Playoff-Itis

Are you suffering from Playoff-itis?
It's time to dive right in and tackle the horrible disease which comes over all hockey fans at some point during their hockey watching.
If you're suffering from this terrible disease I am here to help!

What is Playoff-Itis-
Playoff-itis is a terrible thing which makes even the most die hard hockey fans not want to watch hockey, specifically in the playoffs! It's when you change the channel from a playoff hockey game to American Idol, where you'd rather chat to friends on Facebook/Twitter instead of watching the game. The most drastic of all, when you are willing to go to the washroom during a period of hockey! Playoff-Itis is most prevalent during the playoffs which usually kicks in around the 2nd round and can last for a whole round of playoff hockey!

Causes-
What causes you to have playoff-itis

• When your team has failed to make the playoffs, or have been eliminated in the first round causing you to be bitter towards the other teams.
• When the outcome of a hockey game is decided within the first two periods, giving you no reason to continue watching the game.
• When all the teams you sort of like lose and you hate all the other teams.
• When you have to jump from bandwagon to bandwagon during the playoffs. Constantly changing the team you support which becomes draining.
• Being chirped for jumping on another teams bandwagon!
• When you really could care less about the two teams that are playing, and secretly wish they could both lose.
• When all the other series' finish, and you're just waiting for that one series that decides they're going to go to 7 games and delay everything.
• When a goalie decides they're going to be all good and not let the other team score, making for a long game.
• When a rookie goalie is shutting down when of the best teams in the league.
• When you don't like the people who are commentating the game.
• When the game becomes boring.

Symptoms-

How to know you are suffering, if you find yourself doing any of the following symptoms you are likely suffering! 

• Changing the channel while the game is being played.
• Deciding it would be less painful to watch wannabe singers on American Idol
• When you'd rather talk to your friends during the game. (Not on intermission but during game action)
• When you're paying more attention to your twitter feed than the game.
• When you start listening to what your parents are saying to you during the game.
• When your mom asks you to find something more exciting on TV, and you agree.
• When you don't even turn on the hockey game.
• When you just can't get into a playoff series or the two teams playing in the series. 
• When you care less about a big save or a big hit that happened in the game.
• Doing homework instead of watching the game.
• Playing NHL 12 instead of watching the game. You decide to make you dream playoff match up while playing the game.
• When you start looking at who your team might draft and what moves they're going to make this offseason.
• When you fall asleep during the game. 
• When you start to think you can play better than the NHL players.
• When you STOP yelling at the TV when you disagree with a call.
• When you don't want the game to go to overtime. 

Treatment-

How to get over your Playoff-Itis before it's too late!

• Forse yourself to watch the game no matter how painful it may be.
• Do all necessary research on a team before you bandwagon the team, so you don't get made fun of.
• Watch YouTube videos of your favourite team (that failed to make the playoffs) to help get you in the mood.
• Remember that the playoffs are a such a high level of hockey, and your team wasn't up to that level. So this is an opportunity to watch top notch hockey.
• If you like a feel good story cheer for the underdog!
• Watch the game not from the perspective of a fan of the teams playing but more of a fan of the game of hockey.
• Make sure you get a good nights rest especially after a late OT game, or you will be to tired and un-enthused towards the next game. 
• Watch as many hockey highlights as you possibly can to put you back in the hockey loving mood.
• Convince some friends to watch the game with, whether they like hockey or not.
• When watching a hockey playoff game specify it with a specific food to get you excited. (Eat Nachos while watch series #1 and eat KD during series #2- @Sabrefreakydeak)
• Specifically root against the team one of your twitter friends are rooting for! This will add a little more excitement and add a little bit of a rivalry with your friend, not to mention bragging rights when your team kicks butt! (@LuvBuffaloSport)
• Or cheer for a team to make new twitter friends.
• Wager some friendly bets on twitter, (making the person who lost have to change their avi to the other teams, Shoutouts or just flat out bragging rights!)
• By a new jersey or t-shirt to up your team spirit. 
• Just remember your love for the game and why you love it.

If you or a loved one are suffering from this terrible disease please read this to get you back in touch with your hockey mojo. Playoff-Itis is a real and horrible thing that needs to be ended immediately, if we can save even 1 hockey fan from their suffering then the hockey community will be a better place!

I know how painful it is to not be able to watch your team play during the playoffs, but together we can enjoy watching playoff hockey and conqour Playoff-Itis!

*Note this blog is just for fun*

Interview with Mike Eruzione

So how many of you have seen the movie "Miracle on Ice"?

Probably the majority of you, today I got a great treat for you guys I had the pleasure of having an interview with the captain of that 1980 United States Winter Olympic team Mike Eruzione!

Eruzione was drafted 28th overall by the New England Whalers in 1974. He played twice with the United States Olympic team, and scored the game winning goal against the Soviets and helped the US win the gold medal against Finland!  

Without further a due here's the email with Mike Eruzione:

1) Who did you look up to when you were younger? 

My parents

2) What is the greatest memory you've had as a hockey player? 

Beating Finland to win the Gold

3) If you could meet any NHL player in the league (past and preasent), who would it be?

 I’ve met most of the great ones so maybe Glenn Hall

4)  What was your favorite NHL team growing up? 

Chicago black hawks

5) What are your interests outside of hockey?

 Golf and more golf

6) How did it feel to be the captian of Team USA in the Olympics? 

It was a great honor but I also had a team of captains

7) What were your emotions when you beat the Soviets and moved on to beat Finland for the Gold medal? 

Excited and proud we worked hard to get to where we were.so our emotions were pretty high

8) What made you decide to stand up against legendary coach Herb Brooks after the tie against Norwegian National Team in the scrimage when he was drilling you guys with endless "Herbies"? Also how did it feel when you did that? 

Don’t believe everything you watched in the movie, it was a team stand..

9) Do you ever think there will be another "Miracle on Ice?"

 I hope so but with the pro’s playing we are now considered one of the favorites, I hope we win gold every time we play

10) Were you worried to play the Soviets after the loss in the scrimage against them in MSG? 

 no, we were a different team the 2^nd time we played, much more confident and playing much better

11) Has anything in the world ever compared to feeling after scoring such a big goal in the Olympics? (refering to the GW goal against the Soviets)

Yes the birth of my 3 children was greater

Check out Josh Edwards version of the interview here!

Cup Favorites Early Exit

Sunday was a great day for a lot of hockey fans, particularly fans who don't like the Vancouver Canucks and or the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both the Penguins and Canucks were eliminated from Stanley Cup contention after losing their first round series'. It's not every day the 2 teams picked by so many to face off for hockey's ultimate prize get eliminated in the first round!

Flyers win the series 4-2 over the Penguins
It's really weird knowing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, arguably 2 of the 3 best players in the world are no longer in playoffs. I didn't think the Penguins would be able to beat the Flyers, but I thought they would be able to put up more of a fight, they really made the Flyers job pretty easy. Malkin decided to take the first round of the playoffs off and it cost his team. As soon as the opponents realize that Malkin wasn't doing anything they turned all their attention to Crosby, and 99% of the time not even Crosby can beat 5 opposing players. It was a rough series for the Penguins and they just couldn't bounce back after some shaky goaltending. Bottom line though is key players for the Flyers stepped up while key players for the Penguins did not!

3 reasons the Penguins lost


1. Goaltending: I don't know what happened to Fleury but he was not the goaltender he was all season or in past seasons, he let in suspect goals, goals at the worst times and he just looked shaky. The Pens  scored a few key goals to take the lead, but a couple minutes later the refs were fishing the puck out of the back of the Pens net. For whatever reason the Penguins didn't get the goaltending they needed to advance in the playoffs. The only thing that keeps the Pens in the series at all was, Ilya Bryzgalov didn't play that much better than Fleury.

2. Star Players: The Penguins star players really didn't step up and help the Pens. Malkin, Crosby and Neal were all pretty much absent during the series, the three combined for just 8 goals in 6 games, heck the Flyers Claude Giroux had 6 goals and 14 points in the 6 games! Giroux and Daniel Briere carried the Flyers offensively during the season and showed some great leadership. What everyone forgets is the Flyers are doing all this without their Captain Chris Pronger who has been out for the majority of the season!
People talk about Crosby being the best player in the world, but right now the best player in the league/world is Claude Giroux. He was a clutch player for the Flyers and contributed in every game.

3. Discipline: The Flyers were able to get under the Penguins skin and bait them into taking stupid penalties. It was most evident in game 3. The Pens lost their composure, and tried to out tough their opponents which was never going to happen! Philly was able to get into their heads and throw them off their game.

LA Kings win the series 4-1 over the Vancouver Canucks
Most of Canada rejoices with me as the Vancouver Canucks are eliminated from the playoffs and may have just wasted their last chance to dominate the league and win a Stanley Cup.
You have to believe with this loss there will be some major changes coming in Vancouver; first of all they need decide if they're keeping Loungo or shipping him out of town, right now all signs point to him leaving, especially after the Canucks virtually told him they have more faith in Schnieder (after game 4 and 5 starts), there are also rumblings of a coaching change in Vancouver, and who knows if the free agents will stay or go! This was probably the Canucks last chance to make it far with their current roster. Just goes to show that 2 presidents trophies don't mean anything, as the Canucks still have not won a cup. I saw an interesting tweet earlier: "Giving a team the Presidents Trophy, is like giving a student an award for having the highest mark in the class before the exam!" Seems like the Canucks can't seem to pass the biggest test!

3 reasons the Canucks lost

1. The absence of Daniel Sedin: One thing fans noticed is that 1 Sedin without the other is pretty much useless. Henrik did nothing during the first 3 games while his brother was injured. It was obvious he didn't have the good chemistry with his line mates! As soon as Daniel was back he started to score again, and compete harder. Without his brother Henrik looked lost out on the ice, seems like Daniel may be the anchor between the twins. Without Daniel and Henrik scoring the rest of the Canucks weren't able to pick up the slack and ultimately the Canucks got outplayed.

2. Didn't win at home: The Canucks lost all 3 games at the Rogers Centre in Vancouver, during last seasons playoff run the Canucks won every single game 1 at home which put them in a nice spot. But Vancouver was not able to win a single home game this series.

3. Started the wrong goalie: Now this isn't a criticism towards Roberto Loungo, as he surprisingly played really well, his team just couldn't score. But we've seen for the last little while that the Canucks are a different and arguably better team when Cory Schnieder is net, which is why I believe the Canucks will keep Schnieder. But neither goalie got any support from the team, so the goalies are not to fault for this early exit!

The Canucks are not the same team that went to the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, They seemed weaker and not as ready to battle this season, and got outplayed by the Kings.

It's a tough break for the two Stanley Cup favorites, but perhaps a lesson well learned for both teams. The regular season (Presidents trophy) means nothing come playoff time and reputation means even less. Teams must stick to their true identities and not change their game to play like their opponents, for some reason the Pens weren't confident playing with their own style and tried to play the Flyers type of hockey!

Now let's see how the Bruins do...

The Truth about Crosby

First off I just want to say, this blog is not talking about Crosby's skill level. There is no question, he is a phenomenal hockey player, and arguably one of the best to ever play the game. He saved the Pittsburgh Penguins' franchise and brought more attention to the NHL. Sid the kid is one of the league's most valuable players. But sometimes the truth hurts, people need to wake up and realize that Sidney Crosby is not the little angel that everyone thinks he is!

When I evaluate hockey players there are three things I am looking for: Passion, Skill/Talent and Respect for the game. Crosby has the passion, he wants to win and be one of the most dominant hockey players in the league. He obviously has the skill, he's won a Stanley Cup, played in the Olympics and scored the Gold Medal winning goal. Sid makes everyone on the ice around him better. That to me is a sign of an amazing hockey player. But then you come to the last factor; respect for the game, and when I watch Sidney Crosby play the game I see a lack of respect for the game. 

Now I'm not going to go all the way and say that Crosby is a dirty hockey player, because he isn't. But he is to quote Mike Milbury "A punk". He takes cheap shots at people, punches them in the face, slashes them, hits them from behind all stuff a little angel isn't supposed to do. But then as soon as somebody touches the kid, he falls/dives and then screams bloody murder at the referee's demanding a penalty. If you're going to dish it out, you have to be ready to get it back!

Crosby for obvious reasons has the NHL and the referees eating out of his hand, you constantly see him yapping with the refs between the whistles. Other hockey players hate this! Since Crosby get's away with everything it comes down to the other players to "keep him in check". They're sending a message to Crosby, that they're seeing everything he does out there and they aren't going to let it go like the refs and the league.

He's the player that everyone loves to hate, and before his first concussion incident he was nicknamed "crybaby". Ever since he entered the NHL in 2005 he has been diving, and whining to the refs. When a young player comes into the league you expect it to happen, since the player is generally smaller and a little intimidated.  In Crosby's rookie season he became the first rookie to record both 100 points and 100 penalty minutes and was always complaining to the referee's. But normally as a young hockey player matures, they stop whining and complaining and just play the game, but Crosby hasn't stopped whining!

This sounds bad but when Crosby wasn't playing (due to injury) the game was more peaceful. Players weren't whining and diving half as much, and there were no coaching fights. Now that he's back it took him roughly 11 games to turn the league upside down, players like Crosby are the reason the game is changing and not in a good way. I'm not talking about hits to the head that cause concussions because those hits do need to go. But considering the league has already said if there is a rematch of the Stanley Cup finals with the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins, the league is going to have a talk with the referees and get them to crack down on the Bruins physicality. You know the game is going down the wrong path.

Sidney Crosby reminds me of the Canuck's Alex Burrows from earlier on in his career. Burrows dove all the time, complained to the media and referees, and even went as far as claiming that a referee had a "personal vendetta" against him. Then there was the whole "biting finger incident" in the Cup finals. But it seems like Burrows has turned a corner in his career, as we haven't heard any controversy surrounding him as of late. Now Burrows isn't of the same importance to the NHL that Crosby is but it's pretty much the same type of scenario.

One of the major annoying things with Crosby, is the fact he rarely fights! If you're going to take cheap shots at other players you need to answer the bell and fight, instead Crosby just skates away like he's done nothing wrong and then has a horrified look on his face when a player hits or slashes him! Grow up Crosby stop being such a diva and have some respect for your opponents and the game!

The major problem behind Crosby being the way he is, is because he's a major diva. All throughout his career ever since he was a little kid he got what he wanted, he became the captain of the Penguins at 19, the NHL and Garry Bettman worship the ground Crosby walks on!

Lately there have been a lot of questions about Crosby's character, and we're starting to see why. He takes cheap shots behind the play (which camera operators have been instructed not to show us replays of), whines at the referee's and the media, and can't handle what he dishes out. Bottom line, he's a diva who needs to grow up and mature a bit more. I don't think he should have been named captain so young, he wasn't ready and it's gone straight to his head.

No question Crosby is a superb hockey player and a huge star, but he needs to stop being a whiner and a diva. He's like that annoying little brother who you just want to punch in the face but your parents won't let you! If Crosby keeps pushing the envelope with cheap hits, one day someone is going to level him and it will be the last we hear from Sidney Crosby. The sad thing is it will Crosby's fault, you could say, he has it coming! This is not the legacy most players would aspire to.

Crosby Who?

Having Sidney Crosby back in the Penguins lineup undoubtedly makes them a major threat in the postseason, they're coming off an 11 game win streak (9 of those without Crosby) Which makes you wonder - is Crosby all that crucial to the Penguins? I heard an interesting quote on Sportscentre a couple mornings ago; "The Penguins getting Crosby back, is like Bill Gates winning the lottery!" It's nice but not needed. It feels weird saying the Penguins don't need perhaps the best NHL star since Wayne Gretzky, but thanks to a couple underdogs stepping up to the plate, Crosby is now just another offensive weapon that the Penguins can unleash on their opponents.

Crosby is Back
You honestly can't talk about the Penguins without mentioning Sidney Crosby, Trust me this blog is more about how the Pens don't need him this season. But you can't not mention the Leagues best player.
Crosby is back from a 3 month layoff, he's played 4 games (Rangers, Devils, Flyers, Jets). During those four games Crosby has collected 9 assists, and has helped bring the Penguins within 1 point of the Eastern Conference leading Rangers. Last night against the Jets Crosby had 4 assists alone, he seems to be able to dish the puck, but when's he going to score a goal? Good news for the NHL and hockey fans everywhere, Sid the Kid is back!

Four Players who stepped up
The Penguins have won 44 games this season the majority of those with Crosby, so there obviously the Penguins have had players step up and play a bigger role on the team; Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, James Neal and Matt Cooke are a few of the players that have really changed their game this season.

Evgeni Malkin
You can't say enough about the play of Malkin this season in the absence of Crosby, right now this is Malkin's team. He single handily took it upon himself to put the team on his back, and proved a lot of critics wrong. I didn't think Malkin was capable of leading this Penguins team without Crosby helping, but he's really stepped up and out of the shadows to lead this team. He is hands down the MVP of the Penguins season and leading a candidate for the Hart trophy, personally I think he's a shoe in for the Hart trophy after everything he's done for the Pens. He's also in the hunt and currently leading the race for the Art Ross trophy. In 64 games Malkin has scored 43 goals and added 50 assists to make 93 points on the season, giving him the league lead in points. Malkin has been amazing in the midst of this playoff hunt (even though the Pens are in the playoffs) and arguably in the toughest division in the league, he's been on fire and consistent all year long.
Malkin's dominance started during the beginning of December, in 47 games since he started scoring goals like it was his day job; 34 goals and 86 points, and in no coincidence the Penguins have won 30 of those games. No question that Malkin has been an important part, if not the most important part of this team, and I really hope fans don't just forget what he's done for this team, just because Crosby is back. This Penguins team in under Malkin's control this season, if I had a vote for MVP it would go to Malkin. It's just amazing what he's been able to do, he proved me and other critics wrong and I tip my hat to him!
Last night against the Jets, Malkin scored his 200th career goal and was showered with "MVP" chants during the game.

Kris Letang
Letang is an underrated player in the league and on the Penguins, he's one of my favorite defenceman. I love the way he plays the game, the leadership and how crucial he is to the Penguins yet still flies under the radar to most.  I remember watching Sportscenter and hearing them talk about how great Crosby will be for the Penguins in the playoffs, but one of the analysts piped up and said; "I think it would be a worse case scenario for the Penguins if Letang was unavailable for the playoffs rather than Crosby being unavailable." That speaks volumes to me, Letang being more valuable to the Penguins than Crosby, that's remarkable. It's been a rough season for Letang, who like Crosby has suffered through concussions, Letang returned from his second concussion the same night Crosby returned, but unlike his teammate Letang's return lacked press, media attention and his own camera on game night. In Letang's return, he played 24 minutes, and had a career high +5 in the game not bad considering he hadn't put on a jersey since February! Before his first concussion back in November 2011, Letang was a front runner for the Norris trophy; averaging 25 minutes a night, 32 points and 3 game winning goals in just 41 games. Letang was added to the 2012 all star game as a replacement, despite only playing 26 games. In the 2010-2011 season he was the Penguins 2nd leading scorer behind only Crosby with 50 points.
Kris Letang has quite the resume; already a Stanley Cup winner, 2 time all star, and a 2 time gold medal winner at the world juniors, the 62nd pick in the 2005 draft has made quite the name for himself. He was also named the Penguins rookie of the year in 2007-2008, in 299 career NHL games, Letang has 29 goals and 100 assists for 129 points (not including this season). The future is bright for the 24 year old Penguins defencman, and the Penguins are lucky to have this guy anchoring their blue line.

James Neal
This kid has come out of nowhere, early on in the season when he was turning kids I admit I hadn't heard of so I had to go look him up. After a hat trick in the game last night against the Jets, Neal has 35 goals which puts him 4th in the league! Add on his 37 assists, and he's got 72 points this season, far above his totals with the Dallas Stars and he's still got some games to add on to his totals! The way James Neal has stepped up during the absence of Crosby is scary good, if he can do the majority of his scoring without Sid around, what can he do with him around?
Due to his amazing play this season, which has resulted in career high for Neal, the Penguins resigned him for 6 years at $5 million a year. Neal has showed great leadership on the Pens this season, and is now one of the top go to players this season. With 70 points this season, Neal becomes the first Penguins winger to score 70 points since 2001-2002.
It's quite funny actually, although Neal had a hat trick and an assist last night against the Jets, all anyone wants to talk about is Sidney Crosby's 4 points last night.

Matt Cooke
The guy they call Cookie, was, at one point in his 11 year NHL career one of the most feared NHL players. Not because of goal scoring ability but because of his questionable hits that have left players concussed and even ended careers.  In those 11 NHL seasons between the Canucks, Capitals and Penguins he has racked up 988 penalty points! His worst year being 2010-2011 where he had 129 penalty minutes and really hurt his team with his suspensions. But something has clicked in Cooke's head and he's changed his game around, I won't get into it all as it'll be in a later blog, but Cooke's transformation is incredible, he's even set a career highs with 16 goals and will likely set a career high in points by the end of the season. But what's most remarkable is the fact he has just 30 penalty minutes this season an all time low! By playing cleaner, less dirty hockey he's helping his team by staying out of the box (both penalty and press) and staying on the ice and contributing in a positive way.

The Penguins are definitely happy to have their star player back, but it wasn't like they were desperate to have Crosby back. They had several players stepping up and putting points on the board, they're in the playoff picture and just 1 point back of first, something tells me they would have been fine without Crosby.
With the Penguins having Crosby, Malkin, Letang Staal and several other players in their lineup it's almost an unfair advantage to their opponents. So now that the Penguins have Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Cooke, Staal, Letang does this make the Penguins Stanley Cup favorites?
This blog was to remind people about some of the role players who have stepped up during Sidney's absence, let's not forget the people who have stepped up and carried this Penguins team. Just because Crosby's back doesn't mean we should forget their contribution!


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Unleash your inner Beast

The Sabres have been on a surreal run in the second half of the season; 9-9-2 in the last 13 games the Sabres have gone from 15th in the east to 9th just 2 points back of 8th place. If the Sabres are to make the playoffs it will be historic, no team has ever come back from 15th at the all star break to make the playoffs. There's still work left for the Sabres to make a full comeback and sneak into the playoffs; but with the play of Miller, Ennis, the third line and the new "beastness" Tyler Myers has found I wouldn't bet against the Sabres quite yet. There have been three "beasts" for the Sabres as of late: Ryan Miller, Tyler Ennis and Tyler Myers, today we'll be talking about the later.

Myers has been on fire of late and last night against the Canadians he scored the OT winner, and likely saved the season/playoff push. The tying goal being scored with .4 seconds left was a potential back breaker for the Sabres, if they hadn't rallied together and scored the OT winner, then our playoff push, everything that's been happening for the last couple months would be for nothing, it would have broken this team mentally and they likely would not have been able to rebound from it. But 2:02 into OT the Sabres had a 3 on 2 rush into the Habs zone, Derek Roy sent a beautiful pass over to Myers who made no mistake and buried the game winner! I'm going out on a limb and saying Tyler Myers is the dark horse MVP of the Sabres this season; he had a rough start to the season, he got benched, got hurt, then came back and recently has been on fire! With his overtime goal last night, Myers solidified his name in the Sabres records; his OT goal was his 8th game winning goal of his career which ties him for the lead for Sabres defense with Brian Campbell and Alexei Zhitnik. It was also Myers 3rd career overtime goal which puts him in first among all Sabres defenseman! Not bad for a guy who was being thrown under the bus at the beginning of the season.

Myers "coming out party" for the season was the game against Anaheim, when he got in his first fight and recorded 7 penalty minutes. At the end of the game in which the Sabres beat the Ducks, a scrum ensued and Myers dropped the mitts with Sheldon Brookbank. The passion in his eyes during that fight spoke volumes, he literally looked like he wanted to rip Brookbank to shreds! But that moment was so extremely important for Myers, he's starting to come out of his shell and take a leadership role on the team, and that's what the Sabres are looking for from their gentle giant. The Sabres drafted Myers and signed him long-term so he could be their next "franchise players," perhaps a future captain, Norris trophy and hopefully bringing the Cup home to Buffalo! The Sabres have big plans for the kid, and he's starting to understand his role more and more, and the fact that he can and should take a leadership role. Since his fight against Brookbank, I've noticed a more relaxed and pumped up defenseman. He's hitting harder, playing smarter defense, taking more chances/shots, jumping up in the play and really laying down the foundation for an excellent defense game in the future. I'm really excited to see Myers develop further in the future; he's going to be a great defenseman.

I love watching Myers on the ice right now, he's so full of confidence, he commits fully to a hit or poke check and doesn't chicken out, he's not afraid to rush the puck and shoot. Although his numbers are down this season (8 goals 13 assists), he's starting to really find his game. But what I really like from this "new" Sabres season in the second half, is how they're banding together and starting to play for their line mates, defensive partners and teammates-- they know how important these games are to the team, the fans and each other and they're finally playing that way. The embrace between Miller and Tyler Ennis after the shootout against Ottawa on Saturday shows it all, these guys are finally playing like a team. It's not just an individual effort each night anymore, they have faith in each other. When Miller was asked what was different about his game in the second half he said "I've learned to TRUST my teammates more!" A good hockey team, and a team that wins a Stanley Cup is team that plays for each other!

The only blunder in Myers game as of late, was the hit from behind on Scott Gomez last night. It was a bit of retaliation for a hit Gomez put on Myers, but Myers is the one meeting with Brendan Shanahan today. I'm guessing he'll receive a 3 game suspension or a $2,500 fine; nothing to serious but serious enough to get the point across, good news is Myers isn't a repeat offender. The hit looked viscous but Gomez did leave himself open for the hit, but Myers did hit him with a little extra aggression. So look for a wrist slap attention grabber.

This Sabres team is dangerous; they're coming together, players are playing amazing, Miller is back, Myers is out of his shell and the shorties (Ennis and Gerbe) are playing like they're 6 feet tall!
I wouldn't underestimate this team, in fact if I were the Rangers I'd be rooting for someone else to take 8th!

Trading places

Well with the trade deadline coming near, it's time for trade rumours to start picking up. Who's buying, who's selling; Will the Sabres trade Miller, will the Ducks finally trade Bobby Ryan? All questions will soon be answered; but for now, here's my list of the 10 players, that will most likely be getting a change of scenery. Heads up this is a list of players that will be off the market by the Feb 27th Trade deadline; meaning they may have already been moved.


1. Ales Hemsky; Edmonton Oilers;
As has been the case for a few years now, the Oilers are currently sitting outside of the playoff picture, and they have awoken from their dream start of the season. Right now the Oilers need a shakeup, whether in the form of another skilled youngster, or the shape of a grizzled veteran that will add depth and leadership to this young Oiler hockey squad. So why Hemsky, because he's a free agent at the end of the season; If you trade him now and get something for him, or let him walk for free at the end of the season. Plus there is a little talk the Sabres may be interested in acquiring Hemsky. However poor play and missing time due to injury are not helping Hemsky's cause to a) stay with the Oilers or b) a decent trade to be made.


2. Hal Gill; Montreal Canadians
After what transpire with Cammaleri and the general poor play of the Habs, the Canadians are in selling mode; dump players that aren't contributing and clear up some cap space. Plus what team wouldn't want Gill? A tall, tough serviceable defenceman that plays a solid defensive game,  and had a Stanley Cup on his resume. Gill would be an easy deal for the Habs.
Also look for the Canadians to ship out a few players in around the trade deadline period; they need to sell not buy!


3. Drew Stafford/Derek Roy; Buffalo Sabres

Well what can I say about abysmal season the Sabres have been in, heck have we even been playing hockey?! One thing's clear, there needs to be a shake up in Buffalo, Trading Miller before the deadline is too big a move and unlikely to happen. So who's next on the list; Derek Roy and Drew Stafford, two players who are massively underperforming to say the least. Stafford has shown that he can score and score in bunches, plus his $4 million dollar cap hit, isn't a huge amount for most teams. The Sabres have already been shopping Derek Roy around and have found some interest around the league. Roy is a good player, who can produce and add some leadership, and is just having a tough go in Buffalo and could benefit from a change in scenery. Plus Anahiem has shown interest in both Roy and Stafford, which would help clear up cap space for the Sabres.


4. Shane Doan; Pheonix Coyotes
Not too much to this rumor except for the fact, Doan may want to experience some playoff success once in his career, and the Coyotes owe it to Doan to give him to a decent team, after all he's done by staying with them all his career. This is similar to the situation the Sabres found themselves in by helping Dominic Hasek get to the Red Wings years ago.


5. Nazem Kadri/Luke Schenn; Toronto Maple Leafs
Now I put Kadri and Schenn together for 1 reason; they will likely be involved in a big package deal; There are talks that Kari, Schenn and a first rounder will be shipped off to the Flyers for James Van Reimsdieyk.
Any deal the Leafs make will likely include either or both Kadri and Schenn. A solid defenceman who eats big minutes, plus a young prospect. Although Bozak is getting the job done, the Leafs need a true number one centre if they want to go far in the post season, plus with injured players returning with in the coming weeks, the roster is over flowing. I sense a trade!


6. Derrick Brassard; Columbus Blue Jackets
Brassard is a player who never really lived up to the expectations that come with being a top 10 draft pick.
Ever since the Blue Jackets started playing poorly they have been shopping players around, waiting for the best deal. Brassard is one of the players the Blue Jackets have been showcasing, plus he would provide some depth to a team needing scoring from the bottom 6.
With the firing of the head coach last week, there are rumbles that Brassard may be off the table*.


7. Ryan Suter; Nashville Predators
The Predators need a major shakeup if they want to go further in the playoffs than the first round. Suter is a free agent at the end of the season, and could land a major offensive return, that the Predators are in dire need of.


8. Zach Parise: New Jersey Devils

Parise is having a fairly decent year with the Devils and they aren't too keen on trading the 24 year old, but he is a free agent at the end of the season, and could walk away for nothing, something the Devils are not about to let happen. The problem the Devils face is whether they want to sign him to a 4 year extension for big money. My gut tells me Parise will be on the move.


9. Travis Moen: Montreal Canadians
As previously stated the Canadians are going to be sellers at trade deadline, they have a lot of pieces that can be moved and clear up salary cap space. Moen is a solid 3rd line player, who doesn't come with a huge price tag. Moen is likely to be sought after a ton before the trade deadline. Teams like the Sabres who need to get bigger would be happy to take Moen.


10. Tuomo Ruutu; Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are more than likely to be sellers come trade deadline. A player that can and will cause a fair amount of attention is Ruutu. He would help an offensively struggling team down the stretch, and could see some much wanted playoff action. Not to mention Ruutu is a free agent at the end of the season, and could walk away for nothing from the Hurricanes.


Take a look at the list and see how it affects your team, remember these deals are hypothetical and may not happen, so don't freak because your favorite player is on the List.
Bobby Ryan and Ryan Miller are not on this list for a couple of reasons

Ryan will most likely not be moved before the trade deadline; thus giving more teams a chance to negotiate with the Ducks, and give them a bigger return.
Ryan Miller will not be traded mid season; no gaurantees the Sabres will keep him but he will not be moved mid season. Too much money for a goalie who isn't stopping the puck, and to difficult to negotiate.

2012 Winter Classic

Yesterday the NHL took the game of hockey back where it all started, outdoors. What began as a dream for young kids skating on backyard rinks and frozen ponds, became their reality when they made it to the NHL. Monday afternoon 40 professional hockey players got to be kids again, enjoying the game in the great outdoors, where it all started. Monday Afternoon marked the 5th time, a NHL hockey game had been played outdoors, this years match up was between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers ended up winning the game 3-2, and moved 4 points up on the Flyers for 1st in the East.

Ever heard of Michael Rupp? No, well don't worry I hadn't either. Well I've heard of Michael Rupp the fighter, but the goal scorer? Believe it or not it was the goal scoring of Rupp and the goal stopping ability of Lundqvist that stole the show, and helped the Rangers stay in first. The game was actually fairly decent; the weather co-operated, there were tons of goals scored (sort of), and there was drama, lots of drama. The HBO 24/7 crew could not have scripted the game any better, than it ended up; Let's look into some of the drama;

Right away, after the Canadian National Anthem was sung, the whole ball park erupted into what sounded like a chorus of "boo's", which gave everyone who disliked the Flyers and their fans, more reason to not like them. There was also suspicion that a picture of Claude Giroux had been placed on the jumbo screen and the fans were chanting "roooo". But I personally like the first situation better, so that's what I'm going to stick with. Next up on the drama stage was an apparent injury to Jagr. After the first period Jagr never stepped foot on the ice, and had his "butt nailed to the bench" as the commentators stated at least 8 times. Jagr said his leg had swelled up and just couldn't skate properly. "It was getting worse and worse," he said. "I just couldn't skate hard, and I didn't want to be there (just) to be there. I knew at that point I couldn't help my teammates." Despite the Flyers being without Jagr and their captain Pronger, they jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second period. With Jagr being out, Giroux had all eyes on him, and he didn't let anyone down, he scored the the Flyers 2nd goal and re-took the lead as the NHL's leading scorer. 
Oh and how could I forget, Brayden Schenn scored his first NHL goal! Could a player have a better game to score his first goal in? I couldn't be happier for the junior Schenn, it's been a rough year for him, since being acquired by the Flyers in June. He was unable to crack the roster out of training camp due to a shoulder injury, then when he finally got his chance in the NHL he broke his foot blocking a shot in his 4th game, then 2 games after he returned, he went down with a mild concussion. He finally returned to the line-up December 27th. Through the 37 games so far this season, Schenn has played in 18 of them, but failed to record his first NHL goal. Scoring in the Winter Classic, kind of makes up for the rough start, and hopefully is the start of things to come for Brayden. I've always liked Brayden Schenn since his World Junior day, this kid is going to be a top notch players in years to come. Speaking of players that have been injured this season; the Rangers welcomed back injured defenceman Marc Staal, on Monday afternoon. Staal wanted to play in the Winter Classic, and got his wish. Staal had missed all 37 prior games due to a concussion. He averaged around 12 minutes of ice time, but had a difficult time with the pace of the game, so Rangers head coach, Tortorella limited his play. Flyers fans were quite excited and confident that their team would hold on for a victory. But que the unlikely hero; Mike Rupp, despite playing just 7 mins and 34 seconds of the game, the Winter Classic veteran came up big and ultimately saved the Rangers bacon. Just 30 seconds after Giroux scored giving the Flyers a 2-0 lead, Rupp scored his first goal of the game, and got the crowed stirred up after giving them the Jagr salute. When asked about the goal, Rupp played innocent, claiming he didn't even know that was Jagr's move. The move landed Rupp as a trending topic world wide on Twitter, as his agent Allan Walsh noted. But Rupp wasn't done their, 2:41 into the 3rd period, he scored his second goal of the game, and tied the game up at 2's. Rupp had played in last years instalment of the Winter Classic as a member of the Penguins, a game in which he took a beating. He was one of the few Rangers who had skated outdoors in the Winter Classic before, and gave an inspiring pre game speech. The the big free agent fish Brad Richards potted the 3rd Rangers goal a mere 3 minus after Rupp's goal. Richards goal proved to be the game winner. 
Then with 20 seconds left the referees awarded a penalty shot to Daniel Briere. This was really, the most dramatic scenario in the entire game; a penalty shot, 20 seconds left, and a one goal game, plus their probably shouldn't have been a penalty shot in the first place. Never the less is was Daniel Briere vs. King Lundqvist with 20 seconds left, the game on the line; Lundqvist stood strong and stopped Briere, helping ice the victory for the Rangers. Briere gave credit to the likely Vezina trophy candidate after the game; "This game was going to overtime. That's all I had in my mind as I stood at centre ice and waited to take the penalty shot in the last minute today. Coming in on Lundqvist, I had beaten him once on the blocker side, once on the glove side. He had stopped me a couple times before as well in shootouts, but I was still convinced I was going to score. I tried to surprise him with a quick little shot, unfortunately he was quicker than me. I've got to give him credit for that."  Lundqvist was the story of the game, and arguably stole the game for the Rangers, making 34 saves and a .944 save percentage. But the intense nail biting drama didn't stop after the final buzzer ended the game; Rangers head coach John Tortorella, made his feelings known about the officiating of the winter classic; “It started with the non-call [when] Gabby was pitch-forked in the stomach, and then everything starts going against us. They’re two good referees; I thought the game was refereed horribly. "So I’m not sure what happened there. Maybe they wanted to get it to an overtime. I’m not sure if they have meetings about that or what. But we stood in there. They’re good guys. But in that third period, it was disgusting.” Tortorella didn't stop there; he then raised the notion of the NBC and the refs having a meeting to send the game into OT. A conspiracy if you will. I think there has to be some truth to what Tortorella was talking about, OT equals more excitement, which equals better ratings and more money for both the NHL and NBC.

And who could forget when the news broke that the Flyers would not be starting Ilya Bryzgalov in the Winter Classic. Fans and media heard the news from Bryzgalov, who had not been given permission to tell the media about it. Then he jokes that his team would actually have a chance to win, with him sitting on the bench. Many thought Brzgalov was out of line, some think he's a $51 million train wreck, but few found his little act funny. But as Don Cherry from Hockey Night in Canada pointed out; "he's hurt; it crushed him, knowing he wasn't going to get to play in the Winter Classic."


But apart from all the drama; (which is actually good for the NHL). There was the 37th game of the NHL season to be played, and a big 2 points at stake. The ice held up, which was fantastic, compared to last years game, and no one was severely injured, big improvement from last years Winter Classic. I'd say, this years classic, was a ton better than last years; more exciting, better conditions, goals were actually scored and in dramatic effect. I didn't want the game to end.
I tried to enter the game as an impartial hockey fan, cheering for only a good game, as I am not a fan of the Rangers or Flyers. But I quickly found myself siding with the Rangers, and hoping they would skate away with the 2 points. I don't know why but I just can't warm up to the Flyers. Lastly my favourite part of the whole event; the specially made jerseys just for the game; The Rangers had the better jerseys and were much more creative compared to the Flyers. The Rangers had a nice off white pattern, with an old looking logo, it looked very heritage/ vintage and different. Where as the Flyers kept their usual ugly orange colour jerseys, and kept the same logo they always use. 


All in all, I'd say it was really good game and I thoroughly enjoyed watching, it started off slow as both teams were adjusting to the elements and environment, but after the 1st period everything picked up. I do love watching the Winter Classic, and the attention it brings the game, it gets people who generally wouldn't watch hockey, to give it a little look.
I believe the next 2 Winter Classic venues have already been chosen and are in the works, and sadly non of them are north of the boarder. Now there is no guarantee these are official; Detroit and Washington appear to be hosting the next 2 Winter Classics. (2013-2014)
Anyways I'm looking forward to Next years Winter Classic!