UW Alternate Poll Results!

Last weekend Uni Watch Blog previewed, and you voted upon, the NHL third sweater/uniforms. However, there was some question and discussion in the comments as to whether we actually included all the alternates being worn in the NHL this season. While the answer is “no,” the alternates chosen were selected because they technically qualify as such, as defined by the NHL — the remaining alternates and throwbacks are really “special” uniforms. We’ll be looking at them today, and I'll will handle that breakdown. Phil wrote the majority of today's entry, and James and Adam did the analysis of the voting. Huge thanks to each of those men!

The results from last weeks poll (thanks to all who participated) will be featured, along with some analysis. Interesting results to say the least. James Huening (who set up the poll) and Adam Walter (who provided the analytical data) will take part in that section. So, let’s begin with the missed jerseys. We’ll take a look at these in a Scrooge-like manner.

Ghosts of Christmas Past

• Montreal Canadiens 1909-10 jersey: The Habs went blue-and-white just as they did in their first year of existence. The jerseys are strikingly gorgeous despite wearing the colour scheme of their arch-rivals in the Maple Leafs. Rear font is easy-to-read, one-colour block.
• Montreal Canadiens 1910-11 jersey: The Canadiens opted to represent their second year of existence by bringing back another throwback that was absolutely beautiful. This could almost be a Team Canada jersey, and one might make the mistake of thinking that in viewing this picture. The colour scheme is excellent, and I really like combination of the jersey with the breezers. The rear font is still standard block making it easily legible.
• Montreal Canadiens 1912-13 jersey: And winding up the Canadiens “three-fer” this season are the “love ‘em or hate ‘em” barberpole throwbacks. These must have been something back in the day (here’s how those would have looked in living colour). Now, however, they probably fail the “is it good or is it stupid” test.
• Calgary Flames 30th Anniversary jersey: The Flames reached back to their humble beginnings to bring back an iconic look. Kent Nilsson wore the scarlet red with the white flaming “C”, and now we have another generation who can appreciate this look. The Flames added the 30th Anniversay patch to their jerseys, and the rear font is block letter, white-on-yellow just like the old days.
  

Ghosts of Christmas Present

• Philadelphia Flyers Winter Classic jersey: The Flyers, having brought back the retro orange already, decided to bring back some more history for this year’s edition of the Bridgestone Winter Classic. I like the old-time white-and-orange, but I honestly hate the black name plate. Would it really be that hard for the Flyers to wear the same thing as the Fred Shero-led Flyers? Much nicer, and much cleaner. Either way, the visiting Flyers will look good coming down the ice.
• Boston Bruins Winter Classic jersey: The Bruins will definitely be the fashion winners on January 1, 2010 if they look as good as Milan Lucic did during the test skate. The jerseys stand out nicely against the backdrop, and they look iconic on the Bruins’ alumni. The rear font is easy to read, but the numbers might be better for TV with the white outline. Overall, though, I like the look of these.
• Just for those that are wondering, here is the setup for the rink inside Fenway Park. The fans sitting in the Monster seats may not be a factor in this game.

Ghosts of Christmas Future

• New Jersey Devils throwback: We’ve all heard that St. Patrick’s Day this season will feature the New Jersey Devils in a one-time throwback. The rumour is that they are going back to their Christmas colours that they wore for so long. What the design will look like, however, remains to be seen. Some have suggested that their current look will simply swap black for the old-style green. Whatever it may be, only this man knows for sure. I’m hoping the the Devils do bring back the look that Shanahan was wearing in that picture. The Devils would make an absolute killing on those jerseys as they are always big sellers on eBay.

Phil also assumes that the Devils will merely swap the current black for green (as seen in the first concept on the left), although any of those four (obviously the white sweaters would be road jerseys) would be welcome.

Now, we move along to James (and Adam), who’ll bring you the results of last week’s poll.

Here we are again with the results of another uniform survey. With help from our Six Sigma Black Belt, Adam Walter, we’ve got some nifty charts and graphs in both PDF and PowerPoint formats.

The Top 5:

1 – Edmonton Oilers
2 – Chicago Blackhawks
3 – Toronto Maple Leafs
4 – Pittsburgh Penguins
5 – Vancouver Canucks

The Bottom 5:

18 – Phoenix Coyotes
19 – Dallas Stars
20 – Tampa Bay Lightning
21 – Ottawa Senators
22 – Atlanta Thrashers

Any interesting phenomena this time around? Why, yes, there were. First, the Penguins finished fourth despite the fact that their unis were named more often as the favorite than any other team’s were. Also, the team itself was mentioned most often as people’s favorite. The Oilers got the highest score despite coming in third place for favorite uni and tying for 20th (with the Kings and Blue Jackets) as favorite team.

The Blackhawks finished second across the board in those three categories and they tied for second-to-last with the Blues for worst uni, so I guess there’s some nice symmetry there.

The Thrashers also ran the table, so to speak. They were our respondents’ least favorite team, gathered the lowest score, received the most votes for worst uniform and the fewest for best uniform. And, like the Buffalo Bills in our NFL surveys, they averaged less than one point per response.

Also interesting to me is that some folks evidently took Teebz’ joke about the Islanders’ return to the “Gorton’s Fisherman” as their third seriously and didn’t read a little further to where he described the team’s real throwback-inspired alt, resulting in comments like these: “Gorton’s fisherman logo and too many colors” … “They were horrid the first time around, why do I want fish sticks???”

There were some comments that James felt were insightful and/or made him chuckle. First up, the reasons for choice of worst:

Thrashers — “it makes my eyes want to puke” … “It looks like Jackson Pollock threw up on it” … “I have seen only one worse jersey this season…the home uni for the Buffalo Bills” … “If they went with ‘ATL’ on the front, it would have been the perfect storm of shit.” … “Look like a moto-cross shirt, should say ‘FOX’” … “the family-style chain restaurant look should be suppressed in all sports” … “Hold on, i just threw up in my mouth a little bit…… ok, its the an ugly, pathetic excuse for a jersey, terrible font, terrible numbers, terrible shoulder logo, terrible marron color… the thrashers should be banned from wearing these turd sandwiches” … “It looks like a Footballjersey that had sex with a Hockey Jersey, and those SOCKS…”

Avalanche — “It looks like a Chinese knockoff.”

Stars — “It looks like it was designed by – or purchased at – Wal-Mart.” … “It’s not even really an alternate. At least the teams with ugly alternates were trying.”

Panthers — “You have a great, distinctive color scheme and dynamic logo and you dump it for something you’d see in the ‘not-quite pro shop’ at KMart.” … “Ugh. They copied St. Louis, Nashville, Minnesota and Pittsburgh with the logo. And with the uniform itself…they shit the bed. Their designer was probably (I wish I was kidding) like ‘Look at Pittsburgh’s unis sell! Let’s get on that train! Boys, we need more powder blue!’ ‘But sir, it doesn’t make any sense__’ ‘You’re fired!’”

Wild — “It reminds me of one of those fake sports jersey from the Gap or Abercrombie & Fitch” …

Predators — “Because everything about hockey in Nashville sucks” …

Senators — “Look – I expect stupid from non-hockey markets…but Ottawa? With its history? Lame.” … “It was a close call between this one and the ‘BOLTS’, but the Senators should know better being from Canada. ” … “looks like NASCAR!”

Coyotes — “I think it’s the worst because I can’t enjoy watching a game the Coyotes are playing in. The whole game I can’t stop thinking about how angry those awful uniforms make me.”

Penguins — “They always lose when they wear it”

And now the comments for choice of best:

Oilers - “I like the thirds that are ‘classic’. The Ottawa and Tampa ones annoy me to no end.” … “Classic look, nothing gimmicky. It’s an alt I’d want to buy, and that’s the point, right? Who would buy a ‘Bolts’ sweater?” … “biased fan. actually, objectively it’s kinda ugly, but I grew up in Edmonton in the 80s, so I HAVE to name it as my favorite.”

Kings — “Gangsta.” …”When I imagine Buckingham Palace in the year 3000, I picture something like that logo.” … “looks crisp, like Bond in a tux”

Wild — “It’s GREEN”

Islanders — “fixes many years of uniform stupidity”

Senators — “It is just straight up badass”

Penguins — “Attractive color… Historical accuracy… It makes me orgasm…”

Blues — “While many of the better one are retro, the Blues have a modern era jersey without the ‘douche’ element usually pitched by reebok”

Maple Leafs — “As opposed to may of the others, it doesn’t look like it was thrown together from the random scraps of fabric left over from making other uniforms.”

Canucks — “Stick In Rink. It Rhymes.”

James continues with the other poll questions.

There was one other question we asked. We wanted to know your general opinion of the NHL’s thirds. Surprisingly, only about 8% of respondents feel that the alts are unnecessary and only another 23% think that too many teams wear them. Lots of people felt that only throwbacks should be allowed. Two people got even more specific than that saying that only teams that have been around since before 1980 should have alts.

So the overwhelming sentiment is that alternate unis are fine the way they are or MORE (if not all) teams should be wearing them. A common response was that the alts are fine as long as they’re good.

My personal opinion is that every team should wear two (good) alts — a home and a road version — about 6 or 8 times each. Of course, who decides what’s good enough to be worn?

There you have it — ALL the “thirds” and the results of the “official” alternate uniforms (as the NHL defines them).

And now a quick message from the team that put this together.

An outstanding job by all of the collaborators, and thank you readers for participating in the poll and for giving us such colorful opinions. Hockey uniforms are, arguably, the most beautiful of all sports, and even though reebok has ruined many of them, there are still some gorgeous ones out there. Maybe not all teams need a third sweater, but clearly, their popularity is sky-high and probably of all the sports, a third look for many teams is not a bad idea at all.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The "Wildfire" Term Is Cliché

As you've most likely heard by now, the Minnesota Wild were struck with some extreme misfortune yesterday around 2PM when their equipment truck caught fire. There was a lot of speculation as to what may happen and if the game should be postponed, but the Wild played against the Senators tonight. Let's work through some of the details.

First off, there was a major push from the Team of 18,000 in and around the Minneapolis-St. Paul area when it came to their team. The prevailing reports is that the Wild's office was flooded with calls from fans who wanted to help out any way they could to ensure that their team had equipment. Honestly, this is why I love the game of hockey. The fans are incredible, and they really love their teams. Well done, Minnesotans!

The Minnesota Star Tribune had a phenomenal story on all the items lost in the bonfire. Michael Russo deserves a lot of credit for bringing to light all of the items lost. Something that needed to be considered were custom-made items that players used. Russo wrote:

Defensemen, such as shot-blocking specialist Greg Zanon, have modified their equipment over several years in order to protect certain places. Center Eric Belanger wears a custom-made brace for his right foot after breaking it two seasons ago.

Between comfort and safety, the Wild's equipment manager had a ton on his plate, and was looking at an all-nighter in terms of work.

The men who work tirelessly for the players must be commended for the miracle they pulled off to have the Wild in uniform tonight. According to the Wild's website, there was a team of individuals who essentially made the impossible come true. Greg Andresen wrote:

Amazingly, tonight's game between the Wild and Senators is on, and it wouldn't be possible if not for the Wild's equipment staff and trainers, who worked all night last night, and all day today, to get the healthy players ready for this one. Tony DaCosta, Travis Green, John Worley and Doc Fuller worked all night last night to clean the gear that survived, while Brent Proulx flew home last nght and returned this morning with Matt Benz, Chris Pietrzak-Wegner and a bundle of replacement gear for tonight's game. Now, about 28 hours after the blaze started, the Wild is skating around in pregame warmups and they don't look any different than they did two nights ago when they won their ninth game in 11 contests.

Simply amazing, right? Seven men dedicated themselves to hours of work and preparation to put the Wild players back on the ice like nothing happened. These men deserve to be recognized for their efforts, and HBIC salutes them for this incredible feat. Well done, gentlemen!

The Minnesota Star Tribune also ran a story about players heading out to local stores in the Ottawa region to replace their lost equipment. The second page outlines the amazing work that DaCosta and his team did, including details about each member's contribution. Again, I am in awe of these men, and I may have to pay respect to them in a future visit to Minneapolis-St. Paul. The timeline that these men followed is here, and it's really amazing to think that they pulled this entire task off in less than twelve hours.

There is speculation that the start of the fire was a propane torch that the players use to change the blades and angles on their sticks. The new torches no longer have the knob to turn the flame on or off; rather, they simply turn at the top and the flame turns on or off. If this is the case, this is simply bad luck at its worst.

According to that last Minnesota Star Tribune article, the stuff that took the brunt of the flame was the equipment on top. Essentially, the players who are last out of the dressing room after a game or practice have their stuff tossed on top as the equipment piles up. There might be races between Wild players now to get their stuff on the truck first.

The good news is that the Wild did play tonight, although they didn't play very well. The Ottawa Senators defeated the Wild by a 4-1 score, and that can't be entirely attributed to the new equipment. However, everyone was in full uniform, and the Wild even had made provisions in case either goaltender wasn't comfortable. Both Backstrom and Harding dressed, but the Wild had recalled Anton Khudobin from the AHL's Houston Aeros just in case. He wasn't called upon, but perhaps it's just better to forget this weekend and head home.

The Wild do have a family day tomorrow as they participate in their Holiday Party to start an entire week without hockey games. After this weekend, a little unwinding should be in order. Again, full marks and all my respect to DaCosta and his team, and full marks to the Minnesota Wild franchise and the Team of 18,000.

I'd make a crack about a roaring fire in front of the Christmas tree, but that seems a little inappropriate at this juncture.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Letters To Santa

I thought it might be some fun to take a look at what some NHL teams are asking Santa for as we approach Christmas. I will say this: I am not an elf, nor do I work in the post office at the North Pole. This is simply a random selection of things found on letters that have somehow reached my desk. Each NHL team will have one item picked out of their letters to ol' Saint Nick, and we'll see if they get what they asked for when 2010 starts. This isn't any sort of prediction or prognostication, but instead more of a wish list for NHL teams. Here we go.

Anaheim Ducks: Can someone bring back the Jean-Sebastien Giguere I used to have here? This one is all broken and doesn't work. - Randy C.
Atlanta Thrashers: Besides Kovalchuk, who else plays on this team? Can someone get me a phoentic roster? KOO-bee-nah? - attendee at Philips Arena
Boston Bruins: All I want is some consistency from my team, Santa. And I've been good this year. - Claude J.
Buffalo Sabres: For the love of all things good, please don't let Miller start in the Olympics! - Lindy R. & Darcy R.
Calgary Flames: Can we not find a back-up goaltender anywhere on the planet? What happened to this kid? I thought we drafted him. He's just as good as I am! - Miikka K.
Carolina Hurricanes: Can I get a do-over for the season thus far? Does anyone need a broken-down "Rod the bod"? I'll pay you to take him. - Jim R.
Chicago Blackhawks: I just want the Stanley Cup. Stop toying with me, dammit! - Marian H.
Colorado Avalanche: I think "peace on Earth" and "goodwill towards all" should just about cover it. Otherwise, things are great here in Denver. - Greg S.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Is there anyone besides Nash who can score? Is there anyone who understands my defensive schemes? Someone get me a Twinkie. - Ken H.
Dallas Stars: I know he's getting up in age, but please let Mike Modano play well enough for him to captain the US Olympic team. And please let Brendan Morrow stay healthy. Thanks! - Marc C.
Detroit Red Wings: Is there anyone left in Grand Rapids? How many injuries do I have to endure this season? I may have to ask Mr. Ilitch about selling another soul in exchange for success and a Stanley Cup. - Mike B.
Edmonton Oilers: Where do I start? Maturity would be nice. The ability to play 60 minutes. Leadership. This is going to be a long list. Can I just go back to coaching the World Junior team? - Pat Q.
Florida Panthers: I'd like someone to answer that damned phone. It's been ringing since November 30, and I can't find it. - Tomas V.
Los Angeles Kings: I'd like no more injuries. I'd also like Anze Kopitar to start scoring again. And I'd love it if the Kings became more popular than the Lakers. You can do that, right? Also, please let the Thrashers or Predators move to Kansas City. My building needs a tenant. - Philip A.
Minnesota Wild: Fire-resistant equipment. That's all we need. Or new stuff because of the fire. Actually new equipment would be better. And has anyone seen Martin Havlat? - Todd R.
Montreal Canadiens: I know it's clichéd, but the Canadiens could really use a championship. Or someone gullible enough to take Scott Gomez's salary off our hands. - Bob G.
Nashville Predators: I've been begging for your help with the Red Wings, and it seems you finally came through. Our agreement on double the amount of cookies will be honoured. Unless I get hungry. Thanks, Big Guy! - Barry T.
New Jersey Devils: I'd like to shutout everyone for the rest of the season. And I'd like to win another gold medal to go with my 2002 Olympic gold medal. And I'd like to win another Stanley Cup. And I'd like Lou Lamoriello to take that shrine of me out of his office. Thanks. - Martin B.
New York Islanders: I need a De Lorean like that Marty McFly kid has. Something tells me that this DiPietro contract I negotiated might have been a mistake. - Garth S.
New York Rangers: Santa, I'm tired of this "one night per year" crap. What do you think you need to do: Play %#(!&@ harder. It’s simply unacceptable. - John T.
Ottawa Senators: Santa, can you find me a winger that can score like my buddy Dany used to? I haven't had to score a lot of goals, and I may have forgotten how to do it. Thanks! - Jason S.
Philadelphia Flyers: A winning streak. That's all I want. And maybe some quality goaltending. And some scoring. And some solid defensive play. This is like coaching an expansion team. - Peter L.
Phoenix Coyotes: Fans. All we want are fans. Bring your elves, Santa! The Coyotes franchise is stable, and will be a part of the Glendale community for as long as I'm around. Honest! - Gary B.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Things are pretty good in my world, Santa. Another championship would be nice. And less Max Talbot commercials would be great! - Sidney C.
San Jose Sharks: A first-round playoff victory, followed by three more series wins. And no playoff games against the Red Wings. And no injuries to key players. That's not too hard, is it? - Todd M.
St. Louis Blues: I've only scored two goals in my career, Santa, yet I keep finding myself in the line-up. I really want to become the power forward that I think I am. Please bring me a new hockey stick. You rock! - Cam J.
Tampa Bay Lightning: I've lost my mojo, Santa. And I can't seem to find it. If you can bring me some, I'll take whatever you got. - Vincent L.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Did you come early this year? Vesa has found his game, he's playing great and he's a big reason why we've got ourselves back to within a couple of games of .500. Thanks for that. I haven't had quality goaltending in this city yet. - Ron W.
Vancouver Canucks: Santa, can you bring me secondary scoring? Lots of it? And if you can locate Kyle Wellwood for me, please ask him to report to my office. - Alain V.
Washington Capitals: I thought we were going to be a good team, a playoff team, but you never expect to be first overall at any point a week before Christmas. I didn't anyway. In any case, I'll take less cheap hits and sucker-punches on my players this Christmas. - Bruce B.

So there's some fun for a Friday. I have a ridiculously busy day tomorrow, so I won't be around much. Have a good one! We're less than a week from Christmas Day!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Holiday Cleanup

The tree is still standing in my house, and there's no plan to take it down early. So while the Grinch is cleaning out Whoville on TV, I'm cleaning out my inbox tonight in order to prepare for the new year. There are a number of things that I haven't even touched in my inbox due to being insanely busy during this time of year, so I feel it's only appropriate that I bring to light some of the emails that you, the readers, have sent me. And let me just say before we get to the emails that I appreciate everyone who sends me email. For those who visit via the Manitoba Moose website and the Vancouver Canucks website, I thank you for stopping by and reading too. I appreciate your readership as well, and I'll continue to post there as well. Now let's get to those emails.

• We'll start with the good people at Pepsi who will be providing me some cool stuff for an upcoming contest. Pepsi ran their "Your Cheer" contest earlier this year, and now they're looking for you. Yes, you. Well, your name, at least. If you join Cheer Nation, you'll have the chance of having your name displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto! Pepsi is trying to get 1,000,000 names added to Cheer Nation, and they are currently just short of 23,000. Get your name on the list, and have your name displayed at Hockey's hallowed Hall of Fame!
• Teebz's Book Club will have another book review before the end of the year, but I am also taking suggestions for books you'd like to see reviewed on this site. Send me an email with the title of the book and the author's name, and I'll gladly so my best to review it as soon as can get my hands on a copy. I already received requests for They Call Me Chief: Warriors on Ice, written by Don Marks, and Gretzky's Tears, written by Stephen Brunt. You can hear my good friend Michael Elves interviewing Mr. Brunt about his new book here. Both of these books will be featured on TBC in 2010.
• I'm super-excited about an article I am preparing for January 2010, and it has to do with a low-cost, brand-new piece of hockey equipment. Several NHL players are already wearing this piece of equipment in the NHL, and there are other players who have worn similar pieces that were extremely expensive in comparison. Thanks to an incredible man in Michigan, he's given me an exclusive look and a prototype, and I think they are the bee's knees. If bees had knees. But you get the idea. That will be coming up within the next month, so stay tuned. It might be something you want in your hockey bag.
• I received a great email from a reader named Kevin who asked, "do you know of any place that sells hockey jerseys that are made like old time hockey sweaters? I really want to do a DIY Kings jersey but make it like an older sweater style and have something that fits less ridiculous than an actual hockey jersey". My suggestion was this page on the Sierra Trading Post website for the Do-It-Yourself route, but perhaps one of you might know of a better resource? Roger Edwards also produces an acrylic knit sweater for some of the old-time teams. If you have a better suggestion, let me know via email, and I'll pass them on to Kevin.
• I need to know your thoughts: would you like me to keep this site advertisement-free? While the extra income would be nice, I've never been fond of ads simply because they annoy me. However, with the extra income, I would run more contests and offer more prizes. So I'm putting it to you, readers - ads for prizes, or no ads for aesthetics?

That's all for tonight. I do have several advertisement offers sitting in my inbox, so I'll make a decision soon, but I really want your opinions on this. Also, get your name in the Hall of Fame! Go! Do it! Stop reading this!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Antler Banter: Volume 7

Volume Seven of Antler Banter finds the Moose out on the road for a couple of games, and a chance to see captain Mike Keane honoured by one of his previous teams on Tuesday night. The Moose spent the weekend in Norfolk, Virginia battling the Admirals before returning home to prepare for the Lake Erie Monsters. We'll recap both of those games, and then look forward to the games with the Monsters.As always, for all of your Manitoba Moose news and information, don't forget to check out the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. Onward for Hardcore Hockey!

"The Only Safe Ship in a Storm is Leadership"

The Moose and Admirals had met twice at MTS Centre earlier this season, and the Admirals had taken both games by identical 3-1 scores. Manitoba looked to return the favour to the Admirals as they started this two-game tilt in Virginia. Cory Schneider drew the start for the Moose while Dustin Tokarski stood in the oppostie blue paint.

The game started with some pushing and shoving as Darryl Bootland and Scott Jackson exchanged pleasantries, did some square dancing, and earned five minutes in the penalty box each. Bootland picked up an additional two-minute minor for roughing, but the Admirals couldn't solve Cory Schneider with the man-advantage.

At 14:17 of the first period, Aaron Rome continued his torrid scoring pace by blasting home a point shot that eluded Tokarski for his fifth goal of the season. I need to point out some great work by Guillaume Desbiens to carry the puck out of the corner and feed Rome at the blue line past three collapsing Norfolk defenders. Effort like that will be rewarded, and Rome's goal is proof of that. At the first intermission, Manitoba owned a 1-0 lead.

A fairly quiet second period saw only one goal scored as the Admirals finally solved Schneider. A wrap-around attempt by Radek Smolenak was initially stopped by Schneider, but Smolenak's second attempt deflected up and off Moose defenseman Nathan McIver past Schneider. Smolenak's fourth goal of the season at 12:12 evened the game at 1-1.

The game appeared to be headed to an extra frame as neither team gave an inch through the third period. However, a Chris Lawrence hooking penalty at 13:11 proved costly to the home team. Aaron Rome struck again, hammering home another point shot past Tokarski on the powerplay for his sixth of the season. Again, some excellent puck control proves positive for the Moose as Mike Keane controlled the puck against a defender before feeding the cross-ice pass to Rome.

With the Admirals in catch-up mode, Tokarski was called to the bench. The Moose didn't waste any time in icing the game as both Matt Pettinger and Marty Murray scored into the empty net. Pettinger's sixth goal and Murray's seventh goal of the season gave Manitoba the 4-1 victory, the first win over the Norfolk Admirals in their history.

The Moose really were doing the little things right on Friday night. Races to loose pucks were won by the Moose, and the Moose finished the game with a 32-29 advantage in shots on net. Paced by veteran goal scorers and savvy leadership, the Moose's record improves to 16-12-4-0 with the victory.

"A Small Leak Will Sink a Great Ship"

After falling to the Moose on Friday night, the Admirals looked to rebound on the back-end of the two-game affair. Continuing as they have done for most of the season, the Admirals flip-flopped their goalies for this game, starting Riku Helenius in net against the Moose's Daren Machesney.

Dusty Collins sniped his first goal of the season early in this game as he banked a puck in off Helenius' pads at 2:17. The speedy forward's goal was also his first point of the season as well. With the two teams trading chances throughout the first period, you knew that one of them had to capitalize sooner or later. Manitoba was the team to do so, and Alexandre Bolduc scored his first goal of the season at 16:12 of the first. Bolduc roofed a backhander past Helenius after taking a great feed from Marco Rosa, sending the Moose into the dressing room with a 2-0 lead.

The Moose looked to jump ahead by three goals after Kevin Quick was sent to the box, but consecutive penalties by Marty Murray and a bench minor for too many men not only nullified the powerplay, but ended up giving Norfolk a two-man advantage. Norfolk sniper Brandon Bochenski didn't waste the opportunity as he fired a rocket of a wrist shot through Machesney's five-hole for his 13th goal of the season at the 7:37 mark.

The Admirals weren't done there. With just over three minutes to play in the period, Mitch Fritz broke down the right wing and shoveled a weak backhander at Machesney. Machesney made the easy stop, but left the rebound sitting in front of him. Fritz's second chance at the puck found its way under Machesney's right arm, and came to rest in the crease as bodies crashed the crease. Travis Ramsey and Evan Oberg didn't see Matt Syroczynski charging through the slot, and the Admirals' forward tapped the puck across the line for his fifth of the season at 16:42.

However, the Moose retook the lead with 1:31 to play in the second frame. Sergei Shirokov and Marco Rosa broke in on a two-on-one after a defensive breakdown by the Admirals. Shirokov appeared to be looking for a pass the entire way before pulling the puck to his backhand at the top of the crease and firing it past Helenius. With Shirokov's 11th goal of the season, the Moose took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission.

The third period saw the Admirals continue to build on their swell of momentum they had started building in the second period. Mark Parrish scored his sixth of the season at the 3:39 mark on a partial breakaway. The veteran fired home a quick shot to the blocker side of Machesney, and the Admirals were even with the Moose once again.

1:05 later saw the Admirals take the lead. Ryan Craig drove the net hard, pushing the puck into Machesney's pads, ending up out front. With Craig and Bolduc battling on the right side of the cage, Adam Hall and Evan Oberg battling in the crease, and Martins Karsums sprawled on the left side of the net with three Moose players around him, somehow Karsums swept the puck into the net for his second goal of the season. Honestly, this wasn't a highlight reel goal by any means, but the result is the same, giving the Admirals their first lead of the night at 4-3.

Coincidental minors to Alex Bolduc and Radek Smolenak at 10:25 gave the teams some extra room out on the ice. However, Moose defenseman Brian Salcido opened up some more room when he cleared the puck over the glass from the defensive zone - two minutes for delay of game. On the four-on-three powerplay, Mike Lundin fed a gorgeous cross-ice pass to Brandon Bochenski, and the Norfolk sniper made no mistake as he roofed a one-timer past Machesney. Bochenski's 14th goal of the season at 11:32 on the powerplay gave Norfolk a 5-3 lead.

Marty Murray scored his eighth goal of the season on a blast from the blueline that appeared to handcuff Helenius at 13:56 of the third. However, Norfolk buckled down and kept Manitoba's chances to a minimum as they went on to victory by a 5-4 score.

With the loss, Manitoba's record falls to 16-13-4-0. After a seemingly complete game the night before, Manitoba ends the roadtrip with a split. Costly penalties and some defensive breakdowns hurt Manitoba in this one.

"Steady As She Goes"

After 33 games this season, the Moose find themselves in third place in the North Division with 36 points. They sit one point back of second-place Hamilton, and five points back of division-leading Rochester. It doesn't get any easier for the Moose, though, as Grand Rapids is one point behind the Moose and charging up the standings. The unbalanced schedule is once again working against the Moose as the Americans, Bulldogs, and Griffins all have five games in hand on the Moose.

"O Captain, My Captain"

Tuesday night saw Moose captain Mike Keane travel to Denver, Colorado as part of the Colorado Avalanche's series of honouring former Avalanche players. The Avalanche Alumni Association decided to honour Keane before the December 15 game against the Washington Capitals.

All fans in attendance received one of these beautiful posters of a painting of Keane done by artist Stephen Holland, and that might be worth the price of a ticket alone. Keane participated in the ceremonial puck drop before the game started, and was cheered loudly by the Avalanche fans.

Adrian Dater of the Denver Post wrote a great article about Mike Keane, and it's one that should be read by all Moose fans. It just goes to show you how appreciated the Moose captain is by his former teams and the scribes that followed them. This is the second NHL ceremony for Keane this season after he participated in the Montreal Canadiens 100th Anniversary celebration as well.

Player Movement

One major loss this week as the Moose see Aaron Rome's conditioning stint come to an end. In the seven games that Rome played, he scored six goals, added an assist, and leads the Moose in game-winning goals with three. Four of his seven goals were powerplay markers, jump-starting a once dormant unit. With the Moose losing one of their most reliable players in the last two weeks, there is hope that some of the players in sick bay will be back soon. Speaking of which....

Manitoba Moose Intensive Care Unit

• Nolan Baumgartner - broken finger. A Christmas return is still possible.
• Michael Funk - concussion. No return date set.
• Lawrence Nycholat - foot and shoulder problems. He was skating this week, so he could be back for the weekend against Lake Erie. If not, he should be ready by December 27 for games against Abbotsford.
• Matt Pope - high ankle sprain. Like Nycholat, he has been skating with the team. It seems more realistic for Pope to return against Abbotsford.
• Michael Grabner - ankle injury. Grabner is back on skates, but this weekend seems highly unlikely. The week off for Christmas would be best spent on strengthening and conditioning.
• Matt McCue - concussion. No return date set.

Moose Outlook

The two upcoming games against Lake Erie are important for the Moose in two regards.

Lake Erie is last in the North Division with a 9-16-0-3 record, and the Moose have to start beating the teams that are lower than them in the standings if the want to have a shot at the playoffs.

Secondly, Rochester battles the Hershey Bears and the Hamilton Bulldogs this upcoming weekend. If Manitoba can win both over Lake Erie, they can either make up ground on Rochester or overtake Hamilton. No matter which way you look at it, two wins would be big in helping the Moose stay close to these teams that have a handful of games in hand on them.

The Moose will have to be aware of former MVP Darren Haydar this weekend. Haydar leads the Monsters in points with 22, and is tied with Chris Durno for goals with 10 apieces. Tyler Weiman will most likely get at least one start for the Monsters, and Weiman is an excellent goaltender despite his win-loss record. His 2.67 GAA shows that he is a solid netminder, and the Moose will have to work hard to beat him.

If you're heading down to MTS Centre on Friday, don't forget to take a teddy bear with you! Teddy bears will be tossed onto the ice in an effort to cover the ice with bears for the Christmas Cheer Board. And don't fret if you can't get out to a store to get a bear. The Moose will be selling bears for $5 at the game that you can toss! Head down to the rink on Friday night, and help the Moose help people in Manitoba!

Saturday night is "Beat the Winter Blues" night, and you'll have a chance to win a trip to Jamaica! There will be a ton of giveaways throughout the night, and you can find the list of potential winnings here. Mick E. Moose will be handing out candy canes all night, and carolers will be stationed throughout the concourse!

Lots of great stuff going on at MTS Centre this weekend, so come on down and check out the Hardcore Hockey!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!