HOCKEY ........ are you kidding me ?

[justpassingthru]

I have that Jarome Iginla jersey signed as well in my collection. Igy is a friend and an all around nice guy. I hope he doesn't have to get the golf clubs out to soon though.

He was originally drafted by Dallas but went to Calgary in a trade for Joe Nieuwendyk, and has played his whole career there.

[justpassingthru]

8 games in the NHL last night:

Car 3 Tor 0
NJ 2 Chi 1 ... SO
NYI 5 Pit 3
Buf 5 Was 1
Bos 5 TB 2
Flo 3 Mon 2 ... SO
StL 3 Nas 0
NYR 3 Min 2

[justpassingthru]

7 games in the WHL last night:

Brandon 3 Calgary 1 ...
MH 3 Saskatoon 2 ...OT
Moose Jaw 5 Regina 3
Portland 6 Kelowna 3
Spokane 3 Vancouver 2
Kamloops 7 Victoria 5
Tri City 4 Everett 0

Calgary is down 3-1 in the series. Kamloops is up 3-0 in there's.

[umpire2]

HOW ABOUT "THE SECOND 6"???

1acphiladelphiaflyers.JPG

[umpire2]

1acstlouis.jpg

[umpire2]

1acminnesota.jpg

[umpire2]

1acalifornia golden seals.JPG

[umpire2]

1acpittsburghpenguins.JPG

[umpire2]

1aclosangeleskings.jpg

[justpassingthru]

Wow ... the California Golden Seals Jersey, lol. That was destined to sink into the Bay from the start. They almost moved to Vancouver once but legal bullshit and the league put the kibosh on that.

I think in this particular instance seal clubbing would have been tolerated as a mercy killing.

[umpire2]

I can't remember exactly, but when I was a kid, I think that the Bruins played the Seals 4 times in 1971-1972 and beat them a total of something like 35-1.

[justpassingthru]

Originally Posted by umpire2

I can't remember exactly, but when I was a kid, I think that the Bruins played the Seals 4 times in 1971-1972 and beat them a total of something like 35-1.

And I'm sure that they could have racked up more goals but felt sorry for them after a while, lol.

Check out these Facts:

1967/68: The Seals were among six expansion teams as the NHL doubled in size. At first experts predicted the California Seals to be the best team in the Western Division with the other five expansion teams. The Seals would get off to a fast start winning their first two games and tying their third. However, it was all down here from then as the Seals ended up finishing dead last with a dreadful record of 15-42-17. Along the way the Seals would changes names and becoming the Oakland Seals on December 8th as the Seals failed to draw any fans with the name California Seals, as rumors of a move to Vancouver surrounded the first year team.

1973/74: Owner Charlie O. Finley seemed to lose interest in hockey as he sold the team back to the NHL for $6.5 Million dollars. While the NHL sought out new ownership the Golden Seals continued to struggle posting a pathetic 13-55-10, which was the worst record in the NHL.

Best Record:
1968/69 (29-36-11, 69 pts)

Worst Record:
1973/74 (13-55-10, 36 pts)

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/caloak/seals

[umpire2]

I can remember staying up to watch games and seeing the Seals and thinking "Carol Vadnais? Who would name a boy Carol?" and noting how inept he looked with the likes of Bobby Orr and Wayne Cashman skating rings around him.

I was dismayed when he was traded to the Bruins, but they saw SOMETHING in him, because he turned out to be a pretty good defenseman for the Bs.

[justpassingthru]

I felt so sorry for Gilles Meloche and his 93-191 record, lol.

They almost made it to the semi's in 1968-89 though, losing in game 7 to LA.

[justpassingthru]

Originally Posted by umpire2

I can remember staying up to watch games and seeing the Seals and thinking "Carol Vadnais? Who would name a boy Carol?" and noting how inept he looked with the likes of Bobby Orr and Wayne Cashman skating rings around him.

I was dismayed when he was traded to the Bruins, but they saw SOMETHING in him, because he turned out to be a pretty good defenseman for the Bs.

Vadnais did win a cup with Boston in 1972 though.

I laughed when I read this about him.

In 1973, Vadnais was mistakenly arrested in Philadelphia when police mistook him for a bank robbery suspect.

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by justpassingthru

Vadnais did win a cup with Boston in 1972 though.

I laughed when I read this about him.

In 1973, Vadnais was mistakenly arrested in Philadelphia when police mistook him for a bank robbery suspect.

They were just trying to keep him off the ice by putting him on ice.

[justpassingthru]

I don't know if you are a wrestling fan ump but here is a pic of Andre the Giant holding Carol and Bobby Orr.

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by justpassingthru

I don't know if you are a wrestling fan ump but here is a pic of Andre the Giant holding Carol and Bobby Orr.

I'm not a wrestling fan, but I loved The Princess Bride

[justpassingthru]

7 games in the NHL tonight:

Phi 7 Tor 1
NJ 6 TB 4
NYI 5 Pit 3

Other scores as they become relevant.

Philly moves to within 2 points of Pittsburgh and it is starting to look like Philly/Pit will meet in the first round of the playoffs.

[justpassingthru]

In the WHL last night:

Edmonton 6 Kootenay 3

MH 5 Saskatoon 0
(Medicine Hat wins series 4-0)

Moose Jaw 5 Regina 4 ... double overtime

Spokane 3 Vancouver 2 ... OT

Kamloops 4 Victoria 1
(Kamloops wins series 4-0)

Tri City 4 Everett 3 ... OT
(Tri City wins series 4-0)

Calgary trails 1-0 at the start of the 3rd in a win or go golfing game ... being down 3-1 in the series. The Calgary Hitmen are owned by the Calgary Flames after being brought to Calgary by famous wrestler and friend Brett "The Hitman" Hart. 37 former Hitmen have made it into the NHL to date.

I dated his sister a long time ago ... you can image the tension the first time I walked into their house, with Stu(RIP), Brett, Owen(RIP) as well as The Dynamite Kid and The British Bulldog there to keep me in line.

[justpassingthru]

Update:

NHL

Min 3 Flo 2 ... OT
Was 3 Bos 2 ... SO

WHL

Calgary/Brandon are in overtime tied 2-2
Edmonton 2 Kootenay 1 ... 13 to go in the 3rd
Portland 2 Kelowna 1 ... end of 1

Fuck ... Brandon just scored, Calgary is out going down 4 games to 1 after a great season.

[justpassingthru]

Update:

NHL

Chi 4 Stl 3 ... SO
Pho 2 SJ 0

WHL

Edm 3 Koo 1
Por 5 Kel 3

Both Edmonton and Portland win their series 4-0

[justpassingthru]

This is exciting news that took some time but all the details have been worked out and only need CFL league approval for the Calgary Flames to buy a majority stake in the Calgary Stampeder Football club which I am already a shareholder.
Flames buy bigger slice of Stamps


By Ian Busby ,Calgary Sun First posted: Thursday, March 29, 2012 11:00 AM MDT | Updated: Thursday, March 29, 2012 04:57 PM MDT

CALGARY - The Calgary Flames keep growing — and the next question is where will the teams under their umbrella will play in the future.
The Flames are now majority owners of the Calgary Stampeders, the fifth team under the NHL club’s control, along with the WHL’s Hitmen, the NLL’s Roughnecks and the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat.
There is work being done on getting the Flames a new downtown arena, but McMahon Stadium will eventually need to be replaced as well.
With the CFL team on board, the Flames will now look at building a sports complex downtown with both a football stadium and a new arena.
“We are smack in the middle of planning for a new building,” Flames president Ken King said. “We’ve been public about that.
“We haven’t talked about what it will look like or where it will be. It’s one of our highest priorities. Winning a championship is No. 1, and No. 2 is getting that done.
“Only now, and not before now, we will look into determining if it makes any sense to try and combine a stadium and an arena.”
In taking over the Stamps, the Flames will keep the staff in place. The only move they have made is to give GM/head coach John Hufnagel a five-year contract extension.
With training camp about two months away, nothing will change for the Stampeders in the immediate future.
A few months ago, one of the silent Stampeders owners expressed interest in selling his share. That started a process where the Flames determined they should take over controlling interest.
So with Thursday’s announcement comes word that minority partner John Forzani said the rest of the owners have kept their shares with the intentions of moving into the background of Stamps ownership.
Forzani, Doug Mitchell and Ted Hellard headed the previous group and bought the team from Michael Feterik back in 2005. Hellard stepped away a couple of years ago.
Forzani laughed that he’s ‘not a control freak’ and is comfortable becoming a minority partner after seven years at the helm.
“This was the plan all along — having a transition,” Forzani said. “The ownership group is pleased with the progress we’ve made.
“The Flames with their expertise and buying power can help the fan experience here. If you ask yourself one question: What is in the best interest of the Calgary Stampeders? This is the solution.
“We’re happy being minority owners because the wealth of experience the Flames bring to the table.”
This is the second team purchased in less than a year. The Flames bought the Roughnecks last June and transitioned that team into its operations.
This ownership change shouldn’t be as drastic, seeing as how there is a complete staff in place with the Stamps that has run the franchise well for decades.
King promises that the Stampeders will remain a separate entity in the sports group.
“We’re not going to mess with the white horse,” King said. “It’s a powerful brand.
“Sports business are complex, but they are pretty small. As single entities, it’s difficult to make back enough infrastructure to really run them and be competitive.
“This team has done it for decades. It’s tough on the people. You can’t really build an organization, and you can’t attract all the executive talent you would necessarily want. With a larger organization, you can bring more resources to bear and, hopefully, do a better job.
“The people here are a small staff. They have to be commended for what they’ve done.”

[justpassingthru]

8 games in the NHL last night:

Win 4 Car 3 ... OT
CLB 4 Flo 1
NYR 4 Mon 1
Pit 5 Buf 3
Nas 4 Det 1
Col 4 Cal 1
LA 4 Edm 1
Van 5 Dal 2

Calgary basically buried themselves last night losing to Colorado and are 4 points out of 8th spot with 3 games remaining. LA took over the lead in the Pacific division. Vancouver clinched their division and will play either Dallas or Phoenix in the 1st round.

[justpassingthru]

2 playoff games in the WHL last night:

Moose Jaw 5 Regina 2
Spokane 5 Vancouver 1

MJ wins series 4-1 and Spokane leads 3-2.

In round 2 of the playoffs:

Edmonton/Brandon
Moose Jaw/Medicine Hat
Portland/Kamloops
Tri City/TBA

(all teams listed 1st have home ice advantage)Games all start next Friday.

[umpire2]

MOOSE JAW WARRIORS

0.jpg

[justpassingthru]

That jersey has a few battle scars on it.

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by justpassingthru

That jersey has a few battle scars on it.

It's not like playing chess....

[justpassingthru]

Originally Posted by umpire2

It's not like playing chess....

You obviously haven't played chess with me ... it's a contact sport in my circles, lol.

I'm pissed off, I had tickets to the next Hitmen home game but they were eliminated the other night in game 5. I guess I have to cheer for my cousins team now.

[justpassingthru]

12 games in the NHL today ... 2 are already complete with 10 later starts.

Bos 6 NYI 3
Ott 4 Phi 3 ... SO

No games in the WHL tonight.

[justpassingthru]

'Mr. Hockey' turns 84, still revered in Wings' room

DETROIT -- Gordie Howe turns 84 years old on Saturday, but his connection to the Detroit Red Wings never seems to age.

The man who became known as "Mr. Hockey" while wearing the Winged Wheel on his chest has always had a connection to the Red Wings and Detroit since his playing days, and it remains a strong bond even now.

Howe and fellow Red Wings legend Ted Lindsay have been known to make appearances in the Detroit locker room for practices and games, and aren't shy about doling out advice or opinions.

Gordie Howe turns 84 years old Saturday.

"Well, obviously [Howe] and [Alex Delvecchio] and [Ted Lindsay], they're the guys who are around the most, but we have a huge alumni and I think you're going to see that next year at the Winter Classic and I think it's important for those guys to be involved," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said on Friday. "When you're in a franchise as historic as this and they can be involved, it's a special, special thing."

Babcock said he was friends with Howe's nephew, Bruce Clark, when he was a kid and always looked forward to meeting the legend.

"[Even] thinking of just meeting him was a thrill … never mind getting to be around him, having him walking into your room and talking to the guys," Babcock said. "It's spectacular. That's what's great about the Original Six."

Red Wings star forward Henrik Zetterberg agrees. He's Swedish, but said Howe is one of only a few NHL stars from the distant past who is revered in Sweden.

"There's not many that get talked about back home, but he's definitely one of them," Zetterberg told NHL.com on Friday. "He's Mr. Hockey. You knew right away, especially when you get drafted here. That came up right away. He is big back home."

Zetterberg said that Howe and Lindsay are not above dishing out some friendly advice after a tough loss, especially when it comes to puck placement on shots. Those times are some of his favorite interactions, especially with Howe.

"When he comes down [to the locker room] and you missed a shot or something the game before, he's always on you about where you should've put it and not in the pads," Zetterberg said. "It is cool. That's the way he is. Having Gordie coming down and having Ted Lindsay coming down on a regular basis and having their names on the [locker] stalls, it is pretty neat and that's one of the reasons it is special to play here."

Babcock had his own favorite Gordie Howe story to share.

"This is a number of years ago, [but] we lost a game 3-2 and he came down afterwards and said, 'Coach, I don't know if you know this, but during the game someone was laughing on the bench and you guys were down 3-2,'" Babcock said. "I said, 'Who?' and [he said], 'No, don't worry about. I already looked after that.' I thought that was good enough. There's lots of great stories, but that's one that stands out in my mind. [Those guys have] a tattoo on them for life. They're proud Red Wings and they should be."

[justpassingthru]

This is more for ump than anything else, lol.

Bruins' depth gets them back in, sets up repeat bid

The Boston Bruins are going to have a chance to defend their title after clinching a spot in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here is a look at some reasons why the Bruins will be back in the postseason, and have a chance to be the first team to repeat in 20 years.

1. The Bruins were one of the best teams in the history of the League for two months: Boston began the season 3-7-0 and plenty was written about a "Cup hangover." When the calendar turned to November, the Bruins went on a historic run. They went 23-3-1 from Nov. 1 to Jan. 5, outscoring the competition 114-43 (that's an average of 4.2 goals for, 1.6 against). Boston had seven shutouts during the streak, and won by four or more goals eight times. The Bruins are only 22-25-2 this season before and after that amazing two-month stretch.



Tim Thomas
Goalie - BOS
RECORD: 33-19-1
GAA: 2.38 | SVP: 0.920

2. They had one of the top goaltending tandems in the League, before an injury: Tim Thomas has not been a Vezina-winning caliber goaltender this season (like he was twice in the previous three campaigns), but he has still been very good -- and backup Tuukka Rask has been outstanding. Rask had a 2.05 goals-against average and .929 save percentage before getting hurt, while Thomas has a 2.39 GAA and .920 save percentage. The Bruins are fifth in the League in goals allowed per game, and having two strong goaltenders played a large part in that.

3. They had two of the five best lines in hockey, before an injury: Boston dominated games at even strength this season when everyone was healthy. The top line of David Krejci flanked by Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton was great, while the "second" line of Patrice Bergeron between Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand was spectacular. All six guys were among the League leaders in plus-minus per 60 minutes at even strength before Horton sustained his second concussion in less than a year.

4. Patrice Bergeron is a bona-fide star: Thomas is one of the League's best goalies and Zdeno Chara is one of the NHL's best defensemen, but Bergeron has made it clear this season that he deserves to be considered one of the top all-round forwards as well. Bergeron has 20 goals and 58 points, but he is also a leading candidate for the Selke Trophy and is probably the guy most likely to give Pavel Datsyuk a run for the title of "best two-way forward" in the NHL.

5. Tyler Seguin made "The Leap": Stealing a phrase from a certain famous Boston-based sports writer (and Bruins fan) there, but Seguin was a role player for the Bruins in his rookie year who has become one of the team's top guys in year two. Seguin leads the team with 26 goals and 61 points, and has been a dynamic two-way player next to Bergeron.

6. The Bruins were healthy on the blue line: Injuries may have been a bit of a problem up front and in goal with Horton, Rask and Rich Peverley all missing significant time, but the team's defense corps has remained mostly intact. Each of the team's top six defensemen have played at least 66 of the team's 76 games, and the Bruins added Greg Zanon and Mike Mottau for insurance purposes at the trade deadline. Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg have been anchors for the top two pairings, while Johnny Boychuk and Andrew Ference have proven to be solid top-four guys. Joe Corvo has struggled at times, but it has been as the fifth or sixth guy on the depth chart instead of in the top two or four at other stops in his career.

[justpassingthru]

Top draft prospects, CSS talk NHL comparisons

VAUGHAN, Ont. -- Prior to every season, NHL Central Scouting has already evaluated hundreds of the top prospects available in the upcoming NHL Draft.

In addition to meticulous reports that detail a player's good and bad points, and then sharing them with their colleagues, it's also helpful to have those prospects file some paperwork.

So, long before Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting, Mikhail Grigorenko of the Quebec Remparts, Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips, Radek Faksa of the Kitchener Rangers and Morgan Rielly of the Moose Jaw Warriors begin a new season, they've already completed Central Scouting's 'questionnaire.'

There's a good chance one of the aforementioned players, all among the top five North American skaters on Central Scouting's mid-term list in January, will earn the No. 1 rating when the final release is publicized in two weeks.

One of the more intriguing responses on the questionnaire happens to be in the section that asks each prospect for their strongest asset, weakest area and that NHL player he feels he would most resemble. The self-assessments, for the most part, are usually pretty accurate. The two defensemen among the top five North American skaters, Murray and Rielly, compared their style to Chicago blue liner Duncan Keith. Not surprisingly, the top two Russians on the board, Yakupov and Grigorenko, compared themselves to a fellow countryman.

The scouts seemed to think each player wasn't too far off in their responses.

Here's a summary of what each of the top five North American prospects, top North American goalie and top European skater at the time of the midterm rankings in January provided on their questionnaire.

As top-ranked Yakupov had not yet completed his questionnaire at the time of this feature, responses to questions were acquired during past interviews. The top European prospect at the midterm release, Filip Forsberg of Sweden, did not list a comparable NHL player. He did, however, list Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf as his favorite player. Yakupov didn't like comparing himself with an NHL player, either, but wears jersey No. 10 in honor of Pavel Bure.

Players are listed in the order they were ranked at the midterm rankings in January.

1. Nail Yakupov, RW, Sarnia Sting, OHL

2011-12: 42 games, 31 goals, 38 assists, 69 points, plus-15, 12 power-play goals

Comparison: "I want to be my own player; I don't compare my style to an NHL player."

Best asset: "My bread is my legs, and I have good hands, just not as good as [Alex Galchenyuk]."

Where do you need improvement: "Can never do enough to become all-around better player."

NHL Central Scouting: "His first step and ability to control bouncing pucks, knock them down and make a play are the best of any of the guys in the draft, in my opinion," Central Scouting's Chris Edwards said. "He really gets up to top speed very quickly and his hands our outstanding. Like Pavel Bure, Yakupov is dangerous every shift. He may not have been dominant on every shift like Bure was, but he created something every shift … you have to be aware where he is on the ice all the time."

2. Mikhail Grigorenko, C, Quebec Remparts, QMJHL

2011-12: 59 games, 40 goals, 45 assists, 85 points, plus-35, 8 power-play goals

Comparison: Evgeni Malkin

Best asset: "My hands."

Where do you need improvement: "Play in the defensive zone."

NHL Central Scouting: "He's the type of player that controls the whole pace of the game, he can play with the puck at the same pace he plays without the puck," Central Scouting's David Gregory said. "He sees the ice and opportunities really well. He can hang onto it longer than most players; some players might feel that they have to move it quickly. But Mikhail has the patience and the ability to see opportunities and let them develop, which is a special skill. He's got a big long reach and an ability to move in traffic with his size (6-foot-3.25, 200). He's the kind of forward who will control the play and make things happen."

3. Ryan Murray, D, Everett Silvertips, WHL

2011-12: 46 games, 9 goals, 22 assists, 31 points, 31 penalty minutes

Comparison: Duncan Keith

Best asset: "Skating, passing."

Where do you need improvement: "Skating, shooting, vision and strength."

NHL Central Scouting: "I think Murray is more like a [Scott] Niedermayer; he just does everything under the radar and so smooth you hardly notice it," Central Scouting's B.J. MacDonald said. "His skating is probably the best in the [WHL], but you don't really notice that so much because you almost take it for granted he's been there for three years. He never gets out of position and I've never seen him lose a one-on-one battle. He's always, defensively, in the right spots. He just does everything so seamlessly that he reminds me of Niedermayer only because he does everything so well at such a high level and after a while, you don't even notice it."

4. Radek Faksa, C, Kitchener Rangers, OHL

2011-12: 62 games, 29 goals, 37 assists, 66 points, plus-19, 8 power-play goals, 3 shorthanded goals

Comparison: Martin Havlat

Best asset: "Strongest asset as a player is my hockey sense."

Where do you need improvement: "To maintain the puck for longer times."

NHL Central Scouting: "He has great quickness right out of the gate, and can create openings for himself, moves the puck well and can really shoot it," Gregory said. "If the goalie is going to give him a spot to shoot, he better be able to cover it up, because he's going to be able to get the puck there. He's really dynamic that way … coming through the neutral zone and the attacking zone. It's almost like the eyes get big, and he's going to attack the net. I think that dynamic to his game, that ability to really create with speed and going hard to the net, make him a force and such an attractive player."

5. Morgan Rielly, D, Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL

2011-12: 18 games, 3 goals, 15 assists, 18 points, plus-6 (ACL surgery)

Comparison: Duncan Keith

Best asset: "Skating and passing."

Where do you need improvement: "Physical play."

NHL Central Scouting: "I've seen Rielly do things on the ice that nobody else was doing," MacDonald said. "I saw him make those little passes to guys who weren't expecting the puck to get there. He's the type of player who can lead the rush and he'll be the first guy back. I think his creativity makes him one of the top players in the league.

"He's like a chess player; he's thinking one or two moves ahead. He sees stuff coming that a lot of players don't see."

1. (Europe) - Filip Forsberg, C, Leksand, Sweden-2

2011-12: 43 games, 8 goals, 9 assists, 17 points, plus-3, 33 penalty minutes

Comparison: Didn't respond.

Best asset: "My skating, speed and mobility."

Where do you need improvement: "The offensive part … I have a good shot and good skill level."

NHL Central Scouting: "A leader who shows by example -- I would compare him to Anaheim's Corey Perry a little bit," NHL Director of European Scouting, Goran Stubb, told NHL.com. "Has a nose for the net, and often scores the big goals. He's a creative playmaker, good skater with fine straight-ahead speed. He's a right-handed forward with an excellent shot and an effective two-way player with a great winning attitude. Filip's a solid puck carrier with very good puck handling skills; mature, good size and physically strong. On top of that, he'll sacrifice himself to make the play."

1. (Goalie) - Malcolm Subban, G, Belleville Bulls, OHL

2011-12: 39 games, 25-14-0, 2.50 goals-against average, 3 shutouts, .923 save percentage

Comparison: Marc-Andre Fleury

Best asset: "Lateral ability, using my size and flexibility."

Where do you need improvement: "Rebound control, playing the puck."

NHL Central Scouting: "I see Malcolm as Carey Price," Central Scouting's Al Jensen said. "He's calm and poised. I find Fleury as more of an acrobatic goalie and getting out there but Malcolm is very good with his positioning with outstanding lateral ability and quickness. He can make the big save to turn a game around but he covers post-to-post so well with his butterfly. His leg extension is incredible and he has a very quick glove hand."

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by justpassingthru

This is more for ump than anything else, lol.

Bruins' depth gets them back in, sets up repeat bid

Thanks for offering me some hope, but unless these guys start winning more than 2 out of every 5 games against ALL competition, forgive me if I don't see them winning 4 of 7 from the top half of the league.

Turn-around time is almost gone.

[justpassingthru]

Originally Posted by umpire2

Thanks for offering me some hope, but unless these guys start winning more than 2 out of every 5 games against ALL competition, forgive me if I don't see them winning 4 of 7 from the top half of the league.

Turn-around time is almost gone.

I agree but hey, I had to have at least one last nice thing to say about them before the playoffs start and the gloves come off as far as my commentary on this thread goes.

PS ... my Flyers will get the same treatment if they don't smarten the fuck up soon. Plus I have the personal twitter accounts of a lot of them that I can use to voice my displeasure if needed.

[justpassingthru]

12 games in the NHL today:

Bos 6 NYI 3
Ott 4 Phi 3 ... SO

Tor 4 Buf 3
Was 3 Mon 2 ... SO
NJ 5 Car 0
TB 3 Win 2 ... OT
CLB 5 StL 2
Chi 5 Nas 4
Min 4 LA 3 ... SO
Pho 4 Ana 0
Van 3 Cal 2 ... OT
SJ 3 Dal 0

With the OT win Vancouver moves into 1st overall in the western conference and Calgary is eliminated from the playoff picture.

[justpassingthru]

Here is what the P/O picture looks like right now with 3 games left for most teams:

Canucks/Sharks
Blues/Coyotes
Kings/Blackhawks
Predators/Red Wings

Rangers/Capitals
Bruins/Senators
Panthers/Devils
Penguins/Flyers

(All teams listed first have home ice advantage)

[justpassingthru]

The saddest part of that is I gave away my Flyers tickets because of scheduling conflicts and suddenly am "free" to go to the games ... yet have no tickets, lol.

[justpassingthru]

6 games in the NHL today with 2 underway:

Phi 6 Pit 3 ... last minute of play
Ott 0 NYI 0 ... 18 to go in the 1st

Other scores as they are relevant.

[justpassingthru]

NHL Central Scouting league lists

It's early Sunday morning and the men of NHL Central Scouting have returned to the hotel conference room here in Vaughan, Ont., to continue ranking the top North American prospects eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft.

The scouts currently are 50 players deep and into the heart of the second round. We're at a point now where it could be time to find those diamonds in the rough. That's precisely what Central Scouting is paid to do.

As promised, here are the top 10 players Central Scouting ranked in each league. In order to maintain some level of confidentiality, the players are listed in alphabetical order.

Keep in mind, this is the closest thing you'll get to a finalized list until the actual release of the "Big Chart", tentatively scheduled for April 9. The number beside each league represents the projected amount of first-round picks from that league's top 10.

Can you predict what the actual top 10 for each league might look like?

Western Hockey League (7)
Mathew Dumba, D, Red Deer
Ryan Murray, D, Everett
Derrick Pouliot, D, Portland
Griffin Reinhart, D, Edmonton
Morgan Rielly, D, Edmonton
Colton Sissons, C, Kelowna
Chandler Stephenson, C/LW, Regina
Lukas Sutter, C, Saskatoon
Dalton Thrower, D, Saskatoon
Mike Winther, C, Prince Albert

Ontario Hockey League (10)
Cody Ceci, D, Ottawa
Radek Faksa, C, Kitchener
Matthew Finn, D, Guelph
Alex Galchenyuk, C, Sarnia
Brendan Gaunce, C, Belleville
Slater Koekkoek, D, Peterborough
Scott Kosmachuk, RW, Guelph
Olli Maatta, D, London
Thomas Wilson, RW, Plymouth
Nail Yakupov, RW, Sarnia


Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (2)
Francis Beauvillier, C/LW, Rimouski
Matej Beran, C, Prince Edward Island
Ryan Culkin, D, Quebec
Martin Frk, RW, Halifax
Mikhail Grigorenko, C, Quebec
Charles Hudon, LW, Chicoutimi
Tomas Hyka, RW, Gatineau
Christophe Lalancette, RW, Acadie-Bathurst
James Melindy, D, Moncton
Andrew Ryan, LW, Halifax

USA East (0)
Chris Calnan, RW, Nobles
Adam Gilmour, RW, Nobels
Brian Hart, RW, Exeter
Mark Jankowski, C, Stanstead High School
Samuel Kurker, RW, St. John's Prep
Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves, C, Kent School
Daniel O'Regan, C, St. Sebastian School
Doyle Somerby, D, Kimball Union
Devin Tringale, LW, Lawrence
Jimmy Vesey, LW, South Shore

USA West (5)
Phillip DiGiuseppe, LW, University of Michigan
Zemgus Girgensons, C, Dubuque
Nicolas Kerdiles, LW, USNTDP
Michael Matheson, D, Dubuque
Stefan Matteau, C, USNTDP
Jake McCabe, D, University of Wisconsin
Jordan Schmaltz, D, Green Bay
Patrick Sieloff, D, USNTDP
Brady Skjei, D, USNTDP
Jacob Trouba, D, USNTDP

Canadian Juniors (0)
Matthew Benning, D, Spruce Grove
Paul Dejersey, RW, Prince George
Rhett Holland, D, Okotoks
Alexander Kerfoot, C, Coquitlam
Jujhar Khara, LW, Prince George
Wade Murphy, RW, Penticton
Peter Quenneville, C, Sherwood
Devin Shore, C, Whitby
Reece Willcox, D, Merritt
Morgan Zulinick, C, Salmon Arm

[justpassingthru]

Update:

Phi 6 Pit 4
Ott 5 NYI 1
Det 2 Flo 1 ... SO
Bos/NYR ... pregame
Min/Chi ... pregame
Edm/Ana ... late start

[justpassingthru]

Flyers overcome early deficit in likely playoff preview

Sunday, 04.01.2012

PITTSBURGH -- The Philadelphia Flyers rallied for an important victory that puts them in a much-better position to claim home-ice advantage in a potential playoff series with rival Pittsburgh.

In a cross-state series, the Flyers' biggest edge might be their ability to win on the road, as they did by surging back from an early two-goal deficit to beat the Penguins 6-4 Sunday.

Wayne Simmonds' fifth goal in three games early in the third period gave Philadelphia its first lead, and Jakub Voracek added an insurance goal later -- his second of the day -- in the Flyers' four-goal third period as they improved to 5-0 in Consol Energy Center, including two wins this season. The longtime rivals meet there again Saturday in a game that could decide home-ice advantage for their likely Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.

Pittsburgh's third loss in four games means the New York Rangers will win the Atlantic Division title and secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference by picking up one point in their final four games. And the Flyers, by bouncing back from a 4-3 shootout loss to the Senators on Saturday, closed to within one point of the Penguins, 102-101, for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Given the Flyers' proven ability to win in Consol, perhaps they wouldn't mind opening what would be their third playoff series against Pittsburgh in five seasons right there. As Scott Hartnell said, Consol just isn't as intimidating to them as the now-demolished Civic Arena, the steel-roofed building known as the Igloo where the Penguins played through the 2009-10 season.

"This is a much different building than the Igloo," Hartnell said. "You were almost scared coming into the Igloo, people were right on you. And how dumpy the place was, it was tough. I think it's good we have the confidence to play here. We know in our hearts and our heads we can beat these guys."

And just think -- there might be eight more games between these two can't-stand-each-other teams in the next three weeks. As the game wound down, there were three separate groups of players yelling, fighting or shoving each other on the ice as Flyers coach Peter Laviolette and Penguins assistant Tony Granato screamed at each other as they stood feet apart on the dasher boards.

The Penguins weren't happy that Brayden Schenn appeared to cross-check Sidney Crosby in the back as the two headed to their benches after Steve Sullivan's second goal of the game for Pittsburgh. Laviolette eventually became so incensed that Penguins forward Joe Vitale put a hard hit on Danny Briere, he broke one of Maxime Talbot's sticks, causing a piece to fly into the Penguins' bench.

"A few fights squared off and there are emotions in games and sometimes they go overboard," Hartnell said. "Lavvy lost it there for a second."

A total of 52 penalty minutes resulted from the fracas, with Zac Rinaldo of Philadelphia and Arron Asham drawing game misconducts.

Just another Flyers-Penguins game.

"The battle of Pennsylvania," Simmonds said. "I've only been here for one season and it's a heated rivalry. We expect it any time you play them."

It's also becoming evident the Flyers don't expect to lose. They are 4-1 against the Penguins this season, and they ended the Penguins' NHL season's-best 11-game winning streak by also rallying from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2, last-second overtime win on March 18.

"The playoffs are coming and I'm not going to back down and obviously they're a good team," said Claude Giroux, who had a goal and two assists. "We respect their players but, at the same time, we've got to be hard on them."

Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik isn't about to concede any Philadelphia dominance.

"It's just one game," he said. "It's a good hockey team we lost to, but we can play better."

Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, forced to make 28 saves in the first two periods and 43 overall, also improved to 5-0 in Consol despite giving up early goals to Sullivan and James Neal.

Goals by Giroux and Talbot tied it and shifted the momentum, and the Flyers overwhelmed the Penguins in the decisive third period.

Simmonds scored the most important goal, skating hard to the edge of the crease so he could control a rolling puck and one-time it past Fleury on a power play 2:35 into the third for his 27th of the season. Chris Kunitz was off for interference.

Jakub Voracek scored slightly more than four minutes later on a backhander from the slot, during an offensive rush created by Braydon Coburn's stretch pass. Marc-Andre Bourdon made certain that Sullivan's second goal would prove meaningless by scoring at 13:15, and Voracek -- who also set up Simmonds' goal -- scored again at 18:45 just before the late-game melee started.

Defenseman Zbynek Michalek blamed the Penguins' breakdown on numerous turnovers in the neutral zone by a team that kept gambling defensively even while up by two goals.

"We can't turn the puck over in the neutral zone, and we can't take penalties because they have good offensive players who if they have a chance will score goals," Michalek said. "We have to be better managing the puck."

Philadelphia has picked up points in 10 games this season in which it has fallen behind by two goals, including its last two games.

"Once it was 2-0, our guys really fought. They fought," Laviolette said. "I don't think there was any doubt or skepticism we could win the game. But it wasn't the start we were looking for."

Sullivan, who moved up to Crosby's line during the Penguins' 5-3 win at Buffalo on Friday, grabbed Crosby's pass from behind the goal line and threw a knuckleball-like shot past a slip-sliding Bobrovsky, who momentarily lost his balance and couldn't fully recover before the puck found the net at 1:14 of the first.

Pascal Dupuis picked up the other assist, extending his scoring streak to an NHL season-high 14 games (9 goals, 10 assist).

Neal made it 2-0 less than four minutes later with his 39th goal, pumping in a short-range shot from along the goal line off Evgeni Malkin's pass from behind the net. Malkin also picked up another assist on Kunitz's goal in the final minute, giving him a League-high 104 points.

Giroux got the Flyers back in it at 15:09 of the first with a wrist shot from the slot as Hartnell screened Fleury. Talbot was seen jawing with a couple of Penguins as the first period ended, and he came out and scored quickly to start the second by redirecting Rinaldo's shot from the right circle.

And there's a lot more to come.

"Guys were pretty emotional at the end of the game there," Giroux said. "Obviously it's going to be an interesting series."

[justpassingthru]

Update:

Bos 2 NYR 1
Min 5 Chi 4 ... SO
Edm 2 Ana 1

WHL

Spokane 3 Vancouver 1

Spokane wins series 4-2

Edm/Bra
MJ/MH
Tri City/Spo
Por/Kam

(All 2nd round series start on Friday Apr 6th)

[justpassingthru]

WHL scoring race in playoffs.

Player/Team/Games/Goals/Assists/Points/PIM

1 Ty RattiePortland Winterhawks 4 10 3 13 2
2 Emerson EtemMedicine Hat Tigers 4 7 5 12 6
3 Sven BartschiPortland Winterhawks 4 2 9 11 4
4 Mike AvianiSpokane Chiefs 6 2 9 11 8
5 Brendan GallagherVancouver Giants 6 5 5 10 16
6 James HenryMoose Jaw Warriors 5 2 8 10 2
7 Quinton HowdenMoose Jaw Warriors 5 3 6 9 2
8 Jordan MartinookVancouver Giants 6 3 6 9 2
9 Mitch HolmbergSpokane Chiefs 6 6 2 8 0
10 Brendan ShinniminTri-City Americans 4 3 5 8 8

Fucking insane ... Ty Rattie has 10 goals in 4 games and Emerson Etem has 7 in 4 games.

Kamloops will have their hands full with this scoring machine (Rattie) in round 2.

[leed's 13th child]

rookie of the year for this season??
Adam Henrique
Ryan N-H
Landeskog

[justpassingthru]

Originally Posted by leed's 13th child

rookie of the year for this season??
Adam Henrique
Ryan N-H
Landeskog

Adam Henrique has 16 goals and 34 assists in 71 games so far with a +8 ... and leads the league in SH goals (4). Last goal scored was Mar 23rd.

Ryan Nugent Hopkins has 18 goals and 33 assists in 59 games with a -1 ... and would have torn up the league if he wasn't injured. Hasn't scored a goal in his last 5 games.

Gabriel Landeskog has 22 goals and 29 assists in 80 games with a +23. Last goal was March 24th.

[justpassingthru]

Only 2 games in the NHL tonight:

TB 4 Was 2
LA 1 Edm 0 ... with 4 to go in the 3rd

[justpassingthru]

Update:

LA 2 Edm 0

[justpassingthru]

1,000 posts ... YAY.

I just want to use this 1,000th post to thank all of those that took the time to visit and especially those that made a contribution with a post or two.

[justpassingthru]

Here is what the standings look like with 3 games left in the regular season and soon I will start a daily focus on each team and go into detail with info as to what they might look like in the playoffs.