Welcome back AHL. Welcome back.
187 Penalty Minutes on opening night. Hell of a way to kick off the season.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Alaska Wins
Alaska wins their third championship in the last nine years. They've never even missed the playoffs since joining the ECHL although it's not hard playing in the west. Rob Murray coached the team to victory this season. Brent Thompson did it in 2011. Both are in the top ten for most penalty minutes in AHL history. There is your random stat of the day. Or how about this? Keith McCambridge coached Alaska before Thompson. He made the Final but lost. Before him was Davis Payne, the first coach of Alaska when they became a member of the ECHL and first to lead them to a championship. Payne is now an assistant with Los Angeles who are one win away from the Stanley Cup. McCambridge is head coach of St. John's who are playing in the Calder Cup Final.
On to the guys who got it done on the ice.
Strong overall team. I've always been a Brendan Connolly fan though his success has come entirely in the ECHL. He is a good player with a lot of grit to his game for being relatively small at 5'8 180 lbs.
The playoffs in professional hockey this year have remained more PG rated in terms of fighting in recent memory. It might be a sign of the time or a sign of future change. Could have just been one of those seasons. Yet you still get something unique. Nick Mazzolini with the "C" next to his name above has the distinction (for now) of leading all players in the NHL, AHL and ECHL in playoff points. He also has the most penalty minutes.
One quick note about a very solid Cincinnati team that I would have pegged to be in the Finals a month ago comes in the form of an ECHL first. Goalie Rob Madore was the playoffs MVP this year. He becomes the first player in league history to win the award on the losing team.
On to the guys who got it done on the ice.
Strong overall team. I've always been a Brendan Connolly fan though his success has come entirely in the ECHL. He is a good player with a lot of grit to his game for being relatively small at 5'8 180 lbs.
The playoffs in professional hockey this year have remained more PG rated in terms of fighting in recent memory. It might be a sign of the time or a sign of future change. Could have just been one of those seasons. Yet you still get something unique. Nick Mazzolini with the "C" next to his name above has the distinction (for now) of leading all players in the NHL, AHL and ECHL in playoff points. He also has the most penalty minutes.
One quick note about a very solid Cincinnati team that I would have pegged to be in the Finals a month ago comes in the form of an ECHL first. Goalie Rob Madore was the playoffs MVP this year. He becomes the first player in league history to win the award on the losing team.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Quick News
I quickly realize there is no way I can possibly keep up with all the player movement that continues to go on as hockey begins the transition to the off-season before the puck drops again in September.
Here are some brief news updates:
- When Sochi became host to the Olympics the new arenas were set to house a new professional KHL hockey team. That team, the Leopards, begin play next season. They already plucked two AHL players with NHL experience away. Cory Emmerton who played most of the season with Grand Rapids and two seasons with Detroit is headed over. Mark Olver played parts of the last five seasons with Lake Erie also factoring in 74 NHL games with Colorado will join Emmerton. This comes after Sochi picked up former NHL goalie Michael Leighton who played very well for Donbass this past year.
- For some reason I was always a Joakim Lindstrom fan when he started playing in the AHL in 2005-06. He spent three seasons in Syracuse (remember all entry level contracts are for three years) and also played over 30 games for Columbus. He spent the majority of the next season in the NHL with Phoenix getting in 44 games with 20 points. Then he left. After two seasons in Europe and to my surprise he signed with Colorado. He lasted 16 games before returning to Sweden spending that season and two more with his hometown team. Well guess what. He is coming back again. Now at 30 he signed with St. Louis. Not a bad place to sign.
- Unfortunate news from earlier this afternoon when Oshawa (OHL) announced that Eric Wellwood would become assistant coach. Good that he landed a coaching job but not what the plan was at 24. Wellwood was the player who nearly bled to death after his own skate cut four tendons and an artery in the back of his leg when he fell into the boards while playing with the Phantoms (AHL) last season. He missed the entire season this year. The injury which has been said by many to be one of the worst they have ever seen did enough damage for Wellwood to call it a career. It's not too surprising. As often as I like to call the Flyers out for bad moves they should also be mentioned for good moves. After the injury last season knowing full well recovery was going to be long and difficult the Flyers resigned Wellwood who was a free agent to a new contract for this season. Even though he never got to play again he still got paid during his time of recovery.
Here are some brief news updates:
- When Sochi became host to the Olympics the new arenas were set to house a new professional KHL hockey team. That team, the Leopards, begin play next season. They already plucked two AHL players with NHL experience away. Cory Emmerton who played most of the season with Grand Rapids and two seasons with Detroit is headed over. Mark Olver played parts of the last five seasons with Lake Erie also factoring in 74 NHL games with Colorado will join Emmerton. This comes after Sochi picked up former NHL goalie Michael Leighton who played very well for Donbass this past year.
- For some reason I was always a Joakim Lindstrom fan when he started playing in the AHL in 2005-06. He spent three seasons in Syracuse (remember all entry level contracts are for three years) and also played over 30 games for Columbus. He spent the majority of the next season in the NHL with Phoenix getting in 44 games with 20 points. Then he left. After two seasons in Europe and to my surprise he signed with Colorado. He lasted 16 games before returning to Sweden spending that season and two more with his hometown team. Well guess what. He is coming back again. Now at 30 he signed with St. Louis. Not a bad place to sign.
- Unfortunate news from earlier this afternoon when Oshawa (OHL) announced that Eric Wellwood would become assistant coach. Good that he landed a coaching job but not what the plan was at 24. Wellwood was the player who nearly bled to death after his own skate cut four tendons and an artery in the back of his leg when he fell into the boards while playing with the Phantoms (AHL) last season. He missed the entire season this year. The injury which has been said by many to be one of the worst they have ever seen did enough damage for Wellwood to call it a career. It's not too surprising. As often as I like to call the Flyers out for bad moves they should also be mentioned for good moves. After the injury last season knowing full well recovery was going to be long and difficult the Flyers resigned Wellwood who was a free agent to a new contract for this season. Even though he never got to play again he still got paid during his time of recovery.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Priceless/Vegas
If I name this the neutral zone I guess I should comment about the hot issues going on in the game. I didn't see the Montreal game Saturday or any highlights. I was only made aware of the Price injury when news broke that he was out for the series. Soon after I saw that Chris Kreider's name started floating around. Was it intentional or an accident? By that night I had finally seen the video.
I love these plays. If you root for New York it was a hockey play. If you are a Montreal fan it was intentional. Chris Kreider is the only person who knows. We can all guess. My initial reaction when I first heard Kreider ran into Price was that it was on purpose. Kreider, as his career continues, is starting to get that reputation of being a bit reckless. I'm usually surprised more players don't target opponents better players. What's the worst that can happen? You get suspended a game or two while the other team loses a star for the rest of the playoffs? It's why the NHL never discloses injuries yet we should act surprised when something like this happens. New York's chances of making it to the next round/Stanley Cup Finals increased immensely after this play regardless of if it was intentional or not. Even if it was, Price isn't coming back.
To the actual play. Kreider makes a good move to chip the puck past the defenseman then skates hard to get to it first. The back checking Montreal player makes slight contact with Kreider right in front of Price. Kreider falls and goes feet first into Price. There are so many variables in the play that I'm not sure anybody can make a correct assumption. Because of this I think Kreider used it to his advantage. There was contact from behind so that could have caused him to stumble. He did have a ton of speed coming head on at net. He might have tried stopping and lost an edge. I've also seen very few players fall feet first into a goalie. Most players when falling also slide to the outside of the goal.
This play happened so fast I find it hard to believe Kreider had time to think about it. I do believe he made up his mind he would crash the net and whatever happened happened. That's where I leave it. If you want to call that intentional then you can.
____________________________________________________________________
Minor league hockey is a fickle beast. San Francisco folded in the middle of the ECHL season. That's bizarre. Doors close and the season is over in one simple announcement. Now Las Vegas finds themselves on the outside. They announced today that they would not be playing next season. The reason was simple. They don't have a place to play. Their lease was not renewed by the current facility, and they couldn't find another place. Las Vegas has been playing since 2003 so it's not like they are new to hockey. According to the team they will be back for 2015-2016. Unfortunate for fans but at least a positive note that they do plan on coming back. All the players become free agents. I'm am Adam Huxley fan. If he stays in the ECHL my guess is he stays on the west coast.
My real question is what do they plan on doing for the playoffs. When San Francisco folded it left 8 teams in the west. Every team made the playoffs. Now they lose another. So I assume every team makes it again except they don't even have enough teams to fill the spots. The only new team coming in next season will play in Indiana so I'm guessing they don't move to the west.
I love these plays. If you root for New York it was a hockey play. If you are a Montreal fan it was intentional. Chris Kreider is the only person who knows. We can all guess. My initial reaction when I first heard Kreider ran into Price was that it was on purpose. Kreider, as his career continues, is starting to get that reputation of being a bit reckless. I'm usually surprised more players don't target opponents better players. What's the worst that can happen? You get suspended a game or two while the other team loses a star for the rest of the playoffs? It's why the NHL never discloses injuries yet we should act surprised when something like this happens. New York's chances of making it to the next round/Stanley Cup Finals increased immensely after this play regardless of if it was intentional or not. Even if it was, Price isn't coming back.
To the actual play. Kreider makes a good move to chip the puck past the defenseman then skates hard to get to it first. The back checking Montreal player makes slight contact with Kreider right in front of Price. Kreider falls and goes feet first into Price. There are so many variables in the play that I'm not sure anybody can make a correct assumption. Because of this I think Kreider used it to his advantage. There was contact from behind so that could have caused him to stumble. He did have a ton of speed coming head on at net. He might have tried stopping and lost an edge. I've also seen very few players fall feet first into a goalie. Most players when falling also slide to the outside of the goal.
This play happened so fast I find it hard to believe Kreider had time to think about it. I do believe he made up his mind he would crash the net and whatever happened happened. That's where I leave it. If you want to call that intentional then you can.
____________________________________________________________________
Minor league hockey is a fickle beast. San Francisco folded in the middle of the ECHL season. That's bizarre. Doors close and the season is over in one simple announcement. Now Las Vegas finds themselves on the outside. They announced today that they would not be playing next season. The reason was simple. They don't have a place to play. Their lease was not renewed by the current facility, and they couldn't find another place. Las Vegas has been playing since 2003 so it's not like they are new to hockey. According to the team they will be back for 2015-2016. Unfortunate for fans but at least a positive note that they do plan on coming back. All the players become free agents. I'm am Adam Huxley fan. If he stays in the ECHL my guess is he stays on the west coast.
My real question is what do they plan on doing for the playoffs. When San Francisco folded it left 8 teams in the west. Every team made the playoffs. Now they lose another. So I assume every team makes it again except they don't even have enough teams to fill the spots. The only new team coming in next season will play in Indiana so I'm guessing they don't move to the west.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Val Wins
Already too far behind to get too deep into the QMJHL champions. Val-d'Or takes it this year behind the play of Anthony Mantha.
REGULAR SEASON
PLAYOFFS
When you look at this team all you really have to notice is Anthony Mantha. Not saying somebody else on this team couldn't emerge as an NHL player, but Mantha is already a highly rated prospect. Detroit once again makes a steal at the 20th overall pick.
He has the height at 6'5 to fit in nicely on a Detroit team built around speed and skill. If he adds a little weight he could be a great presence up front to go along with the European type forward. Of course Detroit is well known for letting players develop so he is certainly looking at a stay in the AHL. His play will determine how quickly he moves up. With the way Detroit does things he seems likely to be in the AHL for at least a full season. I also highly doubt he can keep the same scoring pace.
57 regular season games - 57 goals
24 playoff games - 24 goals
52 penalty minutes in the playoffs isn't too bad either. If he can keep up that physical presence he could be a fun player to watch in the future.
REGULAR SEASON
PLAYOFFS
When you look at this team all you really have to notice is Anthony Mantha. Not saying somebody else on this team couldn't emerge as an NHL player, but Mantha is already a highly rated prospect. Detroit once again makes a steal at the 20th overall pick.
He has the height at 6'5 to fit in nicely on a Detroit team built around speed and skill. If he adds a little weight he could be a great presence up front to go along with the European type forward. Of course Detroit is well known for letting players develop so he is certainly looking at a stay in the AHL. His play will determine how quickly he moves up. With the way Detroit does things he seems likely to be in the AHL for at least a full season. I also highly doubt he can keep the same scoring pace.
57 regular season games - 57 goals
24 playoff games - 24 goals
52 penalty minutes in the playoffs isn't too bad either. If he can keep up that physical presence he could be a fun player to watch in the future.
Friday, May 16, 2014
First of Many
Changes come quickly in the world of hockey. The playoffs are still underway and the first NHL player movements are already taking place. Teams are looking ahead to the draft and free agency. Players are looking at their options for next season and in order to secure a roster spot in Europe many players make the move quickly in order to begin training and become accustom to new surroundings.
The San Jose Sharks first round elimination put them high on the list of teams needing a change. It seems every season in recent memory finds the Sharks with one of the best regular season point totals only to be ousted in the playoffs before reaching the finals. Today began the start of some spring cleaning.
Dan Boyle played his final game with San Jose. Boyle was a key member of the Sharks defense and most notably known for his offense with three straight 50 points seasons to begin his San Jose career. Before that he played a big part of the success of Tampa Bay and their cup winning season of 2003-04. Boyle will become a free agent this summer and turn 38. I can't see him retiring without at least playing one more season as long as the right team is interested. This is where you could insert a Flyers joke. Not now with Ronald Hextall at the helm. I think he gets a deal around 4.5 for one season on a team with a serious chance of winning the cup.
Martin Havlat is the next to go. The big difference is he still has a contract worth way more than he is worth. It's hard to believe Havlat can return to his former self. Since being acquired Havlat has had little success with San Jose. Not only has he missed significant time but his scoring has practically disappeared. Buying out his 5 million dollar deal is the only way out for San Jose. There is no way a team will give him substantial money even at 33 years old. It's going to come down to what Havlat wants to do. He could probably fit in on certain teams at a deep discount like Los Angeles. Otherwise I peg him to look into finding work in Europe.
That will segue us into the next move. We now have our first NHL player moving to Europe. There will be plenty more especially from the minor leagues. Erik Gustafsson has left Philadelphia for the KHL. Think this move comes down to playing time. Gustafsson was a restricted free agent, one that I'd believe Philadelphia wanted to bring back. The problem from the player standpoint is in three seasons he was more often a healthy scratch than in the lineup. That's not a great spot to be in when you want to play. If he does well in Europe there is always the chance an NHL team signs him as a regular in the future.
_______________________________________________________________________
Hadn't planned on it but since we are talking change, the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to announce in about an hour that head coach Dan Bylsma and GM Ray Shero will be fired. When you have a guy like Crosby and Malkin on a team there are no excuses for not winning. Maybe blame can be placed on both but the team as a whole needs to improve. That's the job of a GM. The coach can only work with what he had, and Bylsma got 51 wins out of a team with a lot of injuries and a shaky goalie.
NOON UPDATES VIA TWITTER:
Bob McKenzie was the guy to report Bylsma being fired this morning. He is very reputable. He was also not correct this time. Shero was fired. Bylsma was not. Yet
Always takes a little time for North America to catch up to European news. I'm not surprised if he didn't tell the Flyers. He didn't have to but contractually it would have made sense to potentially create a bidding scenario.
The San Jose Sharks first round elimination put them high on the list of teams needing a change. It seems every season in recent memory finds the Sharks with one of the best regular season point totals only to be ousted in the playoffs before reaching the finals. Today began the start of some spring cleaning.
Dan Boyle played his final game with San Jose. Boyle was a key member of the Sharks defense and most notably known for his offense with three straight 50 points seasons to begin his San Jose career. Before that he played a big part of the success of Tampa Bay and their cup winning season of 2003-04. Boyle will become a free agent this summer and turn 38. I can't see him retiring without at least playing one more season as long as the right team is interested. This is where you could insert a Flyers joke. Not now with Ronald Hextall at the helm. I think he gets a deal around 4.5 for one season on a team with a serious chance of winning the cup.
Martin Havlat is the next to go. The big difference is he still has a contract worth way more than he is worth. It's hard to believe Havlat can return to his former self. Since being acquired Havlat has had little success with San Jose. Not only has he missed significant time but his scoring has practically disappeared. Buying out his 5 million dollar deal is the only way out for San Jose. There is no way a team will give him substantial money even at 33 years old. It's going to come down to what Havlat wants to do. He could probably fit in on certain teams at a deep discount like Los Angeles. Otherwise I peg him to look into finding work in Europe.
That will segue us into the next move. We now have our first NHL player moving to Europe. There will be plenty more especially from the minor leagues. Erik Gustafsson has left Philadelphia for the KHL. Think this move comes down to playing time. Gustafsson was a restricted free agent, one that I'd believe Philadelphia wanted to bring back. The problem from the player standpoint is in three seasons he was more often a healthy scratch than in the lineup. That's not a great spot to be in when you want to play. If he does well in Europe there is always the chance an NHL team signs him as a regular in the future.
_______________________________________________________________________
Hadn't planned on it but since we are talking change, the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to announce in about an hour that head coach Dan Bylsma and GM Ray Shero will be fired. When you have a guy like Crosby and Malkin on a team there are no excuses for not winning. Maybe blame can be placed on both but the team as a whole needs to improve. That's the job of a GM. The coach can only work with what he had, and Bylsma got 51 wins out of a team with a lot of injuries and a shaky goalie.
NOON UPDATES VIA TWITTER:
Bob McKenzie was the guy to report Bylsma being fired this morning. He is very reputable. He was also not correct this time. Shero was fired. Bylsma was not. Yet
Always takes a little time for North America to catch up to European news. I'm not surprised if he didn't tell the Flyers. He didn't have to but contractually it would have made sense to potentially create a bidding scenario.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Edmonton Wins
No waiting around on this one. After Guelph won over the weekend I waited for video. I'm not waiting this time.
The Edmonton Oil Kings won the WHL championship last night over Portland in a game 7. This series is far more interesting than a boxscore would lead you to believe. Let me explain.
Junior league hockey isn't exactly designed to see a franchise become a dynasty. It's basically high school to junior college aged players who leave after 4-5 seasons for either professional hockey or college. Like the NHL, junior league teams hold a draft each season giving the worst teams the highest picks. Players can also be acquired through trades which is a common way for the better teams to consistently stay good. Portland and Edmonton deserve a whole new level of respect.
This finals appearance was the 4th straight for Portland. As a four year player for Portland you could have spent your entire junior league career playing every season in the finals. That's unlikely to occur again. Or this as well. This was the third straight year that Portland played Edmonton in the finals. Some things are hard to explain. Two very good teams with a lot of promising future professionals.
As I did with the OHL winners I will post the final stats for Edmonton with some notes. However there is no way I can go without mentioning at least a few things about Portland. They had the top five leading scorers in the playoffs. They had two of the better defensive prospects coming out of junior hockey who were both top ten NHL picks in Matthew Dumba (Minnesota) and Derrick Pouliot (Pittsburgh). Both are sure fire NHL solid players. Nic Petan (Winnipeg) finished second in the league in scoring. And there are many others who could have an NHL career.
Now the winners.
REGULAR SEASON
PLAYOFFS
We can start at the top. I enjoy the Samuelsson clan a lot more than I did papa Ulf. Henrik is a first round pick of Phoenix. You always have my attention when you can put up over 90 points and 90 penalty minutes. And 51 more in the playoffs. Dang. He has size at 6'3 and skill to become a very solid forward in the NHL. I'm very interested to see how his career plays out.
We move down a spot to Curtis Lazar who put up 41 goals in 58 games. Like Samuelsson he was a first round pick in the draft going to Ottawa and is currently ranked as their best prospect. Lazar should have no issues finding his way to the NHL whether it is next season or in a few years should he come back next season to the WHL.
Drop down to the third leading scorer to find Mitchell Moroz. Moroz is an interesting player and one I find within reason to put on the list. That's because this 32nd overall pick was taken by the Edmonton Oilers. Whether his offensive abilities can translate into the pro environment is yet to be seen. He had more goals this season than all his other seasons combined. But what he does have is a size and toughness the Oilers have been lacking with many of their forwards. He easily lead the team in penalty minutes and is never afraid of body contact. If he can continue to work on his offense he might look good alongside the other young stars. He is currently rated the Oilers 4th best prospect.
Last but not least we jump down to the captain. The Reinhart's just might become the next impressive hockey family. Griffin is the second of the group. His numbers won't jump out at you but his play will. He was taken 4th overall by the Islanders and is considered one of the best prospects in hockey. He also has the size at 6'4 to fit quickly into an NHL position should the Islanders decide to take that route. Otherwise he looks to kick off his career next season in the AHL.
The Edmonton Oil Kings won the WHL championship last night over Portland in a game 7. This series is far more interesting than a boxscore would lead you to believe. Let me explain.
Junior league hockey isn't exactly designed to see a franchise become a dynasty. It's basically high school to junior college aged players who leave after 4-5 seasons for either professional hockey or college. Like the NHL, junior league teams hold a draft each season giving the worst teams the highest picks. Players can also be acquired through trades which is a common way for the better teams to consistently stay good. Portland and Edmonton deserve a whole new level of respect.
This finals appearance was the 4th straight for Portland. As a four year player for Portland you could have spent your entire junior league career playing every season in the finals. That's unlikely to occur again. Or this as well. This was the third straight year that Portland played Edmonton in the finals. Some things are hard to explain. Two very good teams with a lot of promising future professionals.
As I did with the OHL winners I will post the final stats for Edmonton with some notes. However there is no way I can go without mentioning at least a few things about Portland. They had the top five leading scorers in the playoffs. They had two of the better defensive prospects coming out of junior hockey who were both top ten NHL picks in Matthew Dumba (Minnesota) and Derrick Pouliot (Pittsburgh). Both are sure fire NHL solid players. Nic Petan (Winnipeg) finished second in the league in scoring. And there are many others who could have an NHL career.
Now the winners.
REGULAR SEASON
PLAYOFFS
We can start at the top. I enjoy the Samuelsson clan a lot more than I did papa Ulf. Henrik is a first round pick of Phoenix. You always have my attention when you can put up over 90 points and 90 penalty minutes. And 51 more in the playoffs. Dang. He has size at 6'3 and skill to become a very solid forward in the NHL. I'm very interested to see how his career plays out.
We move down a spot to Curtis Lazar who put up 41 goals in 58 games. Like Samuelsson he was a first round pick in the draft going to Ottawa and is currently ranked as their best prospect. Lazar should have no issues finding his way to the NHL whether it is next season or in a few years should he come back next season to the WHL.
Drop down to the third leading scorer to find Mitchell Moroz. Moroz is an interesting player and one I find within reason to put on the list. That's because this 32nd overall pick was taken by the Edmonton Oilers. Whether his offensive abilities can translate into the pro environment is yet to be seen. He had more goals this season than all his other seasons combined. But what he does have is a size and toughness the Oilers have been lacking with many of their forwards. He easily lead the team in penalty minutes and is never afraid of body contact. If he can continue to work on his offense he might look good alongside the other young stars. He is currently rated the Oilers 4th best prospect.
Last but not least we jump down to the captain. The Reinhart's just might become the next impressive hockey family. Griffin is the second of the group. His numbers won't jump out at you but his play will. He was taken 4th overall by the Islanders and is considered one of the best prospects in hockey. He also has the size at 6'4 to fit quickly into an NHL position should the Islanders decide to take that route. Otherwise he looks to kick off his career next season in the AHL.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Guelph Wins
I mentioned before that the Guelph and North Bay championship was a bit of the classic underdog going against the team that was stacked. Guelph took the series 4 game to 1 this weekend. It doesn't explain it all.
I already told of the players and standings that on paper kept these teams far apart. It wouldn't have been shocking had this been a sweep. But North Bay hung in. Of the four loses three were by one goal. The other proved just how good Guelph could be when they won 10-1. In the end the team with a lot of talent ended up victorious.
Instead of getting into all the little aspects, the championship team simply gets their final stats for the season displayed. And maybe a few notes here and there but mainly here.
REGULAR SEASON
PLAYOFFS
Robbie Fabbri won the OHL playoff MVP award. Oddly enough he is one of the better players on the team not to be drafted. Hard to argue when you score 13 goals in 16 games.
I'm most intrigued by Kerby Rychel. He also happens to be the highest drafted player on the team going 19th overall to Columbus. I love a good playoff performer which he was with a team high 32 points. He had a strong season with 90 points and can play a physical game too.
Captain Matt Finn could be a player to watch down the road. On a team with such talent a lot of numbers are inflated for him and a lot of other players. You still have to go out there and perform. Finn showed he can score and be a solid defenseman. He was picked 35th overall by Toronto.
Lastly I'm throwing him in there not just because of his name. When Tyler Bertuzzi first came into the OHL all he seemed to do was fight. Now in his third season he averaged over a point a game while still managing 49 penalty minutes in just 29 games. His playoff stats weren't too bad either. This is what sold me. Bertuzzi, who is Todd's nephew, was picked by the Detroit Red Wings. There is no team I respect more when it comes to drafting players. Plus, they took him in the second round. They see something. My guess is it is the passion and energy he brings on each shift. Hit, score, fight the kid will do what it takes. You can never have too many of those players.
I already told of the players and standings that on paper kept these teams far apart. It wouldn't have been shocking had this been a sweep. But North Bay hung in. Of the four loses three were by one goal. The other proved just how good Guelph could be when they won 10-1. In the end the team with a lot of talent ended up victorious.
Instead of getting into all the little aspects, the championship team simply gets their final stats for the season displayed. And maybe a few notes here and there but mainly here.
REGULAR SEASON
PLAYOFFS
Robbie Fabbri won the OHL playoff MVP award. Oddly enough he is one of the better players on the team not to be drafted. Hard to argue when you score 13 goals in 16 games.
I'm most intrigued by Kerby Rychel. He also happens to be the highest drafted player on the team going 19th overall to Columbus. I love a good playoff performer which he was with a team high 32 points. He had a strong season with 90 points and can play a physical game too.
Captain Matt Finn could be a player to watch down the road. On a team with such talent a lot of numbers are inflated for him and a lot of other players. You still have to go out there and perform. Finn showed he can score and be a solid defenseman. He was picked 35th overall by Toronto.
Lastly I'm throwing him in there not just because of his name. When Tyler Bertuzzi first came into the OHL all he seemed to do was fight. Now in his third season he averaged over a point a game while still managing 49 penalty minutes in just 29 games. His playoff stats weren't too bad either. This is what sold me. Bertuzzi, who is Todd's nephew, was picked by the Detroit Red Wings. There is no team I respect more when it comes to drafting players. Plus, they took him in the second round. They see something. My guess is it is the passion and energy he brings on each shift. Hit, score, fight the kid will do what it takes. You can never have too many of those players.
Friday, May 9, 2014
World's
In the midst of the playoffs the World Championships have kicked off today. It's not nearly as big for some countries as it is for others. Nonetheless it is still a highly respected tournaments overseas. That being said it is something that should be followed especially if you have an unhealthy appreciation for hockey.
How can we not start with Canada losing on opening day to France. France? Really? I looked at their line-up. They have one guy who plays regularly in the NHL. That is Antoine Roussel the ultimate pest for Dallas. Outside of that most of these guys play in Europe. The entire Canadian roster plays in the NHL. That's a stunner of a loss. Stephane da Costa (Binghamton - AHL) put home two goals and former Montreal goalie Cristobal Huet stopped 34 shots as France took it 3-2 in a shootout. Brayden Schenn and Erik Gudbranson scored for Canada.
FRANCE 3
CANADA 2
Shootout
Russia had no issue with Switzerland. Helps to have Alexander Ovechkin who scored a goal and assisted on another with Sergei Bobrovsky in net stopping all 27 shots he faced.
RUSSIA 5
SWITZERLAND 0
Czech Republic against Slovakia is always a good rivalry since the two countries split. The Czechs edged this one out on an overtime goal by Jakub Klepis a former Hershey Bear.
CZECH REPUBLIC 3
SLOVAKIA 2
OT
The host nation Belarus had a difficult time with the U.S. which is to be expected. Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists to lead the U.S. team. Maybe there is more to this guy than I thought. I've seen past Hobey Baker winners of smaller stature find less success at higher levels. This kid scored in his only NHL game and now has the chance to do some damage on the big stage. Jacob Trouba, who I am quickly going to start crushing on and had a very underrated rookie season, scored two goals from defense.
UNITED STATES 6
BELARUS 1
Lots of games tomorrow. Lots of recaps to come plus whatever else I throw into here concerning juniors, minors or the NHL.
And to think I have this tournament for another two and a half weeks, followed by what should be the final rounds of the AHL and NHL playoffs or finals. Then I have to deal with the World Cup for a month. By the time I get myself organized free agency will have started, lots of players will move to Europe and once I am ready for a break the junior league season (which starts a month before pros) will be up and running. It's easy to see why the other sports have faded from my radar overtime when the two I enjoy have an international appeal.
How can we not start with Canada losing on opening day to France. France? Really? I looked at their line-up. They have one guy who plays regularly in the NHL. That is Antoine Roussel the ultimate pest for Dallas. Outside of that most of these guys play in Europe. The entire Canadian roster plays in the NHL. That's a stunner of a loss. Stephane da Costa (Binghamton - AHL) put home two goals and former Montreal goalie Cristobal Huet stopped 34 shots as France took it 3-2 in a shootout. Brayden Schenn and Erik Gudbranson scored for Canada.
FRANCE 3
CANADA 2
Shootout
Russia had no issue with Switzerland. Helps to have Alexander Ovechkin who scored a goal and assisted on another with Sergei Bobrovsky in net stopping all 27 shots he faced.
RUSSIA 5
SWITZERLAND 0
Czech Republic against Slovakia is always a good rivalry since the two countries split. The Czechs edged this one out on an overtime goal by Jakub Klepis a former Hershey Bear.
CZECH REPUBLIC 3
SLOVAKIA 2
OT
The host nation Belarus had a difficult time with the U.S. which is to be expected. Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists to lead the U.S. team. Maybe there is more to this guy than I thought. I've seen past Hobey Baker winners of smaller stature find less success at higher levels. This kid scored in his only NHL game and now has the chance to do some damage on the big stage. Jacob Trouba, who I am quickly going to start crushing on and had a very underrated rookie season, scored two goals from defense.
UNITED STATES 6
BELARUS 1
Lots of games tomorrow. Lots of recaps to come plus whatever else I throw into here concerning juniors, minors or the NHL.
And to think I have this tournament for another two and a half weeks, followed by what should be the final rounds of the AHL and NHL playoffs or finals. Then I have to deal with the World Cup for a month. By the time I get myself organized free agency will have started, lots of players will move to Europe and once I am ready for a break the junior league season (which starts a month before pros) will be up and running. It's easy to see why the other sports have faded from my radar overtime when the two I enjoy have an international appeal.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Ronald
Ron Hextall gets it. He understands that a team needs to build through development. Now he has his chance to change the way management has run the Flyers over the last few decades as the new general manager of the team.
I mentioned before I'd rather stay away from the big stories. A lot has been made of this move which was clearly something coming for awhile. The Holmgren move to president is how the Flyers still take care of former players and coaches. In a sense he was let go without actually being fired. Clarke received the same treatment.
For Flyers fans this can only be a good thing. Management has constantly kept the same mentality over the years. There are three ways I am aware of to acquire players. You can trade, sign or draft. With the win now approach many trades have come at the expense of younger talent. Signings tend to be big contracts to veteran players slightly past their prime. Flyers fans don't need a list. That isn't how Hextall operates.
Hextall is all about building from within. He wants to rely heavily on the draft. He wants players to develop in the AHL first before making the step to the NHL, something that hasn't always happened in the past when the Flyers have rushed to judgement on young talent. He isn't look to sign or acquire those same aging veterans the Flyers throw money at every season. This is how it should be done.
I'm very interested in the moves Hextall makes during this off-season whether it is by trade, free agency or something through the draft. The Flyers do have three picks in the first three rounds which now includes a higher first round pick then they hoped. They should be able to land a solid talent in that position. Hextall is the type who will value picks and try to acquire more instead of trading them away. The Flyers are currently ranked last when it comes to prospects. That has to change.
I'm excited. This is exactly the type of guy that should get the opportunity to see what he can do. It will take some time to stock up on young players. The nice thing is that there are at least a few already with a positive upside. An upside Hextall won't try to trade within two years.
I mentioned before I'd rather stay away from the big stories. A lot has been made of this move which was clearly something coming for awhile. The Holmgren move to president is how the Flyers still take care of former players and coaches. In a sense he was let go without actually being fired. Clarke received the same treatment.
For Flyers fans this can only be a good thing. Management has constantly kept the same mentality over the years. There are three ways I am aware of to acquire players. You can trade, sign or draft. With the win now approach many trades have come at the expense of younger talent. Signings tend to be big contracts to veteran players slightly past their prime. Flyers fans don't need a list. That isn't how Hextall operates.
Hextall is all about building from within. He wants to rely heavily on the draft. He wants players to develop in the AHL first before making the step to the NHL, something that hasn't always happened in the past when the Flyers have rushed to judgement on young talent. He isn't look to sign or acquire those same aging veterans the Flyers throw money at every season. This is how it should be done.
I'm very interested in the moves Hextall makes during this off-season whether it is by trade, free agency or something through the draft. The Flyers do have three picks in the first three rounds which now includes a higher first round pick then they hoped. They should be able to land a solid talent in that position. Hextall is the type who will value picks and try to acquire more instead of trading them away. The Flyers are currently ranked last when it comes to prospects. That has to change.
I'm excited. This is exactly the type of guy that should get the opportunity to see what he can do. It will take some time to stock up on young players. The nice thing is that there are at least a few already with a positive upside. An upside Hextall won't try to trade within two years.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Captain Dean
There are always a hundred different directions for me to take these posts. I try to keep them simple with something that I find interesting or that isn't getting much attention. I don't want the popular stories. I wasn't sure where to take this today. Then I saw a simple post made by the Abbotsford Heat. Dean Arsene retired.
To many it isn't a big deal. Another player retiring. Certain players resonate with me. Dean Arsene was one of those guys. The picture above is from Elite Prospects, a great hockey website for people looking for any type of information on players or teams. I've been with them for four hockey seasons now. Next year will be my 5th season as the AHL update guy. I don't update transactions, transfers or recalls. There are a few reasons. One is that I just don't have that kind of time. Two, they happen so frequently I could never keep up. Lastly, with people spread across the globe somebody almost always will have it posted within minutes of hearing the news. I heard about this early this afternoon. I posted and confirmed his retirement at 10:03 tonight. According to my log sheet the last transaction I posted on the site was July 6th, 2011. Somebody saved this one for me.
Arsene was a defenseman. He was never drafted coming from the WHL. He wasn't going to score you a lot of goals. He was there to play defense and make you miserable and maybe get in a scrap or two or ten. His career started in the ECHL in 2001. I wasn't really following the league at the time to the extent I do now. The next season though he played in the AHL for Hartford. Now he was on my radar. In 50 games he had a goal and 94 penalty minutes. Again, nothing that stands out. It was his next move that proved to be a game changer.
Arsene moved on the following season to join the Hershey Bears. He ended up spending most of his time as a steady piece on the back end for the Reading Royals of the ECHL which included a deep playoff run. By 2004-05 Arsene had earned himself a full time gig in the AHL. Not only was he in the AHL, on one of the best teams playing in the loudest arena, but also now playing against better talents with the NHL lockout lasting all season. Arsene ended the season with 140 penalty minutes and 14 fights. His role increased even more the following season. He played in a career high 68 games racking up 181 penalty minutes and helping the team win the Calder Cup.
Arsene returned to Hershey once again the next season. It was now his third full season and fourth overall playing with Hershey. The guy who was never drafted was named captain of arguably one of the best hockey franchises in North America. He didn't disappoint. He set career highs in points with 15 and penalty minutes with 187. More importantly he was a big player in the community and quickly becoming a fan favorite. His hard-nosed style caused frequent injuries and his next season with Hershey saw him in only 14 games. That didn't stop him from having a dominating presence. He often sat in with announcer John Walton as his analyst generally speaking his mind about the game and other players with very little filter. He was back in Hershey yet again the next season now his 6th straight. While injuries still kept his game appearances low he once again proved a valuable piece come playoff time playing in 22 games and helping Hershey win another Calder Cup.
While prospects and players around him continued to progress to the next level or receive a call-up, Arsene had yet to reach the NHL. Part of it had to do with the organization. Hershey was a breeding ground for talent especially at the time that Arsene played. Sometimes going back and looking at some of these names can even be fun for me.
Just on defense - Brett Clark was captain in Arsene's first year. He played the next seven seasons in the NHL and three times played in all 82 games. A guy named Johnny Boychuk played in every game that season for Hershey. Too bad Colorado eventually traded him after continually keeping him in the AHL. Then came along Mike Green, John Carlson and Karl Alzner.
Arsene knew the depth and talent in front of him. He had worked his ass off to this point just to be a two-time AHL champion. If he wanted to reach his goal he knew he had to make a change. There is no way it came to him easily after all he had done and accomplished in Hershey, but Arsene decided his best chance to make it to the NHL was to go somewhere else. Going for the dream he chose a team he knew would have availability in a struggling Edmonton Oilers squad. He started the season in the AHL with Springfield as the captain in his first season. As the season progressed and Edmonton's struggles and shaky defense continued, Arsene got the call. And don't think people in Hershey weren't ecstatic to hear about it. Arsene ended up playing in 13 games with Edmonton and picked up 41 penalty minutes including three fights and a misconduct.
Those would be the only NHL games he would play. He ended up going to the St. Louis Blues organization the next year. Again he was the captain right away. He played in all but three games and continued his tough style. He left again after one season this time to a struggling Phoenix organization, but played the whole season in the AHL. He departed again after one season to the newly formed Winnipeg organization but once again found himself stuck in the AHL.
For the 5th season in a row after leaving Hershey he changed organizations this season. He landed in Abbotsford, his hometown, to play for the minor league affiliate for Calgary. Once again he found himself wearing the "C" on his sweater. He played in another 42 AHL games.
At some point the body starts to give. Arsene was the kind of guy you really wanted on your team. There was no lack of passion or drive. His leadership was undeniable. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a guy become the captain of a team in his first season three different times in five seasons. Everything Arsene got he worked for in his career. He deserved those NHL games and got them because others also recognized. Even though he bounced around looking for that second chance at NHL glory I'd like to think a piece of Dean never left Hershey. In the game today you probably won't see another guy play that many seasons in a row for one AHL team.
I'm not sure what the next chapter for Arsene holds. Maybe hockey isn't even a part of it. I'd like to think he would make a good coach especially on a lower level because he knows what it takes to get to the top when you aren't blessed with all the talent in the world. Part of me thinks if his interest is to return to hockey it will be with Hershey. Guess we will find out. The town would be thrilled to have him back.
QUICK SIDE NOTE:
As I blabbered on it was made official that the team from Abbotsford, who happened to be the last team Arsene captained, will indeed be relocated to Glens Falls. Good for them. One team leaves and another takes their place.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
A True River Trail
It's not often our area sees 4-6 inches of rain in a quick period without it being related to a tropical system. It happened yesterday and quickly raised river and streams levels. Even I was surprised as I started driving around. I used the heavy rain to my advantage and went for an extended run. My ability to avoid large puddles ended quickly when the route I was running went over a road that was now a creek crossing. I always wonder what the people driving in the 48 degree downpour are wondering when they come across a flooded stream with a runner galloping through. Though I should thank the drivers who all stopped before crossing the water so the spray from the tires would not hit me. Not like I could have gotten any wetter, but it was in the first mile or so. And yes, you shouldn't drive (or run) through moving water. It was less than an inch high and maybe 20 feet. We do creek crosses in runs up to my waist. Think I can handle it.
I always love a good run in the rain. Makes we want to stay out there even longer. Then I started to realize later in the night just how high the water was getting in some of my not-so-local favorite spots. You see, many trails in the area are located near water. In fact the only ones I can think of that don't have that aspect are the ones that have a high elevation. It's natural they follow the water. Most trails follow railroad tracks built years ago which happened to use the same path as rivers. That's because a river follows a path of least resistance which is also generally low in elevation and flat. It's a perfect place for a path. Except when you get a flash flood.
When I got up this morning I saw that the Blue Marsh Lake recreational area was closed. That's not good. That's just a lake. There potentially go those plans for the weekend. Then it was over to the news. Believe me, I wasn't following much last night with hockey on for six hours. I knew what was coming once you could tell how bad the flooding was on the Schulykill.
Very first on the list was Manayunk. Let's start by saying this isn't a place that has never seen flooding before. It's situated close to the river, partly on an island, situated next to a canal and very low. You almost have to expect a flood. In fact part of the island I'm pretty sure is actually beneath the canal. Main street isn't much higher.
Manayunk will clean up quickly. The trails along the river might be another story. Not only that but flooding was extensive up and down the trail. Certain areas are higher off the water or not that close. Other times you could throw a rock into it. But Manayunk is different. The trail goes from paved to crushed stone. It weaves tightly through vegetation with little bridges over runoffs and the canal. It even turns into a wooden bridge structure as you pass between Main St. and the canal. It had to have taken a lot of water.
The good news is the bars and restaurants in the main part of town are open. While this one was pretty bad they have seen and dealt with it before. People were probably on the trails today even if they were probably at the very least muddy. If not, they will be over the weekend. Maybe I will too.
I always love a good run in the rain. Makes we want to stay out there even longer. Then I started to realize later in the night just how high the water was getting in some of my not-so-local favorite spots. You see, many trails in the area are located near water. In fact the only ones I can think of that don't have that aspect are the ones that have a high elevation. It's natural they follow the water. Most trails follow railroad tracks built years ago which happened to use the same path as rivers. That's because a river follows a path of least resistance which is also generally low in elevation and flat. It's a perfect place for a path. Except when you get a flash flood.
When I got up this morning I saw that the Blue Marsh Lake recreational area was closed. That's not good. That's just a lake. There potentially go those plans for the weekend. Then it was over to the news. Believe me, I wasn't following much last night with hockey on for six hours. I knew what was coming once you could tell how bad the flooding was on the Schulykill.
Very first on the list was Manayunk. Let's start by saying this isn't a place that has never seen flooding before. It's situated close to the river, partly on an island, situated next to a canal and very low. You almost have to expect a flood. In fact part of the island I'm pretty sure is actually beneath the canal. Main street isn't much higher.
Manayunk will clean up quickly. The trails along the river might be another story. Not only that but flooding was extensive up and down the trail. Certain areas are higher off the water or not that close. Other times you could throw a rock into it. But Manayunk is different. The trail goes from paved to crushed stone. It weaves tightly through vegetation with little bridges over runoffs and the canal. It even turns into a wooden bridge structure as you pass between Main St. and the canal. It had to have taken a lot of water.
The good news is the bars and restaurants in the main part of town are open. While this one was pretty bad they have seen and dealt with it before. People were probably on the trails today even if they were probably at the very least muddy. If not, they will be over the weekend. Maybe I will too.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
7-7-7
Three game 7's in one night. Hasn't happened in over 10 years. Why not take this special occasion to make some picks.
Coming into the first round I took New York, Colorado and San Jose to move on. Now they all face potential elimination but all on home ice.
As an overall team the Rangers are better. They use the shot blocking effectiveness of a strong defense combined with a stellar goalie to shut teams down. On the power play they have the personnel to move the puck quickly. The series has lacked the intensity some expected as well as the dramatics with no overtime games. The Flyers wanted it more last night. New York has never lost a game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Flyers win 3-2 in overtime. Game winning goal for Mark Streit.
Clearly my Colorado sweep didn't come to fruition. Let's give credit to Minnesota for playing a strong brand of hockey. The move to Kuemper has helped tremendously. We can't but do tend to forget about Parise and Suter since they both went to Minnesota. Plus they show a lot of promise with up and coming players. Hard to pick against Colorado with the next rookie of the year leading in scoring and a Vezina finalist between the pipes. This is a team that finished ahead of a division with Chicago and St. Louis in it. Give me Minnesota. Coyle with the game winner. Parise scores two.
San Jose has long been the pick of many over the last few seasons to win the Stanley Cup. These thoughts continued especially when they took a 3-0 lead in their series against Los Angeles. Now they are on the verge of being knocked out. A mid series goaltending switch seemed odd but a lot of the change in momentum can be attributed to Jonathan Quick. Not since the Flyers of 2010 has a team came back to win a series after losing the first three. I'll take LA in the reverse sweep 2-1. Why not let a King for the Kings score the winning goal.
If any of these things actually come true I might move to Vegas as none of what I said would be a standard answer. I have a good track record though.
Coming into the first round I took New York, Colorado and San Jose to move on. Now they all face potential elimination but all on home ice.
As an overall team the Rangers are better. They use the shot blocking effectiveness of a strong defense combined with a stellar goalie to shut teams down. On the power play they have the personnel to move the puck quickly. The series has lacked the intensity some expected as well as the dramatics with no overtime games. The Flyers wanted it more last night. New York has never lost a game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Flyers win 3-2 in overtime. Game winning goal for Mark Streit.
Clearly my Colorado sweep didn't come to fruition. Let's give credit to Minnesota for playing a strong brand of hockey. The move to Kuemper has helped tremendously. We can't but do tend to forget about Parise and Suter since they both went to Minnesota. Plus they show a lot of promise with up and coming players. Hard to pick against Colorado with the next rookie of the year leading in scoring and a Vezina finalist between the pipes. This is a team that finished ahead of a division with Chicago and St. Louis in it. Give me Minnesota. Coyle with the game winner. Parise scores two.
San Jose has long been the pick of many over the last few seasons to win the Stanley Cup. These thoughts continued especially when they took a 3-0 lead in their series against Los Angeles. Now they are on the verge of being knocked out. A mid series goaltending switch seemed odd but a lot of the change in momentum can be attributed to Jonathan Quick. Not since the Flyers of 2010 has a team came back to win a series after losing the first three. I'll take LA in the reverse sweep 2-1. Why not let a King for the Kings score the winning goal.
If any of these things actually come true I might move to Vegas as none of what I said would be a standard answer. I have a good track record though.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Misconduct Season
Going to keep this one short. Thanks to the Flyers and Rangers playing the only game tonight I actually get a bit of a rest from all the action. I watched the full San Jose - Los Angeles game last night which ended sometime around or after one. Now there are three game 7's tomorrow to look forward to as well as the five or so hours of sleep.
One thing always ramps up in the playoffs. The misconduct. There is no easier way to get players off the ice when things begin to get testy then handing out misconducts. It happens every season. This one has been no different and we aren't even into the second round. Including the Flyers game tonight which had one fight and one misconduct here are the playoff numbers so far.
16 Fighting Majors (8 Fights)
35 Misconducts
Regular Season Numbers:
1866 Fighting Majors or 933 Fights
230 Misconducts
Anaheim, Los Angeles, Minnesota and San Jose all have as many or more misconducts in the playoffs then they did in the entire regular season. Anaheim is either going to be playing San Jose or Los Angeles. Can't imagine that is going to be a friendly series.
It's not the five minute overtime rule, but it's always a given. In my mind before the playoffs started amongst the group of professionals whether it is the NHL, AHL or ECHL, I figured the leader in points would be around 30 and penalty minutes around 60. The 60 might be a little low now.
One thing always ramps up in the playoffs. The misconduct. There is no easier way to get players off the ice when things begin to get testy then handing out misconducts. It happens every season. This one has been no different and we aren't even into the second round. Including the Flyers game tonight which had one fight and one misconduct here are the playoff numbers so far.
16 Fighting Majors (8 Fights)
35 Misconducts
Regular Season Numbers:
1866 Fighting Majors or 933 Fights
230 Misconducts
Anaheim, Los Angeles, Minnesota and San Jose all have as many or more misconducts in the playoffs then they did in the entire regular season. Anaheim is either going to be playing San Jose or Los Angeles. Can't imagine that is going to be a friendly series.
It's not the five minute overtime rule, but it's always a given. In my mind before the playoffs started amongst the group of professionals whether it is the NHL, AHL or ECHL, I figured the leader in points would be around 30 and penalty minutes around 60. The 60 might be a little low now.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Norris, Seabrook and other things
I'm allowed to have the weekend off. Especially after doing three different activities on Saturday that totaled over 21 miles. Off we go.
The Norris finalists were announced today for best NHL defenseman. The finalists are Chicago's Duncan Keith, Boston's Zdeno Chara and Nashville's Shea Weber. Each player excels on the defensive and offensive sides of the game. Keith finished 6th in the NHL in assists with 55. He also finished in the top 10 in plus minus for defensemen. One player who was ahead of him was Zdeno Chara, the massive now 37 year old Boston Bruin. He also ended the season with 17 goals which ties his second highest season total for his career. If you want to see a guy who can really fire go check out Shea Weber. He led all d-men with 23 goals. It's the second time he has hit the 23 mark. Plus at 28 he is the youngest of the group with many good years in front of him.
All of this is nice. You would expect the finalists to have great numbers. That's not why I included this in the post. None of these guys were drafted in the first round. All of these guys played in the AHL. Go watch your local AHL team. It's a smaller and more intimate setting. It's affordable. And you will be seeing future hall of fame players who will board a bus in the parking lot after the game who will be more than willing to talk to you and sign autographs. By the way, all three Vezina finalists also played in the AHL.
JUNIOR WATCH
I wanted to make note of this before, but I have the weekends off. The OHL finals are set. Both teams rolled through the conference finals. North Bay swept Oshawa. Guelph needed five games to beat a very good Erie team. Guelph ended the season with the 108 points, the most in the league. North Bay had 82. One player on North Bay has been drafted in the second round and another in the fourth by the NHL. Those are the highest draft picks the team has playing. Guelph has two former first round picks, three second round picks, one third round and two fourth round players. That's playoff hockey for you. It's easy to say Guelph should take this but when a team is rolling you never know.
UNDER 18 WC
As predicted by me in my last post Canada and Sweden did indeed meet in the World U18 Championships. It just so happened that it was in the bronze medal game. It was the U.S. who once again dominated the tournaments with a fairly easy win over Sweden and another easy win over the Czech Republic. Couple of names for the U.S. to watch for sure in the next few years. American born players tend to go the route of the university so it could be upwards of four years before they play professionally. That's why the Eichel story could be interesting if he is a top 3 pick. He probably still goes to college. Erik Johnson was the number one pick of the draft in 2006 and he still went to Minnesota even if it was only one season.
Quick note on Brent Seabrook. He and Chicago are moving on in the playoffs. He ended up playing just 3 games due to his suspension. He is in the top ten in scoring and second among defense. A tip of the hat to you and a shoulder to the face.
The Norris finalists were announced today for best NHL defenseman. The finalists are Chicago's Duncan Keith, Boston's Zdeno Chara and Nashville's Shea Weber. Each player excels on the defensive and offensive sides of the game. Keith finished 6th in the NHL in assists with 55. He also finished in the top 10 in plus minus for defensemen. One player who was ahead of him was Zdeno Chara, the massive now 37 year old Boston Bruin. He also ended the season with 17 goals which ties his second highest season total for his career. If you want to see a guy who can really fire go check out Shea Weber. He led all d-men with 23 goals. It's the second time he has hit the 23 mark. Plus at 28 he is the youngest of the group with many good years in front of him.
All of this is nice. You would expect the finalists to have great numbers. That's not why I included this in the post. None of these guys were drafted in the first round. All of these guys played in the AHL. Go watch your local AHL team. It's a smaller and more intimate setting. It's affordable. And you will be seeing future hall of fame players who will board a bus in the parking lot after the game who will be more than willing to talk to you and sign autographs. By the way, all three Vezina finalists also played in the AHL.
JUNIOR WATCH
I wanted to make note of this before, but I have the weekends off. The OHL finals are set. Both teams rolled through the conference finals. North Bay swept Oshawa. Guelph needed five games to beat a very good Erie team. Guelph ended the season with the 108 points, the most in the league. North Bay had 82. One player on North Bay has been drafted in the second round and another in the fourth by the NHL. Those are the highest draft picks the team has playing. Guelph has two former first round picks, three second round picks, one third round and two fourth round players. That's playoff hockey for you. It's easy to say Guelph should take this but when a team is rolling you never know.
UNDER 18 WC
As predicted by me in my last post Canada and Sweden did indeed meet in the World U18 Championships. It just so happened that it was in the bronze medal game. It was the U.S. who once again dominated the tournaments with a fairly easy win over Sweden and another easy win over the Czech Republic. Couple of names for the U.S. to watch for sure in the next few years. American born players tend to go the route of the university so it could be upwards of four years before they play professionally. That's why the Eichel story could be interesting if he is a top 3 pick. He probably still goes to college. Erik Johnson was the number one pick of the draft in 2006 and he still went to Minnesota even if it was only one season.
Quick note on Brent Seabrook. He and Chicago are moving on in the playoffs. He ended up playing just 3 games due to his suspension. He is in the top ten in scoring and second among defense. A tip of the hat to you and a shoulder to the face.
Friday, April 25, 2014
The Young Guns
Maybe the NHL playoff aren't doing it for you. Don't live in an area that has minor professional hockey? Your favorite junior team is out of the playoffs? I invite you to take in some under 18 action tomorrow. Perhaps I should rephrase or qualify that statement. It's the U18 World Hockey Championships in Finland. Remember with hockey there is no off-season.
One of the exciting things for fans to witness when watching this tournament is that these players were not old enough to be in the last NHL draft. Many will be this time around. The draft is only two months away and we are only in the first round of the NHL playoffs. It will be here before the parade route is cleaned up in the winning city. A good amount of future first round picks have been playing in this tournament. The ones who aren't are probably still playing in their various playoff leagues.
Four countries are left to battle to play to go to the gold medal game. Sweden will take on the United States in the first game tomorrow. Canada follows against the Czech Republic. Both Canada and the U.S. finished at the top of their divisions. No real surprise there. It doesn't mean much of anything.
Sweden led the tournament in goal scoring. That doesn't even include their quarterfinal game against Finland which they won 10-0. If that Swedish teams shows up the U.S. team will be in trouble. Sweden is led by William Nylander who will surely be one of the top picks of the draft. You might know his father Michael who had a fairly successful NHL career and is still playing in Europe. The U.S. relies on forward Jack Eichel to lead the offense. He too will certainly be a very high pick in the draft. The difference with Eichel is he will still be too young this season to get drafted.
If you had to pick a team with a slightly easier road I guess it would be Canada. The Czech Republic isn't exactly stacked but doesn't mean they aren't going to be tough. They knocked out Russia on the way to this match-up with Canada with a few top prospects of their own. One thing that hurts Canada is that most of their better players either were or still are playing in the playoffs for their junior teams. Somehow it never seems to bother them.
If I'm making picks look for Canada and Sweden to meet in the finals. The USA can't always dominate. They have won 4 of the last 5 tournaments. Watch this Nylander kid. Or go outside or watch the NHL or whatever else you do on weekends. There will be another tournament in a few more weeks. No, seriously. There will be.
One of the exciting things for fans to witness when watching this tournament is that these players were not old enough to be in the last NHL draft. Many will be this time around. The draft is only two months away and we are only in the first round of the NHL playoffs. It will be here before the parade route is cleaned up in the winning city. A good amount of future first round picks have been playing in this tournament. The ones who aren't are probably still playing in their various playoff leagues.
Four countries are left to battle to play to go to the gold medal game. Sweden will take on the United States in the first game tomorrow. Canada follows against the Czech Republic. Both Canada and the U.S. finished at the top of their divisions. No real surprise there. It doesn't mean much of anything.
Sweden led the tournament in goal scoring. That doesn't even include their quarterfinal game against Finland which they won 10-0. If that Swedish teams shows up the U.S. team will be in trouble. Sweden is led by William Nylander who will surely be one of the top picks of the draft. You might know his father Michael who had a fairly successful NHL career and is still playing in Europe. The U.S. relies on forward Jack Eichel to lead the offense. He too will certainly be a very high pick in the draft. The difference with Eichel is he will still be too young this season to get drafted.
If you had to pick a team with a slightly easier road I guess it would be Canada. The Czech Republic isn't exactly stacked but doesn't mean they aren't going to be tough. They knocked out Russia on the way to this match-up with Canada with a few top prospects of their own. One thing that hurts Canada is that most of their better players either were or still are playing in the playoffs for their junior teams. Somehow it never seems to bother them.
If I'm making picks look for Canada and Sweden to meet in the finals. The USA can't always dominate. They have won 4 of the last 5 tournaments. Watch this Nylander kid. Or go outside or watch the NHL or whatever else you do on weekends. There will be another tournament in a few more weeks. No, seriously. There will be.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
5 Minute Rule
I could write the same article at the same time every year. I had planned on opening this with a recap of the opening night playoffs in the AHL when I saw both games ended 3-2 in overtime I steered this into a different direction.
I have a rule. The majority of hockey playoff games that head to overtime will end in the first five minutes of a period. I have been saying this for years. Now here is where I hopefully insert some figures to back my assessment since I have not researched it this season aside from the two AHL games last night.
We can start with those since I already know what happened. Springfield defeated Providence just over two minutes into overtime. One for one. Texas defeated Oklahoma City at the 5:35 mark of overtime. 35 seconds after is still after so can't count it. AHL is one for two which I believe is 50%.
Onto the NHL. The numbers unfortunately are not supporting my theory. Yet. 3 of the 9 games that have gone to overtime this playoff season have ended in the first five minutes of the period. Two other ended before the six minute mark was hit. Again, we can't count those though I feel comfortable moving forward that the numbers will move in my favor.
The ECHL hasn't had nearly as many this season. Up until today 1 of the 3 games ended under the five minute mark. Maybe the numbers are trying to tell me something. Like maybe the actual number is closer to 33%. Or maybe it ends up closer to the 25% mark which would apparently make a lot of sense.
In any event I am sticking with this idea. A running tracker will now be up on the right side of the screen to follow the professional leagues for the rest of the playoffs. It will prove me right or wrong.
And now for your barbaric pleasure. Darnell Nurse finished out his OHL season and quickly reported to the Edmonton Oiler affiliate in Oklahoma City. Last night he played in his very first professional playoff game, earning an assist and his very first fight. Nurse was picked with the 7th overall pick by Edmonton in 2013 in hopes of shoring up the defense.
I have a rule. The majority of hockey playoff games that head to overtime will end in the first five minutes of a period. I have been saying this for years. Now here is where I hopefully insert some figures to back my assessment since I have not researched it this season aside from the two AHL games last night.
We can start with those since I already know what happened. Springfield defeated Providence just over two minutes into overtime. One for one. Texas defeated Oklahoma City at the 5:35 mark of overtime. 35 seconds after is still after so can't count it. AHL is one for two which I believe is 50%.
Onto the NHL. The numbers unfortunately are not supporting my theory. Yet. 3 of the 9 games that have gone to overtime this playoff season have ended in the first five minutes of the period. Two other ended before the six minute mark was hit. Again, we can't count those though I feel comfortable moving forward that the numbers will move in my favor.
The ECHL hasn't had nearly as many this season. Up until today 1 of the 3 games ended under the five minute mark. Maybe the numbers are trying to tell me something. Like maybe the actual number is closer to 33%. Or maybe it ends up closer to the 25% mark which would apparently make a lot of sense.
In any event I am sticking with this idea. A running tracker will now be up on the right side of the screen to follow the professional leagues for the rest of the playoffs. It will prove me right or wrong.
And now for your barbaric pleasure. Darnell Nurse finished out his OHL season and quickly reported to the Edmonton Oiler affiliate in Oklahoma City. Last night he played in his very first professional playoff game, earning an assist and his very first fight. Nurse was picked with the 7th overall pick by Edmonton in 2013 in hopes of shoring up the defense.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
First to Go
The Tampa Bay Lightning were eliminated in the quickest way possible last night in Montreal. Was Montreal that good or Tampa that bad?
In the beginning of the season I didn't think Tampa would make the playoffs. My concern was their goaltending. It turned out to be their strength. Ben Bishop came into the season having never been a number one NHL goalie. Ottawa traded him to Tampa at the end of last season for Cory Conacher. Bishop became the go to guy this season winning 37 games and posting a 2.23 goals against average. Conacher was waived by Ottawa.
Outside of the large shoulders of Bishop Tampa saw the rise of rookie Andrej Palat who led the team in points and finished second in rookie scoring. Not bad for the guy picked 208th. Victor Hedman showed why he was the second overall pick in 2009. Coming into the season he had scored 16 goals in over 250 NHL games. He had 13 this season ending up 5th in defensive scoring. Let's not forget Tyler Johnson. He played in all 82 games scoring 24 goals as a rookie. He was never drafted at all. Both Palat and Johnson were named two of the three finalists for the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year.
They managed a successful season without the best pure goal scorer in hockey in Steven Stamkos who missed half the season with a broken leg. They also lost long time Tampa star Martin St. Louis when he asked for a trade. And biggest of all, lost their starting goalie for the playoffs with an injury.
Backup Anders Lindback did not have a very good series. I hope his family in Sweden gets a Swedish feed of the game instead of the CBC broadcast. The crew was not particularly fond of his play. I doubt Lindback was very pleased either. Couple that with an early Palat injury and a Stamkos at less than 100% and things quickly turned. The good news for Tampa is the team is still young. Not only that but they have more young players on the way like Jonathan Drouin who could have his name in the mix for the Calder next season.
The Answer: Tampa played that bad. No disrespect to Tampa or Detroit but the thought of a potential second round series of Boston against Montreal gives me great pleasure as a hockey fan.
In the beginning of the season I didn't think Tampa would make the playoffs. My concern was their goaltending. It turned out to be their strength. Ben Bishop came into the season having never been a number one NHL goalie. Ottawa traded him to Tampa at the end of last season for Cory Conacher. Bishop became the go to guy this season winning 37 games and posting a 2.23 goals against average. Conacher was waived by Ottawa.
Outside of the large shoulders of Bishop Tampa saw the rise of rookie Andrej Palat who led the team in points and finished second in rookie scoring. Not bad for the guy picked 208th. Victor Hedman showed why he was the second overall pick in 2009. Coming into the season he had scored 16 goals in over 250 NHL games. He had 13 this season ending up 5th in defensive scoring. Let's not forget Tyler Johnson. He played in all 82 games scoring 24 goals as a rookie. He was never drafted at all. Both Palat and Johnson were named two of the three finalists for the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year.
They managed a successful season without the best pure goal scorer in hockey in Steven Stamkos who missed half the season with a broken leg. They also lost long time Tampa star Martin St. Louis when he asked for a trade. And biggest of all, lost their starting goalie for the playoffs with an injury.
Backup Anders Lindback did not have a very good series. I hope his family in Sweden gets a Swedish feed of the game instead of the CBC broadcast. The crew was not particularly fond of his play. I doubt Lindback was very pleased either. Couple that with an early Palat injury and a Stamkos at less than 100% and things quickly turned. The good news for Tampa is the team is still young. Not only that but they have more young players on the way like Jonathan Drouin who could have his name in the mix for the Calder next season.
The Answer: Tampa played that bad. No disrespect to Tampa or Detroit but the thought of a potential second round series of Boston against Montreal gives me great pleasure as a hockey fan.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
A Look at Cooke
I'm reminded of an episode of Home Improvement in which main character Tim Taylor, never one to have a full grasp of things, is sitting in his garage. Within a conversation of a situation he does not fully understand with his mother, she make this comment. "There is a sign above your head that says not getting it." Matt Cooke doesn't get it, and there is nothing you can do about it.
NHL playoff hockey will consistently bring out the highest intensity from players. Skilled players are moving targets. Nobody and nothing is off limits. We saw it recently with the illegal hit to the head of St. Louis captain David Backes by Chicago's Brent Seabrook, a guy who has been targeted in the playoffs in the past. We heard it with the subsequent mocking of the clearly concussed Backes by Duncan Keith. All three of those players are Olympians. What also comes to the surface at this time is the dirtiness and cheapness of other less skilled players.
The Matt Cooke rap sheet is long and quite extensive. His name is well known at the league office. He became the face of change when his blindside hit of Boston forward Marc Savard practically ended his career. No suspension was given and the rules on head shots changed. It didn't mean Cooke would change. He was suspended the following season for a hit from behind and shortly thereafter received his longest suspension for a blatant elbow to the head of Ranger Ryan McDonagh. That got him 10 games plus missing the first round of the playoffs. Cooke was determined to change his style. He did. The following season of 2011-12 he played in every regular season game only picking up 22 minor penalties.
It's at this point I believe Cooke realized cheap shots could be delivered by and to the lower half of the body. Last season Cooke managed to cut the achillies tendon of Ottawa's Erik Karlsson when Cooke inexplicably raised his skate to the back of Karlsson's leg as they went into the boards. Cooke was not suspended, but the play was highly questioned.
Fast forward to last night.
Following head shots the knee on knee hit can be one of the most serious and long lasting hockey injuries. Cooke knew what he was doing. Oddly enough Cooke has a tendency with his cheap shots to target skilled or important players. See above with Karlsson, Savard and McDonagh. Barrie was the leading goal scorer and plus/minus getter for defenseman on Colorado in his first full NHL season. Now he is done for at least a month.
My Verdict: Cooke is the epitome of what the NHL wants to eliminate. He is a repeat of a repeat of a repeat offender. He has no business playing. Quite honestly the guy is a moron.
I'm going to do something a little different. Cooke should be suspended for the rest of the playoffs or 10 total games. This way he is guaranteed to miss all of the playoffs even if Minnesota goes past the 10 game mark and if they do not the suspension carries into the following season.
NHL playoff hockey will consistently bring out the highest intensity from players. Skilled players are moving targets. Nobody and nothing is off limits. We saw it recently with the illegal hit to the head of St. Louis captain David Backes by Chicago's Brent Seabrook, a guy who has been targeted in the playoffs in the past. We heard it with the subsequent mocking of the clearly concussed Backes by Duncan Keith. All three of those players are Olympians. What also comes to the surface at this time is the dirtiness and cheapness of other less skilled players.
The Matt Cooke rap sheet is long and quite extensive. His name is well known at the league office. He became the face of change when his blindside hit of Boston forward Marc Savard practically ended his career. No suspension was given and the rules on head shots changed. It didn't mean Cooke would change. He was suspended the following season for a hit from behind and shortly thereafter received his longest suspension for a blatant elbow to the head of Ranger Ryan McDonagh. That got him 10 games plus missing the first round of the playoffs. Cooke was determined to change his style. He did. The following season of 2011-12 he played in every regular season game only picking up 22 minor penalties.
It's at this point I believe Cooke realized cheap shots could be delivered by and to the lower half of the body. Last season Cooke managed to cut the achillies tendon of Ottawa's Erik Karlsson when Cooke inexplicably raised his skate to the back of Karlsson's leg as they went into the boards. Cooke was not suspended, but the play was highly questioned.
Fast forward to last night.
Following head shots the knee on knee hit can be one of the most serious and long lasting hockey injuries. Cooke knew what he was doing. Oddly enough Cooke has a tendency with his cheap shots to target skilled or important players. See above with Karlsson, Savard and McDonagh. Barrie was the leading goal scorer and plus/minus getter for defenseman on Colorado in his first full NHL season. Now he is done for at least a month.
My Verdict: Cooke is the epitome of what the NHL wants to eliminate. He is a repeat of a repeat of a repeat offender. He has no business playing. Quite honestly the guy is a moron.
I'm going to do something a little different. Cooke should be suspended for the rest of the playoffs or 10 total games. This way he is guaranteed to miss all of the playoffs even if Minnesota goes past the 10 game mark and if they do not the suspension carries into the following season.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Goal or No Goal
I was planning on taking this article in a completely different direction. Then I thought about the title of this page. The design is to look at hockey with a neutral and unbiased tone. If something is controversial let's talk about it. So I'll put my original idea on the back burner and look at game 3 of Tampa vs. Montreal.
The score is tied at one with less than five minutes to play in the second period. Tampa is already down 2-0 in the series losing both games at home. Reeling with injuries to key players and questionable goaltending, Tampa now has to win in one of the toughest environments in the game. To make matters worse, Montreal scored 11 seconds into the game, but Tampa has quieted the the offense to this point.
THE DILEMMA
The call on the ice from Francis Charron was no goal (link might still go to a rather amusing Wikipedia article). Or eventually was no goal once he thought about it. Charron had about five seconds to make a decision. We have more.
Let's start from the beginning. Alex Killorn takes a cross ice path on the left wing side driving hard to the net. He looks like he wants to pull it to the backhand but collides with Montreal forward David Desharnais and the left pad/toe of goalie Carey Price. The resulting collision sends Killorn into the Montreal net. Nothing wrong with this so far.
P.K. Subban baseball swings the puck out of mid air above the net and stumbles over Killorn who is still fully inside the Montreal net. The puck goes back to the point before being passed back across ice. At this point Subban, looking to make a defensive play moves out towards the play. Price meanwhile skates back across his crease after the original collision took him away from the net. Now the fun part.
Since Subban moves out, Killorn has an opportunity to get himself out of the net. He does. It also coincides with Price following the play to the left. Price initiates the contact while also falling to his knees taking himself further away from the play when the puck returns back to the middle of the ice. Ryan Callahan spins, shoots and watches the puck deflect into the net. After some hesitation Charron waves off the goal.
It's quite clear the announcers do not agree with the call. On this site we can appreciate that because this is the from the CBC. As the only Canadian team in the playoffs, they have some rooting interest. Lightning coach Jon Cooper also disagreed calling it a "fuckin bullshit call" and followed it with "rookie call."
The question is was it the correct call. I could only naturally wonder if a guy from Quebec, officiating his second playoff game, in front of home town fans might have given Montreal the extra benefit of the doubt. These guys are professionals. I'd surely hope and assume that things like that are not taken into consideration. So let's put aside the connection between a French-Canadian official and a French-Canadian team.
Francis Charron, with interpretation of the rule, felt there was enough contact to wave the goal off. That's his decision. Like many aspects of the game this decision was made solely based on an opinion. It's hard to fault a guy for the way he saw something. When you dissect the play my feel was contact was minimal, initiated and sold by the goalie and did not directly result in or contribute to the goal.
Had the goal counted Tampa would have went up 2-1. There is no telling what would have happened the rest of the way. I also can't tell you if Tampa was deflated after the no goal or more determined to score. In light of all the other events I'd assume it was probably the former. One play doesn't make a series. Montreal is playing far better hockey.
This however should have been a goal.
The score is tied at one with less than five minutes to play in the second period. Tampa is already down 2-0 in the series losing both games at home. Reeling with injuries to key players and questionable goaltending, Tampa now has to win in one of the toughest environments in the game. To make matters worse, Montreal scored 11 seconds into the game, but Tampa has quieted the the offense to this point.
THE DILEMMA
The call on the ice from Francis Charron was no goal (link might still go to a rather amusing Wikipedia article). Or eventually was no goal once he thought about it. Charron had about five seconds to make a decision. We have more.
Let's start from the beginning. Alex Killorn takes a cross ice path on the left wing side driving hard to the net. He looks like he wants to pull it to the backhand but collides with Montreal forward David Desharnais and the left pad/toe of goalie Carey Price. The resulting collision sends Killorn into the Montreal net. Nothing wrong with this so far.
P.K. Subban baseball swings the puck out of mid air above the net and stumbles over Killorn who is still fully inside the Montreal net. The puck goes back to the point before being passed back across ice. At this point Subban, looking to make a defensive play moves out towards the play. Price meanwhile skates back across his crease after the original collision took him away from the net. Now the fun part.
Since Subban moves out, Killorn has an opportunity to get himself out of the net. He does. It also coincides with Price following the play to the left. Price initiates the contact while also falling to his knees taking himself further away from the play when the puck returns back to the middle of the ice. Ryan Callahan spins, shoots and watches the puck deflect into the net. After some hesitation Charron waves off the goal.
It's quite clear the announcers do not agree with the call. On this site we can appreciate that because this is the from the CBC. As the only Canadian team in the playoffs, they have some rooting interest. Lightning coach Jon Cooper also disagreed calling it a "fuckin bullshit call" and followed it with "rookie call."
The question is was it the correct call. I could only naturally wonder if a guy from Quebec, officiating his second playoff game, in front of home town fans might have given Montreal the extra benefit of the doubt. These guys are professionals. I'd surely hope and assume that things like that are not taken into consideration. So let's put aside the connection between a French-Canadian official and a French-Canadian team.
Francis Charron, with interpretation of the rule, felt there was enough contact to wave the goal off. That's his decision. Like many aspects of the game this decision was made solely based on an opinion. It's hard to fault a guy for the way he saw something. When you dissect the play my feel was contact was minimal, initiated and sold by the goalie and did not directly result in or contribute to the goal.
Had the goal counted Tampa would have went up 2-1. There is no telling what would have happened the rest of the way. I also can't tell you if Tampa was deflated after the no goal or more determined to score. In light of all the other events I'd assume it was probably the former. One play doesn't make a series. Montreal is playing far better hockey.
This however should have been a goal.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
End of the Line
The American Hockey League concluded their regular season last night. The AHL was the last remaining professional league in North America and Europe still finishing out. As teams begin to transition towards the playoffs, one team begins a transition of their own.
In keeping with the theme of transitions, this blog has made one as well. A shift to more writing, focusing predominantly on anything hockey related will now be the norm. There might also be some personal stories of events I participate in or activities that I do. Pictures and videos will still be included. The goal is to create at least one story everyday. Since hockey is practically a year round sport, it shouldn't be too hard. What better way to start the new site than an American Hockey League story with a personal touch.
In 2009 the Philadelphia Phantoms were in the midst of their last season playing in Philadelphia. It had been announced earlier that the Spectrum was going to be torn down to make room for a new facility. It also meant the Phantoms were left without a home. Comcast sold the Phantoms to a group with the intention of moving the Phantoms to Allentown. The only problem was Allentown had no arena to house the hockey team. They would have to build one. In the meantime the Phantoms would need to find a new home. In stepped Glens Falls, New York.
Glens Falls were not new to hockey or the AHL. They were once home to the Adirondack Red Wings who left the small town north of Albany in 1999. For the next ten years the town would be without AHL hockey. It all changed when the Phantoms decided to use Glens Falls as their temporary home while construction began on a new arena in Allentown. The guess was the team would play a couple seasons. I think it lasted longer than anticipated. Nonetheless, the team was welcomed into town by fans knowing full well the team would eventually leave. Last night, after five seasons in New York, the Adirondack Phantoms played their final game.
Fittingly for the Phantoms, the last game of the season was played in Hershey, a long time rival of the team and former affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Phantoms didn't win the game. In fact in the five seasons they had in Glens Falls, the team never made the playoffs. As nice as it would have been for the fans, I'm not really sure it mattered. Having a hockey team to call their own even if it was brief was cause for celebration.
The Adirondack Phantoms book has officially ended. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms book is only beginning. A rivalry with nearby Hershey and Wilkes-Barre is sure to begin. The enthusiasm for Lehigh Valley residents to enjoy professional hockey at a brand new arena is high. It's less than six months away. What becomes of Glen Falls remains a question. All NHL teams are currently affiliated with an AHL city. It was announced earlier in the week that the Calgary Flames will be leaving their current location in Abbotsford. It would only seem fitting that Glen Falls becomes the new home. Besides, it's probably easier for New York residents to root for players in the Calgary organization than the Flyers.
Here is a look at the last group of players to ever play for the Adirondack Phantoms.
I'd like to mention one thing about this team and another reason why I love hockey. You can forever look at this date - April 19, 2014 - and know this was the last game played in franchise history. What will not stand out is what happened one week before.
On April 12th in Philadelphia, Union College defeated Minnesota in the NCAA Championship to earn their first ever hockey title. It was an exciting game with scoring and the physicality you expect to see.
Union was led by defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, number 14 above. Tom Serratore, # 21, played for Minnesota. One week later and teammates.
In keeping with the theme of transitions, this blog has made one as well. A shift to more writing, focusing predominantly on anything hockey related will now be the norm. There might also be some personal stories of events I participate in or activities that I do. Pictures and videos will still be included. The goal is to create at least one story everyday. Since hockey is practically a year round sport, it shouldn't be too hard. What better way to start the new site than an American Hockey League story with a personal touch.
In 2009 the Philadelphia Phantoms were in the midst of their last season playing in Philadelphia. It had been announced earlier that the Spectrum was going to be torn down to make room for a new facility. It also meant the Phantoms were left without a home. Comcast sold the Phantoms to a group with the intention of moving the Phantoms to Allentown. The only problem was Allentown had no arena to house the hockey team. They would have to build one. In the meantime the Phantoms would need to find a new home. In stepped Glens Falls, New York.
Glens Falls were not new to hockey or the AHL. They were once home to the Adirondack Red Wings who left the small town north of Albany in 1999. For the next ten years the town would be without AHL hockey. It all changed when the Phantoms decided to use Glens Falls as their temporary home while construction began on a new arena in Allentown. The guess was the team would play a couple seasons. I think it lasted longer than anticipated. Nonetheless, the team was welcomed into town by fans knowing full well the team would eventually leave. Last night, after five seasons in New York, the Adirondack Phantoms played their final game.
Fittingly for the Phantoms, the last game of the season was played in Hershey, a long time rival of the team and former affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Phantoms didn't win the game. In fact in the five seasons they had in Glens Falls, the team never made the playoffs. As nice as it would have been for the fans, I'm not really sure it mattered. Having a hockey team to call their own even if it was brief was cause for celebration.
The Adirondack Phantoms book has officially ended. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms book is only beginning. A rivalry with nearby Hershey and Wilkes-Barre is sure to begin. The enthusiasm for Lehigh Valley residents to enjoy professional hockey at a brand new arena is high. It's less than six months away. What becomes of Glen Falls remains a question. All NHL teams are currently affiliated with an AHL city. It was announced earlier in the week that the Calgary Flames will be leaving their current location in Abbotsford. It would only seem fitting that Glen Falls becomes the new home. Besides, it's probably easier for New York residents to root for players in the Calgary organization than the Flyers.
Here is a look at the last group of players to ever play for the Adirondack Phantoms.
I'd like to mention one thing about this team and another reason why I love hockey. You can forever look at this date - April 19, 2014 - and know this was the last game played in franchise history. What will not stand out is what happened one week before.
On April 12th in Philadelphia, Union College defeated Minnesota in the NCAA Championship to earn their first ever hockey title. It was an exciting game with scoring and the physicality you expect to see.
Union was led by defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, number 14 above. Tom Serratore, # 21, played for Minnesota. One week later and teammates.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Playoffs March 25th #2
London is a very good team. They won on this night 10-2. And this is against another playoff team. With that being said this team has all the possibilities of making a run towards the finals. That's why Anthony Stolarz made a stupid decision. Check it.
No reason at all to do this unless you count the swing at an attempted rebound that caught a ton of goalie pad. More amazingly he did it right in front of the ref and received a high sticking minor. The league was not as lenient. He is sitting 8 games. Had he given the same whack to the back of the legs he probably would have walked with nothing. Why swing at his head is anybody's guess.
Stolarz is a second round pick of the Flyers so guess he will fit in with the Phantoms next season.
No reason at all to do this unless you count the swing at an attempted rebound that caught a ton of goalie pad. More amazingly he did it right in front of the ref and received a high sticking minor. The league was not as lenient. He is sitting 8 games. Had he given the same whack to the back of the legs he probably would have walked with nothing. Why swing at his head is anybody's guess.
Stolarz is a second round pick of the Flyers so guess he will fit in with the Phantoms next season.
Playoffs March 25th
It's not playoff related but Syracuse and Adirondack of the great AHL hit 150 penalty minutes on Sunday. Really not much of a surprise at this point for the Phantoms. A story will follow later in the season about this team.
On to the OHL.
We begin with a video showing how you get suspended for a large chunk of the playoffs. Watch Brock McGinn.
Good example of the type of hits hockey is trying to get rid of. He comes from a blind side and targets the head. Could have been a lot worse for the targeted player. McGinn is a second round pick of Carolina and comes from a hockey family with both brothers in the NHL (Philadelphia and Colorado). Sitting for 8.
Over 100 again. This time it is Kingston and Peterborough. Let's just say there were 18 penalty minutes going into the final minute of play. The game ended with 123.
On to the OHL.
We begin with a video showing how you get suspended for a large chunk of the playoffs. Watch Brock McGinn.
Good example of the type of hits hockey is trying to get rid of. He comes from a blind side and targets the head. Could have been a lot worse for the targeted player. McGinn is a second round pick of Carolina and comes from a hockey family with both brothers in the NHL (Philadelphia and Colorado). Sitting for 8.
Over 100 again. This time it is Kingston and Peterborough. Let's just say there were 18 penalty minutes going into the final minute of play. The game ended with 123.
Playoffs March 22nd
It's time for the OHL and QMJHL to get going.
Windsor and London combined for 132 penalty minutes in their game highlighted by this fracas which resulted in 5 ejections.
Charlottetown and Halifax would not be outdone tonight. These two teams piled up 174 penalty minutes featuring the scrum below which resulted in 4 ejections.
Windsor and London combined for 132 penalty minutes in their game highlighted by this fracas which resulted in 5 ejections.
Charlottetown and Halifax would not be outdone tonight. These two teams piled up 174 penalty minutes featuring the scrum below which resulted in 4 ejections.
Playoffs March 21st
Lots of teams in action last Friday. Not too much in the world of penalties and fighting. I choose this solid bout as my video of the night.
Gabriel is a third round pick of Minnesota. He was tied for second on his team in points, fights and penalty minutes. In other words, my kind of guy. He didn't do too well in this one.
Gabriel is a third round pick of Minnesota. He was tied for second on his team in points, fights and penalty minutes. In other words, my kind of guy. He didn't do too well in this one.
Playoff Time
The major junior league playoffs started last Thursday. Videos have been slow to make their way online otherwise I would have been posting every day. Regardless and not surprisingly the playoffs have resembled playoff hockey. Let's dive in.
Kootenay and Calgary started off the WHL playoffs by totaling 111 penalty minutes. Great way to start a series.
Here is a video of how the game ended. Not too much action. Just enough to show the other team what you got.
Kootenay and Calgary started off the WHL playoffs by totaling 111 penalty minutes. Great way to start a series.
Here is a video of how the game ended. Not too much action. Just enough to show the other team what you got.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Hello Phantoms
The ECHL finally had their first goalie fight of the season on Saturday with Reading and Evansville. One day later and the AHL raises the bar again with their 3rd of the season.
The Phantoms will generally not be confused with a great team however they really enjoy the rough stuff and have now for quite some time. On Sunday they really lost their shit.
Clearly we are going to see some suspensions here. As much as the style of hockey is changing you wouldn't necessarily know it if you watched the AHL. For fun I looked at how many teams do not have a player with at least 100 penalty minutes this season. That number was 14. The Phantoms have five guys over 100 and weren't even in the top three in fighting penalties this season. That probably changed tonight.
The Phantoms will generally not be confused with a great team however they really enjoy the rough stuff and have now for quite some time. On Sunday they really lost their shit.
Clearly we are going to see some suspensions here. As much as the style of hockey is changing you wouldn't necessarily know it if you watched the AHL. For fun I looked at how many teams do not have a player with at least 100 penalty minutes this season. That number was 14. The Phantoms have five guys over 100 and weren't even in the top three in fighting penalties this season. That probably changed tonight.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Goalies Again
Second time this year for the AHL. Always seems more interesting when there were no other fights going on at the time.
Milwaukee's Michael Liambas passed the 100 penalty minute mark in the game as well. And as I have expected for awhile he did it by getting a misconduct. That is now the 9th player to hit triple digits.
Binghamton's Michael Sdao hit exactly 100 with a boarding minor. It's a minor but at least a physical penalty.
Zack Stortini now has 21 fights this season which is more than 20 NHL teams.
Milwaukee's Michael Liambas passed the 100 penalty minute mark in the game as well. And as I have expected for awhile he did it by getting a misconduct. That is now the 9th player to hit triple digits.
Binghamton's Michael Sdao hit exactly 100 with a boarding minor. It's a minor but at least a physical penalty.
Zack Stortini now has 21 fights this season which is more than 20 NHL teams.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Leaderboard
I wanted to get a post up on New Year's Day tracking all the team and league leaders through the 2013 part of the season. I didn't get the time so instead we add a few days and now give the list for the top 3 North American leagues up through games from last night.
All player numbers come from my own stats which should be close to accurate.
BEST TEAMS (Points)
NHL
Chicago - 66
Anaheim - 65
St. Louis - 61
Pittsburgh - 61
San Jose - 58
This tells me that come playoff time you might want to watch the western matchups. There are three more teams in the west with at least 50 points. The east has a total of four teams above 50. This also shows that through injuries and suspensions somehow Pittsburgh keeps winning.
AHL
Manchester - 50
Springfield - 50
Grand Rapids - 49
Abbotsford - 48
Texas - 47
Historically these teams have generally been somewhere between average and decent. So to see this group at the top is a nice change. Grand Rapids did win it all last year and are clearly off to another great start. Always excellent drafting by Detroit. Another nice note is maybe an upside in Calgary with Abbotsford playing well.
ECHL
South Carolina - 49
Ontario - 48
Florida - 42
Colorado - 41
Cincinnati - 40
Strong group here. I went with points and the first thing I thought about when I saw the top 5 was where is Alaska. Turns out they have a better winning percentage than two of these teams but haven't played as many games. Throw them into the mix and this is a solid grouping. Interesting to see what happens as South Carolina has pretty much been obliterated by AHL recalls.
INDIVIDUAL SCORING (My stats not official)
NHL
Pittsburgh - Sidney Crosby: 63
Chicago - Patrick Kane: 54
Anaheim - Ryan Getzlaf: 46
Pittsburgh - Chris Kunitz: 46
San Jose: Joe Thornton: 46
No surprise at the top. Flyers missing out on that Kane pick is still a kick in the ass. Kunitz a huge benefactor in playing with Crosby. He better be scoring. Thornton still underrated and under appreciated.
AHL
Texas- Travis Morin: 44
Binghamton- Mike Hoffman: 37
Texas- Colton Sceviour: 36
Texas- Chris Mueller: 35
Bridgeport- Ryan Strome: 33
Any guess at which AHL team scores a lot? Strome will get knocked off this list. He was a high pick by the Islanders and as a rookie has been recalled. Probably not going back down for awhile.
ECHL
Fort Wayne- Brandon Marino: 39
Colorado- Trent Daavettila: 38
Florida- Matthew Pistilli: 36
Colorado- Kevin Ulanski: 35
Idaho- Anthony Nigro: 34
100 CLUB
NHL
NY Rangers- Derek Dorsett: 103
Dallas- Antoine Roussel: 103
Dorsett broke his leg so the crown is up in the air this season. Roussel could take the championship back home to France which is mind boggling. The dude is tough but I can't think of one other player in the NHL from France and would not think toughness first from a dude from France. Guy is a giant pest who really gets under your skin. Three guys sitting in the 90's right now.
AHL
Norfolk- Zack Stortini: 149
Bridgeport- Brett Gallant: 139
Bridgeport- Justin Johnson: 130
Wilkes-Barre- Pierre-Luc Leblond: 120
Hartford- Dylan McIlrath: 119
Providence- Bobby Robins: 118
Worcester- Curt Gogol: 112
Hershey- Dane Byers: 103
It's the AHL what did you expect. Lots of known toughness with this group. Robins is the defending champ and missed a portion of this year with an injury. We will see who hits 200 first.
ECHL
Colorado- Jesse Mychan: 123
Utah- Danick Paquette: 122
Las Vegas- Adam Huxley: 115
Las Vegas- Matt Tassone: 112
Orlando- Ian Slater: 108
Toledo- Emmerson Clark: 103
Mychan came out of nowhere. The rest of the group I generally know well. Huxley has been around for years and Paquette is like a Roussel. Could be a solid year for some players.
My goal last year and this year until it never happened was to document how a player got to the +100 penalty mark only because it always seemed to be on a fight or misconduct instead of a simple minor. I'm going to try to update that as it happens the rest of the way through (and for the 200 mark as well) starting with tonight when somebody should hit the 100 number. AHL and NHL only. 200 for ECHL.
TEAM TOUGHNESS (Top 3)
NHL
Philadelphia: 666
Toronto: 576
Ottawa: 553
FIGHTS
Philadelphia: 28
Toronto: 28
Montreal: 25
Anybody know the next time Philly and Toronto play?
AHL
Bridgeport: 885
Hartford: 775
Adirondack: 762
All three in the same freakin division. Now that's some fun watching.
FIGHTS
Bridgeport: 54
Norfolk: 52
Hartford: 47
For a little comparison with those NHL totals at least half the teams in the AHL have 28 fights.
ECHL
Idaho: 643
Las Vegas: 627
Orlando: 593
FIGHTS
Ontario: 39
Stockton: 38
San Francisco: 36
Just for fun - Total Fighting majors by league:
ECHL- 559
NHL- 537
AHL- 915
All player numbers come from my own stats which should be close to accurate.
BEST TEAMS (Points)
NHL
Chicago - 66
Anaheim - 65
St. Louis - 61
Pittsburgh - 61
San Jose - 58
This tells me that come playoff time you might want to watch the western matchups. There are three more teams in the west with at least 50 points. The east has a total of four teams above 50. This also shows that through injuries and suspensions somehow Pittsburgh keeps winning.
AHL
Manchester - 50
Springfield - 50
Grand Rapids - 49
Abbotsford - 48
Texas - 47
Historically these teams have generally been somewhere between average and decent. So to see this group at the top is a nice change. Grand Rapids did win it all last year and are clearly off to another great start. Always excellent drafting by Detroit. Another nice note is maybe an upside in Calgary with Abbotsford playing well.
ECHL
South Carolina - 49
Ontario - 48
Florida - 42
Colorado - 41
Cincinnati - 40
Strong group here. I went with points and the first thing I thought about when I saw the top 5 was where is Alaska. Turns out they have a better winning percentage than two of these teams but haven't played as many games. Throw them into the mix and this is a solid grouping. Interesting to see what happens as South Carolina has pretty much been obliterated by AHL recalls.
INDIVIDUAL SCORING (My stats not official)
NHL
Pittsburgh - Sidney Crosby: 63
Chicago - Patrick Kane: 54
Anaheim - Ryan Getzlaf: 46
Pittsburgh - Chris Kunitz: 46
San Jose: Joe Thornton: 46
No surprise at the top. Flyers missing out on that Kane pick is still a kick in the ass. Kunitz a huge benefactor in playing with Crosby. He better be scoring. Thornton still underrated and under appreciated.
AHL
Texas- Travis Morin: 44
Binghamton- Mike Hoffman: 37
Texas- Colton Sceviour: 36
Texas- Chris Mueller: 35
Bridgeport- Ryan Strome: 33
Any guess at which AHL team scores a lot? Strome will get knocked off this list. He was a high pick by the Islanders and as a rookie has been recalled. Probably not going back down for awhile.
ECHL
Fort Wayne- Brandon Marino: 39
Colorado- Trent Daavettila: 38
Florida- Matthew Pistilli: 36
Colorado- Kevin Ulanski: 35
Idaho- Anthony Nigro: 34
100 CLUB
NHL
NY Rangers- Derek Dorsett: 103
Dallas- Antoine Roussel: 103
Dorsett broke his leg so the crown is up in the air this season. Roussel could take the championship back home to France which is mind boggling. The dude is tough but I can't think of one other player in the NHL from France and would not think toughness first from a dude from France. Guy is a giant pest who really gets under your skin. Three guys sitting in the 90's right now.
AHL
Norfolk- Zack Stortini: 149
Bridgeport- Brett Gallant: 139
Bridgeport- Justin Johnson: 130
Wilkes-Barre- Pierre-Luc Leblond: 120
Hartford- Dylan McIlrath: 119
Providence- Bobby Robins: 118
Worcester- Curt Gogol: 112
Hershey- Dane Byers: 103
It's the AHL what did you expect. Lots of known toughness with this group. Robins is the defending champ and missed a portion of this year with an injury. We will see who hits 200 first.
ECHL
Colorado- Jesse Mychan: 123
Utah- Danick Paquette: 122
Las Vegas- Adam Huxley: 115
Las Vegas- Matt Tassone: 112
Orlando- Ian Slater: 108
Toledo- Emmerson Clark: 103
Mychan came out of nowhere. The rest of the group I generally know well. Huxley has been around for years and Paquette is like a Roussel. Could be a solid year for some players.
My goal last year and this year until it never happened was to document how a player got to the +100 penalty mark only because it always seemed to be on a fight or misconduct instead of a simple minor. I'm going to try to update that as it happens the rest of the way through (and for the 200 mark as well) starting with tonight when somebody should hit the 100 number. AHL and NHL only. 200 for ECHL.
TEAM TOUGHNESS (Top 3)
NHL
Philadelphia: 666
Toronto: 576
Ottawa: 553
FIGHTS
Philadelphia: 28
Toronto: 28
Montreal: 25
Anybody know the next time Philly and Toronto play?
AHL
Bridgeport: 885
Hartford: 775
Adirondack: 762
All three in the same freakin division. Now that's some fun watching.
FIGHTS
Bridgeport: 54
Norfolk: 52
Hartford: 47
For a little comparison with those NHL totals at least half the teams in the AHL have 28 fights.
ECHL
Idaho: 643
Las Vegas: 627
Orlando: 593
FIGHTS
Ontario: 39
Stockton: 38
San Francisco: 36
Just for fun - Total Fighting majors by league:
ECHL- 559
NHL- 537
AHL- 915
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