Doan
Ducks -- McDonald
Flames -- Igingla
Kings -- Frolov
Oilers -- Hemsky
Predators -- Dumont
Red Wings -- Datsyuk
Sharks -- Thornton
Stars -- Morrow
Wild -- Gaborik

-BBeR

(P.S. -- look for a redesign soon!)

Coyotes Howl-a-thon

2007-10-08T16:04:00.000-04:00

I've been missing in action this season but I've gotten the insane urge to uptalk my boys... maybe I'm hoping that if I get to it first then it won't sting so bad when everyone starts trashing us. :)

First off, I must say that Coyotes fans are never satisfied (except myself, of course). The Phoenix Coyotes had zero creativity in the front office last year and the fans wasted no time in letting them know. Now that they are trying something new with the fuzzy French snowman (yes, I said fuzzy snowman) commercials, the new video and music selection at games and the billboards and posters splashed all around our fair city, all anyone can do is bitch.

"It's too loud." "The language isn't family friendly." "The strobes irritate me." "The commercials are stupid."

Get over it, guys. You can either have an uptempo Linkin Park song in the opening video or you can have Britney Spears. I think I'm one of the minority that loves the new way of doing things. The songs get me pumped up and while the strobe lights through the ENTIRE game might be pushing the envelope, how else are they expected to get our dead crowd excited?

Now that that's off my chest, I can turn to the real reason for the post - the game itself. In our first game we played the Blues and we beat 'em in every way shape and form. Sorry Blues fans but you know it's true. We outskated, outshot and outplayed your team. We were chipper and feisty and we wanted the win BAD, so we did what we were supposed to do and we went out and TOOK it.

Unfortunately, the luck/skill didn't spill over to our next game vs. the Bruins. The first peiod was completely owned by Boston and it didn't get a whole lot better the rest of the game. We ended up losing (albeit not by much) and the fans were pissed. My question is why? We knew from the beginning that this year was going to be atrocious but because we won that first game everyone's hopes leapt into the air only to crash back around their feet when they realized that no, this isn't an overnight project.

We lost Zbynek Michalek for 4-6 weeks with a broken hand the day before the season began and we're still missing tough-guy Josh Gratton with his broken finger. Us Coyotes sure have a way of immobilizing ourselves. Anyone who thought that Zbynek was a waste of space before this better take a good look around, watch the rest of the d-men scramble around to fill the spot left by the little Czech.

It's a fun season so far (2 games deep is early to call it, I know). I'm looking forward to more losing because then at least my boys will learn what not to do. Get all that junk out of the way now so that when it comes time to put it all on the table they're not afraid to do what they're supposed to.

Goooo Coyotes!

Colorado at the 1/27th point of the season

2007-10-08T13:37:00.000-04:00

Well, the Avalanche have played three games of the long 82-game season and a few things are noteworthy to this point. A couple of these items are blatantly obvious, others...not so much. I'll hit the highs and lows real quick, to give a snapshot of the Avs at the 3.66% point of the season.

The first item up for your consideration is Paul Stastny. East Coasters (specifically those who voted for Malkin in last year's Calder race) may not have been aware of his built-for-the-new-NHL skill set, but after three games in the dreaded slump-inducing sophomore season, he leads the league in points after a hat trick on opening night, followed by a 5-point explosion against the Pacific juggernaut San Jose Sharks. The gap-toothed wonder has scored his gems in a variety of ways: in-stride entering the offensive zone, down-low on the PP, backdoor give-and-goes, etc. He's also dishing out the assists, especially on Sakic's first goal of the season. He's set a torrid pace for himself, but even if he comes back down to Earth a little, he's still going to put up great numbers this season.

Point #2: Jaroslav Hlinka, or the missing H-link as I like to call him. With Turgeon going down last season the Avs lacked a genuine playmaker for the second or third lines. Not anymore. Super-Scout Milan Hejduk brought this guy to the attention of management after two stellar seasons in Europe. So far, at $600,000, he's a steal. He dishes pucks like Oprah dishes advice. He's unselfish and has some of the prettiest passes I've seen in a while.

Next up? The Duke is back. Adding credence to the suspicion that he played at least a portion of last season on a bum wheel, Hejduk is zipping around the ice, shooting, passing, breaking up plays... He's lighting the lamp and improving the play of everybody around him. He's on the ice in all three situations (even, PK, and PP), which shows tremendous versatility. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict him to finish the season with the highest points among the Avs.

The D has looked better than last year. Sure they let the Stars back in it on opening night, and the PK got lit up in Nashville, but as a whole, the D-corp. is better positionally and seem to be more physical with the addition of Hannan and a healty Leopold. Finger played well against the Sharks and may permanently displace Skrastins with a few more good games like that.

The forwards are another story altogether. According to my source (my wife, who watched the Preds game while I was at pick-up hockey), the 4-goal shellacking from the Preds was a result of the same backdoor play over and over. That means some of the forwards are running around when they should be sticking to their man or playing their spot on the ice. This was in evidence on the last goal of the game against the Sharks. Unless Budaj is expected to spontaneously clone himself (ala James Madrox), there is little-to-no chance he can make a save when a guy is camped out, eating a Snickers bar, on the far side of the crease with nary an Av in shouting distance. The defensive positioning/responsibility of the forward core has to improve or this weak link will be exposed as the season progresses.

Budaj has looked good so far. His positioning is sound, he's shrugged off the loss in Nashville with an excellent game against the Sharks, and contrary to some detractors, I think his rebound control has been pretty good. He had a weird bounce off of the right leg against the Sharks, but if you go back and watch that game, he swallowed up a ton of shots, may of them with heavy traffic in front of him. Budaj appears quick and balanced, not trying to do too much, which means he may have some renewed confidence in the D-corp. in front of him.

Finally, faceoffs HAVE to improve. As a team, the Avs are atrocious. Hopefully, this is a focus in practice during the long layoff between games 3 and 4, but Richardson and his slightly above average faceoff skills can't get healthy quick enough.

I don't want to sound like another "Everything-is-rosy," gushing fanboy, but I like the Avs chances this year. They have issues, but from having watched just about every team so far this season, everybody has things to work on. Overall, a good start to the season against three teams that are expected to be playoff teams this year. I'm looking forward to games 4-82+ with the still-intact, renewed hope of a new season.

A New Beginning

2007-10-05T19:52:00.000-04:00

And it has begun.

The 41st season in Philadelphia Flyers history began last night with a clutch 3-2 victory over the Western Conference powerhouse Calgary Flames. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous going into the game. Our preseason ended with a sketchy 3-5 record, and there was still some chemistry issues that were being addressed in practice. Not to mention - we were facing Kipper and Iginla in our first game. Can you say "test?"

Don't get me wrong, I am ecstatic about the moves that Paul Holmgren made in the off-season, but having at least 9 new players in your roster can make for some lofty confusion on the ice. Fortunately for the Fly-guys, last night's game lacked the issues fans and media alike were half-anticipating.

The game featured impressive performances from Danny Briere (first goal and game winning goal), Simon Gagne (2 assists), and Mike Knuble (1 PP goal, 1 assist). Aside from the first line point-getters, Mike Richards and the understated Braydon Coburn had especially strong games. Richards' forechecking game was determined, high in energy, and consistent. He played a ton of minutes (19:10) and seemed to make something happen every time he stepped out. Coburn's game didn't involve any points, but holy-defensive-positioning Batman - this guy was just great when it came to being responsible on the ice. He's often overlooked when he doesn't put up any points, but I can honestly say that he looked like one of the most confident defensemen on the ice.

In other Flyers/NHL news, I had a chance to chat with former Flyer defenseman Chris Therien last night before the game. I've been trying to find out what's going on with free agent LW John LeClair since he was released in November 2006 from the Penguins roster. Knowing that Therien and LeClair are good friends from "back in the day," I figured this was my best chance to find out what the deal is - is he retired? retiring? planning on a comeback? seeking a contract? Whatever I could find out, I was happy with.

When asked about LeClair's status, Therien told me to "consider him retired...He's had a tremendous career and [now has the chance to] ride off into the sunset." I couldn't have said it better myself, Chris. Although, what I wouldn't give to see him play one more game in the NHL.

Here's to John LeClair, his extraordinary career (even though it's not officially over), and a new beginning for the Flyers in the 2007-08 season.

'Right Place at the Right Time:' Drury Leads Rangers to Opening Night Win

2007-10-05T13:47:00.001-04:00

That didn't take long, did it?

When the Rangers signed Chris Drury this summer, Ranger fans, who were crushed by his game-tying (series ending) goal with 7.7 seconds left in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, anticipated that they would get to be on the long end of Drury's heroics in the clutch.

Nearly midway through the third period of his first game as a Ranger, the anticipation on Broadway was replaced by an eruption of joy. Less than two minutes after Petr Prucha tied the score at 2-2, Rangers’ Captain Jaromir Jagr threw a blind backhand on net and Florida Panthers Goalie Tomas Vokoun left a juicy rebound in front of his net that ended up on Drury's stick. The 30-year old center wasted no time in roofing a shot just under the crossbar, giving the Rangers the lead for good in a 5-2 rout of the Panthers.

Opening night at the World's Most Famous Arena got off to a dazzling start as former Ranger and future Hall of Famer, Brian Leetch returned to MSG to drop the ceremonial first puck. Leetch was introduced to a thunderous Garden ovation as Ranger fans showed their appreciation to the Greatest Ranger of all-time by chanting his name.

While Leetch, and other members of the dragon-slaying 1993-94 Rangers, will always have a special place in the hearts of the Garden faithful, the 2007-08 Rangers got off to a fast start of their own. Just like last season, the Rangers scored a goal on their first shot of the season. A year ago, it was Captain Jagr against the Caps. This year, Michal Rozsival (+4 on the evening) scored just 39 seconds into the game to put the Rangers on the board first.

The party atmosphere didn't last, however, as the Rangers seemed intent on making the perfect pass, playing right into the hands of the trapping Panthers. The Rangers would muster only four more shots the rest of the period, and another paltry four during the second period.

The Panthers took advantage of Rangers’ mistakes and took a 2-1 lead on second-period goals by Brett McLean and Nathan Horton, and held a 21-9 shot advantage after the first 40 minutes.

The Rangers, booed off the ice after a lackluster first two periods, were kept in the game by the usual solid work in goal by Henrik Lundqvist, who made 27 saves en route to his first win of the year.

King Henrik's play kept the Rangers in striking distance in the third period. And, strike they did, peppering a helpless (and hapless)Vokoun with 16 shots in a dominating four-goal third period.

Prucha opened the scoring in the third stanza by taking a nifty feed from much-maligned defenseman Marek Malik (3 assists and a +3) and snapping a wrister under Vokoun's left arm.

Twelve seconds after Drury (goal, 2 assists, +3 and a team-high 4 shots) gave the Rangers the lead, promising rookie Ryan Callahan intercepted an attempted break-out pass, made a great move and buried a wrist shot under the crossbar and just inside the far post to provide the home team with some insurance.

With just under seven minutes remaining in the Rangers’ opening night triumph, Martin Straka closed out the scoring by converting a Malik rebound.

There were plenty of positives and negatives to take away from this opening game of the season.

On the positive side, the Straka-Drury-Jagr line combined for 6 points and a +9 rating.

Prucha and Callahan not only each tallied goals, they consistently had hard-working energetic shifts.

And, the defense played well, including a solid performance from Marc Staal in his NHL debut.

As for the minus side of the ledger, the Avery-Gomez-Shanahan line generated virtually no offense, mustering a grand total of 3 shots the entire night. It's only the first game, and they need time to mesh, but Tom Renney may need to do some more tinkering, if this line doesn't start to click.

The Rangers spent much of the first two periods playing uninspired, unintelligent hockey. The good news is they still managed to get a win. The bad news is that playing that poorly and still winning often leads to complacency. Hopefully, this team has enough veteran leadership to recognize the 60-minute effort needs to vastly improve.

And, while we're dealing with the negatives from last night, could Ranger fans at least wait for the puck to drop before booing Marek Malik? Look, he's never going to make anyone forget Brian Leetch or even Alexander Karpovtsev, but he's not Stephane Quintal or Igor Ulanov, either. What is the point of booing a guy during the opening night player introductions?

Oh, and one other thing about senseless displays of ignorance from some in the crowd, the "we want the cup" chants need to be tabled for a while. It's the first game of the year. Everyone take a breath and enjoy the season.

As for what took place on the ice, there were plenty of things to like, but none more than Chris Drury immediately showing Ranger fans his knack for the big moment.

After the game, Drury was asked about his history of coming up big when it matters most. He said, "same answer I always give. Right place at the right time."

Indeed.

Curtain Goes up on Broadway Tonight

2007-10-04T09:49:00.000-04:00

The last time the Rangers took the Garden ice in a meaningful game, their impressive playoff surge was officially ended by a superior Buffalo Sabres team in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Of course, the series really ended two days earlier, when Chris Drury picked up a loose puck in front of Henrik Lundqvist and deposited it in the net behind King Henrik to tie Game 5 with 7.7 seconds left in regulation. The Sabres went on to win that game in OT, before coming to Manhattan to finish the job.

When the Florida Panthers visit the World's Most Famous Arena tonight to open the 2007-08 season, the feeling of despair and loss from Game 6 will be replaced by a level of excitement and anticipation the Garden Faithful have not had in more than a decade. And, the same man who stuck a dagger in the collective hearts of Ranger fans in the spring will be one of the main reasons for the renewed sense optimism on Broadway.

When last season ended, it was clear the Rangers had a gaping hole down the middle. Michael Nylander did an admirable job centering the Rangers' top line, but beyond that, the Rangers were lacking both quality and depth at the pivot.

Glen Sather tried to address the problem in the summer of 2006 by paying third-line center Matt Cullen to be a second-line center. Cullen is a good team guy, a hard worker and a terrific skater, but he did not have the playmaking ability to help Brendan Shanahan flourish.

As July approached, there were two top quality free agent centers about to hit the market, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. The conventional wisdom was that the Rangers would re-sign Nylander and then attempt to sign either Drury or Gomez. After taking a low-key approach to free agency during the first two summers following the lockout, Glen Sather's approach in 2007 was anything but conventional.

When the dust settled on a frantic opening day of Free Agency, Sather had bagged both Drury and Gomez. So much for a lack of quality at center. These signings, of course, meant the departure of Nylander, as well as Cullen, who became a salary cap casualty and was traded back to Carolina later in the summer.

The Rangers were clearly big winners this summer. The question now is if that will translate into on-ice wins during the fall and winter, and most importantly, next spring.Rangers bashers were quick to point out the Blueshirts have tried the high-priced free agent approach before, and it was a spectacular flop. Others have charged the Rangers are simply trying to buy the Stanley Cup.

Let's dismiss the second notion right off the bat. Repeat after me: You can NOT buy a championship in a league with a hard salary cap. It just can't be done. If you root for a team whose owner isn't spending enough money or isn't putting a quality product on the ice, stop blaming the Rangers and the players and Gary Bettman (there are so many other things to blame on Bettman). Blame your owner. You may not believe this, but just trust me; the owner of your team will not have to clip coupons to afford a better roster. He won't even have to give up his country club membership. And, as an added bonus, a good team might generate more revenue (amazing how that works), thus offsetting the cost of adding talent.

Now that we've established that it's impossible to buy a cup in the salary cap era, let's tackle the wisdom of Sather's July 1 approach. Most of the league, particularly fans of teams whose owners cry poverty and claim they just can't keep up with the big city bullies, would love to see this be a repeat of Neil Smith's summer of '99 train wreck, or Glen Sather's 2001 Island of Misfit Toys disaster. As much as I hate to disappoint you (actually, I really don't hate disappointing you at all), the 2006-2007 version of the Broadway Blueshirts is not the Same Old Ranger$.

If you don't believe me, here are four reasons why the Gomez and Drury signings will not sink the Rangers as other high-priced moves have in the past:

1.) Age, health and Pedigree. Scott Gomez is 27 years old and Chris Drury is 30. They are both in the prime of their careers and played key roles on Championship teams. The veterans brought in by Smith and Sather in past years were all 31 and older, with the exception of Eric Lindros and Pavel Bure, both of whom were only available because of major health risks. Neither Gomes nor Drury has a history of drug and alcohol abuse (Theo Fleury), debilitating concussions (Lindros), torn knee ligaments (Bure) or blindness (Bryan Berrard), which immediately makes them a better bet than previous Ranger high-priced acquisitions. In the past, Broadway was a place for free agents to get one last pay check before calling it quits. Gomez and Drury have plenty of quality years left and they are both winners.

2.) Strong Foundation. In both ‘99 and ‘01, the Rangers were coming off seasons in which they failed to make the playoffs. They then attempted to add high-priced players, who were past their prime and had character and injury issues, to an already old and unsuccessful team. I'm not sure why they had to try it twice to decide it wasn't a formula for success. Fortunately, this isn't the case in 2007. Sather fought off the urge to come right out of the lockout and build the best team money could buy. Instead, he targeted players who worked hard and meshed well with Jaromir Jagr, and who would fit reasonably under the salary cap. He didn't repeat the mistakes of the past by filling every roster spot with a veteran player. This allowed several young players to properly develop and earn spots on the big club, providing the team with an energy level and work ethic sorely lacking during the dark years. The Rangers average age in 99-00 and 01-02 was 30. This year, their average age is 27. Since the lockout, he Rangers not only were able to build a system and identity, they were able to have the right blend of young and veteran players. Most importantly, they have built a foundation for success, by making it back to the playoffs in 05-06 and advancing in 06-07. Gomez and Drury were not targeted to be a starting point. They were brought here to be the final pieces.

3.) Coaching. Admittedly, Tom Renney has made some decisions the past two seasons that are baffling. Like continuing to put Michael Rozsival on the same side of the ice as Jaromir Jagr on the power play, when everyone knows he's always going to just pass to Jagr, and continuing to give ice time to Marcel Hossa. But, the mere fact that the Rangers have played a system the past two seasons, rather than just spending every shift aimlessly skating in five different directions, makes him a significant upgrade over predecessors Glen Sather, Bryan Trottier (who got the job, because Sather liked his penmanship. I really wish I was joking.) and Ron Low. Under Renney, the Rangers have developed a work ethic and accountability up and down the roster. The players skate hard, are responsible in their own zone, forecheck and backcheck (including Jagr). I know this sounds like pretty basic stuff, but anyone who regularly watched the Rangers from 98-05 knows this is a big deal. Renney is not brilliant tactically, but he does get the most out of his players. He has the respect of every player in that room, and they all play hard for him, something that rarely happened under previous coaches.

4.) Goaltending. This is the most important factor. Mike Richter is the greatest American-born Goaltender of all-time, and he should go to the Hockey Hall of Fame. But, by the late 90's, Richter was plagued by injuries and failed by his teammates. He was no longer the indomitable force who backstopped the Rangers to a cup in 1994 and stood on his head to win the 1996 World Cup and single-handedly carried the Rangers to the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals. Knee injuries and concussions put the Rangers’ fate in the hands of unprepared kids like Dan Blackburn and overwhelmed journeymen like Kirk McLean and Mike Dunham. It really didn't matter how much money the Rangers spent on skaters, they didn't have what it took between the pipes to get it done. During King Henrik's Reign, that is no longer an issue. Henrik Lundqvist carried the Rangers down the stretch last year and throughout the playoffs, earning his second Vezina trophy nomination in as many years. While The King got off to a slow start last year, mostly due to the likes of Darius Kasparitis and Sandis Ozolinsh on the blue line, he picked up his game when his team needed him the most. He proved during the 2006 Olympics and the 2007 playoffs that he has the talent and the makeup to stand tall in big games. Before deciding on any team's chances to contend for a cup, you must ask yourself one question: Do they have a goalie capable of getting hot enough to steal games for two months in the spring? When you ask that question about the Rangers, thanks to King Henrik, the answer is a resounding YES.

So, will the Rangers win the Stanley Cup? It's always tough to make predictions in October, but they certainly have the horses. By signing Gomez and Drury, the Rangers not only significantly strengthened a glaring weakness, they also chipped away at conference rivals New Jersey and Buffalo (who also lost Daniel Briere to Philly).

The Rangers are not without questions.

Will Renney be able to find the right line combinations? The "obvious" idea of putting Gomez with Jagr and Drury with Shanahan didn't produce results in the preseason, so Renney is flipping them. Nylander fit very well with Jagr, and it is key that either Drury or Gomez find a way to jell with the Captain. If the top two lines fail to click early, the Rangers could get off to a slow start, and all the expectations will turn into early-season pressure.

How will Gomez and Drury handle the pressure of playing on the big stage? They've both been in plenty of big games, and have flourished in the spotlight. This shouldn't be an issue.

Will the kids be ready? It is critical for the Rangers that Dan Girardi and Ryan Callahan build off of last season's success and not take a step back. It will also be important for Brandon Dubinsky and Marc Staal to prove they belong on Brodway.

Will King Henrik's contract situation become a season-long issue? It won't be an issue early in the year, because nothing can be done until January 1. But, the longer into the new year it takes for both sides to reach an agreement on a contract extension, the more potential it has to be a distraction. I have a feeling the Rangers will get a long-term deal with Lundqvist done in plenty of time for the drive to the playoffs.

The Flyers have improved, the Penguins get better every day, Ottawa is still the team to beat, Buffalo still has plenty of young talent and the Devils are still the Devils. It will not be easy for the Rangers to make it out of the East. But, the Flyers and Pens are not quite ready yet and the Devils and Sabres lost too many players. Barring a serious injury to Jagr or Lundqvist, the Eastern Conference in 2008 should come down to the Rangers and Ottawa. The two teams should be evenly matched, but if my life was on the line, I'd take King Henrik over Ray Emery in a big series.

The disappointing feeling that hung over MSG in May will be replaced by a Garden party in June. And, at some point during the playoff run, Chris Drury will have that moment when he rises up to make the difference between winning and losing. And, not a single Ranger fan who had his heart broken in Game 5, will be the least bit surprised.

Sabres Season Preview

2007-10-04T08:34:00.000-04:00

It's time for a new season and here is a brief preview of the roster the Sabres will take into the new season and my predictions for the 2007-2008 season.

Goaltenders:

Sabres:
Ryan Miller
Jocelyn Thibault

On the Farm:
Adam Dennis

No matter how you feel about the Sabres off-season losses. The hope for this campaign all begins and ends right here, with Ryan Miller. This team is undoubtedly Miller's now. He is the leader and seems poised for greatness and I fully expect him to fulfill that promise. I am looking for a Vezina-winning possible MVP season out of Ryan.

Thibault was shaky in the pre-season, but I am not overly concerned with that. I think he will prove to be a solid addition to the club and hold his own. Adam Dennis was hot and cold in Rochester. an unorthodox goalie he has some ability but i doubt he will amount to more than a solid backup at the NHL level. If the Sabres run into injuries they will have to pursue the trade route to fill the hole.

Defense:
Henrik Tallinder
Toni Lydman
Brian Campbell
Jaro Spacek
Dmitri Kalinin
Nathan Paetsch

On the farm:
Andrei Sekera
Mike Funk
Marc-Andre Gragnani
Mike Card

The Sabres bring back an extremely solid defensive corps. The loss of Teppo Numminen to heart surgery is a blow, but it does open a roster spot for Nathan Paetsch who was very good in extensive duty last year. Look to see lots of ice time for super shutdown tandem Lydman and Tallinder. Tallinder could be a darkhorse Norris Trophy candidate if he can avoid the big injury. Brian Campbell is in a contract year and is coming off an all-star campaign. I expect big things from him as well as a better showing on the power play. Dmitri Kalinin and Jaro Spacek struggled at times last year, but I feel that the loss of Numminen may actually help them as it will put them in more positions that suite their skills. I think Spacek will actually jump into Numminens role and be very sucessful. Kalinin will have a relatively short leash this year and may find his way off the roster if he struggles again. it appears Andrei Sekera will easily be the first call up and I would not be surprised if he was a regular by mid-season.

Funk, Gragnani, Card and Mike Weber lead an good group off youngsters that could make an impact in years to come. Funk has added significant muscle and looked far more comfortable in camp this year than last. Gragnani is an impressive talent and could earn a surprise call-up especially if the Sabres struggle offensively from the back end.

Forwards:

Max Afinigenov, Jason Pominville, Ales Kotalik, Andrew Peters
Derek Roy, Tim Connolly, Paul Gaustad, Clarke Macarthur
Thomas Vanek, Jochen Hecht, Adam Mair, Dan Paille, Mike Ryan

On The Farm:

Marek Zagrapan, Mark Mancari, Dylan Hunter, Pat Kaleta

No doubt about it, the Sabres took some serious hits with the losses of Danny Briere, Chris Drury and Danius Zubrus in the off-season. Fortunately, the Sabres might have been the one team that could afford to absorb those types off losses. Tim Connolly appears healthy and poised to make a big impact and Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek justified their new contracts with monster contracts. The only truly new faces in the lineup this season appear to be gritty winger Dan Paille, mike Ryan and Clarke Macarthur. This team should have little trouble scoring. The key will be whether or not the youngsters can step into the roles filled by Drury and Briere.

Marek Zagrapan and Pat Kaleta seem to be the only real forwards likely to see significant time in Buffalo this year. The overall depth in terms of NHL ready players took a hit with the losses, but the Sabres prospect pool is far from shallow.

Management:

All members of the coaching and management staff return so that is of some comfort. I fully expect Lindy Ruff to be a candidate for coach of the year. Darcy Regier has alot of flexibility this season and has the team poised to be able to swing a big deal if a player to their liking comes available.

Predicition: I will be in the firm minority here, but I believe the Sabres have all the tools for another cup run. I predict first in the Notheast and second overall behind Pittsburgh in the Conference. I see the Sabres playing San Jose for the cup and bringing Buffalo home its first Stanley Cup.

2007-2008 NHL Predictions

2007-10-02T19:03:00.000-04:00

I'm back for my first full season on the BBeR, hoping to give some solid insight around the league.

I'll start simple, by posting my predictions for the upcoming season.

I decided last year, that it's not worth going through the trouble of discussing why I predict what I do, because in actuality there is no real science to doing this. No one will completely agree with everything anyone says. I'll just put a quick comment next to each team.

EAST:
1- Ottawa Senators -- best team in a weaker division.
2- Florida Panthers -- last year's team looked like they're getting it together
3- New York Rangers -- spending money shouldn't hurt them this time around. Sather does it his way.
4- Pittsburgh Penguins -- not worse, but an ultra-competitive division may leave them stagnant in the standings.
5- Carolina Hurricanes -- got hit with injuries hard last season, and a healthy team should bounce back.
6- Philadelphia Flyers -- looked a lot better towards the end of the season, but they will take some time to gel.
7- Tampa Bay Lightning -- still a solid team, but lack of depth will still be a concern.
8 - Buffalo Sabres -- lost a lot in the offseason, but don't forget who they still have.
9 - Toronto Maple Leafs -- Still just miss, but as long as the pipeline develops, will rise to the top again.
10 - Atlanta Thrashers -- did nothing while almost everyone else got better.
11 - New Jersey Devils -- transitioning team forced to watch off-season happenings.
12- Washington Capitals -- improving team, but still a lot to prove.
13 - New York Islanders -- mediocre team that went for it all in one year when they shouldn't have.
14 - Boston Bruins -- a team that has to prove they can get it right. A poor season will lead to another front office house cleaning
15- Montreal Canadiens -- I just don't see much good this year.

West:

1- Detroit Red Wings -- once again, strong team in a weakened division
2- San Jose Sharks -- the talent has always been there
3- Calgary Flames -- most people are critical of Keenan, but he and this team will be good for each other
4- Anaheim Ducks -- might be a Cup hangover, but should be in full gear for the playoffs
5- Vancouver Canucks -- Luongo is back of course, the team will go where he can take them.
6- Columbus Blue Jackets -- my surprise in the west, Ken Hitchcock will have this team playing hard, and playing to win
7- Colorado Avalanche -- up only two spots from last year, but it's a testamant of the division they're in and they're an improved team.
8- Minnesota Wild -- 4 teams from the Northwest? The Wild are a team that is built for the playoffs, the problem will be getting there.
9- Los Angeles Kings -- kills me to have them just miss, but they will take solace in the fact that the team is not that far away.
10- St. Louis Blues -- still transitioning, but the future isn't far away
11 - Nashville Predators -- not sure how you improve when you lose great players
12 - Dallas Stars -- were good enough to make the dance last year, but didn't keep pace. Still won't score.
13 - Chicago Blackhawks -- still not ready to make noise. Not yet.
14 - Edmonton Oilers -- I just don't see a mix of players that can compete consistently at this level.
15 - Phoenix Coyotes -- a new regime in the desert, it will take some time.

I feel like talking about my boys...

2007-10-01T22:11:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Jared Boll and Kris Russell who have made it into the big show. According to Aaron Portzline they will be in the line-up Friday night for opening night. I am excited beyond belief for these guys. While, I haven't been able to make it up for any of the camps or watch any of the pre-season games I have heard nothing but amazing things about them. While neither of them is a top line center (Russell is defense and Boll is a winger) I feel their contributions will be just what we need. Portzline also has the opening night line ups...well what he thinks they're going to be. And here we have it:

F1 = Nash, Fedorov, Vyborny
F2 = Chimera, Novotny, Zherdev
F3 = Modin, Peca, Brule
F4 = Fritsche, Malhotra, Boll

All of this is assuming Peca is better along with Modin. Feds is back between Nash and Vybs which is our best bet...considering the Zherdev experiment failed.

"That experiment failed. I didn't feel comfortable playing center, and, at times, didn't know what to do with the puck." He went on to say that he wouldn't want to play center again, that he much prefers the right wing."

And, here's what he feels about fans and the press talking all that smack about him.

"I don't mind. I admit my mistakes and when I don't play well. After all, criticism is what news and fans are there for."

Well Zherdev why don't you listen to us. Start showing us that you give two craps about us. Show us the player you can be...the player we expected you to be. I hope you have changed...please show us that...you owe it to us...and hell you're getting paid a lot of money and you're just not producing buddy.
Also, if you're going to the game on Friday...be ready for the KABOOM!!!!!!!

X-Posted on Bethany's Hockey Rants

Avalanche Blogger Roundtable

2007-10-01T15:00:00.000-04:00

A varitable gaggle of Colorado Avalanche bloggers have gotten mildly organized this offseason in order to present you, the descerning hockey fans, all the unsanctioned Avalanche information you could possibly need leading up the the NHL 2007-2008 season. We've tabbed Joe at Mile High Hockey and DearLordStanley as the central hub for this little shindig, so please take a minute to peruse the question list and then click away to read all of our scribbles as we gear up for hockey season. BTW, this is BY FAR the longest Q/A of the group of questions. Be patient. We like to hear ourselves type...

Question #1. What scenario do you see playing out for the goaltending situation this season? Will Budaj be the man, will Theo rise to the occasion, or will a trade be made?

Babe Oje - Budaj will be the starter and will be almost as good as he was at the end of last season, with streaks that are better. I see Jose being a solid backup, not making any big mistakes. This leaves open the possibility that a team could trade for him with his expiring contract for the playoff run. The Avs give up Jose and pay a portion of his contract, while getting back a top goalie prospect in return.
Mike @ BBnR-- I see this playing out similar to last season, but at an acceleratedpace. Coach Q. has said as much in several interviews. Theo will be given the opportunities to show consistency early and often, but rather than wait until after the Christmas break to see how the cookie crumbles, I figure Jose has till mid-November before he's relegated to the pine and Budaj is bonified and shouldering the bulk of the load. Theo would have to show stability, aggressive play, an improvement on his rebound control, and most importantly, garner some support and confidence from his teammates before he's anything but the back-up for the majority of the season. I don't see it happening. I personally figure he'll ride out the season, collecting a paycheck as the backup, and start seriously re-thinking hockey during next summer. I wish he'd return to his MVP form, but he's had every opportunity and hasn't capitalized as yet.
Budaj is young, but I think the club has more confidence in him than they do Theodore. I, like most die-hard Avs fans, expect him to continue his progresses this season. Hopefully, the improvement in the defensive core should help this. I hope he has an understanding with Coach Q. and management that they have to give Theo a chance to justify the money they are paying him, and it doesn't set his development back. This is a delicate situation. Unfortunately, Coach Q. doesn't' have the best reputation with developing or nurturing netminders. After Budaj, the cupboard gets pretty bare, pretty quick. Every other prospect is a couple of years away from the show and much as everyone is high in Weiman, when was the last time a talented goalie was discovered in the Central Hockey League? Should Budaj falter, and Theo not step up, one of the two of them is likely going to be going the other way in a deal that would bring in Bryzgalov or (shudder) Gerber around the trade deadline.

Dario - In professional sports, following an icon at the most important position on the team is the proverbial kiss of death. John Elway syndrome has seen two Bronco quarterback victims since his retirement. To date, the Avalanche have yet to find the man in net that can play out of Patrick Roy's shadow. We've seen Aebischer, Sauve, Salo, and to this point Theodore, all pale in comparison. It was long thought that the heir apparent to Roy's legacy in Denver would be Phillipe Sauve, not David Aebischer. While Abby shined in the AHL and quickly won a backup job to Roy, Sauve stumbled and never lived up to his draft position hype (number 38 in 1998). Along came the first pick in 2001 (at number 63) in Peter Budaj. Despite his solid performances for the Hershey Bears, he split time with Sauve. At times Budaj was clearly the better of the goaltenders with the AHL Bears but Sauve still split duties. I'm sure to this day there could be arguments that the Avalanche put pressure on their Bear coaches to develop Sauve but of course that's all water under the bridge.
So where am I going with all this? My point is that Budaj has played his entire professional career in the shadow of a player who's supposedly the better goaltender. He split time with Sauve and last year he split time with Theodore. To his credit this has never soured him. He is without a doubt the perfect goalie to be treated like a second class citizen because it seems to not affect the man one bit. This complicated formula makes him the perfect goaltender for coach Q, who would have otherwise ruined another goaltender at this point. Budaj has kept his career stats at very respectable numbers, never having slipped above 3 GAA or under .900 save %. He's displayed remarkable consistency behind a remarkably inconsistent defensive core and some streaks of horrible goal support.
In the end, Budaj isn't anything like Roy. He's not controversial, he doesn't bark orders at his defensemen, he doesn't have a cocky bone in his body and he doesn't give fans any cohesive link to what they believe is a winning formula that they know from Roy. I think he's destined to be run out of town if he doesn't take the Avalanche deep in to the playoffs. As far as Theodore is concerned, he's got everything to prove. His reputation is built on the dead puck era in the Eastern Conference. It's built on the hopes that Roy can be recreated via the magic of trading with Montreal. It's built on the blind trust in a 29 year old man who claimed at the time he had been taking Propecia for EIGHT years! Maybe he's been concerned about his flowing locks since he was 21 and maybe we are supposed to believe that eliminating the testosterone from his system after eight years isn't going to affect him. Maybe we are all supposed to believe knee surgery on a goalie is just a "minor procedure". Or maybe, we can just admit that Jose Theodore is the backup, call Budaj the starter and even go so far as to bring up a different back up goalie if Jose can't perform in a backup role. Just hope to high heaven that Jose shows flashes of brilliance so after January 1st (when new contracts don't count against the existing years salary cap) the Avs can trade Jose to some sucker in the Eastern conference that's ready to make a playoff push.

Justin - Peter Budaj is the clear-cut #1 goaltender for this team and will be all season long. This will hold true because he excels in areas that Jose Theodore really struggles. These non-physical attributes include mental strength, poise, determination and most importantly, work ethic.
The main reason that Budaj raised his game last year from "unproven goalie" to "young superstar" is simply how hard he worked in practice, both on and off the ice. Sure, genes can take you really far in the game of hockey, but what separates an elite goaltender from an average one is what type of work ethic you display and how you react to situations that are beyond your control. Honestly, Budaj just wanted it more last year, and that's why he got it. Sure, Theodore was distracted by numerous off-ice controversies, but if you watched this team practice at all last year, it was very noticeable that Budaj wanted the starting job more than Theodore. He worked harder, he didn't give up on plays and he stayed on the ice later and worked harder in the weight room. I truly believe that Budaj displayed the character it takes to win a Stanley Cup. He also has the culpability to be a real team leader in the locker room. I do not believe that "playing in the shadows" of Patrick Roy or other goaltenders has had any type of effect on his game or how people view him as an Avalanche goaltender. Budaj is his own man. He plays in a different era - a different game - a different time.
Mental strength is the biggest difference between Budaj's success and Theodore's lack of production and consistency. Already this season it will be Jose's major issue, due to the fact that he's missed all of training camp and has yet to strap on the pads this pre-season. Theodore's on-ice timing proves he will be relegated as Budaj's backup and will stay that way. Yes, there may be times when Theodore could have a string of good games (especially if they are against Vancouver, Edmonton and Phoenix in succession), but knee surgery is difficult to overcome, especially when you are forced to miss training camp. It doesn't matter how good you are - if you miss training camp - your timing becomes a huge issue. As a former ACHA goaltender, I can tell you that consistent practice and work with your goalie coach is the key to prolonged success at any level. Honestly, a few awesome games do not cut it at the professional level. You have to display consistency by preparing the same way, practicing at a high level all the time and mentally staying tough for an entire season. Budaj is solid with all of these mental components, Theodore is not. Budaj attacks his game by going after the problems and working hard in practice to correct them. Theodore expects the answers to come his way, to fall in his lap. It's noticeable when you see how they work at practice and how they play after letting in a bad goal or having a bad game. It's not the goal you just let in that matters, it's the next shot you face. It's not always how you play, but how you approach the game.
Physically, Budaj has a definite advantage that will see him stay as the Avalanche's starter. He's stronger, more flexible and has a bigger, wider butterfly. His angles are better because he plays higher up in his crease and he doesn't let players push him around when the Avs are on the penalty kill. Not only does he play bigger in the net, but he has the flexibility to dominate games, no matter how good the team in front of him is playing. One giant statistic that helps prove this point is the number of times each goalie was scored on while short-handed. Theodore allowed almost two times as many goals against while the Avs were killing penalties compared to Budaj. Why? Because Theodore does not have the type of physical presence that Budaj has. He's easier to screen, he gives up more rebounds, he relies more on reactions than solid positioning. Sure, in the old NHL, that would hold up. Today? Not a chance.
So to simplify my response, the age-old adage of "you play like you practice" really holds true for Avalanche goaltenders. All last season I watched this team practice and the amount of work that Budaj put into his game compared to Theodore was startling. Budaj wants it more. He deserves it.
I also believe that Tyler Weiman's time has come. This guy was simply outstanding in training camp and honestly he outplayed Mike Wall AND Budaj. In response to what Mike said about Central Hockey League goaltenders making it to the NHL? Well, he didn't belong in the CHL. That league was not much of a challenge for him, thus his total dominance in the 2004-2005 season. Sure, he has to prove that he belongs in the NHL, but he certainly has the ability to be Budaj's backup. He is consistent, he is composed and he is solid. He's wise, makes good decisions, and has playoff experience. He knows how to help a team win a Championship.
Depending on Theodore's bum knee, Weiman will certainly see some playing time this season. I honestly believe he will surprise many people around the NHL when he gets that first NHL regular season start. I'll always remember how he played against the Red Wings during last year's pre-season game.

Joe @ MHH - I wish Jose Theodore would go away. Budaj is the man, whether it takes Coach Q five games or thirty to realize this. Theodore was an elite goalie (kind of) for one season, and his time has passed, no matter how many chances he is given or how many games the Avs have to lose because of it. Let Budaj go to work. He's already proven he can shoulder the burden of starting nearly every game. I know he's getting old, but I hope Coach Q's memory still includes the last 19 games (15-2-2 record) of last season.

Draft Dodger - Budaj is certainly the man at the start of the season. That was going to happen even before Theodore had surgery, forcing him to miss camp. Theodore will get some chances though, and I think he's going to be a little more prepared to take advantage of those chances. Last season, Theo looked awful. His confidence was nonexistent. More importantly, he seemed unable to stay focused for a full sixty minutes and gave up far too many soft goals (hello, Martin LaPointe). He's had the entire offseason to get his head in the right place, and I think he will be substantially better. Theo is a free agent next summer, and, with a rebound this year, would be one of the few marquee goalies on the market. Whether it's intentional or not, players often seem to play better when they are playing for a contract. We've been fooled by Theodore in the past, but I, for one, think he's going to be much better this year.
He still won't supplant Budaj, though. I'm a big fan of the way Budaj plays. He is incredibly steady. He won't make the acrobatic, highlight-reel save that often, but that's mostly because he always seems to be in the right position to make the easy save. I remember a point last season when we were playing the Flames. Calgary has this play with the man advantage where they overload the left side of the ice and then sneak someone (often Kristian Huselius) behind the defenseman on the right side to get wide open at the back door of the net. The Avalanche were getting burned repeatedly by this play. No one on the ice could see this play unfolding. No one, that is, but Budaj. While everyone else was watching Iginla with the puck, Budaj was getting positioned to move across the crease. He studies the game, and it shows.
Perhaps I'm chasing a fool's dream, but I think Theodore is going to rebound and Budaj will continue to improve, making this tandem an area of strength for the team this year, not a question mark. Really.

Tapeleg - Well, it would take an act of sheer insanity on the behalf of Coach Q. to not start strong with Peter Budaj. For one thing, barring a total meltdown, he is the future of the franchise in goal, at least for a little while. In fact, he is the best of all scenarios right now. He is inexpensive, has proven himself as having ability, and is trade bait if absolutely necessary. His performance last season has earned him a shot, and it's his to lose. His performance the previous season, backing up David Aebischer, will be the only question mark looming.
As for Theo, a six million dollar salary is hard to ignore in all regards. It makes him difficult to ignore (if you are paying him that much, you might as well use him), hard to trade, and difficult to manage. I believe he will ride out the season with the Avalanche, unless one of the goalies in the system (Weiman or Wall) really step up to the plate and deliver some serious goods. If Theo stumbles as bad as everyone thinks he will, he may be a healthy scratch for a few games. But I don't see him going anywhere. Not unless he goes to Chicago. Those guys will take anyone.
Then again, he may surprise us all.

Post Pessimist - Status quo -- the job is Budaj's to lose, and noone's gonna trade for Theo, so when 2007-08 comes to an end I think we'll still be seeing Budaj starting with Theodore in the Ron Tugnutt position. The most I'm hoping for out of Jose is that he gets a few hot streaks this year, in order to win a few games and push Budaj, but I'm not seeing a return to form for him even in my most optimistic scenarios.

Shane - Budaj will be the #1 out of the gate, especially as Theodore is coming off of a knee scope. Quenneville is on record as saying the #1 is up for grabs but who is he kidding. Obviously if a starter struggles and the backup outplays him, you put in the backup but I don't see that happening this year.
If Theodore gets back into form, gets his mind back in the game and truly wants it again then we could see a 1a/1b situation where they split the games close to 50/50. It sounds like Theodore wants it this year. But it sounded like that last year as well so I'm not too optimistic about this scenario playing out.
If Budaj is the man and never lets go all season, it will be all the better and will save my sanity while reading the official site's message board. I hope.
It would be great to see Weiman get some action in a regular season game but unless Theodore has a setback, he'll likely spend the season with the Monsters.
I won't delve into Budaj playing in Roy's shadow as it appears it doesn't bother him and the other bloggers have done a great job on that point already.

Jibblescribbits - While I have spent time discussing a trade for Bryzgalov, IF Budaj fails; the fact of the matter is I don't see Budaj failing this season. He's a good goalie, and he played well last season, especially towards the end. I expect him to play well and consistent throughout the season. The reason I personally spend so much time worrying about Budaj is because a) the NHL is strung with good young goalies who play phenomenally for a few months and flame out (and our backup is a great example, Cam Ward, and more than you can count). b) Our safety plan is non-existent. If Budaj does fail it's scary.
Budaj will play well, but Theo will get ice time for two reasons. The first being that Budaj is young and shouldn't be expected to handle the workload that a Brodeur or Luongo faces. So it's a necessity to play Theo even if it's less than ideal. The second is that Avs management is going to try and squeeze the most value out of Theo they can get. The Avs are going to play him and hope he looks like a serviceable goalie, hoping to sucker someone into giving them something, anything, for him. They hope a team like Tampa or Atlanta will have a playoff push coming up and think "he's looked decent this season, maybe he can stop the bleeding in back until we get to the playoffs". Desperate teams do desperate measures, which is how we ended up with Theo in the first place.

Jori - This summer I was visited by extended family in Quebec. One of my uncles used to be a hockey coach and it just so happens that Jose Theodore was briefly under his tutelage as a young player. He believes that Theodore's problems are mental and in terms of pure talent, he's one of the league's best. Despite my uncle's opinion, I have zero faith in Jose Theodore. I never liked his acquisition in the first place and his salary has caused the team to sacrifice in other areas. Theodore has a lot to prove. He knows he'll have to turn things around to ensure another fat contract. Even if Theodore finds a modicum of success, I hope the Avalanche walk away next summer; just wash their hands of Theodore entirely.
I like Peter Budaj and he should start the bulk of games for the Avalanche this season. Yet, I have doubts as to whether he is ready to carry a full load. Budaj is still young and will be prone to inconsistencies. The biggest obstacle may be the coach, who has a quick trigger finger when it comes to pulling goaltenders. We all remember the Aebischer/Budaj/Kolesnik fiasco from two seasons ago. Sure, you can say that Quenneville has never had a legitimate number one goaltender to work with, but the way he handles goaltenders as a whole instills little confidence.
Ultimately, I think Budaj will do fine for the Avs this year. Theodore is the x-factor. Yet, I get the feeling Colorado will be looking at other goaltending options in 08-09 and thankfully the team will have some cap room in which to maneuver.

Habs finalize roster. Lapierre Halak and O'Byrne on the road to Hamilton

2007-10-01T10:47:00.000-04:00

Bob Gainey earlier today reduced his roster to the maximum 23 players. Several comments can be made about the cuts.

Firstly, Lapierre is on his way to Hamilton after a very ordinary training camp. Carbonneau several days ago stated his disappointment in Lapierre's play, opening the door for a possible demotion to Hamilton. I have to admit I didn't expect Lapierre to be cut on the basis that he was part of a commercial about the Habs starring other than himself, Latendresse, Komisarek, and Higgins. Maybe this demotion will serve as a warning to everyone. No players are safe, and they will have to answer for there lack of effort and/or production.

Next, Price will be Huet's backup. Gainey obviously out-weighed Carbonneau who had earlier in the pre-season that if Price were to stay in Montreal, it would be as the starter. Did Carbo change his mind or did Gainey make the decision on his own? For the good of the team, I hope they reached a consensus.

Last but not least, O'Byrne was cut on the basis that he is the only defenseman able to go to Hamilton without having to clear waivers. Expect him to be back quickly if an injury occurs on the blue line.

Sabres Finish Pre-Season Strong

2007-10-01T09:18:00.000-04:00

The Sabres finished the NHL Pre-season proving two things. One, they can still score even without Briere and Drury and two, Derek Roy appears ready to step in and fill the #1 center shoes for this team.

The Sabres opened the final week of the Pre-season by beating up the Maple Leafs 7-2 in Toronto. The Line of Drew Stafford, Roy and Thomas Vanek totally dominated the Leafs and Roy recorded 6 points. The Sabres followed that impressive victory with equally an equally impressive sweep of a home and home series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In game one Roy continued his impressive play and led the Sabres to a 6-5 victory. In the final game the Sabres, led by Connolly and Roy, rallied to a 4-3 victory.

News and Notes

- Derek Roy led the NHL in Pre-season scoring and it appears that he will center a line with Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek to start the season.

- with Teppo Numminen out at least 3 months with heart troubles I expect Mark Mancari to fill the role of 13th foward/ 7th defenseman for short term injuries. if a defenseman goes out longer expect to see Andrei Sekera called up.

- The most interesting training camp battle appears to be a four-way battle for playing time among Clark Macarthur, Mike Ryan, Mark Mancari and Marek Zagrapan. all three were very good in preseason with Zagrapan appearing to be the best. That being said I expect MacArthur and Mancari to start in Buffalo with Zagrapan coming up quickly if either falters. Though I think the Sabres like Ryan, I think he gets lost in a numbers game. he will be on an NHL roster somewhere this season though.

- Jocelyn Thibault, the Sabres only free agent acquisition in the off-season has not looked sharp int he preseason. It will be interesting if it is just an adjustment period or if Thibault has lost a bit.

- It appears Jochen Hecht will recieve the kiss of death..er Sabres captaincy to start the season. This means he has approximately one-two years remaining in his Sabres career. Seriously, though, I would prefer that the team name Paul Gaustad as the captain, but Ruff has a good track record of finding the right guys.

- It appears the Sabres will be fully healthy going into the start of the season.

Harry Neale replaces Jim Lorentz on Sabres Telecasts

2007-10-01T09:13:00.000-04:00

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071001.NEALE01/TPStory/

With the sudden retirement of color analyst Jim Lorentz the Sabres had a big hole to fill. Well, they filled it in a big way with legendary Hockey Night In Canada and Leafs TV color man Harry Neale joining the Sabres TV and Radio telecasts. The Sabres had been utilizing John Tucker, Matt Barnaby and Mike Robitaille as color men in the pre-season. Neale, who along with Bob Cole, was replaced as the #1 team on HNIC this season will remain with HNIC. It remains to be seen what the Sabres will do on Saturday Night telecasts though early speculation is that Tucker, Barnaby or Robitaille will fill in on those telecasts.

The Sabres open their season on Friday Night against the New York Islanders.

What Do You Think?

2007-09-26T15:55:00.000-04:00

As you probably have heard or read, in the Flyers vs. Senators game last night, Flyers rookie right wing Steve Downie absolutely crushed Senators veteran left wing Dean McAmmond. Unfortunately, I had to miss the live broadcast because of class, but replays have been clogging highlight reels since. My reason for saying this is that I didn't get to see the context of the hit (which team was in possession of momentum at the time, etc.).

I've gotta be honest, I think it was a pretty dirty, bad hit. I don't necessarily think it was blatant, because I believe Downie was merely trying to give his team a boost in a visiting setting - plus the fact that he apologized immediately afterwards. He's an agitator, and that's his game. I'm not a fan of agitators in general, but I understand their part in the game. Don't get me wrong, I love a good hard hit here and there - it shows energy and drive to win. It's just I'm not a fan of their style in general (hit first, score second). I'm a firm believer that a good "stick-it-to-em" strategy relies on hitting AND scoring.

From what I can tell he hit him with his shoulder, but it also seems evident that he left his feet in order to make the hit. I'm a Flyers fan to the um-teenth degree, but I really have a problem with dirty players representing my team, my city, and my fellow fans. I have a feeling that if he makes the NHL club he'll be penalized by the league, and the next time he plays against Ottawa he might want to watch his back. From what I've heard, Brian McGrattan has quite the vendetta out right now. What do you guys think? I can't be the only one with an opinion on this one.

Here's the video so you can all see what I'm talking about.

Sabres Lose to Wild 2-1 in North Dakota

2007-09-25T01:10:00.000-04:00

The Sabres dropped a 2-1 decision in Grand Forks, ND, Monday, in a pre-season tilt with the Minnesota Wild. Phillipe Gogulla scored the Sabres only goal, set up by Marek Zagrapan. Jocelyn Thibault (above) started and played the whole way making 20 saves. He was the games third star.

The game was a homecoming, of sorts, for Paul Gaustad, who grew up in the area and Drew Stafford who played at the University of North Dakota. According to Jim Lorentz Gaustad had 65 tickets for the game.

On Sunday the Sabres and Blue Jackets finished off the back-to-back fight fest with the Sabres scoring a 3-2 shoot out victory. The game highlighted bouts in the first period between Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters and Jackets tough guys Tommy Sestito and Jody Shelley in seperate bouts. Al Kotalik and Jason Pominville scored the goals for Buffalo and Ryan Miller went the whole way in net.

In the shootout Miller shut the Jackets down and Max Afinigenov and Kotalik both scored on their opportunities for Buffalo.

News and Notes:

36 players remain in camp

No major injuries to report.

The team returned five players to their junior clubs:
Benjamin Breault (Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
Jean-Simon Allard (St. John’s, QMJHL)
Paul Byron (Gatineau, QMJHL)
Drew Schiestel (Niagara, OHL)
T.J. Brennan (St. John’s, QMJHL)

Habs trim down roster to 26 players.

2007-09-24T11:53:00.000-04:00

Not many surprises with this wave of cuts, as the Habs get closer to the season opener in Carolina.

the following nine players will have to clear waivers before reporting to Hamilton:
Goalie
Yann Danis
Forwards
Jonathan Ferland
Corey Locke
Duncan Milroy
Cory Urquhart
Defensemen
Jean-Philippe Côté
Jamie Rivers
Mathieu Biron
Andrew Archer

Expect Montreal to lose Danis, and possibly Côté.

18 players will report directly to Hamilton without having to pass through waivers. Notable players going back down to the farm team are Sergei Kostitsyn, and Matt D'Agostini, who was told to be on the doorstep of the NHL in a press conference held by coach Guy Carbonneau last week.

Back to the Habs training camp. GM Bob Gainey has mentionned that Halak and Price will be competing for the back up spot on the Habs roster. The other will become Hamilton's starter. We can safely determine that a goalie will be cut leaving us 25 players. A NHL team roster is generally composed of 23 players. This leaves 2 players to be cut amongst the 14 forwards and 9 defensemen left. Its safe to say that at least one defensemen will be cut. Gainey can afford to cut a forward having Mark Streit in the lineup who has proven last year that he can play up front on the third or fourth line. Will Garth Murray be sent packing to leave room for some younger talent?

Gear up for the season ladies and gentlemen because it's right around the corner!

Sabres - Jackets Play Old Time Hockey

2007-09-23T19:50:00.000-04:00

The Sabres and Jackets opened the pre-season with a brawl filled contest in which it often looked like circa-70s hockey as opposed to the "new" NHL. Patrick Kaleta got things rolling with a run at Blue Jackets star Nikoli Zherdev which caused Manny Malhotra to come to Zherdev's aid. After that it was, as they say, game on. The final was 4-1 Blue Jackets with the Sabres only goal coming off the stick of Clarke Macarthur.

News and Notes:

Camp has been fairly quiet. Andrei Sekera has been the most visible youngster of note. There is not much to report in the way of competition or injuries.

By all accounts Teppo Numminen's heart surgery was a success. The Sabres and Teppo both expect he will be back in 2-3 months.

Cloutier on waivers, followed by many more...

2007-09-21T18:47:00.000-04:00

Los Angeles Kings goaltender and former Vancouver Canuck, Dan Cloutier has been placed on waivers as the team has been unhappy with the veteran goalie ever since they acquired him 2 years ago from the Canucks.

Originally sought for the number one job in LA, the Kings swung a deal and sent a second rounder up north with hopes that the Quebecois native would solve their goaltendings woes that included losing Felix Potvin to the Boston Bruins, their "franchise goalie" Jamie Storr's career, the unorthodox Roman Cechmanek to Europe and even Cristobal Huet...whom they traded in order to acquire Mathieu Garon in 2004.

The Kings goaltending future might have gotten a little brighter with the cutting of Cloutier.

Jason LaBarbera is looking like gold and youngster Jonathan Bernier is being hailed as the second coming of Jamie Storr.

LaBarbera, a former prospect for the New York Rangers, spent the entire 2006-2007 season with the Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League and posted elite numbers with an impressive total of 39 wins, a very good 2.20 GAA and an excellent .933 save percentage.

The Kings had been hesitant to recall LaBarbera last season, despite injuries to both Dan Cloutier and Mathieu Garon due to the fact he'd have to clear waivers to be called up or sent down.

So instead the club went down to the ECHL and brought up the short-lived Japanese "named" sensation, Yutaka Fukufuji, minor-league scrub Barry Brust and even went as far as giving 41-year old Sean Burke a crack at stopping a puck again.

But now, with Garon signing with the Edmonton Oilers via free-agency and the cutting loose of the horrendous Dan Cloutier...what? have you forgotten his 2006-2007 line?

Hehe, a W-L record of 6-14-2, a goals against average a tick under 4.00 and a save percentage that makes me cringe at .860%.

Ok, where was I?

Ah, ok, so no more Garon, Cloutier has just been cut loose...that leaves us with two phenomenal youngsters: Jason LaBarbera and, we shouldn't forget Jonathan Bernier, who shone for Team Canada at the Summit Series recently.

So it's now expected that Jason LaBarbera will get the majority of the cookie with Jonathan Bernier popping in for a more than occasional start in the crease as well.

I can already tell that Kings fans are celebrating, there's no doubt that Cloutier definietly lost that spunk he portrayed with the Vancouver Canucks in the pre-lockout era.

Here's the official reason from Kings' GM Dean Lombardi:

The reality is, he hasn’t played for three years.
The only way to really get his rhythm back and to get him where he needs to be is to get him to play.
You see this in baseball all the time, where established pitchers have to do a form of rehab assignments if they lose their fastballs and the only way to get it back – to get totally confident – is to go back to the minors and do it.

Obviously, we gave this a lot of thought. The bottom line is, we thought this was the only way we could get him back to where he was comfortable. Physically, he’s totally healthy. But as we all know with goaltending, a lot of it has to do with his confidence and his state of mind. The only way he was going to get it all together was to play and to play a lot and not have to do it at this level.

So he says *rolls eyes*.

As for the rest, here's an inside look from our buddy Eklund of who's been placed on waivers (NEVER forget the source of this, but then again, why would he lie for something not so important and jeopardize his spectacularly marvelous career as the anonymous hockey blogger?)

Penguins
Deryk Engelland

Hurricanes
Wade Brookbank
Tim Conboy
David Gove
Brandon Nolan

Blue Jackets
Dan Smith
Andrew Murray

Thrashers
Kevin Doell
Jesse Schultz

Capitals
Jason Morgan

Islanders
Steve Regier
Tim Jackman
Kip Brennan
Matthew Spiller
Drew Fata
Joey MacDonald

Ducks
Joe Callahan
Mike Hoffman
Matt Keith
Dan Lacouture

Kings
Brendan Buckley
Petr Kanko
Oleg Tverdovsky
Cloutier, Dan

Stars
Trevor Byrne
Marius Holtet
Toby Petersen

See anyone that would interest your team?

-BBeR

Canes Exhibition Game 1

2007-09-17T15:49:00.000-04:00

So far, so good.
I won't do a play-by-play analysis of the game, but just mention a few that stood out to me.

Noah Babin who will be playing in Albany for the Canes looked great out there. Tallying the first goal and handling the puck really well may just get him his ticket to come to Carolina should one of our defensemen go out of commission.

Erik Cole seemed to return to pre-neck injury form. He was flying around that ice and throwing himself around all 22 minutes of his ice time. There was one scary moment for him when a hard hit on one of the Caps left the player laying on the ice for a minute and you could see Cole was afraid he had seriously injured the guy as he bent down to wait with him until someone could come help him off the ice. Erik was called for boarding on that play.

The other highlight of the night was netminder Michael Leighton, who we acquired during the offseason. He relieved John Grahame halfway through the 2nd period and stopped 15 of the 16 shots he faced. (The one goal he did let in went through the 5-hole)
Although he mostly made routine saves, there were a few that were quite spectacular and before long, Leighton had the arena cheering every time he touched that puck. I am not sure if Grahame really is being challenged for the #2 spot, but if it counts for anything the fans (and the players for that matter) seem to be a LOT more confident in Leighton.

I must say that the Canes need to make it a habit to get AHEAD to begin the game, not be the come-back masters that they were last year. Going into the 3rd down 2-0 was quite nerve wracking but I am glad that Babin, Cole, and Williams could get the puck to the back of the net. The game was tied 3-3 at the end of regulation and (thank god!) Erik Cole tipped in a puck sent towards the net by Staal with 47 seconds left in OT.
Canes win 4-3!
Three stars (As per the scoresheet) 1. Erik Cole (2 goals; gwg) 2. Michael Leighton (15/16 stopped) 3. Ryan Bayda (1 assist)

Sabres Open Camp, Numminen Out

2007-09-14T12:17:00.000-04:00

The Sabres reported to training camp yesterday with the standard physicals and visits. Unfortunately it was revealed that Teppo Numminen will miss at least 4-6 weeks due to upcoming surgery to repair a faulty valve in his heart. Numminen says that the decision was made to move ahead with the surgery after a pre-camp visit to the Cleveland Clinic. Numminen has had to previous heart procedures done at the clinic. During interviews today Numminen stated he expected to have this surgery in 10-20 years but medical advancements made it better to have it right now. He also said he fully intends to return to the NHL and the Sabres.

Accompanying this announcement is news that the Sabres have suspended Numminen for an undetermined amount of time due to reporting to camp unfit to play. Numminen has stated on WGR55.com that he is not bothered by the suspension. In the old CBA the suspension was mandatory. the Sabres offered no explanation as to why the suspension was imposed.

In interviews afterward Darcy Regier stated that he has no intention of bringing in another defenseman as he is "comfortable" with the 6 defenseman the Sabres currently have and the cadre of kids in Rochester.

Candy for a baby...the day BBeR went gaga over tickets!

2007-09-13T17:11:00.001-04:00

Alright, what you're about to read/see is only worth your time if you understand the fact that people here in Montreal feel great when they manage to net tickets for TEN Canadiens games for the upcoming season that fit into their budget; especially when these tickets sell out with 10 minutes.

So, think of this post as a storybook with lots of pictures.
(Some of my personal info as well as my ticket information has been blurred out -you have no idea how huge counterfeiting tickets are in this town-)

Home from a long day, BBeR opens up his mailbox and pulls this envelope out.

"Wow, this is Xpressmail", said the baffled BBeR, who was only used to getting bills, bills and hatred mail from (mainly CHEAP) Leafs fans around the country.
The bewildered Habanatic was being sarcastic, since he could tell pefectly well by the weight and odour what the envelope contained...

He then proceeded to feverishly tear it open...

...revealing a small envelope emblazoned with the Bell Centre logo...

All it took was a little peek inside to get BBeR's heart rate going...

"TICKETS! TICKETS! TICKETS!"

10 minutes later, after a series of really weird behavior, your blogger returned to his lair, and amused himself by taking pictures of his tickets in various angles...

First, he set them flat on his desk

In the rocking words of Pink Floyd:
"Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash"

In this case...tickets.

Aerial view...

In his grasp...

What more needs to be said?
BBeR truly is a whacked out guy with nothing better to do than take pictures of his tickets.

Oh man, I can't wait to read the comments for this one! ;)

-BBeR

Presenting your 2007-2008 NHL uniforms...

2007-09-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 13th

- Added new NHL 08 Chicago Blackhawks jersey screenshots.

- Added new NHL 08 Saint Louis Blues jersey screenshots.

- Added new NHL 08 Edmonton Oilers jersey screenshots.

- Added new NHL 08 San Jose Sharks jersey screenshots.
- Added new NHL 08 Atlanta Thrashers jersey screenshots.

- Modified Anaheim Ducks jersey image.

A big thank you to Sherry, who did a wonderful job while I was away, be sure to check out her awesome Senators blog over at Scarlett Ice.

I will compile here all the images I can regarding those new Reebok Edge jerseys, logos and whatnot.

Check out NHL Tournament of Logos if you are dying for more logo and RBK jersey talk.
If I have missed one or you have one (confirmed, unconfirmed or speculated) you'd like to submit, email me at mailto:mbbrblog@gmail.com or leave a comment!

Anaheim Ducks

Atlanta Thrashers

Boston Bruins
(View official slideshow here)

Buffalo Sabres

Calgary Flames

Carolina Hurricanes

Chicago Blackhawks

Colorado Avalanche

Columbus Blue Jackets
(View official slideshow here)

Dallas Stars (?)
Detroit Red Wings

Edmonton Oilers

Florida Panthers
(Original post)

Los Angeles Kings
(Thanks to Life in Hockeywood)

Minnesota Wild

Montreal Canadiens

Nashville Predators

New York Islanders
(Thanks/merci Xordok)
(original story)

New York Rangers
(original story)

Ottawa Senators

OTT jersey update:

Philadelphia Flyers

Phoenix Coyotes
(from an XBOX gaming magazine)
-click here for a hi-res version-

Pittsburgh Penguins

San Jose Sharks
(View official slideshow here)

St. Louis Blues

Tampa Bay Lightning
(view entire logo changes here

TAM jersey update:

Toronto Maple Leafs

Vancouver Canucks

Washington Capitals

-BBeR

Sabres Unveil Reebok Edge Uniform

2007-09-12T08:58:00.000-04:00

One year after changing their overall jersey style the Sabres were at it again Tuesday. Well, sort of. The team unveiled their new jersey in the Reebok Edge design. The most marked change is the flowing stripes of white from the bottom of the jersey vertically across the arms.

Brian Campbell, who wore the Edge jersey in last years all-star game said "There’s a little difference in the players’ arms. The major thing is getting the sizing for every individual guy. I’m sure some guys are going to be complaining; some guys won’t have a problem with it. A lot of guys have liked them."

The Sabres will also not be wearing their third jersey, with the original crossed-swords logo for at least the first year of the new jersey roll-out due to marketing concerns. It has been reported previously that the third jersey will be re-rolled out next season with a blue to match the current jersey and the original Sabres crest. We shall see.

Ray Emery Has Anger Issues

2007-09-10T14:31:00.000-04:00

And this time it might cost him.

A 65-year-old Ottawa man says he's planning to sue Ottawa Senators goaltender Ray Emery over an alleged road rage incident this week, even though police have decided no charges will be laid.

Jean Therien said he was on his way to a workout at Scotiabank Place on Wednesday morning, when he and Emery simultaneously moved their vehicles from the right- to left-hand lanes in order to pass a car that was ahead of them.

Therien claims Emery then tried to run him into the ditch, eventually parking and exiting his vehicle near the arena before threatening him.

The altercation took place last week and after a police investigation, no charges were laid.

Perhaps I'm unfamiliar with this type of law but if it's not about the money than what is it about? I can imagine Therien would be hard-pressed to make a successful case against Emery if there were no charges filed by the police and he suffered no physical damages. So then, what exactly is he asking for compensation for?

That being said, it unnerves me a little bit that Emery has found a way to get into the media for something other than his playing. Ray, don't get me wrong, I love your rambunctiousness and the league could use more personalities like you. I'll even give you props for having the cajones to say that you won't apologize for something you're not actually sorry for. But come on, let's bring the focus back onto the ice shall we?

Anticipation: Philly Style

2007-09-09T12:53:00.001-04:00

After easing my summertime hockey withdraw at rookie camp this morning, I felt it was about time my Philadelphia season preview was written. We have been called the most improved team in the NHL by Sports Illustrated, and unless you've been hiding under a rock this off-season, you know why. We weren't the team that got arguably the top 2 free agent centres (NY Rangers - Drury, Gomez) to bolster our offense, but we were the team that reconstructed it's roster, from top to bottom.

For those of you who haven't beeen enlightened, I'll give a brief synopsis.

Before season's end, the Flyers newly appointed GM, Paul Holmgren started the re-vamping of the roster. As the trade deadline approached, Holmgren decided it was in the best interest of the club to part ways with captain Peter Forsberg. Foppa was sent to Nashville in return for highly regarded defensive prospect Ryan Parent, a 1st round pick in the upcoming Entry Draft, and quick fan favorite Scottie Upshall. If that wasn't enough, he kept going. He acquired Buffalo goaltender Martin Biron for a 2nd round pick (T.J. Brennan), Atlanta defenseman Braydon Coburn, and Chicago defenseman Lasse Kukkonen. Not bad for only a few weeks of work.

Prior to one of the most anticipated free agency periods in recent memory, Holmgren showed the hockey world that he was here to stay by sending the Pred's 1st round pick (Jonathan Blum) back to them and acquiring offensive-defeseman Kimmo Timonen and budding power forward Scott Hartnell. Soon after shocking the hockey community with his bold move, he prepared for a free agency period that would truly change the face of the franchise, as if it wasn't different enough. Just hours into free agency, Holmgren signed star centre Daniel Briere to an 8 year, $52 million, front-loaded contract. Later in the day he continued to reassure fans by trading away frustrating defenseman Joni Pitkanen and talented, but over-the-hill forward Geoff Sanderson to Edmonton. In return the Flyers acquired locker room favorite Jason Smith and potential-driven winger Joffrey Lupul.

Whew...not-so-brief. Thanks for sticking with me. Almost done.

Many analysts are writing the Flyers off as not making the playoffs this upcoming season. What one needs to remember is that the Flyers, prior to last season, were riding a streak of 11 straight seasons making the playoffs. Another thing that people are seeming to forget is that the year prior to last season, the Flyers still had a lot of their leaders from previous years in the lineup, notably Keith Primeau (even injured, his presence was more than enough), Eric Desjardins, and Chris Therien, all of whom retired the following off-season. Point being, last year is not what people should be going by when they think of the Flyers. Even towards the end of last season, we were a competing opponent. Here is a fact that may be making you re-think our team at the end of last year: of our 19 games after the trade deadline, 13 of them were either losses by 1 goal or wins. That's 68%. That same stat before the trade deadline is 33 games out of 63, being 52%. You can't tell me that this year's team should be judged by last years overall measures after that fact.

The keys to success this season lie in chemistry, special teams, and depth. There is no doubt that the Flyers might be the best team on paper going into this season, but if there is no chemistry on the ice, the paper doesn't mean anything. Our powerplay last season was hard to watch. In fact, it felt like we had more scoring chances on our penalty kill - I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers are close. Now that we have powerplay specialist Timonen and penalty kill specialist Smith, we should have improved both areas significantly. Regarding depth, the Flyers need to prove that they can stay healthy, and if not, still succeed. 05-06 was a good year for the Flyers in that area; we set a season high for man days lost to injuries yet still made the playoffs. We had a lot of help from the minors, to say the least. What needs to happen this year is that youngsters like Ryan Potulny (a personal favorite), Steve Downie, Ryan Parent, Lars Jonsson, Stefan Ruzicka, and Ben Eager have to show that if their time comes, they are up to the task.

There aren't too many roster spots open going into training camp as of right now (0 centers, 1 wing, 0 defensemen), so look for the roster to look like it does now going into the regular season. It should be a good one Philadelphia fans. Let's just forget about last year and be excited about this one!

There were a few other points I wanted to touch on (division challenges, possible captainship, etc.), but for the sake of brevity, I'll hold off.

Otherwise, let's go Flyers!!

Briere...Montreal...Philly...media circus BS...argh!

2007-09-08T16:24:00.000-04:00

In a recent article published by Montreal's "La Presse", new Flyers 10-million gem Daniel Briere publicly spoke out, saying he doesn't "understand some (hoho, I think you mean many) Habs fans are mad at him.

Let's just think for a second, why on earth would the greatest fans in the world of the the greatest sport in the world be upset at Monsieur Briere?

If he hasn't figured it out, then the Flyers better hope the $52 million man is more than what his words seem...utterly ridiculous.

We're UPSET Daniel because, and I speak for all Habs fans, you disappointed us....YOU chose an American-based (and really no offence meant here) team in Philadelphia, coming off a horrific season just to be with your buddy Martin Biron when instead Habs fans would have welcomed you with open arms to arguably the best hockey city in North American...YOUR hometown.

So tell me, Daniel, what's more important?

That you get a front loaded contract from the Flyers that will pay you a whopping and certainly insane $10 million for the first few seasons and $52 million overall or that you come to a city that's dying for talent...and more importantly in the majority of fans' eyes, a FRENCH-CANADIAN talent for the exact same amount?

I think the choice wasn't all that difficult, and for the very reason I will rant about below:

I'm sick AND tired of this freaking BS involving Montreal media, why can't they just zip their mouths up when it's needed and not go around busting players the chance they get or pouncing on their captain, question his leadership ability because he can't utter a word of French...pathetic.

So in a way, Daniel Briere chose money in a city where hockey isn't even as remotely popular as in dear Montreal just to avoid facing a few questions from morons who should be banned from anything that's related to interviewing (see Alex Kovalev, like come on, you'd think the guy would be more motivated to play if you weren't always on his case?), writing (practically all of RDS's crew demanding that Koivu be traded, that Huet be traded and that Latendresse plays on the first line instead of Higgins after the Habs' 6-5 loss to Toronto on the final day of the season) or making up ceremonial nonsense (like our amis over at 110% did the other day, claiming Saku Koivu has asked to be traded).

I know, I know...maybe I should pull out my violin instead of wasting my breath (or fingers) saying what's already commonly been said only in a more polite manner.

Ok, I won't totally kill the media for Briere not signing here, but here's something else worth noting..if, for all the money and hype he received, he's not at least partially intelligent enough to understand why we are upset at him in more ways than one and why he's so baffled by all the hatrid he's received, then I'm happy he didn't sign here after all; I wasn't a big Briere fan in the first place, and this certainly doesn't help.

But, why oh why, Daniel, did you have to drag this out...AGAIN, I mean, most of us have gotten over losing out on you and settling for Roman Hamrlik and Bryan Smolinksi instead, but come on, was it really worth increasing your future "booooo" burden at the Bell Centre AND show the hockey world that you aren't very bright?

Or maybe it's that there hasn't been much (or anything) for us bloggers to feast on...so, thanks, for looking out for us, I guess.

He also says he "wants to win"...I won't even comment on this, mainly because all you need to know (Timmonen, Hartnell, Briere or not), the Flyers were at the BOTTOM of the Eastern Conference last year.
I think what he meant is "I'm a big baby and I want to play on the first line because I've only had one season of more than 80 points"

Before you go blasting me because I'm a "stupid French Canadian baby", I'm not, I'm not in the least French Canadian so don't use that pathetically overused excuse to prove me wrong, but by all means, prove me wrong...feedback is really appreciated, even during rants and tough times like these!

-BBeR

Our team. Our Tradition.

2007-09-06T23:22:00.000-04:00

The Canes (finally) unveiled our new RBK jerseys for the 2007-2008 season. They also showed off the 10th anniversary patches that the players will be wearing this season. As is obvious in the photos, the only real change to our sweater is that there is white piping along the shoulders on the jersey. On the away sweaters the piping will be red. Also, "Our team. Our tradition." is the new marketing slogan we will be using this year.

Avalanche Roundtable

2007-09-03T14:07:00.000-04:00

Coming at the beginning of October, myself and several of the respected Avs bloggers on the intrawebs are participating in a roundtable discussion to kick off the 2007-2008 NHL season. Some of the bloggers will be familiar to Avs readers, some (like myself) maybe not as much. We hope to tie the great Avalanche online community a little closer together and have some fun while we’re at it. We’ve got plenty to talk about including the goaltending situation, new faces (both rookies and impact free agents), fearless prognostication for the new season, and unabashed Joe Sakic worshipping. Hopefully, the Avalanche faithful will find the discussion lively, entertaining, and informative. We hope to help generate a buzz for our beloved Avs as they enter the new season with the eyes on the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. See you in October.

Ka-Chow!!

2007-08-29T19:06:00.000-04:00

This entire off season, the (small) population of Coyotes fans have been sitting back cursing in the general direction of the whole management team for not having any good news about Keith Ballard. Fret no more Coyote lovers (if indeed you DO exist). The Coyotes have finally resigned the poster child to a 2 year contract. That, of course, means we have to go through this whole ordeal in a couple years but we're out of the fire for now and that's all that matters. Isn't it?

Here's to another two years of the deadly hip check (fondly referred to as the booty bump), playing goalie when ours is off in candy land or wherever those dazed goaltenders go when they are not doing what they should be and entertaining us fans through the long nights ahead of us. Take a shot and pass it around Coyotes fans, even with our baby back we've still got a long, hard ride ahead of us.

Guess what.........

2007-08-29T13:30:00.000-04:00

Its almost hockey season!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Hockey News : "Habs to finish 13th in East", Koivu : "We're making the playoffs"

2007-08-25T17:11:00.000-04:00

Recent discussion about the Canadiens has been revolving around predictions.

The Hockey News (THN) has predicted that the Habs will finish 13th in the East.
Gaston Therrien, journalist for RDS, wrote in an online editorial on http://www.rds.ca/ that the he agrees with THN in saying that the Canadiens will be packing up their gear before the playoffs.

He predicts a 10th place finish.

Team captain Saku Koivu replied to THNs prediction in an interview given to La Presse published in today's Montreal paper.
He assured Richard Labbé of La Presse that the acquisitions of Hamrlik and Smolinksi are worthwhile, and will help the team make the playoffs.
On Harmlik, Koivu feels he is a very good defender able to fill some of the void left by Souray on the power play. He also feels that Smolinski who has played on a winning team in Ottawa is the type of player that the Habs needed.

Now that I've filled you in on the predictions I've gathered up, time for me to analyse them a little myself! Firstly THN according to me seems to rely too much on free agent signings to come up with their predicted standings. Therrien from RDS is much more realistic with a 10th place finish, but being a Habs faithful, I have to say I believe they will make the playoffs! Of course, it will be a tight finish, but they should pull it off. They are more solid defensively, young players like Higgins, Plekanec, Komisarek, Lapierre and Latendresse have gained experience, and several more are ready to step up if needed (Price comes to mind). The Habs will finish 7th or 8th, after a very tight race!

Canucks new jersey...can this finally be the one?

2007-08-25T10:11:00.001-04:00

Countless "leaks", speculation, unconfirmed talk and restlessness from Canucks fans caused a good deal of havoc for much of the month of July, when most of the jerseys were released, primarily because they seem to be so picky about what their team will wear in the coming seasons.

But all that may just be about to end.

Just recently, the Canucks logo was confirmed by many a leaked images to be this one:

Shortly after -gee, what a coincidence- the Vancouver Canucks official website leaves behind a typical teaser, previewing the Canucks new jersey and advertizing its release date by showing you just enough to get an impression of what it may look like and still keeping you in the dark by actually not showing you anything but the basic colours.

And the moment we've all been waiting for...your EA Sports NHL 08 Canucks UNCONFIRMED (I say this because if this turns out not to be legit, then please don't come down hard, I blog for fun and I try to give fans the most accurate information possible) leak (which I got from a very reliable source connected to EA Canada.)

-Note: some of the colour/contrast/clarity may be a bit off in some spots, that's my image hosting service's doing.

Click here for a higher-resolution version

Feel free to speak your mind in the comments section.

And as for the jersey, I actually like it very much; I always enjoyed watching them suit up in that classic look every so often last season.

-BBeR

Defending a Cheapskate

2007-08-21T09:24:00.000-04:00

Actually, I have to defend Golisano and the Sabres on this one. The process came out of a trend that had developed in Buffalo. Most of the Weekend Games and marquee games (Leafs, Canadians, Sens, Flames, Oilers and a few other teams) sold out quickly. What they found was that fans were buying these and flipping them on e-bay for a large markup. Meanwhile, midday games, games against teams like the Wild, Thrashers, etc lagged.

In an effort to answer the supply and demand and maximize attendance and revenue the team instituted the variable pricing TWO seasons ago and it has been a large success. The Sabres have sold out the past two seasons and already are nearly there this year. The paln has had the desired effect of keeping the building full so the team can miximize parking, souvenier and refreshment revenue. A real stroke of genius in my estimation. Also remember that every single game is shown on TV as well. This team due to marketing, pricing and media coverage is the most accessible team in Buffalo. The NFL's Bills could learn some real lessons from the Sabres.

The fans here have actually embraced the variable pricing, for the most part, because it creates affordable lower end games for the income challenged and enables the Sabres to maximize profit on the uber-high demand games and the influx of Canadian fans that are willing to pay 200-300% premiums. Basically, they cut into the e-bay crowds markup and made that profit their own.

The policy extends to the season ticket base as well. Season ticket sales have gone through the roof for two reasons: 1) Team is very good and 2) The sabres have one of the lowest ticket costs in the league. Season ticket holders in Buffalo get a significant discount. This has enabled the Sabres to manage their revenue to their significant advantage.

The Drury and Briere decisions, in my view, were independent. What it really came down to is that Briere and Drury were vastly overpaid for their relative worth. The fact that both are getting $10 million in the first season is highly relevant. I don't think the Sabres flinched at Drury's price, It was clearly Drury's decision to just be done in Buffalo due to a falling out with management over a contract extension dispute. Poorly managed, yes. Cheap? No.

As for Briere I believe that the signing of Tim Connolly to a three year deal,even when injured, was the writing on the wall. Getting a 8-year deal with nearly $10 million in salary year 1 from the Flyers sealed the deal. I believe the plan all along was to cut Briere loose. I also believe they were genuinely shocked to lose Drury.

So, as opposed to crucifying the Sabres and Golisano for gouging the fans I tend to recognize the fact that he utilized good business sense that extended benefits to the fans. The fact that the Sabres are spending $12 million more per season on salaries than prior to the cap is also a significant argument against the cheapskate argument. It is truly a win-win situation. The fact that the team is financially viable in spite of this salary increase is the real story. The Sabres, while doing a terrible job with Drury and Briere, are a model of how to manage a small market team and be competitive in an inherently unfair marketplace.

Cheapskate Owners Fleece Fans on Both Ends

2007-08-20T16:06:00.000-04:00

While I was away in Maine last week, the Buffalo Sabres announced an ingenious new ticket pricing plan. The Sabres call it the "Variable Pricing System." Here is how the team describes this new system:

Individual game tickets are based upon the Sabres innovative, Variable Pricing system, which is a newly created program where each game is designated by one of four different classifications (Gold, Silver, Bronze and Value). Each classification is determined by the opponent, time of the year, day of the week, rivalries and games against all-star players.

GOLD GAMES

Gold games will be those games that typically have the highest demand with regard to the opponent or the date of the game.

SILVER GAMES

Silver games will typically be weekend games (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) or games versus high demand opponents.

BRONZE GAMES

Bronze games will typically be mid-week games or against up-and-coming opponents.

VALUE GAMES

Values Games will be "family friendly" priced games that are offered at a deeply discounted rate for the season.

For the cheapest seats in the house, here is the price breakdown:

Gold: $68

Silver: $41

Bronze: $29

Value: $20

The Sabres host the Rangers and Flyers twice each. One game against each team is slotted as a "Gold" game and one game against each team is slotted as a "Silver" game.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it means that the Billionaire Owner of the Buffalo Sabres, Tom Golisano, didn't think it was worth his money to re-sign either Chris Drury or Daniel Briere, but he certainly thinks it's worth his fans' hard-earned money to watch them come back to Buffalo and play against their team. For the four games against the former Sabres stars, fans have to pay $218 as opposed to the regular price of $80 for games Golisano and his errand boys in the marketing department didn't deem worthy of extortion. It must feel great to pay so much extra for the right to watch these guys play for another team. Talk about pouring salt in the open wound.

This is what makes the small-market NHL owners so lovable. They whined and screamed for a lockout, and took over the wheel of the league and drove it straight into the iceberg. Now, they finally get the system they held the players and fans hostage to get, and they are complaining about the big-market teams spending too much money. But, that won't stop them from charging their own small-market fans an arm and a leg to see those big-spenders when they come to town. The best part of this is that other owners will catch onto this idea, and it will drive up revenues, which, in turn, will raise the salary cap. But, if you think owners like Golisano will take your money and use it to put a better product on the ice, don't hold your breath. They will be the ones trying to shut the league down again to lower salaries, and blaming the Rangers and Flyers for destroying the small markets, while they laugh all the way to the bank to deposit the extra money they made off those very same evil teams.

DiPietro shows off Isles new jersey...

2007-08-16T08:11:00.000-04:00

"Barring" the news that Mark Bell is headed to jail and that the annual Hockey News Ultimate Pool guide for the upcoming season is out (yipee!), Islanders 'tender Rick DiPietro gave bloggers something to write about as he has recently unveiled New York's new RBK jersey look on ice at Iceworks rink in Syosset, NY.

(Thanks to fellow blogger Sean over at Popjocks and regular Peter Arheim for sending this in!)

And as every single other jersey that RBK has remade out there, this is "the result of two years of Reebok research, it incorporates the company's "Edge" system, which offers lighter, more breathable fabric that allows for a greater range of movement, and two new technologies -- Bead Away and Playdry -- which wick away moisture, providing for a significantly drier jersey over 60 sweaty minutes."

Sure we've all heard this many times before, and many of us have even examined the concept of a RBK Edge jersey, but I wonder, will the fabric of the jersey you wear really make you noticably faster, or will this just turn out to be another NHL-laid bomb?
I will reserve judgement on the actual results of wearing this newly designed and manufactured jersey, until I see some action this October.

As for the look of the jersey, I have to admit, it looks pretty nice even if I hate the fact there are numbers on the front of the jersey and that horizontal striping is just plain silly.

Oh and sorry for the lack of posting this month, as you've probably noticed, hockey news is becoming increasingly rare.

The jerseys post will be updated soon!

-BBeR

Survivor: Coyotes Edition

2007-08-15T23:01:00.000-04:00

I've never actually watched Survivor but from what I've heard, there's a lot of backstabbing and feeding each other to the sharks (no pun intended) so I'm looking forward to seeing who will be the first to cry... I know, I know, I have a mean streak in me. All I can say in my defense is that I love these guys to death, even the ones I don't really know yet; as soon as they put on that Coyote uniform, they steal my heart and I will go to bat for them, no questions asked. That being said, I want them to fight for it. I am sick of guys coming here simply to retire (and because we have good golf); I want them to come here because we are using a winning system and they want to be a part of it.

So who's it going to be? Will it be our backup from last year, Mikael Tellqvist? Will it be one of the two new guys brought in to duke it out for the top spot, David Aebischer or Alex Auld? Will David Leneveu finally have his shot at the big club or will this be the end of his run in our organization? Where will my boy Josh Tordjman rank in this line up? Will he continue to be San Antonio's backup or will he move up and become their number one, shaping him to show up for us in the next year or so?

So many questions with no answers. They should, at the least, give us all a good show at training camp next month. Whoever is chosen, though, should know that they can't just coast through. "Oh, it's only the Coyotes, they're not going to the playoffs anyway, I'll just take tonight off." Nay, goalie, nay. You'll have to prove every night that you deserve to be here... we're not taking any shit from anyone. Or at least I hope we're not...

(X-Posted to TrueCoyoteLove & the HLOG)

Bars for Bell?

2007-08-15T22:18:00.001-04:00

Mark Bell, traded this summer from the San Jose Sharks to the Leafs in June of this year. While the story maybe relatively knew, it appears Maple Leaf brass were monitoring the situation since his arrival. The charges, and impending jail time were the result of an incident that occured in september of 2006. Bell, apparently had twice the legal limit of blood/alcohol content as he collided with a truck during the early hours last fall. He then made the inebriated choice to stumble away from the scene, making the issue a felony. He was facing close to four years in prison, but, according to TSN he will recieve 6 months that will be served after the season ends. In all likelyhood, Bell will not miss any regular season games, as he will serve only two thirds of his sentence which is common for cases such as this. While most athletes are professionals and do in fact conduct themselves as such, what are your thoughts on athletes in the justice system? Should jail time, house arrests, or any such repercussions be served around the players schedule?

Sabre Notes

2007-08-13T12:26:00.000-04:00

Mostly Quiet on the Sabres front...

Team is reportedly close to signing prospect Felix Schutz whom they drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 draft. Shutz has apparently decided against resigning with his German league club and will join the Sabres. Schutz is a speedy, shifty centerman that measures in at 5'11 190 pounds.

Talk has heated up regarding talk of Ales Kotalik being moved for help in another area. I think it is more likely that Clarke Macarthur or Jochen Hecht will get the first opportunity to win the 3rd line center job and then moving Kotalik would be considered. This is unless an offer for a quality young blueliner comes around and Kotalik is as good as gone.

Rumours were abound that Sabres were about to sign Tim Kennedy from Michigan State. Kennedy was picked up after the Capitals had selected him in a quiet draft day trade in 2006 and has blossomed with the Spartans. He is a local Buffalo kid and has shown tremendous finishing touch.

Don't be surprised in Andrei Sekera comes in and takes a job from either Dmitri Kalinin or Jaro Spacek. Unfortunately it could result in one of those two (or both) being cast off for relatively nothing.

The more I think of it the more I like the Jocelyn Thibault signing. The man can play and seems to thrive in the backup role. I especially like it that this should allow Buffalo to rest Ryan Miller far more often than they did late last season.

Will the Rangers go “All the Way”? - Size Does Matter

2007-08-09T17:11:00.000-04:00

In addition to staying True Blue to my tagline of “Shooting From Angles Not Covered By Any Other Blogs”, I am going to be just a little forward and fire my rubber load (so to speak) in the direction of a subject that I have yet to see mentioned on any Ranger blogs, websites, message boards, newspapers or magazines. And if this subject has been covered in any of the aforementioned forms of “social intercourse”, its coverage has been scanty.

While the main focus continues to be (and justifiably so) on the Rangers sizzling summer, double-dip splash into the UFA pool – A.K.A. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury – other ubiquitous Ranger topics include: 1) draft day’s Russian Heist (Alexei Cherapanov), 2) the relatively peaceful signings of Henrik Lundquist, Brendan Shanahan, Petr Prucha and Marcel Hossa, 3) the signing of Sean Avery after an ornery arbitration hearing (and its long-term consequences), 4) the trading of Matt Cullen and who his replacement will be, 5) the potential impact of Marc Staal and other highly touted prospects, 6) what will become of the current glut of defensemen and how the defense corps will ultimately pan out, 7) general opinions on the Rangers chances of winning the Stanley Cup, etc.

What never seems to be brought up is a very simple question: Are the Rangers physically equipped to be capable of winning the Stanley Cup? One of the reasons this potent poser should be a timely one is the urge that some of the league has had to enlarge since the events of last spring. Once the Anaheim Ducks consummated their season with hockey’s ultimate gratification, the Stanley Cup, some NHL teams have chosen to “go with the flow” and mimic the mighty Ducks. This was evident in the 2007 entry draft, where some teams refused to succumb to the temptation of raw talent, and instead decided to reload their pistols with brawnier ammunition. After all, in this copy-cat league the physically dominant Ducks have become the envy of all their gamey rivals in the hunt for next year’s big prize.

One might argue that the league’s rules favor fast, skilled teams - not necessarily big ones, and Anaheim’s championship was more an aberration as opposed to the beginning of a new trend. This argument would be supported by the fact that no Stanley Cup winner has repeated in 10 years, and that historically a size advantage in the playoffs doesn’t necessarily become the deciding factor. The Philadelphia Flyers, in their Bobby Clarke days, are the probably the best examples. On the other hand, had the Flyers actually added an elite goalie to the mix for many of these years, their physicality might have been the force that carried them over the top to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The biggest difference between today’s hefty hockey teams and those of yesteryear is that some of the current NHL teams, namely Anaheim and San Jose, have a frightening combination of size, strength, speed and youth. Anyone, who was watching the Detroit-San Jose series, would have bet the family fish tank after game 3 that the Sharks were going to swim away with this one. But despite being seemingly over-aged, out-muscled, out-skated and out-matched for much of the first 3 games, Detroit proved in a stunning 3 game turnaround that a “strength of character” advantage can sometimes offset an entire host of physical deficiencies. Should the Sharks be able to overcome their character issues this year, their daunting endowment of assets might make them the favorites to sink their teeth into the Cup.

Anaheim is dealing with a number off-season issues often encountered by defending Stanley Cup champions, such as players contemplating retirement and an increase in their players’ perceived value (and salary demands). This often leads to the loss of some players, who are lured away by other teams willing to overpay for their services. So depending on how things shake out for Anaheim, they could be headed for a fall this spring. On the other hand, should Anaheim eventually be able to get their Ducks in a row without ruffling too many of their franchise feathers, they will be every bit as formidable as they were last year.

What about the Rangers? As much as I enjoyed their brilliant resurrection late last season, which climaxed with an improbable surge to the playoffs and a first round thumping of a throttled Thrasher team, I knew that they realistically had no chance of “going all the way”. Although the Rangers inevitable encounter with the Buffalo proved to be a much closer contest than I could have ever anticipated, ultimately they were destined to succumb to the Sabres wealth of weapons.

But even if the Rangers could have pulled off the humongous upset against Buffalo and had the stamina to outlast the Senators (in what would have been a tough and evenly matched series), their bubble would certainly have burst against a physically superior Western Conference foe.

In the playoffs, much of a team’s success depends upon which opponents they are pitted against and how well they match-up against them. The Rangers had plenty of skill and speed, but not nearly as much as Buffalo. The Rangers certainly had enough size and grit to physically stand up to any Eastern Conference team that made the tournament, but not nearly enough to withstand the perpetual pounding that they would have received at the hands of the Ducks or Sharks. Had the Rangers encountered either of these teams in the Finals, they would have been eaten alive – as Duck soup for Anaheim or as Shark bait for San Jose.

In fact, the Rangers were fortunate that Philadelphia and Toronto didn’t make the playoffs last year. In the regular season, even though the Rangers could compete with these teams, it was obvious that both the Flyers and Leafs were more broadly built than the Blueshirts. Had the Rangers faced either squad in the post season, they would have had trouble holding their own in hit-for-hit hockey. Of course, the more drawn-out a series becomes and the further into the playoffs the match-up occurs, the more difficult it is for a smaller team to cope with the carnage inflicted by their colossal counterparts. This means that the Rangers would have a better chance of surviving this kind of clash had it occurred in the first or second round, as opposed to the final two rounds.

Relatively also enters into this equation. Certainly a team can more easily overcome a disadvantage, if the disadvantage is a minor or moderate one. A real mismatch can arise when one team has substantial supremacy in size, speed, or skill.

As teams continue to assemble the off-season pieces to their respective puzzles, it’s hard to say for certain how much of a relative advantage/disadvantage each club will have next year in the desirable attributes of size, speed, and skill. We won’t know the answers until each team’s internal competitions have been decided in league-wide training camps and all their final transactions have been made.

Aside from particular line combinations and defensemen pairings, the Rangers really have only a few spots that remain in question. Assuming that Ryan Callahan and Daniel Girardi have completed their post graduation requirements from the Hartford Academy and will remain in New York, along with two year veteran, Hossa, that leaves only one center position, a couple of fourth line positions, and one or two defense positions remaining in limbo (assuming no further trades).

Therefore, we have a pretty good picture of how the Rangers breakdown in some of the key physical categories. They would appear to have good (but not excellent) team speed and plenty of skill that would probably allow them to stay competitive (in this sense) with just about any team in the playoffs – especially since the Sabres machine lost two of their main cogs in Briere and Drury. Although the Rangers parted with a very speedy center in Matt Cullen and a very skilled center in Michael Nylander, they picked up two very fast centers in Gomez and Drury – with Gomez possessing excellent playmaking skills and Drury bringing a host of intangible qualities (one of which bit the Blueshirts in the butt in game 5 of the Sabres series).

As far as size and strength goes, they’re simply not among the Rangers strong suits - notwithstanding a couple of players whose physical force could potentially wear down their playoff opponents, such as Jaromir Jagr and Hossa. This is not to say that the Blueshirts don’t have some gritty players, as well as some other players (aside from Jagr and Hossa) of impressive stature - at least 6’1” and over 210 lbs. It’s just that Shanahan, Marik Malik and Paul Mara don’t play a physical style that wears down the opposition, while Colton Orr and Jason Strudwick are fringe players who are often not dressed.

Brad Isbister, whose offensive capabilities could never be confused with Joe Thornton’s, did provide the Rangers with some well-needed bulk late last season and in the playoffs. His ability to work the boards, cycle the puck and compliment Jagr made him an effective player, and in that sense, he will be missed. I should also mention that if the question mark at center is answered by Brandon Dubinsky, then on top of the other talents he brings to the table, his ponderous proportions and feistiness would definitely be a welcomed addition to the team.

Overall, I would say that the Rangers could physically endure a playoff series against most teams, but would very likely get blown away by the power of some of the jumbo jets they could engage in battle.

The reason that I’ve barely touched upon the “joys of youth” is because a Stanley Cup championship team is generally composed of a nice blend of young bucks and wily vets. Next season, the Rangers will probably have the right mixture of those ingredients.

Perhaps the most important factor in determining whether the Rangers have a chance to “win it all” is chance itself. Who knows if the elements that GM, Glen Sather, compounds will result in good chemistry? Who knows how healthy the team will be, especially heading into the playoffs? Who knows if a topsy-turvy season will be topsy or turvy in late April? And finally, who knows in the pursuit of the ultimate conquest, what sequence of opponents will need to be conquered?

So with size being one of many uncertain variables, will Lady Luck scorn the Rangers for their physical shortcomings? Or will the Rangers have the goods to get the gold (silver in this case)? These answers will go a long way in determining how deeply they can penetrate into the big dance come next spring. The final score will either show the Rangers living large as Stanley Cup champions, or being pre-maturely humbled as inadequate also-rans.

Postscript: Should the Rangers surmount all the obstacles and defy all the odds this season to hoist hockey’s Holy Grail, then next summer they would be wise to beware of invaders from the Great White North (Edmonton). For if “Kevin the Poacher” aims his next Lowe blow at the Rangers family jewels, they must prepare themselves by defending their Cup.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

Did You Enjoy This Post? If So, Tell Me - If Not, Blast Me!

Should Gainey have just left Brisebois alone?

2007-08-06T10:29:00.001-04:00

EXLUSIVE TO XNHL.NET

I have a column over there, and from time to time, I will share with you the stories I publish there.

As we all know by now, the Canadiens officially signed veteran free-agent defenceman Patrice Brisebois to a one year contract, likely worth around 700K.

I guess it's a bargain for a guy that could put up 30 points in a full season...and if he could put up another +17 rating, like he did a few years back with the Habs, then it's a good signing nonetheless.

Otherwise, it won't matter if he sucks or not...he's not getting paid the $4.5 million to play "crapily" (is that a word?) like he did in his last season in Montreal and get literally booed out of the city.

Or maybe Bob is just a sympathetic guy who wants to see this vet retire in a Habs uni.

I, for one, would have preferred Gainey to let Brisebois retire, and take a good hard look at some nice young guys down in Hamilton itching to earn a spot on the Canadiens roster next season.

The obvious option is Ryan O'Byrne, who looks to me like a lock to make the Habs' squad...his size and shot being his most useful assets.

Another option, though unlikely, is Mathieu Biron, a former NHLer with the Washington Capitals and now the Bulldogs' main powerplay quarterback.
When I saw him play, along with the rest of the team at the Bell Centre a few months ago.
I was especially impressed with his offensive game, his booming slap shot on the powerplay won't replace Sheldon Souray's...but it would be a pretty nice consolation prize.

Besides them, there isn't much to hope for...besides Jean-Phillipe Cote, who had a cup of coffee with the Canadiens 2 seasons ago, but has fallen way low due to injury and inconsistency since then.

Gainey finally realized the Habs lacked depth on defence, and had little options in Hamilton, and as a result, the 2007 Habs draft class consisted of mainly defencemen, notably top-ranked Ryan McDonagh (1st round) and the big muscular P.K. Subban (2nd round).

The question is: will the presence of the 36-year old Patrice Brisebois force Bob Gainey to potentially cut a promising young player from next year's team in training camp?

-BBeR

It's NOT Staal good

2007-08-05T22:14:00.000-04:00

I know I am a bit, behind with this post but I have been super busy. I am sure everyone has heard by now about the Staal brothers' arrest on July 25th.

Apparently Eric's bachelor party was loud and "disorderly" and after several times after being asked to quiet down they were thrown out of the resort. Once they left they were walking along side the road (at least they were smart enough to stay from behind the wheel) and being obnoxious at which point they were arrested. It has surfaced that both Eric and Jordan were both one of the few who actually went to bed when asked the first time, but were woken up and told to leave. Not so sure how much truth is behind that.
While Eric is JUST being charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process, Jordan will also face an Underage drinking charge because he was only 18 at the time.

Jim Rutherford has indicated that Eric won't get any punishment fromt the team, although I am guessing Laviolette will give him a nice talking to.

*As a small side note: Eric's wedding was this past Friday. Congrats to him and Tanya.

It's official, Brisebois is back home

2007-08-03T18:30:00.000-04:00

RDS reports defenseman Patrice Brisebois signed a one year 700 000 $ contract with possible performance bonuses of up to 700 000 $. Gainey justified this move by saying that "Patrice is a proven veteran defenseman who will add depth to our defense."

The deal is too fresh for me to decide whether or not I am pleased by this signing. We can almost certainly forget about seeing a prospect defenseman from Hamilton (Côté for example) make the team. However, their is no doubt in my mind that having signed a contract that is well under the 4.3M he was making in his last campaign with the Habs, Brisebois will not be as pressured by the media and the fans. I have no problem with Gainey signing him so long as he is not going to be a liability defensively. If he finishes the season with a + rating, his offensive numbers will not be of concern to me.

I wont lie to you guys, many things need to be proven by the Habs on the ice, and I can't wait for the season to start to see what will work out, and what wont.

How Sather “Dropped His Briefs” to Let Sean Avery Escape .... In a White Ford Bronco???

2007-08-03T14:09:00.000-04:00

In the worst jurisprudence blunder since the Simpson prosecutors allowed O.J. to handle his own gloves on the witness stand in the 1995 “Trial of the Century”, Rangers general manager, Glen Sather, has made a “bloody mess” of the entire Sean Avery affair.

Please understand that I’m not trying to equate the injustice of a double homicide with the incompetence of a poorly executed contract negotiation, as this would be highly insensitive to the homicide victims and their families. However, there are two scarcely mentioned (yet undeniable) links between the New York Rangers and O.J. Simpson. The first part of this irrevocable bond occurred on June 17, 1994, when just hours after the Rangers and their fans celebrated the recent Stanley Cup victory with a downtown ticker tape parade, Simpson & Co. (inside the White Ford Bronco) began their historic “slow speed chase” with the LAPD. The second (more indirect) link was that the insatiable public appetite for anything and everything Simpson-related (after the car chase), along with the accompanying “media circus”, forced Sports Illustrated to place Simpson’s police mug shot on the front cover of their next issue – a spot that SI was unquestionably reserving for the story about how the Rangers had finally ended their 54 year curse (1940-1994).

And speaking of curses (while getting back to Avery), if Rangers fans thought that the 54 year hex was a “bitch to bear”, it might be nothing compared to what awaits them after next summer. Because at that time (barring a miraculous and unlikely reconciliation), Avery, who is already known on the ice as trash-talking, vindictive, contentious and the “most hated player in NHL” (as voted on by his peers), will hit the UFA market with a chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Everest, along with a venomous vendetta aimed directly at Sather and (by default) his entire organization. And the most unfortunate aspect to this entire debacle is that it could have been so easily avoided – several different ways.

The first way Sather could have avoided the Avery ordeal focuses on the root cause of the problem – which is the Rangers tight salary cap numbers. When Slats signed premier UFAs, Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, for a combined $14.4 million per cap year, it put a noose around the Rangers “cap collar”, which has been tightened a notch by each additional signing - with only the Matt Cullen trade providing any slack. It’s far too early to judge the Gomez/Drury signings with so many factors to be determined down the road, such as: how well the two play on Broadway, how much longer some of the other highly paid veterans play, how well the Rangers low-salaried prospects pan out over the next few years, how the salary cap upper limit fluctuates in upcoming years, etc.

I also can’t find fault with the signings of Prucha, Lundquist and Hossa, as the cap realities in addition to the three players wanting to be part of this year’s potential Cup run, allowed all parties to come to fairly amicable, short term resolutions. There is one glaring exception here – Brendan Shanahan.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Shanahan as much as the next Rangers fan, and I’m delighted that he’s back with the team. He provides leadership, character, professionalism, team spirit, versatility, endless hustle, and even occasional goals. Occasional? I will clarify this with cold, hard facts. After his stellar scoring stampede of the first 29 games (22 goals on 141 shots, 15.6% SP), Shanahan’s scoring stumbled sharply in the next 29 games (6 goals on 116 shots, 5.2% SP). These are his pre-concussion stats. In the final 9 games of the season, he scored 1 goal on 38 shots with a 2.6% SP – giving him a total of 7 goals on 154 shots (4.5% SP) over his last 38 regular season games. One could argue that he is a streaky player who was in a slump - but for 38 games (29 pre-concussion) I don’t buy it.

Notwithstanding a fine 5 goal (12.2% SP in 10 games) playoff performance, which I admit does give me a little bit of reservation here, it would seem that Shanahan’s days as a 40-50 goal scorer are behind him. Furthermore, Shanahan didn’t show particularly good chemistry with several linemates (Prucha being the most glaring), nor with Jagr on the Power Play. Far too often Shanahan’s presence on a line caused his linemates to focus primarily on feeding him the puck for his classic one-timers – which is just fine – if he scores on them a lot more than the 4.5% of the time he did over the last 38 regular season games.

My point is that at age 38 (soon to be 39) Shanahan has become somewhere between a valuable role player and a star, and he should be paid accordingly. Given the fact (much to his credit) that Shanahan didn’t want to talk to other teams so he could be part of a potentially special Ranger squad this year, and that he essentially said he would do anything that made financial sense for the Rangers to help accomplish this goal, it seems to me that $5.3 million ($2.5 counting towards this year’s cap) is ridiculously high. At most he should have received the $4 million ($2 million salary & $2 million bonus) he earned last year, or even $3 million ($1.5 million salary & $1.5 million bonus). Had Sather paid Shanahan reasonably, he would have had another $500,000 to $1 million of salary cap room this year that could easily have been sent Avery’s way to avoid any arbitration and the ensuing consequences.

In fact, if it ever came down to prioritizing between Avery and Shanahan (in this stage of their careers), I’d choose Avery. The Rangers went 17-6-6 with Avery in the lineup. In games that Avery played and Shanahan didn’t, the Rangers went 8-3-4. In games that Shanahan played and Avery didn’t, the Rangers went 25-24-4. Certainly a stingier defense and sharper goaltending were big factors in the Rangers surge to the playoffs, but Avery was perhaps the biggest single factor in the Rangers remarkable turnaround last season.

As Larry Brooks of the New York Post wrote it in this article - Avery added “a jagged edge to a team that had been way too smooth for its own good the first four months of the season”. Avery, at age 27 and in his prime, got under the skin of his opponents - drawing far more penalties than he took. He displayed never ending energy, hustle and grit – while proving that he also had plenty of speed, skill and scoring ability. He kept himself in control (just enough) to be an extremely effective player without overly rocking the Rangers burgeoning boat along the way. And on top of all this, he played with an assortment of injuries that would have kept many a tough competitor out of the lineup.

Let’s face it, when the Rangers trashed the Thrashers in that four game playoff mercy killing, was there any Ranger more valuable than Avery? In addition to his offense output of 1 goal and 4 assists, Avery had the Thrashers top line so uncomfortably pestered that they looked as though they were skating in circles the entire series in search of insect repellent. No doubt, Avery has become a player whose intangible value is almost immeasurable. And for the first time in his career, Avery has built a connection with the fans, his team and their city. They love Avery, and in turn, Avery loves playing for them. This nomad had finally found a home.

Now all of this is not to say that Avery wasn’t in need of an attitude adjustment when he first arrived with the Rangers – a procedure that quickly and somewhat surprisingly was deemed a success (much to the credit of Shanahan). However, as we’ve discussed, attitudes weren’t the only thing in Rangerland that needed adjusting. Just like piano strings have to be tuned every once in awhile, I’d say that Sather’s purse strings (as well as his priorities) could have used a fine tuning before July 1 – with some purse strings being far too loose while others being far too tight. Had Slats been tuned in time, Avery could have been rewarded for his outstanding efforts from last season, and the ugly events of the past week could have been avoided.

But even after the fiscal mistakes (detailed above) were in the rear view mirror, Sather could have driven the dangerous Avery (and all his personal baggage) to safety, if not for the second of his three mistakes – not settling before the arbitration hearing on the obvious $2 million compromise. This is something that everybody with at least one marble rolling around in their head knew was going to happen anyway. The Blueshirt Bulletin summarizes its best in a post entitled: Why Bother?

Why didn’t both parties meet around the $2 million range – given that the numbers submitted at arbitration were $2.6 million by Avery and $1.3 million by Sather? Perhaps it was mutual stubbornness by two people with a history of having rather contrary dispositions. Right now it is unclear if either side offered the $2 million compromise and other side refused. If Avery was the one to refuse, then most of the blame would point at him. However, Sather’s reputation for playing hardball with his RFA entrants, make him the odds on favorite in this blame-game derby.

Still, despite these “comedy of errors”, the real damage had not yet been done. The third way this fiasco was avoidable would have been if Sather had used a more long-sighted, diplomatic approach throughout the arbitration process. Had he done so, Slats wouldn’t have pushed the volatile Avery into feelings of shock, resentment and disbelief. The handling of Avery, both on the ice and in negotiations, is as delicate a task as handling Nitroglycerine. Done properly, and Avery becomes a powerful weapon capable of helping you win wars. Done carelessly, and Avery can blow up in your face.

I realize that Avery and Sather both signed the arbitrator’s $1.9 million peace offering and that both sides are now talking “nice-nice”. But Avery’s initial reaction to Sather’s overly harsh treatment of him during the arbitration process is proof that Slats had already dropped the Nitro, and the inevitable explosion will come next summer.

Ordinarily the story would end here because we all know what happened and why it happened … or do we? It turns out that up until now, we’ve only been presented with a partial picture of the events surrounding the arbitration process. However, brand new evidence from a strange, yet somewhat familiar, source will astound even the hardened hockey fan.

The source I speak of is now a part-time European scout for the Rangers. He is a Finnish man with a somewhat Czech-ered past, including a stint as an actor in both Finland and the Czech Republic. Having a hard time making ends meet, he once appeared in a Finnish porn film – getting a good “bang for the buck”. This scout, who is extremely affable, has a magnetic personality – especially when it comes to beautiful women. He understands the English language quite well when heard or in writing, but he barely speaks a word of it. He is very popular with the Rangers brass when he comes to New York – not the least of which is because of his reputation for knowing how to find all the best European hotspots and parties in Manhattan. So when he comes to town, it’s nothing for Ranger employees to “put him up” in their guest houses. Wait a minute…guest houses? It couldn’t be….. could it? Remember, I said he was Finnish, so you know that we’re not talking about Kato. His name is actually Reijo – Reijo Raitinen.

According to Raitinen, Sather was very thorough in his preparation for the Avery arbitration hearing - gathering documentation on Avery’s entire career. Contrary to popular belief, Slats put together a fair, reasonable outline that effectively stated the Rangers case without being overly harsh to Avery. Sather intended to use the information contained in the outline to create a brief for the arbitration proceedings.

The night before the Rangers had to present the Avery brief to the arbitrator, Sather and a lower-level, but trusted, assistant were having coffee at local bistro. All of the Avery documentation was in Sather’s briefcase when Slats and his assistant went to the men’s room to answer nature’s cappuccino call.

Both men were standing at the urinals when Sather (with one hand holding his briefcase) used his other hand to loosen his own belt. It is at this time when Sather endured the executive embarrassment of eternity, which began when Slats’ slacks slipped (try saying that 3 times fast). Then, while trying to grab his trousers, Sather’s hand hooked his Hanes – accidentally pulling them down. And when I say that Sather “dropped his briefs”, I mean that Sather really dropped his briefs – as the Avery documents came tumbling out of his briefcase and all over the grungy bathroom floor. Bottomless, bewildered and berserk, Sather frantically put the papers back in the folders. However, in his haste Slats placed the papers from Avery’s “Pre-Rangers” folder into the “2007 Arbitration” folder and vice-versa.

Completely pressed for time now, Sather handed his “2007 Arbitration” folder to his assistant, who then couriered them to Cam Hope, the Rangers Assistant General Manger of Hockey Operations. Then against all hope, Cam wrote the final arbitration briefs from misplaced documents out of the wrong folder. The Avery briefs presented to the arbitrator said (among other disparaging verbiage) that Avery was “a reasonably effective player as well as a detriment to the team”. This statement is absolutely true - from 1999 to February 4, 2006. Shortly after February 5, 2006 (the day he was traded to the Rangers) we all know that Avery was an extremely effective player who was a major asset to the team.

By the time of the arbitration date, July 30, the briefs had already been submitted to the arbitrator. Sather had since discovered the mistake, but it was too late - they had to proceed with what they had previously written. As Sather and Hope (soiled briefs and all) stormed into the hearing, they replaced Simpson detectives, Tom Lange and Philip Vannatter, as the latest version of “Dumb and Dumber”. Of course, the ultimate irony in this fantastic farce is that it was never a case of premeditated mediation mangling (as commonly believed), instead it was a case of unplanned underwear undermining.

You may ask how did Reijo learn the details of the “Brew House Brief Bungling”? Apparently the night of July 30, while “hanging” at the Rangers corporate offices, he heard three mysterious, loud thumps. Quite concerned, Reijo had a secretary call the police. After detectives investigated the incident, they discovered no signs of burglary or foul play. Instead, the sounds actually came from Sather himself, who had pounded his fist on desk three times in anger over the day’s events.

You may also ask how do I know Reijo? Well, it turns out that we have a mutual friend – the girl he costarred with in that Finnish flesh flick. She and I have what you might call a ….uh-hum….professional relationship.

How will all that transpired affect the Rangers in the short-term? Ironically, it could help them. With Avery playing like man possessed next year (trying to earn a big UFA payday) and the Rangers having a very strong team already, a little luck and some timely tinkering by the otherwise competent Sather could result in another ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes next June. Certainly, the Rangers are considered contenders for the Cup, but in all likelihood their chances of winning it are relatively low. As good as they are, the Rangers still have a number of holes to fill, and the very competitive nature of the NHL, makes it difficult for any team to win it all.

As for the long-term consequences of the Avery affair - fear not, I have no doubt that one day the Rangers will again “Skate the Cup”. The only problem I have with this prediction is that of timing - given that the Rangers big day might well be the same day that O.J. and his posse of PIs make good on their 1994 promise and catch the “real killer”. Which leads to my final word of warning to Ranger fans - don’t hold your collective breaths while waiting for the next Stanley Cup. With the “Avery Curse” soon to be hanging over the Rangers heads, this wait may “last a lifetime”.

DISCLAIMERS:
Everything written after (and including) the paragraph that begins “Ordinarily the story would end here…” is completely fabricated – a figment of my “slightly-warped” imagination. To the best of my knowledge Slats' slacks never slipped, and every fan’s favorite Finnish house guest, Reijo Raitinen, does not actually exist – but it was sure fun partying with him!

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

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Penner's new deal with Oilers an ominous sign for NHL...

2007-08-02T15:08:00.000-04:00

Various media sources are reporting the Edmonton Oilers have officially signed former Ducks forward Dustin Penner to a 5-year/$21.5 million contract.

The young sniper played in all 82 games for the Stanley Cup champions Ducks last season, scoring 29 goals and adding 16 assists for a total of 45 points and 202 shots on goal.

The signing occurs a few weeks after Lowe made a bold move in signing the Sabres' Tomas Vanek to a $7 million per season offer sheet, only to see Buffalo GM Darcy Regier match within 19 minutes.

The 6'4'', 245-pound Winkler, Manitoba native just scored big time in the bank, and the NHL should be worried.

A few years down the road, maybe, just maybe he'd be worth the money he just got from a desperate Kevin Lowe...but at this point in his career? A 24-year old sophomore with a season and a quarter under his belt making a little over $4 million per season seems too much like the old NHL, where GM's paid wildly for any hint of talent available to them.

Scott Hartnell, who recently signed a similar pact with the Philadelphia Flyers, belongs in that pool of "paying for potential, not production" players. Both Penner and Hartnell will earn $4.2 million annually for the next 5 and 6 seasons respectively.

So what does this mean for the future RFA market?

For starters, teams may be tempted to sign future restricted free-agent Jason Spezza to an offer sheet next summer, and with the Senators trying to hold on to potential unrestricted 50-goal man Dany Heatley as well, someone may very well succeed in prying him from Sens GM Bryan Murray's hands.

But not so fast, this signing of Penner is also an ominous sign.
A sign that the NHL is heading back to its old days of overpriced free-agents and overrated players...I'm starting to wonder why we lost a complete season of hockey and why Gary Bettman and the NHL are so STUBBORN not to realize what's going on.

It was a mistake to make the cap rise again to $50.3 million, if the NHL knows what's good for their league finances and fans, they'll lower that number to $45 million next year and leaves GM's little room to spend the $7 million Chris Drury got, and the $10 million Dany Heatley will likely get if this continues next year.
They won't lower the cap, so scratch that.

If they actually used their brains, they'd finally figure out that the more the cap raises, the more salaries for elite players will go up, and the more we'll be drifting back to the pre-lockout era and a potential lockout/labour dispute again.

This signing not only makes the RFA market a whole new attractive destination for GM's, and a headache for the NHL, but it also marks the end of the Brian Burke-Kevin Lowe friendship, at least according to Burke's recent harsh words to the media.

-BBeR