First Word
Introduce yourselves please and elaborate a little…and i do mean a little.
Pogo, real name mike
I’m the Hitman. Perhaps you’ve heard of my new movie?
I am the enigma known as THE RICK, I keep my identity a mystery as to ward of my legions of fans.
– They call me many things, most recently ‘the import’ but I let my friends call me Danada.
News Of The Week
1. Ilya Kovalchuk recorded back to back Hat Tricks this week…one in a 6-4 loss to Ottawa and another in a 6-4 win over Tampa. What is the best back to back scoring performance you have ever seen?
That would have to be Primeau in the playoffs in 04….he saved our collective asses time and time again. — Pogo
Does Darryl Sittler’s 10 point game count? Perhaps it wasn’t a “back to back” performance, but he still managed to put up more points in one game than Kovalchuk could in two. And although I wasn’t quite two years old at the time, I’ve seen the re-runs. — LS
Best back to back scoring performance I have ever seen was from 1981 I did not see the games live, I saw them on a scouting video I got when from a guy who worked for the Sabres.
The Statsny brother Peter, Anton and Marian all scored a Hat Trick leading the Nordiques to a victory over the Canucks winning 9-3, the next game against the Caps Peter Statsny scored 4 goals and Anton added 3 more. How does it get better than 2 brothers scoring back to back Hat Tricks. One of the most impressive things I have seen in hockey period
— Rick
– Any time you can follow up a hattrick with a hattrick is something worth talking about. The only thing that could take away from kovi’s two 3 bangers would be the fact that he had two reasonable horrible periods against the Sens. In recent years, I would say it is far more impressive what goalies are doing to keep the pucks OUT of the net. Boucher with the major shutout streak a couple years back. Leclaire this year with five shutouts in ten starts. Luongo and Turco with over 150 saves combined in one game. I’d rank that over a couple hattricks any day.. — Dan
2. The first month is in the books and already fans are howling over how suspensions are being handed out and not handed out. OK! Play commish! How would you have handled Colin’s job this month?
Probably would have given the same Penalties to all the teams with similar hits, the NHL is out to get the flyers!!! Seeing so many hits like Volchenkov’s and nothing be done makes my blood boil. — Pogo
There hasn’t been a season gone by where the fans weren’t ‘howling’ about the league’s disciplinarian.
I know I will be in the minority here, but I think Colin Campbell has done a great job this season. None of the suspensions seem wrong to me and the only two instances of where I have disagreed with league decisions thus far, were in the Mark Bell and Rick Tocchet cases. Both of which had much more to do with Bettman himself, rather than Campbell. — LS
I would have acted the same in the case of Boulerice. He got the suspension he deserved. Since this is the new NHL and I have been preaching for clean play, I would have suspended both Mezie and Volchenkov for their baording penalties., Mezie 3 games and Volchenkov 5 because he is a repeat offender. Then with Jones he would have got 5, because the precident for that type of hit was established. I also would not have allowed Rick Tocchett to be reinstated. The man admitted to breaking the clauses of his suspension, why should he be allowed back when he can’t even follow the rules while he is suspended, its like giving a convict parole who commited a crime while in jail. — Rick
– Make the teams accountable. These players can be reckless, and that’s fine, but let’s not forget that they are there because they were signed by a team to represent them. If you are willing to sign a player, you have to be responsible for their on ice reactions, and I would hammer down on not only the player, but the team as well. — Dan
3. Something most insiders have know for awhile…but there is an opt-out in the CBA for the 2008-09 season (they can reopen CBA talks which may not be so good for either side). Brian Burke has proposed a plan to allow for more trading…
The following from Spectors…..
“Three executives” claims Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke is trying to convince the league to study a proposal that would allow teams to pick up a portion of a player’s contract and thus stimulate more player movement between teams. Burke’s proposal was originally a per-transaction cap of $2 million and a per-team cap of $4 million but that was previously rejected and now he’s seeking a per-transaction cap of $500,000.
Now what is your take on it?
Burke has to realize you just can’t go change the system just because the system took you behind the woodshed and gave you a Downie sized beatdown!!! It makes you wonder if something is up with his little cap situation which he did to himself. — Pogo
I don’t agree with Burke and that is nothing new.
Although the salary cap might be a way to keep franchises financially stable, it makes for more parity in the league. Which as a fan, I am far more interested in.
Should you allow teams like the Wings, Rangers, Avs and Leafs another monetary upper hand in trying to better their teams, the entire salary cap becomes redundant for me.
Obviously with less trades to go around, there is less ‘hype’ I suppose, and yet it hasn’t stopped the Ducks from reaching success last season. You can attribute much of that Stanley Cup win to the Federov and Pronger deals Burke managed to pull off. However, after his offseason blunders and the unfortunate retirement scenarios, he is merely trying to find a way to make his job easier by suggesting this. — LS
Let me get this straight Burke handcuffs himself with the CAP spending to the limit, now he has no available space to make any moves.
His answer to this problem is allowing the team he is making a deal with to pick up a portion of the player being traded contract. I don’t think this is wise. It will end up making NHL economics more confusing and thus sending fpotential ans away.
Burke cannot manage a payroll, so instead of working out a budget and figuring out who he needs to keep and who he needs to let go. Instead he proposes a plan to help out these teams that are irresponsible with the cap a way to pick up rent a players. He made his bed he needs to lay in it now. What a joke….. — Rick
– I think there should definitely be a negative to trading nowadays in the NHL. Too many teams are filtering players through their system and it is taking away from the fan aspect of the sport. Get the right tools on your roster, and hang on to them. Let the fans get their jerseys without having concerns about them getting traded. Tax trades and avoid the ridiculous lottery around deadline time also, because rarely do teams ever advantage from rental players. — Dan
4. Who was your NHL Goalie Of The Month and Player Of The Month and why?
Lecavalier as my Skater, he has just been tearing it up. So has Lundqvist…Lundqvist even with the trapping Rangers who tried boring my Flyers to death…has been out of this world just like he was the second half of last season. — Pogo
I would assume the popular answer here would be Pascal Leclaire. And albeit it, his shutout record thus far is pretty amazing and unexpected, my vote goes to Henrik Lundqvist. Not only is this guy expected to play every god damned Ranger game, but is the sole reason they are above .500 hockey right now. It’s definitely not due to the mult-million dollar forward lines, nor the astute GM that supposedly iced an offensive hockey team.
As for player of the month, I can’t see an angle to pass up another Henrik. Zetterberg. — LS
Pascal Leclaire where did this guy come from, for a few years we heard about this kid and how good he was going to be only to be disappointed by his play. Now he has 5 shut outs in a month a gga under 1.50 and a save % .948 those are insane numbers, all this on CBJ team that has been nothing but mediocre since they came in the league. He is giving hope to all Jacket fans that it is possible for a post season appearance.
Player of the month
Zetterberg numbers don’t lie and this guy is on fire he is setting up as many goals as he is scoring and has a +9 one of the top +/- among forwards, he also has been more effective on the PP than anyone else in the league. We knew Zetterberg was a pretty good player but not this good. — Rick
– I have to give the golden glove to Leclaire, but I am not going to ignore what Gerber has done for the Senators organization. While Leclaire has far exceeded anyone’s expectations during October, and is on pace for over 25 shutouts, Gerber leads the league in wins, and boasts one of the top save percentages. Forward of the month goes to Zetterberg. Not a surprise, as he has been tearing up the competition, but I think it goes a lot further than that. Something seems to have snapped in this kids head. Watching him play, it is as though he is obligated to score points each game. He finds a way to get the puck on the right stick, whether it is his own, or his linemates (who are battling for the most potent line in the NHL with Spezza/Heatley/Alfredsson) — Dan
OUT OF BOUNDS
Thanks to Lord Stanley’s Blog (a Carolina Hurricanes Blog) for the following….
But rest assured he wants his team to win tonight’s rematch with the Florida Panthers as badly as any regular-season game in recent memory, because he’s as angry about what happened Wednesday as he’s ever been.“This is the strongest I’ve felt about an issue,” Rutherford said. “We can sit there game after game and disagree with the other team or the officiating. This is as strong as I’ve ever felt about an issue.”
As for Panthers coach Jacques Martin, who accused the Hurricanes of teaching their players to dive, he’s also the Panthers’ general manager, which means Rutherford runs into him frequently at Board of Governors and GM meetings. Those meetings could be a bit icy in the future.
“I’m afraid to say anything because I don’t know who’s going to read what I might say,” Rutherford said, continuing to imply that Martin’s comments influenced referee Brad Watson.
“I don’t have anything to say to him. He uses different ways to motivate his team. I take it this is a way he’s decided to motivate his team to play us. In the past we’ve been able to play in spurts or play one period in a game and beat Florida. In this particular game, it wasn’t just the team we had to beat, so we fell short.”
The question is now who is more out of bounds here…Rutherford or Martin or both perhaps?
Both, Let the players do the talking for god sakes, I don’t care about a coaches view. And the GM should just get the JUST SHUT UP award…the players do the best job of policing themselves….now go back and make some moves that get us in the playoffs again…till then…go away!
— Pogo
I disagree that diving is being taught from the bench, but that is not to say that I don’t notice a lot of it out of the Carolina camp.
I have said this before and I will say it again. There is no player in the league that dives more than Erik Cole and gets away with it. I’d love to have the stats showing how many penalty shots he has been given over his career, but this much I do know. No other player has been awarded 2 penalty shots in one period.
Coincidence? — LS
My god all you have to do is watch Eric Cole play a shift, he dives better than Greg Luganis. I have to agree with Martin here, playing to the media is part of the game coaches use rhetoric all the time to try and gain an advantage. You can’t blame Martin for pointing out the obvious to the media. If he caught the ear of the refs more power to him that is part of the Pysche of the game. I don’t see why Rutherford is so mad by this. He has done the same thing in the past playing to the media. Every coach/gm/player does it. Someone give Rutherford a pacifier. — Rick
– Sounds like two guys just finding something to complain about. Here’s a thought or two… Don’t say you are afraid to say something!! That makes you weak. Second, don’t worry about how another coach/GM decides to run his team. If they are teaching players how to dive, let it happen. If they are teaching them how to get around the new hooking calls, let it happen. Bottom line, if you are not beating the other team, you are doing something wrong. — Dan
THE SCORES
Pogo — 18
Dan –25
Rick — 27
LS — 23
Sadly a person will now be eliminated..they will say their parting words and then go buh bye.
I used to do drugs, but not anymore. Quoth the Pogo…Nevermore!
Time for a Commercial Break….
This 30 seconds of silence brought to you is for my father who died 3 years ago today….this one is for you Dad.
Over/Under
Time to be like a Las Vegas bookie and come up with something good this week….not to eat as Halloween was last week.
The President’s Trophy winner this year will get 112 points…..over or under and why?
I’ll go with over. On paper it appeared the Detroit Red Wings would have the easiest schedule (don’t laugh) as they should be able to win the bulk of their 32 intra-divisional games… that is until the Central began to breathe life.
Now I see the Sens accomplishing this feat, keeping the President’s trophy back in the dismal Northeast Division. — LS
Over once again I think The Wings will take the Presidents Trophy, I figure they will have around 115 pts. Although the Central has improved its still not that strong of a division, last year Detriot had a team to battle with in Nashville and came out with 113 pts. This year they don’t have that force to stop them, yeah Chicago and the Jackets are improved, but the are still green and don’t know how to win on a consistant basis That is why it is logical to take the over on this one.
— Rick
– Definitely over. Ottawa and Detroit are already at 25 points, and well on their way to a great competition to who can bolster their stats before the playoffs. Not to ignore any of the other teams, as Carolina and Minnesota have shown flashes of brilliance, but Ottawa and Detroit seem to be in a class of their own. — Dan
Round 2 SCORES
Dan — 5
Rick — 5
LS — 4
Sadly…any last words…Mr. Commish????? Chuck Kobasew and Danada get their revenge tonight….goodbye!
THE SHOWDOWN (A Best Of 3)
1. What makes you so proficient at covering your favorite team?
With the Sabres I know everything about them the history, the owners, the front office. I know people who work for the organization that give information, whether it is about injuries or possible trades. I know the way Lindy Ruff thinks. Most important I have been with this team during everything its gone through thick and thin. How many fans can say they stuck with their team during a bankruptcy, 2 ownership changes, a strike and 2 lockouts. A fan that in 5th grade was writing get well letters to Clint Malarchuk when he was in the hospital near death from a laceration he recieved from a skate blade. A fan so dedicated he left a Bills- Oilers playoff game in 1993, in the middle of the Greatest comeback in NFL history so he could make it in time for the National Anthem at War Memorial Auditorium to see his beloved Sabres take on the Blues. With that dedication how can you doubt my ability to cover my team.
— Rick
– Center Ice. DVR. Call it what you want, nothing beats watching the game and breaking it down play by play. All media sources eventually show their bias views, whereas watching it live really gets you an exclusive on every play. — Dan
Wow….point to Rick….that was seriously impressive! As The Tick would say….WHOA!!
2. To you, who is the all time worst hockey wife and why?
Janet Jones-Gretzky, she forced Wayne Canada’s greatest son out of Edmonton so she could stay in Hollywood and make B movies like American Anthem. Everything that has happend in Wayne’s career since 1988 she has controlled. Whether it be him doing voice overs for Sat. morning cartoons to getting him to request to leave LA once she realized the only acting she could do would be on an infomercial. Now the succubus, goes and gambles Wayne’s money in Tocchet’s gambling ring, thus creating controversy around the most storied player in NHL history. To think Edmonton won a Cup in 90 without Wayne, imagine how many more they would have won going into the early 90’s with that roster.
— Rick
– What!? Fine.. Chris Pronger went from a massive presence in St. Louis to a sniveling loser after one year with Edmonton. Frankly, it is surprising that he was given the Captaincy, considering he doesn’t even have a pair of pants in his closet. — Dan
Pronger’s wife was the bigger arse no question….and Wayne was a pretty big arse for not going to the hospital when his wife got hurt at MSG.
Point To DANADA….
3. THN recently came up with a list of 100 impact hockey moments….in the top twenty….was the neutral zone trap….which has been kind of deemed dead. Now is it really?
As long as coaches like Jaques Lemaire are in the NHL there will always be a trap. They thrive on it and do not know how to coach wide open hockey. Now it may not the traditional trap we saw in the 90s but an imitation of it.
This season I have seen more blue line to blue line action than any since the lock-out. Teams are playing 2 guys at the blueline and three back in the zone, making it impossible to penetrate the zone. Shots and scoring are down. This is something that turns the casual fan off the game and ultimately will lead to MLS having higher scores than hockey.
People want to see scoring along with great defensive play and amazing goaltending. A netminder facing 15 shots because the other team can not gain the blueline because there is 5 guys in the box, 2 holding them up at the line and 3 back to clear the puck after its dumped. They want to see teams skate, defenseman block shots or break up an offensive flury. Goalies stand on there heads.
Not a team gains center ice dumps the puck, puck gets cleared, other team recovers……… repeat…… I love this game and I hate seeing it. — Rick
– Depends on how a team is playing. I think all coaches are open to the opportunity of ruining another teams chances by choking them with the trap.. It gives the younger, less talented teams a chance to go deep into the playoffs without an explosive offense. Edmonton perfected it against the Red Wings only a couple years ago.. I think it is just starting to get utilized correctly in the new NHL. — Dan
POINT AND GAME TO THE RICK….cue the trumpet baby!!!!!
Face Time with Mr. Rick…..
Ok to my fans………….. I am going to give you a task find my new avatar. I need to a new one up. I will leave it to you to find it and from your suggestions I will make a poll of the ones I like best and let you my FANS decide.
Btw I think he needs it by Friday! — Chris
