Le Chandail - Redux

If you've been a hockey fan for a while, you're very away of Roch Carrier's childhood story known as The Hockey Sweater. I reviewed the book as part of Teebz's Book Club, and it really should be a staple in any hockey fan's library. While the story surrounds a young boy's love of the Canadians and his idolizing of Rocket Richard, it may not resonate with younger hockey fans who follow today's game. Because of this, the CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes, a satirical comedy show, has happily provided an update to the childhood story.

If there is one thing that any younger fan knows all too well about the NHL, it's that these lockouts are a regular occurrence much to the chagrin of all the older fans. But because they happen with such regularity, This Hour Has 22 Minutes is happy to update The Hockey Sweater as they present The Lockout Sweater on tonight's episode! Take a peek at this after the ads run (sorry, I can't control those). This cartoon's a beauty!

Pretty great, right? I found myself laughing as the parallels between Monsieur Carrier's story and this story are close, but easily separated by This Hour Has 22 Minutes's satirical look at the NHL lockout. Honestly, this is a great cartoon, and certainly worthy of a few laughs. While the CBC may not be producing their excellent Hockey Night In Canada broadcasts because of the lockout, it's nice to see some other CBC franchises benefiting from hockey's extended layoff. This Hour Has 22 Minutes easily is the first star of Canadian television on this night!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Raining Bears In Edmonton

While certainly not as long-running as the Calgary edition of this event, the Edmonton Oil Kings held their annual Teddy Bear Toss as they played host to the Calgary Hitmen! The Edmonton edition of the event was actually the 6th Annual Dodge Teddy Bear Toss presented by Global TV and Shaw Media as the overly-sponsored event had 12,575 fans inside Rexall Place in Edmonton for the event! With another excellent turnout of fans, it appears that a vast number of charities will be receiving a ton of fun and stuffing as the bears flew on December 7.

Arturs Kulda was the man who made it rain bears inside Rexall Place just two minutes in as he converted a turnover in the Calgary zone into a high shot that found its way under the crossbar past Calgary goaltender Chris Driedger! 10,835 stuffed toys rained down onto the ice as the Edmonton crowd celebrated, and it looked like the hometown boys came ready to play against their provincial rivals!

A powerplay goal with 9:02 to play in the first period by Curtis Lazar gave Edmonton a 2-0 lead, and the Oil Kings were off and running. But before the crowd could settle from the Lazar goal, Calgary struck. Cody Sylvester broke the goose egg as his goal came 29 seconds after Lazar's goal, and the period would end with the home team up 2-1.

Unfortunately for the Edmonton fans, they wouldn't have much else to cheer as Calgary added another goal in the second period and potted three in the third period to skate off with the 5-2 win over the Oil Kings.

One of the big fundraisers on the night, though, was the jersey auction held by the Oil Kings for their Teddy Bear Toss jerseys. Here's Oil King captain Griffin Reinhart wearing his in front of a pile of toys they collected!

I'm not going to lie about these jerseys: I like them. They aren't overly garish in terms of the teddy bear inclusion on them, and they have a certain charm to them. The 630 CHED Santas Anonymous logo on the shoulder is pretty cool, and the fact that the money goes to helping those in need during this time of year gets a major thumbs-up from me. Nothing wrong with helping others at any time of year, of course, but Christmas is always a time for giving. Well done on the uniforms, Edmonton!

Sure, the fans didn't get to celebrate a win on the night, but the city of Edmonton's charities had to be happy as they received 10,835 stuffed toys and additional $20,195.50 through the auction of the jerseys, the chuck-a-puck, and the 50/50 draw. That's a pile of toys and money that will go to a number of great organizations in Edmonton, and that's something everyone can cheer!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Columbus' Future Looks Good

If you had to pick one team in the AHL right now that's dominating their opponents, one of the last teams you'd pick would be the Springfield Falcons. This is a team that hasn't been very good over the past few years, and their association with the Columbus Blue Jackets has been a two-way street of shuffling players back and forth between them and their struggling NHL affiliate. However, amassing a pile of high draft picks has allowed the Blue Jackets to build a solid nucleus of young players, and the Springfield Falcons are getting the benefits of this lockout by being one of the best teams in the AHL this season.

The Falcons have the league's best winning percentage at 72.7% as they have won 14 of 22 games thus far this season. They've only dropped four games in regulation time, and are playing some inspired hockey this season. After sweeping both games against the St. John's IceCaps this weekend, the Falcons sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with 32 points and a game in-hand on the second-seeded Syracuse Crunch. While there may be no hockey in Columbus, the coaches and staff there are probably ecstatic with the job being done on the farm.

Winger Cam Atkinson is having an outstanding season as he sits two goals back of the AHL lead with 13. Of those 13 goals, five have been game-winning goals to lead the AHL in that category. Combine that with his 12 assists, and Atkinson is having himself an excellent start to the season. He's currently tied for sixth in AHL scoring.

Tied with Atkinson is linemate Jonathan Audy-Marchessault. Audy-Marchessault has seven goals, but his 18 assists thus far are good for third-best in the AHL. He's also a +14 this season, another third-best total in the AHL overall. While Audy-Marchessault and Atkinson have led the way offensively, there are also seven other players in double-digits for points, showing that the Falcons just aren't a one-line team.

Tim Erixon, one of the players received in the Rick Nash trade to the Rangers, has four goals, ten assists, and is a +10 on the season - pretty solid numbers for the young defenceman. Ryan Johansen has eight goals and ten assists to go along with a +10 rating, and the Blue Jackets have to be happy to see their young player doing so well after scoring just nine goals and 12 assists in his rookie NHL season.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, has been the play of career NHL backup netminder Curtis McElhinney. While there was never any doubt that he could play the position well after a stellar 62-15-8 record at Colorado College, but he's been platooned behind some pretty solid goaltenders. He couldn't knock Miikka Kiprusoff off as the starter in Calgary, and was eventually dealt to the Anaheim Ducks for Vesa Toskala. He found himself playing behind Jonas Hiller for a couple of seasons in Anaheim, and bounced between Tampa Bay, Ottawa, and Phoenix for a couple of seasons. After being signed by Columbus, it appeared he may have a chance at a starter's job considering the recent struggles of Steve Mason.

With the lockout, Columbus sent McElhinney to Springfield where the veteran could buoy the goaltending situation for a team that hadn't had a lot of solid netminding. What Springfield got, however, was a goaltender who has been anything but a journeyman.

McElhinney sits with the fourth-best goals-against average at 1.92, but he's played the most games of all the goalies in the top-twenty at 18 appearances. Toss in a sparkling 13-2-2 record and a .940 save percentage, and we're looking at a major reason why the Falcons have been so good. McElhinney, in his 18 games thus far, has already tied the franchise's season record for shutouts with five, and will undoubtedly set the new record at some point in the future.

While Springfield's overall record of 14-4-4 looks impressive, they have yet to win more than three games in row this season. It's not like this record was built off one early season winning streak - the Falcons are legitimately battling for wins still. Aside from a 10-2 win over the Connecticut Whale on November 4, 11 games that the Falcons have played in have been decided by one goal, and another six games have been decided by two goals. It's not like the Falcons are this offensive juggernaut that can't be stopped, but they continue to play solid defence while scoring timely goals, and that's a recipe for success in hockey.

Thus far in the AHL's Eastern Conference, there are some very good teams in Syracuse, Binghamton, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Worcester, and Providence. The Falcons have a combined 2-2 record thus far (1-1 against both Providence and WBS), so they still have to play some of the stronger AHL clubs coming up. However, there's never a bad time to build up some wins against lesser foes, and the Falcons have done that on the strength of some timely offence and solid defence and goaltending.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

And This Is Why I Don't Gamble

It was one of the most riveting sledge hockey games I've ever seen, and the gold medal was awarded to the team that found the wrinkle in the other's game. The Canada-USA game was one of the ages as it featured tight-checking, great goaltending, and a vast number of skills on display on both sides, but there had to be a winner crowned in Calgary at the 2012 World Sledge Hockey Challenge and the hometown fans didn't go happy happy. Team USA used a fantastic defensive effort to limit the high-octane offence of the Canadians to a mere eight shots - including none in the opening period - and captured their second gold medal in this tournament with a 1-0 victory!

USA goaltender Steve Cash wasn't busy, but he made all the stops necessary to turn the Canadians away. Defensively, this was about as good as I've ever seen a game played as the two teams combined for just 17 shots on net, a new a World Sledge Hockey Challenge record for fewest shots by both teams in a single game. Both teams were relentless in preventing and stopping shots from reaching their respective nets, but one shot did make it through and counted as the winner.

Taylor Chace's shot from the point eluded traffic and defenders as it made its way along the ice from the point, and Canadian goaltender Benoit St-Amand could not stop the puck as it found the back of the net. Late in the third period, Greg Westlake nearly tied the game as the Canadians mounted a furious effort to tie the score, but the puck that got behind Cash was cleared out of the goalmouth area by US forward Declan Farmer as it was inching its way towards the goal. Despite outshooting the Americans 5-1 in the final frame, the Canadians could not find an equalizer in their arsenal.

If you missed this game, you missed one of the best sledge hockey games I've ever seen, and I have watched a few in my time. Honestly, the skill these two teams possess is incredible, and I have nothing but good things to say about the country's respective programs. Congratulations go out to Team USA on their gold-medal effort, and congratulations to Canada for their silver medal!

In the bronze medal game, I actually predicted this one right as Norway finally found the back of the net and the scoresheet. Loyd Remi Solberg had a hat trick and Audun Bakke had four assists in leading Team Norway to a 5-0 victory and the bronze medal over Japan!

With the medal win today, Norway has now medalled at all six World Sledge Hockey Challenges, winning three silver and three bronze medals. Solberg's opening goal just 1:15 in was a beauty as he shelved a shot below the crossbar that Japanese goaltender Mitsuru Nagase had little chance on. Three Norway goals in the second, and another in the final frame by Solberg powered Norway to the convincing 5-0 win.

Japan, for all its efforts, didn't score once in the tournament in regulation, but they played well in facing off against the three powerhouse sledge hockey teams on the planet. Japan isn't far off from being one of the elite teams, but this tournament puts them in a difficult spot. They're getting there, but there's still a gap between Japan and the elite sledge hockey players.

If it's any consolation, Satoru Sudo was the only Japanese player to bulge the twine in five games, and he did so in the shootout against Norway in their preliminary game. Unfortunately, Japan lost that game, so that goal won't be on the final stats when the gamesheets are collected.

Congratulations and well done to gold medalists Team USA, silver medalists Team Canada, and bronze medalists Team Norway! With 2013 just around the corner, the build-up to Sochi should be a great year of competition!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Familiar Foes

The four nations competing in the 2012 World Sledge Hockey Challenge have found their final standing, and the final will feature two old foes renewing a rivalry that has been escalating over the years. Canada will play the USA in the gold medal final while the bronze medal match will pit Norway against Japan. I am very excited for the gold medal game as Canada and the US have really been the cream of the crop in sledge hockey for the last couple of years as countries like Sweden and Norway have begun to regress. On the other end, Japan is the feisty up-and-coming team that isn't quite in the echelon of the North American squads, but they are beginning to carve out a nice niche in sledge hockey. Medals are on the line tomorrow, so let's take a quick peek at the two games.

NORWAY vs. JAPAN: Norway and Japan battled to a scoreless shootout in the preliminary round before Norway sunk the Japanese. These two teams are quite close in terms of skill as the goaltenders for both teams are some of the best in the world. Norway's Kjell Christian Hamar and Japan's Mitsuru Nagase stopped all 31 shots taken against them in regulation time before sending this game to the one-on-one finish.

Norway has only scored three goals in this tournament, so it can't be said that they're successful because of their offence. Norway has always been a sound defensive team, but their glaring weakness on offence was really on display at the 2012 World Sledge Hockey Challenge. Audun Bakke, Jan Roger Klakegg, and Loyd Remi Solberg were the only scorers thus far for Norway, and they didn't manage a goal against Japan during regulation in their game. Norway's offence will have to awaken if they want to capture the bronze medal.

Japan, on the other hand, has been worse offensively than Norway has (if you can believe that). They have yet to score in any game, and have been blown out by the Americans and Canadians. Needless to say, Japan's offence will have to find some way of pushing a puck past Hamar in the bronze-medal game if they hope to come home with a medal for the first time in their team's history.

PREDICTION: In a battle of non-scoring teams, I'm going with Norway simply due to their experience. They've played in big games before, and they are solid defensively. They will probably win by a one-goal margin, but I think Norway will find the back of the net in the bronze-medal match.

CANADA vs. USA: This is a game between the two sledge hockey powerhouses on the planet right now. This game will be fast, it will be physical, and it will set the stage for the next year as both teams build towards Sochi in 2014. Canada won the preliminary round match by a 2-1 score in which Canada played some outstanding defence through the three periods. Both teams are hungry for this gold medal, and I am excited for this game!

Canada owns the scoring leaderboard as they have the top six scorers in the tournament. Needless to say, Canada can fill the net if given the chance. Billy Bridges, Greg Westlake, and Adam Dixon are the Canadian stars once again in this tournament, and they've been matched by the superb goaltending of Benoit St-Amand and the Canadian blueline. St-Amand has a 0.44 GAA and a sparkling 0.938 save percentage - indications that this Canadian squad is strong from top to bottom on their lineup. Canada is looking like the favorites, but there is one team that can match them shot for shot.

The Americans come into the game having only lost to the Canadians in the preliminary round. Despite only taking nine shots against the Canadian, the Americans have five of the top twelve scorers in this tournament and have played solid defence as well. Steve Cash's 1.78 GAA and .857 save percentage fall only behind Benoit St-Amand's stats in terms of starting goaltenders, and the American defence has been steady if not solid. The Americans do need to generate more chance against Canada is they hope to win, so they'll have to be ready to win the physical battles as well as races to pucks to keep Canada at bay.

PREDICTION: I've got to be a homer on this one and go with Canada. Canada has been outstanding in terms of generating chances, and the speed they have shown through the neutral and offensive zones is a major difference between them and other teams. While they do get a little out-of-sorts sometimes in their own zone, Benoit St-Amand is always there to bail his team out - exactly what a great goaltender does. I believe Canada will come away with the gold medal on Saturday.

If you want to watch either game for FREE, log onto FastHockey's website and watch for free! I guarantee you that the speed and excitement of this game rivals any international game you've seen. Personally, I am overly impressed with how skilled these guys are. Watch for free, and cheer on your favorite team to victory!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!