Hockey Blog In Canada

Finally Shaking The Monkey

2012-02-09T22:22:00.000-06:00

You had to feel for Scott Gomez. The man had literally exhausted a calendar without having dented the twine in an NHL game. I can't imagine what he's been going through. I mean, I play defence and I've scored eight goals this season in 18 games, and I'm quite certain that Scott Gomez has about a billion times the offensive ability that I do. Having said that, I can't imagine the weight that was lifted off his shoulders in the game against the Islanders tonight when he finally beat Evgeni Nabokov exactly one year and three days since beating the Rangers' Martin Biron on February 5, 2011.

Here's what it looks like when you toss a gorilla the size of King Kong off your back.

Hmmm... far less jubilation that I expected from Gomez. In fact, it looks like his teammates are more happy for him that he is. The French announcers seem to have taken real pleasure in seeing Gomez toss King Kong from his shoulders.

"I wasn't feeling sorry for myself, I've just kept working," Gomez told reporters. "It's certainly good to get a win, and of course it's great to finally score."

Sorry, big guy. Looks like it might be time to catch a flight to Anaheim as I believe George Parros is the new leader when it comes to not scoring goals. I'm sure Parros won't want this title for very long, so look for him to start shooting more and fighting less.

Congratulations to Scott Gomez for breaking out of his goal-scoring slump. I wonder how long it will take for him to notch his second goal of the season?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Springfield Almost Got By

2012-02-08T19:11:00.001-06:00

I've been highly critical about uniforms that draw attention to past achievements or celebrate the longevity of a franchise. No one wears a t-shirt that says "I'm 43 years old" unless they are looking to be mocked, so why do hockey teams feel the need to plaster their achievements and age on their uniforms as so many minor-league teams seem to do? Patches honouring former achievements and certain milestones do wonders, yet the Springfield Falcons have decided to roll out some special uniforms three times this season to honour the past achievements of teams with which the current franchise isn't actually associated. Which, quite frankly, is stupid.

I'll admit that I had heard of these Calder Cup Championship uniforms back at the start of the season, but I had totally forgotten about the Falcons playing the game in them. And with me not following the AHL as closely with the Moose moving to St. John's, it simply slipped my mind to write about these uniforms. But not today as they donned them on Feburary 4 and I noticed them.

As you can see, Paul Dainton tended the net in these uniforms early in the season in a game against Providence, and they have worn them twice more since the season started. Each time, the team has honoured certain teams that have captured the Calder Cup for a Springfield franchise. I'm totally cool with this idea, and I think that honouring these men is a great way to get new hockey fans into the history of the local team.

What I don't think is appropriate is that the Falcons, sitting in fourth-place in the Northeast Division, wore the achievements of others on their uniforms. The original Springfield Indians are NOT associated with this franchise in any way, and the Springfield Kings also were NOT associated with this franchise in any way. The Peoria Rivermen are the team that the Indians eventually became, so, in a way, the Springfield Falcons are honouring the history of the Peoria Rivermen! How dumb is that?

Now some of you will say, "Yeah, but Springfield, Massachusetts should still get a chance to honour their heroes from days past", and I fully agree with that sentiment. But if the current team has no ties to the past, they shouldn't be allowed to wear those achievements like they are carrying on the legacy.

Furthermore, this sad-sack franchise has only made the playoffs once in the last eleven years, far from being the powerhouse minor-league team that was the Springfield Indians. The current Springfield AHL franchise hasn't seen postseason play since 2003, and there's no reason to believe that they'll be there this season as they battle for the basement in their own division and sit twelfth in the Eastern Conference. The only shining light that Springfield may have right now is that they sit four points out of seventh-place. The down side is that they have zero games in-hand on any team they are chasing, and most teams have two games in-hand on them.

Look, I'm all for teams honouring their pasts. But when another team, such as the Peoria Rivermen, own the history that you're trying to honour, it comes across as stupid. The Rivermen franchise once called Springfield home, but they are no more.

Bringing back heroes that once played in your town by the current franchise is a good move by any team. It brings the history of the city's heroes to light, and allows for some goodwill to be fostered for the current franchise. Plastering your uniforms with the achievements of teams that you have no affiliation with is downright stupid.

Sorry, Springfield, but these uniforms do not pass the "Good vs. Stupid" test simply because the current team is honouring a past they don't have. Slap a patch on the uniforms to honour the teams you want to honour in each of the three games, but to wear a uniform with those achievements written all over it is a dumb move in this writer's eyes.

And there's no reasoning or rationale that can convince me otherwise.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Best Super Bowl Commercial

2012-02-07T21:19:00.000-06:00

I'll admit that once the game is over, I enjoy a frosty beverage. The rink we play at has a variety of choices, and I'm not one to jump at Budweiser often, but the team pretty much agrees that Budweiser is a safe choice when buying rounds for the different and advanced palettes we all seem to have. Budweiser has long been a sponsor of NHL hockey, but what would you do if Budweiser went above and beyond and turned your beer league game into a big-league experience? Budweiser put this theory to the test in Ontario where they decided to pull a bit of a fast one on two unsuspecting beer league teams, and what they got was Super Bowl commercial magic.

Check out this awesome commercial done by Budweiser that aired during Super Bowl Sunday. Honestly, I think this is one of the coolest ideas I've ever seen, and I commend Budweiser for this awesome idea.

If you prefer the French version of this commercial, you can watch it here as well. But how cool would that be to be playing your regular Wednesday beer league game, and all of sudden it's bright lights and fans piling in to watch?

As the one player from the Generals said, "Not that I was ever in the professional leagues anywhere; however, this is how I imagine it would be." Indeed, sir.

This might be one of the best Super Bowl commercials I have ever seen. Big stick tap to Mark B. for alerting me of these commercials since I didn't watch the Super Bowl. And huge kudos to Budweiser, the Amigos, and the Generals for their contributions in this commercial. Being unscripted, you can see just how awesome this commercial shoot was for those involved. That kind of reaction is pure, and that's the best way to enjoy the game.

Budweiser, for this great commercial, you're being awarded the Cowbell Badge of Merit. Just as Christopher Walken wanted more cowbell, more commercials like this would make the world a much better place. Keep them coming!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Rampage Go Pink

2012-02-06T23:09:00.000-06:00

HBIC is all about helping out charitable causes, and having followed the AHL very closely over the last few years has allowed me to see just how much good the AHL franchises do in their respective communities. One such team that did a pile of good this past week was the San Antonio Rampage as they went Pink in the Rink to help cancer survivors. And, more importantly, they raised a pile of money to help in the battle against cancer.

Friday, February 3 saw over 100 survivors of breast cancer invited down to the AT&T Center in San Antonio to skate on freshly-zambonied pink ice! Players Wacey Rabbit, Mike Caruso, Bracken Kearns, Eric Selleck, and Scott Timmins greeted the families in their pink jerseys as everyone donned their skates for a fun skate on the big ice! That's a pretty cool morning, and congratulations to the 100 families who got to skate. More importantly, HBIC salutes the 100 survivors who defeated breast cancer who attended the skate Friday morning! Here's the video of the players and families taking part!

Last season's Pink in the Rink event saw 14,339 fans head down to AT&T Center as the Rampage downed the Chicago Wolves by a 4-1 score. There was hope that the Rampage could eclipse that mark this year, and set a new single-game record for fans on the same night! Friday's game was sponsored by the Cancer Therapy & Research Center, and the proceeds from the pink jersey auction were going to the San Antonio affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

The people of San Antonio responded in a big way as they set a single-game franchise record for fans as 16,151 fans showed up to watch the Rampage battle the Lake Erie Monsters! While the final score wasn't like last year's edition as the Rampage fell to the Monsters by a 3-1 score, the work done to raise money for charity certainly came through in a big way as the Rampage raised $48,000! The highlights of the game are below, and note the pink jerseys and pink ice in San Antonio.

Look, there's a very clear line between having the NHL do something like this, and having an AHL team participate fully in an event like this. I'll admit that the amount of pink used overshadows the game itself, but we're talking about a community coming out to support a very good cause and show support for survivors of breast cancer. Those survivors are mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, and grandmothers of a number of people. More importantly, they may be related to a hockey player, a hockey player themselves, or a relative of someone you know. I will never fault a hockey franchise going all-out to help the community they live in because it's that connection that keeps people coming back to the rink.

Well done, Rampage, on your most successful Second Annual Pink in the Rink as the sellout crowd brought in a record $48,000! That's a great chunk of money that will help people battling cancer in the San Antonio area, so good on you! Here's hoping that next year's event breaks the $50,000 mark!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Why I Like This Hit

2012-02-05T23:16:00.000-06:00

There was a massive dished out last night in the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins. You've probably seen it on ever single newscast and sports highlight package, and HBIC has the video for you below as well. But of all the good, clean hits delivered this season, Brooks Orpik's hit on Daniel Paille had one major aspect missing that made me grin from ear to ear. You won't see what I'm talking about on any highlight or sports show because what I am referring to never happened. If you watch the video, the clean, legal check by Orpik on Paille results in... nothing. Yes, you read that correctly: NOTHING.

Here's the hit that I am referring to in the above paragraph. Watch Paille fly as Orpik makes solid contact. And note what happens after the big hit.

If you watched that video all the way through, there was one major incident missing that nearly all of the big, legal checks in the NHL seem to attract: a fight! After the hit on Paille, though, none of the Bruins come hunting for retribution - a surprising change of heart for NHL players. This is what had me smiling.

Now you might be questioning my sanity as I am happy that a fight didn't break out. While you certainly can question my mental health all you like, I'm going to tell you that clean, legal checks, such as the one we saw Orpik lay on Paille, should never cause a fight to break out. I can't stress this enough - clean checks do not warrant any sort of fisticuffs. Ever.

Far too often, the man throwing the check has to throw down his gloves after delivering a clean hit, and this kind of retaliation needs to stop. A clean hit should be left to stand on its own merits: the hitter should be able to continue to play the game without the threat of retribution hanging over his head, and the hittee should respect that fact that he got caught by a good check.

Now I'm not saying that every check should be allowed to go fight-free. I think that any dirty or malicious check should result in the hitter paying for his misdeed, but a clean check deserves no more retribution than a player dipsy-doodling around a defender. The beaten defender notes the move, and vows not to get beaten the same way again. Like the defender, the hittee who got hit should note how he got caught in a vulnerable position, and vow not to let that happen again. Case closed. Done and done.

Instead, we see fights breaking out whenever a clean check is delivered. I, for one, think that this sort of retribution should be stopped, and I'd like to deliver that responsibility back to the referees.

If a player throws a clean check where the referees both deem the hit to be legal and a fight breaks out between the hitter and another player, I say that the player who jumped in to defend his teammate's honour should be hit with the instigator penalty and given a game misconduct. Of course, the five-minute major would also be applied, but the resulting powerplay should give the hitter's team an advantage. Of course, the hittee's team will also be a man short of the remainder of the game, and I'm pretty sure there will be a coach who will not be impressed with his player being tossed from the game for dropping the gloves after a clean hit.

If, on the other hand, the referees determine that the hit was dirty and/or malicious and a fight breaks out because of it, the hitter should be charged with whatever penalty assessed to him for the dirty hit along with his five-minute major and a ten-minute misconduct. For the player that engaged the hitter in the fight, he would simply serve the five-minute major.

Simply put, clean hits should result in no fights. Dirty hits should see some sort of retribution, and the player who comes to his teammate's defence should not be punished for standing up for his fallen comrade.

Do you agree? What say you, readers: am I off in this way of thinking, or do you agree that fights after clean hits are completely unnecessary? Have you say in the comments, and I'll respond!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I Have No Idea

2012-02-04T22:53:00.001-06:00

The image to the left? That's a pit. I'm pretty sure that it has nothing to do with hockey, but I've exhausted my resources in searching for any information about "pit hockey". In yesterday's book review, I had quoted information about Kostya Kennedy, a Sports Illustrated senior editor, who "graduated with honors as a philosophy major from Stony Brook University where he played exactly one game in the school’s rogue bloodsport, pit hockey." And that's where my search began.

What, exactly, is "pit hockey"?

It's clearly either some sort of game that I've never heard of or it is called something else in my neck of the woods on this planet. Why is it a "rogue bloodsport"? And why did Mr. Kennedy only play one game? Is the sport really that vicious and/or violent that Mr. Kennedy only saw the need to play one game before abandoning it?

I found a couple of sites that reference the game of pit hockey, but none of the sites are even close to being helpful in explaining what the game is or how it is played. Stony Brook University's site makes no mention of the sport, so I can safely assume that it is not on the list of approved intramural sports. And I'm back to square-one of not knowing anything about this game.

Has anyone ever heard of "pit hockey"? Please leave any and all details in the comments. I'd like to know more about this game and why it was called a "rogue bloodsport" by Mr. Kennedy. If you have any information to pass on, please do!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Hockey Talk

2012-02-03T22:59:00.001-06:00

In trying to keep up with my goal of reading 50 books in one year, Teebz's Book Club is back with another entry that I have to admit was much better than I expected. I have been promoting the Sports Illustrated online archive for a while now on this very site as an excellent resource for old hockey stories and information. While SI's hockey coverage has waned in recent history, there is no doubt that they have had some very talented hockey writers under their employ throughout their history. A perfect example of this is Sports Illustrated Hockey Talk, published by McClelland & Stewart, Limited. This compilation of hockey stories throughout SI's history shows off why the sports magazine was one of the best sources of written hockey news on the planet, and the vast range of stories compiled here shows the range of abilities of the writers featured in Sports Illustrated Hockey Talk.

Kostya Kennedy, one of SI's senior editors, wrote the foreword for the book. His accomplishments as a journalist are vast. From his website, "Before joining SI, he was a staff writer at Newsday and contributed to The New York Times and The New Yorker. He earned an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, from which he received a Pulitzer Fellowship. He has taught in the graduate journalism programs at Columbia and at N.Y.U. He edited Sports Illustrated's best-selling The Hockey Book, published in 2010.

"Kennedy grew up on Long Island, where he lived in a house, which he wrote about for The New York Times in an article. He has written for Details, Attache, The Daily News and other places. Before Columbia, he graduated with honors as a philosophy major from Stony Brook University where he played exactly one game in the school’s rogue bloodsport, pit hockey. Kennedy also used to play bass guitar in the specialty rock cover band Rychyrd Prychyrd (the specialty: The band played songs by Kiss and Lynyrd Skynyrd). He now lives with his wife and children in New York."

Honestly, I have to admit that I wasn't expecting a lot from Sports Illustrated Hockey Talk because SI hasn't really produced anything overly impressive in the world of hockey in a while. There are a lot of good articles written by former writers found in the SI Vault from years past, and that's what this book is: a collection of excellent articles by those men.

From the Ryan Miller, Sidney Crosby, and Jarome Iginla being interviewed about Canada's gold medal in 2010 to why good teams always seem to have the most fights to the look at Montreal helping teams in order for them to draft Guy Lafleur, there are stories from several different eras that cover a number of different topics in hockey. The best part is that all of the articles are well-written, intelligent, and present the information very logically.

Some of the names who penned articles for Sports Illustrated that appear in Sports Illustrated Hockey Talk include Michael Farber, Mark Mulvoy, E.M. Swift, and Jeff MacGregor. All four of these men, and the others in the book, have extensive careers in sports journalism, have accumulated a number of awards and honours, and continue to produce high-quality sports pieces for a number of publications. In short, the collection of writers in Sports Illustrated Hockey Talk are the best of the best that Sports Illustrated has had to offer.

While I won't lie in telling you that you can hit the SI Vault online to find these stories, the fact that you can take this book anywhere where there may not be internet to search through the archives. And, to be frank, these stories will not disappoint you in terms of their quality.

"What tough guys have trouble accepting is being ordered onto the ice to fight, as almost every enforcer has been at least once in his career. That slap in the face is almost as hard to take as a haymaker. Says veteran enforcer Stu (the Grim Reaper) Grimson of the Whalers, 'Nobody wants to sit for two-and-a-half periods, have your team down three or four goals, and have the coach send you out there and expect you to make it all right. That's demeaning and dehumanizing. I've gone, but after the game I've told coaches, 'Don't ask me to do my job. I know what's expected of me.' You don't order a goal scorer to go out and score a goal. I don't need someone tapping me on a shoulder, winding me up like a robot.'" - Michael Farber

Articles like that is what makes this book a joy to read, especially when reading about topics that are still relevant today. There are a couple of articles about violence in hockey, Don Cherry gets examined, and a look at the men who became larger-than-life legends who are still revered today.

I really enjoyed Sports Illustrated Hockey Talk despite my preconceived notions that I would be disappointed at what was contained on the 352 pages. The articles chosen for this compilation were great, and I learned a number of things about the players and personalities featured that I hadn't known before. Being a hockey history kind of guy, these articles were right up my alley. Because of the excellent writing and the solid choice of articles contained within the covers entitles Sports Illustrated Hockey Talk to the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

If you're a hockey fan of any age, this book is a great addition to your bookshelf as it contains a lot of great information. Look for it at your local bookstore!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

When The Clock Strikes 1.8

2012-02-02T11:20:00.008-06:00

A bizarre timing mistake happened last night during the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings that allowed the Kings to escape the game with two points and send the Jackets away with nothing to show for their efforts. The NHL will investigate the error last night, but this might be the first time where a team has benefitted directly from a timing error. Whether it was a clock malfunction or human error isn't known at this time, the results of the game left Columbus GM Scott Howson furious for good reason.

Howson took to the interwebs on the Blue Jackets' website to express his thoughts on the game, but it appears that the NHL has forced Howson's hand and had the diatribe removed.. You can read the full article here thanks to the cached page, but there was one single paragraph that stood out for me in Howson's writing when I read it this morning.

"It’s easy to say that this doesn’t matter. We, the Blue Jackets, are in last place and it is likely not going to affect our place in the standings. However, in my opinion, this matters in many respects. It matters to our players, to our coaches, every person in our organization and our fans. In talking with our coaches and Craig Patrick, our players played with passion, tenacity, grit, determination and competitiveness after a rather embarrassing loss in San Jose the night before. This tremendous effort was put in without four of our top six defensemen (James Wisniewski, Nikita Nikitin, Marc Methot and Radek Martinek) and with Jeff Carter, Ryan Johansen, Mark Letestu and Kristian Huselius also out of the lineup. We will never know if we should have had one point or two points in the standings. What we do know is that we should not have had zero. Anyone who has competed at a high level of sports knows that when you put everything into a game, the result matters. And to have the result altered unfairly stings."

I have to admit that the Blue Jackets did play their collective rear ends off yesterday, and that, at first glance, it just seemed that they were bitten by bad luck once again.

However, just to put this all in context, if you haven't watched your local sports show's NHL highlight reel yet, here is the questionable event from last night's game. Keep your eye on the clock in the lower left corner when the dying seconds are ticking away.

Of course, one could assume that the clock in the corner was put up by the broadcaster, and was simply ahead of the official game clock. I've seen this happen on both TSN and CBC's Hockey Night In Canada where the time remaining on the TV stops momentarily as the broadcaster syncs its time with the actual game clock. Howson was all over this option as well.

"I spoke with (NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations) Colin Campbell on two occasions after the game. Sometimes in watching the game on television there can be confusion with respect to the game clock. Some television broadcasts use their own game clock that is not official with the rink. However, and after double checking, Colin confirmed that we were actually seeing the official game clock stop for one full second. Therefore, when you do the math, Drew Doughty actually scored 0.4 seconds after time had expired, which means the goal should have been disallowed and should have gone to overtime. Colin has promised me that the NHL will investigate this to try and figure out how this happened."

And therein lies the problem. The official game clock in Los Angeles stopped during the mad scramble around the Blue Jackets' net, and this stoppage in time allowed just enough time so that Drew Doughty's goal counted as per the replay. I'm going to assume that the boys in the War Room in Toronto reviewed the goal when referee Stephen Walkom verified that it was a good goal, so how could they miss the clock not moving for over a second as they watched the replays?

I wanted to see if the NHL Rulebook had any sort of contingency plan in the event of a clock failure, and I found an interesting entry under Rule 34.7. It reads,

"In the event of any dispute regarding time, the matter shall be referred to the Referees for adjudication and their decision shall be final. They may use the Video Goal Judge to assist in rendering their final decision. (See Rule 38 – Video Goal Judge.) The Game Timekeeper shall assist to verify game time using an additional timing device (League-approved stopwatch)."

See that bolded part? The Video Goal Judge may "assist in rendering their final decision", but the game ultimately rests in the hands of the referee; in this case, Mr. Stephen Walkom, former NHL Director of Officiating. If Walkom decided that the game was over through the powers bestowed upon him as a referee, he has significantly affected the outcome of a game with a call that is egregiously wrong. That's not what the officials get paid to do, and Walkom's work in the final seconds of this game should be reviewed. His conversations with the War Room, the official Timekeeper, and the scorers really should be examined to see what was said and who said what.

There's no easy answer in terms of an answer in solving this problem. Kings' GM Dean Lombardi has already gone on record in stating that the clock regularly compensates for speed-ups and slow-downs in matching the official clock on the computer that runs the clock on the scoreboard. Frankly, I wasn't aware that Lombardi was an electrical engineer or a physicist in terms of his overly-scientific explanation, but we all have our hobbies, right?

A number of people have said that the game, or at least overtime, should be replayed so that the integrity of the game is upheld. In checking the two teams' schedules, they have one last meeting on March 8, 2012 when the Kings visit Columbus. This may be an opportune time to replay the overtime period if the NHL determines that that solution is the best course of action.

Unfortunately, I don't see this happening whatsoever for a few very good reasons.

The NHL Trade Deadline is on February 27, and there's a very good chance that both teams may be active at the deadline. If any players are acquired by either team, they would be technically be ineligible to play in the overtime period because they did not appear on the starting roster at the beginning of the game. How do you have either team play shorthanded without compromising the integrity of the game?
Any injury to an active player on the roster last night between now and March 8 would most likely result in an AHL call-up to take his place. Much like the players acquired at the trade deadline, the call-ups would also have to be ruled ineligible since they weren't on the starting roster. Again, the integrity of the game would be compromised.
The NHL has ruled that the game is officially over, meaning that the Kings receive the win and the two points. Because the game has officially been put in the books, the NHL would never, ever replay a game that has already been recorded as done and over. Integrity of the game, y'know.

So what is there left to do? Well, Columbus is still smarting from last night's result, and I'm pretty sure that Scott Howson wants something more than another loss recording on their standing for the season, and deservedly so. As it stands right now, Columbus is eleven points behind 29th-placed Edmonton, so it's not like awarding them additional points will upset the apple cart.

What the NHL needs to do is come out with a clear directive that any case like this going forward will be weighed on its own merits, and that no decision made today or in the future will hold precedence in terms of how any other decision on a situation like this will be resolved. And then render a decision on what to do with Columbus' legitimate complaint regarding the clock in this situation.

Honestly, this is a very ugly situation that the NHL needs to carefully wade through in order to make all parties happy. The one thing they may want to start with, however, is to stop having Dean "Coulombs" Lombardi work as the NHL's Science Advisor.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Accident Or With Intent?

2012-02-01T22:18:00.000-06:00

There's no doubt that Alexander Radulov is a bit of a different cat. He walked out on the Nashville Predators, taking his act back to his native Russia where he now suits up for Salavat Yulaev Ufa. He's a perennial KHL All-Star, but he continually spends the off-season flirting with Nashville fans in saying that he wants to return to the team before ultimately landing back in Russia again. The kid is talented without a doubt, but I've always questioned his professionalism when it comes to the being a contributor to whatever team he suits up for. And tonight in the KHL, Radulov's professionalism was called into question once more in what seems like a surreal situation.

In Ufa's game against Barys Astana, Alexander Radulov's temper seemed to get the best of him. Thanks to the KHL being several hours ahead of us, the video for this incident is available today despite it being the middle of the night in Russia. Take a look at Radulov's actions from the game tonight. The clip is only six seconds, though, so you may need to replay it.

Of course, I have to ask: do you think Radulov hit the man in the suit, identified as Ilari Nackel, with his stick on purpose? He seems to turn, size up where Nackel is standing, and then slam the blade of his stick into Nackel's face. Or he simply could have been looking to see if Nackel was far enough away in order to throw a bit of a temper tantrum.

What I can't figure out is why Radulov is so angry. He scored a goal and added an assist in the game against Barys, and his team rallied from a 1-0 deficit after the first period to win the game 4-3. Radulov leads the KHL in goals, assists, and points this season, so it's not like the guy is stuck in some sort of scoring slump. So what gives? And why was Nackel's reaction like nothing happened?

What say you, readers: do you think Radulov intentionally slashed former Finnish national player Ilari Nackel in the face, or was this just an unfortunate accident? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Turning Five

2012-01-31T21:36:00.000-06:00

A lot of stuff has happened in the last five years since HBIC started. There have been wars fought, Presidents and Prime Ministers elected and re-elected, births, deaths, weddings, divorces, trades, signings, relocations, and expansions. We've seen a new Royal Couple, a deceased face of terror, five different teams capture a Stanley Cup, multiple fan favorites retire, a new generation of stars emerge, and a piles of stories that have shaped and reshaped our lives. And that's only the tip of the iceberg of what we have witnessed in the last half-decade in life and in hockey.

HBIC rolled into its fifth year of existence back on January 21, and it went by without a lot of fanfare mainly because I didn't want to draw a ton of attention to it. If you've been reading since the calendar turned to 2012, you know I've been talking about awarding prizes all year long in celebration of HBIC fifth anniversary.

Today, I am proud to present two prizes to the two men who sent in guest blogger articles: Mr. Peter Santellan and Mr. Mike Engle. The HBIC "Shwag Bag" has a bunch of stuff in it that I have been collecting and waiting to award to HBIC readers, so I'm going to unload to these two men for their efforts in January. I have asked them via email what they would like, and their prizes are being sent out this week. Well done, gentlemen, and keep the articles coming!

Five years. Seems like it went by so fast! Thanks for reading, everyone, and here's to the next five-year celebration at the end of HBIC's first decade!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Email Clean-Up

2012-01-30T13:50:00.001-06:00

The old inbox has been filling up quite quickly, and that means that I have to take a step back and start sorting through the vast amount of email that floods my online mailbox. Don't get me wrong - I like getting email from readers and people who have announcements, so keep them coming. Don't forget that HBIC will be giving away prizes for the best guest bloggers every month this year in honour of this blog's fifth anniversary, so get those articles in, especially if you want a chance at January's prizes! But back to the task at hand, and there are a pile of emails that I want to clean up today. So sit back, have a read, and leave a comment on any of these emails I'm posting here. Enjoy!

Miss Angela Holzer, Web & Social Media Coordinator for Ovarian Cancer Canada sent me the following email about an opportunity to win a pretty sweet prize as well as helping Canadian women defeat ovarian cancer.

My name is Angela Holzer, I work for Ovarian Cancer Canada and was wondering if you could help us promote a hockey auction item (an autographed team jersey from the 2010 Olympic gold medal winning men's hockey team) that we will be auctioning off at our upcoming LOVE HER event February 23 in Toronto. The jersey comes with a letter of authenticity and we will open the bids to people event if they cannot attend the event.

LOVE HER is an event in support of Ovarian Cancer Canada to honour and celebrate women and is dedicated to raising awareness about ovarian cancer - the most fatal women's cancer.

This exclusive cocktail reception will be held on February 23, 2012 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto and feature a fashion show by Canadian fashion label JUDITH & CHARLES and the latest footwear by STUART WEITZMAN.

Now being that I'm not based in Toronto, I won't be attending. But, as Angela writes, you can bid even if you cannot attend and possibly take home a Canadian jersey with the names of every member of Team Canada on it!

The best part about this, though, is that you can help to save lives. Ovarian cancer affects more than 2600 Canadian women annually. It is the most fatal cancer that affects only women, and each year 1750 women lose their lives to this disease. These women are mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, and people loved by many. In short, your donation can truly help to save many lives. Please give if you can. Thanks for alerting me of this event, Angela, and here's hoping you raise more money than ever expected!

Miss Chantal Herman, a Ph.D. student in Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, sent me a quick message asking for help with a study she is doing. While she can probably find any number of places to conduct this study, she turned to me because she needs men to contribute to her research. Here's Chantal's message.

For my Ph.D. research I would like to ask men from the community to complete an online survey about non-aggressive and aggressive sexual behaviour. Participants’ responses will be anonymous and their participation will be confidential. I was wondering if it would be possible to post a recruitment advertisement somewhere on your website or Facebook page?

We are conducting a survey asking for your opinions and experiences regarding sexual behaviour. Participants will receive a $5.00 gift card for Amazon.com for participating and will be entered into a draw to win a $250.00 gift card for Amazon.com. The survey will ask you to complete several questionnaires about non-aggressive and aggressive sexual behaviour and will take about 45 minutes to complete. All of your answers will be anonymous, meaning no one will know how you responded to our questions.

Here is the link to our Lab's website at Carleton University if you would like more information about who we are and the type of research we conduct.

Now, you're probably questioning why I agreed to post this. After all, it has nothing do with hockey, so it probably shouldn't have made the cut, right? Well, I figured that the free gift card is a good way for you to get something for answering a few questions. Free stuff is awesome, and I want you to get something for helping someone out. Go ahead and click the link, do the survey, and come back to HBIC for some more email fun. Oh, and earn yourself some free Amazon.com money! Thanks for writing, Chantal!

I received an email from Chris C. who, like me, is a big fan of the WHA. Chris had an interesting proposal which I'll answer below. Here is Chris' email.

I was just reading your web site about the WHA. Very interesting. Like you I'm a big time hockey fan. I grew up in the Orr hey day here in Mass although I've been a Hugh Habs fan since the mid 70's. I used to read The Hockey News cover to cover and an incident from the 1976 Avco Cup playoffs has me doing research. The Rick Jodzio/Marc Tardif incident. I'm really surprised a book has never been written about it and all the stuff that lead up to it and all the legal issues that followed. I've watched the brawl that followed the hit on Tardif on YouTube many times. Quite the brawl.

What are your thoughts on the incident and do you think there is enough there to write a book?

First off, if you're not aware of the incident, let's just say that there are enough opinions on what happened that night online than one could ever want to read. Each story differs slightly from the rest, but the YouTube video, while incomplete, shows you a lot about how the Jodzio-Tardif incident played out on that fateful night.

My answer, Chris, is that I believe there could be enough of a story here to warrant a book. From what I've read, Rick Jodzio had a long-running feud with Marc Tardif all season long, and the culmination of that feud was the brawl that took place on April 11, 1976. The key to this book, I believe, would be getting all of the players who had a part in this brawl to comment on what they saw, and then to begin weeding through the common bonds between stories. If you really wanted to, Chris, I'd say you'd have the makings of a very good book on this topic if everyone agreed to cooperate. Thanks for writing, Chris, and great question!

I received a quick email from Doug B. Doug may not be a man of many words, but he succinctly hit the target that I assume he was intending to hit with this email.

Cool blog.

Thanks, Doug. I'll keep writing if you keep reading. Thanks for the support!

Long-time reader Peter K. sent me a great email about some idiotic fans from a few weeks ago. Peter writes,

I know you're a huge fan of sportsmanship both on and off the ice, but something about this story really sickens me. Apparently in California, wearing a different uni, or rooting for the opposition will put your life in danger (remember the Giants fan @ the Dodgers game?)

Would like to know if this is common in Canada....(note: I live in NY, and despite heckling and some trash talking, I have never seen anything like this at a Yankees/Rangers/Islanders/Devils or NY Jets game)

Thanks, eh!

Honestly, Peter, that sickens me as well. Now, I'm not going to paint all San Jose fans with the same brush, but that kind of treatment of anyone is downright disgusting. Whoever those fans were that committed this act of stupidity should not only be ashamed of their actions, but should really take a long look in the mirror in terms of who they are. Idiots.

As for this happening in Canada, I'm sure there are examples of it happening, but I've never seen it personally at any sporting event I have attended whether I'm in Canada or in the US. I'm thankful that it doesn't happen all that often, and there's still an element of respect you have to show other fans, even those cheering the opposition. We're all in this together, folks. Let's make being a fan an enjoyable experience for all. And thanks for writing, Peter!

If you're not too busy today, make sure you turn the dial over to Sportsnet where the AHL All-Star Game from Atlantic City is being played tonight. The AHL is the breeding ground for the next wave of superstars, so check out these All-Stars doing their thing in the junior circuit. Should be a beauty!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

NHL All-Star Wrap-Up

2012-01-29T23:36:00.000-06:00

A great weekend of hockey and fan interaction came to an end today as the NHL All-Star Game wound down the 2012 NHL All-Star Weekend. Team Alfredsson and Team Chara did battle in the Skills Competition yesterday, and those two fantasy teams met up in the big game today. Could Team Alfredsson send the fans home happy as his Senators-laden team earned the win? Would Team Chara overcome their "deficiencies" in the Skills Competition and defeat Team Alfredsson on Ottawa ice? Who would be the MVP in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game?

We'll start with the results of the Skills Competition first. The first event held on Saturday evening was the Fastest Skater event. Personally, I miss when all the players would race around the rink trying to beat each other and the clock. This whole skating backwards for the defencemen and having the goalies race? It's not really what I'm there to see.

In any case, the fastest player from Team Chara was Ottawa Senator rookie Colin Greening who did the circuit in 12.963 seconds. Team Alfredsson's fastest man was Rangers' rookie Carl Hagelin as he tore around the ice in 12.993 seconds. Those two skated head-to-head in the final, and Hagelin barely edged Greening out, winning in 13.218 seconds to Greening's 13.303 time. Hagelin's winning time is officially the fastest time seen in an NHL Skills Competition, beating Mike Gartner's old record of 13.386 seconds set in 1996.

The Breakaway Challenge was next, and fans were able to vote on the player whose moves they liked best. Three-time reigning champion Alexander Ovechkin wasn't at the event, so that means we would have a new champion of the NHL's version of the Slam Dunk Competition. Team Alfredsson's three shooters were Sean Couturier, John Tavares, and Logan Couture. Team Chara countered with Ryan Johansen, Patrick Kane, and Corey Perry.

Tema Alfredsson's shooters didn't really resonate with the fans as none of them hit double-digits in fan voting. Personally, they didn't really wow me either. The man who put on a real show was Chicago's Patrick Kane as he donned the Clark Kent glasses and Superman cape during his breakaway chances. The fans in Ottawa warmed up to the show, and gave him the victory with 49% of the votes.

Accuracy Shooting was up next, and I always like this event because it really shows who has a knack for putting the puck where they want it. A lot of the greatest goal scorers have never won this event, but the guys who have are always feared shooters in their own rights. Past winners include Daniel Sedin, Evgeni Malkin, Jeremy Roenick, and, the man who has won this event the most in its history, Raymond Bourque. Team Chara would be represented by Cody Hodgson, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Marian Hossa. Team Alfredsson would send out Matt Read, Jason Spezza, Steven Stamkos, and reigning champion Daniel Sedin.

If this was simply a hit-the-net contest, Steven Stamkos would be a favorite. But it took Stamkos 44.684 seconds to hit all four targets. Yowza! Anyway, Team Chara's most accurate shooter in the shortest time was Dallas' Jamie Benn as he took down the four targets in 13.583 seconds. Philly's Matt Read was Team Alfredsson's most accurate shooter as he nailed all four targets in 14.011 seconds. In the final, Benn made short work of Read as he took down all four targets in 10.204 second while Read needed 16.361 seconds.

The Skills Relay Challenge is a collection of passing and shooting drills done in two heats by eight players at a time. This event doesn't really interest me that much because the vast majority of these players will never set one another up in a real game. Needless to say, I happen to flip channels at this time, but Team Alfredsson won in 2:08.

The Hardest Shot event was next, and this, to me, is the equivalent of the Home Run Derby in baseball. The Hardest Shot event has been won the last four years by Zdeno Chara, and there's always hope someone can come along and best Boston's big man. Shea Weber always seems to come close, so there was hope that some rockets would fired on Saturday.

Team Alfredsson saw three of the four shooters break 100 mph, and Shea Weber emerged as Team Alfredsson's biggest bomber as he reached 104.9 mph on the radar gun. But the big bad Bruin topped all challengers in the preliminaries with a record-breaking 108.8 mph blast! Weber and Chara would square off in the final, and Weber put up his fastest blast of the event in reaching 106.0 mph. But Chara was not to be denied his fifth-straight title as he launched a 107.0 mph blast to best Weber, and give Team Chara the win in this event.

The final event was the Elimination Shootout that sees twelve shooters and all goalies involved. Players have to score on their shootout attempt to advance to the next round, and goalies face four players before switching up. Past winners have included Dion Phaneuf, Shane Doan, and Corey Perry.

Team Chara's shooters were done early as Brian Elliott, Henrik Lundqvist, and Jonathan Quick turned away all but three shooters in their opening round before Lundqvist closed the door on Malkin, Iginla, and Timonen to end Team Chara's bid for victory in this event. Team Alfredsson saw a number of players advance through to the second round before Jason Pominville, Steven Stamkos, and John Tavares ended up in the third round after having scored on their first two attempts. Stamkos beat Tim Thomas while Thomas stopped Tavares, eliminating Tavares. Jimmy Howard stared down Jason Pominville, and that would give Steven Stamkos and Team Alfredsson the win as he made good on all three attempts.

Overall, Team Alfredsson defeated Team Chara by a 21-12 score in the Skills Competition, but the All-Star Game itself hasn't been very friendly to the team that wins the Skills Competition. Would Sunday's game keep the good times rolling for Team Alfredsson, or could Team Chara capture the most important win of the weekend?

For a while in the game, it appeared that hometown hero Daniel Alfredsson would capture the MVP award, joining only eight other players in NHL history to win the All-Star Game MVP award on home ice. But a Slovakian emerged from the pack, scoring three goals and adding an assist to outscore Alfredsson and capture the MVP award.

Team Chara's Marian Gaborik had his hat trick completed by early in the second period, and Team Chara's Tim Thomas recorded his fourth-straight win at an NHL All-Star Game as Team Chara downed Team Alfredsson by a 12-9 score. While the score reflected those players who won, it was clear that everyone involved had a weekend they won't soon forget.

"You can't ask for anything better," Chara said after the game. "We want to enjoy ourselves, have fun, and most of all we want to put on a good show."

But the star of the weekend had to be Ottawa's unofficial ambassador, Daniel Alfredsson. "From a selfish point it's going to rank really high, where it's just a whole ego weekend, pretty much," Alfredsson said when asked about his personal thoughts on the weekend.

"Personally, I feel healthy," he added. "I'm having fun on the ice again. And, to have a weekend like this, it's surreal. You can never dream of anything like this, and you don't really know how to embrace it. I don't think until tonight, after the kids go to bed, you can kind of sit and relax - I'm sure I'll be dead tired, but I'll take it all in and realize that this is something that not everybody gets a chance to experience. I don't know if I deserve it or not, but it's definitely humbling."

Congratulations to Team Chara, to Marian Gaborik for his efforts which resulted in a $25,000 donation to a charity of his choice, and to the people of Ottawa for a fantastic weekend. Here's hoping that next year's game in Columbus only sets the bar higher when it comes to the All-Star Weekend experience!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Dig Out Your Best Jacket

2012-01-28T12:25:00.000-06:00

With the Skills Competition coming up today, there's a reasonable amount of anticipation and excitement building for the NHL All-Star Game. Can Zdeno Chara smash his own record in the Hardest Shot Competition? Will we see a new speedster blaze around the rink? What kind of crazy moves and zany outfits will make an appearance in the Breakaway Challenge? All of these questions will be answered in a few hours, but there was bigger news today as the 2013 NHL All-Star Game location was announced by Commissioner Gary Bettman. For the people of Ohio, break out the red carpet and the tuxedos because your Columbus Blue Jackets will host the 2013 NHL All-Star Game!

Without a doubt, this has been a trying year for the Blue Jackets franchise. There was much hope in the off-season with the additions of Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski that the Jackets could make a run at another playoff spot, but injuries and bad luck have plagued this team since the opening of training camp. The fans have grown weary of the team's lack of postseason appearances, and I don't blame them for their reluctance in supporting the team after claims of future success have gone unfulfilled.

That being said, the NHL had to help the struggling franchise in some way. They are near the ceiling of the salary cap, the fanbase is apathetic at this point, and they will almost certainly post a loss this season. While the NHL isn't truly in the business of propping up struggling franchises, they certainly can't afford another Phoenix debacle.

The NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa will see an estimated $30 million in economic impact for the city, and this kind of cash will certainly help the Columbus Blue Jackets. The city itself is located within a reasonable number of bigger centers - Pittsburgh, Toronto, Detroit, Buffalo, and Cleveland - and that will certainly help drive the economic impact as there may be a vast number of visitors invading the city to catch the All-Star Game.

Of course, it would be nice for the Jackets to have Rick Nash and maybe another star there, so here's hoping the 2012-13 season works out better than this one has. If they don't, however, the NHL will brings its biggest stars to the Ohio city for a weekend of fun and excitement.

For those teams on weaker financial footing, handing them an All-Star Game could turn their fortunes around in the short-term. If they use that cash windfall wisely, they could turn their investments into something that keeps the fans coming back, and to create a way to encourage players to consider their franchise when free agency is upon them.

Congratulations to the Columbus Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus, Ohio on being awarded the 2013 NHL All-Star Game! Let's just hope that Ovechkin doesn't decide to skip this one.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Getting An Earful

2012-01-27T22:27:00.000-06:00

Matt Hendrick's helmet seemed to be altered last week, and it occurred to me that he had some added protection added to his bucket. I didn't actually see the injury until I went back to YouTube, but an Alexander Ovechkin shot ricocheted off the glass and literally split Hendricks' ear in two. Thankfully, Mike Engle is back with us today on HBIC with his thoughts on this ear-splitting situation. Mike has penned a second article in January, and this gives him an additional shot at being HBIC's Blogger of the Month!

Before we discuss that, though, let's get to Mike's article. Here it is in full, and I'll have some comments after you read through Mike's thoughts. Enjoy!

"Last Saturday, Washington Capitals forward Matt Bradley suffered an improbable injury during practice. Greg Wyshynski, of Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy, published this article the following Wednesday, complete with an eyewitness narrative, pictures, and a video. Access the multimedia at your own risk, but the completely-safe-for-work blog entry can be found in the link above.

"As most tough and proud hockey players would likely do, Bradley shook off the injury and saw action the day after against the Penguins. Appropriately, he sported a modified helmet with an ear guard mounted on the outside of his helmet. Amidst all of the hullabaloo about safer helmets, mandatory-or-not visors, and soft-capped equipment, ear guards are rarely talked about as being 'missing' from today's NHL. However, in light of Hendricks' recent mishap, it amazes me that ear guards have not been rendered mandatory.

"Established in 1978, as per the request of USA Hockey, the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) was created to, as the name would suggest, certify hockey equipment. With very few exceptions, all hockey helmets sold at retail are HECC certified. However, HECC certification for helmets are based on the condition that the ear guards remain installed! Meanwhile, a quick perusal of the NHL rulebook - namely Section 3, pertaining to equipment - yields no mention of HECC guidelines. One can only imagine how much man-time is lost to equipment managers unscrewing those screws, removing the ear guards, and replacing those screws just to make the players look a little less geeky!

"On a related note, if the geeky look works for Malkin and Crosby, it can't be that bad, can it?

"Granted, it is highly unlikely that the NHL would adopt a policy to lighten equipment managers' workloads. And even if it were the case, the ever-so-humble equipment managers would undoubtedly deflect the benefits to somebody else, or simply choose to place the focus on their roles in helping the players. Instead, what other motivations, whether for or against mandatory ear guards, exist?

Against mandatory ear guards: The players should be allowed some degree of choice. Rebuttal: There's already plenty of choice. As long as the NHL jersey is made by Reebok and has a fight strap, there are few universal constants. Equipment brand? White or yellow laces? Mouthpiece? As long as helmets are mandated, I don't think two little pieces of plastic are going to cause widespread discomfort.
Against: It's such an isolated incident, why be so alarmed? Jamie McLennan's ruptured testicle, Bryan Berard's eye injury, Taylor Hall's recent skate to the face after a tumble during warm-ups, and Clint Malarchuk's slit throat were all isolated incidents as well. Better to take the time to uninstall two little pieces of plastic, instead of taking a HECC certified helmet out of the box, adjusting, adding decals, and being ready to go? I think not.
For the adoption of mandatory ear guards: The NHL should promote a clear and unambiguous front on head safety. ESPN.com's Tuesday Morning Quarterback columnist Gregg Easterbrook would be livid at the NHL, while undoubtedly swearing by football's example. The Riddell Revolution football helmet, while aesthetically avant-garde, is acknowledged as a relatively advanced anti-concussion helmet, and is widely worn by NFL stars such as Peyton Manning. As a result, Revolutions have gradually become mandatory at various high schools and universities, including Boston College. On the other hand, would the NHL be aware of its message, that young players should have to wear 'safer' helmets than the pros?

"For now, I rest my case. Even though it probably isn't the most pressing issue on the NHL player safety agenda, the ear guard question is an underrated point that rarely receives airtime in hockey circles. Though ear guards probably should be mandated, and relatively easily, I'm not predicting that this action will pass any time soon. I will gladly table the ear guard issue, on the condition that the NHL keep furthering its anti-concussion agenda. In the mean time, I eagerly await your comments in the comment section - especially if you can provide better reasons why ear guards should NOT be mandated."

There you have it, folks: a challenge laid out for the comment section.

But Mike makes a good point: why remove the ear guards from helmets that specifically come with them attached? Why decrease the safety of a device built to provide the best safety possible for your melon and its appendages?

Having your bell rung is one thing, but if you've ever cut your ear, you know it bleeds like crazy and it hurts like nothing else. The ear actually contains a vast amount of nerve endings, and, if you've ever had an ear get frostbitten, you know how much it burns when it begins to warm up. That's because all those nerves that were freezing are beginning to warm up. And it hurts!

So I ask you, readers, like Mike has asked: do you have any plausible reason to remove the ear guards off a helmet? Especially after seeing what happened to Mike Hendricks's ear? Let me know in the comments as well!

And if you want to get your thoughts out to the world about the game of hockey, please email me with an article! Your article will put you in the running for the Blogger of the Month contest being held all year long! The best part? If you are picked, you're in the running for some keen prizes! So get writing, and get yourself some free gear!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: The Hockey Sweater

2012-01-26T21:08:00.000-06:00

There are a number of NHL players who will receive a sweater today once they have been drafted in the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft, but HBIC is here with a story that all kids should read or have read to them at some point in their childhoods. Teebz's Book Club has been negligent in not covering this book sooner, but here we are today, correcting an error that needs correcting. Teebz's Book Club is proud to present The Hockey Sweater, written by Roch Carrier, illustrated by Sheldon Cohen, translated by Sheila Fischman, and published by Tundra Books. The Hockey Sweater is perhaps the most well-known hockey story across the land, and the message contained in its words is an excellent lesson for kids everywhere.

From the Tundra Books website, "Roch Carrier is Canada’s National Librarian and the beloved author of many Canadian classics for both adults and children. In 1968 he published his hugely successful novel, La Guerre, Yes Sir!. He has written many novels, short stories, plays, film and television scripts, essays, travel books, and poetry. Several of his works have become classics and are used in schools and universities around the world. His much-loved children's story, The Hockey Sweater, remains a timeless favorite. In 1991, Roch Carrier was awarded the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour for Prayers of a Very Wise Child. Among his many other awards and honors, Mr. Carrier is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and the holder of many honorary doctorates. All this from the boy who grew up in a village with no library and no books. Now the village has a brand new library – the Roch Carrier Library."

Honestly, the story of The Hockey Sweater is a fantastic look at a young boy's obsession with the Montreal Canadiens and, in particular, Maurice Richard. The story takes place in a first-person perspective as our Habs-loving youngster embarks on another winter in 1946 with his red, white, and blue jersey with the number 9 on the back.

Of course, with any growing boy, the Montreal Canadiens sweater that he had worn for so long began to grow smaller and started showing its wear as holes and frays began to appear. And like any boy his age, our protagonist's mother began flipping through the Timothy Eaton's catalogue in order to get her boy a new sweater. One letter to Timothy Eaton himself, and two weeks later, a package arrived for our Canadiens fan!

If you've read the story yourself, you know what happens next. I'm not going to reveal the rest of the story or the conclusion here, but the story takes a major turn at this point. It is in this turn that we learn about how deep the passion runs when it comes to following your favorite team.

The illustrations by Mr. Cohen are slightly rudimentary, but very detailed in what they show. The thing I liked best is that all the illustrations are still in their original French, keeping the integrity of the drawings intact. Mr. Cohen's illustrations are an excellent way to have a visual explanation of the story to go along with Mr. Carrier's story of The Hockey Sweater.

The Hockey Sweater is a great read for younger readers. It's only 24 pages long, making it a great option for readers that are just starting their hockey adventures, and the words used in translation by Miss Fischman may provide an opportunity for learning new, longer words! The Hockey Sweater absolutely is a must-have for any hockey literature collection, and it definitely deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval for standing the test of time in two languages!

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice!

All-Star Game Importance

2012-01-25T19:21:00.001-06:00

Take in this photo as best as you can, hockey fans, because only one of these two players has been invited to appear in Ottawa this weekend. If you guessed correctly, Washington star Alexander Ovechkin was invited, but instead has decided to skip the All-Star festivities this weekend. While it's not difficult to accept that a suspended player shouldn't be taking part in an NHL-sanctioned game, it's hard to stomach that one of the most recognizable players has decided to skip a game that really is meant for the fans and corporate sponsors. Y'know... those people who keep the blank ink flowing at the NHL offices and its teams' offices.

Now some may criticize me for taking Ovechkin to task when stars such as Nicklas Lidstrom and Teemu Selanne get the weekend off with praise from the NHL. I suppose that's a fair assessment except for the fact that both of those players are on the edge of the All-Star Game inclusion this season. While Lidstrom and Selanne are certainly big names, and have been for some time, the inclusion of these two are more or less irrelevant for this discussion. But I will touch on these two below.

Alexander Ovechkin is one of the most marketable stars in the NHL today. His jersey sales consistently have him in the top-ten of sales, he has several deals hawking various products, and his face is flashed across a number of NHL marketing campaigns. In short, he is one of the men responsible for the success of the NHL in terms of fan and corporate sponsor dollars.

The All-Star Game, in its most empirical form, is nothing but a cash-cow for the NHL as they milk the fans and sponsors for all they can. The Fan Fair is setup for fans to attend where they can test their own skills and meet and greet current and former NHL stars. The Skills Competition, while entertaining, is its own ticket for entrance and provides a pile of concession and parking revenues for the host team. And then there's the All-Star Game itself where fans pile in, buy souvenirs, and generally exhaust their wallets, debit cards, and credit cards in an effort to obtain the latest and greatest merchandise. And the corporate sponsors? They get the free meals and tickets in exchange for them to push NHL wares and merchandise.

In pushing all this merchandise and whatever onto fans and sponsors, the NHL needs marketable stars present at the game. This year's game has seen Daniel Alfredsson become the official ambassador for the NHL in Ottawa, and I'm fairly certain that the NHL has been overjoyed with the work that the Senators organization has done in promoting this game thus far. But selling tickets to an All-Star Game is a lot easier when the stars show up to play.

And it's not just the All-Star Game that I'm referring to when I say that missing stars hurts. Arguably, the NHL Skills Competition suffers when the best players at their positions don't play. Alexander Ovechkin? He's creative, he's flashy, he likes the attention that comes with his imagination in the various talent competition, and the NHL Skills Competition needs him as much as the NHL needs a guy like Sidney Crosby healthy. In essence, the integrity of the game suffers when big-name players don't play on the biggest stages.

Remember these flashy moves from 2009?

You don't think that the fans love that kind of enthusiasm and fun shown by a player that loves to play the game?

Maybe you remember these moves from last year's game?

Ovechkin's skill set simply is unparalleled in the NHL, and that's coming from a guy who has been a lifelong Penguins fan. The fact that we won't see Ovechkin pulling off moves like those seen above this year is, to me, a shame, even if his "heart is not there".

"My heart is not there. I got suspended so why do I have to go there," Ovechkin told reporters Tuesday at the team's practice facility. "I love the game, it's a great event. I'd love to be there but I'm suspended. If I'm suspended, I have to be suspended."

If he's trying to set an example for other suspended players, good for him, but it doesn't reflect well on him from a fan's perspective. The NHL has stated that Ovechkin would be welcome at the NHL All-Star Game, but would not insist that he would be there. Again, that's fair from the NHL's perspective, but I'm not buying the "my heart is not there" babble and the suspension rhetoric.

If anything, Ovechkin, in this writer's view, is sticking to the NHL for suspending him for three games for his check to Michalek's head. That's fine for him to do when it comes to sticking it to his employer, but this event is largely for the fans and corporate sponsors. This event makes the NHL decent coin, and this allows the NHL salary cap to go up because the cap is tied to NHL revenues. This allows the Capitals to pay Ovechkin the money agreed upon in his contract, and that money is made from ticket sales, merchandise sales, and corporate sponsorship.

Personally, I believe Ovechkin should be playing this weekend. I appreciate the fact that he took himself out of the game if he isn't going to give 100%, but when names like Crosby, Toews, Pronger, Nugent-Hopkins, and Skinner aren't able to play due to injury and others such as Lecavalier, Staal, and Duchene don't make the cut, having Alexander Ovechkin there becomes that much more important.

As for Lidstrom and Selanne, I'd like to believe that they should be there, but I'm in the same thought as some of the media. If a player hits the age of 40 and is still playing at a high level so that they earn a spot in the NHL All-Star Game, but opts out of it, I, and others, believe they have earned that right after putting in two decades worth of hockey at the highest level. I do not support the 35-and-over idea being lobbed around the media circles, but I believe that any player age 40 or older has certainly earned the right to opt out of the game after putting in all their years on the ice. Especially these two classy gentlemen who have attended 21 NHL All-Star Games combined.

As for Ovechkin, he should be there. I know some people will say that a suspended player should lose all rights and privileges to play while being suspended, but his star power is something that the fans and sponsors are paying to see.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Finding New Scorers

2012-01-24T22:40:00.000-06:00

There had to have been some concern in Mudville, aka Washington DC, when the mighty Ovechkin was given a three-game suspension for leaving his feet and checking Zbynek Michalek's head into the boards a couple of nights ago. After all, the vast majority of Washington's offence seems to filter through Ovechkin, and with Backstrom on the shelf and Semin doing his best Harry Houdini disappearance trick, there was every reason to believe that Washington's next three games could set them back. Tonight's game against the Bruins could have been considered a lost cause with the way the Bruins have been playing, but the Capitals should really consider looking to Hershey when the chips are down and they need a shake-up.

Mathieu Perreault was a star with the Hershey Bears last season, and earned himself a few call-ups to Washington that resulted in him seeing action in 35 NHL games. He had 11 goals and 24 assists in 34 games with the Bears, and then used his limited action in the NHL to put up seven goals and seven assists in the 35 games he got in the NHL. His efforts last season and in training camp this season earned him a roster spot with the Capitals, and he showed why the Capitals have faith in him on Tuesday night.

Mathieu Perreault scored his first NHL hat trick in helping the Capitals beat the Bruins by a 5-3 score. Perreault scored two in the second period, including one on a breakaway, and the third tally in the third period. Perreault's accomplishment shows that while he can play a more defensive role as a thrid- or fourth-liner, he certainly deserves an opportunity to step into a scoring role when given the opportunity.

While Perreault was a star with Hershey for the Bears, there are a number of other players that the Capitals could call on in times of need. Keith Aucoin is having himself an outstanding season thus far, amassing 11 goals and 59 assists in 43 games. Winger Chris Bourque has 21 goals and 43 assists in 43 games, while Jacob Micflikier has 19 goals and 29 assists in 44 games. The Capitals have one of the deepest farm teams in recent memory, yet they rarely call up these fantastic offensive players.

Granted, some of the players on the Bears would need to clear waivers in order to play with Washington, and that would be a detriment to the AHL club if the Bears were to lose a great player on the waiver wire. But the Capitals are spending money on players down their roster that they really don't have to pay when they could simply sign some of their highly-talented minor-league talent to play up.

There could be opportunities in the future, though. Mike Knuble will turn 40 on July 4 while Jeff Halpern will be 36 on May 3. If the Capitals need these two players replaced, they may need to only make one phone call. And that call could bring in two players with a high offensive ability that the Capitals simply aren't getting out of their grizzled veterans right now that they can desperately use.

All in all, Perreault had himself a whale of a game, and he looked like he did in Hershey for the last few seasons. Great jump from the former Acadie-Bathurst Titan in notching his first hat trick of the season! Here's hoping the Capitals lean on their farmhands a little more if they find themselves in need of some scoring!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Belated All-Star Results

2012-01-23T23:23:00.003-06:00

The KHL All-Star Game went on Saturday, and the game featured a lot of offence, no hitting, and some very bloated goals-against averages. In short, it was like any other hockey all-star game. Team Fedorov and Team Ozolinsh squared off in Riga, Latvia in front of a capacity crowd, and the show began. Honestly, the talent in the KHL is high despite there being few players that North Americans will recognize. The KHL All-Star Game is proof of this.

The Skills Competition was a tightly-contested affair as both squads showed off an immense amount of talent. The winners in each event were as follows:

Fastest Skater - Miķelis Rēdlihs (Dinamo Riga/Ozoliņš)
Shootout Skill - Vladimir Tarasenko (Sibir Novosibirsk/Fedorov)
Goaltender Competition - Chris Holt (Dinamo Riga/Ozoliņš)
Longest Shot - Dmitri Kalinin (SKA Saint Petersburg/Ozoliņš)
Puck Control Team Relay - Team Ozoliņš
Shooting Accuracy - Sergei Mozyakin (Metallurg Magnitogorsk/Fedorov)
Hardest Shot - Alexander Riazantsev (Traktor Chelyabinsk/Fedorov)
Captains Duel - Sergei Fedorov (Metallurg Magnitogorsk)
Fastest Skater Team Relay - Team Fedorov

The All-Star Game also featured a tribute to those players lost in the Lokomotiv tragedy earlier this season. The video is entirely in Russian, but the message and memory of the Lokomotiv players and coaches is clear in this video.

An excellent tribute from the KHL and the fans in Riga.

The best move of the night? Salavat Yulaev Ufa's Alexander Radulov - the former Nashville Predator sniper - got a chance to skate in on a penalty shot, and his move, while subtle, shows hands of gold.

That slight backhand that found space under Konstantin Barulin and between his pads is a thing of beauty! Radulov might be one of the best players not playing in the NHL right now, and this penalty shot shows why he's an all-star.

The final score in the KHL All-Star Game was 15-11 in favour of Team Fedorov representing the Eastern Conference. SOGAZ Insurance Group sponsored the Most Reliable Defenseman award for each team. Dmitry Kalinin (Team Ozolins) and Ilya Nikulin (Team Fedorov) were the winners, and they receive a certificate of an insurance policy for foreign travel, providing cover worth up to €300,000.

MegaFon sponsored "The Future Depends on You" award for the two youngest all-stars on each team. 21 year-old defenseman Maxim Chudinov and 23 year-old forward Mikhail Anisin were Team Ozoliņš's youngest players while Team Fedorov was represented by 19 year-old Evgeny Kuznetsov and 20 year-old Vladimir Tarasenko. All four men received a tablet computer and a year of unlimited Internet access, plus a handy sports bag. Personally, I'm not sure what the Internet is like in Russia in terms of costs, so this could be a big-ticket item.

Baltic Miles sponsored the MVP awards for the KHL All-Star Game for each team's best player. Not surprisingly, the two most recognizable names were the MVPs! Sandis Ozolins and Sergei Fedorov took home the honours, and each received a week’s holiday for them and their families in a five-star hotel, with a rented car at their disposal and a choice of Turkey, Greece or Egypt as their destination.

The 2013 KHL All-Star Game will move to Chelyabinsk next season, so plan accordingly if you have a chance to attend! Hoepfully there will be English coverage broadcast back to North America again as I really enjoyed seeing some of the Russian players I grew up with performing in front of friends and family in their homeland.

Well done, KHL, on a solid weekend of fun for fans and players!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

As Malkin Goes

2012-01-22T22:07:00.000-06:00

Six straight wins, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the race for the Eastern Conference title. Of course, they still have some ground to make up on the Bruins and Rangers, but this team, riddled with injuries, looks scary as the offence is clicking on all cylinders. While you would expect Evgeni Malkin to be a part of that offensive outburst, the fact that Malkin is looking like the second coming of #66 shows that he can not only lead this Penguins team through adversity, but that he is arguably the best player in the NHL right now.

Today's game against the Washington Capitals was a little weird as the two teams have struggled thus far. The Capitals can't seem to get on the same page as their stars appear to be going through the motions most nights while the Penguins have dealt with injuries to a vast number of their stars - Crosby, Staal, Letang, and Neal. But with the Capitals seeing some life in Ovechkin and the Penguins getting their offensive dynamo in Malkin going, this game turned out to be a great Sunday afternoon game.

"I have great confidence now, you know?" Malkin told the Associated Press. "You win six games, I think everyone has great confidence now. I just am enjoying the game, you know? And having fun."

Malkin not only leads the league in scoring, but his six games with goals is the longest streak in the NHL thus far this season. His goal 1:31 into overtime gave Pittsburgh the 4-3 win over Washington, and his two assists pushed him to 58 points on the season.

But it's just how Malkin has taken over games lately that is showing why he is a world-class talent. His natural hat trick in the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, including his scrum with Vincent Lecavalier, showed that he can impose his will on a game and mix in a little nastiness as well. His goal on Monday against the Canadiens tied the game, and Malkin showed a little dazzle in the shootout with his winner. In short, Malkin has returned to the form that allowed him to capture the Conn Smythe Trophyin 2009.

Of course, having your star players performing at their best will turn any team's fortunes to the positive, but Malkin, it seems, is literally willing his team to win. The game against the Lightning looked lost until Malkin imposed himself on the game. Take a look at the jump that Malkin has in Tampa Bay.

Malkin just looks like he wants the puck, and, when he gets it, he seems to find the net or someone who can convert. While I'm not going to say that he has Super Mario's vision, Malkin is showing that he can be a force with his size and skill, and that bodes well for the second half of the season.

It's clear that as Malkin goes, so do the Penguins. James Neal and Chris Kunitz are benefiting from Malkin's immense skill, and it's clear that Malkin is on a different level than most of the NHL at this point in the season. While there will be peaks and valleys still to come in Malkin's career, there's no doubt that the Hart Trophy discussion at this point in this season has to involve Evgeni Malkin.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Outdoor Beauty

2012-01-21T21:27:00.001-06:00

Hamilton's Ivor Wynne Stadium was home to a pretty good game today. Not a CFL football game, mind you, but an AHL game between the hometown Hamilton Bulldogs and the visiting Toronto Marlies. The game was, in my opinion, a great display of AHL hockey as the two teams battled in a North Division contest, and the fans in Hamilton turned out in a big way to watch the AHL's Battle of Ontario write another chapter in its history. While the end result wasn't exactly an edge-of-your-seat outcome, the action on the ice should give hope to fans of both the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The temperature at game time was a balmy -4C (25F), and both teams enjoyed the warmer winter weather while playing a solid game. It looked like this game might be dominated by the fourth-place Bulldogs when Dany Masse scored just 27 seconds into the game. But the first-place Marlies roared back, controlling the game from that point on. The 7-2 Marlies win was more of a blowout than anything, but the largest crowd to ever watch an AHL game in Canada - 20,565 fans - went home happy after a great game.

If you happened to catch the game or viewed the picture linked above, you may have noticed that the Hamilton Bulldogs looked a little different than they normally do. Hamilton wore these uniforms for the game, and they looked pretty good. I can't really find fault with anything on these jerseys, but the use of the cream colour for "vintage" jerseys is starting to wear thin. White in the sunlight looks pretty darn good, and I wish that teams would start using white again when given the option for a special jersey.

In any case, here are the highlights in six minutes of the game at Ivor Wynne today. The AHL Outdoor Classic is a great AHL event, and I really hope they'll continue to use these games to build momentum for the AHL. Having watched the Manitoba Moose for a long time, I am a true fan of the AHL and I really think that this league deserves more credit for the stars they are developing. Here are the highlights!

That Joe Colborne goal that made it 5-2? That's a big reason why the Leafs should be excited about him. That was a big-league goal scored by one of the better defencemen in the AHL this season. That setup by Matt Frattin was pretty good as well - perhaps a sign that his time spent with the Leafs has already made him a better player.

Congratulations to the people of Hamilton on hosting a fabulous event, and for setting the record that all future games will look to eclipse when it comes to attendance! I really enjoyed the game on television, and I can only hope to get to an Outdoor Classic one day in the future!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Doan-Tracker

2012-01-20T21:44:00.000-06:00

I'll admit something about myself that you may not know. When I'm getting ready for work in the morning, I usually watch SportsCenter on TSN. However, certain highlight packages don't interest me, so I begin to channel surf. The one program that always stops me is OLN's ManTracker. I'm not sure if it's the thrill of watching a trained 25-year-veteran of the Alberta Foothills Search and Rescue Team hunt down people who believe that they can elude the ManTracker, but Terry Grant's knowledge of the outdoors and how to track people mesmerizes me. Season Six of ManTracker featured Phoenix Coyotes' star Shane Doan as the prey.

Shane Doan was partnered with his 23-year-old brother Brook, an electrician from Halkirk, Alberta, in British Columbia's southern Chilcotin Mountains as they attempted to avoid Terry "ManTracker" Grant and his partner, local hunting guide Russ Floyd, across 37 kilometers of mountain terrain. Personally, I'm pretty sure I'd get caught in about 10 minutes by ManTracker, so I was very interested in seeing how Shane and Brook did in this episode.

Thanks to YouTube, you can watch the entire episode to see if the Doans can avoid being caught! Just as a heads-up, this video is nearly 60 minutes long, so be prepared with a beverage if you want to watch from start to finish.

Pretty darn good episode, if I do say so myself! The Doans put on a pretty good show in evading ManTracker, and they'll have this achievement to talk about for a long, long time!

"It will be something I never ever forget," Shane told the camera. "For the rest of our lives, we'll have that and that's special."

"It was my Stanley Cup," Brook said to the camera.

This episode originally aired on OLN on April 17, 2011, but I had yet to see it. I'm glad that I did, though, because it really shows how good of an athlete Shane Doan is. While it may have taken him 1161 games to notch his first hat trick, the tricks used by the Doans to avoid ManTracker gave them the all-important win in BC!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

KHL All-Stars Prepare

2012-01-19T22:27:00.007-06:00

With the KHL All-Star Game fast approaching on January 21, there have been some announcements made regarding who will be taking part in the game and what activities will go on in the days leading up to the game. The starters for the game were picked long ago, so it was just a matter of filling additional spots on the two teams - Team Ozolinsh and Team Fedorov - to complete the All-Star Game rosters. It also sounds as if the All-Star Game will feature many of the same things the NHL All-Star Game does: a skills competition and a legends game. I'm particularly intrigued by the KHL Legends Game simply because I want to see who fills out that roster, but we'll start with today's KHL All-Stars and which team they will be representing.

Team Ozolins will represent the Western Conference of the KHL, and it seems that the vast majority of this team played in the NHL at one point or another. Here is Team Ozolins in its entirety.

Goalies: Konstantin Barulin, Vitaly Koval.
Defense: Sandis Ozolins (captain), Jere Karalahti, Maxim Chudinov, Dmitry Kalinin, Janne Niskala, Kirill Koltsov, Karel Pilar.
Forwards: Mikelis Redlihs, Vadim Shipachyov, Jeff Platt, Sergei Shirokov, Mikhail Anisin, Toni Martensson, Nikolai Zherdev, Martins Karsums, Vyacheslav Kozlov.
Coaches: Milos Riha, Oleg Znarok.

That's a pretty recognizable lineup for Sandis Ozolinsh's team, but Sergei Fedorov's squad, representing the Eastern Conference, also has some pretty impressive names playing. While the number of former NHLers isn't as great, Team Fedorov does have some high-scoring players.

Goalies: Mikhail Biryukov, Michael Garnett.
Defense: Ilya Nikulin, Mikko Maenpaa, Alexander Ryazantsev, Kevin Dallman, Vitaly Proshkin, Evgeny Medvedev.
Forwards: Sergei Fedorov (captain), Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alexei Kalyuzhny, Jakub Petruzalek, Alexander Radulov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Roman Cervenka, Sergei Mozyakin, Brandon Bochenski, Alexander Frolov.
Coaches: Valery Belousov, Hannu Jortikka.

On paper, I would have to believe that Ozolinsh's team has more firepower based on name recognition alone, but I'm going with Team Fedorov on this one because of the high-scoring players selected. Of course, that's why they play the game, and you can catch the KHL All-Star Game this weekend on TSN2!

The KHL Legends Game will play Friday evening on January 20. Vyacheslav Fetisov and Helmuts Balderis will captain the two teams, and there are some very notable names taking part in this game. The oldest player is Latvian Anatolijs Jemeljanenko, born Janaury 1, 1949, who starred for Dinamo Riga in the 1970s. He's one day older than Vladimir Lutchenko, born January 2, 1949, who played for the USSR in the 1972 Summit Series while wearing #3. He starred with HC CSKA Moscow in the Russian SuperLeague. The youngest player will be Artis Abols, born January 3, 1973, who played for a number of Russian, Latvian, and Scandinavian teams during his career, including a few appears for the Latvian national team.

The rosters for the two teams are posted below, and I'll try to give a brief description of each player so you have a better idea who each of these legends are.

Team Balderis

Goalies
#30 Sergejs Naumovs - played all over the world and on Team Latvia.
#1 Guntis Karklins - Latvian who starred with Dinamo Riga.

Defence
#5 Aleksandrs Siskovics - Latvian who played all over Europe.
#28 Andrejs Maticins - Russian who starred with Dinamo Riga.
#33 Agris Balodis - Latvian who starred with Latvijas Zelts Riga.
#44 Normunds Sejejs - Latvian and current GM with Dinamo Riga.
#22 Vadims Solovjovs - Latvian who starred with HK NIK's Brih Riga.
#3 Viktors Ignatjevs - Spent 11 games with the Penguins in '98-99.
#2 Konstantins Grigorjevs - Latvian who starred with Dinamo Riga.
#8 Martins Grundmanis - Latvian who starred with Saga Kekava.

Forwards
#19 Hemluts Balderis - Two-time leading scorer in Russia.
#7 Anatolijs Jemeljanenko - Latvian who starred with Dinamo Riga.
#13 Nikolajs Sirotkins - Latvian who starred with HK NIK's Brih Riga.
#21 Aleksandrs Kercs - 57 games with the '93 Cape Breton Oilers.
#25 Sergejs Nikitins - Latvian who starred with HK NIK's Brih Riga.
#18 Sergejs Povecerovskis - Latvian who played on Lido Nafta Riga.
#24 Andrejs Ignatovics - best forward in the B-World Championships.
#26 Artis Abols - Played with Latvia in four World Championships.
#11 Olegs Znaroks - Latvian who starred with DEL's EHC Freiburg.
#10 Juris Opulskis - Latvian who starred in the German Elite League.
#29 Aigars Cipruss - First goal for the new Team Latvia in '92.
#20 Harijs Vitolins - Played 8 games with the '93-94 Winnipeg Jets.
#23 Maris Drelings - Latvian who starred with HK NIK's Brih Riga.

Team Fetisov

Goalies
#20 Maxim Mikhailovsky - Russian who starred with CSKA Moscow.
#1 Vladimir Myshkin - Losing goaltender in the "Miracle On Ice".

Defence
#2 Vyacheslav Fetisov - Legendary Russian defenceman.
#7 Alexei Kasatonov - Stanley Cup winner in '94 with the Rangers.
#3 Vladimir Lutchenko - Defenceman in the 1972 Summit Series.
#15 Evgeny Shtepa - Russian who starred with Krylja Sovetov.
#6 Dmitry Frolov - Russian who starred with Dynamo Moscow.
#10 Vladimir Tyurikov - Russian who starred with Spartak Moscow.
#23 Vladimir Malakhov - Stanley Cup winner in 2000 with the Devils.
#5 Alexei Gusarov - Stanley Cup winner in 1996 with the Avalanche.
#55 Sergey Gimaev - Russian who starred with Severstal Cherepovets.

Forwards
#8 Alexander Golikov - Russian who starred with Dynamo Moscow.
#25 Vladimir Golikov - Russian who starred with Dynamo Moscow.
#11 Alexander Medvedev - President of the KHL.
#24 Sergei Makarov - Legendary member of the KLM line.
#16 Alexander Kozhevnikov - Russian who played on Spartak Moscow.
#13 Valery Kamensky - Stanley Cup winner in '96 on the Avalanche.
#28 Lev Berdichevsky - 38 games with the Adirondack Red Wings.
#71 Igor Varitsky - Russian who starred with Chelyabinsk Traktor.
#64 Evgeny Chizhmin - Russian who starred in the German League.
#9 Viktor Shalimov - Scoring leader in 1976 with Spartak Moscow.
#17 Vitaly Prokhorov - 83 games with the St. Louis Blues.
#51 Andrei Kovalenko - 620 NHL games with six NHL teams.
#22 Vyacheslav Anisin - Scoring leader in 1974 with Krylia Sovetov.
#26 Vyacheslav Butsaev - 132 NHL games with six teams.

It seems as though this game will be Team Latvia versus Team Russia in terms of how the teams are put together. In any case, I expect all of these legendary players to have smiles as wide as the rink as they "compete" once again for bragging rights. As you can see, the Russians would most likely have the edge if the game was all about name recognition, but they're playing the game for a reason.

I'll try and update everyone as to what happens on Saturday, but I'm going to be ridiculously busy all weekend with other happenings. Updates will happen where possible, but you can catch the KHL All-Star Game on TSN2! Check your local listings!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Yikes!

2012-01-18T21:19:00.000-06:00

I'm off to hockey right away, but Taylor Hall suffered what can only be called a scary injury tonight during the pre-game skate before the Oilers squared off against the Blue Jackets. Take a look at this.

Corey Potter steps on Taylor Hall's head as he tried to avoid both Hall and Ladislav Smid sliding into the corner. No updates yet as I get ready for hockey except that Hall is off the ice and not on the bench.

Let me just say that I will be wearing my bucket on my head when I take to the ice for the pre-game skate. That's a scary-looking injury, especially when you consider that Hall's eye and/or cheek could have been cut by Potter's skate.

Kids, they tell you to wear helmets for your protection. Don't be like Taylor Hall. WEAR YOUR BUCKET WHEN YOU'RE ON THE ICE!

I'm off. Here's hoping that Hall's injury isn't too gruesome.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Karma Police

2012-01-17T23:38:00.000-06:00

I wouldn't say I'm the biggest Radiohead fan, but the song Karma Police has a certain catchy sound that I can't shake out of my head when I hear it. And it's been running through my head all day today after reading that Daniel Carcillo's season is over as he underwent knee surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. I'm not hear to celebrate his injury or even revel in the fact that he has been shelved for the next six months, but I think that sometimes karma comes back to bite someone in the rear end in a big way.

Remember this hit from two weeks ago?

You can see that Carcillo injures himself on the play after he recklessly hammers Tom Gilbert into the boards. Carcillo didn't return to the game, but it wouldn't have mattered as he was assessed a boarding major and a game misconduct for his heinous check. Game, set, match for Carcillo.

A couple of days later, Brendan Shanahan had his say on the hit, and he wasn't impressed either. "Not only does Carcillo not minimize contact, he hits Gilbert into the boards with tremendous force," Shanahan said in a video posted on NHL.com. "This is not a case of two players bumping each other for position and one player winning that battle. Nor is it a play in which Gilbert loses balance after initiating a reverse hit.

"At an extremely dangerous distance from the boards, Carcillo finishes high and hard with his hands, using the boards as a weapon."

Shanahan's decision would have sat Daniel Carcillo for another seven games as he is a repeat offender. So while Tom Gilbert suffered with a knee injury that could possibly keep him out for up to a month after Carcillo's hit, Carcillo would have sat for another couple of weeks due to his poor choice. But karma decided that Carcillo needed a little wake-up call on January 2, 2012.

Having committed a number of indiscretions on the ice, the karma police decided to give Daniel Carcillo six months off, a pile of rehab, and a load of pain to deal with as he snapped his ACL on the Gilbert hit. And suddenly, one of the bad guys in the NHL gets what's coming to him.

As Radiohead sang, "This is what you get. This is what you get. This is what you get when you mess with us." And he got a whole cart full of just desserts. Eat it up, Daniel, because you got what was coming in a big way.

And with that, we'll see you next season if rehab goes well. And then maybe you'll think twice before recklessly trying to destroy another player's career. Heck, you might even decide to prolong your career the next time you take a dangerous run at someone!

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice!

At Least Choose A Winner

2012-01-16T22:18:00.000-06:00

There are a few teams who have already replaced their head coach in an effort to produce results on the ice. One such team is the Columbus Blue Jackets as head coach Scott Arniel was given his pink slip about a week ago. With the Blue Jackets still struggling on the ice, the crosshairs move further up the ladder as GM Scott Howson finds himself on the hot seat now. And if we are to believe a report that surfaced today, the Blue Jackets are apparently considering former Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. as his replacement. I have to wonder if the Blue Jackets are actually trying to improve their team if this report holds true.

John Ferguson Jr. is a very good hockey executive, but his track record as an NHL general manager is questionable. Then again, the man that reported this turn of events, Bruce Garrioch, also has a questionable track record. But let's take this report at face value and break down what we know.

When Brian Burke took over as GM in Toronto from the Ferguson era, the Leafs were a mess, having not made the playoffs since the lockout. His deals to acquire Andrew Raycroft from Boston and Vesa Toskala from San Jose gave up a ton of potential as Tuukka Rask and a handful of high draft picks left the organization. His record of no-trade clauses combined with albatross salaries made moving players like Bryan McCabe, Pavel Kubina, and Darcy Tucker almost impossible. Needless to say, the Leafs needed some vast rebuilding after Ferguson had cleaned out his desk.

While the Blue Jackets have some valuable pieces on their roster currently, there isn't a lot of wiggle room in terms of cap space to go out and restock the cupboards. There are some decent prospects playing for the AHL's Springfield Falcons as Cody Goloubef, Cam Atkinson, and Martin St. Pierre are having decent seasons, but, like the Blue Jackets, the Falcons are near the bottom of the AHL standings.

Personally, I think that even giving John Ferguson Jr. a chance to run a team that needs considerable rebuilding is a mistake. The Blue Jackets should look at someone who has had success in the position before in terms of shrewd drafting. Former Penguins GM Craig Patrick was just hired by Columbus as the Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations, and has a pretty solid track record when it comes to success at the NHL level. Pat Quinn could easily step into the GM role and bring some accountability and respect to a franchise that has made the playoffs only once in its existence. Other possibilities include Rick Dudley, Bob Gainey, and Pierre Lacroix - three men who have had success building and running Stanley Cup-winning teams.

Personally, I'm not against John Ferguson Jr. in any way. I simply don't like his management style, and I don't think he's the right man for the rebuild that is currently underway in Columbus. He's a solid NHL executive, but he didn't handle the scrutiny in Toronto well and the fans in Columbus have lost all patience with their club. Putting Ferguson back into the fire probably won't end well for anyone.

Rumours should remain rumours. Bruce Garrioch shouldn't even break this "report" unless he has absolute confirmation that the Blue Jackets have, indeed, spoken to the San Jose Sharks about the availability of John Ferguson Jr. If you ask me, however, I don't think Columbus is remotely interested.

Of course, I have been wrong before. And I'm sure it will happen again.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: The Lost Dream

2012-01-15T23:44:00.002-06:00

I have to admit that a lot of the books on Teebz's Book Club are fairly tame. There's not a lot of controversy because the subject is usually about something or someone that is in the public eye. Today, however, Teebz's Book Club will be reviewing one of the most controversial books ever written about the sport as we look at The Lost Dream, written by Steve Simmons and published by the Penguin Group. The strange part is that this book is about Mike Danton, David Frost, and the murder-for-hire plot that Danton hatched, but neither Frost nor Danton contributed anything to the book. Instead, we get the other side of the story from the Jeffersons, Mike's biological family, and a number of players and people from the hockey world. The end result leaves you feeling a little rattled, but Mr. Simmons does an excellent job at laying out all the facts that are given from the perspective of everyone that had the fortune, or misfortune, of crossing paths with Frost and Danton.

From the Penguin website, "Steve Simmons is one of Canada’s best known and most provocative sports columnists. His column appears regularly in the Toronto Sun and other Sun Media and QMI publications. His signature Sunday notes column has been called 'the most read page in Canadian journalism.' Author of the bestselling Lanny and contributor to eight other books, Simmons appears regularly on TSN The Reporters with Dave Hodge and That's Hockey 2Nite on TSN2. A minor-hockey enthusiast and longtime coach, Simmons lives outside Toronto with his wife, Sheila, and sons, Jeffrey and Michael."

I have read, listened to, and watched Steve Simmons my entire life, it seems, and I occasionally find his material to be far too self-serving and subjective for my liking. There is no doubt that Mr. Simmons is an excellent journalist, however, and this book is solid proof that Mr. Simmons knows how to research, interview, and compile facts without changing the story. Honestly, the material covered by Mr. Simmons could have been littered with his own personal spin on the story, but the work done in getting The Lost Dream published is a great achievement.

If you're not aware, St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton tried to hire someone to kill David Frost. The only problem is that Danton reportedly wanted his father, Steve Jefferson, dead despite giving the hitman his address where Frost was staying and Frost's picture. Danton denies that Frost was the target, but it's clear through the research and evidence presented by Mr. Simmons in The Lost Dream that there is a lot more to this story than what Danton and Frost are alleging.

First, let me post this timeline of the events surrounding this bizarre happening. While Mike Danton has apparently escaped the grips of David Frost's insanity, the timeline paints a very scary picture of a man who can only be described as a "predator".

I won't lie about this: I found The Lost Dream difficult to read at times because of the material presented. The stories told through the Jeffersons and others reveals the vast amount of manipulation and fabrication of the truth that David Frost used to change how several young, impressionable men viewed their own families. The portion about Tom Jefferson at David Frost's cottage is perhaps some of the most disturbing writing I have ever encountered in a book about hockey, but it's scarier to think that Tom Jefferson has lived through the trauma to tell his side of the story about his experiences with David Frost.

In saying this, though, Mr. Simmons has done incredible work despite a number of the key individuals in the saga that refused to comment. Mike Danton was not interviewed for the book, and he refused any comment regarding the topic. Mr. Simmons declined to interview David Frost because of the vast amount of lies he has told throughout his life. Hockey names such as Vancouver GM Mike Gillis - a former agent of Danton's - and NHL referee Wes McCauley - brother of David Frost's wife, Bridget - both refused to speak to Mr. Simmons about Mike Danton, David Frost, or the circumstances that surrounded the plot to kill Frost. Former NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow also refused to comment, and he was the man that got Frost into NHL circles!

Said Devils GM Lou Lamoriello about his interactions with Danton and Frost,

"'I don't know if any of us can understand what happened with him and Frost. But unless you've experienced it, even from our end, it's very hard to explain. It's not exaggerated. It was there, very noticeable to our people and our players. The word I would use is bizarre. All my life in hockey, I'd never seen anything like it. The whole experience was just not normal.'"

The Lost Dream is definitely for an older crowd in terms of the age demographic that is targeted. While the 255-page book is a good read, it is difficult to digest some of the atrocities that people were put through in their dealings with David Frost. Again, Mike Danton and David Frost were not interviewed for this book, but it is very difficult to deny the allegations and stories that are echoed by many people interviewed by Mr. Simmons.

I was very interested in The Lost Dream when I first was browsing at my local bookstore, and I am very glad that I received it as a gift. The work done by Mr. Simmons is top-notch, and he doesn't slant the story one way or another. He simply lets those involved tell their side of the story if they were willing to speak. For that and for his excellent work in bringing this story to print, The Lost Dream absolutely deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval for giving the other people involved in this saga a voice. It was definitely heard by this reader.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

L'histoire se répète?

2012-01-14T21:19:00.001-06:00

With Rene Bourque getting ready to hit the ice for the Canadiens tonight, I received an email from a native Montreal citizen in Mike Engle. Mike is a loyal Canadiens supporter, a frequent commenter and guest contributor on Uni-Watch, and an all-around good guy. Mike has decided to throw his name into the ring for HBIC's Blogger of the Month with his guest post that is posted below. More on that at the end of this article.

I'll allow you to read through Mike's thoughts, and I'll make a few comments below Mike's writing. Personally, the insight from Montreal is pretty important when considering the Cammalleri-Bourque trade from earlier this week. Here's Mike!

"A sudden turn of events today marked another cold chapter in a long Montreal winter. Unfortunately, I am not referencing the recent snowstorms that have blanketed the city. Instead, the Montreal Canadiens pulled the trigger on one the most high-profile, and arguably hasty, trades since the 1995 Patrick Roy trade. This time, Michael Cammalleri was the departing former playoff hero. He started packing his bags during the third period of the evening's Habs/Bruins game, having been shipped to the Calgary Flames before the final buzzer. Alongside Cammalleri, Karri Ramo and Montreal's 2012 5th-round draft pick will be moving westward, in exchange for Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland, and Calgary's 2013 2nd-round draft pick.

"Unlike most hockey trades, which are almost always strictly business-oriented, the Cammalleri trade appeared to have its fair share of drama and curiosity. Only days ago, Cammalleri either claimed that his Habs teammates were losers, or that they were playing with a losing attitude, depending on which language's news outlets you would prefer to quote. Despite Cammalleri's brief moment of audible frustration, compounded with reduced ice-time under interim anglophone head coach Randy Cunneyworth, it was surprising to see him traded, and perhaps even more surprising in context.

"As many fellow Habs fans may recall, the Cammalleri trade shares many eerie similarities with the Roy trade. Back in December 1995, Patrick Roy clashed with new coach Mario Tremblay over his own misuse, and was traded shortly after his self-proclaimed 'last game with the Canadiens.' Unlike Cammalleri, who may mark current GM Pierre Gauthier's final moments in the Montreal front office, Roy was traded by a complete neophyte GM in Rejean Houle. However, as was the case after the Roy trade, the Habs have apparently waved a white flag on the year, swapping the popular Cammalleri for another disappointing winger while exchanging prospects and draft picks. Meanwhile, from the Flames' point of view, Cammalleri joins Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay on the list of current players on a second tour of duty in Calgary. (Cammalleri spent the 2008-09 season in Calgary before signing with the Habs as a UFA in the following offseason.)

"Though Gauthier and Flames GM Jay Feaster both claimed that the trade was in the works for some time, this Habs-supporting columnist must question the timing of the trade. While in-game trades are not unprecedented in baseball, this particular transaction reeked of bad blood. In addition, one must wonder if Gauthier sold short on his expensive sniper, as ESPN hockey columnist and Twitterer Pierre LeBrun noted that one other GM would have made the Habs an offer, if Cammalleri had been publicly available.

"So, Teebz' readers, what do you think of the Cammalleri trade? A good move for the reeling Habs, or a bad one? Will Pierre Gauthier live to make another trade for Le Tricolore? And was this in-game trade a jab at the departing #13, or simply awkward timing?"

Great article, Michael, and thank you for submitting it. You make a number of good points, and I hadn't even considered the similarities between the trading of two Montreal playoff heroes in Patrick Roy and Mike Cammalleri.

While I'd argue that the trading of Patrick Roy rocked the Canadiens to a point that they still have not recovered from, the trading of Mike Cammalleri after his amazing playoff run last season probably won't have the same impact simply because Cammalleri's regular season success has been nowhere near the impact that Roy had during his days in Montreal. But the fact remains: a playoff hero was traded in 1995, and a playoff hero was traded in 2012.

So what say you, readers: do you think that this move was a good one for the Canadiens? Personally, I think it is, but my opinion means little in the grand scope of things. And of the timing, did the trade just happen to occur at a time when Cammalleri's comments were still in play, or was the trade the result of his comments? What say you, readers?

Thanks again, Mike, and I'll be in contact with you if you're the winner of the Blogger of the Month prize. If you'd like to have a chance at picking up some free prizes while HBIC celebrates its fifth anniversary, scribe an article and send it here. I'll post it, and you'll be eligible for a prize if you're picked as the Blogger of the Month!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Same Old Song And Dance

2012-01-13T23:40:00.001-06:00

Remember when Garth Snow put all his eggs in one basket and signed Rick DiPietro to that lifetime contract? Remember when everyone was asking why Snow would do something like that when DiPietro had yet to really break into the upper echelon of NHL goaltenders? Doesn't it seem like eons ago that the contract was signed? Well, we're looking at another lost season for Rick DiPietro as it was announced that he would be having sports hernia surgery next Tuesday, most likely sidelining him for the rest of this season. If it wasn't for bad luck, DiPietro would have no luck at all. And here I am, writing about DiPietro's bad luck on Friday the 13th!

DiPietro was 3-2-3 in eight games this season with the Islanders, sporting a 3.73 GAA. The last time he suited up was for a December 3 game against the Dallas Stars when he suffered a groin injury. Honestly, DiPietro's list of injuries might be longer than the contract he signed in 2006-07.

In the last three seasons, DiPietro has played a total of 63 games. Hip, groin, and knee injuries combined with an infamous facial fracture have limited his time over the last three seasons to an average of a quarter of a season. According to Garth Snow, the earliest that DiPietro can return from this surgery will be April, but doctors haven't ruled out his ability to drive a cart at this point.

Then again, if I had any bump or bruise to speak of as a member of the Islanders, I might use it to prevent me from wearing horrendous clothing on the ice. Perhaps there's a method to DiPietro's madness after all.

I wish DiPietro a speedy recovery from his sports hernia surgery so that he can one day return to the ice full-time. I just hope that the golf outings from April until September won't cause any new injuries to occur.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Back To Calgary

2012-01-12T22:42:00.000-06:00

I was just stepping off the ice at hockey when the latest NHL trade was announced. At first, I thought it might be a joke when you consider that the player that Montreal was receiving was serving a suspension, but it turned out to be very true once I found out that the player being sent to Calgary had been pulled off the ice for the Canadiens tonight. And with that, the chatter on the team went from our game to the Mike Cammalleri-Rene Bourque trade.

The full trade sees Calgary ship Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland, and a second-round pick in the 2013 draft to Montreal for Mike Cammalleri, Karri Ramo and a fifth-round pick in the 2012 draft. Calgary now holds Ramo's rights as he tends nets in the KHL for Avangard Omsk. Honestly, this trade seems a little one-sided when you first look at this trade, but I think that the Canadiens actually may come out ahead on this one. Seriously.

Calgary is apparently making a serious run at a playoff spot, and they needed to find a scoring option to help Jarome Iginla. Bringing in Cammalleri, who posted career highs in goals and points in Calgary, should help both the powerplay and the offence in general. Calgary certainly will get some help if Cammalleri can break out of his slump this season alongside Iginla, and that, in turn, will help the Flames immensely as they push for a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

Karri Ramo is in his third season with Avangard Omsk, and there's no guarantee he'll return to North America. Sure, there's the possibility that he could replace Miikka Kiprusoff, but Ramo is playing pretty good hockey in Russia. It may take a significant deal to bring him over, especially one that offers no possibility of being shipped down to Abbotsford of the AHL. Even that, though, may not bring Ramo over as his success in the KHL has kept him there for the last few seasons.

The fifth-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft is nice, but it's a middle-round pick. Unless there's some significant talent available in this draft, I haven't seen Calgary's scouting team have much success outside of the first few rounds.

After all the controversy in Montreal, I think people will view this trade negatively at first because of the statistics, but there's a lot to like about this deal if you're a Habs fan. And yes, I'm very serious.

First, the Canadiens bring in a bigger player - something they sorely lack. Besides Erik Cole, the Canadiens don't have anyone else who could even remotely be considered a "power forward". Rene Bourque certainly brings a more physical edge than Cammalleri, and his larger frame can help on the powerplay in front of the net, a place rarely visited by Canadien players.

While Bourque's offensive potential isn't nearly as high as Cammalleri's is, the fact that the Canadiens receive a player that is willing to go into the corners and throw his body around is a significant change from the way this team plays. Bourque's physical element, if he plays clean, should open up ice for the rest of the Canadiens, and that will make their jobs a little easier. Offensive potential aside, Bourque should help his teammates get closer to their potentials if he can play in a physical but controlled manner.

Throw in the fact that Bourque's contract is way more affordable than Cammalleri's deal, and the Canadiens also get a very important luxury in this deal: about $3 million in cap space. That amount of money can buy the Canadiens a pretty nice rental piece for the playoffs if they can move up the Eastern Conference standings. If not, they have that much available for free agent signings this off-season.

Patrick Holland, I think, is a bit of a steal in this deal. Holland is in his third season with the WHL's Tri-City Americans, and he's certainly getting better with each season. He has nearly equaled his 62-point season from last year, and we're only halfway through the WHL season thus far. He was the Americans' Rookie of the Year in 2009-10, and his progress has continued to snowball as he has shown better vision, a fabulous set of hands, and excellent skating as he gets stronger.

Holland won't be the next Ovechkin or Crosby, however. What you'll get out of Holland is a solid third-line player who will kill penalties, score when given the opportunity, and give 100% every time he's on the ice. He's the kind of player that every coach loves to have because he'll do his job efficiently, not be a liability on defence, and he'll give you the same consistent effort on every shift. Holland will need some seasoning in the AHL before getting a chance with the Canadiens, but I think that Holland has a very good chance to be the same type of player as a Mike Peca or Todd Marchant. Every team can use a solid two-way player like Holland.

Toss in that second-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and the Canadiens come away with possibly two good young players, a physical forward desperately needed in Rene Bourque, and some good cap flexibility. If you ask me, the Canadiens come away from this trade in a great position.

The Flames, while getting the potential offence of Cammalleri for the remainder of his contract, give up cap space, give up a high-round draft pick in 2013, give up a solid junior player, and get little in return other than a goaltender in the KHL. I'm not sure this trade really benefits the Flames beyond this season.

For everyone who thinks that Cammalleri was traded because of his "loser" comments to the media the other day, both Pierre Gauthier and Jay Feaster shot down those ideas.

"No, not at all," Gauthier told the media. "I didn't make a big deal about all that. There's emotion around the team, somebody says something, I'd rather see emotion than people that don't care. He never asked to be traded or anything. He's part of the team and he cares a lot. That's why he made those comments."

"When Bourquie was suspended this most recent time, I thought there no sense trying to advance it any further while he was on the suspended list," Feaster said. "Last night, Pierre called and asked if we were still interested and I said we were, and we started working on it again last night and into today and ultimately got it done late this afternoon."

And so it begins again for Cammalleri in Calgary as he joins the Flames for the second time in his career. As for Rene Bourque, he might be able to join head coach Randy Cunneyworth in learning French as he gets a new start in Montreal. It will be interesting to see how these two trades change the dynamics of the respective teams, but I believe the long-term benefits will be experienced by Montreal more than Calgary.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Photo Updates

2012-01-11T22:27:00.000-06:00

I know you're probably getting sick of me posting photos, but there are more that need to be discussed from the last few weeks. As much as writing enjoys me, I certainly do like posting images every once in a while in order to be able to clean out the various folders holding hockey pictures. I have a flash drive that needs to be cleaned out as well, so I'm literally putting everything I have up on HBIC today. Of course, the term "everything" doesn't really mean everything, but if it hasn't been uploaded and it's on my desktop, you're getting a glimpse of it today. Here are more photos that HBIC has been holding on to for a rainy, or snowy, day.

Remember when the Tampa Bay Lightning decided to switch up their uniforms to something a little more traditional and classic? Perhaps they forgot that their alternate uniforms were also scrapped. We got to see the "Bolts" live for one more day on December 31, 2011 when the Lightning played the Carolina Hurricanes on New Year's Eve. How did the "Bolts" jersey find its way back onto the ice? Someone missed a memo, methinks.

It was really nice to see the alumni of the Rangers and Flyers get together before the NHL Winter Classic was played, but it was even more special to see the men in orange wearing a small "10" on their uniforms. This was worn in honour of the late Brad McCrimmon who passed away in the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv plane crash. Of course, there was also a "10" playing in the game, so it made looking at John LeClair's uniform a little odd as it seemed he was memorializing himself. Classy move by the Flyers, though, to honour McCrimmon as the defenceman was one of the best Flyers during his era there.

Speaking of honouring defencemen, the New Jersey Devils honoured Scott Niedermayer's career as a Devil by retiring his number and raising the banner to the roof of the Prudential Center back on December 17, 2011. If you look closely, the font on the back of Niedermayer's jersey doesn't match the banner's font. That's not supposed to happen. And to cap off the evening, the Devils wore a patch with Niedermayer's #27 on it. The issue I have is that the patch would be more suitable for the passing of a legend, not the retirement of one. The Devils played this one a little morbidly if you ask me.

The 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic was played a couple of nights ago, and the game featured the Adirondack Phantoms against the Hershey Bears. The Phantoms used to play in Philadelphia, but moved once the Spectrum was closed and demolished. The Phantoms wore these uniforms in the game while the Bears took to the ice in this uniform design. Honestly, I had reservations about the Phantoms' look, but I have to admit that I like how their uniforms turned out once seeing them. The orange numbering could have been a problem, but it looked fine on the ice. As for the Bears, they wore a logo in honour of the event on their uniforms. The names and numbers were easily readable as well. The 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic was a great event, and the uniforms worn by the Phantoms and Bears looked fantastic! Well done, AHL!

So I've been working on a few of those merit badges for the site, and I came up with a couple of badges that I think are pretty sweet thanks to the power of the interwebs. While you're probably aware of Teebz's Seal of Approval for books that are reviewed on HBIC, here are the two badges that I'll start using going forward: the Badge of Shame and the Cowbell Merit Badge.

The Badge of Shame will officially be awarded to players, media, executives, hockey parents, bloggers - basically, anyone who deserves a heap of shame for doing stupid things. No one is off-limits when it comes to the Badge of Shame, so keep an eye on who HBIC names on this list. This one could be entertaining.

On the other hand, the Cowbell Merit Badge is a prestigious award that HBIC will hand out to anyone who does something unsung and receives little to no credit. If a defenceman covers for his goaltender and makes a big save on with his goaltender out of the picture, that's a possible Cowbell Merit Badge winner. If a player breaks up a 2-on-1 and his team goes the other way and scores, that's a possible Cowbell Merit Badge winner. In short, the Cowbell Merit Badge will be awarded to anyone who does something awesome with little to no glory being bestowed upon him or her for the effort. HBIC truly believes that the little things done correctly are what wins and loses hockey games. Effort is, in no small part, a huge piece of that equation.

That's all I have for today. I'll have another guest post later this week, and HBIC has finished another book. I'm well on my way to 50 books, and I'm starting a new book this week! My hockey schedule is also heating up, so I'll be playing at least six games later this week. Here's hoping my legs can hold up!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Rats Are Taking Over

2012-01-10T22:56:00.001-06:00

I normally don't discuss rodents on HBIC, but Brian Burke made waves a couple of days ago with his comments about "rats". No, not the little mammals to the left, but the agitators and game-disturbers who have seemingly taken over the game. I won't lie that the number of true enforcers - guys like Probert, McSorley, Grimson, and Domi - are on a sharp decline. Burke's comments about the rats taking over came after Leaf tough guy Colton Orr was waived by the Leafs and sent to the AHL Marlies. Burke's chatter about the "rats" was in regard to the declining numbers of tough guys who no longer police the ice and keep the game clean.

Everyone who has watched the game since the early 1980s can see how the game has evolved. The "rats" that Burke is referring to are the guys who make life miserable for other players by playing in the gray areas - the chirping, the cheap shots, and the turtling when they are challenged for their misdeeds. These guys were few and far between before 1990 when the enforcers kept the game clean.

In the good ol' days, if you broke "the code", you paid for it by defending yourself and your honour. If you didn't, the enforcer on your team would stand in for you, but you would hear about it the moment that the enforcer made it back to the bench or got to the dressing room. No one likes to get punched out for stupidity, and the rats were the ones who were doing stupid things.

Fast forward to today, and the rats have been allowed to skate freely amongst the stars, throwing elbows and slashes and what-have-you to try and get the stars off their games. The enforcers have essentially been handcuffed with the instigator rule, so they no longer can be sent out to do their jobs without the fear of being penalized or suspended. If a player is sitting in the press box because he's been suspended or is a liability due to penalties, there's a good chance that his job is in serious jeopardy.

With the speed of the game having seriously increased over the last thirty years as well, the number of what I call "pseudo-fights" - clean hits that result in a fight - have also seen a sharp increase. There's nothing wrong with a devastating clean hit. If a player puts himself in a position where a big hit can occur, so be it. That's part of the game. The fights seen after a big in today's game are, in my view, ridiculous. I think the rules need to change to address these faux-fights, and I'll look at this below.

Let's go back, though, and hear Burke's comments. I think this is a valuable look at how the state of the game has changed. It's 9:35 of Burke talking about Colton Orr and the game of hockey, but it's a good look at how the game has changed.

I'm not in 100% agreement with everything Burke said, but there's a lot of truth in what he said. Colton Orr is a very good player who simply couldn't break into the Leafs' line-up with his talent set. He'll take his game to the AHL where he can continue to play, and maybe there will be a need for another team come trade deadline day. His career, for all intents and purposes, is not yet over.

What I do agree with is how the rats are taking over the game. Matt Cooke's play before this season was clearly beyond the gray area that players occasionally wade into, and Cooke rarely fought for his indiscretions. Trevor Gillies was a repeat offender last season, and he never really answered the bell for his play. If players are going to continually play outside the lines in an effort to throw opponents off their games, when does it turn from being agitation to malice? Injuries aren't stopping, so how do teams protect their players?

I truly believe that the instigator rule needs to be lifted. Injuries aren't decreasing with the number of fights dropping, so there is little correlation between the two numbers. If anything, the instigator rule, in my view, actually contributes to the injuries because enforcers can't skate freely and police the ice.

In fact, I think the instigator penalty should automatically be assessed to any player who jumps in to defend a player who took a big hit as long as the hit is clean. There is absolutely no reason for the fight to occur other than a player trying to exact revenge for the big hit. That, in its empirical form, is the definition of instigating. Hit the player that initiated the fight with the two-minute penalty, and all is done. Let Brendan Shanahan look at the hit if there's something suspect about it, but there's no reason for a fight to occur in the vast majority of occasions.

Lastly, allow the players to police the ice once again. Injuries from elbows and knees and checks to the head were few and far between when guys like Kocur, Probert, McRae, and VandenBussche were patrolling the ice. While it's hard to determine if concussions would decrease due to the poor reporting of concussions thirty years ago, I have a hunch that players wouldn't target an opponent's head if they knew Donald Brashear or Georges Laraque were breathing down their necks.

Abolish the instigator rule that sees enforcers suspended, and I'm confident that the number of cheap shots would decrease, causing the number of serious injuries to decrease as well. And maybe players like Colton Orr can earn an NHL job once again.

The best way to control a rat outbreak? Send out a predator. If Walt Disney can do it, the NHL can do it as well.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

A 2012 Resolution

2012-01-09T23:37:00.000-06:00

Teebz's Book Club is always looking for a good book. You're probably aware that I really like to push the idea of reading for young readers - children, teens, adolescents - because it encourages important traits necessary in the real world: imagination, spelling, grammar, comprehension, memory, and creativity but to name a few. Books can open up the world to a reader by bringing home a world of creativity and information, so I encourage you to head to your local library or bookstore and start immersing yourself in the written word. I guarantee there is something for everyone for all age groups and interests. Best of all, you might just find something new to indulge yourself in.

I've decided to pledge myself to approximately one book per week this year. I have thrown my name forward and pledged to read 50 books this year. I know - it seems like a lot, and it certainly means that I'll need to be committed. But 50 books is approximately one per week, and that means that I will commit myself to something I love doing: reading.

In an effort to show just how great books can be, FOHBIC (Friend of HBIC) Michael E. posted the following incredible video on his Facebook account, and the joy of reading really is made into a visual presentation by the husband and wife team that runs Type bookstore in Toronto. Enjoy this video because it's awesome.

Pretty great, right? Type bookstore can be found at 883 Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario. It may be a place I have to visit!

50 books. 2012. I started with one already with my review of Tough Guy a couple of days ago. Only 49 to go, and I've started on my next book already.

Anyone else wanna commit to reading this year? Put your name in the comments below, and let me know what books I should be reading next!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

More Montreal Chatter

2012-01-08T22:39:00.001-06:00

Randy Cunneyworth be appointed to head coach in Montreal has been a lightning road for fans, media, and people across the continent as it seems that his not knowing French has polarized all people who are following the story. I've had my say on the situation, and I still feel that Cunneyworth should be given a shot when it comes to allowing him to right the good ship Canadiens. Others, especially those in the province of Quebec, have condemned Cunneyworth over his anglophone upbringing. Whether you feel that Cunneyworth's coaching job should be decided over his choice of spoken language or not, one thing is clear: the polarization of people over this subject is clearly not going away.

Today, I'm lucky enough to have Peter Santellan of the fabulous blog, Pucks and Rocks, pen an article for HBIC. Mr. Santellan looks at validity of the language issue when it comes to Mr. Cunneyworth's job, and he makes some very good points. Also, with his article, he becomes the odds-on favorite to win some awesome prizes as January's blogger of the month on HBIC. More on this below, but here's Peter's article.

"Of late, I have had to say a few things about the coaching carousel in the NHL. Obviously, the comings and goings don't cover any ground that hasn't been covered for the most part. However, the Montreal Canadiens' coaching situation has been more than just about the record, it's been about whether the coach can speak French on some level. To get you up to speed if you haven't been following, the Canadiens fired Jacques Martin and replaced him with Randy Cunneyworth on an interim basis. One problem: Cunneyworth doesn't speak a word of French. Now, leave it to the people of Quebec to go up in arms about this move to the point of planning a protest before a game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. In a recent article, General Manager Pierre Gauthier apologized for this and promised a French speaking coach for next season.

"The problem has many layers. The most important thing to remember about the coaching situation in Montreal is that Cunneyworth is an INTERIM coach, meaning that he doesn't have to stay with Montreal if he doesn't want to (if he does win most of his games). As for the people of Quebec who protest not having a French-speaking coach, you had two coaches who made the Stanley Cup Finals last year in Vancouver (Alain Vigneault) and Boston (Claude Julien). Both of them were coach of the Canadiens at one point or another. More recently, there was Guy Carbonneau, who led Montreal to their best regular season finish in 2008. For one reason or another, all three were let go, and while Carbonneau hasn't had a coaching job since Montreal, it isn't exactly coincidence that Vigneault and Julien have found success once they left Montreal. Now, throw in Guy Boucher, who was the coach at Hamilton, the Canadiens' AHL affiliate (and who Cunneyworth replaced prior to being an assistant coach for Montreal), and Kirk Muller, who had played for Montreal when they last won the Stanley Cup, and the Canadiens' coaching situation looks worse. Now, looking at the potential prospects for the Canadiens that speak French on some level, and the pickings are rather slim. Unless Jacques Lemaire somehow comes out of retirement and is not asked by New Jersey to fill in as coach, the Canadiens have practically dug themselves a hole that they will have a difficult time getting out of, and given that Cunneyworth could very well be going to a team like Columbus, who I suspect will be looking for a new coach at some point, the Canadiens and their fans are destined to lose in any language."

Great points, Peter, and you've certainly hit the nail on the head when it comes to the successes that Vigneault and Julien have experienced since being dismissed by the Montreal Canadiens. It's hard to imagine that the Canadiens will have a ton of success if they are pushing the French language as priority-one over an actual coaching strategy, but who am I to question Pierre Gauthier?

If you're interested in possibly getting some awesome prizes for a little work, scribe an article and send it in! I'll post it, and I'll award the best guest post of the month a prize! You can write about anything hockey-related, and I'll feature it as soon as I receive it! Just send it here, and I'll load it up on HBIC!

Great post today, Peter, and I totally agree that the best coach, regardless of laguage, should be appointed to the Canadiens' bench. Once hired, if he isn't very good with the French language, he should be given the chance to improve himself. But the job of head coach should come down to how well he or she knows the game, and everything else - within reason - should come second. Seems elementary to me, no?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Tough Guy

2012-01-07T20:05:00.001-06:00

I return today after laughing and feeling the lump in my throat build up on a couple of occasions after reading the latest addition to Teebz's Book Club. Without a doubt, this book is a fabulous way to kick off 2012 on HBIC, so I'm proud to present Tough Guy, written by Bob Probert and Kirstie McLellan Day and published by HarperCollins Publishers Limited. Bob Probert was always considered to be one of the toughest men to have ever laced up the skates in the NHL, but his battles off the ice have put him in a new light as I have learned that he is also one of the toughest, most compassionate and caring individuals to have ever graced the NHL. Make no mistake that Probert was an icon for his toughness, but his life was full of challenges. Some broke him and others were beaten by Probert, but, thanks to Tough Guy, Bob Probert was one of the most colorful and interesting men to have ever walked this planet.

From the HarperCollins website, "Bob Probert, born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, was a winger with the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks between 1985 and 2002. A loving husband to Dani and father of four children, Probert died suddenly on July 5, 2010, while with his family on his boat near Windsor. He was forty-five years old."

Also from the HarperCollins website, "Kirstie McLellan Day has written five other books, including the #1 bestselling memoir of Theo Fleury, Playing with Fire, and the bestselling memoir of Bob Probert, Tough Guy, as well as Above and Beyond, a biography of cable magnate JR Shaw, Under the Mat, a memoir with Diana Hart of the Hart wrestling family, and No Remorse, a true-crime story. The mother of five lives with her husband, broadcaster Larry Day, in Calgary, Alberta. Visit her online at www.kirstiemclellanday.com."

As stated above from hi biography, Bob Probert has passed away. The motivation for reading this book came from only knowing Bob Probert through the various newspaper reports and video highlights I've seen, and I thought there might be more to Probert than just what the media has shown. Indeed, this book takes one inside Bob Probert like only his family knows him. It is this journey into Bob Probert's life and mind that really gives you the real insight into who Bob Probert was, and I believe that Tough Guy is one of the best hockey books available today.

I have read other books about celebrities who have battled addiction problems. Artie Lange's documented troubles in Too Fat To Fish gave an interesting look into a fairly well-known person's troubles, so reading Bob Probert's candid and honest recollections of his troubles with drinking and drugs really hit home. Here was a man who was considered to be the toughest man during his era in the NHL, and he continually lost battles with his two vices: alcohol and cocaine.

That's not to say that Tough Guy is simply a journal of sex and booze, though. Bob Probert is, perhaps, one of the funniest men to have ever penned a book about his career. Probert remembers a lot of the guys he battled, and talks about who fought fair, who needed their bells rung, and recounts a lot of his favorite moments as an NHL player. There are stories from his days in the AHL, stories from his time as an NHL representative in Afghanistan with the Canadian troops, and stories from his personal life that are really, really funny.

Perhaps the person who deserves a lot of the credit in making this book happen is Danielle Probert, Bob Probert's wife. Through 17 years - some of the agonizing as Probert battled his demons - Danielle stood by her man. Through it all, Dani Probert was the rock that Bob Probert needed in his life to help him up when he fell down. Together with Dani, the Proberts had four children - Brogan, Tierney, Declyn, and Jack - and while it took Bob a lot of mistakes to finally realize it, his family was everything to him. A lot of that credit has to go to Danielle who also made this book a reality after Bob's passing in 2010. It becomes clear in Tough Guy that she is the love of Bob's life.

One of my favorite parts in Tough Guy is when Probert gives his opinion on Gary Bettman and the game of hockey today. Bob writes,

"Bettman, he's an (expletive). A frikkin' (expletive). I think he's ruined the game of hockey. He's supposed to be impartial. He's supposed to speak for the good of the league, but in my opinion, he's strictly behind the owners. Those 1996 rule changes are a joke. The rules are that an instigator gets ten minutes for a first offence, and a game misconduct for a second offence. The third man into a fight gets two games. If you scrap when the puck drops, that's five games. Five games for going over the boards, and if your sweater comes off, you sit a game. I don't think Bettman realized the consequences of putting in these rules. They target guys who are fortunate enough that they can play the game and fight. When they are on a penalty, it hurts the team. But the rules don't bother guys who get called up strictly to fight. What difference does it make to them to spend time in the box? It took the spontaneity out of the game. It wasn't right."

Coming from a guy who was in 238 fights, I think Probert's perspective on fighting in hockey is one that should be considered. He makes some good points, despite his choice of words to describe Mr. Bettman being a little colorful.

Tough Guy is a fantastic look at Bob Probert's life both on and off the ice. There are definite areas where you'll laugh, you'll feel his sadness, and you'll certainly reflect on your own life as you read through Bob's struggles and joy. Tough Guy was a pleasure to read, and I certainly recommend reading it as Tough Guy deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

While the language, as demonstrated above, is a little colorful, this book gets a PG-rating from me. That being said, it's a tragedy that we lost Bob Probert so early in his life because this book could have spawned several sequels. If you're a fan in any way of Bob Probert, this book will resonate with you or the hockey fan in your life. Highly recommended, and Tough Guy is a must-read for all hockey fans!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

When Officials Get Physical

2012-01-06T22:15:00.001-06:00

The man to the left is Ron Asselstine, as you can see on his hockey card. Mr. Asselstine worked in 1364 regular season games and three NHL All-Star games between 1979 and 1997 before retiring. Asselstine had a no-nonsense approach when it came to breaking up fights, and he was respected by the players around the league for the way he kept the game under control when skirmishes broke out. His nickname was "The Bear" reportedly because of the way he policed the game, and because of his hairy body. Regardless of his hirsute status, Asselstine may have delivered one of the most devastating checks in all of hockey history, and the anniversary of that hit is coming up later this month. And there was absolutely no nonsense involved when he delivered his devastating hit.

I almost had forgotten this hit, but it was brought back to life in an article written by Kerry Fraser this week on the TSN website. Here's Kerry explaining what happened in terms of the circumstances surrounding Asselstine's monster hit.

"Ron Asselstine was one tough guy though. He charged a fan that came onto the ice during a stoppage and was about to do some damage to referee Bill McCreary when 'The Bear' headed him off at the goal line, driving his helmet into the guys back and slamming him into the boards. Bear rag-dolled the B's fan and tossed him off the open door where security dragged the guy away. Google it and you'll see it was the hardest anyone has ever been hit from behind on NHL ice."

Now why do I remember this hit? The Boston Bruins were playing the visiting Winnipeg Jets on this night, and one of my favorite names in all of hockey - "Pokey" Reddick - had the start for the Jets on this night! As a kid, the name "Pokey Reddick" always was cool. Anyway, rather than try to talk you through the hit, let's go back to the video that shows the Asselstine hit and how the whole thing unfolded. Here's the video of what happened on that night when Asselstine destroyed a fan. The build-up to the hit in terms of why the fan may have wanted to talk to Bill McCreary is done very well by the announcers.

Did you see that hit?!? Asselstine sent him sprawling from the goal line to the boards! That was one of the biggest hits ever seen on an NHL rink!

After doing a little digging, it appears the man was 22 year-old Frank Baro of Medford, according to The Hour. The unfortunate part is that all the digging through the interwebs at this point have turn up nothing else about the man who was destroyed by The Bear. That's a little disappointing in that I'd like to see how the guy turned out after his NHL debut.

Of course, you'd suspect that the players were taken by surprise by a fan not only being on the ice, but being hammered by Asselstine. Paul Fenton of the Jets seemed to think this was common for Boston fans, though. "I thought the fan was pretty funny, but Boston is a crazy town," Fenton said. "I've seen them jump on the field at Fenway and now I've seen them jump on the ice here. Who knows what they'll do next."

Even though the Jets won the game 4-3, I think the best part of this entire ordeal was that Ron Asselstine wasn't even fined for his hit, let alone suspended! Of course I kid about that, but Asselstine delivered one of the best hits in all of hockey for a guy who is normally avoiding them. And let this be a lesson to any fan who wants to jump on the ice: you never know when you might run into an angry Bear.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Highlight Reel Rolls Again

2012-01-05T23:05:00.001-06:00

We've already seen two amazing individual efforts this season from Matt Duchene and Evgeni Malkin that are in the running for "Goal of the Year", but we need to add another candidate to that list. Mike Ribeiro's goal last night against the Nashville Predators was stunning. Ribeiro usually ends up on this list every year because he has great hands, but his inconsistency is what makes watching him frustrating. However, the creativity that went into his goal last night froze at least two players.

To the video! Here is the goal from the frist goal from the 4-1 win over Nashville that puts Ribeiro in GOTY contention.

The fact that he froze Predators defenceman Roman Josi is one thing, but he pretty much had Pekka Rinne at his mercy from the moment he stepped around Josi like he wasn't even there. That, readers, is simply awesome. Josi didn't even make contact with Ribeiro as he slipped by, and that's what makes this one a GOTY candidate.

Of course, there was another pretty big goal scored tonight as Sweden killed a 31-year drought in winning the 2011 World Junior Championships. After Andrei Makarov had stoned the Swedes for 57 saves through three-and-a-half periods, this is the goal that sealed the deal for Sweden.

Ottawa Senators prospect Mika Zibanejad showed great wheels on that burst of speed to pick up the loose puck, and then showed great hands in shelfing the puck over Makarov. Zibanejad played his nine games with the Senators this season, recording no points, before being sent back to Sweden. I'm pretty sure that Zibanejad isn't complaining about the extra time to prepare for his NHL career now.

Two more goals to add to the highlight reel of "Goal of the Year" candidates. What say you, readers: which has been the best goal thus far? Have I missed any that should be on the list? Have your say in the comments!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Noel Supports Cunneyworth

2012-01-04T23:00:00.002-06:00

With Claude Noel being a former AHL coach in a hockey-mad NHL market, you get the sense that some of the guys from the junior circuit feel for one another when their teams aren't performing well. In the case of Montreal's Randy Cunneyworth, he's had to weather a slump and defend himself over the fact that he isn't fluent in French. With the Jets visiting the Canadiens tonight, Winnipeg head coach Claude Noel made a vow today that not many coaches outside of Quebec make: Noel will learn to speak French by next season! Does that mean he's looking for other jobs? Does the Winnipeg coach know something we don't?

In a word, no. Claude Noel's job is secure for the time being, and I doubt that a coaching change would be beneficial to the Jets at this time. They're playing pretty good hockey to start 2012, and the players seem to respond to Noel's coaching. In short, the coach is doing a pretty good job. So why is he learning French?

"I'll take questions in English because I'm more comfortable," Noel said to the press after explaining his preference to answer questions in English. "And I hope by next year my French will be good enough to take questions in French. It's difficult for me to express myself in hockey language. I do fine, but after a few questions, trust me, marbles start to fly out everywhere. So we'll speak English. No disrespect."

Noel went on to explain that it was important for him to rediscover the language he grew up with because of his Canadian arrangements. "I'm going to take an on-line course this summer to get better because I'm living in Canada now," he explained. "Winnipeg has a French community and I like speaking French. I have good days when the words are coming back and I have bad days when I can't think of my name in French."

Noel grew up in Virginiatown, Ontario near the Quebec border to French-Canadian parents. In moving to North Bay and then to Kitchener to play with the OHL's Rangers, Noel spoke less and less French. Once he began playing and working in the United States, the French language really slipped away. Noel feels it is important to be able to speak in Canada's two official languages, especially with the Winnipeg community of St. Boniface being the largest French settlement in Canada outside Quebec.

Of course, Randy Cunneyworth has faced the fire over his not knowing French since being appointed as the bench boss of the Canadiens, and there seems to be a belief that Quebec is the only place where a French coach can get his start at the NHL level. Pat Burns, Alain Vigneault, and Claude Julien are probably the best examples of French coaches getting their starts in Quebec.

But this myth can be debunked by a few examples as well. Jacques Demers started his career with the WHA's Indianapolis Racers before moving to the Cincinnati Stingers. His third coaching job was with the Quebec Nordiques of the WHA. Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion started coaching with the New York Rangers, and was the first head coach of the Atlanta Flames. Pierre Pagé started his head coaching career with the Minnesota North Stars before becoming the head coach of the NHL's Quebec Nordiques. Guy Boucher was hired out of the QMJHL to be the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs' head coach, but then was hired by the Tampa Bay Lightning in his first NHL head coaching job.

So perhaps the "need" to have a francophone coach is simply an image thing. Toe Blake is regarded as a Canadiens legend, and he was born in Ontario and was an anglophone first. Dick Irvin is also held in high regard as a Canadiens coach, and he was born in Hamilton. Bob Gainey is another Ontario-born man who thrived as both a Canadiens player and coach. The key for all three of these men is that they learned the language as part of their job. And Randy Cunneyworth should be given the same courtesy that these men were given.

While there's really no need for Claude Noel to re-learn the language he grew up with other than personal reasons, the fact that he's doing it to be able to speak to the French media is pretty impressive. He really doesn't need to do this, but he respects that there are two official languages and that he needs to be able to work in both languages if he wants to be successful in Winnipeg with their French community as well as in Quebec.

As for Cunneyworth, cut the guy some slack, Montreal. He could turn out to be one of those beloved coaches if you give him a chance to do a little learning - both in hockey lessons and language lessons - while he's on the job.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Picture Time!

2012-01-03T22:38:00.000-06:00

There is something fundamentally wrong with the picture to the left. I get that people love their pets and all that, but this type of portrait photograph is just disturbing. Luckily for you, HBIC is cleaning up his folder of hockey pictures again, and that means all the odds and ends will go on display today. Some of these pictures are old in terms of how long I've been hanging on to them, and others are simply old pictures. There are some pretty interesting aspects to each, though, and I'll point those out with a little blurb about each one.

I want to start with a shout-out to FOHBIC (Friend of HBIC) Brenda. Brenda has been in Vancouver this past week dealing with a family matter, and HBIC wants nothing more for her to return with a smile on her face. In order to help her obtain that smile, I happened across this unfortunate microphone placement in front of Vancouver's Roberto Luongo during an interview. I can hear the fans taunting him now. Looking forward to seeing you again, Brenda, and all the best on the left coast!

Moving on, another Vancouver team honoured some of its city's history when the WHL's Vancouver Giants wore jerseys representing the Vancouver White Spots on November 17, 2011. Except that very few people know who the White Spots were. So here's the story. In 1946-47, the White Spots played in a league called the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League. The problem was that they only had two opponents that season, and the league folded after just one campaign. The team was named the White Spots after the legendary Vancouver White Spot restaurant chain, and was a clever advertising scheme thought up by team owner and White Spot restaurant owner, Nat Bailey. And that explains the one-season wonders known as the White Spots.

The OHL's Kitchener Rangers always have phenomenal uniforms, and this year's edition for Remembrance Day was no different. The captaincy designations on the right side are a nice touch as the players wore the poppy patches over their hearts - a fantastic tribute to the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. The Rangers always have classy uniforms when it comes to honouring the Canadian troops, and they looked top-notch in their 2011 Remembrance Day jerseys.

If you're not a fan of the numbers on helmets, there was a man who pioneered such a thing back in the late 1970s. Borje Salming was a very popular Leaf, but he wore numbers on the front of his helmet in either 1976-77 or 1977-78. How do I know this? The man wearing #23 is Randy Carlyle, and Carlyle only played two seasons for the Leafs. Much like we saw the Chicago Cougars wearing numbers on their chests as we see with a number of NHL teams today, it appears Salming was the pioneer for the front helmet number back in the '70s.

Speaking of Salming, here he is later in his career in battle with the Colorado Rockies. Does anyone miss the old colours of the NHL when almost no teams wore black? The Rockies looked fantastic, even if they did stink on the ice. Bring back the colour!

Not sure where or when this photo was taken, but this picture is definitely for the ladies. Derek Sanderson, most notably of the Bruins, is wearing an interesting hat and not much else. You can thank Life magazine for that one, ladies. Sideburns and all.

Remember when the Nintendo Entertainment System came out, and everyone was awed by how cool those little eight-bit sprites looked? Those players in Ice Hockey with the sticks that couldn't have a diagonal line in them because it took two straight lines on different planes? Yeah, you know what I mean. Well, apparently someone used the old NES to design the eight-bit Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins' 2011 Christmas jerseys. Horrible design, Penguins. You're on the cusp of 2012, not 1985.

Found a pretty interesting old photo of the Rangers' Lester Patrick giving his son, Lynn Patrick, some advice as a member of the New York Rangers. That photo is from December 4, 1934, and the Patricks were truly hockey's first family. I may have to spend a day mapping out the family tree of the Patricks because their achievements are quite astonishing.

I wrote about the St. Louis Eagles not long ago, and I was lucky enough to find a team picture of the 1934-35 St. Louis Eagles a few days back. A number of the players that were in my article are in the picture, leading me to believe that it was taken at the start of the season rather than the end of the season. If you look closely, though, there's a player two in from the right named Frank Finnegan. The reason he's interesting is that I found a contract for a D. Edward Finnegan from the St. Louis Eagles floating around in cyberspace, and thought it might have been his! It appears that Mr. Finnegan was paid $4000 for his efforts in 1934-35 - pretty decent money in the midst of the Great Depression!

So there are some photos to whet your appetite for some hockey awesomeness. Personally, I love me some hockey history, and the St. Louis Eagles are an interesting story now that I can add a team photo and a contract!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Winter Classic Insanity

2012-01-02T21:13:00.001-06:00

The Winter Classic Game was held today in Philadelphia as the Flyers battled the New York Rangers at Citizens Bank Park, and it was a decent game. Not an overly exciting game, but it was fun in my honest opinion. We got to see two good uniforms, the return of Marc Staal to the Rangers' line-up, a great goaltending performance from Henrik Lundqvist, and possibly some of the craziest officiating in recent memory. While most officials want to remain invisible, the latter stages of this game saw the referees make some incredible calls that could have potentially changed the outcome of this game.

I want to say this: I have a deep respect for any official as that's the hardest job on the ice. One call will mean thousands of people blaming you for a loss, and that's simply not fair. NHL officials do their jobs well, and I'm quite certain that Ian Walsh and Dennis LaRue are excellent officials as both have a long list of achievements while wearing the stripes. But I think, in an effort to remain fair, might have blown a rather obvious call.

This has nothing to do with the Ryan McDonagh play in the crease where he was whistled for covering the puck. In fact, I totally agree with the officials in that McDonagh prevented the puck from either going into the net or being played, so the penalty shot awarded to the Philadelphia Flyers was justified.

Instead, I am baffled by the holding-the-stick call on Ryan Callahan. Kimmo Timonen threw discretion to the wind because he knew he was beat, so he hooked Callahan around the elbow. Yet Timonen was handed a penalty for interference, not hooking, while Callahan was given an off-setting minor for holding the stick!

I apologize for the shaky video, but this is the only replay I can find on the interwebs. Here's the video of the play. You make the call.

Callahan was off to the races with a yawning cage to stop him, but he ends up in the penalty box because he held Timonen's stick?!?

Now, if you see what Callahan does, he wraps his arm around the blade of the Timonen's stick. In turn, Timonen hauls him down, erasing what should have been a game-icing goal for the Rangers. While I can appreciate the referees' call that Callahan does indeed wrap up Timonen's stick, the referees essentially changed the outcome of the game with that call.

I'm not one to believe that Callahan dove in any way, so the holding-the-stick call should have only been called had it impeded Timonen's ability to play the puck. Timonen had been beat and wanted nothing to do with chasing down the puck, so he did what all defencemen are taught - take a penalty to save a goal. He was given an "interference" penalty despite it clearly being a hook, but he was penalized in any case.

The reason I'm baffled over the call against Callahan is because of Rule 25.1 in the NHL Rule Book. It reads,

"Rule 25.1 Awarded Goal – A goal will be awarded to the attacking team when the opposing team has taken their goalkeeper off the ice and an attacking player has possession and control of the puck in the neutral or attacking zone on, without a defending player between himself and the opposing goal, and he is prevented from scoring as a result of an infraction committed by the defending team."

Callahan was in the neutral zone, an infraction was committed by Timonen of the defending team, and there was no one between Callahan and the net. The referees, in their defence, correctly noted that Callahan did NOT have possession, so maybe the referees were right in not awarding the goal to Callahan and assessing the penalty.

However, doing a little more reading, a chart for Rule 25 - Awarded Goals reads, "(ix) Player on a breakaway who is fouled from behind" will be awarded a penalty shot. This comes from Rule 25.3 which reads,

"25.3 Infractions – When Goalkeeper is Off the Ice – Refer to the Reference Tables – Table 14 – Summary of Awarded Goals (When Goalkeeper has been Removed for an Extra Attacker) for a list of the infractions that shall result in an awarded goalbeing awarded when the goalkeeper has been removed for an extra attacker (see specific rule numbers for complete descriptions)."

Now there's a table that runs down the summary of penalty shots, and I've conveniently linked it so you can determine where the line should be drawn (click on it to read it more clearly).
If you look closely at Rule 25, the chart shows section (ix) to clearly define what happened between Timonen and Callahan in that Callahan was on a breakaway and was fouled from behind. Now, one can argue that he wasn't truly on a breakaway if he didn't have possession of the puck, and you'd normally get agreement from me. But there's more.

In further reading about penalty shots being awarded, Rule 24.8 comes into play since Callahan was clearly about to be on a breakaway and was fouled from behind. Rule 24.8 states,

"There are four (4) specific conditions that must be met in order for the Referee to award a penalty shot for a player being fouled from behind. They are:

(i) The infraction must have taken place in the neutral zone or attacking zone, (i.e. over the puck carrier’s own blue line);"

Check.

"(ii) The infraction must have been committed from behind;"

Check.

"(iii) The player in possession and control (or, in the judgment of the Referee, clearly would have obtained possession and control of the puck) must have been denied a reasonable chance to score (the fact that he got a shot off does not automatically eliminate this play from the penalty shot consideration criteria. If the foul was from behind and he was denied a 'more' reasonable scoring opportunity due to the foul, then the penalty shot should be awarded);"

See that bolded part? Big check on that one.

"(iv) The player in possession and control (or, in the judgment of the Referee, clearly would have obtained possession and control of the puck) must have had no opposing player between himself and the goalkeeper."

Make that four checks on four criteria.

Now I'm not an expert on the NHL Rule Book by any means, so I'm going to ask this of Kerry Fraser who regularly answers questions on the TSN webpage. I'm hoping he'll provide some insight as to why LaRue and Walsh didn't award Callahan the goal and instead sent him to the sin bin.

Again, I'm not here to start a "Fire Walsh & LaRue" campaign or anything. They are very credible and skilled referees, and they are human just like you or I. I just think that the officials played a part in preventing a 4-2 finish rather than the 3-2 Winter Classic finish we witnessed. Of course, I could also be completely off my rocker, and that's fair too.

What say you, readers: award Callahan the goal, or send him off to the box?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Welcome To 2012!

2012-01-01T21:59:00.001-06:00

Welcome to 2012, readers! This is a big year for HBIC. Not only do we get to possibly experience the end of the world - the Mayans were such pessimists - but HBIC will celebrate a major anniversary! Can you believe I've been scribing articles on here for five years?!? I know! It seems like just yesterday I was complaining about the Rbk EDGE system over on Uni Watch, and here we are today on the cusp of a major anniversary. I have some interesting and fun things planned for this year, so let's get right to it with the things I have planned.

Because the traditional gift for a fifth anniversary is wood, I'm going to find myself a Stanley Cup, or some other major trophy, carved from wood. Actually, it'll just be a picture of a log or a tree for reasons you'll soon see. Once I have found a suitable wooden trophy, I will award this on a regular basis to major contributors on this blog. I'll have this first trophy designed and ready to go by the end of January, but I do need contributors.

What does that mean? I like to hear your thoughts on the game we follow so religiously. I want you, readers, to submit articles about anything and everything hockey. You don't have to write a daily article like I try to, but if you want to toss over one per month, that qualifies you for the HBIC Web Log Award. I'll give one of these away per month to the writer who contributes the best article. If you have a blog or website, feel free to post your newest accolade on your web-mantle. I'll keep a running tab on the winners, and we'll review those articles at the conclusion of the year. Also, I'll be awarding prizes - one per month - to the winners, so make sure you send in those articles!

Secondly, I will be awarding various badges to players, teams, and people in hockey for their actions this season. With the fifth anniversary of the blog, a patch is necessary, so these badges will be handed out over the year. Again, if you receive one, you're welcome to post it on your own site if you like, but I'll be keeping a running list of these winners as well. Just as a note: not all badges will be for good things. Keep that in mind.

Thirdly, I'll be hitting the books and digging through history a lot in this year. Much like teams do when they hit anniversaries, I want to continue digging through newspaper articles to find the real reasons why teams packed up and moved, rules changes that may have been overlooked, and interesting factoids about the game we love so much.

On the book front, I want to read between 20-25 books this year because I think that reading is a luxury that society is losing with technology at the forefront. Spelling, reading comprehension, and the use of imagination are falling to the wayside, so expect HBIC to continue pushing the hockey literature to the forefront. Less "txtng" and XBox, more reading. Much like exercise, squeeze 15-20 minutes of reading in per day, and you'll find yourself enjoying the written word once again.

Lastly, HBIC will be road-tripping once again this year, and I'm planning on a couple of impressive moves. They will be announced as the dates draw nearer, but I will say that one trip will take me into a hockey-mad city while the second will take me to a country that is just beginning to emerge as a hockey hotbed. Details will follow as we draw nearer, but I'm already excited for two incredible trips.

Thanks for sticking with me through five years, readers. The HBIC Playoff Pool will return in April, so make sure you stick around for some awesome prizes this year. Get your articles in for a chance at added prizes. And most of all, thank you for five great years thus far! 2012 is going to be great here on HBIC!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

HBIC YIR - Part Two

2011-12-31T21:08:00.000-06:00

We're back with Part Two of the HBIC Year-In-Review. We have a number of topics that dominated the news in hockey during the second half of the year, and HBIC touched on a number of them. From head shots and concussions to the return of the Winnipeg Jets to historical looks back at the NHL, there were a ton of stories that made headlines on HBIC this year. These are the stories that I found most notable from July 1, 2011 until December 31, 2011. Starting tomorrow, HBIC will introduce something fun for readers to have a little fun with, and, in turn, a chance for me to have you direct this blog in a bigger way. We'll look at that tomorrow, but here's the second half of the HBIC Year-In-Review. Enjoy!

JULY

Independence (Missouri) Day - I look at the CHL's Missouri Mavericks based out of Independence, Missouri on Independence Day.
Directions In 1967 - I look at the local hockey hangouts identified in 1967 for the six new teams. Most of these places are no more, unfortunately.
Before They Hit The Ice - Some great news about the origins of some of the WHA teams.
Helluva One-Dollar Deal - I look back on Kris Draper's excellent NHL career.

AUGUST

More NHL-WHA History - Another fascinating look at the 1970s when two leagues battled for territory and players.
Membership Dues - I take a long look at the exorbitant NHL expansions fees being charged, and track the increase through the years.
NCAA Defeats UND Sioux - The NCAA forces one of the most iconic college teams in history to change its identity because of a rule. I'm not impressed.
Where The Shirts Have No Names - I take a look back at when the Maple Leafs wore blue lettering on blue jerseys, making their names invisible!
POTUS He Was Not - More fascinating WHA stories. This league was crazy!
1991 Was A Barometer - I uncover more info on the ballooning expansion fees charged by the NHL through the 1990s.

SEPTEMBER

I'll Miss Him - After losing Rick Rypien and Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak's life is cut short as well as he took his life.
Less Violence = More Players - Along with a number of examples, I make a case that Canadian hockey is actually suffering because of how we play in Canada.
Hockey's Darkest Day - Just days after Belak's death, the plane crash in Russia occurs, killing all members of the KHL's Yaroslavl Lokomotiv hockey team.
When Reality Outcosts Fantasy - I am shocked and appalled by the cost for attending the Mario Lemieux Fantasy Camp.
Easterbrook Gets It - I commend ESPN columnist Gregg Easterbrook for his look at head shots and how they should be punished heavily.

OCTOBER

Flipping Through The Newspaper - Some crazy articles from newspapers of yesteryear.
Why Shanahan Is Right - According to popular opinion, Canadians believe that most checks to the head are, in fact, intentional. Shanahan celebrates.
The Last Days Of The WHA - I look back at the final days of the WHA along with some interesting facts about the rival "rebel league".
He Was Called "Brinks" - A look at Wayne Gretzky's first professional hockey season in the WHA. Yes, he had a nickname.
It Sounds Like A Nice Place - A look at Cherry Hill where the WHA's New Jersey Knights played. Reserve your judgment until you read this.
Rome Wasn't Built In A Day - I look at Stanley Cup-winning teams and the average age of their players. It's a bit of an eye-opening article.
The Vultures Circled - A great look at the last few weeks of the Cleveland Barons.
Oregon? Ohio? Ottawa? Oh... Oakland! - We get to see Charles Finley's prototype jersey in a photograph he's holding. Almost unheard of in today's day and age.

NOVEMBER

No Penalty For Interfering - A look back at Harold Ballard's tumultuous run as the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Old Headlines - I always find interesting articles in old newspapers.
How Things Unfolded - A chronological look at how the Barons died a slow death in Cleveland.
Smith Find New Lease On Career - I like stories like this, and it's great to see a player like Mike Smith getting another chance to stand out in the NHL.

DECEMBER

Meow Mix Didn't Deliver Blues - A detailed look at how the St. Louis Blues almost left for greener pasture in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
My Early Pulitzer Choice - John Branch's look at Derek Boogaard's life in hockey is simply amazing. Mr. Branch needs to be recognized for this effort.
Baron Von North Star - The story of how the Cleveland Barons became part of the Minnesota North Stars.
Eagles Abandon Nest - The story about how the St. Louis Eagles played all of one season in St. Louis before flying the coop.
Cam Ward Help Himself - Ward becomes the tenth goalie in NHL history to be credited with a goal after the Devils help him out.

Ok, so there are my favorite stories from 2011 on HBIC. You may differ, and that's completely cool. Discussions are great, and I really want to encourage you to speak your mind in the comments or via email. Historical articles will continue in the new year, and I'll have something fun so that you can have more fun on this blog.

Until 2012, Happy New Year, readers!

HBIC: YIR - Part One

2011-12-30T21:05:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again, readers, where we look at all the stories that made news on HBIC this year. The Year-In-Review is always a great time for me because I like going back and reading stuff from earlier in the year to see if it still holds true at the end of the year. We have a number of topics that dominated the news in hockey this year, and HBIC touched on all of them. From head shots and concussions to the return of the Winnipeg Jets to various jersey modifications, there were a ton of stories that made headlines on HBIC this year. These are the stories that I found most notable from January 1, 2011 until June 30, 2011. Enjoy!

JANUARY

With Authority! - I speak highly of the Canadian Junior team that hammered the Americans in the 2o11 World Junior Championship. Peter makes a good comment.
Where It Hurts - I commend the Russians for doing something typical of Canadian teams in that they outworked Canada to capture the gold medal at the WJC.
A Job Some Would Kill For - I take Evgeni Nabokov to task for refusing to suit up for the New York Islanders. He signed a contract knowing the risks.
Lynch Mob - I admit a mistake in the above article, but I also hammer home that Don Meehan should have seen this coming. His knowledge could have prevented this.
Changing Their Course - Tampa Bay rolls out a new look for the Lightning. I actually like these new uniforms, and they have grown on me. I like blue more than black.

FEBRUARY

Today In Hockey History - HBIC takes a look back at Gary Bettman's 18 years as NHL Commissioner, and some of the events seen along the way.
Recurring Theme - Rick DiPietro is injured again. In an unusual way for a goalie.
Head Derails Career - Marc Savard's hockey career is basically over after yet another concussion. There's a some good science in this one, but it's still sad.
Why 82? - I look at why 82 games are necessary, and begin to reduce the number of games to make them more meaningful.
First Of His Kind - Name the first hockey player inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. Don't know? You might be surprised to see who it is.

MARCH

Trip Of A Lifetime - Miss Michelle Nott gave a great recollection of the Petitcodiac/Salisbury Bantam "A" Flyers from New Brunswick and their trip to Whitehorse, Yukon for Hockey Day In Canada.
Champions Of Character - Winnipeg-based Westwood Collegiate's hockey team does the right thing after their coaches were trying to cheat their way into an easier game.
Another Brick Upside The Head - Hey, hockey parents, leave those kids alone. Official abuse is disgusting, and I'm ashamed by some parents in Winnipeg.
More Negative Manitoba Hockey Headlines - February was a bad month for amateur hockey in Manitoba. This as disgusting as well.
What Is "Doughnut" In French? - The Montreal Canadiens equal a 62 year-old record. And not a good kind of record either.
Sickening Display - Hockey in Texas was going about a poorly as it was in Manitoba.

APRIL

More Horrific Footage - Quebec jumps into the highlights with a stick-swinging incident that is horrific to say the least.
Radical Ideas - David Andrews, AHL Commissioner, announces that the AHL will play less games next year and shorten the playoffs. And yes, he is sane.
Concerns For The AHL Teams - With rumours of the NHL returning to Winnipeg, I float ideas of places that the AHL can move to in the west to improve their footprint.
Get The Ilya Outta Here - Ilya Bryzgalov's idiotic comments about Winnipeg give me a few things to write about.

MAY

Nobel Prize Novelist On Hockey - William Cuthbert Faulkner was a Nobel Prize-winning writer who wrote an interesting article on hockey. Worth the read!
Controversial Avery Once More - Sean Avery stands up for New Yorkers for Marriage Equality, a group that was working for gay persons to be allowed to be married.
Loss Of A Great Boogey-Man - Derek Boogaard's death is still shocking to me, and the tragedy shook the hockey world.
Wading Through Murky Facts - With the rumours of the Thrashers moving to Winnipeg, campaigns to bring down the Thrashers' owners became ugly.
You Want Nudity? - Just because a girl in Vancouver flashed what she was blessed with on national TV, I got lots of hits for people looking for her. Here's my response.
Real Interleague Play Would Have Been Awesome - I still wish the NHL and WHA had played each other more regularly. Minnesota would have been divided!
Denial No More - The announcement wasn't official yet, but the Thrashers-to-Winnipeg was a done deal at this point. I accept the reality of the NHL returning.
Eric Lindros Steps Forward - Eric Lindros give a fantastic interview in MacLean's magazine about concussions. This is an excellent article.
1400 Is The New 1 - On my 1400th article, the NHL is is officially back in Winnipeg with the announcement that the Thrashers will move north.

JUNE

Saying All The Right Things - Thrasher players are excited to move to Canada. Their comments seem to indicate that this year may be special.
Face It: They're Dead - I continued to receive emails from people holding out hope that the Thrashers would be saved. There were 150 millions reasons why they were dead.
Big Bad Champions - The Boston Bruins won the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship. My dad was overjoyed and thrilled.
Winnipeg's NHL Nights - The NHL schedule for the Jets is posted, and I look forward to some of the highlights of the season.
Wardrobe Changes For 2011-12 - We got to see the vast majority of new looks for NHL teams at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Some good, some not so good.

So that's the first six months in the books. I definitely wrote a few good articles, and I'm proud to say that my schooling went well from January to April. It allowed me to get a great new job in August, and I really am proud of the work I put in at college. Tomorrow, we'll wrap up the Year-In-Review at HBIC before starting January 1, 2012 with some new stories.

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Overtime

2011-12-29T22:30:00.000-06:00

We'll finish off this solid year of hockey literature with the fourth book in Scholastic's Game Time series. If you've been keeping up with the series, our protagonist, Charlie Joyce, is a pretty solid hockey player for Terrance Falls High School. His friends - Pudge, Scott, Nick, and Matt - also play hockey for the high school team, and his previous adventures have seen him tackle a number of issues from starting out at a new school to dealing with bullies. Teebz's Book Club is proud to present Overtime, written by David Skuy and published by Scholastic Canada, and is the follow-up to Making The Cut. This book was an excellent look at a number of problems that are plaguing the students of Terrance Falls High School, and it takes more than just Charlie and his friends to save Terrance Falls High in the fourth Game Time book!

From the Charlie Joyce website, "David Skuy is a lawyer, recreational hockey player, and author of the Charlie Joyce Hockey Series. A popular speaker and advocate for the reading and writing skills of school-age children, he has crafted a series of books designed to capture the imagery, the sounds, the conflicts, and the achievements that typify a young boy’s life, be it in the school yard or in the hockey rink".

While Charlie and the Rebels are having a solid start to their hockey season, some exceptionally bad news is brought forth by Principal Holmes early in the book: Terrance Falls High School will be forced to close while the school's roof is repaired. Because the budget is tight, the students would be split up and sent off to other high schools in order to continue their educations while the education budget at Terrance Falls High School is spent on the roof! This would most likely mean that Charlie and his friends would be sent to different schools!

The students decide to organize a fundraising committee to try and raise the $150,000 required to fix the roof so that the school's budget isn't blown on the roof. With the boys working hard on putting a temporary fix on the school roof thanks to Matt having experience with his dad's construction company, the boys also make some new friends in Julia Chow and her friends. Julia, Rebecca, Alexandra, Michelle, Emily, and Cassie made up the girls' team, and they had just as much talent as Charlie and his friends, especially when it came to ball hockey! The girls and the guys would clash initially, but Charlie's and Julie's friendship bring the two groups together in order to try to raise funds to help the school.

Along the way, the group of students discover a number of problems: the organizing committee's intolerance towards younger students, the increasing rainfall the school is facing, and a major catastrophe that not only defines the young protagonists, but shows that courage can come from all sorts of places.

Overtime is an excellent book that really kept me glued to the pages. Mr. Skuy's writing might be the best of the series in this book, and the ordeals that Charlie, Julia, their friends, and a new friend face really define these young protagonists. Their goal of $150,000 is a lofty one, and they do suffer some setbacks along the way. Do they finally make the goal? What is the catastrophe, and how does this define these students? What happens to Terrance Falls High, and where do all the students get sent? All of these questions are answered in Overtime!

Overall, I really want Mr. Skuy to continue writing books in the Game Time series. Overtime was the best of the four books yet, and I am really liking the development of the characters in his stories. The story in Overtime is solid, and there are some really interesting parts that will keep readers turning pages as they read about the efforts of the young protagonists. I highly recommend getting your young readers into this series as they will not be disappointed. Because of this, Overtime is entirely deserving of the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. As an adult, I am enjoying Mr. Skuy's writing, and your young readers will find that these books are great to read. The Game Time series, written by Mr. Skuy, really is a great way to finish off Teebz's Book Club for another year, and here's to another great year of literature in 2012!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Underachieving Except In Goal

2011-12-28T23:40:00.000-06:00

Quick, name the NHL leader in shutouts. If you're reading between the lines and looking at the goaltender to the left, you'd be correct in saying Jonathan Quick. The Los Angeles Kings goaltender recorded his fifth shutout after shutting the door on the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, and it came as a bit of a surprise to me that Quick had the most doughnuts this season considering how the Kings seem to be underachieving to new heights thus far. The 18-14-5 Kings are currently platooned in ninth-place in the Western Conference, and they look nothing like the team that scared the San Jose Sharks in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. After adding Mike Richards this summer, it was expected the Kings would move up from their seventh-place finish last season, but all we've seen this year is the spinning of tires in La-La-Land. What happened?

It's pretty easy to see that Anze Kopitar has been clicking on all cylinders as his 34 points leads the team. Kopitar was impressive last season as well, so it's clear that he is a star on this young Kings squad. With the majority of the offence running through Kopitar, the Kings seem to go as Kopitar goes.

Mike Richards and Justin Williams are next in scoring as both players have 22 points. Richards leads the Kings with 13 goals - a total that puts him in the middle of the pack when it comes to goal scoring. The Kings seemingly have no one that jumps out at you as a pure sniper, the finisher that will make playmakers like Kopitar look like magicians. Richards is that player right now by default it seems, but I'm not sure that the sniper role is the best fit for a player like Richards.

Williams' point total is somewhere around what was expected, but there's no doubt that the Kings were hoping he could build on his torrid start to end up with somewhere around 80 points this season. Currently, he's on pace for approximately 50 points, and that's a total that needs to be higher for a top-six forward on a talented squad like the Kings.

Dustin Brown has 20 points, but that total needs to move upwards in a hurry. Brown has far too much talent to be scoring in every second game, and I can't believe that he's happy with his production thus far. Brown should be a feared power forward, hut he's nothing more than a fringe scorer right now as he contributes one point every two games. That's not the production he's capable of, and I'm quite certain he knows it. His five game-winners show how valuable he can be, but the Kings need more out of their tenacious captain.

Simon Gagne has 17 points, and that is a total that simply isn't synonymous with a player of Gagne's talent or salary. Factor in another concussion suffered earlier this week, and Gagne's point total will most likely plateau somewhere around the 30-35 point mark this season. This would be the fourth concussion in the last couple of years for Gagne, and it might be time for him to walk away from hockey before his brains are truly scrambled.

The players that are currently weighing down this team are many. Jarret Stoll has a pathetic ten points. Ethan Moreau has just four points. Dustin Penner has a brutal eight points. Besides having all of these players suit up for the Edmonton Oilers at one time, the only other common bond these players have is that they are earning millions of dollars for little-to-no production offensively.

The major concern has to be the lack of production offensively as a team. The Kings are dead last in the NHL in goals-per-game with just 2.08 goals-per-game registered thus far. That's a full 0.15 goals-per-game lower than the offensively-anemic New York Islanders, and a ridiculous 1.39 goals-per-game less than NHL-leading Boston. The powerplay is horrific at 25th in the NHL with a 14.2% conversion rate, and that's disappointing considering the talent above. Clearly, filling the net is a tough job for these Los Angeles Kings.

But where the Kings seemingly have fallen off the wagon offensively, they have shown that they can grind out wins defensively. Only one player is in double-digits as a minus player, and that's Jack Johnson with a -10. No one else is below a -6, and the entire set of blueliners is just -4. That's pretty good for a team that isn't in a playoff position.

Los Angeles is also sixth-best in goals-allowed-per-game. The Kings are only giving up 2.26 goals-per-game, and that shows that they are getting great defensive performances as well as superb goaltending. Los Angeles also sports the fourth-best penalty killing percentage as they are killing off 88.0% of the powerplays they give up. If goaltenders are your best penalty killers, there's a very good reason why the Kings have a great penalty kill.

Which brings us back to Quick. Jonathan Quick is a solid 16-10-4 thus far, and his five shutouts lead the NHL. He sports a 2.08 GAA - seventh for goalies who have played in at least 15 games - and has a sparkling .930 save percentage - sixth for goalies who have played in at least 15 games. If the Kings could provide him any offence, they would be a powerful team.

After tonight's game against the Blackhawks in which the Kings only scored two goals, Quick and the defence had to be sharp. The 2-0 victory gave Quick his fifth shutout, but this lack of offence will catch up to the Kings quickly as the season progresses. The fact that the Kings are pushing for a playoff spot right now while having the worst offence in the league shows how valuable Jonathan Quick has been.

While Tim Thomas is having himself another stellar season, Jonathan Quick is quietly making himself a case for the Vezina Trophy. While I doubt that Thomas will lose in the voting, there's probably a good case for Quick to be considered for the Ted Lindsay Award if he can push his offensively-challenged team into the playoffs.

The Kings arrive in Winnipeg on Thursday, and there will be some stiff competition awaiting them as the Jets are playing some of the best hockey seen in the NHL right now. Jonathan Quick may have to pitch another shutout on consecutive nights if the Kings want to down the Jets.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Cam Ward Helps Himself

2011-12-27T21:07:00.000-06:00

When your team doesn't score a lot of goals, sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. Cam Ward is credited with a goal as the last Hurricane to touch the puck before Ilya Kovalchuk's pass eludes Adam Henrique in last night's game.

Brandon Sutter was originally credited with the goal, but reviews show that he didn't touch the Kovalchuk pass, and Ward officially is awarded his first NHL goal. This makes Ward the tenth goaltender in NHL history to be credited with a goal, and the first Hurricane netminder to notch a marker.

Bryan Allen, who has appeared in all 39 Hurricane games thus far, now trails his goaltender in goal scoring. That can't feel good.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Where Speling Realy Counts

2011-12-26T21:06:00.000-06:00

Pictured to the left with his stick in the air is the celebrating Brett Connolly. As you may be aware, Connolly is normally a full-time forward with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but GM Steve Yzerman thought it may be prudent to send his talented forward to play on the international stage with Team Canada at this year's World Junior Championships. Connolly scored a beautiful goal against Finland today, and Canada really shone in an 8-1 victory over the normally-feisty Finns. While Connolly played well, there was actually something else that stood out about him.

While watching replay after replay of the goal, I noticed that Brett Connolly was missing something vitally important. It's not a piece of equipment or a sign from a teammate or anything that would change the way he plays the game in the slightest. Instead, Connolly's name was misspelled on the back of his uniform as he only had one "L" in his name, meaning that the equipment guys for Team Canada made an "oops" when preparing his game uniform!

That kind of mistake doesn't happen often, especially on an international stage, for Team Canada, but Brett Connolly was officially "Connoly" for one game in this tournament. What makes this even stranger is that Connolly played in three pre-tournament games, and his name was spelled right each time in those games. It seems that someone was just asleep at the wheel for the Finland tilt.

The other NHL player who joined Team Canada was Anaheim's Devante Smith-Pelly. Smith-Pelly was loaned to the team in order for him to gain some international seasoning as well, but his tournament came to a crashing halt in the first game as Smith-Pelly fractured the first metatarsal bone in his foot after blocking a point shot from Finland's Teemu Pulkkinen. The injury will keep the Anaheim Duck out of any lineup for 4-6 weeks.

"Heartbreaking way to end my tournament, but I know the guys will do the country proud regardless. Thank you everyone for your kind words," Smith-Pelly wrote on his Twitter page.

Canada will move on to play the Czech Republic on Wednesday. The Czechs showed some moxie in the pre-tournament games by running with Russia before falling by a 5-3 score. Goaltender Petr Mrazek, a Detroit Red Wings prospect, is most likely to get the start with his OHL experience as a member of the Ottawa 67's. Finland will play the USA on Wednesday, and will have to beat the highly-touted Americans if they hope to finish in second-place in the pool.

Canada got a great start in this year's tournament with the big victory over Finland, and I have to say that I was impressed with the fans in Edmonton. They were loud, they were passionate, and they gave Canada all the support they could ever have wanted. If the fans remain this loud for the remainder of the tournament, Canada has a big advantage in its seventh-man.

And it needs to be said: GO CANADA GO!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Merry Christmas To All!

2011-12-25T13:07:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas, readers!

It's been another great year, and the holiday season is a great capper for this year. Of course, we've seen some tragedies, some heartbreak, some pain, and some tears, and through it all we cannot forget the lives lost and the families and friends affected. My heart goes out to those who suffered loss during this time, and you're loved ones are in my prayers and thoughts.

In saying this, visit your family and friends. Hug one another. Celebrate the holiday season with happiness, smiles, laughter, and cheer as you embrace both the spirit of the season and the people closest to you that matter most. Most of all, be safe and sound during this festive time, and keep a watchful eye on little ones who are enjoying their best Christmas memories to date.

The World Junior Championships kick off tomorrow, and Canada will play Finland in Edmonton in the afternoon. If you have access to a television, huddle around that with your family and friends, and cheer on the boys as they look for gold in Alberta!

Until next time, Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

The Other Holiday Tournament

2011-12-24T21:25:00.001-06:00

With the NHL shutting down for the holidays, you still want some hockey action to add into your festive holiday, right? Well, Hockey Canada will fill that void in two ways. We all know about the Christmas tradition of the World Junior Championships, but the Spengler Cup from Davos, Switzerland always features some of the best non-NHL teams and players playing the game today. If you're looking for some great hockey action while you're sipping egg nog or enjoying turkey leftovers, the Spengler Cup kicks off on Boxing Day, aka December 26, with Canada facing Czech-based HC Vitkovice Steel!

Marc Crawford, fresh off his TSN analyst role, will take his place behind the bench in Davos as the head coach of this year's Spengler squad. He'll be joined behind the bench by long-time Spengler Cup coach Doug Shedden and Anaheim Ducks' assistant coach Trent Yawney. Crawford is, of course, a Stanley Cup-winning coach, so there will be some good experience behind the bench at this year's tournament for Canada.

Thanks to his recent play in Austria, Marty Turco made the jump to Switzerland as his European tour continues. Turco will likely get the majority of starts in this tournament, and the Stanley Cup winner should provide a strong net presence for the Canadians. The second half of the netminding tandem will be Jake Allen. Allen comes to Davos courtesy of the AHL's Peoria Rivermen. The youngster has shown strong play in the AHL over the last couple of years, so this kind of seasoning at a major international tournament should go a long way in helping his development.

A number of returnees mark the Canadian defensive unit. Back from last year's squad are Joel Kwiatkowski (Bern) and Cory Murphy (ZSC Zurich Lions), and Shawn Heins (Fribourg-Gotteron) returns after a one-year hiatus from the Spengler Cup. Doug Lynch (Salzberg EC), Jordan Hendry (HC Lugano), Derrick Walser (Rapperswil-Jona), and Ryan Parent (Chicago Wolves) round out the blueline. There's a lot of talent and good speed on this year's defence, so the Canadians should be solid from the net out.

The forwards have a great mix of veterans. The eldest veteran is this year's captain, and that man would be Stacy Roest (Rapperswil-Jona). Glen Metropolit (EV Zug) and Dominic Pittis (ZSC Zurich Lions) round out the class of 1974 as these three men have a ton of experience under their belts at both the international and North American levels. JP Vigier (SC Bern), Mark Hartigan (Rapperswil-Jona), Byron Ritchie (SC Bern), and Brett MacLean (Rockford IceHogs) round out those players born before 1980. Joel Perrault (Ambri-Piotta), Pascal Pelletier and Kurtis McLean (SCL Tigers), Jeremy Williams (Salzburg EC), Rico Fata (HC Geneve Servette), Éric Beaudoin (EHC Biel), Brandon Reid (Rapperswil-Jona), and Blaine Down (ZSC Zurich Lions) complete the roster for the Canadians at the 2011 Spengler Cup.

I think the Canadians have a very good shot at winning the Spengler Cup this year with this team. HC Davos will provide some very stiff competition in the same pool as Canada, and Czech-based HC Vitkovice Steel will be a good team to measure against in Canada's first game.

HC Vitkovice Steel features former NHL star Marik Malik on defence and one of Europe's best goalkeepers in Roman Malek. I'm pumped for this tournament because it's always filled with highlights and great goals. TSN2 will be carrying the vast majority of these games, so check your local listings, kids!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Follow-Up: Launch Skates

2011-12-23T18:27:00.001-06:00

I wrote a little bit about the Launch Skates earlier this week, and I raised some questions and concerns as to the validity of some of the testimonials, as well as having some questions about the science that was backing the testimonials if no one was willing to associate their name to the claims. David Blois, the man whose contact information was on the website, contacted me with an excellent email about my concerns and recommendations that I made. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate Mr. Blois for following up on his original email with this one, and I think it shows that the Launch Skates are indeed for real.

I want to post Mr. Blois' follow-up email here for all to read since I originally posted my concerns right here on this very forum. Again, I think Mr. Blois does an excellent job in reassuring my concerns, and I appreciate the transparency in his approach to keeping his customers aware of what may be happening on his end. With that being said, here is Mr. Blois' email to me.

"I appreciate the positive comments, as well as the concerns and the recommendations. You made some very good points.

"With many new products, the development process can take several years - especially when working on a product as an individual inventor. This is the case with the Launch Skates. It took several years to obtain the Canadian utility patent, develop and modify prototypes and to have the skates tested. The testimonials page includes comments by some of the early skaters who tried the skates to the most recent testing done this year by the CHL in the US. Duane Lewis is the Commissioner of the CHL.

"There are plans to include a video on the website of the skates in action. In addition, I will work on getting permission to add names to the testimonials and will hopefully add more testimonials as more players try the skates. There are no production skates as yet (only the modified skates as you mentioned in your blog), which makes it difficult to get proper testing done - and of course, it can be very expensive for the testing. To date, I have been able to get many players and the others listed on the Testimonials page to try the skates without any cost - the downside is that there is no formal testing as yet with production skates. With the Launch website and great articles/blogs like yours, I hope to be able to get some real interest in the Launch Skates in order to have the skates further developed and formally tested - which will then hopefully lead to the production and marketing of the skates. It may be a bold statement, but I can see a time when most hockey and pleasure skates will have the Launch suspension system.

"Thanks again.

"All the Best for the Holidays!"

First off, thank you, Mr. Blois, for sending me this email. I really appreciate you taking the time to address my concerns, and I think that shows a lot of integrity and respect for the me, Teebz Q. Public. As a result, I can honestly say that I hold the Launch Skates in high esteem, and I will certainly be interested in any new developments. Thank you again, Mr. Blois.

I appreciate the explanation behind why the testimonials don't have names on them, and I understand the testing process in terms of time and costs. Of course, if the players and people using the skates haven't okayed their names being used on the site, that would explain a lot. And if they are just testing free-of-charge, it's probably tough to ask them to set up a camera and gets images and video of them skating in the Launch Skates.

As I stated above, I'm all about keeping in touch, Mr. Blois, and I will certainly email you again with hopes that things are rolling for you. This product looks promising, and I really hope things hit the ground running for you and the Launch Skates. The product seems sound in its science, and that's a great start to build on. Thanks again for writing back!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Havlat's Two-Month Stumble

2011-12-22T21:50:00.000-06:00

There's snake-bitten, and then there's Martin Havlat. Havlat is undoubtedly a top-flight player when he's healthy, and it's part of the reason that the San Jose Sharks took a chance on him when they acquired him from the Minnesota Wild for Dany Heatley. He can score, he can skate, and he has all the talent in the world. But there's a big asterisk that comes along with Havlat - he's often injured. Today is just another chapter in Grey's Anatomy: Martin Havlat edition as the sniper is out for another extended period of time after suffering a freak injury.

How did this new chapter in the textbook of injuries to Martin Havlat occur? Let's check the video because this one is hard to believe.

Did you catch that stumble? That, readers, was the injury. I'm not joking in any way, shape, or form.

Havlat's stumble caused a partial tear in a tendon in his hamstring, and that will sideline the sniper for up to eight weeks. Havlat has played in just 26 games this season with the Sharks, recording just two goals and 13 assists. Benn Ferriero has been recalled from Worcester to take Havlat's spot on the roster.

Add to the list of groin, shoulder, and elbow injuries another freak accident for Martin Havlat. He should be able to return for the stretch run towards the playoffs, but anything can happen with Martin Havlat. And it seems it already does.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Eagles Abandon Nest

2011-12-21T23:11:00.002-06:00

I've taken to the newspaper archives again because I had a mild interest in learning about a team that spent a single season in the American midwest. They weren't founded there, but the St. Louis Eagles came about when the Ottawa Senators moved south to the "Gateway to the West" and took up residence there. Because the Eagles only lasted one tumultuous season in St. Louis so long ago, it's a little harder to find good information on why and how the team up and abandoned its home. Thanks to the Google digital newspaper archives, I did manage to find some information on what happened. Let's take a look at how the Eagles flew St. Louis.

We fire up the De Lorean to head back to November 8, 1934 where we discover that the St. Louis Eagles were about to open their first season in the NHL against the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Black Hawks. Eddie Gerard, formerly of the Ottawa Senators, would remain as the manager as the club built itself on the former Senator players who had moved with the club. But we learn that Frank Wainwright, owner of the American Association's St. Louis Fliers, was about to file a $200,000 lawsuit against the new NHL club over territorial rights. Nothing like a little controversy to go along with a team's inaugural game, right?

The very next day, we find that Wainwright was asked to hold off suing the St. Louis Eagles. There is some information as to why Wainwright was trying to invoke the lawsuit. According to Wainwright, the NHL violated a territorial agreement in that they wouldn't place a team west of the Mississippi. The NHL, as expected, contends that this agreement had expired. It is, in my view, interesting to note that the NHL formally had agreed to not expand westward at some point in the past. With cities expanding across Canada and America, you would think that this would be a very shortsighted move.

After losing to the Black Hawks 3-1, we find that the Eagles had defeated the New York Rangers 4-2 on Saturday for their first win as the Eagles. With their 1-1-0 record, the Eagles prepared to battle the Montreal Maroons as they looked to build on their winning ways. The Maroons entered the game as the only team that had yet to open their season. In a rather interesting note, Ralph Bowman of the Eagles scored against the Maroons in a losing effort on a penalty shot, the first successful penalty shot goal in NHL history!

Instead, we jump ahead to November 30, 1934 where we discovered that the game against the Maroons had started a seven-game losing skid, leaving the Eagles reeling with a 1-8-0 record. In an effort to add some scoring, the Eagles purchased the contract of Vic Ripley from the New York Rangers. Ripley would appear in 31 games as his career was virtually at its conclusion. Ripley would star with the Black Hawks for five seasons before being shuffled between the Bruins, Rangers, and Eagles in two years. His time with the Eagles netted him one goal and five assists - not the best contract that the Eagles employed in their short time.

Looking for more scoring help, the Eagles tried to make waves on December 4 by trying to acquire Toronto's Harvey Jackson for $50,000. The Leafs asked for $100,000 for Jackson's services which, ultimately, killed that deal. In more personnel moves, the Ottawa interests controlling the Eagles interviewed former Senators star Frank Nighbor about taking over for Eddie Gerard in order to help the ailing club. Nighbor would eventually turn down this offer.

Looking to improve their goaltending situation, December 20, 1934 saw the Eagles throw a contract offer at Herb Stuart of the IHL's London Tucumsehs - the same team that Frank Nighbor managed! Both Stuart and the Tucumseh "club officials" (read: Nighbor) thought that the offer was too small for a goaltender of Stuart's stature, and Stuart rejected the offer. Not that it would matter much because the Eagles had themselves a pretty solid goaltender right under their own noses.

December 21, 1934 saw the Eagles use their goaltending as an advantage as they tied the powerful Toronto Maple Leafs with a 1-1 game. Bill Beveridge, goaltender for the Eagles, turned in an outstanding performance with 48 saves, but surrendered one goal that equaled the number that got by George Hainsworth in the Leafs' net.

In a rather interesting note, Beveridge was one of the last surviving members of the original Ottawa Senators club when the NHL awarded an expansion franchise to Ottawa in 1992. As the last goaltender to record a shutout for the Senators, he lived to see Don Beaupre record the first shutout for a Senators goaltender in the modern era when Beaupre closed the door on the Philadelphia Flyers on February 6, 1995 in the lockout-shortened season. Seven days later, Beveridge passed away in what seems like a closing of the book from one Senators era to another.

With the calendar turning to 1935, the Eagles and Montreal Canadiens were battling it out for who would occupy the cellar in the NHL's International Division. With both teams struggling, George (Buck) Boucher was brought in to coach the 2-11-0 Eagles to a higher standing than their current position after Eddie Gerard had resigned, and it appeared the Eagles were on their way up on January 10, 1935 after posting a 3-3-3 record since Boucher took over. If the Eagles were to continue on this upswing, they were poised to catch the New York Americans by season's end!

The problems with a losing team is that it creates fan apathy towards the club. With apathy at an all-time high in St. Louis thanks to a team stuck in last place, the club noticed that attendance was plummeting. So the Eagles made a cardinal sin in order to attract fans - they reduced ticket prices. While attendance climbed from 4000 fans to approximately 7000 fans, the Eagles still lost their fifteenth game of the season to the Boston Bruins by a 2-1 score.

With the team floundering in the standings and at the box office, the Eagles began the second phase of cardinal sins on February 12, 1935 - selling marketable stars for cash. Syd Howe was arguably the best player that the Eagles ever had on their roster, and Ralph Bowman was a serviceable player. The loss of either player alone would have weakened the team, but their loss together weakened it considerably. The Red Wings, receiving the two players, became a better team instantly. The $50,000 received by the Eagles would be little more than a windfall of cash that would service the team's mounting losses while Teddy Graham was little more than a stop-gap for a team that was dealing away one of its best players.

As a note, the newspaper clip states that Scotty Bowman was involved in the trade, but the legendary coach of the Blues, Sabres, Canadiens, Penguins and Red Wings was born September 18, 1933 - making him all of one year-old when the Eagles were playing in St. Louis. Clearly, this was an error as the only Bowman on the Eagles' roster was the penalty-shot scorer Ralph Bowman. Just wanted to clarify my writing versus that of the Rochester Evening Journal and the Post Express.

It was no secret in April that the St. Louis Eagles were in dire straits. Their 11-31-6 record to finish the season was the least of their worries as extreme travel costs and fan apathy had the club bleeding red ink. A group of investors from Cleveland, led by AC Sutphin, had spoken to NHL President Frank Calder about having his city join the ranks of the NHL, and there was some discussion about moving a team to Cleveland. While there was some talk about St. Louis being one possible team, the article from The Montreal Gazette makes it clear that the Montreal Canadiens are the team that is interested in relocating! Could you imagine the Canadiens not being part of the NHL? It almost happened in the mid-1930s!

In perhaps the quietest announcement ever for a team folding, September 28, 1935 saw The Pittsburgh Press run a tiny article about the Eagles suspending operations for one year. Interestingly, the players from the Eagles would be distributed amongst the worst teams in the NHL, and would be available for recall one year later if the Eagles were to return. Would any team today even consider this possibility? Would the NHLPA even allow it? It was a different world for the NHL back in the 1930s.

Just over two weeks later, the Eagles were officially done. For an undisclosed amount of money, the NHL would assume control of all assets and contracts held by the Eagles and distribute them to teams amongst the eight-team league. The Montreal Canadiens showed interest in as many as four players, but each of the NHL teams wanted a shot at the Eagles' remaining players. I'll have a rundown as to who went where after the assets were divided, but, officially the Eagles were no more.

October 16, 1935 saw more information come out about the sale of the Eagles to the NHL. Each of the eight NHL teams contributed $5000 for a total of $40,000 payable to the owners of the Eagles. Eighteen players were distributed while five would move to minor-league teams. The only team not to select an Eagle? The Chicago Black Hawks.

This article, from The Leader-Post in Regina, shows the distribution of the players to each of the teams. There are also some great photographs of the Eagles players in their sweaters. The players were distributed as follows:

New York Americans: Pete Kelly, Eddie Finnigan.
Montreal Canadiens: Bill Beveridge, Irv Frew, Paul Drouin, Henri Lauzon.
Detroit Red Wings: Carl Voss, William Peterkin.
New York Rangers: Glen Brydson, Vernon Ayres.
Montreal Maroons: Joe Lamb, Bill Taugher.
Boston Bruins: Bill Cowley, Teddy Graham.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Gerry Shannon, Cliff Purpur, Jim Dewey, Mickey Blake.

And with that, NHL hockey in St. Louis was done until 1967 when the St. Louis Blues were founded as an expansion franchise. There's no denying that the Eagles were a bad team and that moving them again might have been inevitable even if they had been able to survive the '34-35 season. The St. Louis Eagles, once the Ottawa Senators, were the officially were scrapped as an NHL entry on October 15, 1935.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Bourque To Sit

2011-12-20T18:22:00.000-06:00

I'm going to be as transparent as I can be right now: hits from behind are dirty. I don't like them, and, as a defenceman, I'm always aware when a player is on my tail when I'm racing to pick up the puck. I won't shy away from telling you that I've allowed forwards to streak by me when I know they have a head of steam because I don't want to get plastered into the boards by some kid who is trying to earn a full-time beer league roster spot. Sure, it drives my teammates mad because they know I had a step on the kid, but it's the difference sometimes between winning the race safely and getting destroyed the next time.

The hard part for me, when I do get hit from behind as infrequently as I do, is whether I believe there was intention behind the hit. Did the jerk who hit me actually mean to hit me from behind? Did he stumble into me perhaps? Did I turn at the last second?

Normally, I can tell when a hit is meant to hurt - the lasting pain after the hit means that it was definitely intentional. Hits from behind, for the vast majority, don't have this same pain element as much as it is the element of surprise for the player being hit. Therefore, in the vast majority of the cases I've been involved in, the hit, in my view, was not intentional.

That brings us to the hit that Rene Bourque threw on Brent Seabrook. This hit looks bad, but I believe that Bourque's intention is to not line up Seabrook between the numbers. Check the video.

If you watch that video closely, it looks as though Seabrook turns ever so slightly, causing the hit to be from behind rather than partially from the side. While Bourque only had a split-second to react to the change that Seabrook made, I think the NHL, in particular Brendan Shanahan, will go a little easier on Bourque because I don't believe the intention was for Bourque to destroy Seabrook.

Regardless, players have to know that if you're going to attempt a hit and you can see the numbers on the back of the jersey, there's a chance that your hit could end badly. This is what I believe happened on this play involving Bourque and Seabrook, and, as a result, I believe that Bourque will sit for this hit.

The NHL needs to keep sending the message: players who don't respect the safety of their teammates and opposition will lose money through fines and/or suspensions. If that hasn't become apparent with the way that Shanahan has been fining and suspending people thus far, I'm not sure how much clearer it can be.

If you want to hit from behind, be prepared for a hit to your wallet. It's the only way some of these players will learn.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Equipment Watch: Launch Skates

2011-12-19T21:24:00.001-06:00

The skates you see above are called Launch Skates. If you notice, there are two very distinct additions to the skate chassis that you can see. Those, readers, are high compression steel springs. What's the purpose of springs in skates, you ask? Well, that's what we're here for, and HBIC wants to take a look at this new innovation called Launch Skates.

First, let's get a little info on what these Launch Skates are all about. According to their website, "High compression steel springs are mounted in the front and back of the blade holder, allowing the blade to move up and down - utilizing kinetic energy and gravity as weight and motion are applied by the skater". That's pretty interesting, I'd say.

Getting science involved to make skaters faster by better utilizing the motions of the foot seems like a good idea. Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and others have been doing it with running shoes for decades, and the Nike Shox shoe is made to "absorb impact from heel strike while running" while springing back to add more power to the runner's stride. It sounds like the spring action idea is now being incorporated into skates!

The one thing that makes me a little leery about the testimonials and reports is that there are no names attached to the comments. I can understand why they can't name the NHL player since Launch Skates are not licensed by the NHL, but why not name the professional hockey instructor? Why not name the amateur hockey player and former Junior A player? Do they have some sort of contract with an endorsement deal that would prevent them from testing out the Launch Skates?

The gallery of images was pretty cool because of the Launch Skates prototypes. You can see that they used regular hockey skates to test the chassis, and that's pretty conclusive evidence that these chassis would at least work on hockey skates. There are no images of the skates being used on the ice, however, so I'm not all that certain that these skates actually work the way in terms of how they are presented. And no video? Anything that proves that these skates actually work in the manner that they are presented?

There is some contact info if you want to find out more, but it seems that the Launch Skates are still very early in the testing phase of development. The email sent to me by David Blois came from the email address on that page, so there definitely is someone checking that mailbox.

While I'm not going to rain on the parade thrown by Launch Skates, there needs to be some more concrete evidence shown on their site - video or pictures of players using the skates - about how these skates make a player faster and how the science works behind the suspension in the chassis. Naming some of the "testimonial" people would also bring instant credibility if these are recognized people, so that would be good as well.

Overall, the skates look promising, but I just want to see more concrete evidence that the skates work as the Launch Skates website claims they do.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Selanne-peg

2011-12-18T22:49:00.000-06:00

There are players who are loved by fans in a certain city for all that they have done there. Wayne Gretzky is still held in high esteem by people in Edmonton. Mario Lemieux is loved in Pittsburgh. Steve Yzerman might be the most celebrated sports figure in Detroit. While he has played for four teams and is favored in Anaheim, there is no denying that Teemu Selanne is one of the most popular people to have ever been part of the Winnipeg sports scene, and may actually be bigger than Bobby Hull when it comes to how much the people of Winnipeg love the "Finnish Flash".

It's hard to imagine that Teemu Selanne could have been playing for the Calgary Flames had it not been for a shrewd business decision by Jets' management to match a $2.7 million offer sheet given to Selanne by the Flames. Selanne had yet to play one second of hockey in the NHL, and his entry level deal was already a large sum of money for the small market Jets.

"There was some controversy around it all because here was this guy coming from Europe who was getting which was then a very big contract for an entry-level guy," Winnipeg-based Don Baizley, Selanne's longtime agent, said to Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times.

"I always thought he was motivated by the speculation that, geez, this guy wasn't worth this money, that kind of stuff. Then he came in and got 76 goals."

While the money considerations would handcuff the team in 1996, forcing Selanne's trade to Anaheim, there was no doubt that he was the most celebrated sports figure in Winnipeg history since Bobby Hull signed his cheque at Portage and Main. Selanne also was extremely generous with his time while he was here as a Jet, always signing one more autograph and always stopping for one more picture. Gestures like this have kept him as part of the Winnipeg sports lore for more than 15 years while he played in Anaheim, San Jose, and Denver.

For the game here last night, Selanne brought his family with him so that his kids could see what hockey in Winnipeg was like. What the Selanne clan witnessed was a city and a player making amends for his unwanted departure as Selanne was given a standing ovation when he appeared on the Jumbotron during warm-ups and cheered loudly every time he touched the puck during the game.

"My boys, they are growing up in California where hockey is not as big as here so that’s why this was very special for them to come here and realize the passion that these people have here. They are going to remember this for sure the rest of their lives," Selanne told Paul Waldie of The Globe and Mail.

Dad was also able to turn his celebration into a lesson for his kids. Selanne added, "I’ve tried to teach them when you treat people well they are going to treat you well also." A very good lesson exemplified by both people of Winnipeg and their dad.

Here is the tribute done by the new Jets in honour of Teemu Selanne, one of the most memorable Jets to have ever played the game.

They showed Teemu's family a couple of times there, and they have to be proud of Dad and impressed by the outpouring from the fans towards Teemu Selanne. Win, lose, or draw by the Jets last night, I don't think there would have been one person in MTS Centre that would have booed Teemu Selanne at all regardless of the outcome.

As one final great moment, Teemu Selanne was named the third star of the game, and got his chance to have his moment on the ice all by himself in front of 15,000 of his biggest fans.

As the announcer stated, Teemu Selanne is a classy guy, and it's nice to see that he got a chance to return to bid adieu to the fans where the magic began in 1992.

Not many players get that opportunity, but I'm glad Selanne did. He is the epitome of a selfless, classy player. All the best, Mr. Selanne, as you continue to play the game at an exceptionally high level.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Brought To You By Fleecy

2011-12-17T17:14:00.000-06:00

I was sitting at home today, awaiting the broadcast of CBC's Hockey Night In Canada, when news of a trade broke in the NHL that literally left my jaw gaping. I still, for the life of me, don't understand how this trade went down from the perspective of one team while the other team has to be overjoyed. There isn't a shadow of a doubt in my mind that one team got fleeced in this deal because of what they put up in the deal. If you're still unsure of what happened today, read on because I'm quite certain that one team was a definite winner in today's deal.

Look, I'm excited for the Jets-Ducks game tonight because not only will it be on CBC, but Teemu Selanne will finally be back in Winnipeg to play professional hockey. While he's not playing with the Jets, there's no doubt that the people of Winnipeg still hold Selanne near and dear to their hearts, and he'll undoubtedly hear the cheers from the Winnipeg faithful tonight. But alas, I want to look at the trade today, so tune into tomorrow for some additional Selanne coverage.

Around 2PM ET today, the Ottawa Senators sent highly-regarded defenceman David Rundblad and a second-round pick to the Phoenix Coyotes for forward Kyle Turris. Yes, the same Kyle Turris who thought it was better to hold-out for a ridiculous amount of money over a ludicrous amount of time than to actually play the game and do something more than a career-best 25 points. As for right now, the Ottawa Senators are slotting him into their second line, and the Coyotes are laughing all the way to the draft with David Rundblad becoming an important piece of their solid, young defence corps AND a second-rounder to spend at this year's NHL Entry Draft.

Does anyone here think this is an EA Sports trade?

If that reference doesn't hit you, the artificial intelligence in most of EA Sports' NHL Hockey series trade on the strength of player ratings. Draft picks are held to a higher standard most often, so you often have to package a solid player with a good pick to get back a player that has huge potential. If you have another player that can step in, you can usually swindle the artificial intelligence for a solid player and a high draft pick for a player that may not offer much beyond a good year or two.

I understand that David Rundblad wasn't turning out as well as the Senators had hoped. They watched Erik Karlsson turn into a star, but Rundblad was certainly holding his own in both zones and was nothing to discard at this point, especially when dealing for a player who has had a vast number of opportunities in the desert, but has never panned out to this day.

Turris will get a load of opportunities in Ottawa, but there are two things that Turris never picked up while playing for Dave Tippett: a work ethic, and the defensive responsibility that comes along with being a solid two-way centerman. Ottawa is short this season in two-way players, but there is reason to believe that Turris may develop into one under the watchful eye of Paul MacLean.

Had that been the end of this trade, and all would be forgotten as two young players swap jerseys in the hope that they can become something bigger than what they were with their previous teams. Instead, Ottawa tosses in a second-round pick to sweeten the deal for a guy who has 46 points in 137 NHL games!

That would be like exchanging $20 for two $10 bills, and then throwing in an extra $20 for a tip. In short, it's idiotic, and I hope someone is writing up Bryan Murray's walking papers as you read this! If stupid trades define a career, Murray is currently etching out one of the best careers ever written, and this trade may define his era with the Senators.

Of course, if Turris decides to show up, play hard, skate his butt off, and score some goals, everything may change. That second-rounder may be forgotten if this trade propels the Senators into the playoffs. My guess, however, is that it won't, and Turris won't even scratch the 25-point mark this season.

The nation's capital needs some help, and I doubt they'll find it in Turris. This trade is brought to you by Fleecy because Bryan Murray didn't just get taken to the cleaners. He got fleeced.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: I Hate Hockey

2011-12-16T22:19:00.000-06:00

I received an interesting email from a Mr. Peter McCambridge a few weeks back. Mr. McCambridge wanted to know if I'd be willing to review a book that he had been involved in. Of course, Teebz's Book Club is always looking for new literary works to review here on HBIC, so I gladly accepted Mr. McCambridge's offer to review the book. TBC is proud to present I Hate Hockey, written by François Barcelo, translated by Peter McCambridge, and published by Baraka Books. While the title seems like something you'd never hear on HBIC, the book itself was an interesting read. It's not solely about hockey, but hockey has a major theme in the book in terms of the story's twists and turns. While I found myself wanting more hockey action, the story written by M. Barcelo will certainly make some people uncomfortable, but it should stir emotions one way or another.

Born December 4, 1941, François Barcelo is a very accomplished French writer, but he wasn't always an author. M. Barcelo was involved in the world of advertising until 1988, having served as Vice-President of the J. Walter Thompson Company. M. Barcelo has always had the talent of a good writer, though, and this was seen early on when he won a literary prize for young writers from Radio-Canada in Quebec. In 1997, he was nominated for the Governor General's Award for his story The Far Side of the Stones, and has twice won the Literary Grand Prix de la Montérégie for his work in 1999 and 2003. Today, Monsieur Barcelo serves on the board of the Montreal Book Fair, and he continues to add books and stories to the 40 published works that have already been produced.

Peter McCambridge is a professional translator and a serious hockey fan based in Quebec City. He has an MA in Modern Languages from Cambridge University. His MA thesis is on the Montreal Canadiens and popular culture in Quebec.

I Hate Hockey is the story of Antoine Vachon's down-on-his-luck life over a few days. The story takes place in what literally seems like four days of his life, but we learn a great deal about our poor, unfortunate protagonist in this short time. The story contained within the covers of I Hate Hockey is more a crime drama than a hockey story, but there is a major hockey component to the story that allows the mystery to unfold.

We learn that Antoine Vachon is unemployed after the Saturn dealership he was working for is closed by GM. We also learn that he's in the midst of divorce proceedings after he was caught by his wife in bed with her intern after a power outage at a sports bar forced her early return to their home. And we learn that despite Antoine's living in Quebec, he absolutely hates hockey. Colombe, his ex-wife, absolutely loves the Montreal Canadiens, and their son, Jonathan, lives with his mother and plays hockey as well. Needless to say, Antoine doesn't have a very good relationship with them, and his life in general suffers.

The story takes a twist when Antoine receives a phone call from Denis Beauchemin, the president of the Saint-Zéphyrin Sports Association. Mr. Beauchemin calls to beg Antoine to coach his son's hockey team after their former coach, Don Mosian, is found dead outside his home. Of course, Antoine protests this appointment to bench boss since he hates hockey and wants little to do with it, but Mr. Beauchemin eventually talks him into it, and the team is on a bus on their way to Morinville for a game against the Loons.

While the game itself is more an inside look at what's going on in Antoine's brain as he watched the players go through the motions, you can tell that he likes the game despite his insistence that he hates it with all his being. He knows enough that he's knowledgeable, and that can go a long way. But it's after the game at the the hotel that Antoine makes a startling discovery: former coach Don Mosian had been murdered with a baseball bat! And this, of course, starts his mind racing with potential who-done-its and why it may have happened.

I'm definitely not going to tell you anything beyond this point because I Hate Hockey twists and turns in all sorts of different directions after this point in the story. Whether the themes of a broken family trying to mend itself to a man torn in different directions compels you to read this book, one thing is for certain: I Hate Hockey will provoke some emotions to present themselves within the reader.

At one point, I found myself very uncomfortable with where I thought the story was heading, only to find out that Antoine's moral compass points him in the right direction. Needless to say, M. Barcelo has done a good job at evoking emotions, and that's a skill that not a lot of authors can boast. I Hate Hockey certainly is worth reading if you're looking for a good crime story with a hockey element.

While only 100 pages long, I felt that I Hate Hockey really could have played out over a few hundred pages if M. Barcelo had wanted it. Instead, we get a nice story that's easy to read on a plane or trip in the car. The topics and some of the language are more geared for an older audience, however, so I would recommend this book to older teens and adults due to some of the material covered. The story itself is compelling, and it certainly takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions and thoughts are you struggle along with Antoine to make sense of his discoveries.

The drama, the story, and incredible twists that I Hate Hockey makes over its 100 pages are worth the read, and, because of these factors, I Hate Hockey certainly deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval! This story is not just for the hockey fan, but it's a more general story that can appeal to both male and female readers as it is less about hockey and more about the drama that unfolds because of hockey. Recommended reading if you're a mystery lover!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Can't We All Just Get Along?

2011-12-15T19:35:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe that with the number of festive seasons upon us in December that people still have to act like complete heathens when it comes to sports, especially when children are involved. I get that no one likes it when they lose, but I bring to you today another story of a person who has taken things just a little too far. And by "little", I mean the line he crossed is somewhere past the horizon in his rear-view mirror. A man in Winnipeg was convicted on Monday of assault and uttering threats to kill and criminal harassment for an incident that took place at his son's hockey game in December 2009.

Reportedly, the incident occurred at a Winnipeg arena in the canteen area. Paul Buchanan, the guilty party, had just finished watching his 12 year-old son's Fort Garry team defeat a team from St. Norbert, and found himself in a heated discussion with one of the parents from the St. Norbert team after making a snide remark about a player who Buchanan used to coach as part of the Fort Garry team, but was now part of the St. Norbert team.

This, of course, set the course of events in motion, and, after having both men say things they probably regret, Buchanan "angrily shoved the man into a wall, screamed obscenities at him and threatened to kill him". Keep in mind that the game is over, Buchanan's team won, and this is a game being played by 12 year-olds!

But it doesn't end there. Several parents tried to break up the fight, but one woman reported being punched in the breast by Buchanan. Eventually, Buchanan was escorted outside, but he waited for the parents outside where another fight broke out between the two men. After this scuffle was broken up, it was thought that insanity might be over.

Except it wasn't. Buchanan then had the nerve to go home, fire up the old computer, and bomb off a number of threatening emails to the St. Norbert father. He also phoned the woman he punched all night, making threats via phone, and it finally came to an end when the woman and her partner called the police well after midnight and filed a complaint against Buchanan.

"He was ranting and raving, yelling and swearing," she told the court during Monday's proceedings.

Now all of this evidence is pretty compelling in that it seems Buchanan might have a problem. For his part, Buchanan admitted that he may have overreacted with the number of phone calls made and the things said, and he told the court that he suffers from "social anxiety". He also said that alcohol and medication may have been partially to blame for his rage that night.

In his defence, he stated that he had been "humiliated" by what happened, and that he wanted to make things right in light of the events that had unfolded. He stated that he had not started the fight at the arena, and that he simply wanted to extend a friendly greeting before the St. Norbert father verbally and physically attacked him.

I'm not buying it. And Judge Robert Heinrichs? He didn't buy Buchanan's recollection of events either.

"His behaviour spiralled out of control. His evidence on what happened that day is not accepted. The conduct was completely reckless on his part," said Heinrichs.

Thanks to USA Hockey, we finally have an image of what the confrontation may have looked like. This is just an artist's rendition, mind you, but it seems to fit the profile of this case fairly well.
Relax, man. It's just a game being played by 12 year-olds.

Mr. Buchanan, your actions are, quite frankly, disgusting when considering that this was a game played by 12 year-olds, and I'm quite happy that Judge Heinrichs made it clear that this type of nonsense will neither be tolerated or condoned in the eyes of the law.

"Am I facing jail time? All over a 12-year-old hockey game?" Buchanan said loudly in court following the verdict. "Thanks, thanks a lot," he added to nobody in particular. While the Crown indicated that they won't seek custody of Buchanan over this incident, the only person that Mr. Buchanan has to thank is himself.

Good sportsmanship came with a heavy price on Monday for Mr. Buchanan, and I doubt he'll ever forget the cost associated with it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I'll Vote No

2011-12-14T23:22:00.003-06:00

Modern plumbing is a fabulous thing. We have great luxuries like flushing and urinal "mints". I find it absolutely idiotic that people would want to move backwards when it comes to sanitation, but it appears that fans of the Winnipeg Jets would prefer to go back to the "good ol' days" when it comes to peeing. It's not all Jets fans, mind you. No, it seems that the only fans who want to jump back in time are of the male persuasion because they are pushing for the return of the "trough" that once lined the walls of men's bathrooms in the old Winnipeg Arena.

Apparently, the long waits for a urinal or bathroom stall at MTS Centre are a downer for fans who have to go. The line-ups are causing some fans to miss portions of the game when nature calls, and that has caused an uprising of some 300+ Jets fans to call for the troughs to be brought back from their final resting spots.

"Oh, it's killer, it's killer, especially when intermission comes. It's very long waiting," Jets fan Don Lavallee told CBC News at the NHL game Tuesday night. I hate to point this out to Mr. Lavallee, but it's always been like this at MTS Centre. While there were rarely 15,000 fans at Moose games, the lines have always been long while waiting for a urinal or stall. In fact, most arenas I have been to experience some sort of slow-down when you're waiting for a place to release some pressure during an intermission.

If you want to sign the online petition to bring back the urine trough, you're welcome to it. Personally, you won't find my name on it. I've stood beside too many drunk dudes who thought it was "cool" to splash you with their urine while they stood there with their pants around their ankles. In fact, it looks something like this:
Not really my idea of fun, especially when your ass is hanging out at the same level as some of the kids in the washroom. It's gross, the place reeked of urine, and getting bumped while you peed always meant there was a chance you were coming out of the washroom wetter than when you went in.

It sounds like the people responsible for these decisions at MTS Centre see the value in using semi-private urinals. I can't see any value of giving into a few people who prefer to pee into the trough than planning their washroom visits accordingly. If you're one of those people who enjoy the smell of urine, like crowding around a metal conduit of urine, and enjoy the risk of walking out with urine on your clothes, sign that petition.

Don't get angry if it doesn't happen, though. Just remember that it's better being pissed off than pissed on.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Jets Run Wild

2011-12-13T23:10:00.000-06:00

It's starting to become a bit of a trend, but there's no denying that the Jets are using an "extra attacker" in every home game. The Jets have been playing extremely well at home, and it seems that opposing teams that roll into MTS Centre are finding the fans to be a major handicap in their chances of winning. Case in point? The game against the NHL-leading Minnesota Wild saw the Wild go up 1-0 before the fans came alive, and the Jets followed their fans' lead. Goals by Eric Bogosian and Bryan Little gave the Jets a 2-1 win over their future conference rivals, and a big win over the best team in the NHL. If you're keeping track at home, the Jets have beaten Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Minnesota on home ice. The MTS Centre is a hostile environment if you're not wearing Winnipeg blue.

I'll be honest when I say that Ondrej Pavelec has been outstanding after starting slowly in the early weeks of the season. His reaction time is incredible, and his game-saving save on Kyle Brodziak, Minnesota's leading goal-scorer, in the late stages of the game was downright robbery.

If you had to give an MVP award early on this season, I have to believe that Ondrej Pavelec would get a pile of votes after he has been incredible in his eleven victories thus far. Could we see a 25-30 win season out of Pavelec?

In a rather scary moment at the end of the game, Eric Bogosian bumped Pierre-Marc Bouchard from behind into the endboards, leaving Bouchard's face bloodied. Personally, this one looked bad in person, but, after seeing the highlights, I'm not so sure that there should be a suspension on this. Take a look.

First, the announcers jumped a little quickly in handing down suspensions. Bouchard did turn his back as Bogosian was throwing his hit, so I'm pretty sure this will NOT be a suspension. A fine? I'm almost certain that Shanahan could pass down a hit to Bogosian's wallet. But a suspension? Bouchard should not put himself into a bad situation like he did, so I'm thinking no suspension. Brendan Shanahan may feel differently, but I don't think this hit warrants time off because Bouchard put himself in a bad spot.

In a rather interesting piece of news, the Tampa Bay Lightning went out and signed former KHL player and Minnesota Wild forward Antti Miettinen to a two-year, $3 million contract with a no-movement clause thrown in. That clause was added because Miettinen had started his season in the KHL as a member of Ak Bars Kazan, and would have to clear re-entry waivers to join the Lightning.

Well, the Jets are looking for some help with injuries mounting and AHL call-ups patching the holes, so they took a flyer on Miettinen and claimed him. Personally, I like this move because he brings a little tenacity, a little scoring, and a little hustle in his game - something the Jets seem to be building as they show signs of being a hard-working, blue-collar team. Miettinen is a very blue-collar player, and I think he'll fit in nicely as he'll boost a penalty killing unit that needs some additional leadership.

Overall, it was a pretty great day for the Jets: a win over the best team in the NHL with a solid effort, a brand-new player who should be able to step in and contribute, and another night where the fans were loud and went home happy. Ain't it great to be a Jets fan?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Turco Joins AHL Austria

2011-12-12T20:06:00.001-06:00

When Marty Turco announced that he was retiring from the NHL, it meant one of the better practical jokers was stepping out of the limelight for greener pastures. His announcement was also significant because one of the better goaltenders in the NHL was hanging up his pads and skates, and we wouldn't get to see him play again. However, it appears we were wrong as Marty Turco decided to join up with EC Red Bull Salzburg of Austria today as he signed a short-term contract to help shore up Salzburg's goaltending situation. Salzburg has a pretty important tournament coming up - they are hosting the seventh annual Red Bulls Salute tournament, and they are suffering from some player losses through injuries and call-ups to the Austrian national team. Along with Turco, Salzburg could be considered NHL Austria when you look at a few of the names on this team.

Turco was brought in when current starter Josh Tordjman, formerly of the San Antonio Rampage in North America, was felled by a foot injury and a bout of the flu. He is doubtful to recover in time for the tournament which starts on Friday. Enter Marty Turco, the 36 year-old former Star and Blackhawk, for a chance to help Salzburg win the Red Bulls Salute tournament.

Along with Turco, EC Red Bull Salzburg has a few other players who have played in Chicago. Ramzi Abid, Akim Aliu, and Scott Barney all suited up with the AHL's Chicago Wolves. Aliu is on loan from the Winnipeg Jets after starting the season with the ECHL's Colorado Eagles, and there's hope he can elevate his game in the European tournament. Former Toronto Marlie Jeremy Williams is also on Salzburg's roster. Along with Tordjman, Tyler Redenbach is also a former Rampage player, so there are a few players who certainly know one another on this Salzburg team.

The men behind the bench for Salzburg are well-known to North American hockey fans. Pierre Page, head coach of Salzburg, had head coaching stints with the Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques, Calgary Flames, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks before moving across the ocean to ply his trade. He is joined behind the bench by former New York Ranger and Edmonton Oiler great Reijo Ruotsalainen, and by former Winnipeg Jet legend and Atlanta/Calgary Flame Kent Nilsson. These three men have guided EC Red Bull Salzburg to a second-place standing with a record of 19-7-2. They trail EHC Liwest Black Wings Linz by a mere five points in the race to the top of the Austrian standings.

The schedule for the tournament that kicks off on Friday is as follows:

QF1: Frölunda Indians vs. Linköpings HC - 17:15 in Salzburg.
QF2: HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice vs. EC Red Bull Salzburg - 20:30 in Salzburg.
QF3: Jokerit vs. HC Mountfield České Budějovice - 17:15 in Vienna.
QF4: HC Plzeň 1929 vs. Luleå Hockey - 20:30 in Vienna.

Saturday, December 17
CR1: Loser QF1 vs. Loser QF2 - 17:15 in Salzburg.
SF1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2 - 20:30 in Salzburg.
SF2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4 - 17:15 in Vienna.
CR2: Loser QF3 vs. Loser QF4 - 20:30 in Vienna.

Sunday, December 18
7th-place game: Loser CR1 vs. Loser CR2 - 14:00 in Salzburg.
5th-place game: Winner CR1 vs. Winner CR2 - 17:15 in Salzburg.
3rd-place game: Loser of SF1 vs. Loser of SF2 - 17:15 in Vienna.
Championship: Winner of SF1 vs. Winner of SF2 - 20:30 in Vienna.

Good luck to EC Red Bull Salzburg and Marty Turco as they try to capture their second Red Bulls Salute Championship. The bigger ice will be a challenge, but Turco has never backed down from stopping a puck in his career!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Nik's Stick

2011-12-11T23:39:00.001-06:00

I don't usually post about equipment manufacturers, but I was drawn in by Nikolai Khabibulin while watching the Oilers because of his choice of stick. His goalie stick is quite similar to those that other goaltenders use, but one major detail stuck out. His stick isn't made by Easton or Bauer or CCM. Instead, he uses a stick from a company named Torspo. I had never heard of this company, but that stick stuck out each and every time the cameras showed the 'Bulin Wall on TV. My eyes were fixated on it, so it was time to put a little effort in and find out as much as I could about this Torspo equipment.

It didn't take very long on Google to find the Torspo website, and I was impressed by the equipment I found on there that the company produces: sticks, gloves, goalie gear, and protective gear are all available through the Torspo line, so it looks like the company is slowly making a dent into the market. Again, this isn't a well-known company in North America when compared to some of the other players in the NHL equipment business, so it was mandatory to check out their website for as much information as I could find.

Torspo got it start in 1970 across the Atlantic Ocean by outfitting the famous Red Army program in Russia to the elite teams across Europe. From there, they have expanded their market to some smaller leagues in Europe, and have made the jump across the pond into North America. One of the original players that used Torspo equipment in North America was Montreal's Mats Naslund.

Today, Torspo has a few additional players using their equipment. Nikolai Khabibulin is an obvious endorser of Torspo, but the company can also boast having Igor Larionov, Sami Lepisto, and Kyle Okposo on their roster of players using their equipment. Of course, there are a number of European and Russian players using the Torspo brand, but it appears that they are breaking into the NHL with Khabibulin and Okposo leading the way.

While Torpso's market share isn't anywhere close to the more well-known manufacturers, having a great goalie like Nikolai Khabibulin using your product on television throughout Canada is a great way to get a little free advertising. I know that I first saw Khabibulin's stick on TV, and I don't doubt that others have as well.

Make sure you head over to Torspo's website to discover all their products, as well as finding out where you can pick up Torspo gear locally. There are highlights on the T-Tube, sounds of the game, and a blog awaiting its first entry.

And maybe you can be the first player on your team with some Euro-gear!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Russian All-Stars Set

2011-12-10T23:10:00.002-06:00

The starting line-ups have been announced for the 2012 KHL All-Star Game, and there's a distinct lack of star power in this season's starting line-up. While both Sergei Fedorov and Sandis Ozolinsh will be captaining this year's squads, the normal names we were used to seeing in the game are no longer there. No Yashin, no Morozov, and no Jagr are the most notable absences, but we have our starters picked thanks to the online voting done by fans.

Team Fedorov

Forward: Evgeny Kuznetsov of Traktor Chelyabinsk - 32GP, 12G, 12A
Forward: Aleksey Kalyuzhny of Avangard Omsk - 22GP, 6G, 10A
Forward: Jakub Petružálek of Amur Khabarovsk - 33GP, 15G, 19A
Defence: Ilya Nikulin of Ak Bars Kazan - 31GP, 6G, 7A
Defence: Mikko Maenpaa of Amur Khabarovsk - 30GP, 7G, 14A
Goalie: Mikhail Biryukov of Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk - 9-9-4, 2.40 GAA

Team Ozolinsh

Forward: Mikelis Redlihs of Dinamo Riga - 33G, 9G, 25A
Forward: Vadim Shipachev of Severstal Cherepovets - 31GP, 14G, 26A
Forward: Geoff Platt of Dinamo Minsk - 33GP, 10G, 15A
Defence: Jere Karalahti of Dinamo Minsk - 33GP, 5G, 4A
Defence: Maxim Chudinov of Severstal Cherepovets - 31GP, 8G, 15A
Goalie: Konstantin Barulin of Atlant Moscow - 12-6-5, 2.13 GAA

On paper, Ozolinsh's team looks pretty good. Better goaltending and better scoring would lead the way, but the game isn't played on paper. Ironically, there are a number of players who would be better representatives of "all-stars" than the players voted in by the fans.

Michael Garnett of Traktor Chelyabinsk is the top goaltender with an 18-6-3 record and a sparkling 2.02 GAA. Kevin Dallman of Barys Astana is the top scoring defenceman with eight goals and 23 assists in 32 games. Tony Martensson of SKA St. Petersburg is second in league scoring with 13 goals and 23 assists in 31 games. Alexander Radulov of Salavat Yulaev Ufa is third in league scoring with 14 goals and 21 assists in 30 games. None of these players, however, are starters in the KHL All-Star Game. While I'm not going to slight the fans on this one, I'm quite certain all of these players will play in the game based on stats alone. It is curious, however, that none of them were voted in as starters.

In any case, the starting line-ups will feature a four-time KHL All-Star in defenceman Ilya Nikulin. He's been to the All-Star Game in each of the four seasons of play that the KHL has held, so he's clearly a popular player with the fans as he's been voted into the starting line-up for the last three seasons. This is why the fan voting is a good feature: the players that the fans like are voted into the game regardless of their stats.

The starters have been set, and we have just five weeks before the best of the best in the KHL play in Riga, Latvia. I'm already looking forward to the event!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Baron Von North Star

2011-12-09T22:32:00.000-06:00

If you're somewhat interested in hockey history, you may want to circle June 14 on your 2012 calendar. On that day thirty-four years ago, the NHL saw the Cleveland-based franchise fold up shop for good as the Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars. That's right: MERGED. Rather than just folding and allowing the players to hit the free agent market, the Barons and North Stars merged in an attempt to save one failing franchise and one struggling franchise. There are a bunch of reasons why the Barons failed in Cleveland, but I only want to focus on June 14, 1978 as that was the day that the ice melted in Cleveland for its NHL franchise.

After being sold to Richfield Coliseum owner Sanford Greenberg and well-known sports magnate George Gund on June 10, 1977, there was hope for the Cleveland Barons after they had bumbled through their existence as both the Seals and the Barons. They had an arena owner who could help drive revenues, and George Gund was certainly well-connected in the Cleveland region.

In that linked article, I did find it interesting about the possible rule changes that the NHL was considering in 1977. Voted down included having both teams skate to the neutral zone when a fight started. Wouldn't close quarters just breed more contempt?

They also discussed the "Laycoe Rule" that would have made passes across the red line legal as long as the puck went past the red line ahead of the offensive player chasing it. Interesting idea, to say the least, but the two-line pass was still forbidden in the 1980s, so this one would eventually be voted down. Also voted down? The NHL-WHA merger again.

New for the 1978-79 season would be the statistic of plus/minus. So that was a win for the ultra-conservative NHL in 1977, I guess - more numbers and paperwork for the statisticians.

Going back to the Barons, it seems the problems didn't disappear with new owners, however, and the Barons found themselves drowning in red ink once again as the end of the 1977-78 season came to a close. The location of the arena outside of Cleveland, the poor management, and the lack of support from fans simply brought this franchise to the brink of extinction once again, and the NHL wanted nothing to do with saving it once more. And with that knowledge, we look at a few newspaper articles from June 15, 1978 when it was announced that the Barons would merge with the North Stars.

If you're keeping track of calendar dates at home, that's 370 days after the new owners were brought in as saviours of the Cleveland Barons. Make no mistake that Greenberg and Gund had a pile of money between them, and their local connections in the Cleveland area were strong. It just goes to show you that no matter who owns the team, there is a ton of work to do in getting fans to buy into the franchise, especially after previous owners of the franchise ran the club into the ground. Cleveland and the Atlanta Thrashers are proof that poor ownership and management can drive fans away faster than poor play by the team on the ice. But I digress.

John Zeigler, who one year earlier was made president of the NHL, announced that the Barons and North Stars would merge and play as the Minnesota North Stars for the 1978-79 season in the Adams Division, taking Cleveland's old position within the division. Of course, this little article from the Edmonton Journal didn't really answer any questions except for player distribution to the weaker teams, so I kept pushing forth in my search for definitive information about this merger.

The St. Petersburg Independent brought forth a little history in their blurb about the merger. Eleven years saw the team collect "white skates, trained Seals and unimpressed customers", and became the first NHL team to merge with another team in the NHL. They also were the first team to cease operations since the 1942 Brooklyn Americans. If nothing else, the Associated Press may have wired out one of the harshest obituaries ever in this snippet. But again, I pushed on as my curiosity about the merger was not yet quenched.

Thanks to the Regina Leader-Post, a lot of the questions were answered. George and Gordon Gund officially joined the ownership ranks of the North Stars while the Cleveland Barons ceased to exist. The NHL also established that the dispersal draft would occur before the NHL Entry Draft, and that Washington and St. Louis - the two worst teams outside of Cleveland and Minnesota - would get the first picks in the dispersal draft. Seems fair, right?

Instead, the Capitals decided to take the 18th overall pick in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft instead of selecting a player in the dispersal draft after the North Stars chose to protect ten players and a goaltender while forfeiting Cleveland's first-round pick. The Barons would also have to forfeit their remaining picks because Minnesota still had picks in the draft, including the first overall pick. Minnesota selected Bobby Smith that year from the OHA's Ottawa 67's, and Washington used the second overall pick to take Ryan Walter of the WCHL's Seattle Breakers. That 18th overall pick? The Capitals took Tim Coulis of the OHA's Hamilton Fincups.

Coulis played a grand total of 47 NHL games in his career. He suited up for 19 games with the Washington Capitals before playing 28 games with the Minnesota North Stars. Four goals and five assists later, and Coulis became another first-round flame-out. Notable players that Washington could have selected instead of Coulis included Don Maloney, Stan Smyl, Tom Laidlaw, Keith Acton, Paul MacLean, Craig MacTavish, Darryl Sutter, Anton Stastny, or Viacheslav Fetisov. Ouch.

The only player who finished with worse statistics from the 1978 Entry Draft was Philadelphia's third pick in the first round and 14th overall selection Dan Lucas from the OHA's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Lucas played just six games in the NHL, scoring just one goal which came against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 19th, 1978. Lucas, however, is probably better known as Wayne Gretzky's first linemate in Sault Ste. Marie!

Back to the article, however, and there were a few quotes from former Barons that would foreshadow the future. Head coach Jack Evans spoke of how he thought the drama would be over, but he wouldn't survive the summer as the bench boss as he was replaced by Harry Howell on July 8, 1978. The Gunds would officially take over the Minnesota North Stars later that year, and the North Stars were officially a mainstay in Minneapolis for the next two decades.

And that's how the Barons became the North Stars. Talks initiated with the Minnesota franchise by the Gunds turned into a merger between the two teams - a first for the NHL - and the unprotected players were put up for grabs in the dispersal draft. It took eleven years for the Barons to see their demise, and all of three days for the team to officially be dismantled.

June 14, 1978: the day the Barons became Stars.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Anisimov Shot Down

2011-12-08T23:47:00.000-06:00

There are a few unwritten rules in hockey, and one of them says that you should never show up your opponents or embarrass them in the eyes of sportsmanship. Artem Anisimov found out the hard way what happens when you decide to ignore that unwritten rule.

Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier went after Anisimov immediately after Anisimov committed his shooting celebration, and the result was a four-minute double-minor for roughing, a ten-minute misconduct, and the obligatory two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Sixteen minutes in the sin bin is pretty dumb after scoring a big goal.

"It was disrespectful to point directly at our net and our goalie," Lecavalier said. I fully agree. Anisimov scored a goal, so why push his luck by doing something dumb like rubbing the Lightning's faces in it? After all, you know the Lightning would have to react when disrespected as they were.

"He was wrong and he knows it," John Tortorella said of Anisimov. "He apologized to his teammates and we will move on from this."

Young players will do dumb things. He should just be lucky it was Vincent Lecavalier who was first on the scene for the Lightning, and not someone like Steve Downie. Things could have been a lot worse if it had been someone who is paid to keep peace rather than score goals. I'm sure that this sort of thing won't be seen again from Anisimov.

His coach, John Tortorella, would have been one of those guys who, had he been on the ice for the Lightning, probably would have pounded this knowledge into Anisimov's head.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Crime But No Time?

2011-12-07T23:07:00.000-06:00

I'm not a Vancouver Canucks fan, but I'm really starting to feel their pain. In particular, I'm feeling their anger towards losing David Booth for what appears to be a minimum of four weeks with a knee injury. Kevin Porter drove his knee into Booth's knee, and the end result was a four-game suspension for Porter while Booth sits out four weeks. David Booth was just catching fire in a Canucks uniform since being acquired, so does Porter's sentence fit the crime he committed when David Booth may not return until February? I feel that Porter may have gotten off a little easy here.

First, let's take a look at the video. Keep an eye on Porter's knee when Booth approaches.

Clearly, Porter stuck his knee out as Booth was cutting across the middle of the ice. I get that knee-on-knee hits can happen if one player leans out of the way of a hit, but Porter stuck his knee out in a way that can only have one result: injury.

Therefore, I must ask: if a player intentionally does something that can be construed as an attempt to injure another player, does it warrant more than a four-game suspension? Especially if that action results in a major injury resulting in considerable time lost to the victim and his team? I'm willing to concede that no one can ever predict intention, but if the action done by the offending player results in considerable injury to the victim through an action that appears to be intentional, why should the player who committed the act be granted some benefit of the doubt as to his intention?

I get that these are philosophical questions, but four games in exchange for four weeks is a pretty hefty price to pay for the victim. David Booth is a solid scoring threat for Vancouver, and they will miss his services for a month or more. Kevin Porter is a loyal foot soldier for the Avalanche, but his value to the Avalanche is, arguably, less than the value Booth is to the Canucks.

Four games is all Kevin Porter will miss. David Booth? There's no telling how long he'll be out with his knee injury, but standard timeframes point at this being a 4-6 week recovery time.

Does the time really fit the crime? In my mind, it does not. While I get that the CBA won't allow eye-for-eye suspensions, ten games would be more of a deterrent for players who want to stick a knee out the next time Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, or Claude Giroux skate by. Throwing a check doesn't have to include deliberate contact to a knee.

What say you, readers: is four games the right punishment for a grinder for putting a scorer on the shelf for a month or longer?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

My Early Pulitzer Choice

2011-12-06T22:05:00.000-06:00

I'll admit I'm from the old-school way of thinking about hockey: I like it fast, I like it physical, and a good fight never hurt anyone. The more that stories about concussions in hockey players come out, I have to admit that I'm starting to waver in my stance on the physical portion of the game. Don't get me wrong - I'm never going to soapbox any ideas about removing hitting from the game. That, readers, would be enough proof that I should be institutionalized. Instead, I do think that contact with the head should be a penalty, and I think players that throw checks to the head blatantly should forfeit a vast amount of their salaries to concussion-related research. After reading John Branch's latest three-part series in the New York Times, I'm very certain that concussion research funding should be at the top of the list for the NHL and NHLPA's charitable contributions.

The loss of Derek Boogaard this summer took everyone by surprise. His family was supposed to be meeting him for the weekend in New York, but Boogaard reportedly never left his apartment. He was found dead in his apartment from a deadly mixture of alcohol and painkillers. There were a lot of questions swirling about how a man like Boogaard - who seemingly had a great life - could wind up like this. Then we heard of Rick Rypien's tragic passing. And Wade Belak followed. While none of these players were intertwined in any way other than they were players in the NHL, I believe that everyone wanted more information on why these players felt the need to end their lives.

John Branch's three-part series on Derek Boogaard's life is rather extraordinary in its entirety. I've read this piece now about a dozen times, and I still find things that I have to re-read over and over just to try to get inside Derek Boogaard's mind. Mr. Branch has written an article that I feel should be at the top of everyone's list who gets a vote on this year's Pulitzer Prize Award. It's THAT good, and it deserves be honoured.

I've linked the three-part series below for convenience. Please read it in its entirety. I think you'll appreciate it as much as I have. Here is Punched Out: The Life and Death of a Hockey Enforcer.

Derek Boogaard: Learning to Brawl - Part One
Derek Boogaard: Blood on the Ice - Part Two
Derek Boogaard: A Brain Going Bad - Part Three

There's also a three-part video series for this same story, and it's just as interesting as the print version. Again, spend some time watching these. They are worth your time.

Derek Boogaard: Learning to Brawl - Part One
Derek Boogaard: Fight Club - Part Two
Derek Boogaard: Punch Drunk - Part Three

Yesterday, there was an excellent feature with one of Boogaard's former opponents, Todd Fedoruk. Fedoruk became good friends with the Boogeyman, and answered questions about Derek Boogaard, fighting in hockey, and his own hockey career. I have an incredible amount of respect for Todd Fedoruk answering some questions about the job he did in the NHL, and I can't imagine what it was like for him when Boogaard's death was reported.

If I had a vote, Mr. John Branch would be receiving the Pulitzer Prize this year for his excellent work in writing Punched Out: The Life and Death of a Hockey Enforcer. If all newspaper reporting was this good, the world would be a much better and much smarter place.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Meow Mix Didn't Deliver Blues

2011-12-05T20:51:00.000-06:00

If hearing the words "Meow Mix" being to mind the song sung by Dr. Evil in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, you're not alone. However, it's one thing for a movie to feature some product placement, but it's rare to find that kind of placement on a hockey blog. After all, there aren't a lot of players who would admit to eating Meow Mix despite a vast number of players having cats as pets. I'll fully admit that I have never seen Meow Mix offer up any sort of hockey incentive for buyers or their cats either, so why is HBIC concerned with Meow Mix when you consider that I don't have a cat and I'm a pretty big hockey fan? It turns out that the makers of Meow Mix - Ralston-Purina - almost were responsible for an eighth NHL team in Canada!

I've heard of the rumour that the St. Louis Blues were destined to move to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in the late-1970s or early-1980s. This always seemed to be a little crazy to me when Saskatoon is considerably smaller than Winnipeg, and Winnipeg was one of the smallest markets in the NHL when they joined the big league out of the WHA. It turns out, however, that not only were the Blues almost moved, but they would have definitely been in Saskatoon had it not been for the NHL blocking the move altogether.

I want to be upfront here, and tell you that I am a little disappointed with the vast number of newspapers charging for access to their archives. I get that running a newspaper is a business and that the medium is starting to suffer thanks to the internet, but charging me $3-4 per story per newspaper is a little much. Instead, I went with what I could find for free because, like you, I'm not made of money and this site generates nil revenue. And I'm not even going to consider the thought of charging visitors to read my diatribes.

I'll admit that there are a vast number of websites that have this information available for free, but I wanted to find news stories covering the potential move of the St. Louis Blues to Saskatoon. After all, most people still got their news from newspapers in 1983. Here is the condensed "newspaper" version of the St. Louis Blues-to-Saskatoon saga.

We'll start on January 13, 1983. The owners of the St. Louis Blues, Ralston-Purina, had been suffering through six years of losses as the owners of the Missouri NHL team. Tired of the red ink piling up, Ralston-Purina goes about seeking new ownership for the franchise, and considers an offer from Batoni-Hunter Enterprises of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for a reported $11.5 million. Obviously, this turn of events caught a vast number of people off-guard, most notably in St. Louis, so I began hunting down information from the Saskatoon point-of-view.

Thankfully, the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix had ample coverage of the January 13 announcement. According to writer John Cherneski, the announcement "opened a hornet's nest in St. Louis". As Mr. Chesneski's story tells, Ralston-Purina purchased the club in an eleventh-hour sale to prevent it from folding as they saw it to be an asset to the city of St. Louis. According to Emile Francis, Ralston-Purina "was not sports oriented or interested in ownership of sports franchises". Anheuser-Busch, based in St. Louis, could have looked into buying the franchise from Ralston-Purina, but that group "did not feel the franchise was viable in St. Louis". Ouch.

The joint announcement in Saskatoon by Bill Hunter of the Batoni-Hunter group of their intent to buy the Blues and move them to Saskatoon suddenly became a very real possibility. The NHL, along with a few owners, expressed that they would like to see the NHL remain in St. Louis. However, if all efforts in St. Louis failed, it seemed like there was support for a Saskatoon NHL franchise. The change-in-ownership vote, as indicated in that Saskatoon Star-Phoenix article, would be held at the league meetings at the NHL All-Star Game in February.

Some players, it seems, were torn between playing in St. Louis and heading north to the Canadian prairie city. Bernie Federko made it clear that the players were disappointed and that St. Louis had become his home despite his Saskatchewan roots, but said he would be happy to return to Saskatoon if that was the end result of the sale. Of course, there was still half a season to be played before the sale would even be completed, but the Blues were heading towards a brutal 25-40-15 season in 1982-83.

There were a couple of details that need to be brought up. First, there was always the impeding vote against moving the franchise. The NHL still held rights to block the sale and move of the Blues, so fans in St. Louis still had hope that this impeding move of their hockey team wouldn't happen. Secondly, it appears that the Batoni-Hunter group may have had some serious financial backing awaiting them if they were successful in buying the franchise. Labatt's Brewery was interested in at least the marketing aspect of the potential Saskatoon franchise, and would complete the trifecta of Canadian breweries involved in NHL franchises in Canada. Clearly, things had been in motion behind the scenes for a while.

We jump ahead to January 28, 1983 with a story from The Ottawa Citizen that shows that the Batoni-Hunter group weren't the only interested party. A group from Seattle-Tacoma expressed interest in negotiating with Ralston-Purina if a deal with the Batoni-Hunter group couldn't be reached. So not only was the franchise possibly moving to Saskatoon, but now they might be headed northwest to Washington if the Saskatoon deal fell through.

And we'll add another group to the mix on February 4, 1983. A local group from St. Louis reportedly was working on getting their finances together to buy the team to keep the Blues in St. Louis. The Montreal Gazette reports that the St. Louis Globe-Democrat had information on a new St. Louis-based group that needed more time to get their act together. The problem? They were running short of the thing they needed most.

The NHL owners and governors got together on February 7, 1983 on Long Island during the All-Star Break to discuss the potential sale of the Blues. Unfortunately, that chatter never happened as the discussion over the sale of the St. Louis Blues was postponed after Ralston-Purina asked for the topic to be taken off the agenda. However, Ralston-Purina was still pushing ahead with the sale of the team to the Batoni-Hunter group.

On February 16, it appeared that Ralston-Purina and the Batoni-Hunter group had finalized a deal to bring the Blues north to Saskatoon. It appeared that the snag holding up the discussions about the sale at the All-Star Game dealt with the proposed arena for Saskatoon, but Paul D'Agata stated that the $44 million arena's financing had nothing to do with the hold-up. Saskatoon Tunes? That's horrible. The Saska-Tunes? Brutal.

As an aside, if you've been keeping track of the dollars and cents in these reports, the offers for the Blues have jumped from $11 million to $13 million to $15 million. The 18,000-seat arena was going to cost $44 million. Has inflation really pushed the price of an NHL franchise from approximately $15 million to somewhere around $200 million? Wow.

While everything sounded rosy on the exterior for Saskatoon, the Regina Leader-Post did some digging into the Batoni-Hunter group's financing on February 25. And what they dug up wasn't very reassuring. If the financing wasn't in place, the bluff by the Batoni-Hunter group would be called in. If they did have the money, things looked good. The problem is that no one knew for sure unless they were named either Batoni or Hunter.

The February 26 edition of the Calgary Herald brought up a good point: relocation and transfer fees. No one had mentioned that in any of the earlier articles to any degree, so it was interesting to read about how the NHL would impose these on the franchise if the Blues were to move. John Zeigler, president of the NHL, basically told the Batoni-Hunter group that they should expect to pay at least $5.1 million in a transfer fee if they were to move the Blues out of St. Louis. Can you imagine paying $13 million for the franchise, and then adding another half of that to move it to Saskatoon?

March 10 saw the local group from St. Louis get its biggest ally as NHL president John Zeigler requested that Ralston-Purina look at the offer from the local group in order to keep the Blues in St. Louis. Ralston-Purina took a somewhat backhanded swipe at local ownership hopefuls when they said they were willing to hear any offer that the group wanted to put forth as they always had been. Slinging mud wasn't going to solve this problem.

On March 15, the local group met with Ralston-Purina in order to present their offer for the Blues. Newspapers pretty much said that this meeting would either make or break the Blues in St. Louis, but there was absolutely no timeline that anyone had put forth for the closing of the sale. After all, there was hockey still being played during these meetings.

While Ralston-Purina mulled over the two offers made for their team, as well as interest from Seattle-Tacoma, a new player emerged in the St. Louis sweepstakes. March 29, 1983 saw Harry Ornest toss his name into the ring as a potential buyer for the Blues as a part of the local group. Ornest made it clear that he had no interest in moving the team anywhere, and that keeping the Blues in St. Louis was his priority. Advantage St. Louis? Things looked better on the horizon at this point, but Ornest made no mention of his financial commitment in any article at this point.

While the fever pitch over the hot commodity known as the Blues died down while the NHL season concluded, April 20 saw Ralston-Purina finally come to a decision: the Blues would be sold to Coliseum Holdings Limited, aka Batoni-Hunter Enterprises. It appeared that the Blues would play out of Saskatoon for the 1983-84 NHL season as long as the NHL approved the transfer of the franchise. And that looked like a monumental problem considering the vast majority of NHL owners did not want the franchise moved.

The vote on whether the franchise would move happened on May 19, 1983. In a 15-3 vote, the NHL defeated the motion to allow the St. Louis Blues to move to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Just as the owners predicted, the Blues would remain in St. Louis for the upcoming season. In a rather bizarre twist, the Blues laid off all front-office staff as well. Why? No idea.

June 2, 1983 saw the NHL schedule a meeting to discuss the newly-filed anti-trust lawsuit that Ralston-Purina filed against the NHL for blocking the move to Saskatoon and collapsing the deal with Coliseum Holdings Ltd. If you're selling a franchise you don't want, can you honestly file an anti-trust suit? I suppose you can, but that seems silly.

Two days later, Ralston-Purina literally abandons ship. They turned over the St. Louis Blues franchise to the NHL to "operate, sell or 'dispose of in whatever manner the league desires'". Apparently, Ralston-Purina expected the NHL to do the dirty work for them, but felt that any cash windfall the league made was also payable to them. Have your cake and eat it too? Is this the original version of the Phoenix Coyotes?

In response to the anti-trust lawsuit facing the NHL, the NHL and 17 NHL teams counter-sued Ralston-Purina on June 26, 1983. The only people making money in this entire saga? The lawyers. At this point, both sides need to cut lines and walk away.

July 21 saw the NHL dispose of the franchise once and for all. The St. Louis Blues were conditionally sold to Harry Ornest for an undisclosed amount of money, thereby ensuring that the Blues would remain in St. Louis for the foreseeable future. For nearly six months, it looked as though Canada would get its eighth team, but a solution was found and the Blues lived on as part of St. Louis' culture.

There's the story on just how close the Blues came to being the Saska-Tunes from the eyes of the reporters and newspapers paid to cover the story. I'll have more historical stories this week, but now you have the full story on how the Blues almost became a song on the Canadian prairies.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Closure Begins

2011-12-04T21:55:00.000-06:00

Lost in the recent weeks of hockey action is one city's struggle to close the book on the tragedy that took place this summer. Yaroslavl Lokomotiv is still coping with the loss of their hockey heroes, and there are a number of families still working through their own losses as the winter pushes forward. In no way will I make light of this situation at all because that would be heartless and cruel, and I believe in supporting our Russian hockey brethren and their fans and families as they try to close this dark chapter in their hockey history. Thankfully, there was some good news to pass on as the KHL released a very important press release on November 30, 2011.

Without getting long-winded, I'll just present the letter in its entirety. It is nice to see that some of the families are getting monetary help at this point.

Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) official insurer and corporate partner SOGAZ Insurance Group has made the first payment in relation to the fatal air crash on the 7th of September, in which members of Yaroslavl’s Lokomotiv hockey club perished. Five million rubles has been paid to the bereaved relatives of one of the foreign players from the team.

"The player’s legal representatives supplied us with the necessary documentation in mid-November. We were able to process the insurance payment within a week," said Larissa Terskaya, director for claims handling and supervision of personal insurance programs, SOGAZ Insurance Group.

As of today, relatives (or their representatives) of ten of the deceased players have applied to the company. In five cases the company sent answers to inquiries from notaries currently arranging certificates of inheritance.

"Insofar as none of the deceased players had designated a beneficiary in any insurance agreements, for the purposes of insurance payments the beneficiaries can be considered to be the legal heirs, as defined by the authorities of the countries of which the deceased players were citizens. According to the laws of the Russian Federation, the legal heirs are defined on the expiry of a term of six months from the day of the death of the insured party. Only after this period can a notary issue a certificate of right to inherit, which is necessary for receipt of insurance payments. Owing to this, the bereaved relatives of those Lokomotiv players who were Russian citizens will be able to receive the relevant insurance payments from March of 2012. Nonetheless, we welcome applications at any time," Larissa Terskaya added.

As stated earlier, SOGAZ Insurance Group is both a partner and insurer of the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2011/2012 season, providing accident insurance coverage for players appearing in the KHL. The deceased players of HC Lokomotiv were insured by SOGAZ for a total of 98 million rubles. The processing of the documentation for payments is being carried out in close cooperation with the KHL players’ union, headed by Andrei Kovalenko, in accordance with existing legislation and the accident insurance contracts of players of the Kontinental Hockey League.

For bereaved relatives of the deceased players there is further information, including contact phone numbers, a list of relevant documents, and application forms for insurance payments, to be found in a special section on the SOGAZ Insurance Group’s official Internet site www.sogaz.ru.

While there are no names mentioned, one player's family did receive a payout. I don't have any particulars about the insurance policies that the KHL has with its players, but five million rubles is approximately $159,000 USD, and the 98 million rubles converts to approximately $3.13 million USD. Look, I'm not here to pass judgment on the amount of money that the players were insured for, but that $159,000 is a good chunk of change that will help one player's family.

I'm sure there will be more paid out in the coming days and weeks, and that's a good sign. While this tragedy can never be forgotten, the healing process can move forward with the KHL and its insurance company making things a little easier on the families.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!