tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16266789222115829202024-02-07T01:48:09.467-08:00a hockey guyMy various and sundry thoughts about the NHL (Go Sharks) and related sticks and a puck action.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-43782385439309192152011-04-26T14:36:00.000-07:002011-04-26T15:02:44.027-07:002011 Stanley Cup PlayoffsLots of interesting stuff in the playoffs thus far...<br /><br /><strong>Western Conference</strong><br /><br />Detroit def. Phoenix 4-0 - Goodness gracious, the Wings looked solid.<br /><br />San Jose def. Los Angeles 4-2 - As a Sharks fan, I'm of course glad they won, but didn't see much to inspire confidence going into the later rounds. Very interesting piece <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Bourne-Blog-The-LA-Kings-and-Shooting-for-the-P?urn=nhl-wp3516">Sharks-Kings piece on shooting at a goalie's pads</a> from <strong>Puck Daddy</strong> at <strong>Yahoo Sports</strong>.<br /><br />Nashville def. Anaheim 4-2 - Always happy to see Anaheim lose, but I have a hard time being sold on the Preds chances.<br /><br />Chicago & Vancouver 3-3 - What a series... great players, panicked coaches (well, Vancouver coach), potential monster comeback from 3-0. It's been fantastic viewing.<br /><br /><strong>Eastern Conference</strong><br /><br />Washington def. New York Rangers 4-1 - Heck of a team those Capitals are.<br /><br />Boston leading Montreal 3-2 - I think the Canadiens cooked, but not overly impressed with the Bruins.<br /><br />Pittsburgh & Tampa Bay 3-3 - Really good series... regardless of who wins, I think it would be tough sledding if a matchup with Washington awaits. Now, either Boston or Montreal... could be a different story.<br /><br />Philadelphia & Buffalo 3-3 - Another good series, but not sure that it would be if the Flyers were able to get decent goaltending. To that point, amazed that Sergey Bobrovsky didn't even warrant a backup goalie spot for games 3-6 of the series.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-23370466433398586782011-02-05T21:24:00.000-08:002011-02-05T21:49:44.357-08:00NHL Playoff PredictionsMy thoughts on the teams I expect to be in the conference finals come playoff time... along with those that I could see making it:<br /><br /><strong>Western Conference</strong><br /><br /><strong>Elite teams</strong><br />Vancouver <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Canucks</span> - serious Stanley Cup contender. Have all the pieces needed.<br />Detroit Red Wings - see <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Canucks</span>, Vancouver. A very good team.<br /><br /><strong>Next level</strong><br />San Jose Sharks - playing well now, but at this point any deep playoff run would surprise me. As a Sharks fan, it would be great to be surprised.<br />Dallas Stars - I just have a hard time being convinced.<br />Anaheim Ducks - sort of like the Stars... I don't see them being elite right now without both <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pronger</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Neidermayer</span>.<br />Colorado Avalanche - not sold on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">goaltending</span>.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Eastern Conference</strong><br /><br /><strong>Elite Team</strong><br />Philadelphia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Flyers</span> - excellent hockey team.<br /><br /><strong>Next level</strong><br />Boston Bruins - I can't shake the memory of them losing a playoff series last year after being up three games to none.<br />Pittsburgh Penguins - good team with current healthy parts, but not a great one.<br />Washington Capitals - think there's a reason they just never break through.<br />Montreal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Canadiens</span> - not a great team, but seems to do the best they can with the skill they've got.<br />Tampa Bay - looking at next year, me thinks.<br /><br />Right now, I'd say things point towards a Vancouver - Philadelphia Cup Finals... with the experience from last season pushing the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Flyers</span> just over the top.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-72378886511607704052010-12-24T22:18:00.000-08:002010-12-24T22:24:19.464-08:00Steve Rushin on Hockey for Sports IllustratedBeen quite a while since I've posted to this blog (as online writing efforts have been directed <a href="http://www.wordswrittendown.com/">here</a>), but recently came across an excellent piece of hockey writing.<br /><br />From the <strong>Sports Illustrated</strong> website (maybe just even the mobile version of SI based on the link), was <a href="http://m.si.com/news/wr/wr/detail/3234676">"Hooked on Hockey Again"</a> by <strong>Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Rushin</span></strong>. He's a solid writer and while short, the piece captures some of the elements of tradition I find endearing as well around the game.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-48491808382820168962010-04-28T19:47:00.000-07:002010-05-05T21:57:44.040-07:002010 Stanley Cup Playoffs - On To Round TwoInteresting stuff out of the first round of the playoffs. To whit...<br /><br /><strong>Western Conference</strong><br /><br />#1 San Jose Sharks def. #8 Colorado Avalanche 4 games to 2<br />Very compelling series for me as a Sharks fan. Best way to describe it is I'm pleased as punch with how San Jose dealt with adversity (in the form of unlucky bounces and great Colorado goaltending) and kept plugging away. I am a bit nervous at how bad the team's presumed best player in <strong>Joe Thornton</strong> looked, but was thrilled to see <strong>Joe Pavelski</strong> play so well. To the end, I also think about the absolute monster goal he scored in OT of game 4 to knot up the series at 2. If Colorado takes that game, there's a lot of ways for them to win the series with a 3-1 lead. However, they didn't, he did, and the better team moved on.<br /><br />#2 Chicago Blackhawks def. #7 Nashville Predators 4 games to 2<br />Not much to say... I think the better team won and while it's true that Nashville came within 20 seconds of taking a 3-2 series lead, I suspect Chicago would have still found a way to win in 7 games.<br /><br />#3 Vancouver Canucks def. #6 Los Angeles Kings 4 games to 2<br />The Kings have a good young team and played pretty well, but similar to the Chicago series, the better of the two teams moved on.<br /><br />#5 Detroit Red Wings def. #4 Phoenix Coyotes 4 games to 3<br />Differered from the other three Western Conference series in that it went the full 7 games, but similiar in that the more skilled and playoff tested team just proved too much for their opponent.<br /><br /><strong>Eastern Conference</strong><br /><br />#8 Montreal Canadiens def. #1 Washington Capitals 4 games to 3<br />Wow, an 8 seed being down 3 games to 1 and coming back to win the series. Amazing stuff that gets perhaps less amazing when you consider they did it through crazy good goaltending from <strong>Jaroslav Halak</strong>. An average of 45 shots a game in these three with... 3 goals allowed, that's pretty good.<br /><br /># 7 Philadelphia Flyers def. #2 New Jersey Devils 4 games to 1<br />The only one of the 8 series to end in less than 6 games... and pretty much everyone would have thought the winner of a short series here would be the Devils. Happy it wasn't though as I'm much more interested in watching the Flyers in round two than I would be New Jersey.<br /><br />#6 Boston Bruins def. #3 Buffalo Sabres 4 games to 2<br />Great goaltending beats... great goaltending. Not much more to say as I didn't watch a lot of this one (and none of the Flyers-Devils series which didn't have any coverage on Versus), but I do like the idea of the Canadiens, Flyers and Bruins as steep in history teams advancing.<br /><br />#4 Pittsburgh Penguins def. #5 Ottawa Senators 4 games to 2<br />Very much like each of the 4 series in the West, the better team just proved too much for a pretty game opponent. Actually, the only Eastern series in which the higher seed (and presumably better team) wound up winning. Also, that <strong>Sidney Crosby</strong>... he's good.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-19893727336709025082010-03-13T15:12:00.000-08:002010-03-13T15:15:37.509-08:00Vancouver Olympics Men's Hockey - All DoneJust for posterity's sake (because I liked writing and want to keep track of it)... <a href="http://www.fromtherink.com/2010/2/28/1331110/my-olympic-hockey-tournament-game">linking here</a> to a post I wrote after Canada won in OT against the U.S. in the Gold Medal hockey game...Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-36403684302498794082010-03-13T13:58:00.000-08:002010-03-13T14:49:31.541-08:00Chip Kelly Oregon Ducks Piece from CNNSIThis of course isn't hockey-related, but I've <a href="http://ahockeyguy.blogspot.com/search?q=football">posted football stuff on this blog previously</a> so when I think about linking here to a story about my beloved <strong>Oregon Ducks football</strong>, I say "why the heck not?"<br /><br />The Ducks have been very much in the news lately with multiple players arrested for various legal transgressions (and at least one already booted off the team)... and now there's news about the two most acclaimed current Duck players, <strong>Jeremiah Masoli</strong> and <strong>LaMichael James</strong>. <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/03/12/masoli.suspended.ap/index.html">James suspending for a game and (Heisman hopeful QB) Masoli for the entire season</a>.<br /><br />The extent of my knowledge about each case has been (and for the most part still is) limited to knowing that Masoli plead guilty to a charge of felony (reduced to a misdemeanor with his plea) burglary with the theft of a laptop and James plead guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge after <a href="http://www.kval.com/news/local/87482557.html">an incident with an ex-girlfriend</a>. <br /><br />This being said, I had no huge opinion about each case except for how they both relate to my twin views I have about (1) athletes on the teams I follow and (2) what I want from said teams followed. <br /><br />The first is that I recognize that because someone plays for "my team", it does not make them a good guy... some people are just plain bad guys (see: <strong>Phillips, Lawrence</strong> who played for the 49ers among other teams). Because they're on my team, I don't have to have any illusions that they're somehow a cut above any "riff-raff types who play on teams I don't root for".<br /><br />The second view is in a way contradictory, but... not really. When I think about my fandom for a given team, it's great for me to think that "my guys" might win a Stanley Cup/World Series/BCS Title, but the more important thing to me is that I be entertained and happy when I'm paying attention. <br /><br />Yes, part of being entertained is certainly having a good team that's headed towards a championship goal, but part is also my not feeling embarrassed about the guys who are on the field. It's one thing entirely to know that everyone I want to succeed isn't someone I personally admire, but would be another to think that someones skill level gives them a completely different set of rules than apply to the rest of the team (see: Phillips, Lawrence and his Nebraska Cornhusker playing time after a bevy of domestic violence episodes). Basically, all I ask of the players on teams I support is that they try hard, live up to (or exceed) abilities and don't embarrass me to cheer for them... basically, entertain me.<br /><br />Back to the issue at hand with said Oregon Ducks... I'm certainly not saying Masoli and James are bad dudes, in fact they may be great upstanding guys, but am saying that they have to be held to the same standards that would apply to less skilled players... with those standards hopefully being ones that would cause the University or fans that cheer for it's teams to not be embarrassed. It's not that I cheer the suspension of either (with Masoli's of course having more impact), but I am happy that Athletic Director <strong>Mike Bellotti</strong> and Head Coach <strong>Chip Kelly</strong> (with I imagine the input of University President <strong>Richard Lariviere</strong>) made decisions that don't seem to simply pander to the talent and potential for success on the field.<br /><br />All of this said... I agree completely with (and enjoyed reading) <strong>Andy Staples</strong> from his tongue in cheek titled <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/03/12/masoli.suspension/index.html">"Coach's decision a head-turner"</a> on <strong>CNNSI</strong>. Solid.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-8659974790107355852010-02-24T22:00:00.000-08:002010-02-24T22:18:21.557-08:00Vancouver Olympics Men's Hockey - U.S. & Canada AdvanceNot to take anything away from Finland's defeat of the Czech Republic or the Sweden-Slovakia game going on now, but man... those victories by first the U.S. and then Canada were interesting today.<br /><br />The U.S. game stood out to me not because of the high number of American shots on goal (44) or yet another great game from <strong>Ryan Miller</strong> (this a 2-0 shutout), but because of the reckless abandon with with the U.S. players blocked shots. It seemed to be a "no, I want to get in front of this one" contest with every member of the team sacrificing their body to help get the win. Impressive stuff.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Speaking of impressive stuff... that Team Canada offensive really hit it's (fully anticipated) stride against Russia. Six goals against <strong>Evgeni Nabokov</strong> (who didn't have a good game) and one more against <strong>Ilya Bryzgalov</strong> should be enough to get the win, and it was to the tune of 7-3. While he may not get a lot of accolades from the game, <strong>Roberto Luongo</strong> deserves notice for his keeping Canada off the board during an early first period power play with probably five to six shots against him. If Russia scores early, perhaps their offense really starts rolling.<br /><br />So... on to the Semifinals for both teams. The U.S. will face a Finland team led by goalie <strong>Mikka Kiprusoff </strong>and Canada either Slovakia or Sweden (a Gold Medal pick of more than a few people). Hopefully the Americans and Canadians both advance to what would be a highly anticipated (and hopefully shown live on NBC) Olympic Final. <br /><br />The odds of the U.S. beating Canada twice in the same tournament wouldn't be good, but then... they don't have to be in order for it to still happen.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-89687835636394106932010-02-24T09:12:00.000-08:002010-02-24T09:27:05.077-08:00NBC U.S. Olympic Hockey West Coast Coverage<strong>U.S. vs Switzerland</strong> today in the Men's Hockey Olympic quarterfinals... on <strong>NBC</strong>... TAPE DELAYED ON THE WEST COAST.<br /><br />I learned from <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Tales-of-NBC-Angst-West-Coast-bias-Olympic-rin?urn=nhl,223752#remaining-content">this story on <strong>Puck Daddy</strong> at Yahoo! Sports</a> and then went out to the <a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/zone=PT/day=13/sport=IH/index.html">NBC website for this information</a> (noted below):<br /><br />Time (PT)<br /><br />3:00p - 5:00p<br /><a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/zone=PT/day=13/network=1/tv.html">NBC Bay Area</a><br />Daytime After posting a stunning 5-3 upset of Canada on Sunday, Ryan Miller and Team USA return to the ice to take on Switzerland for a spot in Hockey's semifinals.<br /><br />4:00p - 7:00p<a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/zone=PT/day=13/network=3/tv.html"><br />CNBC </a><br />Men's Hockey After losing to Team USA, 5-3, on Sunday, Sidney Crosby and Canada bounced back with an 8-2 win over Germany on Tuesday. Now Crosby and the home-ice favorites take on Alexander Ovechkin and Russsia for a spot in the semifinal round.<br /><br />7:00p - 9:30p <a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/zone=PT/day=13/network=3/tv.html"><br />CNBC </a><br />Men's Hockey In the day's third elimination game, Jaromir Jagr and the Czech Republic square off against Finland for a spot in the semifinal round.<br /><br />9:30p - 11:30p<br /><a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/zone=PT/day=14/network=3/tv.html">CNBC </a><br />Men's Hockey The fourth and final semifinal spot is on the line in the day's last win-or-go-home contest. Sweden and Slovakia square off live as Olympic Hockey continues.<br /><br />-----------------<br /><br />US game being aired at 3:00PST after it's already completed and then the Canada game at 4:00PST. Yea, I'm sure for those hockey fans without DVRs, they wouldn't want to see both the US and Canada game... right.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-21651195575173176272010-02-21T22:29:00.000-08:002010-02-21T22:52:43.738-08:00Projected Olympic Hockey Tournament MatchupsWondering about potential quarterfinal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">matchups</span> for the <strong>Men's Olympic Hockey</strong>, I went out onto my good friend the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Internet</span> and found this <a href="http://www.ontheforecheck.com/2010/2/21/1320874/olympic-hockey-bracket-coming-into">detailed bracket at On the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Forecheck</span></a>... which I came across at <a href="http://www.fromtherink.com/">From the Rink</a>.<br /><br />Here's the upshot as of right now with Sweden having a (presumably) commanding 3-0 lead in their game against Finland (assuming everything is correct on the aforementioned sites and I have no reason to think it's not)...<br /><br />Big assumption: nothing shocking (you know, shocking to the level of say... the US beating Canada today) happens in the Playoff Qualifier games that will happen Tuesday and precede the <strong>Wednesday quarterfinal games.</strong><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">NoonPST</span> - <strong>U.S. vs Switzerland</strong>: the U.S. would certainly be favored, but as the San Jose Sharks found out last year... <strong>Jonas <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Hiller</span></strong> can play well in net, and in this case, it would be for Switzerland rather than the Anaheim Ducks.<br /><br />4:30PST - <strong>Russia vs Canada</strong>: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Uhhh</span>... that sounds like a good game, and in a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">quarterfinal</span>! Here's to not expecting to see <strong>Martin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Brodeur</span></strong> back in net.<br /><br />7:00 or 9:00PST - Sweden vs <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Slovokia</span><br /><br />7:00 or 9:00PST - Czech Republic vs Finland<br /><br />Winners of these games would then meet in the <strong>Friday semifinals</strong>... which might look like this:<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">NoonPST</span> - U.S. vs Czech/Finland winner<br /><br />6:30PST - Sweden vs Canada/Russia winner<br /><br />Wow, that one game today make a world of difference for both the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. with a very advantageous draw going forward and Canada with... the exactly opposite.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-38317616269524534852010-02-04T20:49:00.000-08:002010-02-04T20:59:57.361-08:00Video of Building a Backyard RinkCame across this video a few days ago linked from a <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Time-lapse-backyard-rink-construction-is-?urn=nhl,217203">post on <strong>Puck Daddy</strong> at Yahoo! Sports</a> and while I found the time-lapse photographs to be a bit difficult on the eyes to watch, I sure did love the result at the latter part of the video...<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wm53kSGD09k&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wm53kSGD09k&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-46676490084424319592010-01-30T21:27:00.001-08:002010-01-30T21:52:06.883-08:00The Myth of Money in the Bank GoaltendersAs we're at around the 2/3 mark of the regular season, it's about that time to hone in on the favorite reason that fans think their respective teams won't win the Stanley Cup this year... goaltending.<br /><br />Unless someone is a fan of the New Jersey Devils (with <strong>Martin Brodeur</strong> in net), Vancouver Canucks (<strong>Roberto Luongo</strong> tending goal) or Buffalo Sabres (where <strong>Ryan Miller</strong> is having an MVP caliber year), people should be afraid of their goaltending... but there's not much to be done about it.<br /><br />Reality is goaltending is a crapshoot... you can have an excellent goalie, but you really don't know how anyone is going to perform in the playoffs until they're upon us. Additionally, there's that whole thing about how you've got to win four series to take the Cup... a long time for any goalie to play at a top level.<br /><br />One interesting thing I've seen lately is criticism of the Blackhawks goaltending going into the playoffs... with <a href="http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/01/roenick.html">statements of late from Jeremy Roenick</a> and now a <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=Allcrri3Akb0u3j1FV2b5jt7vLYF?slug=rm-sharkshawks012810&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">Ross McKeon piece for Yahoo! Sports</a>. Reality, though, is the Blackhawks have the <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20102ALLAAAAll&sort=avgGoalsAgainstPerGame&viewName=goalsAgainst">2nd lowest goals against average in the league</a>. <br /><br />Someone can say that's it's not guarenteed that either <strong>Cristobal Huet</strong> and <strong>Antti Niemi</strong> are going to be able to perform at the level needed throughout the playoffs, but how can fans of any team (including even the Devils, Canucks or Sabres) feel that elite level playoff goaltending is guaranteed?Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-48148785897823300202010-01-17T14:28:00.000-08:002010-01-17T14:44:13.764-08:00NHL on NBC - Expanding the Game... Or NotHere's an interesting question to ponder... what exactly is the point of <strong>NBC</strong> broadcasting <strong>NHL</strong> games (as the first post-Winter Classic game of the year was shown today between Detroit and Chicago)?<br /><br />Is it to cater to dedicated hockey fans? Well, me thinks these folk get their fix of the game through either their local team coverage (unless of course they live in Phoenix or some other city where many local team games aren't televised) <strong>NHL Center Ice</strong>, <strong>NHL Network</strong> or <strong>Versus </strong>(unless of course, they have Direct TV).<br /><br />So... that would say that this zero rights fee paying arrangement between NBC and the NHL is for the purpose of reaching out to the casual fan. What's the best time to broadcast to that casual sports loving and male demographic skewing fan base? Why, during the exact same time that the <strong>NFL Conference Semifinals</strong> are on! I guess the league and NBC figured that the casual hockey fan would have no interest in the NFL playoffs... similar to the way coverage of puppies playing is broadcast on <strong>Animal Planet</strong> opposite the <strong>Super Bowl</strong>.<br /><br />And for those few casual fans who happen across the hockey game, here's a great way to draw them in... show highlights of the game as the play is going on live, have the announcer say that a goal was scored and... keep showing the original highlight for a while longer prior to coverage of the not-shown live goal.<br /><br />Nice. Reminds me of how a few years ago NBC cut away from overtime of a <strong>Stanley Cup Playoff game</strong> to start in on <strong>Preakness</strong> pre-race coverage. <br /><br />Really a great way to grow the sport... or not.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-51426199584326090072010-01-17T14:18:00.000-08:002010-01-17T14:27:51.695-08:00Good Goal - Terrible D - Hilarious CommentaryWow, such a great highlight... on multiple levels.<br /><br />Saw this from the blog post "<a title="Video: Defense is hard to come by in the ECHL" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Defense-is-hard-to-come-by-in-the-ECHL?urn=nhl,214020" ywaonclickoverride="true">Video: Defense is hard to come by in the ECHL</a>" on <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy">Puck Daddy at Yahoo! Sports</a>. <br /><br />As the title indicates, the defense is laughable, but frankly, so is the commentary on the second go-round (that being the "Goal of the Night from <strong>Cialis</strong>"... which provides additional mirth) of the highlight below. Love when announcers chat with one another as if they forgot they're on camera.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/U2mPuh41kgI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/U2mPuh41kgI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-60355797586925839342010-01-09T13:57:00.001-08:002010-01-09T14:26:35.305-08:00U.S. Wins 2010 World Junior ChampionshipMan, what a game that was a few days ago between the U.S. and Canada for the <strong>World Junior Championships</strong> Gold Medal.<br /><br />As happened during their New Year's Eve opening round game, Canada came back from a two goal 3rd period deficit to reach overtime. This time it was different result...<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K06XI-vuOpE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K06XI-vuOpE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />From his <strong>CNNSI</strong> piece <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Character%20is%20golden%20for%20Team%20USA%20in%20World%20Junior%20Championship">"Character is golden for Team USA in World Junior Championship"</a>, <strong>Alan Muir</strong> wrote of both the magnitude of the win for the U.S. (their first... and Canada's first non-gold in the tournament since 2004) and how the game played itself out tactically.<br /><br />Keeping in mind that it's the players on the ice who win or loss, two coaches decisions factored heavily into the outcome. The first was from US Coach <strong>Dean Blais</strong> who replaced <strong>Mike Lee</strong> with <strong>Jack Campbell</strong> in goal for U.S. once Canada scored to make the score 3-3. The second was from Canada Coach <strong>Willie Desjardins</strong> who replaced starting goalie <strong>Jake Allen</strong> with <strong>Martin Jones</strong> once the U.S. pulled out to a 5-3 lead.<br /><br />The U.S. certainly deserved the win, but it earlier action from Desjardins may well have made the difference. This is conjecture, though, as it played out as it did and the U.S. was victorious. Reminds me in a way of how people don't talk a lot about the decision by Soviet Union Coach <strong>Viktor Tikhonov</strong> to pull <strong>Vladislav Tretiak</strong> in their 1980 Olympic Gold Medal game vs the U.S. He did... and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_ice">Miracle on Ice</a> then followed.<br /><br />Lots of lots of additional World Junior Championship coverage included a large video library can be found on the <a href="http://tsn.ca/world_jrs/"><strong>TSN</strong> World Juniors microsite</a>.<br /><br />Next year the <a href="http://www.buffaloworldjuniors.com/">tournament is in Buffalo</a> and hopefully the U.S. fans can provide the same support for the home team that the Canadians showed. Course, Toronto is pretty close to Buffalo...Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-19690009600897827702010-01-06T13:50:00.000-08:002010-01-06T17:46:31.909-08:00Gilbert Arenas Indefinite SuspensionObviously this isn't a hockey related post, but I'm just saying... if I was <strong>Gilbert Arenas</strong> and had apparently broken Washington DC laws and NBA rules by bring guns (unloaded) into the locker room, I wouldn't then do this...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41XX6VyJXzdhRvBlWVtJQwL5WdDvQTJlgE7xWa6Iby7Rw8R8LUkPE9zW3mrXpvs_Xx5XPWqXLjxSAyY1n3R1ChGetRoNh1n3J6b4p1PHl-wt25bCxwLeqRot7qoKGguN7hpYdZU5SX3cu/s1600-h/gilbert-arenas-0110-580.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423748015103570722" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41XX6VyJXzdhRvBlWVtJQwL5WdDvQTJlgE7xWa6Iby7Rw8R8LUkPE9zW3mrXpvs_Xx5XPWqXLjxSAyY1n3R1ChGetRoNh1n3J6b4p1PHl-wt25bCxwLeqRot7qoKGguN7hpYdZU5SX3cu/s320/gilbert-arenas-0110-580.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Apparently league commissioner <strong>David Stern</strong> is of my mind on this... quote below from the <strong>Yahoo! Sports</strong> story "<a title="Breaking news: Gilbert Arenas suspended indefinitely" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Breaking-news-Gilbert-Arenas-suspended-indefini?urn=nba,212133" ywaonclickoverride="true">Breaking news: Gilbert Arenas suspended indefinitely</a>."<br /><br />"Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA."<br /><br /><p>Also, very interesting quote then put out by the <strong>Wizards organization</strong> (from the same Yahoo! story)...</p><p>"We fully endorse the decision of the NBA to indefinitely suspend Gilbert Arenas. Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert's recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable. Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert's behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable. Under Abe Pollin's leadership, our organization never tolerated such behavior, and we have no intention of ever doing so."</p><p><br /> </p>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-60336078703795273702010-01-02T17:29:00.000-08:002010-01-02T20:16:53.998-08:00Pond Hockey MovieWatched the documentary movie <strong>Pond Hockey</strong> on <strong>NHL Network</strong> the other day and found it to be well done and interesting.<br /><br />It was split roughly 50/50 between interviews with hockey people and coverage of the US Pond Hockey Championships held annually in Minnesota.<br /><br />The hockey folk included <strong>Wayne Gretzky</strong>, <strong>Neal Broten</strong> and <strong>Jack Falla</strong> (the late hockey writer that I <a href="http://ahockeyguy.blogspot.com/2009/07/open-ice-by-jack-falla.html">previously posted about</a>)... and I <a href="http://ahockeyguy.blogspot.com/2009/01/us-pond-hockey-championships.html">posted here</a> about the aforementioned pond hockey tournament.<br /><br />This said, Pond Hockey the movie was a cool look at this side of the game and below is a trailer from the <a href="http://www.pondhockeymovie.com/">movie website</a>...<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hJvPDtppZtI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hJvPDtppZtI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-48741076438958071322009-12-31T14:41:00.000-08:002009-12-31T14:48:12.507-08:00Drew Doughty Named to Candian Olympic TeamI'm not an L.A. Kings fan nor do I know much about Drew Doughty, but man... it's so cool to me that he was yesterday named to the Canadian Olympic team at the ripe old age of 20 (having just left his teens a few weeks ago).<br /><br />Below is video of Doughty (against the Sharks) that I found at <a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-31386-NHL-Prospect-Examiner~y2009m12d31-Canadian-Olympic-hockey-team-names-Drew-Doughty">this link</a>.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7KtYKyDp1Ys&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7KtYKyDp1Ys&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-83246167132653690972009-12-25T14:03:00.000-08:002009-12-25T14:09:17.897-08:002009-2010 World Junior Championship TV ScheduleReally like me some <strong>World Junior Hockey</strong>... last year in Ottawa was great TV and looking forward to this year's tournament in Saskatoon.<br /><br />16 games will be broadcast (hopefully all in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">HD</span>) on <strong>NHL Network</strong> in the US with the <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=509998&navid=DLNHLNHLNetwork">schedule here</a> and the quarterfinals starting at <strong>2:00PST on Sat Jan 2</strong>. Also of note on the schedule is the US-Canada game <strong>New Years Eve at 5:00PST</strong>.<br /><br />Good times.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-86430644708068385272009-12-22T15:32:00.000-08:002009-12-22T15:39:00.462-08:00Amazing Dwayne Roloson SavesYes, it may be excessive to have two posts in a row with content taken entirely from a different blog, but man... this is a great save.<br /><br />Below is video taken <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Dwayne-Roloson-s-astonishing-save-sequenc?urn=nhl,210272">this Puck Daddy on Yahoo! Sports post</a>.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YlT9wRqg8sE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YlT9wRqg8sE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-72521835053071773932009-12-18T19:12:00.000-08:002009-12-18T19:20:21.148-08:00Minnesota Wild Equipment FireWow, never seen anything like <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Minnesota-Wild-equipment-van-fire-incinerates-ga;_ylt=Ari1e6kJDnmiVOPSxhqPaVB7vLYF?urn=nhl,209893">this story</a> from the <strong>Puck Daddy</strong> blog on <strong>Yahoo! Sports</strong>.<br /><br />Below is an image from the Yahoo! post... crazy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSKuIaWhqSw_COgDBKssC9TLkkyQpXHGoCbrx1vlA8spTvm91M5HAz5xOJljLVr8hdrSzF103yhPAug0nMnNVmzzH0ic3DfDEODx5Z5cEe1Vhk6nNv_cDWa0rxh6dLWc1AkAsJ8N-gEXt/s1600-h/ept_sports_nhl_experts-960085445-1261176213.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6ezTptynLovYkctX0vo7ti5boNTkeEs16zIFbUfOs6PvFLMxGsRTQWwvb4dsgbsLpcnHz_jedw7_QZrAkhhhwqqHJxwrPUwe0Nv7ZPCGrE3h0JVp3mm9UPhZqT3iV7jrTgoaUuluuD7q/s1600-h/ept_sports_nhl_experts-960085445-1261176213.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416781403049022562" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6ezTptynLovYkctX0vo7ti5boNTkeEs16zIFbUfOs6PvFLMxGsRTQWwvb4dsgbsLpcnHz_jedw7_QZrAkhhhwqqHJxwrPUwe0Nv7ZPCGrE3h0JVp3mm9UPhZqT3iV7jrTgoaUuluuD7q/s320/ept_sports_nhl_experts-960085445-1261176213.jpg" border="0" /></a>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-32876766634809391242009-12-17T14:01:00.000-08:002009-12-17T14:05:34.429-08:00Ovechkin "Goal of the Decade"This is a goal seen I'm sure many times over the last four years by hockey fans, but <strong>Michael Farber's</strong> inclusion of it in his <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/magazine/specials/2000s/12/10/nhl.highlights.lowlights/index.html">"NHL: Highlights and lowlights of the Decade"</a> piece on <strong>CNNSI</strong> illustrates that it's worth a second, third, fourth or fifth look.<br /><br /><strong>Alexander Ovechkin</strong> of the Capitals scores from his back against the Coyotes Jan 16, 2006. As Farber writes, the video is made even better by listening to <strong>Darren Pang's</strong> audio commentary from this clip.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vzbmI6-YSnQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vzbmI6-YSnQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-2810115525858001802009-12-10T10:20:00.001-08:002009-12-11T16:22:28.789-08:00"Sports Jobs with Junior Seau" on VersusIt's not a hockey-centric show, but for those that haven't seen it, I recommend checking out <strong>"Sports Jobs with Junior Seau"</strong> on <strong>Versus</strong> (keeping in mind of course how many people don't get the channel).<br /><br />The concept has Seau spending each half hour episode working behind the scenes in various jobs within sports. Episodes I've seen thus far had him working construction on the new Meadowlands NFL stadium, being an <strong>LA Dodgers</strong> ballboy and most recently a <strong>Washington Capitals</strong> equipment manager.<br /><br />Here's the <a href="http://www.versus.com/sportsjobs">URL to the Versus microsite on "Sports Jobs"</a> and video clips can be viewed by going to the page for each episode.<br /><br />Seau himself may not be the most polished show host, but his history as an NFL all-pro probably also gives him a level of respect and access that someone else wouldn't have in doing this show.<br /><br />Pretty entertaining stuff for any sports fan who likes this type of behind the scenes view.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-50067863019051103882009-12-08T11:08:00.000-08:002009-12-08T11:43:12.457-08:00Yahoo! Sports Puck Daddy "10 Biggest NHL Goon Moments of the Decade"Interesting piece from the <strong>Puck Daddy</strong> NHL Blog on <strong>Yahoo! Sports</strong> today.<br /><br />Titled <a title="The 10 biggest NHL goon moments of the last decade" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/The-10-biggest-NHL-goon-moments-of-the-last-deca?urn=nhl,207364">The 10 biggest NHL goon moments of the last decade</a> it has... that ... and with videos!<br /><br />I suppose this isn't surprising, but of the ten, nine were cheap shots, with the remaining one being the Sabres goons going out to fight the Senators (great video linked and below, especially the coaches yelling naughty words at each other) after <strong>Chris Drury</strong> was hit late with a head shot.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EAPhqXj_24I&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EAPhqXj_24I&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Also linked from this story (and also from the Puck Daddy on Yahoo!) was <a title="The 10 biggest NHL stories of the last decade" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/The-10-biggest-NHL-stories-of-the-last-decade?urn=nhl,205347">The 10 biggest NHL stories of the last decade</a>. Maybe I'm just an NHL cynic (though not a hockey cynic), but it seems to me that a number of these "stories of the decade" are of the not so great variety and can be tied to how the league is run.<br /><br />As to the cheap shots, players out to injury others deserve the most blame, but the league itself isn't in the clear given that it's the NHL dictating punishment for transgressions. The severity of said punishment is usually determined by... well, see <a href="http://www.downgoesbrown.com/2009/11/nhl-suspensions.html">one blogger's most excellent mock suspension flow chart</a>...Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-83941451885489573942009-12-06T15:01:00.000-08:002009-12-06T15:23:05.966-08:00Those Wild & Wooly Flyers FansLoved watching the Capitals-Flyers game the other game. Only in Philadelphia does the team welcome a new coach with an <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/viewcast/2009/12/05/25406_viewcast_recap.html">8-2 loss</a> and the fans act like... well, like <strong>Philly fans</strong>.<br /><br />Two things from the game that spoke volumes about the fans known for booing Santa Claus. First was them cheering <strong>Daniel Carcillo</strong> for winning his "fight" (usually you challenge, wait and then throw rather than challenge, see a twitch of gloves dropping and then throw) against <strong>Matt Bradley</strong> below...<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-etUuat5sTI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-etUuat5sTI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Granted, Carcillo got thrown out of the game and Washington a 9 minute power play during which they scored twice, but me thinks Philly fan was probably happy with the trade since you know... they got to see a good punch thrown by a Flyer.<br /><br />Then later in the game, Philly fan had another cause for cheering... a referee injury. Yea, someone getting hit in the ear with a shot... there's something to get excited about. Nice.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Silly me publishing this post before I went and saw <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Flyers-disagree-with-Carcillo-s-4-game-sucker-pu?urn=nhl,206985#remaining-content">this story from Puck Daddy at Yahoo! Sports</a> referencing the four game suspension just received by Carcillo.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1626678922211582920.post-87130663441738833032009-12-04T21:05:00.000-08:002009-12-04T21:25:10.237-08:00Today's NHL: What Does HappenRemember the first season post-lockout when game announcers seemed to feel they weren't doing their job if they didn't say at least three times that "in today's NHL, no lead is safe"?<br /><br />Those sure were times and now I feel like we've got a new "today's NHL", but it's about something entirely different than big comebacks. Here's what I see in the game today...<br /><br /><strong>Players</strong><br /><br />- The ridiculous defending with fists of teammates who are hit with a clean check.<br /><br />- Teams starting games with repeated cheap shots to "test the toughness" of the other guys. Just seems like silly posturing most of the time.<br /><br />- The apparent disregard for the safety of fellow players. I'm not the first to say it, but the danger is someone eventually getting killed on the ice due to either a head shot or head hitting the ice. Scary stuff and there doesn't seem to be any efforts being taken to reduce the danger.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Management</strong><br /><br />- The dumbness of the league not going to 3 points for a regulation win. Even though I think shootouts are a gimmick of a way to decide games, I'm fine with them for regular season games. So silly, though, to have some games count for 2 points total and some for 3.<br /><br />- The abject dislike of the Canadian market by league headquarters. Recently Commissioner Bettman talked about how no US teams would move to Canada, but perhaps an expansion team might go there? Taking a page from former New Orleans Saints coach Jim Mora... "expansion???, you want to talk expansion???!!!"<br /><br />- Too high of a % of scoring coming during man advantage situations. This one could be argued as to what management could or should do about it, but I do find it frustrating that games are so frequently decided based primarily on special teams play.<br /><br />Ok, all that said, I love hockey and will continue to do so. Just some stuff definitely bugs me about the NHL right now.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131271025141465969noreply@blogger.com0