After all, nothing says hockey like a thoroughly greased mullet.
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Analysis, rambling and rants from around the NHL (from guys and gals who are NOT Barry Melrose).
Our Canadian readers can breathe a little easier and party a little harder tonight. Canada, you have been saved. For now.
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire is currently sidelined with a pulled hamstring. There is no evidence of foul play and I'm not about to start naming names, but I think we all know who was behind this. When it came down to it, Leclaire's amazing play between the pipes was more of a threat to the well-being of the NHL than the entire nation of Canada.
Enjoy this, Canada, and don't make any false moves. For now you are safe thanks to the heroics of Leclaire, but be warned -- you are not yet out of the woods.
In about 12 hours I'll be headed to the ACC Championship in Jacksonville, Florida. I'll be offline until Sunday, but you can expect something to be up Sunday afternoonish. I might put something up tonight if there's anything to talk about. We'll see.
In the meantime, you can pass the time with my latest from FanHouse.
There's really nothing better than reader interaction here at BMR. This place is all about having some damned fun, and you guys (and gals) are the main protagonists of said fun. That's what it's all about, no? If this wasn't supposed to be fun, then I guess we would sit around and debate the merits of this year's Hall of Fame class. I don't even know. Is that an example of serious hockey analysis? Not my area of expertise.
Anyway.
A little while ago I was short on ideas (if you haven't already noticed). And thanks to you -- yes, YOU -- we've got a sweet mailbag to sort through today. Apologies for taking so long on this but, well, you know how I am with remembering things.
Oh, and this is no jibe at John Buccigross. I'm actually a huge fan (seriously).
And these are real, live people (seriously).
Let's get to it!
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Who's the better fighter, Mike Modano or Joe Sakic?
Also, how would your man-babe Paul Stastny do in a fight against Pierre-Marc Bouchard?
-Marcus
Thanks for the email. That's a tough call. I would go with Modano simply because when he was on the cover of GQ his abs looked like they could destroy nations. You can google image search that to see for yourself. And I mean that in a completely heterosexual way.
The second part is a no-brainer. Paul Stastny would out-fight PMB with his mind.
2 Questions:
1 Sort of Serious: If you were going to own one team today, who would it be, the Coyotes, the Capitals or Edmonton?
1 Not so Serious: Name the worst game you have ever attended.
-BlackCapricorn
If I could own one team it would be the Islanders for obvious reasons, but I would be losing money hand over fist. Out of the three teams you mentioned, it's interesting cause they're all very different situations. I think the Coyotes have some potential to draw big, as do the Caps, but it's hard to do when they're losing. Meanwhile, I would love the rabid fans in Edmonton, but that's a double edged sword. I would have to go with Edmonton simply b/c of the history, fans (I'm a sucker for those two factors) and comeback of the Canadian dollar.
My family had season tickets for the Islanders from ~1990-2001, so there were A LOT of "worst games" that I've been to. You can use your imagination with that one. I really can't think of anything specific, but watching Todd Bertuzzi become a major draft bust on a team captained by a young Bryan McCabe, all while wearing fisherman uniforms has to be the worst -- and most embarrassing -- thing that I have ever watched by far. There is also anytime I've seen us lose to the Rangers in person. That's always horrific, especially when my Blueshirt-loving friends come along.
When do you think Iron Mike is going to flip out and kill someone, and who is he going to kill?
I was thinking that he would lose it within the first month of the season, but I lost that bet. Right now I give it until the end of December, but I'm really surprised that he held it together during that five game losing streak the Flames had a few weeks ago. The first choice for his victim would certainly be Kristian Huselius given their history, but Mike is sneakier than I give him credit for. He's not dumb enough to take him out. My guess is he goes for Darryl Sutter, blames it all on Kipper and jets the organization for somewhere sunny like Los Angeles or Phoenix. He could probably con the Coyotes into letting him replace Gretzky when 99 is let go (and I do mean to say when).
Here's a question that's been knocking around in my head for a while: If Quebec separates from Canada, can they still be called the Montreal Canadiens?
I would venture yes since they are the CanadiEns (French version) and not the CanadiAns (English.), Plus, I think that they would want the Nordiques back Tout de suite and they wouldn't even think about the Habs.
-Loser Domi
P.S.: You're momma is so stupid, she spent all day saying "Am not" to R2! (not original, but still good)
Heh, I'm not too sure about that one! The Canadiens are pretty much French as it is, so I doubt it would change. Maybe they would pull what MLB's Angels did, when they re-named themselves to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Montreal Candiens of Quebec Who Really, Really Don't Like Canada? That might be a little long.
Lol and that's a good one that I haven't heard at all before... Am I even allowed to start a sentence with lol?
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Thanks to everyone who took the time to write in. If you have a question that is begging to be asked, a joke, awkward photos of Gary Bettman, tasty recipies, or anything else, the addy is melroserocks[at]gmail(dot)com.
That's right the Islanders BEAT the Senators last night. The FIRST PLACE Ottawa Senators. The Islanders got two points for BEATING the Senators. Rick DiPietro had an amazing performance to help the New York DEFEAT Ottawa. But don't worry Sens Nation, it's just a little airborne. It's still good! (Scarlett Ice)
I know that's a lot of reading, but I think you can handle it. And hey, there's a lot going on in hockey right now. It's pretty awesome, don't you think? Think back for a second to August and remember how much that sucked. Case and point. Isn't this beautiful?
As you know, I'm not a Canadian so I've never had to live with them, but I've always had a sneaking suspicion that fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs were basically Canada's version of New York Yankee fans. They are from a big city that has a large media contingent and thanks to the team's storied history, they can basically win any argument when it comes to reputation. Essentially they are the Yankees, with about half the championship titles.
I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. It's just so damn easy.
I know, the Sens have won all of zero Stanley Cups in the modern era. I know, they really don't have anything on the Leafs lately save for a Conference title and a couple of division titles. It's just that when your team hasn't done anything since 1967 and hasn't even been to the playoffs the last few years, thus not even having the chance to choke, you can't really do all that much talking of the proverbial smack. Then, when you throw in the diss about how the Stanley Cup will never go to Ottawa... Well, is it ever going to come back to Toronto?
Today marks the fourth time that a Philadelphia Flyers player was suspended this season. Scott Hartnell will be held off the ice for two games following his hit last night on Boston's Andrew Alberts. I'm not going to sit here and debate the length of the suspension, since I believe it's basically a moot point that two games is horribly short. What needs to be shown though, is the proof that we have a new incarnation of the Broad Street Bullies.
Here is the score as of today:
Philadelphia: 49
Rest of the NHL: 23 (and that's counting Mark Bell)
Is that something to be proud of in Philly? The Flyers are almost making it their job to get suspended.
Looks like the Flyers are trying to extend their lead in the Suspension Standings. In response to Hartnell's statements, all I have to say is, my ass you were finishing a check. And how are the Bruins not going ballistic, seeing another one of their teammates knocked out by the Flyers?
h/t Mirtle (and there's already a heated discussion)
I'm sure you've heard the story before... Guy meets girl. Guy proposes to girl. Guy and girl get married, move in together. Girl makes guy throw away his collection of hockey jerseys. It's really an age old tale, especially in the northernmost parts of Canada.
On Ebay you can find another example of such a story, thanks to some guy whose name appears to be Carl. It's a Minnesota Wild jersey, which is said to be brand new. The bidding ended on Saturday at $65.44, so I'm obviously a little late here, but that's not the issue. The real story lies in the description so humbly provided to us;
"Things used to be so good in Carltown, when I lived by myself and had my jerseys hanging wall to wall. Then I got a girlfriend. We moved in together. Things were not so good in Carltown anymore. We got a new place together called Cathyville. The jerseys are not allowed on the walls anymore. The jerseys are not allowed in the closets anymore. We are no longer to speak of Carltown."
While we mourn the loss of Carltown, take a gander at another linguistic gem in the shipping details.
"USA Shipping will be $16, Rest of the World contact me."
That's an awful lot of emails, Carl. Are you sure you really want all of us to contact you?
Mike Keenan is one crazy, crazy man. But he's also clearly passionate about what he does, so that's worth something. Nonetheless, he's interesting. I'll say that much. When I said he could go postal on Kristian Huselius at any moment, I wasn't kidding. We all know the two had a rocky relationship in Florida, but now that they've been re-united in Calgary, it looks as if Keenan has taken a different avenue of prodding Huselius; the silent treatment.
You see, the word out of Calgary is that Keenan has been seriously toying with the idea of putting defenseman Dion Phanuef (a very, very good young D-man by the way), on the wing. To paraphrase the good folks over at the Calgary Herald, that's a huge slap in the face to Flames wingers Alex Tanguay and, you guessed it, Kristian Huselius. It's good to see that Keenan is only trying to subtly undercut Huselius this time around. I guess it's more of an olive branch than I expected. Nonetheless, this cannot possibly make Huselius happy. Observe:
It was one thing when Mike Keenan chucked ace defenceman Dion Phaneuf up front for a couple of power plays during Thursday's game against Chicago.
But it's something else for Keenan to be considering — or at least threatening — to give Phaneuf a regular shift as a winger... Phaneuf certainly has the tools to be an effective forward, but the gesture is also a damning reflection on the recent play of left-wingers Alex Tanguay and Kristian Huselius.
Stay tuned. This could get really entertaining.
Speaking of entertaining, here's a YouTube of Keenan behind the Flames bench. Credit to Way Offside for giving us the pleasure of viewing it.
Well, I've got some pretty cool news today. Thanks to Eric McErlain and all the fine people over at the FanHouse, I'll be moonlighting over there in the coming weeks. Freaking sweet! I'm glad to be aboard, and amazed that they actually hired a guy who, you know, has a creepy man-crush on Paul Stastny (among other things). But really, it's an honor to be alongside some ridiculously talented writers and minds.
I'm going to be the same person over there as here, as Eric insistently tells me to just "do what I do best". Sadly, "being tall" doesn't really help with writing blog posts. Oh well. If we're talking specifics, the only changes will basically be that JR isn't going to find his way over there, since that's called "legal trouble." Otherwise it will be the usual bat shit crazy, sarcastic, Islander loving me... with a different background.
As for how this is going to affect things around these parts, well, they're not going to change all that much. I should be able to balance both BMR and my duties at the FanHouse. It should be business as normal here, with the occasional hyper links to whatever I wrote over there. As you may have noticed, the Daily Sniper is retired, but that wasn't so good anyway and may see a return around playoff time. Thanks to that, I've had a lot more time on my hands (those darned things took forrreverrrr). So yeah, that's the long way of saying that the plan for BMR is business as usual.
Oh yeah and AOL is the best company everif you think my attitude is going to change or something simply because I've gone corporate, well, you're wrong. Time Warner rocks my socks This isn't going to affect me one bit. I'm still going to use sentence fragments, be incoherent at times, and write about the Islanders way too much. OMGZ i heart AOL Yup. No changes here.
Leclaire earned his 6th shutout of the year last night. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Jim Mone/AP
Oh, boy. Now you've done it Pascal. Now you've messed up real bad. If you thought that Gary Bettman had it out for you before, well, jeez. You're as good as dead now. You just had to go and make things hard for yourself, didn't you? A few wins and shutouts to begin the season weren't enough. You had to go and get greedy.
Setting a team record for shutouts in a single season by Thanksgiving weekend? You've got to be kidding me. That's the single dumbest thing that you could have done, kid. Sure, you'll get the girls and the money will be rolling in as soon as you sign your next juicy contract, but is it worth it? Pascal, you and I both know that Gary and his goons will be at your doorstep by the end of the week. They won't come immediately. You know, to make you squirm for a while. Then when you've relaxed a bit... BAM! There's a noose hanging from your front door, your car implodes and they've got the place surrounded.
Pascal, I know you did a really selfless thing by trying to save the entire country of Canada from Gary's wrath, but we both know that they're going to get whacked eventually. If not by Bush Jr. then by Gary himself. It's only a matter of time. I know, it's your homeland. That's not the point. You're young and you've got your whole life ahead of you. Please. Just reconsider what you're before it's too late. That's all I'm asking.
Awhile back I unveiled the Coach Incompetence Advisory System, as a public service to all the folks out there in our great nation. Now, more than ever, we must be vigilant and aware of what is going on in the world around us. We cannot walk around waiting for the next NHL coach to get the axe. We must take action! Our national security depends on it! We must be vigilant and stand up for our right to have inconsequential water cooler talk during coach firing season! To terrify inform you, I have devised a color-coded system which will help guide you in this time of need. The detailed breakdown of each threat level can be seen here.
Anyway. On to the water cooler talk.
Before the season, I took a look at the coaches who were on the hot seat to begin with. All of those guys still have their jobs, while other folks have lost their jobs since then. Atlanta and Washington have both made coaching changes, in part because of poor starts, by getting rid of Bob Hartley and Glen Hanlon respectively. Being that we're a few months into this darned thing called the regular season, it's probably about time we took another look at whom will be getting hit by the proverbial axe and whom is safe for the time being.
Paul Maurice, Toronto Maple Leafs
WARNING: Threat level upgraded to Lamoriello
Maurice started the season at "Lewis" thanks to missing out on the playoffs last season. In the first two months this year, things have gone much worse than expected in Toronto, forcing me to upgrade the situation to the highest threat level, "Lamoriello." The Maple Leafs are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and find themselves 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. To add to that, they've surrendered the most goals in the entire NHL. Maurice bought himself some time by beating the rival Ottawa Senators 3-0 on Saturday night, but things aren't looking good. Their upcoming schedule provides the team a break, as all but one of their next six games are against teams ranked 8th or lower in their conference. If the Leafs stumble through this stretch, I wouldn't be surprised to see management cut Maurice loose in the hopes that a fresh face can salvage the season.
Brent Sutter, New Jersey Devils
WARNING: Threat level upgraded to Keenan
My gut tells me that Sutter is going to get a fair shake in New Jersey. He seems like a smart enough guy so that he wouldn't come all the way across the continent for anything less. On the other hand, my brain tells me that I can't ignore the facts. (1) The Devils are horrid and currently share 12 place in the East and the Atlantic Division basement with the Penguins. (2) They're a meager 3-4-0 at home and, oh yeah, (3) Lou Lamoriello is still in charge. RIght now I imagine that Lou's trigger finger would itch less if he took a bath in itching powder.
Wayne Gretzky, Phoenix Coyotes
WARNING: Threat level upgraded to Keenan
At some point, someone is going to have to take the fall for the failure that is the Phoenix Coyotes. Once again the Coyotes find themselves in the early hunt for a lottery pick, holding up the 13th spot in the West. It's hard to think they would fire The Great One, but there's no bones about the fact that he hasn't gotten results. In his defense, he hasn't been given much to work with either.
Craig McTavish, Edmonton Oilers
Threat level: Milbury
McTavish is in his eighth year as Oilers head coach and the second year of a four year contract. Despite the Oilers' abysmal play, I don't think his job is in serious jeopardy unless something comes down from the top of the organization. McTavish still has two years left on his contract, and with GM Kevin Lowe getting a contract extension in the off-season, Lowe isn't likely to pull the trigger himself. This isn't a team that's vastly underachieving, either. They were supposed to be bad this year. For now, McTavish's job is safe.
Michel Therrien, Pittsburgh Penguins
Threat level: Lamoriello
Therrien is in his third season behind the bench in Pittsbugh (second full season), and the Penguins are, unlike the Oilers, vastly underachieving. Last year, this team finished 5th in the East and three points away from a division title. Right now, they share the Atlantic's basement with New Jersey and are 12th in the conference. They had a big win tonight against the Ottawa Senators in a shootout, but had been 2-8-1 during the previous ten games. All this is coming with a roster that is virtually identical to last season's roster. What's the worst part about all this for Therrien? The Penguins have a long history of having a short leash with coaches, and Therrien is at about the same point that his predecessors Ed Olczyk and Rick Kehoe were let go. This may happen in a matter of weeks, but if the Pens continue to slide, it will only be a matter of days.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there! I hope it's a good one, and that you all enjoy your food comas today.
There are still NHL games tonight, four as a matter of fact. Nothing is on nationally as far as I know, but you can watch the Pens and Sens on Yahoo! Sports if you're outside those teams local areas.
One of the lousiest things that I can imagine would be getting a call Thanksgiving morning telling you that you've been fired. That's actually what the Washington Pricks Capitals did today, by firing their coach Glen Hanlon (more on that tomorrow). So while you are enjoying your Thanksgiving feast, remember that somewhere out there Glen Hanlon is plotting his revenge. If you hear reports tomorrow of a crazy white guy throwing turkeys at the MCI Center, you'll know what's going on.
Tukka Rask, a goaltender for the Boston Bruins, took another brave step in the race for Caveman (and Cavewoman) equality. Rask, whose Cavelandic name can be traced back to the earliest settlers of the Americas, became the first Caveperson to play in an NHL game last night. It is also believed to be the first time a Caveperson has competed in professional sports (unless you count John Kruk). In his debut, Rask stopped 30 shots en route to his first NHL win, although it should be noted that Maple Leaf shots are easier to stop than the average shot.
Things have not always been so easy for Rask. In June 2006, the Maple Leafs traded Rask to Boston for Andrew Raycroft. Many analysts believe that the Leafs were in search of a goaltender who could step in and take the starting role immediately, but accusations of Caveism directed at Rask were abound.
"It was during the biggest midsummer party in Cavelandia," Rask said in a recent interview. "It was 2 a.m. and [Leafs GM John Ferguson] was drunk off his ass, so you can imagine how I felt when he called me. Next day after I had sobered up, I knew what had really happened. It was blatant Caveism. They traded me because of my heritage."
Rask and other Cavepersons like him have had dozens of experiences that mirror Rask's time with the Maple Leafs. Although political correctness, the 1988 Human-Caveperson Accords and many other factors have contributed to a great reduction in Caveism during recent times, Caveism still exists in many parts of the world.
Caveism wasn't the only issue that Rask faced upon entering the NHL. Ever since the Leafs selected Rask 21st overall in the 2005 NHL Draft, he was expected to live up to enormous expectations on the ice from Leaf fans while also carrying the hopes and dreams of his ilk off the ice. When he was taken with the 21st pick, Rask became the highest drafted Caveperson ever. Previously, no Caveperson had ever been taken in the first four rounds of the draft.
In Massachusetts, a state where marriage between Cavepersons and Humans is recognized by state law, Rask has been given the opportunity to flourish on the ice while not having to worry about what people think of him off the ice. When asked about Rask, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli had nothing but good things to say.
"It doesn't matter who or what he is, Tukka is a hell of a player," Chiarelli said. "Caveperson, human, whatever. It doesn't matter who you are, all that matters is whether or not you can play hockey. If a monkey could captain a power play, it would be given a fair chance. That gives me an idea..."
It's safe to say that you can mark this down as a small step in the NHL career of Tukka Rask, and a giant leap for Cavepersons everywhere.
Thanks to Greg Wyshenski of the FanHouse for making a note of it, but our favorite NHL ego (at least mine, anyway) was on the cover of Draft Magazine this month. Jeremy Roenick also sat down with Draft in an interview that is certainly worth reading. Heck, anything that he says is worth listening to, even if only for the entertainment value.
The following is a cut from the interview, more of which can be found over at the FanHouse or in Draft Mag itself. Apparently the whole enchilada is not available online, though.
It occurred to me, watching the clips on YouTube of you dancing that you might have a 'Dancing with the Stars' in you down the line. I've had so many people say that I should go on there. I'm going to save my dancing steps until after I win the Cup.
I'm assuming then that if you do get ahold of the Cup, are we looking at you drinking Bud Light out of it? You might have to get me out of AA at the end of the summer if I win the Cup.
If nothing else, you have got to respect the guy for being brutally honest all the damned time. It's going to be a shame when Roenick finally decides to hang up the skates because the NHL is never going to be the same once he retires for good. There is no one else in the league who is as interesting and has as colorful a personality as Roenick has in his big toe. For example, Roenick makes Sean Avery look like an attention starved fourth grader.
What caught my eye about the whole Draft feature was that Roenick appears to be a depressed drunk, unlike Leslie Nielsen. Observe:
Leslie Nielsen (Funny Guy)
Rusty Wallace (NASCAR Driver Guy)
Jeremy Roenick (Depressed Guy at the end of the bar who has had too many and finally has come to realize that he's past his prime all the while muttering incoherently about the girl who dumped him in high school.)
First there is the 'AA' comment and then, well, just take a look at Roenick's cover shot. Is there something you need to tell us about, Jeremy? Dude, if you need any help I'm here for you buddy. Seriously.
What else can even be said. The Pens are at the point where they can climb back up the mountain. Or the wheels can fall off and everyone will die along the Oregon Trail like they almost did last year. Ryan Whitney was sold for cattle
ROFL LMAO OMGZ LOLZ and all that stuff. I think I triple starred this morning's post in Google Reader while quadruple peeing my pants with laughter.
Keep up the great work boys. Even if the Pens aren't.
Throughout the 2007-08 season I'll be using the handy dandy standings that you see to your right to keep tabs on the total number of games NHL players have been suspended for each team. At the end of the year, the team with the most suspensions will be crowned the victors and receive the BMR Bad Boys Award.
After receiving a four-game suspension yesterday for his slash on Mikko Koivu, Mattias Ohlund has put the Vancouver Cauncks on the board. As you can see, the Philadelphia Flyers are still far ahead in the lead, but with a little work they can be caught.
Only suspensions earned during the 2007-08 season or pre-season are eligible. Therefore, guys like Chris Simon and Rick Tocchet don't count since they earned their suspensions in previous years.
So I'm going to try the "John Buccigross approach" to this writing about hockey thing and try a mailbag. You know how this goes. You ask me something. I answer as best I can. It's a nice give and take. Hopefully we all get to have some fun.
Ask me anything. Seriously. It doesn't even have to be a question. It can be a statement or a really long run-on sentence. Or we could play the question game. You know, we each keep asking the other questions until someone gives up or has a brain cramp. Or maybe share your best "your mom" joke. Let the creativity flow.
We'll see how this goes. I imagine it might end up somewhere between a complete train wreck and utter chaos. Hopefully the earth will survive.
melroserocks[-at-]gmail[d0t]com is the addy. Minus all the weird brackets and things. Damned spam bots.
If you live in North America, or at least the United States, you know that Sundays are all about the pigskin, Brett Favre and hating the New England Patriots. Sometimes it seems as if it is a law that everyone must sit down and watch as much football as they can because, hey, it's only on national television two days a week. That said, you're reading this blog because you realize there is something more to Sundays; there are still hockey games to be played. Just in case you needed to be reminded that hockey is indeed the superior of the two sports, or because you need some motivation to follow through on your plan of watching hockey today, here it is -- 10 reasons why you should be watching hockey instead of football on Sunday.
10. Because you want to non-conform. The Man wants you to watch football on Sunday, but you don't give into The Man. Not now. Not ever. You don't care about what all the cool kids are doing, and believe that society doesn't know what's best for you. "They don't own me, dude," you'll say. No, they don't. Dude. You're going to watch the Flames and Canucks tonight just to prove it to everyone. That will show them. Screw The Man.
9. What's football? If you're living north of the border there's a good chance that you don't understand how every American has a ridiculous infatuation with tackle football, and don't care to find out about it. There are CFL games today anyway, and American football is measured in yards. You don't know how much a yard is and don't care. Dumb Americans, always using weird weight and measurement systems.
8. Your football team blows. Let's be honest. There are, in fact, a few people out there who follow both sports. While you may watch football, there's an awfully good chance that your team is already eliminated from playoff contention. That's all the more reason to watch some hockey! In hockey, the games will probably matter. (Except for football fans in Indianapolis, Boston, Dallas and Green Bay. You're excused from hockey today.)
7. NBC is the most God-awful television network, ever. NBC has been butchering sports for years, and their football telecasts are no exception. It's usually wise to steer clear of anything they do, unless you happen to like Heroes or Scrubs.
6. You have a ridiculous man crush on Henrik Zetterberg because he has been carrying your fantasy team all season. Zetterberg is a great player, and has been among the tops in the league for a few years now, but this season is looking to be his coming out party. Going into tonight's game against Columbus, Zetterberg was third in the NHL in both points and goals. It would be hard to believe that this guy has not carried anyone's fantasy team so far. Well, the one exception would be if you're in a fantasy fighting league. In that case, your team would certainly be in last since Zetterberg hasn't fought all season.
5. The Sunday Night Football game will be over in the first ten minutes. There is a distinct possibility that tonight's nationally televised game between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills will be over before you can even figure out what channel it's on. The Patriots are as big of an offensive juggernaut as the NFL has ever seen, and the Bills frankly don't stand a chance (they are from Buffalo, you see). At the beginning of the week Vegas was favoring New England by 14.5 points, but now the spread has moved to 16. What that means is a lot of people bet that the Patriots would win by more than 14.5. My point exactly.
4. You've been in a coma since 1992. Let's face it, in the 1980s and early 1990s hockey was pretty popular and the NFL was not nearly the unbelievable force that it is today. If you recently awoke from a long, long coma, you should continue believing that hockey is one of the biggest and fastest growing sports in North America. It's a nice dream to wake up to, right?
3. Bob Costas makes you feel funny. You could potentially be allergic to him and might not know it, or maybe it's just the sound of his voice that makes you cringe. Either way, you don't like Bob Costas and aren't about to sit down and watch any television program that he has anything to do with. (Note: You are also allowed to swap the name "Bob Costas" for "Peter King" or "Chris Collinsworth".)
2. Mike Keenan may kill a man with a trident. The Flames are playing tonight and that only makes one question come to mind; is this going to be the night that Mike Keenan goes postal on Kristian Huselius?
1. Paul Stastny is playing the Minnesota Wild tonight. For those of you regular readers out there, I really don't need to say any more. There is a battle for control of universe going on, and that is what I call must see TV. Since when has a football game had that much of an implication into galactic politics? That's right. Never.
Yet again last night, net minder Martin Brodeur was denied in his quest to obtain his 500th career win between the pipes. The New York Islanders not only kept Broduer from achieving this historic goal, but they also gave the AP writers another easy lead in to their game recap.
The Devils have now lost two in a row and three of four, as Brodeur still sits at 499 career wins. Tonight the team heads to Philadelphia in search of the illusive win, and many inside the organization are beginning to question it's very existence. Will our heroes ever find Brodeur's 500th win? Will the AP ever get a more creative headline for their recap? Does anyone really care? (Maybe, no and no.)
Answers to all these questions and more tonight in Philadelphia. Stay tuned.
Hey, let's all go and make a big ado about nothing! Jason Cohn/REUTERS
Whew, man. I'm glad people brought this whole JiriTlusty thing to my attention. I had no freaking idea that sometimes kids go wild and do dumb things. Good Lord. Society really needs to get a hold of itself.
This is one of those times that makes me sick to my stomach and ashamed to not only be a part of the "media" (albeit a tiny part) but to be a human, in general. Every time a public persona slips up, someone is there to dig up the juicy pieces. And by juicy I mean "things that are meaningless, but people use to deride others and prop themselves up with."
Yes, although many people are unaware, celebrities and athletes are human. They go out. They have a few too many drinks. They do some dumb things. They act like they're 16. I've never been a person obsessed with celebrity or any body's personal life. Would I be in awe if I met Wayne Gretzky? Sure. Absolutely. Would I want to know what goes on behind closed doors? Unless he's killing people or something, no. Not at all. Personally8iuii, I believe that whatever someone does behind closed doors or after hours is their business, and theirs alone.
Every time a Senator does something in a men's bathroom, Paris Hilton goes to jail or a public persona has unsavory pictures "leaked", it really amazes me how much of a fuss is made about it. They're just like us, and I can't understand how society: a) still does not realize this and b) is completely and endlessly enthralled by it. Imagine if we paid this much attention to things like curing cancer or achieving peace in the Middle East. We would be rid of those issues in about a week. In a month, we would have found extraterrestrial life and be living on Pluto.
Now, I'm not going to act like I'm above posting random crazy pictures of people or anything like that. I've posted pictures of Jeremy Roenick flipping the bird and the like (and I'll even hyperlink to it). There's one difference; I'm not doing it to laugh at Roenick, make a scene, or benefit from another's' private life, which is what happened to Tlusty. I'm doing it to laugh along with Roenick. I've never met the guy, but photos like that show me that he's probably not an ass and is likely down to earth. What's more, he's obviously a cool enough guy to take some time out for fans and have a good time in doing so. I'm not trying to embarrass or slander the guy. Not even close.
The funny thing about all this is that if you were to go on any young adults' Facebook or MySpace, you will almost always find tons of pictures that resemble the ones that have been floating around of JiriTlusty (or ones that or worse). If there were social networking websites and camera phones 40 years ago, imagine how many ridiculous pictures of today's adults would be floating around. Yes, believe it or not we were all at one time or another Tlusty's age. While we all may not have done the things he did, chances are we know someone who did.
No matter what, we all need to take a deep breath and lighten up.
Maybe it's only my headache talking, but it seems like some teams have been playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde through the first part of the season. What I'm talking about are some of the ridiculous home records that some teams have, while it seems as if no one, save for the Ottawa Senators, can seem to get anything together on the road.
Back in the day, the Islanders would call the Coliseum "Fort Neverlose," and you can probably figure out why. This year, some teams are turning their own barns into forts that are impenetrable, even to JR and his aura of manliness. The prime example of this would be the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa is 7-1-1 on home ice at the St. Pete Times Forum, but also hold a horrific 2-7 record on the road.
Meanwhile, some teams are doing just the opposite, such as the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are 3-4 at home, while holding a 7-3-2 record on the road. That's just wacky.
The following are the best and worst home teams, as ranked by the number of home points they have accumulated thus far. Their position in the conference standings is in next to their name and last night's games were not included.
Mark Messier is the NHL's very own exploding dam. He's got a lot of water in him and could burst at any given moment. As I'm sure you know, Mess was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night, the perfect opportunity to let the waterworks go one more time. As promised, the video from Mess's induction speech:
Aw, who am I kidding? I'll miss you Mess. The NHL will be a drier place without you. That is, if they also get rid of the waterlogged Reebok jerseys.
It's time for another one of these already? It sure seems like weeks go by in minutes these days. Before we know it, the Cup Finals will be here. I mean seriously. It's almost Thanksgiving!* Jeez.
Am I the only one who finds it troubling that the fate of the universe will only be seen in MN and CO? Thanks Mr. Bettman- I'll be eating Carl's Jr. in my underwear while the universe explodes.
Oh and here's a question- if Chuck Norris' tears can cure cancer, can Ryan Smyth's save the universe?
I just realized [Messier's] "leadership" award from last season has already disappeared.
Thanks for the extra effort this week team, and pokecheck, I would be careful if I were you now that you've started to unearth a possible conspiracy. Watch out for the guys in black suits with names like "A" and "K"!
It's official -- Paul Stastny has won control of the universe. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
I am the one you call "Stastny". I am son of Peter, and owner of what you refer to as the "Western Conference". I am all that is man.
Two nights prior to this, I easily dispensed a plethora of pain upon the Minnesota Wild, whom you hold in such high regard. They are only little children in my presence and no match for the mighty Paul Stastny. All your National Hockey Leagues now belong to me.
With slap shots fired so hard and without mercy, I unleashed a torrent of pain so ruthless that would make even Lucifer himself proud. After sixty Earth minutes of relentless pain and humiliation, the Wild, or so you call them, were tamed and sent home in ways that only I can even possibly understand. Describing my epic performance as "two goals and an assist" do not give the human mind any comprehension of the destruction that I bestowed upon the ice hockey skaters from the Land of a Thousand Lakes. What occurred Sunday night is simply a feat too unbelievable for any human to comprehend.
From henceforth let it be known that all of Earth will bow to the mighty Stastny. A new day is upon you earthlings, and your destruction will be swift and merciless. Not even BattlestarGalactica can save you now!
Is it me or does Ryan Getzlaf look drunk? Jim McIsaac/Getty Image
Saturday night the Rangers and Leafs squared off in the Hall of Fame Game, a game which was marred by a few players lacking the class and sportsmanship that the Hall of Fame embodies. The game itself ended in the most exciting fashion possible -- a shootout -- but 'bad boys' Sean Avery and Darcy Tucker decided to create their own sideshow.
During warm ups, the two didn't fight but did the whole "I'm gonna shove you and talk a whole lot but in the end not hit you anyway" thing. Basically, there was a whole lot of shoving and talking, and not a whole lot of fisticuffs. Somehow I imagine it quickly degenerated into a competition of manliness. Topics such as, who has more hair on their chest, who has the bigger mhmm and other such things. Chances are, it was the most intelligent conversation since President Bush's last speech. Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.
The fight that the two had during the game wouldn't have cause me such a stir, and heck I probably wouldn't of even addressed it, if it weren't for the warm up shenanigans. While it all really wasn't too big of a deal, the event simply typifies the nonsense and lack of class that I have come to expect from these two. While I understand the role that they play on their team in getting their teammates fired up and whatnot, they could at least stand to show some class -- especially at the Hall of Fame Game of all places. A hard hit, or fight are prime examples of how to go about things. Not, you know, playing petty patty cake and arguing about who has the bigger cojones during the pre-game skate.
"[Avery's] pissing guys off," Belak told The Sun. "He'll bring harm to himself and not too many guys around the league are going to be sad to see it. If he keeps this up, someone is going to kill him. One day he's going to say something the wrong way and he'll be clubbed.
I don't know what the NHL schedulers were thinking, but it seems that the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche play to determine the fate of the universe every Sunday. Oh, wait. They actually do.
For the third Sunday out of the last four, the top two teams in the Northwest Division will face off, this time in Denver. This is starting to become an event as regular as, well, playing tackle football on Sundays in the fall. If you remember last time these two teams met, neither side were able to successfully determine the fate of the universe. To try and help out a team of actors was sent in, but as it turns out, they are only actors and have a hard time doing heroic things in real life.
Thanks for nothing Hollywood. Thanks a lot. Now it's up to Paul Stastny and the Minnesota Wild to try and determine the fate of the universe yet again. Will we wake up tomorrow morning in a world filled with giant tortoises who torture us mercilessly in the hopes of finding out how we build houses that look like toilets? Or will it be more like a Battlestar Galactica rerun? The anticipation is killing me. I cannot wait.
If this isn't enough, don't fret, the two teams will play again next Sunday. Awesome.
Did you see that? Do you even have any idea what that is?
That is greatness in action, kiddies. I'm glad you all hung around on this earth long enough to see my most magnificent performance. That's exactly how I planned it out. I saved my most amazing goal for my 500th to impress the hell out of you and solidify my place in the Hall of Fame. I'm that amazing, kiddies.
Look, I could score goals like that every night if I wanted to. It would just get boring. You would all be like 'hey JR scored another crazy goal again' and then your friends would be like 'who cares he scores ten of those every game' and nobody would care at all. But who am I kidding, your friends are imaginary anyway.
Let's all take another minute to bask in that epic glory.
Oh man that was awesome. See you in Toronto. I'm out.
Mark Messier seems to be spawning all of these players from his behind. Interesting. (C) Hockey Hall of Fame
The annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place this Monday, with festivities going on all weekend in Toronto at the Hall of Fame and around town. On Saturday night, the Maple Leafs will face off against the Rangers (riveting, I know) in the annual Hall of Fame Game at the Air Canada Centre. A host of legends will also be on hand all weekend long for the festivities, which culminate on Monday with the induction of Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Mark Messier, Scott Stevens and Jim Gregory into the Hall of Fame.
I've never been up to Toronto to see the ceremonies, and it seems like if I could pick one year to skip, this would almost certainly be the worst one to miss. Why is that? Folks, this is likely to be the last chance we will have to see Mark Messier speak, and likely cry, at a meaningful event. Since his playing days have long been over, we haven't really had the chance to see him let the waterworks go in quite a while. It's really been too long. Personally, I would recommend making the trip to Toronto solely to see that. I know it's going to be hard for Mess to top his most famous performance, but let's not forget that this is the Hall of Fame we're talking about. You're supposed to break down like a little girl for this shindig. And we all know there is no one better at milking it than Mess.
The actual induction ceremony can be seen Monday at 7:30 PM EST on TSN's alternate feed. Somehow I doubt those of us in the States will be able to see it. When there's video of this, and there will be, you can bet BMR will be all over it.
For now, enjoy some oldies but goodies:
Mark Messier Day in Edmonton (skip to about the 2:30 mark)
And of course there is always his return to New York. Epic. Absolutely epic. (How is this not on YouTube?!?!)
After almost 48 hours of a joke that never really caught on, we're back to normal. It's probably for the best. I didn't get any hate mail though, so that's a good sign... Apologies to anyone new who thought the blog was actually about Newark. Come on. Be serious with your life.
GypsyGirlShop.com Homer and all things Simpson are copyright (C) 20th Century Fox
Every week, or as often as I remember, I'll provide you with my poorly thought out ideas on whose stock is on the rise, and whose you should avoid like Enron. Three teams/players/things to buy, and three to sell. Simple stuff, folks. That is, if you could actually buy and sell teams and players. Oh, whatever. Never mind.
Is this Zetterberg's year? John Ulan/CP
Solid Buy: Henrik Zetterberg. I'm not going to be saying anything groundbreaking here, but this kid has arrived. He's been one hell of a player for quite a few years now, but it's looking all the more like this year will be his year. Zetterberg leads the league with 25 points in 15 games and is on pace to shatter his previous career high of 85 points. Right now he's on pace for about 137 points, a pace he is highly unlikely to keep up, but to see him fall short of 100 would be surprising in my book.
Conservative Buy: The Columbus Blue Jackets making the playoffs. I know it's early, but I'm going to jump on the bandwagon right here, right now. Rick Nash and Pascal Leclaire have each been inhuman, and the BJs are getting production from everyone in the lineup. What do I like? The team is a +10 in goal differential and only two players who have played more than six games have a negative plus/minus. It's highly doubtful that Leclaire will keep up his torrid pace, but at this point, things are looking good in a Western Conference that might be worse than in the past few years. What's the most interesting part of all this? If the playoffs started today the Blues would be the only team in the central not in the playoffs, and they would finish in 11th.
Buy: The Colorado Avalanche will win the Northwest. I've been on the Stastny bandwagon all year, but I'm going to stay steady with my pre-season pick of the Avs finishing atop the Northwest Division. They are going to get a heck of a run from the Minnesota Wild, but after that the pace falls off and it's only a two team race. What is going to be crucial to the team's success will be it's goaltending, and while Peter Budaj has faltered, Jose Theodore has (rather unbelievably) been solid in relief. Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth, Milan Hejduk and Andrew Brunette have all been solid contributors while Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski are both on pace to have career years. For the most part, the blueliners have been solid, and that's also something that the Avs will be depending heavily on. Their offense is great, but they're going to have to hold things together on defense if they want to go anywhere. I believe they can.
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Light Sell: New York Islanders. Skeptical Islander fan here. I'm not saying the sky is falling, but it's hard to believe that the Islanders are going to continue playing hockey at their current pace. Right now the team is 8-4, and has creeped into the upper echelons of many "expert" power rankings. It's obvious that the Atlantic is wide open right now, but it's hard to believe that the Islanders, Rangers, Penguins and Flyers will all make the playoffs. Out of those four teams, the Islanders are by far the most likely to be on the outside looking in, what with their negative goal differential and all. I'm not some homer saying the sky is falling, I'm simply saying that this is a pace this team may not be capable of continuing.
Solid Sell: Eric Lindros' Hall of Fame chances. A lot has been made in recent days about Lindros' chances at the Hall since it was leaked a few days ago that he would be retiring. Lindros is simply another in a long line of #1 draft picks who have yet to live up to the massive hype surrounding them. He will likely be remembered most for the shenanigans in Quebec and his uncanny attraction to concussions. What's lost in all of this is that Lindros was always a solid NHLer, who showed flashes of brilliance but due to many different reasons was never able to live up to ridiculous expectations. Much of the blame can be pointed to concussion and other injury problems that Lindros suffered from throughout much of his career, which led to him playing an average of 58 games per season. Lindros netted 115 points during the 1995-96 season, but only produced more than 80 points in two other seasons between 1992 and 2007. All in all, Lindros had 372 goals, 493 assists and 865 points in 760 career games. And those aren't numbers that can be easily ignored. Nonetheless, when they are paired up with an enigmatic career and zero hoists of the Stanley Cup, it's tough to find a place for the guy in the Hall.
Sell, oh God, Sell: Washington Capitals. Well, it looks as if the rudder has already detached from the ship and leaks are springing up quickly in the American capital. This may be a trendy pick, but the Capitals can't seem to do anything right at the moment and Alex Ovechkin's comments the other day aren't helping. The Caps are currently 0-for-4 in the month of November, and have been outscored 12-3 during that stretch. Going back a little further, they are 2-9-1 in their last twelve, after starting the season 3-0.
I'm sorry for the lack of updates recently, but it's been a busy week. Expect a lot of stuff late Thursday and all day Friday... New edition of Buys and Sells and some other garbage for sure. Any requests?
In a video segment posted on ESPN.com last week, Melrose described the recently opened arena as a "beautiful new building" but added, "Don't go outside if you have a wallet or anything else, because the area around the arena is just horrible."
Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker and Municipal Council President Mildred Crump took exception to the remarks and called for Melrose to apologize.
Now I'll be honest, when it comes to beating on New Jersey, I'm usually one of the first in line. It's so easy, how could you not? But folks, this is not one of those times. It's hard to pinpoint exactly where Melrose's comments came from, but I imagine it was somewhere between his back and his knees.
While it's fairly common knowledge, at least in the northeast, that the crime rate in Newark is pretty high, somehow I don't think Melrose even considered that. The part where he has never actually been to the arena makes this one of the most ill conceived statements in recent memory. We all know that "talking heads" tend to say things for effect and to draw emotion from a viewer (I'm looking at you, Stephen A. Smith), but there is really no denying that what Melrose said was asinine. That's not to mention how he backtracked almost instantaneously, which makes it all look even worse. If he had actually went to Newark, taken in a Devils game and gotten mugged on the way home, well, then maybe the statement has some merit. But otherwise, no. Not at all. Not in any way.
I had nothing to do with this, and frankly am completely confused by it all -- Imagine a first grader trying to understand trigonometry. That's about where I am when it comes to serious topics. The proverbial light bulb doesn't turn on so fast. Nonetheless, I understand the situation and cannot help but somehow feel at fault and responsible. That's probably the little voice of reason in my head that chimes in from time to time. Thanks for making me feel guilty, Barry. Thanks a lot. Ass.
In the wake of this embarrassment, I'm going to try and do what I can to make it up to Newark. For the next 48 hours, the blog will be renamed for for you, Newark. Really. It's the least I can do. Heck, the new name even has a nice ring to it.
Thanks to Stastny, I will once again be able to sleep at night. REUTERS/Mark Leffingwell
It has come to my attention that Colorado's Paul Stastny scored two goals in last night's game against Calgary. I would like to be the first to thank Paul in his generous efforts of not only attempting to save the world, but also putting our collective fears at ease. I don't know how you feel, but I think a small part of me died as Stastny was held without a goal for nine straight games from October 13th through November 3rd. Now we can continue on with our daily lives, no longer enduring sleepless nights filled with nightmares of the young Stastny never scoring again.
Today, the world is a better and safer place thanks to Paul Stastny, who in lifting himself out of a scoring slump, has lifted us all up. Thank you, Paul. Thank you.
The sports world had some rather awkward news this weekend. It was one of those things that makes you stop and gawk, then question the sanity of another human being, followed by you completely forgetting about what just happened and going about what you were doing before; wondering why Monday is named Monday. Who gets to decide things like that anyway? But I digress.
What Mike Cameron said the other day, if we assume it to be true, puts him in the echelons of baseball lore with the likes of Babe Ruth. You see, Ruth is from a bygone era when a player's alcoholic exploits were less surprising and not a cause for public concern. For Mike Cameron, the new millennium does not provide such a haven from judgment. To his detriment, this era is really all about sending you to AA meetings.
It's not as common as greenies, but big leaguers have been known to step on the field liquored up. ... Almost every current major leaguer I spoke to knew of players who had stepped on the field under the influence. When asked what the signs were, the players typically responded the way Giant Ryan Klesko and Padre Jake Peavy did: 'I just knew.' Interestingly, another Padre, center fielder Mike Cameron, had a more intimate experience with game-day tipsiness:
"Sh-t, I've played drunk."
When?
"New York City."
What were the circumstances?
"I went four for four with two jacks and eight ribbies. I'm not saying that's the only day I played drunk, but that was the best one."
Cameron will now and forever be linked to Babe Ruth -- for all the wrong reasons.
By this time, I've probably bored you with way to much basse-ball (is that how you spell it?), but fear not! Here comes the dynamic transition! Now it's all pure speculation, and who doesn't love pure, unadulterated speculation, but I've complied a list of the hockey players who are most likely to "pull a Mike Cameron." And hell, when you think about it, it really does explain what Alex Daigle was doing all this time.
5. Ed Belfour -- Belfour was always known for having a drink or two, and after this photo, he is more or less required to have a place on this list. Eddie the Eagle is now playing in Russia, and chances are the water bottles on top of the net are required to have vodka in them. OK I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's Russia. I'm just saying they could.
4. Eric Lindros -- No matter where Lindros went in his career, he always seemed like a lost and confused little boy in a grown man's body. Most of the blame for that falls on the numerous concussions that Lindros suffered throughout his career, but it's impossible to know for sure if that was the cause or if it was a pre-game gin and tonic. In ten years, Lindros may write a book entitled "If I Drank on the Ice, this is How I Would Have Done It."
3. Alexandre Daigle -- If only Daigle was as good on the ice as he was at grabbing attention. He's most famous for being one of the biggest draft busts in the league's history -- picture Sidney Crosby playing in the AHL in five years -- and uttered some famous last words after being taken first overall. "I'm glad I got drafted first," Daigle said, "because no one remembers number two." There was also the time that he posed in an advertisement in a nurse's uniform. No sober human being can make all of these choices. It all makes so much sense now!
2. Patrick Stefan -- Stefan is another former #1 pick that never lived up to expectations, but certainly had me believing the whole sober thing. That is, until, this happened.
1. Drunky McDrunkerson --
Come on now, how did no one see this coming? His name is Drunky McDrunkerson for crying out loud! With a name like that, this kid was doomed from the start. For shame, parental units. For shame!
Over at Going Five Hole, Sean has a hunch that the teams will be going retro for the game, and wearing old uniforms from bygone eras. The combination of the old unis and outdoor hockey will surely make us all reminisce about a simpler time, when hockey wasn't about corporate sponsorships, luxury boxes or... wait... the Penguins and Sabres never played outside. This isn't like the good old days at all. It's another in a long line of NHL marketing gimmicks, with one notable difference -- this one is awesome!
iTunes and the Phoenix Coyotes: an irresistible combination. AP/Paul Connors
Once upon a time I said that the New York Islanders were probably one of the best teams in the NHL when it comes to using the internet to market their product. After taking a look at what the Phoenix Coyotes have going, they may soon challenge the Islanders for their title.
Under the 'multimedia' section of PhoenixCoyotes.com, the 'Yotes have uploaded an iTunes playlist for a few of their players and staff members. Among those are Shane Doan, goaltending coach Grant Fuhr, FSN's Todd Walsh, the Pack Dance Team and, best of all, the Great One.
Yes folks, an abbreviated version of Wayne Gretzky's iTunes playlist is available. How did no one think of doing something like this sooner? This is truly one of the things that the internet was invented for.
The Great One's list is nothing short of, well, um... I'll use the word 'interesting' and leave it at that. Here's a sample:
Someone That You're With, Photograph and Rockstar by Nickelback
Cuts Like a Knife by Bryan Adams
100 Years and Superman by Five for Fighting (naturally)
Innocent by Our Lady Peace
Angel by Sarah McLachlan
Maneater and I'm Like a Bird by Nellie Furtado
Yes Wayne, you are like a bird.
Far be it from me to poke fun at someone's iTunes playlist, as musical tastes from person to person differ as much as our DNA, but this is really quite a rare assortment of music that Gretzky has come up with. It actually gets more interesting when you see that there's a Golden Earring song listed that isn't Radar Love. Who knew they even had other songs?
The following are some other choice musical selections from Coyotes players and staff.
How to Save a Life by the Fray -- Shane Doan
Crazy by Seal -- Todd Walsh
Fergalicious by Fergie -- The Pack Dance Team
These Boots are Made for Walkin' by Jessica Simpson -- The Pack Dance Team
From my perspective, the playlists put together by Shane Doan and Grant Fuhr blow all the others away. From Green Day, Audioslave and Incubus to Hendrix and Dylan it's all awesome -- but what do I know?
The background says that we are all Islanders. It must be true. AP/Frank Franklin II
A week can't go by without some form of New York Islander related homer-ism around these parts. It's 3 o'clock on a Friday, meaning most of you have already clocked out if you didn't take the day off and aren't reading the blog at this point anyway. So hopefully most of you won't notice until Monday morning, by which point you won't care at all.
ANYWAY...
It so happens that tomorrow is the day that the Islanders will put Hall of Fame Coach Al Arbour behind the bench one more time in the hopes that he will get his 15,000th win 1,500th game coached. If you remember, the reasoning behind this is that current head coach Ted Nolan hates the number nine and was sick of seeing Arbour stuck on 14,999 career wins 1,499 games coached. This is not a marketing ploy to put 'butts in seats'. Not at all.
“Every day last season I would walk by that big board outside our locker room at the Coliseum that lists the franchise’s award winners and milestones,” said Nolan. “And every day it would kill me when I’d see Coach Arbour made it to 1,499 games. “I asked (GM) Garth Snow if we could bring Coach back for one more game and to ask the NHL office to recognize it. They did, Coach Arbour emphatically said he was on board and now I can’t wait. It’s going to be an amazing night"
Sesame Street reports that the Number Nine is "very angry."
What is an issue for the Islanders right now, is that they're playing the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. You know, the team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. There there is also the Indestructible Man-Force known as Gary Roberts. Can the Islanders beat the Penguins? Sure, anything can happen. It's funny though, because you would think that if they were going to make such a big deal about Arbour getting another win, they would have scheduled it for a night when they play, oh I don't know, the Atlanta Thrashers.
I'm really interested to see what will happen if the Islanders are to lose tomorrow night. If Mike Milbury was still in charge, he would have gone and fired Nolan outright, installing Arbour as the team's new coach. After that he would have traded Rick DiPietro and Mike Comrie for Kirk Muller. As much as I despise Milbury's GM skills, he was always good for a laugh. That's for sure.
In other news, the Montreal Canadiens may resurrect Toe Blake. More on that later...
So Jason, how does it feel to wake up $49 million richer? IGN Boards
Ottawa 6, Atlanta 4 -- Last night, the Senators had a little trouble putting away the Thrashers. When it came to re-signing stud Jason Spezza, not so much. This morning the team announced that they had signed the young center to a seven year contract extension worth $49 million.
The night before, the Senators held a 5-0 lead heading into the third thanks to two goals from Randy Robitaille and three points from Daniel Alfreddson. Atlanta stormed back, scoring four straight goals to open the third, which included a hat trick from Ilya Kovalchuk. Alfreddson's empty netter late in the third would seal it for Ottawa, 6-4.
Boston 4, Buffalo 3 OT -- Watch out, the Bruins look like they are believing in their ability... or something. The B's earned their 7th win of the year in only their 11th game, and look on pace to completely ruin my prediction of this year's Eastern Conference cellar dweller. Marco Sturm scored the overtime winner, which was his second game winning goal of the young season.
St. Louis 3, Minnesota 2 -- Don't look now, but the Blues have also won 7 of 11, and all of a sudden Minnesota's defense looks completely beatable. Josh Harding started in net again for Minnesota as Niklas Backstrom is still day-to-day with a groin injury. Marian Gaborik had two points for the Wild and Jay McKee scored the game winner in the third for St. Louis.
Montreal 5, Philadelphia 2 -- Speaking of teams that all of a sudden look completely beatable, here are the Philadelphia Flyers. After winning seven of their first eight games, the Flyers have now lost three of four including a drubbing north of the border last night that saw them get out shot 41-19. Daniel Briere's goal-less drought that dates back to October 13th has now reached eight games. Meanwhile Tom Kospotpaslaslkalsdous scored a shorthanded goal, his first of the year, which was the eventual winner for Montreal. Alexei Kovalev scored too (take that liberally biased media!).
Anaheim 2, Columbus 1 SO -- Mathieu Schneider scored the only shootout goal for either side (yes, I really did just say that), as the Ducks escaped Ohio with a narrow victory. Pascal Leclaire had the night off, but Fredrik Norrena stepped in and made 33 saves for the Blue Jackets.
NY Islanders 4, Tampa Bay 0 -- The Islanders played only their 2nd game in 12 days, but made it worthwhile. Rick DiPietro earned his first shutout of the year by stopping all 28 Lightning shots, and Mike Comrie picked up two more assists to extend his team lead in points to 13. Prior to last night, Vinny Lecavalier had scored 16 points in 16 career games at the Nassau Coliseum. Lecavalier, Brad Richard and Marty St. Louis were all shutout in the game and combined for a -7 rating.
NY Rangers 2, Washington 0 -- New York earned it's third win in four games, as King Henrik notched his third shutout of the young season (watch out for Mr. Bettman, Henrik). Chris Drury had a goal and an assist for the Rangers.
Detroit 4, Calgary 1 -- The Red Wings kept on cruising thanks to two goals from Henrik Zetterberg and 26 Chris Osgood saves, which are surprisingly just as valuable as saves from any other netminder.
Nashville 3, Vancouver 0 -- All of these shutout are probably making Bettman pretty angry right about now. In Vancouver, you can blame the power play for that. The 'Nucks were 0-for-6 with the man advantage, as Dan Ellis (who?) recorded his second shutout of the year for Nashville. Jason Arnott, David Legwand and Martin Erat each had a goal for the Preds.
Colorado 3, Pittsburgh 2 -- Sid the Kid scored twice in the first period to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead, but second period goals from Ben Guite, Wojtek Wolski and J.M. Liles led Colorado to victory.
Leclaire is moving up the charts like a Michael Jackson single. If this were, you know, 1988 or something. AP/Don Heupel
If you remember all the way back to October 16th -- I know I don't, -- then you will remember the post which uncovered Gary Bettman's Hit List. A list of the people and things that the commissioner of the NHL wants "taken care of."
Following last night's game against the Los Angeles Kings, it has come to my attention that Columbus Blue Jackets net minder Pascal Leclaire is in serious danger. You see, Leclaire has been unbelievable in net since the beginning of the season. In only eight starts, he has four shutouts, a minuscule 1.25 goals against average and a ridiculous .953 save percentage. Right about now, Leclaire is living the high life as one of the best goaltenders in the entire NHL.
If Gary Bettman has his way, that will likely come to an end.*
You see, the first item on the commissioner's hit list is defense. Bettman and the people in the league office are not very fond of defense. That's because it's the number one enemy of goal scoring, and I don't need to remind you how much the Powers That Be love to see a high scoring NHL.
Leclaire's unbelievable play is leading to a very quick ascension up the hit list, and he could be in imminent danger if this level of play keeps up. He has already bypassed the Minnesota Wild on the list, and another shutout or two could vault him past Charisma very easily. Who knows, we might even see the impossible -- Leclaire could move past Canadians on the list.
Pascal, be aware that the fate of an entire nation now rests on your shoulders. Stop a few more pucks, and you will save Canada at the expense of yourself. Start to tank it, and self preservation is all yours... At the expense of 33 million lives, which is roughly equal to three Ohios. Choose wisely, my son. Choose wisely.**
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