So far we’ve seen the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the Buffalo Sabres and the Detroit Red Wings take on the Chicago Blackhawks. Now that the 2009 Winter Classic is over with, fans are left wondering;
Who could be potential future match-ups?
Before you can really start to make a list you need to think about what goes in to a good Winter Classic game.
Rivalry is the most important feature in my opinion. Having 2 rival teams going against each other in the cold out doors seems allmost… fitting.
How about “old Vs new”?
I would love to see a match-up between the Dallas Stars and their old home-town “new team” Minnesota Wild. While these 2 teams may not have a rivalry, this game would provide plenty of excitement for fans.
So here’s my list of top 5 Winter Classic games i would like to see.
Dallas Stars @ Minnesota Wild. This gets #1 for 2 reason; 1) i’m slightly biased being a Stars fan, but more importantly 2) because up in Minnesota people still talk about how the Stars turned their back on the fans. Crazy i know, but for fans, this game could be huge.
Montreal Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs. Is there a bigger rivalry?
Washington Capitals @ New York Rangers. The Winter Classic has seen Sid the kid, now it’s time to introduce it to Ovy.
New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins. A classic match-up if there ever was one.
Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins. The battle of Pensylvania.
Gary Bettman and the NHL seem keen on focussing on the US teams for the Winter Classic, possibly in a hope to increase ratings within the US. While I understand the logic here, i do disagree with it. The Habs Vs Leafs game would be fantastic to watch, even for fans of other teams.
Avery Alert: With so much news surrounding the Sean Avery situation, our new section “Avery Alert” will bring you all the news comments you need in one handy location. Don’t worry though, this section will only last a short time and will stop once we all get sick off hearing about Avery.
Avery to meet with Bettman and the NHL Thursday.
The date of the hearing has been set; this Thursday. Avery will travel to New York to face the NHL. Stars co-GM Brett Hull is said to be traveling with Avery. (The Full Story on TSN)
No Way Out For Avery Ross McKeon of Yahoo! Sports breaks down the Avery situation and explains that there may be no way for Avery to come out of this in a good position. (The Full Story on Yahoo)
Avery Apologises to NHL, Team, Ex’s Avery’s publicist wasted no time in drafting a well written apology. (The Full Story on Yahoo)
NHL Suspends Avery Indefinitely
After making the “sloppy seconds” comment, the NHL quickly jumped in and indefinitely suspended the agitator. (The Full Story on TSN)
News
Fan injured in fall at Senators game
A male fan was injured at Scotiabank Place on Wednesday during the Ottawa Senators’ 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers after falling from the top level of the arena. The man, who Senators president Roy Mlakar stated was not inebriated, originally fell over in row D of the 300 level. He then plummeted into row D of the 200 level, falling on a woman who also sustained injuries. Mlakar believes the man was not seriously hurt. (The Full Story on Yahoo)
Canes Sack Peter Laviolette
Carolina fired Peter Laviolette on Wednesday. The Hurricanes brought back Paul Maurice to take over as coach, and moved assistant general manager Ron Francis behind the bench as Maurice’s associate coach. Laviolette led the team to the 2006 Stanley Cup title. He’s the career victory leader among U.S.-born coaches.
Trades & Transactions:
Anaheim acquired defenseman Logan Stephenson from Phoenix on Wednesday for left wing Joakim Lindstrom. Stephenson will report to Iowa of the AHL.
Injuries:
Brian Rolston (NJ Devils) – Expected back thursday.
Joe Sakic (C – Avalanche) Expected to miss 6 weeks.
Marian Gaborik (Wild) Not yet ready to return.
Rumours & Gossip:
What to do with Avery?
Rumours are ripe that Avery has played his last game in a Stars jersey. If that’s the case, there are a few options the team has, which include: Demoting him to the minors, buying out his contract, looking for a trade, or going through legal channals to void his contract. Either way, if it’s true that Avery is on the out, this could mean a very positive thing for the team.
Havlat on the block?
After recent changes which ended up with Martin Havlat being demoted to the teams 3rd line, speculation suggests the Hawks could be looking to move him at some stage.
Jim Vandermeer vs Ryan Carter Nov 2, 2008 Jim Vandermeer vs Ryan Carter from the Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks game on Nov 2, 2008. via http://www.hockeyfights.com
Darren McCarty vs Mike Brown Nov 2, 2008 Darren McCarty vs Mike Brown from the Detroit Red Wings at Vancouver Canucks game on Nov 2, 2008. via http://www.hockeyfights.com
Brodeur Wins # 6 – Thrashers 1 VS Devils 6 – But With A Cost.. November 1, 2008 Devils Beat The Thrashers.. Broduer – 8 More Wins To Goooo… And Bye Bye To Roys Record.. Brodeur – 6 More Shutouts To Go And Bye Bye Sawchuck\’s Record.. Brodeur Was Injured In The Second Period With A Bruised Elbow And Will Miss The Game Against The Sabres On November 3rd..
Wild vs. Coyotes 11/1/08 – Power Play in 3rd and more Power play action with an extra 2 minutes or so until the next whistle after the power play. The Wild ended up getting an ugly goal later in the 3rd period to win 3-2
NHL Brawl – Detroit Red Wings – Colorado Avalanche Rivalry This brawl happened @ March 26th, 1997. 300 Penalty Minutes during the last Period. Enjoy! Due to several “requests”: The Song is called “Hey Man Nice Shot” by Filter. Congrats to the Stanley Cup 2008! The full credits are going to the original author of that video. It´s not MY work! Keep up with your comments!
With a huge win over The Bears in their season home opener, the pressure was on the Blue Tongues to once again prevail over the league leaders. Having been introduced to the smaller rink and hard checking style of play produced by Gold Coast, The Bears were expected to hit back, and fast, against the Blue Tongues in their second game of the double header.
The Bears did not disappoint, coming at the Blue Tongues early in the game and changing their tactics to not only start playing a physical game, but also stamping their authority over the control of the game. Both teams seemed to lack the energy they had during Saturday’s game, and some simple rookie errors caused a line change for the Gold Coast team, starting to run two lines instead of three. Despite The Bears claiming control of the puck for majority of the first period however, it was Dave Upton of the Blue Tongues who netted the only goal of the first.
Tempers flared in the second, with roughing calls on both teams, and it was clear that neither team were giving up on their race to be the next to pot a goal. Both Sydney’s goaltender John Daugulis and Gold Coast’s Simo Mustonen had their work cut out for them in net as each team made shot after shot on goal. However, once again the Blue Tongues made some silly mistakes, costing them dearly on the penalty kill. It was The Bears that led going into the third, winning the period 3 goals to the Gold Coast’s lone goal, ending the period 3-2.
Excitement ruled the third, as the Blue Tongues tied up the scores on 3 a piece, before The Bears took advantage of a lapse in concentration and took the lead once more at 4-3 with little more than 8 minutes left in the game. The Blue Tongues never gave up, and with just under 2 minutes left, tied the game 4-4.
Anticipation was high in the stands as the teams took to the face off after a penalty was called on The Bears, giving the Blue Tongues a powerplay with a minute left in the third. Their fans behind them, Gold Coast focused on the job at hand and with 46 seconds left in the game, defenseman Ross Howell netted the game winning goal. The Bears failed to even up the scores in the dying seconds of the game, giving the Blue Tongues their third victory in the last three games.
The first star of the game was Blue Tongues Captain and centre, Billy Crumm. Second star of the game was Blue Tongues Defenseman, Don Burke and third star of the game was Bears’ Roberto Franchini.
Next weekend, the Blue Tongues face the Newcastle North Stars on June 21 & 22 at Gold Coast Iceland, Bundall. Games start at 3.30pm.
The Bartercard Gold Coast Blue Tongues have done what many believed to be the impossible. After starting out 5-0 on the road, they have come back to win back-to-back games against the AIHL league leading Sydney Bears. The game, a hard checking, end-to-end battle came right down to the wire, with the final puck going in the net just 40 seconds before the end of the third period while the Blue Tongues were on the Power Play.
The Blue Tongues now have a week to recover before playing the Newcastle Inski North Stars next weekend.
After a conference low 71 points last season, the Los Angeles Kings have given head coach Marc Crawford his marching orders.
Crawford, who’s record over his 2 seasons with the Kings is a dismal 59-84-21. Last season the Kings tied with Eastern Conference bottom feeders, the Tampa Bay Lightning on points.
“In the end it just comes down to fit,” Lombardi said in a conference call Tuesday afternoon. “It’s just a gut call on fit.” - Yahoo! Sports
In a division that includes strong teams such as the Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, the Kings need to do far better to compete.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—Joe Pavelski collapsed like a kid on rented skates, nudging the puck straight to Brad Richards as he fell. Richards, who has a few big playoff goals in his past, turned that turnover into the Dallas Stars’ tying score before the Sharks even knew they were doomed.
- GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
That quote by Greg Beacham pretty much sums up todays game between the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks did come out swinging, and took the early lead off a Joe Pavelski goal. Mike Ribeiro leveled the score however not long after, setting the scene for a fast paced end to end hockey match.
The 2nd period saw Milan Michalek put the Sharks ahead once again, a lead they held going into the third period.
It was the 3rd however where the Sharks collapsed, the the Stars shone bright! Just 30 seconds into the match Joe Pavelski lost an edge while attempting to clear the puck from his zone. In his attempt to control the puck while falling, he handed it right to Brad Richards, who put it past Nabokov before anybody knew what had happened.
Like a puncture wound in a well used tire, the Sharks momentum deflated in an instant, and the Stars grabbed the advantage. Mike Modano put the Stars ahead 3 minutes later on the Power Play, and Niklas Hagman put up the insurance goal in the 13th minute of the period. A goalie change by San Jose was not enough, and Hagman picked up his 2nd of the night, an empty net goal to finish off the game.
“We’ve had amazing third periods so far in the playoffs,” said Modano, who has six goals in six games in San Jose this season. “It was a big trip for us. Now it’s up to us to respond to this at home. We know this is far from over, but at the same time, we had a great two days here. Every shift, every night, we’ve looked hungry.”
- Yahoo! Sports
Games 3 and 4 will be back to back games, held in Dallas this Tuesday and Wednesday.
After 2 weeks, countless hockey games, a few injuries and some surprising results, we are just 2 games from knowing who the matchups will be in the Stanley Cup semi-finals.
In the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens are waiting to see who will win todays game between the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Capitals win, the semi finals will be Pittsburgh facing Washington & New York against Montreal. If the Flyers in, Montreal will take on Philadelphia and New York will face the red hot Pittsburgh Penguins.
In the west it is a similar story, with the Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars all waiting to find the result in todays game between the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks. If the Sharks win, the Stars will face the Sharks and the Red Wings will face the Avalanche. If Calgary come out on top, the Red Wings will face the Flames and the Stars will take on the Avalanche.
Not since 2003 has a Stanley Cup champion made it through the first round of the playoffs the following year. That trend has continued today after a highly underestimated Dallas Stars routed the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 in Dallas, TX.
The victory in todays game 6 not only eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champions from the playoffs, but broke the “first round” curse that has plagued the Dallas Stars for 5 long painful years.
Marty Turco, who has taken the brunt of the criticism over the previous years showed that he is one of the elite netminders in the NHL, finishing the round with a GAA of 2.01, including a shutout in game 1.
Anaheim, who were one of the strongest teams going down the final stretch into the playoffs faltered under the constant Dallas Attack, and struggled to get past the Dallas Defensive group; a group that included 3 rookies and was missing Sergei Zubov and (for most games) Philippe Boucher.
“It’s disappointing because we believe we could do better,” said Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer, the Conn Smythe winner as MVP of last year’s postseason who retired then decided to return to chase another Cup. “Our sights were set higher than this.”
- Yahoo! Sports
Dallas now have a few days to relax before the Western Conference Semi-Finals begin. The Stars will face either the Colorado Avalanche or the San Jose Sharks in round 2, but wont know who until after game 7 between the Flames and Sharks on Tuesday evening.
After a conference low 71 points last season, the Los Angeles Kings have given head coach Marc Crawford his marching orders.
That quote by Greg Beacham pretty much sums up todays game between the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks.
Like a puncture wound in a well used tire, the Sharks momentum deflated in an instant, and the Stars grabbed the advantage. Mike Modano put the Stars ahead 3 minutes later on the Power Play, and Niklas Hagman put up the insurance goal in the 13th minute of the period. A goalie change by San Jose was not enough, and Hagman picked up his 2nd of the night, an empty net goal to finish off the game.
