Posted by admin on 17th, 2008
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The sun has just set and tonight the temperatures will drop below freezing. There may even be snow on the ground tomorrow morning. You could be forgiven for thinking that the ideal evening pastime would be to get in the car, or in front of the TV and watch the NHL.
For those of us down here in Australia however, these cold winter months are the worse time of year for dedicated NHL hockey fans. The NHL starts in our Spring, just when the temperatures are warming up, and runs through to Autumn.
So what do hockey fans do down here during the winter months? For the die-hard hockey fans, Australia has the AIHL, Australian Ice Hockey League, which consists of 8 teams spread across the country. The amateur league is a far cry from the big lights of the NHL, but has a growing fan base from around Australia, and in fact, from around the world.
Over the last 4 seasons teams across the country have had import players from a wide range of leagues, including the QMJHL, LNAH, CIS, AHL and even the NHL. 2 big name players that have seen time in the Australian league are Steve McKenna (who played for the Adelaide Avalanche) and Rob Zamuner (Brisbane Blue Tongues).
The AIHL will be all over in the next few weeks, with the top 4 teams battling it out to take home the Goodall Cup (one of the oldest hockey trophies in the entire world!).
After that, Australian hockey fans will begin to get excited about he upcoming NHL season.Technorati
Tags: aihl, nhl, brisbane blue tongues, gold coast blue tongues, adelaide avalanche, ice hockey
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Posted by admin on 5th, 2008
Daryl Reaugh is known for his humor. As color commentator for the Dallas Stars, “Razor” has even created his own language known as “Razorisms”, with such phrases as “succulent saucer pass” and “Turcolicious”.
Recently Razor posted his thoughts on the NHL off-season on his blog, “Razor With An Edge“.
He talks about topics ranging from the New York Islanders coaching positions…
The Isles tend to do their thinking outside of the box and in that vein I suggest they resurrect the old “player/coach” double-duty and give the job to former Star, Bill Guerin. Billy G would be perfect. He’d be a latter day Reg Dunlop — sans the tan leather suit, the Hansons, and the inability to skate…
to Mats Sundin and the Maple Leafs…
Any moment now Mats Sundin is going to tell us all whether or not he feels his kids’ children’s offspring may need an influx of cash some day. I’m not sure if it’s sad or purely dumbfounding that $20,000,000.00 for two years worth of skating and shooting just isn’t intoxicating enough to be a no-brainer…
and of course, NHL off-season TV…
With no hockey to watch during the off-season the best “guy shows” to watch are…
Grab a drink, take a seat and have a read of yet another class Razor blog post!
Source: Razor With An Edge
Technorati Tags: nhl, ice hockey, dallas stars, toronto maple leafs, new york islanders, mats sundin, bill guerin, daryl reaugh
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Posted by admin on 25th, 2008
Those who had hopes of their NHL team picking up veteran scorer, Mats Sundin will have to wait til possibly next year after the Maple Leaf Forward today refused to waive his no trade clause.
Sundin, a Maple Leaf all his professional hockey career does not want to leave the team he has dedicated his life to for the last 13 seasons.
“I have always believed I would finish my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf so the actual request was still a very difficult one for me to contemplate,” Sundin said in a statement released by his agent J.P. Barry on Sunday night. “I have spoken to and listened to my family and those closest to me about this issue. In the end, there is no right decision in a situation like this one.”
- NHL @ Yahoo
The Toronto media has not been easy on Sundin over recent weeks, with some sources claiming his refusal to waive his no trade clause will damage the team in the future. The fact is, while the media and fans may complain about his refusal to be traded, they are forgetting that Mats Sundin IS the face of that franchise, and he has more than earned his right to stay in Toronto.
Due to his age, a trade would have put Sundin as a rental player, something Sundin himself completely disagrees with.
“I have never believed in the concept of a rental player. It is my belief that winning the Stanley Cup is the greatest thing you can achieve in hockey but for me, in order to appreciate it you have to have been part of the entire journey and that means October through June. I hope everyone will understand and respect my decision.”
- NHL @ Yahoo
The club now faces a major decision to make during the upcoming off-season. Do they opt to re-sign Sundin, or let him go into the Free agent market? Realistically, the best option for the Leafs would be to sign him for another year and let him finish out his career with the team he knows and loves.
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