Upsets Are Great

There's nothing I like more in this world than an upset at a major international hockey tournament. It really reinforces the idea that, on any given day, anyone can beat anyone else. It happened in Salt Lake City when Belarus defeated Sweden in the quarterfinals, and really turned the hockey world upside-down. Vladimir Kopat's 70-foot slapshot put the Belarussian hockey program on the map in terms of the Olympic stage, and forced major changes in the Swedish hockey program. Upsets happen, though, and that's why I love hockey - anyone can literally beat anyone else on any given day.

Looking at this year's World Hockey Championships that are taking place right now in Bern and Zurich-Kloten, Switzerland, there have been a number of scares and a few upsets that have started to change the power hierarchy in the international hockey world.

The first game that showed that the lesser-known teams came to play was the Switzerland-France game on April 24. Switzerland barely survived a 1-0 game as the French team played a superb game. A powerplay goal in the first period by Martin Pluss stood as the winner for the Swiss squad, but French goaltender Fabrice Lhenry was the story as he stopped 41 of 42 shots to give France a shot at a major upset.

The first major upset of the tournament came on April 26. Slovakia matched up against Belarus, and the Belarussians didn't back down from the Slovaks. Andrei Stas opened the scoring for Belarus in the second period. Andrei Mezin, the same goaltender who was in net in Salt Lake City, almost shutout the Slovaks, but Marcel Hossa tied the game with just under three minutes to play. Overtime solved nothing, but the shootout did. Oleg Antonenko scored both of Belarus' shootout goals, and Slovakia could only put one puck past Mezin, giving Belarus a 2-1 victory over Slovakia.

The next upset came the very next day, on April 27. Latvia and Sweden squared off, and it was expected that the Swedish team should be able to handle the Latvian squad. Linus Omark put the Tre Kronor up 1-0 in the first period while outshooting the Latvians by a 13-6 margin. Latvia, however, wasn't fazed. Krisjanis Redlihs and Lauris Darzins replied for the Latvia in the second period to give the Latvians the lead going into the third period. Magnus Johansson tied the game up, and Latvia held the fort right through overtime, leading to a shootout. In the shootout, the final Latvian shooter ended the game as Aleksandrs Nizivijs scored to give Latvia the 3-2 shootout win, and a 3-2 final score.

France's close call against Switzerland had to have built confidence in the Frenchmen. Their April 28th game against Germany was just the right time for France to post their first win if they could play as well as they did against Switzerland. Well, Anthoine Lussier got France on the board first before Jochen Hecht tied the game midway through the first period. France did strike again before the end of the first, though, as Luc Tardif put France back on top. From there on, it was all Fabrice Lhenry as he stopped 30 of 31 shots to give France the 2-1 win. Another lesser-known team knocks off a team who has some modest international success.

April 30 saw Latvia coming off their win over Sweden into a game against the host Swiss team. Could they pull off another win over a moderately-successful team? Martin Cipulis started the Latvians off on the right foot as he opened the scoring in the first period. Like Belarus against Slovakia, goaltender Edgars Masalskis almost made it through sixty minutes, but Andres Ambuhl tied the game with 1:31 remaining. Meaning we were off to overtime again. And nothing was solved there, so we're back to the shootout. Wouldn't you know it? Aleksandrs Nizivijs scored the only goal of the shootout to give Latvia a 2-1 win over Switzerland. Latvia's second shootout win in the tournament moved them to the qualifying round - a huge accomplishment for that team.

Now, you're probably thinking to yourself that both France and Latvia - juggernauts in this tournament - had to have played each other, right? No, they did not. But have no fear! They square off in the qualifying round on May 2! Belarus has a game on May 2 against Finland which will be a much tougher test, but stranger things have happened. The rest of the tournament schedule can be found here, but I'm hoping there is at least one more upset. It's why I love hockey.

Oh, and just because I'm a homer, GO CANADA GO!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Getting Ready

There has been a lot of talk from both the Canucks and Blackhawks about being ready for each other as they embark on their paths towards the Stanley Cup. The Canucks were the first to bring up the line brawl on March 29 which, according to a few Canucks, is still fresh in their minds. The melee on the ice that took place involved a number of questionable moves: hair-pulling, bodyslams, enforcers squaring off against goal scorers. And it seems that none of this has been forgotten by the Canadian team. That should make the Round Two matchup between the Canucks and Blackhawks very, very interesting.

First, let's go back to the incident.

Now, obviously there would be some unhappiness on the part of the Canucks after Dustin Byfuglien hit goaltender Roberto Luongo in the face. That's completely understandable, and I would assume that Chicago is going to use every trick in the book to try and get Luongo off his game. Including bumping into him. Which means we should see more of the above in the series.

"Back then it looked like we were going to meet in the first round," Blackhawks enforcer Ben Eager said to The Associated Press. "We just wanted to show them it wasn't going to be an easy series and we were going to play hard."

Well, Chicago showed Calgary that they were here to play, and they took it to the Flames. However, in the Canucks, the Blackhawks will find a pile of sandpaper scratching back. Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler, Shane O'Brien, and Kevin Bieksa all like to throw hits, so it won't be as easy for the Blackhawks to enter the offensive zone as it was in their previous series.

"Obviously we have dislike for them," said Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa to The Associated Press. "Is it more than some teams? Maybe, but it will make for a good series."

Alex Burrows added his thoughts on how the Canucks should be able to win the series. "We can't take 24 penalties in four games, that's going to kill us. There will be physical play, but I wouldn't bet on a line brawl right off the bat. We have to take a punch to get a penalty and make sure we go on the power play instead of going on the PK all the time."

With all the weapons that Chicago had, Burrows has hit the nail on the head. Chicago went 7-for-24 in their series for Calgary, so their powerplay was a large part of their first-round victory. Vancouver's penalty kill was sharp against the Blues, but the Blackhawks feature a number of snipers who shoot to kill.

All in all, I expect a very physical matchup between these two teams, and it should be an enjoyable series. Lots of hits, lots of great saves, and a pile of goals are to be expected. This might be the best Round Two series that no one east of Chicago will care about. And I'm pumped for it more than Washington-Pittsburgh.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Poolie Update

Well, the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are over, and there was some considerable heartbreak in some cities. The Rangers blew a 3-1 series lead as the Capitals advanced. The Devils, leading 3-2 with three minutes to play, watched Jussi Jokinen and Eric Staal score to eliminate them. The Flames collapse down the stretch and into the playoffs continued as the Blackhawks eliminated them. The Sharks, proving that they can't win a big game, collapsed under the pressure of the Ducks' intense forecheck as they were eliminated 4-2 in their series.

So where does that leave the hockey pool participants? Well, last year's winner, Justin St. Louis, is leading this year's pool again, proving that his estimations on how long series will run is just as good as his picking of individual players. However, there are a number of people within striking distance, and that's why we keep track of the points. Even the people at the bottom of the pool can make a run with some wise picks in this round. All it takes is a little luck, and some good guesses.

Here's who won each series in the pool by points. Some of these guesses are amazing, while others show that we may be way off in our estimations.

Boston vs. Montreal: Winner - Connie Kim, Sammy Barbour, Justin St. Louis. All three participants picked the Boston sweep for four points plus an additional five points.

Washington vs. New York: Winner - John McEnaney. John correctly predicted the winning team in Games 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and also called the game-winners in Game Two (Semin) and Game Three (Drury) for a total of nine points.

New Jersey vs. Carolina: Winner - Dan Franko. Dan correctly predicted the winning team in Games 1, 2, and 7. Dan also called Parise in Game One for the winner, and Staal in Game Seven for the winner. Because Dan called the Hurricanes to win in seven games, he also receives an additional five points, giving him twelve points in this series.

Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia: Winner - Luigi Perillo. Luigi picked the winning team in all six games in the series for an easy six points. Simon Gagne's game-winning goal in Game Three added another two points to his total in this series. And because he correctly predicted Pittburgh in six games, Luigi received an additional five points for a total of thirteen points in this series.

San Jose vs. Anaheim: Winner - Dave Frolick. Dave correctly predicting the winning team in Games 3, 4, and 5 for three points. He also called Patrick Marleau's game-winning goals in Games Three and Five. Amazingly, seven points was the highest total in this series of all the participants.

Detroit vs. Columbus: Winner - James Huening, Mike Engle, Kirsten Barta. All three participants picked the Detroit sweep for four points plus an additional five points.

Vancouver vs. St. Louis: Winner - Mike Jaworski. Mike was the only participant to correctly predict a Vancouver sweep, giving him four points for each correct game and an additional five points for naming Vancouver in four games for a total of nine points in the series.

Chicago vs. Calgary: Winner - Justin St. Louis. Justin amassed the highest point total of the first round in this series. He called the winning team in each game for six points. He also predicted Havlat in Game One and Toews in Game Two as the game-winning goal scorers for another four points. And because he called Chicago in six, he receives an additional five points for a total of fifteen points in this series.

Ok, poolies, that's how the pool was won. At least in the first round, anyway. For the second round, get your picks in ASAP! The second round starts on Thursday. When you send your picks in please have the subject as "Round Two". Congratulations to all the participants, and start looking at the matchups for your second round picks!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Survivor Blog

You know, it's tough to see a Canadian team go home in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As a Canadian kid, I always want to see Canadian teams go as deep as possible in the playoffs simply because I want to see the Stanley Cup come back to Canada. 1993 is a long time when you consider that Montreal was the last Canadian team to bring home the Cup to Canada. However, I'm not sad to see Calgary go. Now, I don't expect to see a lot of Calgary fans come here and agree with me, but Calgary simply was outplayed by the Chicago Blackhawks, and that's the truth.

Calgary was too slow, in this writer's mind, to keep up with the youthful Blackhawks. Speed kills in the NHL, and this was never more evident than in this series. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Kris Versteeg blew by the Flames' defencemen routinely to establish a presence in the Flames' zone. Injuries to Robyn Regehr, Dion Phaneuf, and Mark Giordano significantly reduced the defensive zone speed for the Flames, particularly in Game Six, but Cory Sarich, Jordan Leopold, and Adam Pardy should have picked up the pace.

Much like the New York Rangers in my last article, the best players on the ice for the Flames were not the highest-paid players. Eric Nystrom and David Moss were legitimately the best players night in and night out for the Flames. Yes, Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla led the way with their point totals, but they were hardly seen on most shifts.

And it's tough to win any series when your goaltender is simply average. Kiprusoff, the 32 year-old, has not won a playoff series since 2003-04 when he played in only 38 games after being traded by the San Jose Sharks. In that playoff year, Kiprusoff took the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals. Since that time, Kipper has averaged 75 starts over four seasons. Over that same time, the Flames have been eliminated in the first-round four straight times.

Perhaps these stars are simply overworked?

Look at the ages of these stars for both teams:

• Craig Conroy - 37
• Jarome Iginla - 31
• Todd Bertuzzi - 34
• Olli Jokinen - 30
• Daymond Langkow - 32

• Jonathan Toews - 20
• Patrick Kane - 20
• Martin Havlat - 28
• Patrick Sharp - 27
• Kris Versteeg - 21

Is there any wonder why the Blackhawks won? There is a premium on youth in today's NHL, and every single team that has advanced so far has a bounty of young players on their teams.

Boston? A fantastic mix of youth and veterans.
Pittsburgh? Lots of young players along with some savvy veterans.
Detroit? Great young players, established veterans, a pile of Stanley Cups.
Vancouver? Solid young players with a few established, scoring veterans.

Look, I'm not saying that youth wins championships. But I am saying that on all the teams that have advanced thus far, youth has played a huge role. And in grueling series like we've seen, younger bodies heal faster and recover quicker. That has a huge impact on any series.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Nothing But Smoke

It's hard to fathom that the New York Rangers will be playing in Game Seven against the Washington Capitals after leading this series by 2-0 and 3-1 margins. Full credit has to go to the Washington Capitals for not giving up and playing hard to even the series at 3-3, but there is a distinct difference between these two teams - both on and off the ice. The Rangers look gassed out there, a team that has no legs, no heart, and no idea how to slow down the Capitals. There are a few standout players who are doing all they can, but anyone not named Lundqvist, Staal, Callahan, or Dubinsky should take a long look in the mirror over the next two days if the Rangers want to advance. Otherwise, it's time to break out the voodoo, prayers, and whatever other trinkets the Rangers can find to pull out one more miracle.

Look, I'm just as surprised as anyone that the Rangers have made it this far when looking at the two teams. Washington features a ridiculous number of superstars, and the role players are doing everything humanly possible to help the stars. Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Green, and Fedorov have led the team on the scoresheet while guys like David Steckel, Boyd Gordon, Eric Fehr, John Erksine, and Simeon Varlamov have come on and really made a difference for the Capitals.

However, if I'm Rangers head coach John Tortorella, I'd be cursing the management style of Glen Sather at this point. Chris Drury, he of the $7.05 million cap hit, has a mere one goal and is a pathetic -4 in five games thus far. Nikolai Zherdev, he of the $2.5 million cap hit, has no points in six games while playing -2 hockey. And he missed two glorious opportunities today as well.

Look, there is a lot of blame to go around, but the guys earning top dollar had better produce in the playoffs. Combined, the Rangers are paying Drury, Zherdev, Scott Gomez, and Markus Naslund $20.907 million this season. In the playoffs, where the stakes are much higher, those four have combined for four goals, nine points, and a -9 rating. That, quite frankly, is brutal.

The only players who I have been impressed with in this series on the Rangers' side are Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, and Marc Staal. Combined, those four make $8.91 million with the majority of that number being made up by Lundqvist's $6.875 million cap hit. Combined, those four have four goals, six points, and are playing even hockey on the plus/minus. That says a lot when compared to the previous four players who are swimming in greenbacks.

Lundqvist literally stole two games in this series already, and has shown that he is worth every cent the Rangers have invested in him. He is a world-class goaltender, and has given the Rangers the chance to be in every game in this series. Callahan has played effectively in a checking role, contributing two goals while being assigned to cover the Capitals' superstars. Along with Callahan, Dubinsky's role on that checking line has produced one goal and two assists, and he's playing +2 hockey. For a checking role, that's exactly what you want to see. Staal has one goal, but has looked very much like the blue-chipper that the Rangers thought they were getting. He has played well in his own end, and works hard to limit chances and block shots.

As stated over and over on the NBC broadcast today, the Rangers' powerplay is horrible. In fact, there are a number of words that I could use, but some are less than professional. The five-on-three opportunity in the third period where the Rangers had no chances should be an indicator that there are serious personnel problems on the powerplay as well as a complete lack of direction on the bench. If I'm John Tortorella, I'd be declining the powerplay option and just asking the referee to knock two minutes off the clock. The Capitals get better chances shorthanded than the Rangers do on the powerplay.

With the game coming up on Tuesday in Washington, the Rangers have one day to figure out how to pull off the biggest magic trick since David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. The fact that they won three games should give them hope, but the last two games have been abysmal in terms of any team play.

How they won three games against the Capitals is beyond me. The Rangers are nothing more than smoke and mirrors in this writer's eyes. And, with the salary structure of the Rangers, this smoke and mirrors show will continue for the next three-to-five years as well.

Nice work, Mr. Sather. Thanks for nothing.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

PhotoBlog By triswykes

The people that read this blog are phenomenal when it comes to their knowledge and passion for the game of hockey. Occasionally, I'll ask a question, and someone will answer it with amazing detail. I also spend some time reading at Uni Watch Blog, and will occasionally ask questions there in order to take advantage of that community's sports knowledge. Really, it blows me away with how many great comments people make with excellent information.

And that leads me to today. A couple of days ago, Uni Watch reader and NCAA hockey buff "triswykes" emailed me with a number of scans he had taken of various programs from the NCAA. He knew I had been searching for information regarding the RPI photos where some players appeared to be wearing facial protection that resembled goalie masks.

Thanks to triswykes, here is a whole pile of excellent olde-tyme photos from the NCAA. As you know, I love old hockey photos, so I am proud to present these on his behalf. They show a variety of cool things, and I'll point them out as we go through them.

• Bill Riley, Dartmouth, 1946. Riley's picture is slightly odd since the majority of players did not wear helmets in that day and age. Riley's helmet is clearly an early-style helmet, but the fact that he is wearing one in the NCAA is pretty neat.
• University of Vermont, 1974. What's neat about this picture is how there are a variety of helmets and gloves seen in the photo. Before sponsorship and equipment deals with major outfitters like Easton and Nike, players routinely wore what they either had or could afford. Pretty cool.
• Dave Reece, Vermont, 1971. Goaltenders have always worn some kind of protection on their faces since Jacques Plante got hit in the face by Andy Bathgate. But Dave Reece didn't. He just wore the helmet.
• University of Vermont, 1973. It's interesting to see the chicken wire separating players from fans rather than plexiglass. Olde-tyme arenas like the Detroit Olympia also used wire instead of glass. Note the three different helmets as well.
  
• Dartmouth University, 1976. Women's hockey hadn't been established as an NCAA sport yet, but that didn't stop these women. I'm not sure if the lady in the background is wearing some sort of facial protection or just a football-style chinstrap. And the woman in foreground should really keep her mouthguard in her mouth.
• Western Michigan University, 1970s. Not sure if these guys were getting ready to go off to war or not, but the guys on the bench wore helmets that gave you that impression. I'm digging the stripes on the socks, though.
• Princeton-Dartmouth, late-1970s. Interesting to see how Dennis Murphy's nameplate is basically tacked onto his jersey at the corners. I guess it would be easier to re-use the jerseys season after season that way. Also, interesting mask on the Princeton goaltender.
• Brown University, 1982. Facemasks and hideous helmets - welcome to NCAA hockey in the 1980s. Those ProTec helmets made the players' heads look like bowling balls. At least the masks fit, though.
• Brown University, 1981. As you can see here, the NCAA was following the NHL's lead in that goaltending tandems were regularly seen wearing a couple of different masks. For more info on the evolution of the mask, please check here.
• Clarkson University, 1980s. The ProTec mask on the Clarkson player on the right was banned after a couple of seasons of use in the NCAA. The reason? It offered little in the way of protection. Pucks and sticks could still fit through the holes in the mask, and the way it bent outward allowed for high sticks to make contact with the face.
• Rob Scheuer, Princeton, 1980s. Here's another example of the illegal ProTec masks. Defenceman Rob Scheuer doesn't appear to have much protection.
• Bob Gaudet, Dartmouth, 1980. Was Roberto Luongo a Gaudet fan? Check out Gaudet sporting the captain's "C" on his chest. That's rarely seen in any hockey photo.
• Scott Borek and Dan O'Brien, Dartmouth, 1980s. As you can see in the two photos, both Borek and O'Brien are wearing neckrolls, similar to what you see linemen wearing in football. Borek suffered a scary neck injury, and wasn't the same afterwards. He did, however, wear the neckroll for added protection.
• Dartmouth-Harvard, 1980s. Here is a clear picture of the two styles of cages worn by players at that time. I'm not big on the ProTec cage after seeing it over and over. Then again, I always wore a cage similar to the Harvard player when I played.
• Dartmouth University, 1985. 1985 saw Itech get involved in making lightweight, plastic face shields for players. Honestly, shields are worn by a large number of NCAA players now, but I never wore one because I found it fogged up way too much. To each, their own, I suppose.

First off, a huge thanks to triswykes for sending me this gallery. This is just a small example of some of the photos he sent, and I really can't thank him enough for this effort. There are some really cool pictures in there, and I'm glad to have seen them.

Updates for this week include another entry in Teebz's Book Club, and a look back at a historical period of time as I break off the playoff chase for a few days. The HBIC Playoff Pool is updated, and last year's winner - Justin St. Louis - is currently leading the pack again. For those at the bottom, you're not out yet!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Just Because Of Tonight

Alexander Ovechkin is a one-in-a-million player. I can't deny how good he is when the puck is on his stick. I'm still not a fan of over-the-top celebrations like the "hot stick" routine he pulled when he scored his 50th goal this season, but the guy is a magician with the puck. He celebrates his teammates' goals as much as he celebrates his own, and it's phenomenal to see someone love the game as much as he does. And tonight, against the New York Rangers in Game Five of their opening round series, Alexander Ovechkin added another highlight to the legend. This is, without any doubt whatsoever, the goal of the playoffs thus far. And it will probably be the goal of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs after all is said and done.

Hold on to your butts, people. This one is a beauty.

Derek Morris? Pylon. Thanks for coming out.

After all the goals he has scored, that has to be one of the best. With it being in the playoffs and how he literally breezed past Morris, that is a thing of beauty.

The key in this whole thing? It's almost as if there is an "Ovechkin Curse" on defenceman Paul Mara. Mara is a defenceman for the New York Rangers, and if you watch the video closely above, you can see #27 on the ice. However, Mara has been involved in another highlight reel goal from Alexander The Great as well.

#23 on the Coyotes? Paul Mara.

Sorry to Mr. Mara for bringing up those demons, but Ovechkin and Mara are forever a part of goal-scoring history now. This despite Mara's obvious attempts not to be included.

I'm not a Capitals fan by any means, but it's hard not to be in awe of Alexander Ovechkin. Especially after seeing goals like that.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Thrown Out Forcefully

Well, we've seen the brooms come out in the Western Conference twice, and both times saw inexperienced teams take the fall in series. The Vancouver Canucks sent a very young St. Louis Blues team home with their tail between their legs, while the Detroit Red Wings played the role of teacher against the Columbus Blue Jackets in their series. Really, though, the two series couldn't have been any different as the Vancouver Canucks relied on a goaltender who is world-class and in a zone all by himself. The Detroit Red Wings, on the other hand, proved to be the "Big Red Machine" we're all used to seeing as they got scoring from everywhere and simply rolled over the Blue Jackets without much resistance.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens were swept out of the playoffs with ease by the Boston Bruins. Montreal looked like a team defeated before Game Four even began, and the bigger, faster Bruins simply pounded them into submission. While Montreal has a number of playoff-experienced players, the Eastern Conference sweep was much different than the Western Conference sweeps in that Boston was just a much better team than the Montreal Canadiens were in all facets of the game.

The Blues, in my eyes, don't really need to do much to change their playoff aspirations for next season. They have a great young nucleus of players mixed with some savvy veteran players, and their goaltending is fairly decent. Chris Mason doesn't have the résumé of a Roberto Luongo or Martin Brodeur yet, but he doesn't have to be a world-beater with this great group of youngsters in front of him. Like Detroit with Osgood, all Mason has to do is make the routine stops, and the Blues shouldn't have a problem returning to the playoffs next season.

There is nothing that can teach experience like experience, and having the Blues' youngsters experience this run to the playoffs should make them a tougher team next year. Getting a healthy Paul Kariya back will help as his experience can't be overlooked, and his leadership is something that St. Louis could have used this April.

All in all, I see St. Louis being a threat in the Western Conference next season if they play as well as they did in the second half of this season. And there is nothing to suggest that they cannot. Will they make the playoffs? I'd say there's a pretty good chance that they'll be back next season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets need a few pieces to make a deeper run next season. First, they need a solid, puck-moving defenceman to get their speedy wingers the puck. Kris Russell is coming along, but he doesn't have a world-class outlet pass yet, and it really showed against the Detroit Red Wings. When Nash, Huselius, and Modin can't get the puck up ice, the Blue Jackets tend to play in their end far too often. Having someone who can stretch the ice like a Lidstrom or a Rafalski would really help the Blue Jackets' cause.

Secondly, the Jackets have to find a centerman for Rick Nash. RJ Umberger showed he is a very capable centerman as he was the Jackets' best player in the series, but Umberger is a power forward, not a setup man. Rick Nash needs a slick skating man in the middle to help him take command of a game.

Do I see Columbus in the playoffs next season? With Derrick Brassard, Nikita Filatov, and Jakub Voracek headlining this roster that features 15 skaters who are 25 years of age or younger, the Blue Jackets will only get better, and this taste of the playoffs combined with the spanking laid on them by the powerhouse Red Wings should have the intensity and fire burning deep within their bellies. Will they be back? My guess is yes.

And then we come to the paradox that is the Montreal Canadiens. Soundly beaten by their arch-rivals in the Bruins, the Canadiens are a team in disarray. And as sad as this may sound, I don't think they will be as good as they were this year when the playoffs roll around next season.

Fourteen unrestricted free agents including key cogs such as captain Saku Koivu, winger Alexei Kovalev, and defenceman Mike Komisarek will be tough to sign. Who do you let go if you're GM Bob Gainey? Do you bring in a new coach or do you remain behind the bench? If you do bring a new coach, do you bring in a taskmaster like John Tortorella or someone who relies on a system where everyone buys in to win like a Pat Quinn?

These questions should hopefully be answered by next September, but I don't see Montreal cracking the eight spots in 2010. They were horrible down the stretch this season, and backed into the playoffs with four straight losses. Sadly, this team needs a lot of re-tooling, and it might be a "rebuilding year" next season for Les Habitants.

Now, I'm not one to make bold predictions, and a lot will happen between now and next April. However, if everything stays the same, the two teams in the West seem to be going up while the Eastern team seems to be on a serious down-swing.

Your thoughts? Hit me with them in the comments.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Long, Long Day

I spent a long day in a room like this as I was responsible for setting up and taking down all of the electronic equipment used for the meeting. It's part of my job, and I really can't complain about that, but spending thirteen hours at work today just isn't my idea of fun. I miss a gorgeous evening of sunny weather, I missed two hockey games, and I missed the majority of the third game tonight. Heck, I missed the Montreal Canadiens being taken out to the woodshed again by the Bruins as the Bruins ended their series with an exclamation point. So much for the 100th season party with the Stanley Cup.

Basically, what I'm saying is that I'm tired, and I really have no energy to write and/or think. What did make me laugh are some commercials. Yeah, I'm a little late on these, but these commercials for the Bruins are, in a word, priceless. Enjoy!

Hilarious! Could you imagine if every team did something like this? Kudos to the Bruins for these commercials. Highly entertaining!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Takin' Care of Business

Well, the St. Louis Blues came to the party, but it seems they were uninvited as the Vancouver Canucks ousted the upstart Blues in a four-game sweep. Tonight's game was a 3-2 victory in overtime that saw Alex Burrows score with 19 seconds remaining in the first overtime period to seal St. Louis' fate as the first team eliminated from the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's interesting to think that there have been some pretty big moments in overtime over the course of NHL history. This one, while big in Vancouver's history, probably won't make any major lists of overtime achievements, but there have been a number of overtime games where players literally were "workin' overtime". With the playoffs well underway, here are some of the more memorable overtime games that I remember.

The longest game in modern NHL history took place in Pittsburgh. The visiting Philadelphia Flyers and Penguins were tied at one goal apiece, and into their fifth period of overtime. The 2000 NHL Playoffs changed dramatically for the Penguins after Keith Primeau ripped a shot past defenceman Darius Kasparaitis and goaltender Ron Tugnutt after playing 92:01 of extra time. Pittsburgh had won the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semi-Final, and led the series 2-1 until Primeau scored. That tied the series, but the Penguins were never the same as they went on to lose the next two games as well.

This game is the third-longest in NHL history, and I remember watching every second of it. Here's the video of Primeau's historic goal.

Pat Lafontaine's overtime goal will always be remembered as my first experience with multiple overtime periods. We go back to April 18, 1987 for this one. The Washington Capitals and New York Islanders are tied at 2-2, and pushing into early morning. By the fourth overtime period, both teams looked exhausted. The key on this goal? The Islanders eliminated the Washington Capitals on Lafontaine's slapshot that got past Bob Mason after playing 68:47 of additional time.

This is officially the tenth-longest game in NHL Playoff history. Let's take a look at this one.

Another one that I remember staying up and watching until the wee hours of the morning was the 1996 battle between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. Washington had won the first two games on Pittsburgh's ice, and the Penguins had won Game Three on Washington's ice. The fourth game would prove pivotal. Petr Nedved's fake shot froze goaltender Olaf Kolzig enough, and his wrist shot found its way through a crowd at the 79:15 mark of extra time.

This is officially the fifth-longest game in NHL history. Here's Nedved's overtime winner that tied the series, and pushed the Penguins to a 4-2 series win.

Now, I'm not saying that every team that has played in a long overtime game and lost has gone on to lose the entire series. However, history shows us that this case more often than not. Overtime, especially a game that goes twice as long as a regular game, is especially grueling on a player's body, and this apparently has a major effect on the losing team. It's like adding insult to injury.

Of the longest games, here is the information that should be of interest:

• Pittsburgh-Philadelphia in 2000. Philly wins Game Four after 92:01 of overtime, and goes on to win the series 4-2.
• Anaheim-Dallas in 2003. Anaheim wins Game One after 80:48 of overtime, and goes on to win the series 4-2.
• Pittsburgh-Washington in 1996. Pittsburgh wins Game Four after 79:15 of overtime, and goes on to win the series 4-2.
• Vancouver-Dallas in 2007. Vancouver wins Game One after 78:06 of overtime, and goes on to win the series 4-3.
• Dallas-San Jose in 2008. Dallas wins Game Six after 69:03 of overtime, and wins the series 4-2.
• Washington-NY Islanders in 1987. New York wins Game Seven after 68:47 of overtime, and wins the series 4-3.

In all of those series, the team that won the extended overtime game has gone on to win the series. Not only are players on the losing team physically drained, but they are drained emotionally and mentally as well. In a seven-game series, that kind of mental and physical fatigue can really affect a team... as history shows.

An overtime win is a far bigger factor than we may give it credit. Playing early into the morning can generally change a series, so while it may be entirely true when coaches tell their teams that they would prefer to win early, history says playing more than an hour of overtime and winning has a far bigger effect than playing for, say, ten minutes of extended time.

Of course, keeping people and players awake and energetic becomes a problem at that point.

Congratulations to the Vancouver Canucks, the first team to advance to the second round of this year's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Mensa Student?

I'll be honest here. Sean Avery has done a good job in pushing the Washington Capitals to the brink of their sanity in the first two games. He has been in the faces of Mike Green and Jose Theodore. He has hit Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin. He has trash-talked and yapped at the entire Capitals bench.

Head coach John Tortorella has Avery playing inspired hockey, and his renaissance on Broadway has been a feel-good story after all the crap that he pulled earlier this season. He is playing the game within the rules, his chatter with reporters is clean but fun, and his teammates seem to enjoy having him around.

Which leads me to Game Three tonight. Sean Avery was in Simeon Varlamov's face all night. He was trash-talking the young goaltender every chance he got, and parked himself at the top of the crease all night. Every chance he had, Avery was yapping in Varlamov's grill.

Which is strange since Varlamov doesn't understand a word of English. Did Avery learn Russian in two days? Otherwise, why is he yapping at a player who doesn't comprehend anything he is saying, and what is he trying to accomplish? Intimidation is one thing, but trash-talking a guy who will give you nothing but a blank stare is pointless.

Then again, it is Sean Avery. Need anything else be said?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

HBIC Playoff Clean-Up

It's Sunday, and there is a ton of NHL Playoff action on the CBC today, so I really don't want to devote a lot of time away from the tube. However, being that it officially feels like spring now, it's time for HBIC to do some cleaning. What feels like an eternity of winter has moved on to more northern pastures as the warm weather moves in, and that means I need to delete and change some stuff. Firstly, I'll be going through the blogs to the right and deleting those that have not been updated in some time. I want current info from the blogs that I read, not something from December. Secondly, I'll be adding a few blogs and websites in that I really have found useful lately. Lastly, I'll point out a few things about the playoff pool as well. Get out the brooms!

There have been some blogs who have moved, and these blogs need mentioning. The always-entertaining Barry Melrose Rocks is now part of the Bloguin network. Schultz, Henning, McBrayer, and Loser Domi do a fabulous job at bringing you the hockey news with a large slice of comedy. Well worth the read at their fabulous new digs.

Cassie may have left Bolts Blog, but the people at Raw Charge should be happy about getting her contributions. Cassie is a talented writer, and Raw Charge will benefit from her addition as the SB Nation team gets a little stronger.

I want to add Stephanie's and snoopyjode's awesome site called Roaming Penguins. I linked to this blog before, but I'm officially adding it to the list over there. They have a fun site, and I really am impressed with their charitable donations through their hard work.

Blitz Corner is also being added to the list. I've read through their stuff, and it's not bad at all. While I'm not a fan of their layout per se, I do appreciate the good articles, so they'll get bumped to "the list".

So who is gone? The list is longer than who has been added.

• Colin Timberlake? Cut. Sorry, but no updates since February.
• Faceoff Circle? Gone. Once a week isn't that hard, is it?
• Leahy had indicated in January that he was leaving Going Five Hole, but I held out hope. To no avail. Gone.
• He Score, He Shoot? Loved the work, but February is a long way back. Axed.
• Hershey Bears Blog? Doesn't even exist anymore. Gonzo.
• Hockey Guy? Love your work, Ben Lovejoy, but need more than December's last entry. Done like dinner.
• My Tribe? Let me know if you ever get back. Until then, you're eating up space.
• NHL 2K9? If you ask me for a link, please update more than monthly. Clean out your desk, though. You're done.
• Scoring For Houston? Nothing submitted since the end of February. Just not good enough.
• Set Out Your Staal? This isn't a timeshare. I'm offering your spot to someone else.
• Sledge Hockey Dad? As informative as your site is, there's been no update since the start of the NHL season.
• Untypical Girls? Loved your work. Hate the fact that there is no update since Christmas.

Lastly, the playoff pool is rolling along. I try to update the previous day's games by the next day, but sometimes I'm busy. Don't worry, however. I will update everything whenever I log in to this site. And if you're worried about your point total, there is still a lot of hockey to be played. No one gets eliminated until the Stanley Cup is awarded.

I'm back to hockey. Philly leads Pittsburgh 2-0, so I need to get my rear back to the couch.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

WDIHC - Thursday Afternoon Rematch

Today's afternoon game is a rematch from Thursday's afternoon game where Finland met Canada. Canada, on its 4-0 record, is the designated home team, and has come out in their white uniforms. Finland takes to the ice in their blue uniforms and will look to rebound from the 8-3 hammering Canada put on them on Thursday. The largely pro-Canadian crowd is once again decked out in their red-and-white gear, and the 500 or so people really are cheering the Canadians as they take to the ice for the pre-game skate. As a roster note, #11 Jason Plumb of the Canadians will not be playing in today's game due to receiving a second game misconduct in Thursday's game. His physical presence will be missed, but Canada needs to play disciplined to win today.

We're moments away from the drop of the puck, so here are your gold medal game highlights!

• Canada has come thundering out of the gates here as #12 Chris Garbacz throws two bone-rattling hits on Finnish players. Canada is really asserting themselves in the physical aspect of the game in the early going.
• Janne Yrjola gives the Finns the lead at 16:37 with a powerplay marker. Goaltender Ryan Armitage flopped to his belly to cover the puck, but it was poked loose. Yrjola found the loose puck just outside the crease and flipped it over the sprawled Armitage. Finland leads 1-0.
• Canada just has taken two unnecessary penalties. The first, to #12 Chris Garbacz, for goalie interference eliminates a Canadian powerplay. The second, 30 seconds later to #19 Mike Merriman for tripping, puts the Finns on a five-on-three powerplay for 59 seconds. As I stated above, Canada needs to play disciplined or the Finns will win this game.
• With 11:20 remaining, Canada has killed off the goalie interference penalty. Finland still has 24 seconds remaining in their man-advantage.
• Some extreme confusion between the benches as #7 Marko Liimatainen was sent off for ten minutes. Canada thought they were on the powerplay, but all was clarified by the officials. Seven minutes remain in the first period.
• With 6:27 to play, #26 Elias Nurminen found himself all alone in the slot. His high snapshot from the hash marks was turned aside by Ryan Armitage's left shoulder to keep the Canadians down by only one goal.
• With 3:40 remaining, both teams have turned up the dial in the hitting department by a few notches. The Finns have caught the Canadians a couple of times against the boards hard, while Canada has responded with some crunches on the endboards.
• #19 Mike Merriman takes a swipe at a covered puck by #1 Pauli Kitula, and that brings a scrum into the crease. #13 Fredrik Oller gives Merriman the business, but only Merriman goes to the box for slashing. 1:42 remains in the first period.
• With 30.1 seconds left, a Finnish player is down on the ice behind the play, and he looks to be in considerable pain as he favors his left leg.

At the end of a fast-paced, hard-hitting first period, Finland leads Canada by a 1-0 score. Honestly, this has been the best first period of action seen thus far by this writer, and I am thoroughly impressed with both teams' intensity and passion in this game. Canada needs to start playing more disciplined, however, if it wants to pull even with the fiesty Finns.

On to the second period!

• At 17:37 of the second, #7 Steve Devine was ejected for throwing a punch while on the bench. He also gets a two minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, and a ten-minute misconduct for his actions. The Finns go back to another powerplay.
• At 16:45, #14 Cole Pearson was whistled for a high-stick. The Finns will have their second five-on-three advantage for just over a minute.
• At 15:55, a shorthanded breakaway for #8 Davin Bell during the five-on-three from his own blueline is turned away by Kitula's blocker. Canada misses a glorious opportunity.
• At 15:28, #12 Chris Garbacz is sent in alone shorthanded from the Finnish blueline. Kitula gets just enough of it with his glove to knock it down, and it still finds its way behind him only to hit the post before he covers it. Canada is getting good chances now as they seem to more frustrated with the officiating than the Finnish team.
• #8 Davin Bell is sent off at 13:41 for throwing a hit on Finnish goaltender Pauli Kitula. Two minutes for goaltender interference has to be called on that, and it is.
• #13 Fredrik Oller is whisted for interference for running a pick on Canadian forward #29 Brett McLaren. McLaren could have easily won that footrace to the loose puck, so that may have been a smart play by Oller.
• Canada's #6 Brad Gurr and Finland's #7 Marko Liimatainen are sent off for coincidental minors at 10:43. Gurr was whistled for holding, and Liimatainen was whistled for the dive.
• #14 Cole Pearson is sent off at 9:33 for a hit to the head. That'll be two and ten for the elbow to the head.
• With 9:00 remaining, this game is beginning to turn into a parade to the penalty box for Canada. #8 Davin Bell is called for kneeing, and skates directly to the box.
  
• Five seconds into the powerplay, #22 Jan-Erik Granvik rips a shot from the high slot for Finland's second powerplay goal of the game. Finland leads 2-0.
• Right after the goal, Canada is whistled for holding as #15 Dawson Friesen joins his teammates in the sin bin.
• Finland is turning this into the powerplay show. Janne Nyberg rips a slapshot to the high glove corner to put Finland up by three goals. Finland leads 3-0.
• #3 Jalen Harris and #20 Kimmo Hoivassilta are sent off together at 6:46. Harris goes for holding, and Hoivassilta for diving.
• Finland's #11 Tero Tiainen is sent off for hooking, and Canada will go on the powerplay with 6:05 remaining in the second period. Now would be a great time for Canada to start the comeback.
• With 2:58 to go, #25 Scott Savard is sent off for roughing. Canada's lack of discipline in this game - seriously, keep both hands on the stick and the lumber on the ice! - is costing them this game.
• Less than a minute later, and penalty boxes are full for coincidental minor penalties. Referee Brett Montsion is really hearing it from the fans as even the smallest of infractions are being called.
• With 1:12 to go, Montsion receives a huge ovation as Finland's #20 Kimmo Hoivassilta is sent off for holding. Montsion has his head on a swivel now, looking for anything that resembles a penalty.

After a penalty-filled second period, Finland has the advantage, and the gold medal in their sights, as they lead 3-0. Goaltender Pauli Kitula hasn't been shaken by any of the scrums taking in and around his crease, and looks solid through two periods of play. If Canada wants to win this game, they need to start moving their feet at all times. Referee Brett Montsion has taken this game over, and the only way they are going to win is by out-skating the Finns.

The last period of the tournament starts shortly!

• #4 Janne Nyberg begins the parade back to the box as he's called for high-sticking at 18:21. Canada needs this powerplay goal desperately.
• Finland is back to even-strength. Canada needs to keep the pressure on.
• Janne Yrjola rips a wrist shot on a partial breakaway wide, but regains control and centers it for #19 Eetu Keski-Levijoki who taps it home through Armitage's five-hole. Finland leads 4-0.
• Canada has 15:00 remaining in their quest for gold. And it doesn't look promising. Finland is playing classic trap hockey, and you can see the frustration building on the Canadian side.
• On a two-on-one, #24 Janne Yrjola cruises down the left wing and draws defenceman Casey O'Brien towards him before saucering a pass across to #19 Eetu Keski-Levijoki. Keski-Levijoti makes no mistake and fires it into the yawning cage at 14:49. Finland leads 5-0.
• With 8:52 left, time is staring the Canadian squad down. They have to find a way through the suffocating Finnish collapsing defensive unit, or this game is over.
• With 8:06 remaining, Canada has a deflected goal disallowed as #14 Cole Pearson is called for goaltender interference. The crowd is all over referee Montsion after that call. Kitula flops, and the referee reacts.
• With 5:55 remaining, #4 Janne Nyberg is lying on the ice. Why? No clue. He didn't get hit nor was he hit with the puck.
• Canada is finally legally on the board! With 5:50 left, Casey O'Brien lasers a shot into the Finnish net, providing Canada with some sort of hope. Father Time may have something to say about that, though. Finland leads 5-1.
  
• And as soon as Canada has some momentum going, they take another penalty as Montsion calls Casey O'Brien for roughing with 5:37 left. Slim and none are all the chances that Canada has left.
• Canada is giving it all they have. With 3:58 remaining, Canada nets their second goal as #15 Dawson Friesen slaps home a rebound between Kitula's pads. Finland leads 5-2.
• With 1:50 remaining, Canada will need some sort of divine intervention at this point, but they are generating a number of chances. Kitula, however, is equal to the task.
• With 1:14 left in the game, Finland's #24 Janne Yrjola is sent to the box. Too little, too late for Canada at this point in the game, however.

With the final horn, the Finnish players rush onto the ice to mob their goaltender in traditional fashion. Canada's undisciplined play in the second period is certainly the story of this game as Finland took advantage of the tired Canadian penalty killers. Finland will be crowned as the first-ever World Deaf Ice Hockey Champions momentarily, but we still have Player of the Game to complete. It should be no surprise that Pauli Kitula will probably be a tournament all-star at minimum as he really carried his team this afternoon.

Player Of The Game - Canada: #25 Scott Savard.
Player Of The Game - Finland: #1 Pauli Kitula.

Tournament's Best Goaltender: #1 Pauli Kitula (Finland).
Tournament's Best Defenceman: #19 Mike Merriman (Canada).
Tournament's Best Forward: #24 Janne Yrjola (Finland).

Tournament MVP: #1 Pauli Kitula (Finland).

As the speeches from the various VIPs are made, I want to say that these games were some of the best hockey I have seen in a long time. While it doesn't compare to the Olympics or the NHL, the entire tournament was a phenomenal showing of athletic abilities from the deaf community, and both the hockey players and curlers showed their abilities with pride on the international stage.

Once again, I cannot say thank you enough to the organizers of the World Deaf Ice Hockey and Curling Championships. Everyone who I spoke to this week went out of their way to assist me in whatever way necessary, and it's that kind of hospitality that makes one remember an event like this for a long, long time.

To my colleague Steve Perreira, you were more than outgoing this week, and your assistance in getting me up to speed with rosters and teams was outstanding, and I can't thank you enough. I may have bought you lunch on Saturday, but you gave me a lifetime of memories and a week's worth of laughter. Thank you for everything you did. You were my go-to guy for all I needed. Thank you!

To Denise Watson, in charge of Public Relations, I thank you for allowing me to attend the games and to learn about the deaf community in so many ways. Without your support, I may never have had the chance to experience this event, and I cannot thank you enough for including me - a hearing person - to be part of the First World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships. Thank you!

Congratulations to Team Finland on their gold medal victory! Congratulations to Canada on their silver-medal performance! Congratulations to Team USA for their bronze medal win! And to both Russia and Slovakia, congratulations on a great week of hockey, and good luck at the Deaf Olympics in Slovakia to all the teams!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

WDIHC - Thursday Night Rematch

Unlike Thursday night's affair between the Russians and Americans, the rematch today has more on the line than just home-ice advantage. The Russians and Americans square off for the first bronze medal ever awarded at the World Deaf Hockey Championships, so there is a some very distinct history being made in Winnipeg today. The action shifts to the MTS Centre, home of the Manitoba Moose. If you have been reading about the World Deaf Hockey Championships, I want to thank you on behalf of both myself and the organizers of this event for your continued interest in the games themselves. The athletes, from what I can tell, have enjoyed the games, and the entire deaf community is, in a word, a family. They have really put on an excellent event, and today's medal games is the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication by both the organizers and players. Hockey Blog In Canada is proud to have been a part of the inuagural World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships, and look forward all other events in the community!

As you may have seen Thursday, Team USA defeated the Russian squad by an 11-1 score. The Americans used their forecheck and puck movement skills to outscore their opponents. However, Russia's passive play changed with about six minutes to play, and they really turned the heat on the Americans. About 75 people are on-hand for this game, but the pro-American crowd appears very enthusiastic. Team USA is in white after finishing the round-robin at 2-2, and the Russians will be the visitors after they finished 1-3.

We're moments from the first whistle, so let's get to the action!

• Russia already looks like a different team. They are skating harder and using their individual skill to control the puck for shots. After a minute and a half, this game doesn't come close to resembling the effort on Thursday.
• With 17:53 remaining, we have our first penalty called. #5 Vyacheslav Kazantsev of Russia is sent off for tripping.
• The Americans show excellent puck movement and control on the powerplay as they pin the Russian penalty killing unit in their zone for 1:20.
• The Russians need to end the stickwork. #17 Aleksey Baburkin is sent off for a trip as well, giving the Americans 20 seconds of five-on-three hockey. The Russians need to move their feet rather than using their lumber to slow the American players.
• With 14:15 to play in the first, goaltender #30 Anatoliy Potapov really looks sharp. He has made a number of saves with traffic in front of the net, and one outstanding glove save already.
• #9 Roman Chernov rings one off the post behind American goaltender David Rancourt with 13:50 to play. The Russians definitely have more aggression in their game today.
• A thunderous hit behind the Russian net by American #10 Casey Riffle calls for a stoppage in play with 12:24 remaining as the Russian defender is down on the ice. It appears that #17 Aleksey Baburkin is ok as he gets up slowly.
• With 9:06 remaining, the Americans will go back to the powerplay as #18 Viktor Deriglazov is sent off for hooking. The Americans are using their speed effectively to force the Russians to take lazy penalties.
• On the powerplay, the Americans strike! With 7:50 remaining, #19 Andy Howard strips a Russian of the puck along the halfboards, and stickhandles his way from the left faceoff circle to the right faceoff circle, causing Potapov to go down early. From the right hash marks and using a Russian defender as a screen, Howard roofs the puck for the game's opening goal. USA leads 1-0.
• #18 Viktor Deriglazov is making himself a home in the penalty box. With 5:27 to play, he is sent off for tripping.
• And with Deriglazov off, the Americans notch their second powerplay marker with 5:18 left! The Russian team, in particular goaltender Anatoliy Potapov, are unhappy with the goal. There is a conference at their bench with the referee and linesman, but to no avail. #12 Jon Weintraub gets credit for the goal. USA leads 2-0.
• With 1:43 remaining, #18 David Reid scores a gorgeous goal. Skating in on the left hash marks, Reid fires a rising wrist shot through a Russian defender's legs and over the glove of Potapov. USA leads 3-0.

At the end of the first period, USA has a commanding 3-0 lead. It very well could be a six- or seven-goal lead had it not been for some brilliant goaltending by Anatoliy Potapov. To me, it seems the Russians are playing hard for short periods of time, but they get lazy in their own zone which results in penalties. Both of Deriglazov's penalties were the result of him not skating with the American player. The Russians need to match the American team's footwork, or this could be another American blowout like we saw on Thursday.

On to the second period!

• Potapov makes a terrible mistake at the 16:49 mark of the second. On a dump-in directly on net by #10 Casey Riffle, Potapov kicks out a huge rebound. The streaking #15 Miles Gates cuts in hard off the left wing and puts the rebound in the net. USA leads 4-0.
• With 14:03 to play, the Russian powerplay gets little going. They don't dump-and-chase, and they aren't strong enough on the puck to carry it through the American defenders. Russia needs to change their gameplan if they have any hope of a comeback in this game.
• #9 Peter Gentoli is sent sprawling in front of the Russian net while shorthanded. That kills the Russian powerplay with 12:08 to play in the second as #15 Sergey Kargin is sent off for interference.
• In what has to be the dumbest play yet by the Russians, #5 Vyacheslav Kazantsev is sent off for slashing with eight minutes to play. When your team has the puck and is clearing the zone, taking a selfish, stupid penalty in front of your own net should get you a permanent seat on the bench.
• Potapov stops #9 Peter Gentoli on a breakaway with his right shoulder. As I stated above, this game would be over if it weren't for Potapov's efforts. He has been outstanding in the Russian net.
• With 6:07 remaining, Russia has been assessed a four-minute double-minor penalty for spearing and a ten-minute misconduct. Again, another stupid penalty by #17 Aleksey Baburkin. Selfish and unnecessary.
  
• The first minor penalty is over quickly when the Americans score with 5:39 remaining. #18 David Reid taps in a rebound from the left side of the crease to add to the American lead. USA leads 5-0.
• And the second minor penalty is done 59 seconds later. With 4:40 remaining, the Americans strike again. This time, #11 Brian Van Vlyman rips a blocker-side wrist shot past Potapov with Casey Riffle providing the screen. That's the fourth American goal with the man advantage. USA leads 6-0.

The story of this game, quite frankly, is discipline. Anatoliy Potapov has done everything humanly possible to keep the Russians in the running for the bronze medal, but four powerplay goals by the Americans have put this game out of reach. David Rancourt hasn't seen much action in the American net - another sign of the passive gameplan that the Russians are using. Combine that with the aggressive American attack, and the only thing left to decide is the final score. The US is outshooting the Russians by a 44-12 margin.

• 30 seconds into the third period, and #12 Jon Weintraub is crushed into the boards by a Russian. He comes up clutching his arm and elbow, and heads straight to the bench. That didn't look good. Hopefully, he's ok.
• #22 Jon Dickson rips a shot past Potapov to add to the American lead. The rout is on as the Americans don't seem to be letting up. USA leads 7-0.
• #4 Evgeniy Zabelin appears to take a hit from behind in the left corner of his own zone with 17:45 remaining. After the trainers help him off the ice, he beelines for the US bench and takes a swing at an American player. The linemen and referee jump in to restore order, but Zabelin's tantrum continues as he is sent to the penalty box for ten minutes to think about his actions. #22 Jon Dickson was assessed a ten-minute for the check from behind.
  
• The Americans tack on another goal at 17:32. #9 Peter Gentoli fires home a shorthanded goal. USA leads 8-0.
  
• After the goal, the Russians pull Popatov and #1 Iskander Latypov takes over in net.
• At the 14:10 mark, David Rancourt can take a well-deserved seat on the bench as Joe Lingle skates into the crease.
• With 14:06 to go, the Americans notch another goal. #15 Miles Gates builds a bigger lead for the US squad. USA leads 9-0.
• The game is now getting dirty. #21 Konstantin Bobov is whisted for roughing with 12:08 remaining as he hits an American player, and then drives him into the ice.
• With 8:40 to go, #15 Sergey Kargin is sent in all alone on Lingle. And rings it off the post on the blocker side.
• With 6:12 remaining, an American goal is waved off after Latypov has some new creasemates. The Americans stage a slight argument, but don't press the issue aside from asking for an explanation.
• With 4:51 to play, the Americans hit double-digits. #8 Mike Wonoski picks up the tenth goal for the US squad. USA leads 10-0.
• With 3:58 remaining, #17 Aleksey Baburkin throws a vicious crosscheck to the head of American #18 David Reid. Reid responds with a two-hand slash to the shin pads, and the Russian goes after the smaller American. After being grabbed by the linesman, Baburkin is given a ten-minute misconduct and four minutes for crosschecking and roughing. Reid is assessed two for slashing.
• When it rains, it pours. After winning the faceoff, Russian defender #5 Vyacheslav Kazantsev turns to clear the puck without looking and fires it past Latypov. #9 Peter Gentoli is credited with the goal at 3:09 of the third. USA leads 11-0.
• With 1:17 left, the Russians are completely out of this game mentally. #17 Robert Ruef is sent in on the breakaway, and Russian forward #10 Oleg Danilenko hooks him to the ice. #7 looks like he'd be more at home in the NHL All-Star Game Shootout Competition as a he jukes and jives, performing more starts and stops than a figure skater. Needless to say, the penalty shot was waved off.

At the final buzzer, the American team has defeated the Russians by an 11-0 score, giving them the bronze medals in the process. The Americans legitimately got better as the tournament progressed, adopting more hard work as the answer to their goal-scoring problems from the first couple of games. With that new ideal, the Americans handily beat the Russians twice and the Slovaks.

Player Of The Game - Russia: #10 Oleg Danilekno.
Player Of The Game - USA: #19 Andy Howard.

In the spirit of sportsmanship, both teams shook hands and really seemed to congratulate one another. Pictures were taken on the ice by both teams, and the two teams came together for one large group photo. This is one of the best things about international hockey - despite the battles on the ice, everyone is friends off of it.

Team USA is your bronze medallists at the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships! In an hour and a half, I'll be back for the gold medal game featuring Finland and Canada.

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!

What In The Heck?

I've had a ridiculously busy day, and tomorrow is medal day at the World Deaf Hockey Championships, so I really don't have a ton of time to devote to writing anything tonight as I am glued to the NHL Playoffs. Honestly, is there anything better than the NHL Playoffs? From seeing the Philadelphia Flyers self-destruct to watching the soul-crushing style of play from the Ducks over the Sharks, the NHL Playoffs are the best time of year. It also raises the stakes for everyone involved in the game. Players play hurt, coaches hide weaknesses, and media outlets work hard to bring us all the stories that surround the mystique of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

However, there is something that needs to be said for reporting during this time of the year. Sure, reporters do their job throughout the year, and they, like everyone else, are human in so much that they make mistakes. Sometimes, they make them on air during live TV. Rarely, though, do you get the combination of "oops" and self-criticism like Rogers Sportsnet's Roger Millions gave us the other day.

Parents, the term Mr. Millions uses is very NSFW or not-so-good-for-children, so please be wary when you play this. Just remember that this was said on live television.

A "bit of a blooper"? Are you kidding me? That's nothing more than justification for termination, especially when said on national television. I don't blame Daren Millard, the host of HockeyCentral, for just shaking it off as a "blooper", but Millions shows exactly what not to do when one commits an error on live television. And yet Millions still has his job. Is it any wonder why TSN is leaps and bounds ahead of Sportsnet when it comes to reporting?

Speaking of being way ahead, I was watching the ESPN series preview the other day, featuring EJ Hradek and Barry Melrose. Both men were quite passionate about their picks, and I commend them for breaking down the series on ESPN.com where hockey gets as much coverage as the Westminster Dog Show.

The problem is that ESPN has as much hockey knowledge as the country of Ecuador. While I'm quite certain that the NFL is a huge money-maker for the "Worldwide Leader", it really speaks volumes as to how ignorant ESPN is of other sports. After all, when was the last time the Carolina Panthers made the NHL Playoffs?

Worse yet, they use the Florida Panthers' logo for the broadcast! It's one thing to mess up a team name, but to screw up twice at once is the epitome of ridiculous. I'm no fan of ESPN due to their arrogance when it comes to making hockey a non-sport, but to (a) not know the teams in the NHL and (b) screw up twice when speaking of the Carolina Hurricanes franchise is unforgivable.

This is yet another reason why the NHL doesn't need ESPN.

Look, I make mistakes. I even admit to them when I mess up. But in both of these cases, there was no effort in fixing the error. ESPN has pulled the video clip off their site (although I didn't check the archives). Sportsnet has Roger Millions reporting from Calgary still.

Is it any wonder why neither of these sports networks are respected by hockey fans?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Bronze Preview - USA vs. Russia

Well, it's the very last round-robin game at the 2009 World Deaf Hockey Championships, so I better update what I missed in order to bring you up to date. I was at work the last two days, so I missed a total of three games, all of which had implications on the standings. Canada played Russia on Wednesday in the early game while the Slovaks and Americans tangled in the evening. Earlier today, the Finns and Canadians squared off, and I'm back for this evening's game between the Russians and the Americans. It needs to be said that I am still very impressed with the organizers and volunteers of the 2009 World Deaf Ice Hockey and Curling Championships. They have been extremely hospitable, overly helpful, and accommodating in every way. If you needed an example of how to run a world-class event, this event would be it. I can't say enough thanks to everyone who has helped me throughout the week.

This is just a short paragraph about Wednesday because, as stated above, I wasn't at the St. James Civic Centre for those games. According to the gamesheets, Canada absolutely throttled Russia by a 17-1 score. From what I gather from the scoresheet, Canada simply hit them into submission before putting the game way out of reach. That gave Canada a 3-0 record while the Russians fell to 1-2.

In the US-Slovakia game, the Americans outskated the Slovaks to a 9-1 victory. With the loss, Slovakia dropped to 0-4 for the tournament, while the Americans improved to 1-2. That win by the US squad set up two all-important matchups for Thursday's games as Finland (3-0) would play Canada (3-0) in a gold medal game preview, while the Russians (1-2) and Americans (1-2) would square off in a bronze medal game preview.

Canada was the designated visiting team this afternoon in their contest against the Finns, so they took to the ice in their black jerseys while Finland skated in white. I'm not sure if this was a chance to work his backup goalie against a good Canadian team, but head coach Pekka Laakari started Arttu Liikamaa over Pauli Kitula. With nothing on the line but a win-loss record, the risk of having Kitula start and possibly get hurt might have played into the decision to start Liikamaa.

Canada responded with Ryan Armitage as they wanted home-ice advantage in the gold medal game. Canada came out blazing, jumping out to a 3-0 lead by the 11:51 mark of the first period. #16 Brent Pinch opened the scoring with a shorthanded marker at 4:08. That was followed by an even-strength goal scored by #5 David Garbacz. Pinch tallied his second of the game on the powerplay at 11:51. Finland responded when #24 Janne Yrjola notched a goal at the 12:02 mark, but Canada restored the three-goal lead at 14:28 when Brent Pinch added his hat-trick goal. Yrjola scored 57 seconds later on the powerplay to cut the deficit to two goals once more, but Canada added two more before the period would end. #25 Scott Savard scored at 16:30, and #17 Mark Howitt added his goal at 18:58 to give Canada a 6-2 lead after the first period.

If you didn't think this game was rough, there were 12 minor penalties called in the first period by referee Patrick Gagnon. Canada had eight of those with the majority being stick infractions. The second period only saw one goal as Canada increased its lead on a tally by #16 Brent Pinch, his fourth of the game. What is of some concern to Canadian fans is the health of goaltender Ryan Armitage. Armitage was reportedly slew-footed behind the net, causing him to fall backwards and strike his head on the ice. He was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons, but it is worth noting that Canada cannot afford to lose another goaltender.

The two teams traded goals in the third period as #7 Marko Liimatainen scored on the powerplay for Finland at 10:07 while Canada's goal came from #16 Brent Pinch. Pinch's five goals in one game are a career-best for the forward. Canada earns home ice advantage Saturday with an 8-3 victory over Finland.

To make the news even better, I just got word that Armitage is ok, and should be able to dress for Saturday's rematch in the gold medal game. That's a big relief as Canada doesn't have a third goaltender listed on its roster.

On to tonight's game where the Americans, in their road blues, will face Russia, who is wearing white. Both teams have little to play for aside from having the last change in the bronze medal game, so this will be interesting to see how both teams come out. There are probably 150-200 fans here for this game, so it looks like we'll have a good crowd on hand for his one!

Here are your highlights from tonight's game!

• Just over a minute in, and the Americans are a little more physical than the Russians so far. Both teams appear to want to out-deke the other team rather than out-hit them.
• With 18:10 to go, #7 Doug Hyde rips a shot off the crossbar behind Russian goaltender #20 Alexander Trofimov. Still no score, but the Americans are pressing.
• Trofimov has given up a couple of fat rebounds that the Americans just haven't been able to corral. If he keeps this up, the US team may have a big day on the scoresheet.
• The Americans strike first at 15:33. #15 Miles Gates pockets a goal behind Trofimov to give the US squad the all-important first goal. USA leads 1-0.
• The Americans have pinned Russia in their own zone for the last two minutes with some excellent puck control and cycling. They've blocked two or three clearing attempts, and their hard work pays off. At 12:31 of the first, #21 James Crane, the captain of the American team, taps home a rebound from in front of the cage. USA leads 2-0.
• #4 Garrett Hepperly cruises down the left wing with 11:10 remaining in the first, and rips home a wrist shot. USA leads 3-0.
• The first good Russian scoring chance comes with 9:35 remaining in the first as #15 Sergey Kargin rips a shot off a tap-pass. Goaltender David Rancourt is equal to the task, however, and it remains 3-0 for the US.
• Tony McGaughey deposits another American goal with 11:56 remaining. It seems as though the Russians are sleepwalking out there as McGaughey had all the time in the world to put that puck home. USA leads 4-0.
  
• With three minutes to play in the first, it has been all USA thus far. They are skating harder and really controlling the play.

With the Americans up 4-0, there hasn't been any real panic from the Russians. I'm not sure if they are saving themselves in order to prevent injury or they are tired, but they have not even been close to matching the American squad's intensity. Again, with nothing to play for except last changes on Saturday, I'm guessing they may be holding back.

On to the second period!

• With a hooking call 34 seconds into the second period against the Americans, Russia has a five-on-three opportunity. If they want back into this game, now is their chance.
• No dice on the Russian powerplay as the Americans are back to full-strength.
  
• With 16:51 remaining, the Americans score again. #8 Mike Wosnoski pots his first of the game to open up a five-goal cushion for the Americans. USA leads 5-0.
• With 13:25 left, some pushing and shoving in front of the Russian net leads to the zebras getting in the middle. Cooler heads prevail, however.
• In a footrace for the puck with 11:05 to go, a Russian forward turns away from the puck as he and an American defenceman come together. I believe that the Russians don't like getting hit, especially by bigger players.
• Phenomenal defensive play with 8:04 to play as #24 Peter Gentoli streaks back to strip the streaking Russian forward of the puck. #14 Sergey Osipov had a step or two on Gentoli, but Gentoli's hustle is worth noting.
• With 6:41 remaining, #16 Aleksey Ikohnikov fires a puck past Rancourt to put the Russians on the board. USA leads 5-1.
• With 5:53 remaining, there is a stoppage in play as a goal is being reviewed. The Americans are claiming to have scored. Moments after referee Brett Montsion discusses with the linesmen and goal judge, he points to center ice. #7 Doug Hyde is credited with the goal. USA leads 6-1.
• With 4:13 remaining, a weird goal is scored. #39 Jason Kitchen fires a puck towards the net from center as he begins the dump-and-chase. The problem? Trefimov misplays it badly, and it finds the back of the net. USA leads 7-1.
• #17 Robert Ruef adds to the American lead with 2:49 to go in the second. His move out of the corner to the front of the net finds space under #20's pads for a goal. USA leads 8-1.
• #7 Doug Hyde and #21 Konstantin Bobov have words in the Russian end as the play continues up ice at the 2:26 mark. It ends with Hyde in a headlock, and Bobov being held back by a linesman. I'm not sure what happened, but these two had a bit of battle going on in front of the American net just seconds earlier. Looks like a little bad blood might be creeping into these two teams.
• Wow... the resulting penalties are stiff. Bobov gets four minutes for spearing, four minutes for roughing, and a ten-minute misconduct. Hyde gets two minutes for roughing. The result? A six-minute American powerplay. Ouch.

Nothing comes of the powerplay in the remaining few minutes of the second, but the Americans will still have 3:34 in the third to get their powerplay units rolling. The Americans are really playing a much more disciplined game tonight, and have worked effectively to get under the skin of the Russian team. This is how I expected the Americans to play all tournament, and it looks like they might be peaking at the right time, especially with medals on the line.

• After I got cut off from the internet for about five minutes, I'm back to report that the Americans scored in that time. #19 Andy Howard was the goal scorer. USA leads 9-1.
• On a great individual effort to cause a turnover, #27 Tony McGaughey slides home a backhander to add the American total. Hard work has not been lost on the American squad. USA leads 10-1.
• I just noticed that the Russians have #1 Iskander Latypov in net. I guess they made the change to start the third period. As I write this, Joe Lingle comes off the bench to replace David Rancourt in the American net with just under eleven minutes to play.
• #4 Garrett Hepperly steps into the high slot, and rips a wrist shot that gets between Latypov's arm and body. USA leads 11-1.
• With 6:02 remaining, the Russians have begun to play with a lot more physicality. And it seems to be working as they are mounting regular pressure in the American zone. If this is a preview of how the bronze medal game will be on Saturday, I much prefer this hockey to the passive hockey the Russians were playing in the previous 54 minutes.
• Twice tonight the Russians have been caught sleeping as the linesman has blown the play in and dropped the puck in front of an American centerman with no Russian in the faceoff circle. Both times have resulted in the Russians taking a penalty as they try to recover. With 2:53 remaining, the Russians are penalized for slashing after missing a draw.

With the final buzzer, we have an 11-1 victory for the American squad to even their record at 2-2, giving them home-ice advantage over the Russians, who drop to 1-3, on Saturday when they compete for the bronze medal. The last seven minutes of the game is how I expect both teams to play on the weekend - hard, fast, and physical.

Player Of The Game - Russia: #15 Sergey Kargin.
Player Of The Game - USA: #4 Garrett Hepperly.

That will close the round-robin portion of the tournament. The final standings are as follows:

Canada (4-0)
Finland (3-1)
USA (2-2)
Russia (1-3)
Slovakia (0-4)

No games tomorrow as all the teams will be preparing for Saturday. Except Slovakia. I will say this about the Slovaks: for a first year team who has only been together six months, they never gave up and they never backed down. That shows some great heart, and they can certainly build on that foundation.

Medal Saturday is the last day of the World Deaf Hockey Championships, so if you're in or around the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, come on down to see some fabulous hockey action. Tickets are a miniscule $15, and you can take in a gold medal game at 1:00pm!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

This Isn't Twitter

Everyone says I should be on Facebook or Twitter. Especially during the playoffs. Apparently, everyone is twittering... tweeting... whatevering as the networking service happens to make the playoffs a more dynamic time. Or so I'm told. Personally, I have no interest in either of these sites. I didn't even have a MySpace page when everyone else was pouring over that site, so I'm not about to break my trend. However, I am flipping channels as I sit here, so I've decided to post some random thoughts from the games I am watching. This should be interesting.

• Chris Drury isn't in the lineup for the Rangers. Are they mailing in the loss?
• Sidney Crosby has scored the first goal of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Gatorade and Reebok began working on new commercials immediately.
• Is Wade Redden a graduate of the "Alexei Yashin Magic School"? He's been invisible all season long.
• Ovechkin looks like a man possessed. The only problem? Henrik Lundqvist is practicing voodoo in the crease. King Henry looks phenomenal so far.
• I called America's Most Wanted a few seconds ago. John Walsh is officially putting an APB out for Wade Redden.
• Mike Mottau - he who scored one goal all season - has New Jersey's first goal of the playoffs. Brian Burke is already on the phone with Lou Lamoriello.
• Scott Hartnell's hair makes him look like Sideshow Bob. I'm glad he lives up to the first half of that moniker.
• I could be wrong here, but Jose Theodore should probably take advantage of his company's vision benefits. He definitely needs glasses.
• Just had to check the calendar. I thought it might be Halloween. FREE CANDY all over the ice in Pittsburgh.
• Eric Staal left the ice midway through the second period. He's in the dressing room filling out a temporary restraining order against John Madden.
• The greatest trick the New Jersey Devils ever pulled was convincing the world they didn't care. Carolina is finding out the hard way.
• CBC's Scott Oake says that Vancouver has "playoff fever". I wonder if Mats Sundin has caught it yet?
• TSN's Gord Miller points out that Viktor Kozlov has never played on a team that has won a playoff series. Kozlov is 0-6 in playoff series.
• The Rangers' penalty kill is a passive box. My advice for John Tortorella? Send out a second goaltender. Your defence isn't doing a damned thing to stop Washington.
  
• Just in case people are wondering, Dan Bylsma coached the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to the AHL Calder Cup Championship series last season. Stop talking about him like he just walked in off the street, ok?
• Alexander Ovechkin was using another player's helmet for almost one minute. His helmet was knocked off, so he grabbed a helmet from one of the Capitals. Weird.
• Philadelphia must be going through some serious "déja vu" because the Penguins are dominating that game.
• I'm pretty sure that Theodore has no idea what that leather thing is on his right hand. Maybe Boudreau should get him another blocker?
• TSN just flashed on the screen that Redden has an assist in tonight's game. I had no clue he had booked the arena for his magic tour. Redden is the NHL's David Blaine.
• Did they replace the Mellon Arena with a woodshed? Flyers are getting spanked.
• Henrik Lundqvist is unconscious in the net. If it weren't for him, the Capitals may lead by 20 or 30 goals. Easily.
• Who'da thunk that the New York Rangers Henrik Lundqvist would win Game One of the Rangers-Capitals series?
• Philly seems to think that the Broad Street Bullies are back. Alberts with a hard slash, and then Parent with a hit from behind. Sideshow Scott was sent to the dressing room.
• Coburn and Guerin hug each other passionately. That wasn't a fight.
• New York has defeated Washington by a 4-3 score.
• Pittsburgh has defeated Philadelphia by a 4-1 score.
• New Jersey has defeated Carolina by a 4-1 score.

Alright, that was fun. But I'm still not joining Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or any other site like that. If you want to yap about my comments, leave me a comment and I will respond! I always love a good discussion.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Teebz's Five Stories

Every year, there are certain facts and stats that jump out at me as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs roll around. These are not the obvious stats such as goals and assists, but lesser-known stats and stories that could come into play as you look over the matchups in the first round of the playoffs. Without doubt, some of these little tidbits of information are nothing more than numbers and words - simply pieces of random information that mean nothing other than what they represent. But if you believe stats and info are a way to determine a winner, you'll probably want to check these five important stories that I bring to you today.

1. Goaltending Wins Championships

If you don't believe in goaltending, you're probably still watching Gretzky and the Oilers score teams into submission in the mid-1980s. And that's fine, but it doesn't apply in today's NHL, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Goaltending is more important than ever before, and a hot goalie can carry you deep into the playoffs.

Consider these numbers for your first round matchups:

• Nikolai Khabibulin is 22-5-2 all-time versus the Calgary Flames with a 2.06 GAA. This season, Khabibulin went 3-0, surrendering only six goals against the Flames.
• Jose Theodore is 4-0 in the first round in his career as a starting goaltender. He has not lost a series to date in the first round, and he looks to continue that trend against the Rangers.
• If you're looking for an edge between Philly and Pittsburgh, you have to go with Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is 15-10 in 25 starts in the post-season, while Biron is 9-8. The edge? Pittsburgh defeated Philly in five games last season to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Biron was 2-2-1 against the Penguins this year.
• While everyone has been all over Chris Osgood's play in Detroit this season, consider that he's 59-41 in his career in the post-season with a miniscule 2.11 GAA. Granted, Osgood's GAA is up to 3.09 this season, far off his career mark, but I'd expect Mike Babcock to get his goalie in gear for the second season.
• The two Masons - Steve and Chris - have led the Columbus Blue Jackets and the St. Louis Blues into the playoffs when it was expected they would challenge for a lottery spot. The problem? Steve Mason has never been there, and Chris Mason has played a total of five playoff games, going 1-4. Big questions there if you're looking for an upset.

2. Special Teams Will Win You Series

If special teams are any indication of how good a team will be in the playoffs, every single powerplay and penalty kill is vitally important to your team's success. Detroit showed how lethal their powerplay can be last year, and it carried them to a Stanley Cup.

Consider these numbers for your first round picks:

• The Columbus Blue Jackets were the worst team in the NHL on the powerplay this season, scoring on 12.7% of their chances. The good news? Detroit was the 25th-best team while shorthanded this season.
• The New York Rangers finished just ahead of the Blue Jackets at 29th in the NHL at a 13.9% pace. Washington finished 17th on the penalty kill, so the Rangers need to get their powerplay going. Like now.
• The Detroit Red Wings finished first on the powerplay at 25.5%. That's one powerplay goal for every four powerplays. Columbus had better be disciplined if they want to survive.
• With all of Pittburgh's firepower on the powerplay, they had better be aware of Philadelphia's penalty kill. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter had 11 goals total together. The Pittsburgh Penguins as a team had seven shorthanded goals - as many as Mike Richards had this season!

3. Everyone Talks About Chemistry

It's the one thing that is nearly impossible to measure except when a team is clicking along. And a win streak in the playoffs makes it that much easier to get closer to the Holy Grail. Chemistry can't be overlooked, and here are a few things to consider:

• There is no doubt that Cam Ward has been a large part of the Carolina Hurricanes' recent tear through the Eastern Conference standings, but has there been any better reunion than Eric Staal and Erik Cole? These two seem to go together better than peanut butter and jelly.
• Getting Sergei Gonchar back on the Penguins' blueline has been instrumental in turning their fortunes around in the second half of the season, but Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin have been huge contributors alongside Sidney Crosby. I'll even go out on a limb and say that the Penguins are better this year with Kunitz and Guerin than they were with Hossa at this time last year.
• The St. Louis Blues have been getting contributions from youngsters all year, but how about the clutch performances from TJ Oshie, David Perron, David Backes, Patrik Berglund, BJ Crombeen, and Alex Steen down the stretch? All of those guys are 25 years-old or younger, and all have been key contributors to the Blues' run to the post-season.

4. Grit Goes A Long, Long Way

The grinders, the muckers, the third- and fourth-liners cannot be forgotten. Teams always pick up these grinding, depth players at the deadline, and this season was no different. Several grinders were moved, and their grit is often the unsung hero of a series.

Here are a few of grinders who have the ability to affect an entire series:

• Sean Avery - New York Rangers. If he plays against Ovechkin, his job for the entire series will be to annoy the Russian superstar. If he doesn't, Jose Theodore will be his target. In either case, Avery will be noticed by the Washington Capitals.
• Ryan Kesler/Alex Burrows - Vancouver Canucks. These two play the game like crazed men. They hit everything that moves, they play hard every shift, and they can score in bunches as well. It will be tough for St. Louis to out-grind these two men, and Vancouver is always better with them on the ice.
• Travis Moen/Claude Lemieux - San Jose Sharks. The former Anaheim Duck faces his former teammates who he skated with a mere two months ago. However, Moen has shown he can shutdown the best players in the game with his suffocating defence, and he can score. Lemieux is the throwback grinding forward, and he'll be counted on for leadership and wearing down opponents. Lemieux knows all the dirty tricks, and the Sharks should benefit from his years of experience.
  

5. Expectations Can Crush Souls

It's no stretch to suggest that fans in certain cities are tapping their fingers on their desks while staring at their teams' roster. Why doesn't he score? How come he disappears in the playoffs? What happened to our goaltending? Some players have a lot riding on them in terms of playoff expectations, but so do a number of teams.

Here are a few things to remember:

• The Boston Bruins have won one playoff round in the last 14 years. Tim Thomas needs to take this team deep to keep the Bruins' faithful happy.
• The Montreal Canadiens only have 100 years of history riding on this season, and everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Do the playoffs present an opportunity for redemption?
• The San Jose Sharks keep toying with their fans by dominating through the regular season before making an early curtain call in the playoffs. This is their 12th appearance in the playoffs since 1994, and 2004 was the only time this club has seen the Conference Finals. San Jose fans have seen more disappearing acts than David Copperfield's assistants.
• The New Jersey Devils looked shaken last year in their series against the Rangers, and fears of that team returning shook Devils fans as the team limped through March. Martin Brodeur needs to rediscover the form that allowed him to overtake Patrick Roy's record, or this could be another short playoff run from the Devils.
• The Carolina Hurricanes are appearing in their fifth playoff appearance, and this is the fourth time they will meet up with the New Jersey Devils, and the third time in the first round. There's still some lingering bad blood over Scott Stevens sending Shane Willis into an alternate dimension, and his attempt to lay out Ron Francis. The weird part is that in all four meetings between these two teams, the higher seed has always prevailed.

Playoff start tomorrow! Get your gameface on, and don't forget about the HBIC Playoff Pool! Get your entries in ASAP!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

WDIHC - Two Games

With me being stuck at work today, I didn't get a chance to see the early game at the 2009 World Deaf Hockey Championships, but it looks like Finland is establishing itself as a dominant force in these games. According to the official scoresheet from today's early game, Russia was the home team with Finland taking the visitors' bench. It didn't take long for the Finns to score as they victimized Russian goaltender Anatoliy Potapov early and often in this game. In fact, according to official scoresheet, Finland scored seven goals on 14 shots in the first period. Needless to say, this game was out of reach before the first intermission. Finland went on to victory by a 15-1 margin, giving them a 3-0 record in the tournament. With the loss, the Russian squad fell to 1-1.

That sets up tonight's game between the Canadians and Slovaks as a chance for Canada to move into sole possession of second place at 2-0. Canada defeated the United States on Saturday afternoon by an 8-2 score for their first win. Slovakia, the newest team to the World Deaf Ice Hockey Tournament, has been defeated by both the Russians and Finns, and sits last at 0-2. Both games were blowouts to put it mildly.

The lone Russian goal today was scored by Denis Kholin who, in my view, is having himself an excellent tournament. It appears that Russian Aleksey Baburkin was given a match penalty at 12:37 of the first period for kicking or attempting to kick Finnish forward Kristian Lantto. From what I gather, Lantto was guilty of charging on the play, and Baburkin didn't appreciate the physicality that Lantto had applied towards him. No word on a suspension yet, but since this tournament isn't an IIHF-sanctioned tournament, it's possible Baburkin could return for Russia's next game.

Finland got hat tricks from both Kristian Lantto and Janne Yrjola while Jan-Erik Granvik added a pair. Finland has excellent scoring from all lines, and really looks solid as a team. The one area they really seem to excel at is their discipline. Russia was whistled for 16 minor penalties today in the game against Finland compared to only six minor penalties taken by the Finns. With Finland's aggressive, up-tempo style of game, they have really shown a great deal of discipline in not taking unnecessary penalties.

Defensively, the Finns held the Russians to a mere 14 shots while peppering the Russian goal with 46 shots. If there is one team who consistently gets pucks to the net, it's Finland. It has clearly helped them put pucks in the net, and they are winning games convincingly. Their goal differential is a ridiculous +55 as they have scored 58 goals in three games while only giving up three goals. Of course, I needn't remind you that 37 of those goals were against Slovakia.

As we look ahead to Canada-Slovakia, it is reported that Jason Plumb - the Canadian forward assessed a game misconduct for charging against the Americans - will play in the game tonight. Again, this is a non-IIHF tournament, so the rules here are slightly different. Otherwise, there are no roster changes reported by either side, meaning all players are healthy for both teams.

I don't have my camera with me tonight, but it's probably best that I don't. Slovakia is back on the ice as the designated home team, so they're wearing white. Canada is the visiting team, and they've taken to the ice in black-and-red.

Now, if you're a long-time reader of this blog, you know exactly how much I abhor black jerseys.

I'll be honest here: Canada does not even look like a Canadian team. Which is disappointing. They look a lot like the Carolina Hurricanes' alternate jerseys except there is a lot less gray. And in another jersey misconduct, the numbers and lettering are red-on-gray. From this distance, if they had names on the back instead of "Canada", I wouldn't be able to read any of the names. And I'm only sitting about 50-feet away. White outlines, people. If you're doing red font on black jersey, you need the contrast of a white outline. Like these guys. At least Carolina got that part right.

Back to the hockey, I expect another blowout against Slovakia. It needs to be said that Canada only has to score more than 19 goals against Slovakia to have them keep pace with the Russians, but I'm hoping this game doesn't get out of hand like the Finland-Slovakia game did. No one seemed interested after the first period, and that's not very good when trying to attract fans to the game.

There appears to be about 200 people in the stands - good for a weekday night in the round-robin. There are still quite a few Canadian hockey jerseys visible, and that's good for the game as the Canadian crowds are showing up to support the "home" team.

Here are your first period highlights!

• Goaltender Tyler Plett will get the start for Canada, and Jon Kuchta heads to the blue ice for the Slovaks. Kuchta has been one of the highlights for me in this tournament. Despite his team giving up 58 goals thus far, Kuchta has played hard for every minute he has been in net.
• #19 Robert Palicka is called for interference with 18:00 to go, sending Canada to the powerplay. So far, Slovakia is playing pretty well despite being overmatched by the Canadian skill.
• A cross-crease pass by #25 Scott Savard gets lost in the feet of #17 Mark Howitt. Both players shake their heads as the puck is moved back out to the point, and the game remains scoreless.
• At 15:42, Canada breaks the stalemate. #29 Brett McLaren puts Canada up just after the powerplay expires. Canada leads 1-0.
• With 13:45 remaining, #2 Casey O'Brien's shot from the high slot finds its way through three players and past Kuchta. Canada leads 2-0.
• Canada continues to pressure the Slovaks within their own zone. The difference between the Canadian offensive pressure and Finnish offensive pressure is that Canada is using everyone on the ice. Pucks are being passed back to the point, and they are cycling well along the endboards. If Canada is looking ahead to their game against Russia on Wednesday, they are certainly working on the finer points of their game.
• With 10:28 remaining, Kuchta covers a puck that #14 Cole Pearson takes a swipe at. He'll spend two minutes or less in the penalty box.
• With 9:17 left in the first, #7 Steve Devine rips a slapshot home from the right hash marks while shorthanded. Canada leads 3-0.
• 8:36 remaining, and #11 Jason Plumb is sent in on a breakaway. He makes no mistake as he buries it low blocker-side on Kuchta. Canada leads 4-0.
• The 7:47 mark sees #17 add to Canada's lead as he fires home a great pass from #25 Scott Savard. Savard set up in behind the net and fed #17 in a Gretzky-Kurri-esque goal. Canada leads 5-0.
• #15 Dawson Friesen adds to Canada's lead at 7:32 as he drives to the net and fires a puck past Kuchta. Canada leads 6-0.
• At the 6:10 mark, #91 Maros Sagula finds himself open behind the Canadian defenceman, but just can't corral the pass. Had he been able to get to that puck, he would have had two steps on the Canadian blueliners from the center ice line for a possible breakaway.
• Kuchta's glovehand has been sharp tonight. He's taken a couple of goals away from Canada with a quick hand. Again, I am thoroughly impressed by Kuchta's "never say die" attitude in net.
• With 3:01 remaining, Canada strikes on the powerplay. #13 Jason Veilieux chips in his first of the game from the right-side of the net. Canada leads 7-0.
• With 53 seconds remaining, Canada takes a tripping penalty. #5 David Garbacz is sent to the box, and Slovakia will have a powerplay that carries over to the second period if they don't score first.
• Canada strikes again with 24 seconds left on a goal-mouth scramble. #15 Dawson Friesen has his second of the game, and Canada's second shorthanded marker of the game. Canada leads 8-0.

With the first twenty minutes in the books, Canada has really controlled the puck well. Slovakia has played well thus far, but is simply overmatched by Canada's skill. That being said, the Slovaks have nothing to hang their heads about as they played a solid, disciplined style of hockey in the first period. Goaltender Jon Kuchta has been steady despite the score against him, and has made a number of key saves.

The second period draws near. On with the game!

• With 18:39 left in the second, Canada strikes again. #19 Mike Merriman hammers a puck from the top of the left faceoff circle over Kuchta's shoulder as he drops to his knees. Canada leads 9-0.
• #4 Jon Lobodzinski adds to Canada's lead at 00:00 of the second with his first of the game. Canada leads 10-0.
• Canada strikes again at 14:50. #19 Mike Merriman cleans up in front of the net as he bats home a loose puck. Canada leads 11-0.
• With 12:07 left, Slovakia goes down two men as #66 Martin Simon is called for tripping behind the net. Canada will have a five-on-three advantage for 52 seconds.
• #19 Mike Merriman picks up another goal from his favorite spot on the ice. With 11:35 remaining, Merriman rips home a slapshot from the left faceoff circle just inside the post. Canada leads 12-0.
• Canada finishes off its powerplay with another goal at the 11:06 mark. #19 Mike Merriman pots his fourth of the game. Canada leads 13-0.
• With 10:44 remaining, Canada notches another goal. #12 David Garbacz scores on a pass from his brother, #5 David Garbacz. Canada leads 14-0.
• The 9:05 mark sees #16 throw a vicious hit on Slovakia's Martin Zizka. Both hands came up and into Zizka's face, sending him hard to the ice. Somehow, there's no penalty call on the play, considering it was a textbook case of roughing.
• With 7:38 remaining, Mike Merriman is making a run at the record books. He stepped out from behind the net and slid a backhand home through the five-hole of Kuchta. Canada leads 15-0.
• The 7:15 mark sees Canada increase its lead. #25 Scott Savard pots his first of the game. Canada leads 16-0.
• 10 seconds later, Canada adds their 17th goal. #15 Dawson Friesen completes the hat trick. Canada leads 17-0.
  
• Standing all alone in front of the net, #12 Chris Garbacz slams a puck home between Kuchta's pads at the 6:18 mark. Canada leads 18-0.
• #14 Cole Pearson converts a slick pass from #4 Jon Lobodzonski to add to Canada's lead at the 5:28 mark. Canada leads 19-0.
• #88 Patrik Sromota got absolutely crushed by Canada's #7 Steve Devine with 4:44 to go. He's slow to get to his feet, but skates off under his own power. He doesn't appear to be too pleased with Devine, however, as he shakes off Devine's apology. The Slovakian coach, Ladislav Hlavaty, is irate on the bench, giving the officials a tongue-lashing like I haven't seen yet in this tournament. I would assume he's unhappy about there being no penalty on the hit, but it looks like his complaint is going nowhere with the referee. Kuchta is also on the bench, and Branislav Puskac is heading towards the net. A goaltending change?
  
• Kuchta is now standing by the door to the bench fully-dressed. Maybe he had an equipment issue? At the 2:39 mark, he is returning to the net and Puskac is heading back towards the bench.

With one period to play, the game has changed slightly. Slovakia, playing their third game in four days, looks a little fatigued while chasing the Canadian skaters. Canada, on the other hand, isn't pumping goals by Kuchta like another team did. Canada is working on making hard, crisp passes and smart decisions. When they have, the puck has found the back of the net. The game isn't in doubt by any means, but it will be interesting to see what the final score is. My only hope is that Canada doesnt run up the score on Slovakia like Finland did.

Third period action is about to get underway!

• 1:40 into the third period, and I don't think Canadian goaltender Tyler Plett has faced a shot yet. None that I can remember, that is.
• The 17:12 mark sees #5 David Garbacz score Canada's first goal of the third period with a shot from inside the left circle. Canada leads 20-0.
• 15:09 remaining, and Canada strikes again. #7 Steve Devine adds to Canada's total. Canada leads 21-0.
• 14:51 has Canada on the board again as #14 Cole Pearson chips in a goal from the top of the crease. Canada leads 22-0.
• The 13:05 mark sees #3 Jalen Harris score his first of the game from in front of the net. Canada leads 23-0.
• #12 Chris Garbacz adds another Canadian goal at the 9:53 mark. His goal from the slot builds on an insurmountable lead. Canada leads 24-0.
• #2 Casey O'Brien looks like he's plaing shinny out there as he goes blueline to goal line before tucking the puck inside the left post at 9:17. Canada leads 25-0.
• Jalen Harris jumps all over a loose puck in the slot for his second of the game. Canada leads 26-0.
• With 5:24 remaining, #13 Jason Veilieux receives a pass as he cruises into the slot with no one between him and Kuchta. A quick wrist shot over Kuchta's blocker sends the faceoff back to center ice. Canada leads 27-0.
• 50 seconds later, #3 Jalen Harris picks up another goal. Canada leads 28-0.
• The 2:26 mark sees #21 Terry Maloney pockets his first of the night on a clear breakaway from the blueline in. Canada leads 29-0.
• In what is a completely unnecessary thing to do, #2 Casey O'Brien skates into the high slot and unloads a slapshot that beats Kuchta's glovehand at 1:11. Canada leads 30-0.

Game, set, and match sees Canada take this one by three touchdowns and three field goals. Again, I'm not a fan of running up the score, and seeing O'Brien launch that slapshot when up 29-0 just doesn't sit well with me. Canada improves to 2-0, while Slovakia falls to 0-3.

Player Of The Game - Slovakia: #9 Robert Knapec.
Player Of The Game - Canada: #17 Mark Howitt.

There are no games scheduled tomorrow, and both games on Wednesday take place during the day. Of course, I'll be working, so I won't be at those games. I will, however, return for the Russia-United States game on Thursday evening. I'll also have a recap from the Finland-Canada showdown that will determine who wins the round robin.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

You Pick 'Em

With last year's HBIC Playoff Pool, there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work that I needed to do. I'm not against doing work by any means, but, with summer approaching quickly, I find myself becoming busier as the days push forward. Of course, we all enjoy warm summer weather, so you all know this. In looking forward to this year's playoff pool, I have decided to make a few changes. I had a few people complain that they weren't all that confident in their ability to pick players last season, and didn't enter the pool because of this lack of confidence in themselves. I want as many people as possible to enjoy the NHL Playoffs, so I've made a change to the format this year. It will still present challenges for you, the entrant, so I'm confident that you will still enjoy accumulating points throughout the playoffs.

Here is the format for the 2009 Hockey Blog In Canada Playoff Pool.

• Entrants will be required to pick the winner of each game for each series. In doing so, one will also choose the number of games played by the two teams in each series.
• Entrants will be required to pick the game-winning goal scorer for each game.

Sounds pretty easy, right? No real strategy as to which team will go further, who is playing whom, and all that jazz.

Points will be based upon your predictions.

• For each correctly-predicted team that wins the game, one point will be awarded. For correctly predicting the series length, two points will be awarded. For correctly predicting the series length and winning team, five points will be awarded. If one correctly predicts the series length and winning team, the two-point option is overrided by the higher-scoring option.
• For predicting the player who scores the game-winning goal per game, that entrant will receive an additional two points per game per correctly-chosen player.

The following example should help you weed through the rules:

• For the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia series, I predict that Pittsburgh will win Games 1, 2, 4, and 6. Philadelphia will win Games 3 and 5. I also predict that Evgeni Malkin will score the game-winner in Game 1; Chris Kunitz in Game 2; Jordan Staal in Game 4; and, Bill Guerin in Game 6. Jeff Carter will score Philly's winner in Game 3 while Mike Knuble will score in Game 5.
• If I correctly predicted the entire series (highly improbable with my record of prognostications) of Pittsburgh winning in six games with all my game-winner scoring choices being right, I would earn 23 points (6 for each correct game + 5 for correctly predicting length and series winner + 12 for each game-winning goal scorer).

The catch to this whole thing is that no one will be eliminated until the Stanley Cup is handed out. With each new round beginning, each entrant will be required to send in their picks just as they did in the previous round. This way, everyone has a chance at some free shwag. And everyone loves free shwag.

I would hazard a guess at there possibly being a tie between two or more people, so your tie-breaker, required at the start of the first round, is to name the team who will accumulate the most penalty minutes. Those who are tied will have their answers reviewed, and the entrant who picked the team with the higher PIM total for the playoffs will be crowned as the winner. Secondary tie-breaker, in case two entrants pick the same team for PIMs, will be number of series correctly predicted in length of games.

For example, if Entrant A picks Boston and Entrant B picks Detroit, and Boston has the higher PIM total, Entrant A would be the winner.

The best part of the HBIC Playoff Pool? It's FREE! That's right, kids. You can enter at no cost, and the shwag is up for grabs. The only thing I ask, to be fair, is that you only enter once, please. Make sure to include your full name on your email with your first round picks, and we'll get the show on the road on Wednesday night.

Please send your emails with your first-round choices and tie-breaker choice to me ASAP. I'll get your picks recorded, and we'll see who is the best predictor in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

What Long Weekend?

Normally, I reserve the right to sleep in on long weekends. That includes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Occasionally, I'll replace the Friday with a Monday, but it's still three days worth of sleeping in. Which is good. Only this weekend had me preoccupied with hockey, so I'm not complaining. I spent the last two days watching some excellent hockey being played at the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships, and I'll be back there tomorrow night for more action. In the mean time, I've let the rest of the hockey world evolve without mentioning anything, so I'm here to put my spin on what's been happening in the world of hockey from the last couple of days. And there have been a number of major stories. Let's take a look at what I think of what the hockey has offered.

• The IIHF World Women's Hockey Championship in Hameenlinna, Finland wrapped up today. In the bronze medal game, the host Finns defeated their arch-rival Swedish team by a 4-1 score to take third-place. Michelle Karvinen had a pair of goals for the Finns while Mari Pehkonen and Mari Saarinen added singles. Danijela Rundqvist had the lone Swedish goal. After losing two blow-outs against Canada and the USA, Finland responded well, and looks like a medal favorite as the 2010 Winter Olympics near. Congratulations to Team Finland on their bronze medal victory!
  
• In the gold medal game, Canada and the US met up once again for bragging rights as they look towards the Olympics. Things didn't start well for the Canadians as the Americans got on the board just 24 seconds in as Caitlin Cahow finished off a two-on-one with Jenny Potter to give the Americans the lead. Jennifer Botterill replied for Canada to tie the game in the second period, but the quicker American team was not to be denied today. Meghan Duggan made it 2-1 USA before a powerplay goal by Cahow made it a 3-1 lead. Hilary Knight added an empty net goal to end the game with a 4-1 victory. Congratulations to Team USA on their gold medal victory!
  
• In my own view, Canada looked a step slower than the Americans all night. Canadian defenceman Colleen Sostorics seemed to struggle all game against the Americans, and was caught up ice on the Americans' opening goal. If Canada wants to compete with the speedy American team, they will have to work on their agility and foot speed. The American women simply out-skated and outworked the Canadians today.
• The KHL has crowned its first champion, and the series went down to the wire for the Gagarin Cup. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Ak Bars Kazan had battled their way to a stalemate over six games, so a seventh and deciding game was necessary. Lokomotiv had won all the odd-numbered games, while Ak Bars responded each time by winning the even-numbered games. In Game Seven, however, all bets were off as it was a one-game, winner-takes-all Championship. Former NHLer Aleksey Morozov was the only player to hit the scoresheet, scoring a goal midway through the third period, giving Ak Bars Kazan the inaugural KHL Gagarin Cup Championship. Congratulations to Ak Bars Kazan on their victory!
• Jacques Lemaire, head coach of the Minnesota Wild, has stepped down from the position, citing that "it's time for the players to get a new coach and myself to look for other stuff". The announcement, made on Easter Sunday, seems to indicate that Lemaire will look for opportunities outside the Wild organization, but Lemaire stated he would not speculate on that as he was still under contract with the Wild. It has been reported by several media outlets that Bob Gainey is interested in hiring the defensively-minded coach if he were available, so only time will tell whether or not Gainey will bring back another former Canadien to lead the troops.
• The Detroit Red Wings made some news yesterday with the announcement that they had signed Johan "The Mule" Franzen to an 11-year deal worth a reported $43 million. The $3.9 million cap hit is a huge discount for the Red Wings, and will keep the 29 year-old in red-and-white until he is 40. The Red Wings are reportedly now in talks in with Marian Hossa on a similar long-term deal to keep the sniper in town as well. Only Henrik Zetterberg's 12-year deal is longer in Red Wings' history than Franzen's new deal. And keeping Franzen in town makes the Red Wings formidable for years to come.
• Boston University's Matt Gilroy, a highly-touted, undrafted defenceman, was named the 2008-09 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner as the top player in NCAA hockey. He was selected ahead of BU teammate Colin Wilson and Northeastern goaltender Brad Thiessen as this year's winner. Because of his age, he has free agent rights, and is eligible to sign with any NHL team he wishes. Toronto is reportedly making a strong push to sign the puck-moving defenceman, but Philadelphia is also apparently making a push to sign the blueliner. Gilroy is obviously in the driver's seat here as a free agent, so it will be interesting to see where he decides to play.
• Speaking of Boston University, the #1-ranked team in US Collegiate hockey pulled off the improbable Saturday night. The Miami-Ohio Redhawks had built a 3-1 lead over the Terriers before the Terriers woke up late in the third period. BU head coach Jack Parker pulled the goaltender with 3:32 remaining, opening the path for the Redhawks to seal the deal and win their first national title. Except that Boston University didn't give in. With 59.5 seconds left, Zach Cohen flipped a backhander over Miami goaltender Cody Reichard to make it 3-2. Momentum shifted immediately, and the Terriers rode the wave as Nick Bonino's wrist shot with 17 seconds remaining found the back of the net to tie the game at 3-3. Overtime was next, but it didn't last long. 12 minutes into the extra frame, BU defenceman Colby Cohen ripped a slapshot that caught Miami defenceman Kevin Roeder on the shinpad as he sprawled to block the shot. The deflected shot eluded Reichard, and BU had won the NCAA Ice Hockey Championship. Congratulations to the Terriers on their fifth national collegiate championship!
• NHL Playoffs start on Wednesday. I'll have a rundown on the series that day. The AHL Calder Cup Playoffs also start Wednesday, and I'll take a quick look at those series as well. ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs have already started, and I'll update who is doing what on Wednesday.
• Lastly, I'm changing the Playoff Pool that I ran last season. Justin St. Louis won last season's HBIC Playoff Pool, but this season will be a little different. Details coming tomorrow. Tune in for that. Free shwag for the winner, and we all love free shwag!

That's all for today. Easter Sunday means dinner with the family, so I have to get my rear in gear for that. I'll be back tomorrow with a recap of the Canada-Slovakia game from the World Deaf Hockey Championships, as well as the Playoff Pool information.

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!

European Deal - Slovakia vs. Finland

Slovakia and Finland are running through their warm-ups right now. Finland is coming off a 6-2 victory over the USA yesterday afternoon, while the Slovaks were punished by the Russians to the tune of 21-2 yesterday morning. In an interesting piece of information, this is the first year that the Slovakian squad has played together. Previously, only the four teams - Canada, Finland, Russia, and the USA - had competed for hockey supremacy. The reason they are at the World Championships is that Slovakia is hosting the 2012 Winter Deaf Olympic Games. Gaining another team is good news for this event going forward. Yes, no one likes to see a team get demolished like the Slovaks were yesterday, but they compete hard and never say die. That's exactly what you want to see from a brand-new team. Work ethic can't be taught, and the Slovaks bring that in spades. If anything, the Slovaks should use the Finnish squad as an example of how to play this game. They're also a hustle team, and they never give up on any play until the whistle blows.

Finland will be in their white home jerseys. As per yesterday, they will feature the Snickers logo on their jerseys. Personally, it really stands out on the white jersey. The Slovaks will be in their dark blue jerseys. As I was checking out their uniforms for any sort of manufacturer's logo, it occurred to me that the Slovakian goaltenders have some pretty impressive paint jobs on their masks. Branislav Puskac appears to be a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yes, it's hard to see, but they don't exactly stop to pose for me either. Just take my word that he has the throwback-style maple leaf on his helmet.

We're about eleven minutes from the start of this game. The crowd is sparse for this game with about 100 people in attendance from what I guess-timate. But that is to be expected for these two European teams as their game is being played a long way from home.

As the officials do a little patching on the ice, it appears that Finland will be starting #31 Arttu Liikamaa in today's game. #30 Jon Kuchta guards the net at the Slovak end of the ice. Here are your highlights of the first period:

• As expected, Finland has the pressure on the Slovaks. Unlike the Russians, though, it appears that they are working on skills and perfecting set plays rather than simply trying to score. Classy move by Finland as they know they outmatch the Slovaks.
• Not much to report as we're 2:19 in, but the Finns are showing they can cycle the puck very well. The Slovaks have kept the front of the net fairly clear of pucks when the Finns have thrown it in front.
• 16:38 sees Finland get on the scoresheet. After a scramble in front, the rebound comes out to #6 Reko Sietsalo at the high slot. He makes no mistake as he buries it. Finland leads 1-0.
• 16:31 has the Finnish squad on the board again. After a nice forehand-backhand deke, #14 Victor Lindfors slides it home on the backhand. Finland leads 2-0.
  
• 16:06 has Finland add another goal. #24 Janne Yrjola breaks in off the left side, and roofs it over top of Kuchta's glove hand. Finland leads 3-0.
• Finland strikes again at the 14:38 mark. #3 Sami Vuoriheimo scores on the powerplay as he snaps a shot home from just above the left wing faceoff circle. Finland leads 4-0.
• Finland is on the scoresheet once again as they notch another goal at the 13:45 mark. #3 Sami Vuoriheimo buries it in front of the net. Finland leads 5-0.
  
• I have to hand it to Kuchta. He's clearly frustrated after a goal is scored, but he hasn't given up on any play. If Kuchta is to be the goalie of the future for the Slovakian National Deaf Hockey Team, this is a trial by fire indeed. Kudos for him for playing hard on every shot.
• 9:27 left, and Finland pots another goal. #21 Kristian Lantto rips a shot from the slot high gloveside off the post into the back of the net. Finland leads 6-0.
  
• With 6:08 remaining in the first, Finland nets lucky number seven. #14 Victor Lindfors picks up his second of the game by firing home a shot from the slot. Finland leads 7-0.
• The Finnish goaltender, Liikamaa, is skating out near the hash marks with his helmet sitting atop his head. He seems to be gesturing that he has only faced two shots.
• With 4:57 left, Finland is back on the board. #7 Marko Liimatainen wires home a shot through traffic. Finland leads 8-0.
• With 3:42 left, Finland shows precisely what kind of skill it possesses. #22 Jan-Erik Granvik goes end-to-end untouched before burying a shot on the backhand past Kuchta's blocker. Finland leads 9-0.
• Finland makes it a nice round number as they score again with 3:02 remaining. #7 Marko Liimatainen scores his second of the game. Finland leads 10-0.
• No offence to Finland, but this is getting ridiculous. 1:41 remaining in the first, and #22 Jan-Erik Granvik notches his second. Finland leads 11-0.
• And with no letting up, Finland strikes while shorthanded with 30 seconds left. #14 Victor Lindfors has his hat trick goal after finishing off a two-on-no-one. Finland leads 12-0.

I just want to interject with my own thoughts here. I understand how international hockey tournaments work with the goal differential coming into play as a tie-breaker. But this is one of the stupidest rules in the sport. I'll go on record as saying it's dumber than a medal-round shootout to decide a winner. Slovakia isn't going to benefit by losing by 30 goals to Finland.

Running up the score is an embarrassing part of the game, and it should be outlawed to encourage stronger teams to play smarter while keeping weaker teams from being humilaited. Slovakia is being humiliated right now by this score, and we still have 40 minutes of hockey to play. I'm not saying they have to create a mercy rule like they have in international baseball, but someone needs to come up with something to stop this kind of on-ice massacre.

Rant over. Second period is about to start:

• 47 seconds into the second period, and Finland is back at it. #20 Kimmo Hoivassilta slides home another goal from Finland from in front of the net. Finland leads 13-0.
• 18:03 remaining, and Finland is out in front by two converted touchdowns as #24 Janne Yrjola scores again. Finland leads 14-0.
  
• With 17:17 remaining, Finland continues to pile on the goals. #22 Jan-Erik Granvik picks up his hat trick goal. Finland leads 15-0.
• With 14:42 remaining, #20 Kimmo Hoivassilta breaks in off the left wing around one defender, and pulls Kuchta off the post before sliding a backhand in along the ice. Finland leads 16-0.
• With 10:51 left, #14 Victor Lindfors adds his fourth as he goes upstairs blocker-side after breaking in on the left wing. Finland leads 17-0.
• With 9:08 remaining, Finland scores again. #24 Janne Yrjola deflects the Sami Vuoriheimo shot past Kuchta. Finland leads 18-0.
• With 8:36 remaining, Finland ties Russia's goal differential against Slovakia as Yrjola scores again. Finland leads 19-0.
• With 5:17 remaining, Finland now has the goal differential advantage as they score their 20th of the game. #20 Kimmo Hoivassilta has #20. Finland leads 20-0.
  
• With 5:11 left, #7 Marko Liimatainen adds another. Finland leads 21-0.
• 3:34 left in the second, and #19 Eetu Keski-Levijoki pots another goal as he nets the rebound. Finland leads 22-0.
• With 2:21 remaining, #3 Sami Vuoriheimo nets a Finnish powerplay goal off a rebound. Finland leads 23-0.

In looking at this score, this is going to create a major problem for the Canada-Slovakia game on Monday. Canada will literally have to blow the doors off Slovakia to keep pace with both Russia and Finland. As sad as this is to say, Canada will most likely have to win by 30+ goals to keep pace with the Finns.

That's a ridiculous thought. And embarrassing for the sport.

Third period action coming up from the Slovakia zone:

• With 17:55 left, #7 Marko Liimatainen taps in a gift at the side of the net. Finland leads 24-0.
• With 17:12 remaining, #14 Victor Lindfors scores his fifth of the game as he picks up a loose puck and buries it blocker-side from the slot. Finland hits the quarter-century mark, and still isn't letting up. Finland leads 25-0.
• Jan-Erik Granvik nets another goal on a one-timer at 16:32. Finland leads 26-0.
• Eetu Kiska-Levijoki taps in a cross-crease pass at 14:58. Finland leads 27-0.
• There seems to be some sort of personal war going on down on the ice. Jan-Erik Granvik jut skated past the Slovak bench in full flight and pointed at the Slovaks. He then cruised into the Slovakian zone, made a couple of Slovakian defenders look like pylons, and took a shot that was turned aside by Kuchta. I don't know what's going on, but, from up here, Granvik is becoming the epitome of poor sportsmanship. 12:15 remaining in this debacle.
• With 11:49 remaining, Finland scores on another one-timer. #26 Elias Nurminen has his first of the tournament. Finland leads 28-0.
  
• And another one-timer with 11:20 remaining rubs more salt in the wound. #14 Victor Lindfors adds his sixth. Finland leads 29-0.
  
• #19 Eetu Kiska-Levijoki scores with 10:53 remaining. Finland leads 30-0.
• Finland scores again. #14 Victor Lindfors. That's seven. Finland leads 31-0.
• Can someone on the Finnish bench just put an end to this? #21 Kristian Lantto pots his first. Of the period. Finland leads 32-0.
• 5:34 remaining, and Finland is still pushing for goals. Lantto has his second. Finland leads 33-0.
• In what looks like he's annoyed, #4 Janne Nyberg scores for Finland and then has words and a facewash for a Slovakian defenceman. He makes a motion to indicate he was being cross-checked, but I guess that's the luxury you can afford being up 34 goals - a penalty really won't change the outcome at that point. Finland leads 34-0.
• Finland adds another with 1:26 remaining. Surprisingly, it's Jan-Erik Granvik. Finland leads 35-0.
• With 42 seconds left, Finland pushes for more. A goal-mouth scramble sees #10 Oskari Salomaa poke home another goal. Finland leads 36-0.
• With 15 seconds remaining, Finland scores the all-important 37th goal of the game. #24 Janne Yrjola pots that game-clinching goal. Excuse my biting sarcasm. Finland leads 37-0.

Wrap-up for this game is completely unnecessary aside from commenting on the grandstanding done by the Finnish team. Look, I'm all for scoring goals, but 37? Is there a point to this kind of humiliation? The rule needs to be changed for tie-breakers. 'Nuff said.

Player Of The Game - Slovakia: #30 Jon Kuchta.
Player Of The Game - Finland: #24 Janne Yrjola.

No games scheduled for Easter Sunday, so I'll be recapping some of the hockey news I have missed while watching these games. To the entire deaf community, thank you for allowing me to take part in these games, and it has been a pleasure to work alongside you. Your hospitality has not gone unnoticed, and I'll be back on Monday to take in another game.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Rivalry Renewed - USA vs. Canada

The time is currently 12:49pm as I sit high up in the media room. Neither team is on the ice yet, giving me time to chow down my lunch. The stands are filing up nicely between these two hockey powers as Canada looks to open the tournament with a win while the Americans look to rebound from their 6-2 loss to Finland yesterday. The largely pro-Canadian crowd, dressed in Hockey Canada jerseys and carrying Canadian flags, look to rally the troops in their first game of the tournament. I'll try to grab some photos of the fans, particularly the one man who is really showing his patriotic side. Canada reportedly plays an extremely physical game, hitting anything that moves, while bringing a lot of skill to the ice. The Americans, as seen yesterday, are a slick-skating bunch who rely on skill. If the Americans hope to win today, they will need to shoot more often. Finland outshot the Americans by a 42-23 margin yesterday afternoon.

Team USA is listed as the road team and will be wearing their dark blue jerseys. Except this goalie. Apparently an all-black look is much better. I asked a few people why David Rancourt isn't in uniform, and no one from the media side seems to know. One gentleman suggested they didn't have enough money for a jersey big enough as he was literally the biggest player on the US side. I will get an answer, though. Rancourt did have his jersey on for the game, however. Maybe it's just a warm-up thing?

Team Canada is in their home whites, and they came out with "Canada" on the back in place of their names. I guess Canada is playing for the logo on the front AND the name on the back! I really like the bottom hem of the jersey. The Canadian flag interwoven along the bottom is a really nice touch. Perhaps the International Olympic Committee and Canadian Olympic Committee could learn something from our friends at the Deaf World Hockey Championships?

We're about 13 minutes from the start of this game. Honestly, the place is buzzing. Canada has a strong following, and there are all sorts of Canadian jerseys being worn, including a pink Team Canada jersey by this fan. As you may know, the first Women's World Championship saw the Canadian women in pink jerseys. Great job by that fan!

For some strange reason, the electric-powered zamboni isn't being used to flood the ice today. We're back to the box-style, gas-powered zamboni. Why? No idea. There is a different driver today, though, so perhaps he hasn't been shown how to work the electric one? Maybe this new driver is a traditionalist?

It's 1:35, and the game is about to start. Here are your highlights:

• The game has started out physical as both teams throw hits all over the ice. Both teams are fast and physical, meaning this game appears to have a playoff mentality to it already.
• 18:39 in and the crowd erupts as Canada scores its first of the afternoon! #6 Brad Gurr has Canada's first marker in the tournament as he fires home a wrist shot from the slot. Canada leads 1-0.
• After the US takes a slashing penalty, Canada is really moving the puck well on the powerplay, but no shots as of yet. Play is whistled dead after a puck gets passed inside a glove lying on the ice in the corner.
• The Americans, showing a lot of heart and hustle today, equal the score at the 4:17 mark. A rebound can't be controlled by Canadian goaltender #35 Ryan Armitage. After weakly throwing a glove over top of it, the puck is pushed over the line by #24 Peter Gentoli to even the game. Game tied 1-1.
• 12:37 sees American goaltender Joe Lingle clear the puck into the legs of a Canadian forechecker from the top of the crease, and nearly ricochet into the empty net. No harm, no foul, though, and the game remains tied.
• Both teams have played very aggressively thus far. With 10:34 to go in the first, neither team seems to be giving an inch as the hitting and speed have yet to diminish.
• Canada on another powerplay with just under seven minutes to play, and the Americans are really doing a great job in terms of blocked shots. In my estimation, Canada has only recorded one or two shots on two powerplays thus far.
• American powerplay at 5:40. For the entire two minutes, the Americans are keeping things very simple. Open up passing lanes, and three or four shots from the point with a man in front. Very good powerplay by the US team, but no reward yet.
• A brutal giveaway by American defenceman #4 Garrett Hepperly gives Canadian forward #8 Devin Bell a clear path to the net from the faceoff circle in. Bell takes two strides and rips home a slapshot past Lingle at the 0:00 mark. Canada leads 2-1.
• Canada strikes again with 57 second remaining. #6 Brad Gurr rips home a slapshot from the blocker-side faceoff circle on a 4-on-3 powerplay after some nice passing opens up a shooting lane for Gurr. Canada leads 3-1.

With the first intermission upon me, this game's score doesn't really reflect how close these two teams have played. It's been physical and fast-paced, and both teams have had chances. Canada has finished a little better as the score shows, but the two teams are very evenly matched. I expect the American squad to come out fired up as the risk of going down 0-2 in the tournament has to be realized.

In a fabulous chance meeting, Walter Gretzky, dad of the greatest NHL hockey player to date, was downstairs in the lobby, and I got to speak to the legend. Mr. Gretzky wasn't turning anyone away from an autograph, and children's faces lit up as he signed each and every autograph with that child's name. If there is anyone who is a better ambassador to the game of hockey, I have yet to meet him or see him in action. Walter Gretzky is the standard.

The teams are back on their respective benches. On to the second period!

• A tripping penalty to America's #8 Mike Wonoski at the 19:02 mark sends Canada back to work on the powerplay. Canada appears to be running an umbrella powerplay, but they just aren't generating any real pressure with his strategy. The American penalty kill has met the challenge very well.
• Another American penalty, this time for cross-checking, at the 17:05 mark gives Canada an extended 5-on-4. It appears there is a lot of stickwork going on in the corners, but the referee is letting them play.
  
• A blast by Canadian assistant captain #19 Mike Merriman from the point at the 15:24 finds its way to the back of the net. After some good puck movement along the blocker-side halfboards, the puck was blasted home by Merriman on the powerplay. Canada leads 4-1.
• No sooner do I start writing that highlight, but Canada strikes again at the 15:10 mark. #4 Jon Lobodzinski blasts another shot from almost the same spot at the point, and it finds twine behind Lingle. Canada leads 5-1.
• Tempers are beginning to flare as frustration mounts for the American squad. An elbowing penalty is signaled by the referee, and there is a lot of talk after the call between the officials and players on the ice. American #18 David Reid will serve the only penalty, though.
• One thing that hasn't been tolerated by the referees here is chirping. Canadian defenceman Casey O'Brien was handed a 10-minute misconduct after he and the referee had a spirited discussion. This is the third misconduct handed out in three games. Ironically, all three have gone to North American-based teams.
• Canada is beginning to run into penalty problems as well. A hooking call at 8:07 gives the Americans a 5-on-3 powerplay for 21 seconds. Again, stickwork is being called on players with the puck in open ice, but battles along the boards are being tolerated. Both teams need to realize this.
• Canadian goaltender Ryan Armitage has made a number of spectacular saves today. Much like the Finnish goalie yesterday, the American team just can't seem to find a way to beat him.
• With 3:25 remaining, the Americans crash the net hard after a save by Armitage There is legitimate bad blood between these two teams right now as players on both sides are knocking each other to the ice. It will be interesting to see how the referee sorts this one out. Turns out we'll have four-on-four hockey as the Canadian minor penalty runs down, while the American aggressor, Peter Gentoli, serves two for cross-checking, two for roughing, and a ten-minute misconduct.
  
• After a huge hit by Canadian forward #11 Jason Plumb on American defenceman #39 Jason Kitchen, American Garrett Hepperly chases down Plumb and tries to make him part of the boards. The linesmen get in the middle of the two players, but Hepperly wants revenge on Plumb as he continues to try to get at him. Kitchen is helped off the ice by the American trainer, but gives the Canadian bench a "throat slash" gesture before he steps off the ice. Penalties are still being sorted out. Once they are announced, I'll run down who is serving what. All of this happened with 2:48 left in the second period.
• Apparently, there were only two players who were penalized. Hepperly gets a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike, while Plumb gets a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct.
• A two-on-one for Canada sees them strike again. Captain #7 Steve Devine cruises down the right wing and lets a laser fly off his stick that bulges the twine with 58 seconds left. Canada leads 6-1.

At the end of the second period, these two teams are doing a lot of talking. The officials split them up and sent them to their respective benches, but this game has turned ugly. Neither team seems very happy, and there are still 20 minutes to play. The third period should be very interesting with the score 6-1.

An interesting piece of news comes from one of my fellow journalists. Canadian Jason Plumb, the man given the game misconduct, is the son of former NHL player Rob Plumb. Rob only played in 14 NHL games, scoring one goal and two assists, but the bloodlines are there. He did, however, have a good career in the WHA, the minors, and in Europe.

Back to the action as the third period gets underway:

• The physical game is very apparent now as both teams aren't holding up. Punches are being thrown behind the play, and sticks are off the ice more than they are on it. Five minutes in, and this is looking more like American Gladiators than international hockey.
  
• A hooking call at 13:51 is being questioned by Canadian Brett McLaren as he is sent off the ice. If the stick is parallel to this ice, it's a penalty, guys. It's the same here as it is in the NHL, AHL, or anywhere else.
  
• The Americans score on the ensuing powerplay. The powerplay goal at 13:36 is chipped in by #19 Andy Howard to cut the deficit to four goals. Canada leads 6-2.
• Pressure in the American end by the Canadians lasts for almost two minutes. #13 Jason Veilieux puts one off the crossbar and looks to the heavens for an answer as to how he missed that opportunity on the American goal.
• With 8:40 remaining, the Canadians will go on a powerplay again. The Americans had penalty problems yesterday, and that is still haunting them today. They can't afford to waste time killing penalties for tripping when they are down four goals.
• A huge turnover in the Canadian zone at the 5:43 mark could have provided the Americans with a lift as #8 Mike Wonoski was all alone in front of the net. The only problem? He blew a tire as he went to corral the puck, and the Canadians recovered it before any damage was done. All Wonoski could do was shake his head as he went for a line change.
  
• Team Canada adds some additional insurance as they strike again at 4:04. Defenceman #5 David Garbacz wires home a goal from the high slot. Canada leads 7-2.
• With 2:07 remaining, the Americans are whistled for a hooking penalty. This one is in the books as a Canadian win. The only thing left to decide is what the final score will be.
• The Canadians waste little time on the powerplay. With 1:59 remaining, #25 Scott Savard pokes home another Canadian goal from just outside the crease. Canada leads 8-2.

Another game is finished, and the Canadians take this one by an 8-2 score. Canada improves to 1-0 while the USA falls to 0-2. The story in the game really was the physical play from both teams. Canada got some good finishes on its chances while the Americans ran into another goaltender who made brilliant saves. As a note, due to his game misconduct today, Jason Plumb will be suspended for one game. Canada's next game is Monday versus Slovakia, and he will be ineligible for that contest.

Player Of The Game - USA: #24 Peter Gentoli.
Player Of The Game - Canada: #6 Brad Gurr.

The second game starts tonight at 7pm, so there are about three hours between this game and the next, featuring the Slovakian squad against Finland. I expect that one to be similar to this game with Russia, but the Slovaks are a developing team and should benefit from being here on the world's stage.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Afternoon Draw - Finland vs. USA

It's 12:54pm, and we're approximately six minutes away from the drop of the puck on the USA-Finland game. I apologize up front about the pictures on this entry, but I'm trying to blog and take pictures at the same time. I need a crew for events like this. From the looks of the crowd, we have about twice as many people in the building compared to this morning's game between Russia and Slovakia. But that's to be expected with the USA sitting about an hour away from Winnipeg. Team USA will be in their Nike-ified white jerseys, while the Finns take to the ice in a darker blue than what I'm used to seeing on them. Also, they have tons of advertising on their jersey as Snickers chocolate bars are prominently featured. Either way, it's a pleasing visual matchup despite the billboard feature. Warmups are finished, and both teams look solid. The Americans are big and fast, and I expect them to try to create turnovers and capitalize on mistakes. The Finns have a mix of smaller and bigger players, and, like the other international Finnish teams, one would expect a grinding, physical game from them.

This game could prove vital in determining who plays for what medal. A win would square either team in the standings with the powerhouse Russian squad while a loss will make it much harder to make it to the gold medal game.

• The referee in this afternoon's game is calling this much tighter than what was seen in the Russia-Slovakia game. A hooking call on the Americans three minutes in could have been let go under different circumstances, but it's nice to see the officials not letting things get out of hand.
• The Finnish interference penalty at 15:22 to Marko Liimatainen was a pick-and-roll similar to what one would see in the NBA. Needless to say, the Finnish powerplay after the hooking call ended abruptly.
• A stoppage in play at 13:06 shows that these two teams mean business. A scrum in front of the American net had one Finnish player shaking his head after everyone was separated. No penalties called, though, as cooler heads prevailed.
• Finnish forward Kristian Lantto hans out a couple of thundering checks on the forecheck. The American defenders don't seem pleased.
• We have our first goal at 11:41. Finnish forward #2 Jukka Keranen chips home a shot past US goalie David Rancourt for the lead. Finland leads 1-0.
• It appears that Finland's tactics are working. American Brian Van Vlyman is whistled for roughing after face-washing a Finland player in the corner. The game is starting to get chippy in front of the nets.
• With 8:26 to go in the first, much of the play has taken place in the US zone. Finland's aggressive forechecking is winning them a lot of puck battles.
• Team Canada is in the building, scouting these two teams. There is little signed between the Canadian players as all eyes are fixated on the action on the ice.
• Finland's powerplay is doing an effective job of controlling the puck. USA's passive box strategy has held them at bay, but Finland is getting opportunities.
• With 5:21 remaining, the Americans get a great scoring chance as Mike Wonoski drove hard to the net off the right wing. Finnish goaltender Pauli Kitula held his ground and covered up the five-hole, causing another stoppage.
• With 1:41 remaining, the Americans have turned on the pressure. They are getting pucks deep and winning the battles along the boards. As a result, they've had several great chances thus far.
• With 1:00 remaining, the aggressive Finnish forecheck paid off again. #13 Fredrik Oller fired a shot past Rancourt to double the Finnish total. Finland leads 2-0.
• Finland was back at it again with 28 seconds left. #19 Eetu Keski-Levijoki snapped home a low shot that Rancourt couldn't corral, and Finland took a commanding lead into the first intermission. Finland leads 3-0.

I talked about how hustle and determination were intangibles that can't be overlooked in the first game. Well, Finland showed that hustle and determination are exactly what gives some teams an edge. They took the body on the forecheck, they won key puck battles, and they didn't stop moving. As a result, they lead 3-0.

• The second period began in much the same way that the first ended - very chippy and lots of contact. If Finland is going to play this grinding style of game all tournament, they might be a darkhorse for the gold medal.
• Janne Yrjola was sent to the box at 16:06 of the second period for slashing. Again, the referee is holding the line on the stickwork - a nice thing to see in keeping the game about hockey and not about hacking and slashing.
• Just noticed this little item: Finland defenceman Sami Vuoriheimo plays with his sleeves rolled up. Working on a picture, but he's flying around the rink out there. I can literally see his wrists and forearms right now.
• Americans just hit the post. Perhaps their luck is turning?
• Americans are bringing good pressure over the last minute of action. Finland is forced to ice the puck at 12:37.
• Andy Howard makes a gorgeous move to get around the sprawling Finnish defender to go one-on-one with Kitula. However, Pauli Kitula cuts down the angle and makes the save.
• 8:48 sees Finland add another goal. #7 Marko Liimatainen cuts in hard off the left wing after intercepting a pass at the American blueline, makes a phenomenal move to protect the puck against the bigger American defenceman, and rifles a shot home low blocker-side. Definitely a highlight reel goal today. Finland leads 4-0.
• 8:29 sees the Americans break the shutout. #18 David Reid chips in a goal from the top of the crease after the Americans moved the puck nicely out of the corner. Finland leads 4-1.
• Finland is running into penalty problems. Three consecutive penalties have given the Americans an extended 5-on-3 powerplay after #22 Jan-Erik Granvik cleared the puck over the boards in the defensive zone. The Americans will have two-and-a-half minutes of powerplay time to work with.
• And as quickly as I wrote that, #16 Tony McGaughey reduces the powerplay to 4-on-3. His roughing penalty in front of the Finnish net is, in a word, selfish. Especially when trailing by three goals.
• With 3:15 to go in he second, the Americans are playing far too fancy. They need to start shooting the puck on net and getting rebounds. Deking in from the faceoff circle around three guys is not helping your cause. Especially when you only make it past one of them.
• With the second period coming to a close, I have one word for the American team: SHOOT!

I finally finished up the Russian-Slovakian scoring summary. It's tough when rosters change. However, the organizers said that some players that are shown in the program didn't make the trip due to injuries, while others had passport problems and were not allowed to leave the country. I didn't push on that fact, but that's a terrible thing to happen to these athletes. Missing an event like this because of passport problems would be a huge disappointment.

• Two minutes into the third period, American Andy Howard was sent in alone from the blueline. After making a couple of great moves, Pauli Kitula was equal with the glove hand. Kitula has been impressive, and is my Player Of The Game right now.
• With just over ten minutes remaining, the Americans can't seem to get anything going. The Finns are bottling up the neutral zone, and sending the puck right back out of the zone as soon as it gets in their zone. Unless the American team can get something going, time is now an enemy of Team USA.
• 7:08 was a moment of celebration for Finland. A glorious three-on-two was finished off by Fredrik Oller with an easy tap-in. In terms of teamwork goals, this was the goal of the day without doubt. A virutal TSN Highlight of the Night, if you will. Oh, and Finland leads 5-1.
• After the goal, the Americans made a goaltending change. Rancourt went to the bench, and was replaced by #30 Joe Lingle.
  
• The Americans notched another goal with 4:47 to go. #19 Andy Howard fired a puck low past Pauli Kitula. Finland leads 5-2.
  
• 2:04 left, and the Americans make the gap a little smaller. #16 Tony McGaughey notched his goal on a scramble in front of the net. Finland leads 5-3.
• Empty-net goal by the Finns seals the deal. From his own blueline, #24 Janne Yrjola fired the puck into the yawning cage. Finland leads 6-3.

A huge win by Finland over the United States. As stated above, hustle and determination makes a huge difference. Player Of The Game ceremonies will take place in a few seconds as the post-game ceremony is being held. Finland played extremely well, and deserved the win after working their butts off in this game

Player Of The Game - Finland: #1 Pauli Kitula.
Player Of The Game - USA: #8 Mike Wonoski.

Day One of the World Deaf Hockey Championships are in the book, and Russia and Finland sit atop the standings at 1-0. Canada is 0-0 after having the bye today, and will square off with the Americans tomorrow at 1:30pm Central Time. USA and Slovakia are 0-1, and both will look to rebound tomorrow.

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!

Game One - Slovakia vs. Russia

It's 8:38am, and I'm watching the warm-ups for both teams right now. Slovakia is closest to me at my end of the rink, running breakaway drills. The Russians down the far end are running three-on-ones, and are completely victimizing their goalie. I don't have a roster yet for either team, but they are working on getting me info before the game starts. The Slovaks are in their traditional white Nike Swift uniforms, while the Russians are in red. However, something that would make Uni Watch Blog's Paul Lukas happy, there is not one Nike logo anywhere to be seen. It's strange to see two international teams on the ice with no names on the back of their jerseys, but, like any international ice hockey game, you're playing for the country on the front, not the name on the back.

I'll be honest - the Russians look big and fast. While this doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot in warm-ups, it will be interesting to see these two teams in action. The Slovaks appear to have a great deal of speed as well, but they are not as big as the Russian squad by any means.

It's now 8:57am, and I have rosters sitting in front of me. The Slovak team has numbers all over the place, ranging from #1 (goaltender Branislav Puskac) to #91 (defenceman Maros Sagula). The Russians, on he other hand, still run their numbers in traditional fashion: #1 to #20 for the roster.

It's 9:00, and the on-ice officials have taken to the ice. Both teams take to their bluelines at 9:01 for the pre-game ceremonies. Being that this is the 1st World Deaf Ice Hockey Championship, the ceremonial faceoff is pretty special for me to see. Rarely does one have the opportunity to watch an historic event such as this. Forward Oleg Danilenko from Russia and forward Robert Palicka of the Slovaks meet at center ice for the ceremonial faceoff to kick off the tournament.

9:08 marks the puck drop for the first game of the tournament. Here are your highlights:

• First minute of action shows Russia's puck-moving skills. They dominate along the end boards in Slovakia's end. An icing by Slovakia breaks up the play, giving us our first whistle (and corresponding light show!).
• Russian Roman Chernov's low wrist shot at 18:11 is stopped by goaltender Jon Kuchta for the first chance of the game.
• With 16:50 to go in the first period, Russia strikes first. #11 Denis Kholin picks up a loose puck and shelfs it over top of a sprawling Kuchta top open the scoring. Russia leads 1-0.
  
• Russia strikes again at 15:34. #19 Oleg Vasyanin notches his first of the tournament. Russia leads 2-0.
• Viktor Lazarev earns the tournament's first penalty. However, the Russians kill it off, maintaining their two-goal lead.
• 10:57 remaining, and it's been all Russia thus far. They really have an effective cycling game in the corner, and their forecheck has been all over the Slovakian defence.
• 10:41 sees Slovakian defenceman Tomas Kristof sent off for tripping. Nine seconds is all the Russians need with the man advantage as #21 Konstantin Bobov pots the powerplay marker. Russia leads 3-0.
  
• 10:14 has the Russians on the scoreboard again. #15 Sergey Kargin roofs the puck over Kuchta's glove-hand for his first of the tournament. Russia leads 4-0, and really is in control of this game.
• The 9:00 mark sees Russia add another marker. With teammate Alexey Kulikovskiy sitting in the penalty box, #9 Roman Chernov notches a shorthanded goal. Russia leads 5-0.
• Sergey Osipov notches a shorthanded marker at the 11:00 mark. Russia leads 6-0.
  
• 7:52 sees Russia add a powerplay goal. #8 Rustam Gafurbaev fires a slapshot from just above the blocker-side faceoff circle past Kuchta. Russia leads 7-0.
• 4:27 sees Russian defenceman Evgeniy Zabelin on a penalty shot! It appeared that a Slovakian defenceman may have covered the puck with his hand in the crease. Zabelin's shot, however, goes high and wide for an unsuccessful penalty shot attempt.
• 1:09 left in the first, and Russia adds another goal. #10 Oleg Danilenko banks one in from behind the net off goaltender Kuchta. Russia leads 8-0.
• 21 seconds remain, and Russia nets another. Oleg Danilenko scores his second in succession. Russia leads 9-0.
• Slovakia looks like a beaten team at the end of the first period. Goaltender Kuchta left the ice with his chin buried in his chest. I'm not saying that Slovakia can't compete, but this game is a mismatch through and through. Russia has dominated every facet of this game.

As I sit here during the intermission, the St. James Civic Centre in Winnipeg is using an electric-powered zamboni as part of their effort to go "green". The zamboni is much smaller than a traditional zamboni, and looks a lot sleeker than the box-style carbon-producing zamboni.

I would assume it is easier to steer being smaller, meaning better handling in the corners! Ok, it's 9:55am, and it's the best humour I have at this moment. My apologies for the groaner.

• As I as wandering down near the statisticians, I couldn't help but notice the roster I have is significantly different than what the stats people have. I'm going to have to make changes. This article will be correct when posted, but this will add time to my work.
• Second period is underway. Russia's goaltender, Iskander Latypov, has the best seat in the house. He hasn't moved since the whistle blew, and we're over a minute into this period.
• And no sooner do I say that, but Russia has scored again. #17 Aleksey Baburkin wired a shot from the point to the back of the cage. Russia has a double-digit lead at the 18:56 mark. Russia leads 10-0.
• The 18:08 mark sees Russia capitalize again. #15 Sergey Kargin nets the 11th Russian goal. Russia leads 11-0.
• Russia isn't letting up. They score again at the 16:51 mark when #22 Alexey Kulikovskiy fires home another goal from just outside the crease on the glove-side. Russia leads 12-0.
• The Russians strike again at 15:43. #17 Aleksey Baburkin takes a feed from the corner and snaps it by Grnac on the blocker-side. Russia leads 13-0.
• The Russians are holding back now, but shots are still finding their way in. #8 Rustim Gafurbaev launches a slapshot from just inside the top of the faceoff circle that gets under Grnac's arm. Russia leads 14-0.
• The Russians added a second shorthanded marker at the 6:46 mark. After showing some great acceleration to speed away from the Slovakian defencemen, #15 Sergey Kargin made a nice forehand-backhand move to deke Kuchta and slide it home. Russia leads 15-0.
• On a phenomenal rush, Slovakia has broken the goose egg! Assistant captain and #12 Frantisek Bolebruch streaked down the left boards past a Russian defenceman and corraled the loose puck. The Russian defender caught up to him and worked to pokecheck him, but Bolebruch maintained control as he streaked in on the Russian net. With a quick flip of the puck, Bolebruch put it up and over Iskander Latypov to get the Slovaks on the board. Russia leads 15-1.
• Honestly, Bolebruch's goal has really brought the Slovakian team to life. They are forechecking hard again, and no longer sitting back. While the game is out of reach, the Slovaks seem to have some much-needed confidence once again. The largely pro-Slovakian crowd seems to be back in the game as well. Or they could simply be cheering on Bolebruch's effort. Either way, a good response from the crowd.
  
• As the second period closes, the Russians lead by two converted touchdowns. But it's great to see the Slovaks playing hard while being down this much. That says a ton about their character.

Second intermission and I'm relaxing on this one. I'm not cheering for one team or the other here, but the highlight of this game so far, according to this writer, is the goal by Frantisek Bolebruch. It was a pure hustle-and-determination goal, and really lit a fire under Slovakia. While it's clear that the Russians have a decided advantage in talent, there is no other intangible that can match heart, hustle, and determination.

• Third period is underway, and the Slovaks are still playing strong. The Russians are sitting back in what clearly is an effort not to humiliate the Slovaks, and I find that classy. Yeah, they're still up by 14 goals, but their skill level could have them up by a lot more. Good on the Russians for playing hard, but not running up the score. The hockey gods will smile upon that.
• Russia cleans up in front of the net at 16:32 to add to their lead. The rebound couldn't be controlled by Kuchta, and #11 Denis Kholin slid it into the back of the net. Russia leads 16-1.
• The Slovaks, however, show their dogged determination and net another goal at 16:19. #28 Tomas Mateovic tickles the twine with a low shot on the powerplay that eludes Latypov from in front of the net. Russia leads 16-2.
• 14:25 sees a timeout called by Russia. The reason? Goaltender change. #30 Anatoly Potapov enters the game.
• 13:47 has a Russian goal waved off due to international ice hockey rules. A slapshot was taken off the mask by Slovakian goaltender Jon Kuchta, and the play was blown dead as the Russians slid the rebound home. Good call by the referee as he caught the contact with the mask.
• 12:33 sees Potapov make his first save off a shot by Slovak Martin Simon.
• 12:02 has Russia adding to their total. #11 Denis Kholin scored on the powerplay from the top of the crease. Russia leads 17-2.
• A low shot through the five-hole at 9:32 gives Russia the "sweet sixteen" lead. Russian captain #10 Oleg Danilenko widens the chasm in the score. Russia leads 18-2.
• The Russians capitalize on another powerplay at 6:34. #11 Denis Kholin scores while falling from a scrum in front of the Slovakian net. Russia leads 19-2.
• With 2:57 left, Slovakian forwards Tomas Mateovic and Martin Simon break in on a two-on-one. A beautiful behind-the-back pass from Mateovic to Simon sends Simon in alone on Trofinov, but the Russian goalie breaks up the chance with a great stick-check.
• With 57 seconds left, Slovakian defender Martin Zizka blocked a shot right below the kneecap that dropped him. With the Slovaks playing shorthanded as Zizka lying on the ice holding his knee, Russia struck again as #5 Vyacheslav Kazantsev taps home a gift-wrapped goal on the doorstep. Russia leads 20-2.
  
• With 35 seconds left, Russia potted another goal as #8 Rustam Gafurbaev netted the 21st goal for Russia. Russia leads 21-2.
• The final buzzer sounds at 11:25am Central Time, and Russia is 1-0 with a 21-2 thrashing of Slovakia.

As the teams line up for Player Of The Game ceremonies, this felt like the old Russian Red Army team playing against some of the weaker European teams. Russia has a distinct skill advantage, and their systematic play is excellent. Russia definitely has to be considered a favorite at this tournament.

Player Of The Game - Slovakia: #19 Robert Palicka.
Player Of The Game - Russia: #11 Denis Kholin.

One great thing to see after the game? Friendly handshakes, hugs between Slovak and Russian players, and lots of pictures taken between the two teams. Players posed with their opposition as lots of people from both sides brought out cameras for photo opportunities. This is why I love coming to international tournaments - once the game is over, everyone is on even terms.

With Game One of the tournament in the books, I'm going to grab some lunch. The next game starts at 1:00pm Central Time, and features Finland against the USA.

I will say this about today's events: as a hearing person, I am definitely in the minority at today's games. But the people hosting the event and organizing the event have been top-notch in making me feel welcome at this event. A huge "thank you" goes out to all the staff working and volunteering at this event for their hospitality!

Until this afternoon, keep your sticks on the ice!

Communication Means Everything

Hockey is a game full of sounds. Everything from the sound of players crashing against the boards during a thunderous hit to fans cheering on a great play to the goal horn, hockey has its distinctive sounds. However, there are many sounds we really don't get to hear while watching the game on television. Communication between players, instructions from coaches, and officials chatting with the players are all things that we miss while watching from afar. But what if you couldn't hear any of those sounds? What if your life is lived in silence? How do players know when to stop playing if they can't hear the whistle? We may think that being unable to hear would be a serious problem for hockey players as this game is based heavily on communication, but, in reality, that notion couldn't be further from the truth. Deaf and hearing-impaired people enjoy hockey as much as paraplegic players do, and their sport has some definite changes to aid them in the flow of the game. Today, Hockey Blog In Canada is proud to present to you the sport of Deaf Hockey.

The game itself isn't much different than the way it is played by the hearing community. Offsides, penalties, icing - all of it exists in deaf hockey as it does in non-deaf hockey. Where the game differs is that there are strobe lights placed along the boards behind the plexiglass. These strobe lights are activated when the whistle is blown, and the players know there is a stoppage in play.

Referees are instructed that there is normally a slight difference in the response time for the deaf hockey players to pick up on the visual stimuli as they have to have their heads up, but reactions are still fairly quick on the international level.

Of course, there are different hurdles off the ice for players to overcome. Some players can read lips, others rely on American Sign Language alone, while some players do have some hearing. Coaching consists of having a sign language interpreter as well as a lot of patience. Coaches can't just face the whiteboard and diagram plays while barking out orders. Referees and linesmen also must make clear what is being called so that there is no confusion for players and coaches.

"You have a lot of action going on, some can only read lips, some need the sign language and some have a little bit of hearing, so you have to make sure in groups they can see your mouth when you're talking and have the interpreter in full view as well," Canadian head coach Jim Vitale said to Ashley Prest of the Winnipeg Free Press. "It's a little bit different than just turning around and writing on a coaches' board and have them hear you. Here, you have to hold the coaches' board to face the players."

While it seems far too early to write any of these players off as NHL players, the chances of making the NHL as a hearing-impaired or deaf player are not good. Only one player has ever played in the NHL while being hearing-impaired or deaf, and former NHL defenceman Jim Kyte is an inspiration to all hearing-impaired and deaf hockey players. Kyte spent parts of 14 seasons in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, and San Jose Sharks. In 598 games, he scored 66 points while spending 1342 minutes in the penalty box.

Kyte's story is an interesting one as he was diagnosed legally deaf at the age of three due to a hereditary deficiency that caused a degeneration of his audio nerve. While he wore special hearing aids to assist him, he had to ensure that the audio devices on his ears stayed protected. To do so, the equipment manager in Winnipeg fitted his helmet with special earpieces to protect his hearing aids.

There is a second hearing-impaired player on the horizon, although he has appeared in a few NHL games already. He may also be one of the more reckless players in hockey today. Tampa Bay's Steve Downie wears a hearing aid on his right ear off the ice, but removes it for games. Downie suffers from otosclerosis, the abnormal growth of the middle bone in the ear.

With the games starting tomorrow, I'll be taking some photos of each team's jerseys. To get you started, here is Team Canada's white uniform. I like them. Simple, classy... nothing wrong with the way they look. I'll try to post pictures of each country's uniforms before Monday so you get a full look at the tournament's uniform fashions.

Canada's schedule is as follows:

• Saturday: Canada vs. U.S., 1:30 p.m.
• Monday: Canada vs. Slovakia, 7 p.m.
• Wednesday: Canada vs. Russia, 1 p.m.
• Thursday: Canada vs. Finland, 3 p.m.
• Saturday, April 18: bronze-medal game, 9 a.m.
  
• Saturday, April 18: gold-medal game, 1 p.m.

For more information on the World Deaf Hockey Championships, please visit their site here. There are five teams playing in the event - Canada, USA, Russia, Slovakia, and Finland. It is expected that Canada, Russia, and Finland will be the stronger teams, but short tournaments can change those expectations in a hurry. Schedule information and game times (in .pdf format) can be found here.

Lots more coverage tomorrow from the event itself as I gear up for the Slovakia-Russia game in the morning. If possible, I will look into obtaining some prizes for an upcoming contest on HBIC, so keep your eyes on this site if you want a chance at some free shwag.

Until tomorrow, keep your sticks on the ice!

Losing Hockey's Greatest

No, nothing happened to Wayne Gretzky or Gordie Howe or Bobby Orr. Relax. It's tough, though, when major television networks announce that one of their familiar faces is leaving for greener pastures. We all get older and we all look forward to retirement, but TSN's announcement today that Maggie the Monkey will retire from her position at the network is like losing your favorite toy, blanket, or whatever comfort you hold on to. Maggie has been with the TSN panel during the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2003, and she has built quite the following with her unique style of picking winners. While she has composed a lifetime record of 40-35, she has yet to predict the Stanley Cup-winning team correctly. Granted, spinning a wheel to predict the winner is as random as flipping a coin, but the law of averages says she has to be right on the Stanley Cup Champion at least once.

In any case, Maggie, a macaque from the Bowmanville Zoo just outside Toronto, will go back to eating her favorite dinner of crab, and enjoy a lavish lifestyle as her days wind down. Thanks for the memories, Maggie. I'll still remember when you had the best record in 2006 over such hockey "experts" as Pierre McGuire, Bob McKenzie, and James Duthie.

I joke, gentlemen. You guys are hockey experts, but Maggie simply played the odds. And won. Convincingly.

And to James Duthie, host of the NHL on TSN, maybe it's time to square off against Gary the Goldfish or Hoppy the Frog. It seems the simians have this playoff prediction thing down... unlike us homo sapiens.

Ok, on to more stuff:

• You can pull one head coaching vacancy off the job board as the Ottawa Senators kicked the "interim" title off Cory Clouston's door, giving him a two-year deal. Clouston took over the Senators' bench on February 2, 2009 after Craig Hartsburg was shown the door. GM Bryan Murray stated that Clouston has "done a remarkable job" in making the players "accountable". Anyone want to put the over/under on this Senators coach after hearing those lines last season? And the season before? And the season before that?
• If you're looking for something to capture the mind on television tomorrow night, the NHL is featured on an episode of American Chopper. Paul Teutul Sr. and his sons, Paul Jr. and Mikey, prepare a bike in homage of the Original Six teams for delivery to the NHL Store in New York City. NHL legend Rod Gilbert makes an appearance on the show as Orange County Choppers works to create and deliver the motorcycle. If this doesn't interest you, Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. have an all-out war tonight. The episode airs at 9PM ET/PT on TLC.
• The Chicago Blackhawks, revived by their great on-ice play and renewed front-office, are about to make history tonight. The Blackhawks will break their attendance record for one season tonight when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets. They only need 8547 fans through the door to break the previous record, set in 1996, of 835,971 fans through the gate. Huge props to the people of Chicago and the surrounding communities. You're a huge reason for the Blackhawks' success this season!
• Team Canada's national women's team took another step towards World Championship gold as they throttled Finland today in their Playoff Round game by an 8-0 score. Canada will have the day off tomorrow before taking the ice against Team USA, who play Finland tomorrow night. The top two teams will advance to the gold medal game, meaning that Finland has to defeat the Americans in order to have any chance at playing for gold. A tall task indeed, but stranger things have happened.
• Speaking of the Women's World Championship, there was a little snafu that the Canadian equipment manager had to fix before they played their first game a week ago. Robin McDonald, Canada's equipment manager, had to sew little red patches over the Nike logo on the Canadian jerseys because Tackla is the official jersey supplier for the tournament. Nike had the option, but declined - exactly why Nike needs to be in 100% or out 100%. In any case, Mr. McDonald stated that he could have used tape, but chose the stitch-job because, "I didn't want it to look second-class". Atta boy, Mr. McDonald! For those that are wondering, the player pictured with the patch is Meghan Agosta who attends Mercyhurst College in the NCAA. Helluva player too, might I add.
• Tomorrow will see me talk about hearing-impaired hockey. If this interests you, or you want to add anything, I encourage you to email with any info you may have. I'll be posting this article tomorrow evening, and Friday will see me at the arena for Slovakia-Russia at 8AM. I'll be on and off email all day on Friday, so feel free to fire me an email. I'll answer it whenever I get a chance.

Ok, I have a ball hockey game tonight, so I'm off. Lots of hockey happening this weekend, so stay tuned right here for updates. I'll be checking in regularly to post stuff regarding the World Deaf Hockey Championships on Friday and Saturday. I'll have more information on those days about the teams participating.

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!

Advanced Calculus

Tonight is the night where wins and losses mean everything. It's the final Tuesday before the end of the regular season, and there are playoff spots on the line. Some key matchups will hold teams' fates in their hands, so this entry is all about math. Who needs what to happen to clinch a playoff spot? Who needs who to win to stay alive in the battle to claim a spot in the post-season dance? All will be revealed through the power of mathematics. And you thought this was just a hockey blog. Tonight, you are invited to gaze at the wonder of math as your resident pedagogue, Teebz, displays the intricacies of playoff hockey, and the quest for the post-season! What that last sentence is saying is that I'll show you what needs to happen for teams to clinch tonight. Much easier to read that way. Here we go.

We'll start in the Eastern Conference, and at the top of the standings since those are the easier-to-understand equations.

The New Jersey Devils can clinch the Atlantic Division Title tonight if they earn at least a point against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The can also clinch if the Florida Panthers defeat the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Flyers lose in extra time or regulation time, New Jersey earns one of the top three seeds.

Those Philadelphia Flyers can clinch a berth in the playoffs if they earn at least a point against the Florida Panthers. They can also clinch a playoff spot if the New York Rangers lose in extra time or regulation time to the Montreal Canadiens. However, the Flyers will want to earn both points, and hope that Toronto defeats the New Jersey Devils for a shot at the Atlantic Division title.

The Pittsburgh Penguins can clinch a playoff spot tonight with a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. They can also clinch if they lose in extra time to the Lightning, but have both New York and Florida lose their games either in extra time or regulation time. In a third option, they can also clinch if both the Rangers and Panthers lose their games in regulation time. Again, if I'm Pittsburgh, I'm shooting for the win rather than relying on others to help me.

The Montreal Canadiens can clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the New York Rangers tonight. They can also earn a spot by losing in extra time to the Rangers if the Panthers lose in regulation time to the Flyers. For the Canadiens, a win would be huge considering how poorly they played against Ottawa last night. Confidence needs to be restored in the Habs' dressing room.

If both the Rangers and Panthers win in regulation tonight, New York would still be in eighth-place in the Eastern Conference due to tie-breaking rules. They have more wins than the Panthers do. For the Rangers, they need to beat Montreal. For the Panthers, they need Montreal to beat the Rangers, and then they have to beat the Flyers. Neither can clinch yet, but those two games carry huge playoff implications.

Over in the Western Conference, one team who can clinch anything tonight is the Calgary Flames. If the Flames defeat the Vancouver Canucks in regulation time, they will clinch the Northwest Division title, and the three-seed for the playoffs.

The Chicago Blackhawks can clinch fourth-place with a win over the Nashville Predators coupled with a regulation loss for the Canucks. Obviously, the Canucks have a lot to play for tonight.

If you're scoreboard-watching tonight, both the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues are in action. Both have 86 points, but Nashville has more wins, so they sit in eighth spot. Nashville plays Chicago - a much tougher test - than St. Louis' matchup with the Phoenix Coyotes. A win by both teams sees no changes to the standings. A win by Nashville and a loss by St. Louis puts the Blues on a thin lifeline as they need to win their final two games and hope that Nashville loses both of their games. A win by St. Louis coupled with a loss by Nashville puts St. Louis into eighth spot with two games remaining. After that, all heck breaks loose with mathematical equations and tie-breaking scenarios.

The Minnesota Wild's remaining three games are must-wins. They play at home tonight against the Dallas Stars. If they lose, and either Nashville or St. Louis wins, Minnesota is eliminated. They will definitely need some help over these last three games to make the playoffs.

The Edmonton Oilers are in the same boat as Minnesota. All three remaining games are must-wins. They play the Los Angeles Kings in Edmonton tonight. If they lose, and either Nashville or St. Louis wins, Edmonton is gone. Like Minnesota, they will need a pile of help.

There are your setups for this evening. Lots of drama, and everyone is clinging to their proverbial lives in this battle. I'm off to volleyball, and then to watch hockey. We should have a clearer picture of how the playoffs will look once the dust settles tonight, but you're still going to have to remember all these formulas if you want to pass tonight's class. Get studying!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I've Got A Headache

I've got a pounding headache tonight, and I think it's because I'm tired. I'm feeling a little rundown, and, despite people telling me to "take two and call me in the morning", I'm going to make this a quick entry. Personally, I'm against medication unless needed, and by "needed" I mean that I'm basically on death watch. Work was rough today, and I really don't want to spend too much time building arguments and coming up with sound reasons for various topics. So I won't. Instead, this entry will be a quick update to all things that I've taken an interest in over the last few days. Giddy up!

• Team Canada is putting the world on notice that they are gearing up for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The women are currently playing in Hameenlinna, Finland at the IIHF Women's World Championships, and Canada has cruised through their pool with a 2-0 record. They hammered China 13-1 on Saturday, and then defeated Sweden by a 7-0 score on Monday. Canada advances to the Medal Round where they will face Finland on Wednesday and the Americans on Friday. The two teams with the best record will square off for the gold medal, while the third-place team will battle the winner of the Qualifying Round for the bronze medal.
• In one of the bigger upsets of the opening round at the Women's World Championship, the Kazakhstani women shocked Switzerland with a 2-1 shootout victory. Alena Fux, whose name is slightly eyebrow-raising, scored the shootout winner. Kazakhstan, ranked #10 in the world, advanced to the Qualifying Round due to their victory. Switzerland, ranked #5 in the world, drops to the Relegation Round. A shock? Like Belarus over Sweden.
• Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson has been selected as the head coach for the American Men's Olympic Team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Do I like this selection? Personally, no. I think that both John Tortorella and Peter Laviolette have a better résumé than Wilson, but I wasn't on the selection committee. Specifically, I point to Tortorella's recent success of turning the Rangers around as a perfect example of what he can do in a short time with a team, but that's just me. We'll see what happens, I guess.
• The NHL announced today that it will be staging a celebrity pro-am poker tournament in association with Pokerstars.net during the NHL Awards Weekend. No offence to the NHL, but holding this kind of event still doesn't guarantee Mats Sundin any sort of hardware or anything. If anything, it's just another early-round exit... much like what Sundin will experience this April. Notice how his stack of chips in that picture are smaller than his neighbours' stacks? Yeah, exactly what I'm talking about.
• The Montreal Canadiens received some devastating news today as they found out their blueline lost two key cogs. Key acquisition Mathieu Schneider's season is done after it was discovered that he'll need season-ending shoulder surgery. Andrei Markov is also on the shelf after his left knee was diagnosed to need three weeks to recover after the hit by Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski. Schneider's presence on the Montreal powerplay awakened the stagnant unit, while defensive leading-scorer Markov was essential in all zones. With four games remaining, Montreal's outlook for the playoffs is still pretty good, but going into a series against either the Bruins or Capitals seems bleak.
• The Canadian Olympic teams will look different next year in Vancouver as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Hockey Canada came to an agreement over the outlawed Hockey Canada logo and jersey. The new sweater would feature both the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) logo and the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) logo. While Hockey Canada's new sweater will lose the hockey player on the front, it will keep the traditional maple leaf. It, along with the COC and VANOC logos, will appear over the five Olympic rings. The official unveiling is expected some time in the next two weeks. The new design is being rushed to Nike for manufacturing. It isn't known when the new design will be available for purchase by the public.
• The inaugural World Deaf Hockey Championships are taking place in Winnipeg starting on Friday, April 10, and I'll be profiling the sport this week. There are a number of things that are done differently in the hearing-impaired game, but the innovations and science that go into the game make it distinctly unique. I'm hoping to attend the game and take some photos, as well as bring you a first-hand experience of the event. More info to follow this week! For more infomation, check out the Canadian Deaf Ice Hockey Federation's website, as well as the World Deaf Ice Hockey and Curling Championships website!
• Fantasy hockey has me down 9-3-0 to Tugnutt with only one week to play. I've made a couple of changes, dropping New York Ranger Markus Naslund for Montreal Canadien Alex Tanguay. I also let injured Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco go, replacing him with Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Cristobal Huet. I was getting nothing from either player this week, so I cut ties. Hopefully, I can begin the long climb back into this series!
• Lastly, it's the final week of the regular season in the NHL, so the last seven playoff spots need to be decided. Some teams are hanging on by the smallest of margins while others are looking to lock up a spot. It should be a good week with lots of action as we gear up for the NHL Playoffs!

Ok, I'm checking out early. I'll have more this week as I look at how the hearing-impaired play the game. Honestly, this is one of the coolest articles I have had the opportunity to write about as it really shows how much I, as someone with hearing, take for granted in the game. Hopefully, it will bring a new perspective for you, the readers, as well.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Fog May Be Clearing

I have no allegiance to the New York Islanders aside from owning an Islanders Fisherman jersey. Growing up, I hated them simply due to their ability to pull off critical wins over a team that I followed in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Playoff series against the Islanders always seemed like the worst matchup due to the number of times those two teams played against each other. However, this article isn't about to re-open any old wounds that people may have thanks to the Islanders. Instead, I want to talk about the future of the New York Islanders, and, in particular, their new arena project that Charles Wang has proposed. To me, it seems elementary when someone proposes to put up a significant portion of his own cash to get a project started and wants the county/city to chip in. Especially when the benefits to that area will be tenfold for the area itself. But let's go through this logically.

The Lighthouse Project is, for lack of a better term, a monsterous undertaking by Mr. Wang as he looks to revitalize the Uniondale area and attract fans back to watch the New York Islanders. It contains multiple pieces of property that, when finished, will be the driving force behind the Long Island area. Included in the project are a brand-new multi-sport and event arena that the New York Islanders will call home, two multi-story office buildings, new green space, a major retail centre, a brand-new hotel, and a residential complex that contains both condominium and apartment housing. The 150-acre project would be completed in sections so as to move seemlessly through the ambitious plan. Just remember that Rome wasn't built in a day.

Instead of just yapping about what is included, I want to draw on my own experiences in the comparison between building a brand-new facility versus renovating an aging sports complex. In no way was building the MTS Centre in Winnipeg anywhere close to what Mr. Wang is proposing, but the same arguments and red tape have been thrown out to stop the project, so I can relate in a way to why I think the Lighthouse Project should be given the green light.

First, the Nassau County Memorial Coliseum, aka "Mausoleum", is old. The original version of the Coliseum was officially opened on May 29, 1972. It was upgraded and renovated from 1981 to 1984, and has stood proudly since that time. It might be time for an upgrade. Over the last few years, a large number of professional sports teams have built new facilities, and they have enjoyed an increase in their attendance. Sure, it might simply be due to people wanting to see their new home, but getting people into the arena is the hardest part, especially when your team has toiled in futility like the Islanders have over the last few years.

But it's not just about hockey. Nassau County Memorial Coliseum won "Arena of the Year" honours in 1995, and could very well rival Madison Square Garden with a new facility. As an example, the MTS Centre in Winnipeg - a place notorious for losing the Jets and not having a major professional sports team in any of the major leagues - finished 19th in the world for Top 100 list of arena venue ticket sales for the entire year of 2008. These tickets sales include only non-sporting touring events, and do not include such things as hockey. It ranks 13th in North America, and third in Canada for these ticket sales. That's right - one of the smallest capital cities in Canada has the third-busiest venue in Canada.

Not only do people show up to new venues, so do all the big shows that tour the continent. Why? Lots of reasons. Improved acoustics and sound, better seating, more amenities, and the chance to play in a brand-new facility all contribute to attracting these shows. With Mr. Wang's project, there is also a new hotel that is going up, so the economic benefits of bringing the touring shows to Long Island will be felt throughout that area. Why can't politicians see past their noses when it comes to the real, economic benefits of ambitious projects like this? And this only accounts for the non-sporting arena events!

It was revealed on March 31 that Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray would rather apply for a federal grant through President Barack Obama's stimulus plan to "revitalize" the Nassau Mausoleum Coliseum rather than chipping in money for Mr. Wang's project. She even made the case that the Nassau Coliseum is a historical site, and should be kept as it is with some minor cosmetic touch-ups.

Said Mrs. Murray, "Built to memorialize those heroic veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice and home to a treasured hockey franchise that has inspired regional pride and fostered a strong Long Island identity, the Coliseum is a 'shovel-ready' project clearly eligible for stimulus funding".

Again, I draw comparisons to the bleeding hearts in Winnipeg who wanted the former Eaton's building kept in its spot rather than putting the MTS Centre there. The Eaton's building was on a list with other historic buildings and landmarks as a "heritage site" due to its connection to the community since 1905. The problem? There was no tenant in the aging and decrepit building after Eaton's was bought by Sears. City council, urged by those who wanted the building saved, voted against keeping the building as a "heritage site" by a convincing 13-3 vote, thus paving the way for demolition and the building of the MTS Centre.

I have to ask if Mrs. Murray is more inclined to continually putting up boards on the side of a leaning shed rather than rebuilding it. If the old structure doesn't meet the needs for what it was intended to do, why wouldn't you rebuild? Why wouldn't you build a new structure to be a much more useful building? Especially when a large portion of the project is being funded by the guy who wants it built?

Newsday has already taken Mrs. Murray to task, calling her stimulus money idea a game of "smoke-and-mirrors". And, quite frankly, I believe Newsday to be right. Does it make sense for the federal government to use tax monies collected from all over the country to fund the renovations of an arena that only New Yorkers can use? It's not like this will benefit the country of the United States in any way. This seems like the opposite ploy that Mr. Wang is using in threatening to move his team to a new arena in Kansas City.

I will say this: Mrs. Murray doesn't feel that spending a ton of taxpayer money on the project is worth it, and she may be right. We're talking about a gigantic project here that will require a lot of money to complete. But she needs to view this in the same way that her constituents do: it will benefit everyone. Yes, it's expensive, but you don't have to renovate again in ten years, and you get immediate benefits of attracting people to your borough where they will spend their hard-earned dollars. By green-lighting the project, she will provide hundreds of jobs in the design process, thousands of jobs in the construction process, and countless jobs for people who will join the retail and private sectors when the project is complete.

For a country and state that is bleeding money due to "operational inefficiencies", creating jobs and putting money back into the community is a good way to start rebuilding the local economy. Every single American can see the value of that, and the project may even attract more people from outside the state of New York for work. If they lay down roots, that's also good for the economy.

If there anything I can say to the people of Long Island, I would tell them to continue to push on their politicians. Winnipeg hasn't been awarded an NHL team with their new building, but the considerable economic fallout of the various sporting and non-sporting events has shown a direct benefit for the city. Bands who once never considered Winnipeg a major stop on a tour schedule are now booking two-night stops due to the venue and the demand for tickets. Major events are booking multiple-night runs at the MTS Centre, and this has a direct economic spin-off for the city. While I can't comment on the economics of the retail, office, and residential speaces planned by Mr. Wang, I can certainly tell you that a brand-new, multi-use facility has immediate and long-term benefits, both economically and socially.

For a borough like Long Island, this sounds like something long overdue. While Mrs. Murray seemingly has backed off her renovation plans for the current arena, there is still a lot of positioning being done on both sides. I encourage you to stick to your guns, citizens of Long Island, because, if your fate is anything like the case of Manitobans, if you build it, they will come.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Losing Hurts More

April is normally the time when hockey teams are gearing up for the race to the playoffs. Teams that are on the bubble are battling with everything they have to make the cut, while the teams who have clinched a playoff spot are getting themselves healthy as they look to make a long run in the playoffs. However, April 2 changed the entire season for Taylor Pyatt. The Vancouver Canucks' forward left the team indefinitely after receiving news that his finacée Carly Bragnalo had passed away in Jamaica after being in a car accident.

Bragnalo and her mother, Debra, were passengers in a car driven by Craig Sutherland. There were also three other individuals in the Toyota Altis, a car similar to a Corolla, including Marcie Kawahorne. Kawahorne, Sutherland, Debra Bragnalo, and one other unnamed individual were taken to hospital with injuries. Reportedly, Carly was thrown from the vehicle in the accident.

From The Province, here is the report as to what happened:

"According to Jamaica’s Constabulary Communication Network’s (CCN) liaison officer for St. Elizabeth, the accident happened around 4.30 a.m. while Sutherland was driving a Toyota Altis toward Treasure Beach with the five passengers aboard.

"He tried to negotiate a corner and lost control of the vehicle, which collided into a utility pole and overturned. They were taken to the Black River Hospital, where Carly was pronounced dead and the others admitted in serious condition. The Pedro Plains Police are investigating."

Pyatt and Bragnalo were to be married this summer after the Canucks' playoff run had ended. Pyatt, according to all accounts, was excited for the union, and one can only assume that Bragnalo was also looking forward to the big day. The high school sweethearts were inseparable, and Pyatt would call her every night to talk.

Sure, the NHL playoffs are a major event every year for players who are playing in them. There is no bigger rush than a win in the playoffs where every game could mean life or death. But we use that metaphor loosely in that the playoffs aren't even close to that when a tragedy such as this hits home.

Carly Bragnalo, a beautiful 27 year-old woman, passed away after succumbing to her injuries. My heart goes out to the entire Bragnalo family, the Pyatt family, and, especially, Taylor Pyatt. If he doesn't return this season, I would completely understand why. And I'm sorry for the loss that everyone in Thunder Bay, Ontario is suffering.

Get well soon, Mrs. Bragnalo. My thoughts and prayers are with you while you recover.

To the Canucks, good luck in the playoffs. Come together for Carly and for Taylor. Play like a team possessed and dedicate every game, every shift, every second to your teammate. Carly wasn't just his fiancée - she was part of the Canucks family.

To the Pyatt and Bragnalo families, I wish you nothing but the best in this time of tragedy, and send my heartfelt condolences to you and yours in your time of grieving. Carly was a beautiful women, and, from what I've read, a beautiful person both inside and out.

To Taylor Pyatt, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I can't say I know what you're going through, so I won't even try. Take as much time as you need before coming back to the NHL. Your loss is greater than any playoff game loss, and I can't imagine how much it must hurt. My thoughts and prayers are with you as well.

If you'd like to send your condolences to the Pyatt and Bragnalo families, you can do so online here.

Sometimes, there are things that are more important than hockey. It is times like this that real, personal tragedy puts everything in perspective. Family are one of those things, and I wish nothing but the best for the Pyatts and Bragnalos as they try to recover from this tragedy.

Rest in peace, Carly Bragnalo. Your exuberance and positivity towards life will light up heaven's skies.

Until next time, remember Carly.

The Cosmonaut Cup

The guy to the left? Pretty important guy if you're from Russia. Or NASA. That's Yuri Gagarin, the famous cosmonaut who was the first human being into outer space on April 12, 1961. While Mr. Gagarin never had any real ties to hockey in any way, he is still revered Russia for his flight into the sky. While this isn't Space Blog In Canada, the KHL's Gagarin Cup Playoffs are nearing the end, and two teams are battling right now for the right to be the first team to hoist the Gagarin Cup into the air. It's down to Ak Bars Kazan and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, so let's take a quick peek over at the KHL to see who has the inside track for this lofty title.

Game One went Thursday night in Kazan, Russia along the shores of the Kazanka River. The #2-ranked Snow Leopards from Kazan met up with the #3-ranked Lokomotiv Yaroslavl with both team looking to establish themselves. The two fierce rivals will determine the first Gagarin Cup Champion, and have bragging rights for at least a year.

The first period was a rather chippy affair from what I can tell. Both teams tried to establish a physical presence, but neither team could break through the other team's defence. Kazan goaltender Stanislav Galimov and Yaroslavl goaltender Georgy Gelashvili traded saves to hold both teams scoreless into the first intermission.

The second period opened with a flurry of action, and, in the ninth minute, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl opened the scoring on a goal by Zbynek Irgl on the powerplay. That started the potent Lokomotiv attack. Three minutes after Irgl's goal, Konstantin Rudenko made it 2-0. Before the second period was out, Lokomotiv struck again. With less than two minutes to play, Zbynek Irgl notched his second goal of the game, and Yaroslavl went into the second intermission up 3-0 over the hometown team.

Lokomotiv played shutdown hockey from that point forward. Kazan couldn't mount any sort of offensive attack, and the comeback was thwarted at the final buzzer. Yaroslavl had drawn first blood with a 3-0 win over Kazan, and owned a 1-0 series lead. With the shutout, goaltender Georgy Gelashvili picked up his third-straight doughnut, and extended his shutout streak to 188 minutes.

Game Two went Friday night in Kazan, and both teams knew what was riding on this game. Kazan needed the win to split the first two games, while Yaroslavl wanted to go home with a 2-0 series lead and a potential stranglehold on the series. Huge implications were riding on this game.

Lokomotiv broke open the scoring early in this game as Alexey Yashin potted his seventh goal of the playoffs at the 8:48 mark. 14 seconds later, Nikita Klyukin scored his first goal of the playoffs for Yaroslavl, giving Lokomotiv a 2-0 lead. Sergei Konkov made it 3-0 on his second goal of the playoffs, putting Lokomotiv out to an impressive lead within the first 14 minutes of the game. But all was not lost for the Kazan side as Aleksey Morozov scored Kazan's first goal of the Final at 16:33 on a wicked slapshot from the blueline that eluded Gelashvili's glove. Kazan was still down two goals, but they had broken Gelashvili's shutout streak at 205 minutes and 22 seconds with Morozov's sixth of the playoffs.

The second period was marked by chances for both sides, but both Galimov and Gelashvili were equal to the task. However, the majority of this period was played along the boards and in the neutral zone as both teams looked to add to their total.

The third period looked to have Yaroslavl in control, but Kazan broke through at the 9:43 mark for another goal. Dmitriy Obuhkov's third of the playoffs brought Kazan within one goal at 3-2. Lokomotiv buckled down and played solid defensive hockey, but, with the goalie pulled, Kazan struck again. Ilya Nikulin scored his second of the playoffs at 18:46 of the third period to tie the game at 3-3, and Kazan was right back into the thick of things. Neither team could capitalize in the last 1:14, and we were off to overtime.

Overtime didn't last long either. Riding their wave of momentum, Kazan struck at the 47 second mark when Andrey Pervyshin scored his first of the playoffs. Kazan had rallied from three goals down to win Game Two by a 4-3 overtime score, and even the series at one game apiece.

The next two games take place in Yaroslavl on Sunday and Monday. Home-ice advantage now belongs to Yaroslavl, so Kazan will need to play as hard as they did over the last 40 minutes of Game Two if they want to return home in Game Five with, at worst, a 2-2 series tie. Stay tuned to HBIC for more KHL updates!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

AHL Accolades

If you're a music fan at all, these guys should be highly recognizable after their run of hits throughout the late-1990s and into 2000. Smash Mouth started their band in San Jose, California, has penned a pile of hits including "Walking On The Sun", "Then The Morning Comes", and a remake of The Monkees "I'm A Believer". However, they penned a monsterous hit in "All-Star". Which is appropriate for tonight since the AHL named its First and Second Team All-Stars today. Let's take a look at who stood out this season for in the AHL.

First Team All-Stars

Goaltender: Cory Schneider, Manitoba Moose. Schneider has been lights-out for the Moose this season, compiling a record of 28-7-1 with a 1.89 GAA, a .932 save percentage, and five shutouts. Schneider can set the Moose franchise record for wins in a season if he continues his remarkable play. The key in this whole thing? He was missing for five weeks while he was with the Vancouver Canucks, and then came back to split the netminding duties with both Karl Goehring and Curtis Sanford. And he's still the best goaltender in the AHL with his reduced workload.

Defence: Johnny Boychuk, Manitoba Moose. Boychuk has had a solid season with the P-Bruins. 20 goals and 43 assists have him at the top of the heap for scoring by a defenceman, and his +21 rating in 73 games is pretty impressive. His 10 powerplay goals are a definite highlight on his season, and he is the only defenceman leading his team in scoring. He has played one game with the Boston Bruins this season, but he appears to be the next defenceman in the mold of Washington's Mike Green.

Defence: Danny Syvret, Philadelphia Phantoms. Syvret has 12 goals and 39 assists thus far this season, eclipsing his former AHL highs by November, and placing him second in scoring by rearguards. While Syvret is enjoying newly-found success this season, his two games with the Flyers are only the start. Syvret looks ready to make the next step after spending the last four years in the AHL.

Forward: Alexandre Giroux, Hershey Bears. Giroux leads the AHL in goals with 55, breaking the franchise record for the Bears in the process. His 23-game scoring streak from November 15 to January 30 was one of the highlights of the AHL this season, and Giroux has even added a goal and an assist in 12 games with the Washington Capitals this season.

Forward: Keith Aucoin, Hershey Bears. Aucoin has led the AHL's scoring race from wire-to-wire with his 94 points. His 25 goals and 69 assists place him slightly ahead of teammate Giroux, and the 30 year-old broke the 500-point mark in the AHL on February 14. In seven games with the Capitals this season, Aucoin has one goal and two assists.

Forward: Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Hartford Wolf Pack: Parenteau has 29 goals and 49 assists this season to place him fourth overall in AHL scoring. He can hit the 30-goal mark for the third season in a row with one more tally. The 26 year-old hasn't been up with the Rangers yet, but he's shown to be a solid scoring threat in the AHL with streaks of six, seven, and eight game runs this season.

Second Team All-Stars

Goaltender: Drew MacIntyre, Milwaukee Admirals. DrewMac has played a career-high 51 games this season, putting together a record of 31-14-4, a 2.35 GAA, a .919 save percentage, and four shutouts. The 25 year-old seems as though he has been playing in the AHL forever, making stops in Grand Rapids and Manitoba before setting up camp in Milwaukee, but his GAA has never been higher than 2.95, prompting me to ask why he has never cracked an NHL roster yet.

Defence: Cody Franson, Milwaukee Admirals. Franson sits third in scoring for defencemen with 50 points this season, the majority of those points coming off his 41 assists. The former All-Rookie Team member last season has shown the Predators great potential after being named to the AHL All-Star Team this season, and has not gone without a point for more than five games. His defensive play has steadily improved this season, making him a go-to player on the Admirals' roster.

Defence: Ben Lovejoy, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The second-year pro has shown his worth by posting an impressive +43 this season in 72 games thus far. If he finishes the season with that plus/minus total, it will be the highest total in seven years, showing the Penguins his defensive reliability on the ice. He made his NHL debut in December, and played in the AHL All-Star Game in Worcester a month later.

Forward: Janne Pesonen, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Pesonen was thought to be the replacement in Pittsburgh for Marian Hossa after he left for greener pastures, but the Finnish superstar simply stepped into WBS and has notched 29 goals and 45 assists in his first season of pro North American hockey. The speedster has averaged a point-per-game over his 65 AHL games, and has appeared in seven games with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.

Forward: Jason Krog, Manitoba Moose. The defending scoring champion and Calder Cup MVP currently sits in third place in the scoring race this season with 29 goals and 54 assists. Krog has 24 multiple-point games this season, and scored his first goal for the Vancouver Canucks on October 25, 2008. He has spent four games with the NHL club this season, and has really pushed the Moose to the top of the AHL standings with his play this season.

Forward: Darren Haydar, Grand Rapids Griffins. Haydar's résumé is already extensive: two-time Calder Cup winner, Calder Cup MVP, former AHL scoring champion, rookie of the year, all-time leading scorer in Calder Cup action. He is fifth in AHL scoring this season with 75 points in 74 games, and has captained the Griffins to the top of the AHL standings as well. Haydar is the second player this season to crack the 500-point barrier in the AHL after achieving that mark on February 7, 2009. Haydar has truly been an all-star this season for the Griffins.

These are the men who fans of the AHL turn up to see. These men are the guys who the Calder Cup Playoffs will revolve around. And without a doubt, the majority of these men will be the next wave of NHL stars that teams look to when they are looking for help in the coming seasons to build their teams. Good luck to these men!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Videos Are Fun

I had a busy day at work, and I'm tuckered out from it. I'm not really into writing a long-winded, thought-out argument today, so I'm taking this one off. But that doesn't mean that HBIC takes a day off. Oh no, today we're going into the Internet movie vaults to find some gems on video. Pearls, if you will. Absolute beauties that need to be seen. I can't take credit for filming any of these, but someone had camera in hand to capture the insanity on film, and that's why I'm here. I found them, you need to see them. Here is a look at the wild and wacky world of video.

Disco Flower


What in the heck? Lafleur talks about hockey while set to disco music? Are you kidding me?

Linus Omark vs. Switzerland

Just some info here: Omark is an Oilers draft pick, and this was against Switzerland in an exhibition game in the shootout.

Wow. What a goal!

Linus Omark: Future NHL All-Star


Unreal. Simply outstanding.

Cabbie On The Street: Unwritten Rules

There's some fun for tonight. Cabbie is always a great interview. Cabbie, if you ever read this blog, I'd give up one of my kidneys to hang with you and D. Seriously. And Guy Lafleur, um, why? Wow. If I'm a fan of the Oilers, I'm looking forward to bringing Omark to the NHL ASAP.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!